Publication:World of Warcraft: The Role Playing Game/Sample Technological Devices

The following are some examples of technological devices produced by Azeroth’s tinkers. The devices are presented in the following format:

Name

Description: The item’s description, which explains what it is and what it can do.

Operation: How a character operates the device and what happens when she operates it correctly.

Fuel: The fuel (often phlogiston or gunpowder) that the device consumes. If the device does not require fuel, this entry is absent.

Ammunition: If the device uses ammunition, it is listed here. If the device does not require ammunition, this entry is absent.

Malfunction: When they malfunction, most devices simply jam or otherwise stop working for a time. Sometimes a malfunction is particularly unpleasant, and in such a case the effect listed here occurs (see “Malfunctions and Repairs,” above, for more information). Some devices use one of the malfunction effects listed in the “Malfunction Effects” section, above, while some have unique malfunction effects. When weapons malfunction, they usually misfire or explode.

Following the malfunction effect is a line of statistics that present the device’s hardness, hit points, size, weight, Malfunction Rating, Technology Score, Craft (technological device) DC 7, and price (market value). The Technology Score, Craft DC, and price are all the information you need to create the device.

Army Knife, Goblin

Description: It’s not stylish and it’s useless as a weapon, but no sensible goblin warrior marches without this tool of-all-trades. The goblin army knife digs trenches, saws wood, hammers nails, lights fires, sounds three different kinds of duck calls, polishes and oils armor, sews clothing, stores 25 feet of spidersilk rope with a test weight of 100 pounds, extends into a fishing rod, and unreels into a 1-person canvas tent. All this utility in just 4 pounds, and it even cuts things!

The goblin army knife is the appropriate tool for just about any Craft skill.

Operation: Operating the intricate system of levers to access each function of the knife takes 3 rounds and requires a DC 5 Use Technological Device check.

Malfunction: Pieces everywhere.

Hardness 1; 3 hp; Size Diminutive; Weight 4 lb.; MR 1; TS 2, Craft DC 7; Price 50 gp.

Basic Boomstick

Description: Sometimes you want more firepower than a long rifle. The basic boomstick fires metal balls that are 6 inches in diameter — large enough to blow big holes in people, and far too large to be accurate at long ranges. The basic boomstick deals 5d6 points of piercing damage. It has a range increment of 50 feet.

Operation: The basic boomstick is a firearm and requires a ranged attack roll to hit. Like a long rifle, it requires two hands to use properly. Reloading it is a move action that provokes attacks of opportunity.

Fuel: The basic boomstick consumes two ounces of gunpowder with each shot.

Ammunition: The basic boomstick uses boom balls, which are sold individually.

Hardness 3; 5 hp; Size Tiny (weapon category: Medium, two-handed); Weight 25 lb.; MR 2; TS 15, Craft DC 35; Price 2,900 gp.

Battle Chicken, Gnomish

Description: The gnomish battle chicken is an oversized mechanical chicken. It may look silly, but it is one tough customer.

Operation: Starting an inert battle chicken, which involves cranking cranks, pushing buttons, turning little knobs, and speaking into fl ared tubes, takes 1 minute and a DC 40 Use Technological Device check. The chicken obeys the voice commands of the creature that started it, attacking his enemies and doing anything else he asks. The chicken can understand only simple commands; see the tricks in the Handle Animal skill in Chapter 5: Skills for some possibilities.

Whenever the controller issues a new command, he must make a DC 25 Use Technological Device check or the chicken ignores him and continues performing its current action.

The chicken can operate continuously for 8 hours before it must shut down to cool off, which takes 1 hour.

Fuel: The battle chicken requires one vial of phlogiston every hour.

Malfunction: The chicken attacks its master or her allies.

Hardness 5; 110 hp; Size Small; Weight 25 lb.; MR 2; TS 24, Craft DC 64; Price 35,530 gp.

Gnomish Battle Chicken: CR 8; Small construct; HD 20d10, hp 110; Init -1; Spd 20 ft.; AC 23, touch 11, flat-footed 23; Base Atk +15; Grp +11; Atk +21 melee (3d6+4, bite); Full Atk +21 melee (5d6+4, bite); Face/Reach 2 1/2 ft./0 ft.; SQ Hardness 5, construct traits; AL N; SV Fort +6, Ref +5, Spt +1; Str 18, Agi 8, Sta —, Int 1, Wis 1, Cha 1. Skill: Listen +18.

Combat Armor, Gnomish

Description: This device resembles a suit of chainmail with a metal breastplate. A phlogiston boiler is attached to the breastplate’s back, and molded metal plates, connected by pistons, strap to the backs of the wearer’s arms and hands. In addition to providing protection, the boiler drives the pistons and lends strength to the wearer’s blows. Two small pipes on the boiler’s top vent the excess heat and steam.

Gnomish combat armor provides a +6 armor bonus to AC, counts as heavy armor, has a max Agility bonus of +0, an armor check penalty of –7, and an arcane spell failure chance of 45%. It included gauntlets. When the boiler is active, it provides a +4 enhancement bonus to the wearer’s Strength.

Operation: Strapping on the armor is easy enough; it counts as a breastplate for the purposes of determining how much time it takes to put on and take off (see Table 9–5: Donning Armor). Properly adjusting the arm plates and starting the boiler requires 2 rounds and a DC 25 Use Technological Device check.

Fuel: The boiler requires 1 vial of phlogiston every hour of continuous use.

Malfunction: Kickback.

Hardness 5; 40 hp; Size Small; Weight 50 lb.; MR 2; TS 12, Craft DC 27; Price 1,440 gp.

Jumper Cables, Goblin

Description: This device consists of several thick yellow cables that snake out from a copper-wrapped battery. Attach the cables to various points of a recently fallen comrade, fl ip the switch, and the body jerks off the ground and spasms mightily while electricity plays over the thinly insulated cables. The smell of burning hair wafts up. In addition to being fun to watch, this display sometimes revives the character.

Operation: Goblin jumper cables can only revive a character that has been dead for fewer than 10 minutes. Attaching the cables to the body and properly activating the equipment requires 1 minute and a DC 30 Use Technological Device check. A character with 5 or more ranks in Heal gets a +2 synergy bonus on this check. If the check is successful, the body begins breathing again. The character returns to life with –1 hit point and is stable. If he was a spellcaster, he loses all his remaining spell slots. The character is also fatigued until he gets 24 hours of uninterrupted rest.

Malfunction: The battery explodes, dealing 5d6 points of slashing damage to all creatures within 15 feet (DC 18 Reflex half). The Craft (technological device) checks required to repair the boots have their DCs increased by +6.

Hardness 5; 10 hp; Size Small; Weight 15 lb.; MR 4; TS 16, Craft DC 31; Price 14,000 gp.

Pulley Gun

Description: Grappling hooks are fi ne for simple climbing, but sometimes you need to move heavy loads over walls or across chasms. The pulley gun makes this job a breeze. A blast of steam propels a thick metal spike up to 50 feet through the air and deep into any surface up to hardness 8. (The spike penetrates stone but not iron.) The force of impact compresses the spike, causing four tines to dig into the surface and secure it.

An instant after the spike fires, a second blast of steam shoots a pulley-and-rope attachment from a second barrel. This barrel is sighted so that the pulley hits and locks onto the spike. Once the pulley is secure, the 100 feet of attached spidersilk rope can be used to move up to 800 pounds.

Operation: The pulley gun requires a ranged attack roll to hit its target. It has a range increment of 5 feet and deals 3d6 points of piercing damage if used as a weapon. Most characters using a pulley gun take a –4 non-proficiency penalty on their attack rolls, though a character with 5 or more ranks in Use Technological Device does not take this penalty.

Resetting the pulley gun after it has been fired takes 3 rounds, but detaching the rope and pulley system from the spike takes 3 minutes. Removing a spike from a wall is nigh impossible, so tinkers usually carry backup spikes.

Fuel: One vial of phlogiston fuels four shots.

Malfunction: Balky.

Hardness 3; 5 hp; Size Tiny; Weight 6 lb.; MR 1; TS 4, Craft DC 14; Price 160 gp.

Repeating Pistol

'Description: A repeating pistol, also called a repeater, resembles a flintlock pistol with five barrels arranged in a circle. A clockwork mechanism is incorporated into the barrels, so that when a character fires the pistol, a new barrel rotates into position, saving her the trouble of reloading it.

A repeating pistol deals 3d6 points of damage and has a range increment of 20 feet.

Operation: A repeating pistol functions like a flintlock pistol. It holds five shots, and switching barrels takes little time; you can fire a repeating pistol several times per round if you have a high base attack bonus, the Rapid Shot feat, or a similar ability. Reloading a barrel is a move action.

Fuel: The repeating pistol uses 1 ounce of gunpowder per shot.

Ammunition:' The repeating pistol fires the same pistol balls as flintlock pistols. Hardness 3; 5 hp; Size Tiny; Weight 7 lb.; MR 2; TS 4, Craft DC 29; Price 2,790 gp.

Rocket Boots, Goblin

Description: These thick leather boots are lined with metal plates on the front, back, and on the soles. The underside of each sole contains two small jets, and when you activate the device the jets emit powerful blasts of fi re, propelling you forward and increasing your running speed.

Goblin rocket boots increase base your land speed by +100 feet. This increase is an enhancement bonus. While the boots are active, you cannot move less than 50 feet in a round.

Operation: Activating the boots requires a DC 23 Use Technological Device check. Turning them off similarly requires a DC 23 Use Technological Device check.

Fuel: Goblin rocket boots require an experimental substance called goblin rocket fuel; the boots hold one vial of rocket fuel and burn through it in 10 minutes.

Malfunction: The boots explode, dealing 6d6 points of fire and slashing damage to the wearer (no save) and 3d6 points of fire and slashing damage to all creatures within 15 feet (DC 18 Reflex half). The Craft (technological device) checks required to repair the boots have their DCs increased by +6.

Hardness 3; 5 hp; Size Tiny; Weight 3 lb. each; MR 3; TS 16, Craft DC 34; Price 5,400 gp.

Universal Remote, Gnomish

Description: This small bronze contraption bears numerous knobs, dials, pointers, winding thingies and whirring gizmos. A competent user can take control of constructs, both mechanical and magical, from a distance — if he’s lucky. Even the gnomes aren’t sure why this collection of bronze, oils and semiprecious stones works. Gnomish engineering at its fi nest.

Operation: To use a gnomish universal remote, the operator must be within 30 feet of a construct (a golem or gnomish battle chicken, for instance). Operating the universal remote is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. The operator makes a Use Technological Device check with a DC equal to 15 + the construct’s Hit Dice. If he succeeds, he controls the construct’s next action.

Malfunction: The remote empowers the target construct, granting it a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and drawing its attention to the operator.

Hardness 1; 3 hp; Size Diminutive; Weight 1/2 lb.; MR 5; TS 14, Craft DC 30; Price 8,000 gp. ===Zeppelin, Goblin Description: Seen patrolling the skies as early as the Second War, goblin zeppelins have become a widespread method of transportation. They are swift, able to make long journeys, and pass above rough terrain. A goblin zeppelin consists of a wooden gondola attached to large balloon. A phlogiston boiler pumps hot air into the balloon. Ropes connect fins on the balloon’s back to a wheel in the gondola, allowing the pilot to control the zeppelin’s direction. He controls its altitude and speed by regulating the balloon’s degree of inflation and with ballast. One or more rotors provide thrust and alter the zeppelin’s speed. A goblin zeppelin can hold 2,600 pounds of cargo. It flies at a speed of 15 miles per hour with a maneuverability of clumsy.

Operation: Inflating the zeppelin’s balloon takes 1 hour and a DC 20 Use Technological Device check every 10 minutes. Piloting a zeppelin requires a DC 10 Use Technological Device check once per hour.

Fuel: The zeppelin’s boiler requires 20 vials of phlogiston to inflate the balloon and 1 vial of phlogiston every hour it is in operation.

Malfunction: Zeppelins are one of the most stable technological devices on Azeroth, and malfunctions tend to be nonthreatening. The zeppelin may drift off course or develop a leak, forcing it to descend to the ground, but only rarely does the phlogiston boiler explode (in which case it deals 13d6 points of slashing and fi re damage to all creatures within 15 feet).

Hardness 5; 320 hp; Size Colossal; Weight 900 lb.; MR 1; TS 13, Craft DC 33; Price 3,640 gp.