Some technicians are not content with ‘conventional’ invention. These technicians blend the worlds of magic and technology as they seek to exercise mastery over grander concepts: good and evil, death and reanimation, and other things many think are better left untouched. Some call these technicians mad, but surely the world will be forced to recognize their genius once their greatest creations are unleashed.
Class Skills: The mad scientist loses Disable Device, Knowledge (dungeoneering), Knowledge (geography), Knowledge (local), and Sleight of Hand as class skills, but gains Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (nature), Knowledge (planes), Knowledge (religion), and Spellcraft.
Skills: The mad scientist only gains 4 + Int modifier skill points per level rather than 6 + Int modifier.
Laboratory: A mad scientist can create a laboratory, and begins with one if this is his first level in any class. A laboratory is a permanent location, constructed in either a building or a vehicle with at least a 10-ft. cube of open space, but may be up to a 10-ft. cube per technician level. The mad scientist can only maintain one laboratory at a time, but many spend 2 days of work (following the magic item creation rules) to replace their laboratory with a new one in a new location.
A laboratory has the same effect as a vigilante’s safe house: Objects within this safe house can’t be located by any effect that is less powerful than a discern location spell. At 7th level, this protection from being located also applies to creatures in the safe house. At 13th level, the entire area is protected from scrying effects (though not mundane snooping) like a mage’s private sanctum.
At 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, the mad scientist may create an additional laboratory in a new location without sacrificing the old one.
Supernatural Science (Su): A mad scientist is considered an arcane magic user, and treats his technician levels as if they were wizard levels for the purpose of activating magic items such as wands, staves, and scrolls, as well as when meeting the prerequisites for item creation feats and when making magic items. This includes both access to spell lists as well as determining his effective ‘caster level’. This does not, however, allow him to cast spells in a conventional fashion, nor increase his caster level if casting spells via another class. The mad scientist must decipher spells and meet a spell’s prerequisites, just as a wizard must, in order to use a spell, copy a spell into a spellbook, etc.
The mad scientist gains Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat at 1st level.
A mad scientist cannot memorize spells, but so long as he is inside of his laboratory, meets the spell’s minimum caster level and Intelligence requirement, and has a copy of that spell present such as via a wizard’s spellbook, he can reproduce the effects of a spell by spending time and money to recreate the magic via scientific means, via mixing ingredients, harnessing crude electrical charges, and applying other aspects of natural philosophy. If the spell includes any costly spell components, those must be supplied in addition to the cost listed on the Table: Spell Activation.
Table: Spell Activation| Spell Level | Material Cost | Casting Time |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 gp | 1 minute |
| 1 | 5 gp | 5 minutes |
| 2 | 10 gp | 10 minutes |
| 3 | 25 gp | 30 minutes |
| 4 | 50 gp | 1 hour |
| 5 | 100 gp | 2 hours |
| 6 | 250 gp | 4 hours |
| 7 | 500 gp | 8 hours |
| 8 | 1,000 gp | 1 day |
| 9 | 5,000 gp | 2 days |
A mad scientist begins play with a spellbook containing all 0-level wizard spells, plus three 1st-level spells of his choice. The mad scientist also selects a number of additional 1st-level spells equal to his Intelligence modifier to add to the spellbook. At each new technician level, he gains two new spells of any spell level or levels equal to those that would be castable for his effective wizard level to add to his spellbook.
This replaces gadgets.
Unethical Science (Su): At 1st level, 3rd level, and every 4 levels thereafter, the mad scientist gains a special insight into unethical science. At each of the listed levels, they may choose one of the following options. Each of the following allows the mad scientist to construct a special kind of invention that is as much magic as science, and is considered a grand gadget for the purposes of wielding, drawing, sundering, integrating it with other inventions, etc. Just as with grand gadgets, any saving throw required by an unethical invention has a DC equal to 10 +1/2 the mad scientist’s level + his Intelligence modifier.
At each of the listed levels, the mad scientist gains an additional invention, which must be spent creating one of the following devices they have chosen with unethical science. A mad scientist may use one of their general invention slots to create a new unethical invention (except those gained through Inventor’s Insight), but may not use an unethical invention to create a general invention.
Rather than gaining improvements, unethical science inventions possesses one ability. However, multiple unethical invention slots can be spent on the same device, adding 3 more uses (or 6, in the case of the portal gun). Just as with general inventions, an unethical science invention can be dismantled and changed into another with 8 hours of work. If a creature other than the mad scientist uses an unethical invention, any attack rolls and DCs associated with the unethical invention suffer a -1 penalty, which increases by 1 at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter.
Death Ray: As a standard action, the wielder may make a ranged touch attack against a creature. If successful, the target gains 1 temporary negative level, which lasts for 1 hour per technician level. This increases by 1 die size at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter (1d2, 1d3, 1d4, 1d6). This ability is usable 3 times per day, +1 at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter. This is considered a ranged weapon with a range increment of 10 ft.
Freeze Ray: As a standard action, the wielder may make a ranged touch attack against a creature. If successful, the target must pass a Fortitude save or become stunned for 1 round per 2 technician levels (minimum: 2). This ability is usable 3 times per day. This is considered a ranged weapon with a range increment of 10 ft.
Mind Control: As a standard action, the wielder may make a melee touch attack to attach a small device from this invention to the target. The target must pass a Will save or fall under the wielder’s control for 1 round per 2 technician levels (minimum: 1). The target obeys all commands (if they do not share a language, only basic commands can be communicated such as ‘go’, ‘fight’, ‘help me’, etc.) except for obviously suicidal ones, and the target is staggered for the duration of the effect. Giving a target commands is a move action; without commands, the target will simply stand still, although it will defend itself if attacked.
Another creature may attempt to remove the small device as a steal combat maneuver, and if successful causes the mind control to immediately end and the device to become inert. This ability is usable 3 times per day. This is a mind-altering effect.
Monstrous Transformation: As a standard action, the wielder may inject an adjacent creature with a special formulae. The target gains an alchemical bonus to Strength and Dexterity and a penalty to all mental scores equal to 1/2 the technician’s level (minimum 2). This cannot reduce a target’s mental scores below 1. Unwilling targets require a melee touch attack and are allowed a Fortitude save to resist this effect. This bonus and penalty lasts a number of rounds equal to the technician’s Intelligence modifier. This can be used 3 times per day.
Portal Gun: As a move action, the wielder may make a ranged touch attack against a solid surface of at least 5 ft. by 5 ft., such as a wall, ceiling, or floor. Once struck, this surface swirls with a visual effect, almost like a gateway into an extradimensional space. This gateway is 5 ft. x 5 ft., but may have its radius doubled at 5th level, and again for every 4 levels thereafter. The portal gun has no effect on creatures.
Once the wielder has successfully struck two surfaces that are not further apart than long range (400 ft. +40 ft. per technician level), the portals connect, such that walking into one portal causes a creature to cross through to the other portal. These spaces are considered adjacent for all purposes, including flanking and attacking someone with a ranged weapon by firing through the portal.
If the portal gun is used a third time, the wielder must choose one of their previous portals to be replaced by the new one, with the remaining 2 portals now being connected.
The portal gun can be used 6 times per day. This is considered a ranged weapon with a range increment of 50 ft. Because of the nature of the portal gun and the imprecise need for firing, the weapon is usable as a move action rather than a standard action, and if the wielder misses their intended space, they may roll as if they had missed while making an attack with a splash weapon to determine if the attack strikes another valid surface instead. However, this roll determines where the shot lands in relation to the line of fire (for example, if a roll of 5 is made while aiming at a wall, the shot will have landed 5 ft. high, not 5 ft. forward).
Reanimation: Rather than create a device, the mad scientist may create a humanoid zombie with a number of Hit Dice equal to his technician level. The zombie possesses no proficiencies except its natural weapons, but has an Intelligence of 3 + 1 per 2 technician level the mad scientist possesses, 2 skill points per level (reduced to 1 for lack of Intelligence), and feats and attribute increases as if it were a PC. The zombie does not gain additional Hit Dice for its size, and may spend a feat to lose the staggered condition.
The zombie begins speaking one language the mad scientist speaks and is loyal to him and obeys all commands, but is more akin to an animal companion than an undead slave; if not treated well (especially as it gains more intelligence), it very well may abandon the mad scientist in pursuit of its own goals. The zombie can be made from any humanoid creature, but only if the appropriate corpse can be found, and only if the creature’s racial Hit Dice does not exceed 1 per technician level.
Prerequisite: A body’s worth of humanoid corpse pieces, with a brain that has been dead for no more than a day.
Shrink Ray: As a standard action, the wielder may make a ranged touch attack against a creature. If successful, the target must pass a Fortitude save or shrink by 1 size category, plus up to 1 additional size category at 5th level and every 4 levels thereafter, suffering a -2 penalty to Strength but gaining a +2 bonus to Dexterity per size category. This penalty lasts 1 minute per technician level. Allies may always choose to fail this saving throw. This ability is usable 3 times per day. This is considered a ranged weapon with a range increment of 30 ft.
This replaces trap specialist, trapfinding, danger sense, trap insight, trap master, greater trapmaster, supreme trapmaster, and perfect trapmaster.