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The artiforged is a martial class centered around literally forging yourself into the perfect warrior. I designed it as “setting neutral” with a class feature that determines the flavor of your bodily enhancements. Fitting your artiforged to a setting is simply a matter of choosing the right power source. You could be a steam knight, a clockwork soldier, a guy with a bunch of magical devices installed in his body, a warrioress augmenting herself with symbiotic plants or perhaps a man who Frankensteins himself with undead limbs.
The artiforged is a full BAB martial with no spellcasting. He gains no bonus feat progression, but is a feature rich class. Some class features include the following.
- Integrated Weapon: Gain a special weapon attached to your body that can be deployed quickly.
- Power Source: Gain a “bloodline” that determines the nature of your augmentations. The power source also acts as a resource pool with special abilities increasing “tension." Time and healing spells reduce tension.
- Power Surge: Raise tension to gain +1/+1 to integrated weapon attacks for 1 round. Damage scales with level. Every power source augments power surge in some way.
- Flurry Assault: At 2nd level, gain a bonus integrated weapon attack when full-attacking.
- Upgrades: At every even level, customize yourself with a new special ability. Some require raising tension to use.
- Integrated Armor: At 3rd level, gain armor grafted to your body that can be deployed or retracted. At later levels, you can configure the armor to gain situational perks.
I intend to publish this class in a book that will include many more upgrades, power sources, archetypes, NPCs of all CRs, and an Eldritch Heritage-like feat. I’d like some thoughts and feedback before I finalize a draft for an upcoming playtest.
Special thanks to Ciaran Barnes, Goddity, Goth Guru and others for their feedback during the development of this class. They were a big help during the months I spent working on this.
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I dig it. Might I recommend an archetype that this class just inspired?
The Necroborg: A necromantic warrior who slowly progresses to undeath, one body part at a time. Customizations could include various undead powers such as...
-Blood Drain
-Slam or Claw attacks
-Morhg Tongue
-etc. It's late. I'm tired. You get the gist.
Basically, you'd be Frankenstein's monster with bits of Dracula, the Mummy, Jack Skellington, and Jason Voorhees mixed in.
Interestingly, the whole tension mechanic turned out to be more traditional than I expected at the beginning. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I see it, tension is essentially a reversed pool mechanic. That's not a bad thing, but it raises the question why you don't use a pooled ressource like other classes do, especially since you don't want any class abilities that rely on the amount of tension the artiforged has acquired. The artiforged could still recover points on a regular basis and he could still deplete his pool at the cost of a drawback. And you could avoid some clumsy sentences like the following:
Consecutive rounds count as the same power surge with an extended duration.
Very interested in this. I'd love to see more Sources--3 INT- and 1 CHA-based seems out of whack. What about Nature/Evolution Source (WIS)? Or Planar Contact/Purity Source (WIS)? Definitely could make sense to have a CON-based Source, too, but I can't think of a compelling flavor for it...
May I playtest this in one of my current campaigns, Cyrad?
Interestingly, the whole tension mechanic turned out to be more traditional than I expected at the beginning. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the way I see it, tension is essentially a reversed pool mechanic.
Yes, it's a dynamic engine akin to grit or panache, but reversed with a different replenishment condition.
And you could avoid some clumsy sentences like the following:
Consecutive rounds count as the same power surge with an extended duration.
Wording that drove me crazy when the idea is really simple.
May I playtest this in one of my current campaigns, Cyrad?
Yes! By all means. I'm quite interested in hearing the results of any playtest.
I don't now what you can do to fix it, but HERE is what your document looks like on an ipad (using the safari app).
Where is the class table? I have no idea what the bab and saves are.
Integrated Weapon
Sounds like I can add my Strength modifier to damage rolls with a hand crossbow. Is that intentional? The wording for thrown weapons is clumsy.
Integrated Armor
Does this cost any money? What if I want to integrate an armor made of a special material? You may want to define what happens when the armor is deployed or retracted. Can I go back and forth between my armors or am I restricted to one?
Artiforging
Change the wording so that he actually gains the feat as a bonus feat. Take a look at the alchemist's brew potion ability.
Google docs is a bit weird because it wants to layout everything as if a printable document, but many viewers display documents as one continuous page with no margins. I'll have to play with the positioning of the icons to get it to look right on mobile devices.
You can see the class table here. There's also a link to it at the top of the page. I gotten into the habit of putting tables in spreadsheets because tables in Google Docs are not export friendly and annoying to work with for especially large tables. Maybe I should put a table in this doc anyway?
Integrated Weapon
Sounds like I can add my Strength modifier to damage rolls with a hand crossbow. Is that intentional? The wording for thrown weapons is clumsy.
Yes, that's intentional. You can add your Strength modifier to damage rolls with a hand crossbow. I'll try to work on clarifying how thrown weapon integrated weapons work. It also raises the question of melee weapons that have range increments, like a dagger (though that is a fun visual of shooting your dagger arm out). I'll work on that.
Integrated Armor
Does this cost any money? What if I want to integrate an armor made of a special material? You may want to define what happens when the armor is deployed or retracted. Can I go back and forth between my armors or am I restricted to one?
Those are good questions. I intended you can't get special materials. However, it might be better to rework the ability such that you can destroy an existing armor to graft it to your body, similar to integrated weapons. That would enable you to get an armor with special materials and clarify that the one you get at 3rd level is free but not made of any special materials unless you pay for it. I've honestly never considered the idea that you could have more than one integrated armor. That intrigues me. I'll ponder on that!
Edit: I just made the change so that Artiforging grants actually grants Craft Magic Arms and Armor with the restriction that you can only use it on integrated weapons and armor.
Each ranged attack performed subsequently after a melee attack this turn does not provoke an attack of opportunity from a creature targeted by both attacks
I stumbled over that sentence. I would replace it with something along the lines of the following: 'When the artiforge hits a creature with a melee attack, any ranged attack against that creature made by the artiforged until the beginning of his next turn does not provoke an attack of opportunity from that creature.' I'm sure a native speaker could find a better way to word it than me.
Impulse Weaponry: Maybe add a line that the artiforged does not move with the target? Also, the combat maneuver could use the triggering attack's attack bonus as CMB.
Spike Armor: 'The artiforged can eject his armor spikes, treating them as a ranged weapon with a 10-foot range increment.'
Thrusters: fly speed needs a maneuverability.
Active Camouflage: I know the stealth rules are a mess, but what does that mean? Is it identical to hide in plain sight?
Turning Apparatus: 'Once during a charge, the artiforged can raise his tension by 1 as a free action to make one turn of up to 90 degrees without interrupting the charge.'
Ex-artiforged: I would start that section with a sentence that they can be raised normally. Also, the term ex-artiforged doesn't really fit (it's usually reserved for cases when a class relies on a specific believe, code and/or behaviour).
During our previous conversations on the armor, I assumed that it could be changed. Hope you don't mind that I keep on imagining Iron Man when thinknig about this class. :)
I imagine our mechanic/artiforged staying up late every night to make little repairs and tweaks to his armor and weapons. Perhaps in X hours he can switch between light/medium/heavy armor. Perhaps as an upgrade he develops a sort of Mark-42 version that allows him to switch as a full-round action.
Since hand crossbow is such a good choice for the artiforged, perhaps another upgrade allows him to integrate bigger crossbows, possibly still suffering the attack penalty if wielded one-handed.
It seems to me that an ammunition rated thrown weapon such as shuriken (always drawn as free action) would have a greater limit than 4 before reloading. Maybe 10 per arm? You might have to include language on integrating a launcher of some kind, to be used for shurikens, daggers, javelins, darts, etc. The max number loaded would depend on the "size" of the ammunition/weapon.
I made some changes suggested by Amanuensis to thrusters, flurry assault, turning apparatus, and spike armor. I'll see if I can do a rewrite of integrated armor today.
Ex-artiforged: I would start that section with a sentence that they can be raised normally. Also, the term ex-artiforged doesn't really fit (it's usually reserved for cases when a class relies on a specific believe, code and/or behaviour).
I have mixed feelings about that. I'm not sure if that's necessary because the class does not change your creature type, and I'd prefer not to bloat that section more. Maybe I could create a side-bar? I'll ponder on this.
During our previous conversations on the armor, I assumed that it could be changed. Hope you don't mind that I keep on imagining Iron Man when thinknig about this class. :)
Where'd you ever get that crazy idea?. A crossbow-related upgrade might be a good idea. I honestly want to make more ranged weapon upgrades since nearly all of them are only useful for a melee fighter. I really wanted the class to have a crossbow arm as a staple option, which is why I gave them hand crossbow proficiency. I did give them whips so you can become that laser whip guy from Johnny Nmemonic, but that might be better off as an archetype or upgrade something.
It seems to me that an ammunition rated thrown weapon such as shuriken (always drawn as free action) would have a greater limit than 4 before reloading. Maybe 10 per arm? You might have to include language on integrating a launcher of some kind, to be used for shurikens, daggers, javelins, darts, etc. The max number loaded would depend on the "size" of the ammunition/weapon.
A bunch of perks for ranged weapons to choose from might be worth doing. On the other hand, I could possibly introduce upgrades that give powerful versions of otherwise weak choices for integrated weapons. For example, an upgrade that gives you a shuriken launcher and allows your shurikens to explode by raising tension.
Dang it, now I'm gonna have to make a cyborg ninja archetype!
I have mixed feelings about that. I'm not sure if that's necessary because the class does not change your creature type, and I'd prefer not to bloat that section more. Maybe I could create a side-bar? I'll ponder on this.
Gear Dependent: Though an artiforged can be raised or resurrected normally, when his body becomes lost or destroyed, he loses access to all artiforged class features except for artiforging and proficiencies in armor, shields, and weapons.[...]
Another thing I noticed is that there is no mentioning of replacing integrated weapons/armor (only in the case they are destroyed). If I find a better weapon, can I take it as my integrated weapon and sell the one I'm currently using? Can I screw the fighter's sword into my forearm, enhance it and give it back to him?
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Gear Dependent: Though an artiforged can be raised or resurrected normally, when his body becomes lost or destroyed, he loses access to all artiforged class features except for artiforging and proficiencies in armor, shields, and weapons.[...]
Thank you! I still want to call that section "Ex-Artiforged" because that's pretty standard for any class where a circumstance could remove class features or make it impossible to take further levels, such as the barbarian. It also makes sense because you're not physically an artiforged anymore without the augmentations, even though you have all of the experience and know-how to use them and put them back.
Another thing I noticed is that there is no mentioning of replacing integrated weapons/armor (only in the case they are destroyed). If I find a better weapon, can I take it as my integrated weapon and sell the one I'm currently using? Can I screw the fighter's sword into my forearm, enhance it and give it back to him?
That's a good question. So good that I reworked integrated weapon this morning to answer all those questions, clarify thrown melee weapons (you can now eject them hookshot-style!), and give specifics about having an integrated ranged weapon that fires thrown weapons as ammo.
I still need to work out integrated armor today.
I finished reworking integrated armor. It now allows you to choose any light or medium armor. In addition, you can change the type with 1 hour of work. The rework also provides rules for replacing destroyed armor, allowing you to use special materials, clarification about retracting the armor, and what happens to the old armor if you replaced it with a new one.
I updated the extending mechanism and armor upgrade upgrades to reflect the changes to integrated weapon and integrated armor.
I cleaned up the positions of the images and added the class table directly to the document. Images might still look funky on mobile devices, but it should look much better than before.
I changed Shattering Charge upgrade so it also works on any obstacle, not just ones granting cover. I added two new advanced upgrades: Inhuman Reflexes (increase number of AoO) and Advanced Impulse Weaponry (impulse weaponry can bull rush larger targets, knocks them back further, and knocks them prone if they collide with an obstacle).
I like the changes to integrated armor and weapons. Although I was partial to the simplicity of chain shirt and breastplate, you are broadening the options without actually making it more powerful (which is good).
Armor Upgrade
I suggest changing this to proficiency in heavy armor, and the ability to pick a heavy armor as an integrated armor. Then make a separate upgrade that causes his integrated armor to count as one category lighter (heavy to med, med to light).
Climbing Attachments
I suggest lowering the speed. Spider climb grants only 20 ft. Maybe you could do a climb speed of half base speed, and make an advanced upgrade that grants a climb speed of full base speed.
Deflection Barrier
This one is a bonus to AC, while the advanced one is a full miss chance. Why not make this one a 20% miss chance?
Integrated Shield
You've opened up the options for weight of armor, why not do the same for the shield? Light or heavy.
Shattering Charge
A flat +4 is fine, but you could also incorporate your scaling power surge bonus here. Maybe +1 or +2 plus the bonus.
Swimming Attachments
Same as climbing.
Nimble
I suggest renaming this to something more all-encompassing and allowing the bonus to apply to literally any Str or Dex based skill. I am imagining little tools and attachments built in based on the skill that is selected. Claws for a climb bonus, picks, saws, drills, etc for disable device, specialized grips on the legs and hands for riding, making the armor more aerodynamic for flying or acrobatics, fins and slippers for swim, etc.
I like the changes you made to integrated weapons/armor. For clarity, it should probably be stated that the artiforged receives his MW weapon/armor at no cost.
Integrated weapons turned out to be rather longwinded. I really like your approach to thrown melee weapons, but I would rather see 'hookshot' as an upgrade, without the restriction to 'melee weapons with a range increment'. (By the way, I'm not sure that is the correct term. I hate that the game does not separate between the melee and ranged versions of certain weapons, which causes some issues. For example, it makes me wonder how this mechanic interacts with the grappling upgrade, since, technically, melee weapons qualify.)
I think the thrown weapon launcher is a smart idea. However, if I'm interested in this a option, in most cases, I'm probably better of throwing my 'melee weapon with a ranged increment'. Even if I take this version for my integrated weapon, it wouldn't be my first choice (I'd choose a melee weapon first and use the extra integrated weapon upgrade to get this). I would suggest making a 'launcher' upgrade that boosts thrown weapons so they can gain the benefits of integrated weapons and increased range.
Keep up the good work!
I made an experimental change to Integrated Weapon that breaks down the types of integrated weapons you can select. At Ciaran's suggestion, I changed Climbing Implements to a 20 foot speed but then created a new advanced upgrade. Integrated Shield can now be a light or heavy shield.
Armor Upgrade
I suggest changing this to proficiency in heavy armor, and the ability to pick a heavy armor as an integrated armor. Then make a separate upgrade that causes his integrated armor to count as one category lighter (heavy to med, med to light).
I have mixed feelings about this when I now allowed the artiforged to have mithril integrated armor.
Deflection Barrier
This one is a bonus to AC, while the advanced one is a full miss chance. Why not make this one a 20% miss chance?
I used a mixture of benchmarks that ran in a similar format than that. I found miss chance isn't as fun as AC bonuses for a variety of reasons. They feel too binary whereas with an AC bonus, you can see how close and effective your AC bonus is, even if the enemy still hits you. Miss chance doesn't feel as good until it gets high (50%). In other words: 20% doesn't feel as fun as an AC bonus, but 50% does feel better. I can totally see where you're coming from. That does seem strange to go from an AC bonus to miss chance. Perhaps I should change Advanced Deflection Barrier such that it allows the artiforged to extend their bonuses to adjacent allies? Or something similar?
Nimble
I suggest renaming this to something more all-encompassing and allowing the bonus to apply to literally any Str or Dex based skill. I am imagining little tools and attachments built in based on the skill that is selected. Claws for a climb bonus, picks, saws, drills, etc for disable device, specialized grips on the legs and hands for riding, making the armor more aerodynamic for flying or acrobatics, fins and slippers for swim, etc.
I'd think for all might be a bit much. That would be cool to create tools. I always wanted to make an upgrade that basically makes you Inspector Gadget where you have a tool for almost any skill, but I haven't thought of a way to make it interesting enough to be an upgrade but not too powerful. It might be a good choice for some kind of investigator archetype.
However, if I'm interested in this a option, in most cases, I'm probably better of throwing my 'melee weapon with a ranged increment'. Even if I take this version for my integrated weapon, it wouldn't be my first choice (I'd choose a melee weapon first and use the extra integrated weapon upgrade to get this). I would suggest making a 'launcher' upgrade that boosts thrown weapons so they can gain the benefits of integrated weapons and increased range
I have mixed feelings about increasing ranged increments on projectile integrated weapons. However, I agree that simply getting a melee weapon with a ranged increment seems like a better choice. I think it seems too strong of a choice now. I'm considering moving that over to the Extending upgrade instead.
And yes. Pathfinder drives me up the wall with how it defines weapons, especially when so many abilities differ depending on the type of weapon.
You know that I meant a bonus to a single skill at a time, right?
Yes, but I still think that might be a bit much to select any Strength or Dex skill. Hrm, I'll think about it.
I tthink its reasonable because some of the other armor mods will have a more concrete effect on the character's ability. Skills are fun, I love 'em, but they rarely determine who lives and who dies.
just dropping an Idea... after checking the whole class I think the Numerian Super Technology would give some kind of ideas for the Power source and of course the Integrated weapons...
I don't have the time right now to work on it but I would like to see what you think about it, maybe later this week I will give it a little time and come out with something
I made one last sweep of revisions. I do not intend make any further major revisions to the class and existing power sources until I obtain some significant playtest data. I now want to focus on writing new content
Changes:
just dropping an Idea... after checking the whole class I think the Numerian Super Technology would give some kind of ideas for the Power source and of course the Integrated weapons...
I don't have the time right now to work on it but I would like to see what you think about it, maybe later this week I will give it a little time and come out with something
There's a lot of cool stuff there for inspiration.
In the early stages of design, I made the decision in how this class will operate with respect to Numeria and the Technology Guide. I decided that the class would neither require nor invalidate the Technology Guide. While I don't want the class to rely on mechanics in the Technology Guide, most of the Numerian content should still work. You can still use the rules in the Technology Guide to get implants and a laser pistol arm. However, I do want to create a power source or an archetype that would work perfectly for a Numeria campaign.
I'm also considering adding an equipment section to the book that will open up some new choices for integrated weapons. For example, perhaps a one-handed version of the ripsaw glaive.
A bump update.
I got a list of ideas (some of them suggested by you). I'm now going through it, implementing them one by one. I recently focused on power sources, though I've been stumped on a few mechanics. I'm currently working on two power sources called the Blighted Source and Solar Source.
My friend's game started recently, and I'm playtesting this class as a runari artiforged with the Arcane Source. I consider myself lucky that the group has a ranger fulfilling a very similar role and build as a switch-hitter. I've been very concerned about the class's power, but I have a bad habit of stifling my design by keeping things too conservative. However, the ranger and I look roughly on par with one another. I do seem to have a wealth advantage since I get my primary weapons and armor for free, masterworked, and receive a discount on enhancements.
I've meant to say something about the 1/round skill bonus available during a power surge. The list doesn't seem to have a coherant theme to it. I get most of the list, but then when you throw in Escape Artist and Slight of Hand it falters.
Since you're working on the power sources, I thought that maybe you could trim down the base list, and then add some skills to each one of the power sources.
At the time of writing that, I think I was imagining using your surge to quickly snatch something or pull a maneuver like Bishop's knife trick from Aliens. I might remove Escape Artist. Escape Artist always seems like the black sheep of the skills Having each power source expand that list sounds like a neat idea. I thought about doing that for source class skills, but that felt odd, and I didn't want to steal too much of the investigator's thunder.
I don't think you're stealing thunder by adding some skill bonuses to the power source. Not any more than you already are anyways. :)
As an example, i might keep the base list as: add a d6 to str-checks, climb, swim, acrobatics, and cmb.
The arcane power source could add UMD and fly checks. Clockwork might add disable device and appraise. If there was a shadow source it could get stealth and slight of hand. Just my crazy talk.
That's an interesting idea. I'm not so sure about making the power source more complicated. I'll ponder on this. I do, however, want to remove Escape Artist from the list.
*Goes back to work on stuff today*
The Elemental Source is an odd case where I have so many ideas for abilities with it that I can't decide them. It will obviously add energy damage to your attacks during a power surge. Some ability ideas I had were:
- throw your element as a thrown weapon attack dealing energy damage
- make a single attack deal an additional die of energy damage for each extra attack from BAB and other sources
- a movement buff during power surge
- moving leaves behind a trail of energy that has special properties
- blast attack
- energy aura
Interesting read. A few suggestions:
1) Just as a simplification why not change the wording of how Channel Energy interacts with tension to:
"Healing from the channel energy class feature also lowers tension by an amount equal to the number of dice used. The artiforged benefits from this only once per casting or use of channel energy."
It would also fix the current issue of a third level channel energy reduceing the same amount of tension that a first level one does.
2) Would it be reasonable to spend 1 Tension to automagically reload/restock an integrated ranged weapon as a free action?
3) Ad Hoc Upgrade:
Is it one tension at level 15 to get 2 Standard Upgrades he does not possess?
Is it one tension at level 20 to get 3 Standard Upgrades he does not possess?
Or is it one tension per Standard Upgrade gained with this abilities use (so 1, 2 or 3)?
4) Mobility Form: Did you mean a creature one size category smaller than the Artiforge can use it as a mount while it is in this form? You currently have it listed as a creature one sized larger.
5) I would also suggest that at level 10 the Power Surge Die just automatically increase to a D8 for free. Expending an advanced upgrade on a 2 point die increase seems like not a lot of bang for the buck.
6) What do you think about upgrades that would allow you to temporarily boost Str, Dex or Con by using tension? Sort of like the various stat boosting spells but stacking?
7) Do you think it would be balanced to let Flurry Assault stack with Rapid Shot and Two Weapon Fighting if you increased the attack penalty from -2 to -4 while doing so? Meaning you could Flurry Assault for -2 or Rapid shot for -2 or BOTH for -6. You may want to stipulate that Flurry Assault only adds one attack PER ROUND no matter what on a full attack action. Current wording could be twisted to get an additional attack with every integrated weapon which can be abused if you have two or more of them.
8) Upgrade suggestion: "Improved Ammunition Storage" which would allow you to carry 20 ranged weapon ammunition or 30 thrown weapon ammunition? Could possibly be taken multiple times for those who want to play a primarily ranged Artiforged.
9) Can you remove old upgrades and change them out like you can with Integrated Weapons? If so how long does it take and what resources does it expend?
10) You were commenting on how getting your primary weapon and armor for free helps so much at lower levels. Perhaps require that you pay 1/3 the cost of the armor and weapons to represent 'matarials' used, similar to the crafting costs?
11) It would seem like the Repeating Crossbow would conceptually go hand in hand with the ideas of the Artiforge. Would giving proficiency be in line with your concept?
12) It seems to me that the Escape Artist bonus is natural on a Power Surge. I see it as 'going into overdrive' and bursting the bonds that hold you/ diverting power to your 'strength' systems.
13) Suggestion: Greater Upgrade - Soul Bonded Equipment. This links the items you have bonded into your body with mystical to your soul so that if you die and and your form is destroyed, when your brought back any gear you still had connected to you at the time you were destroyed is brought back as well. Seems a good expenditure of of a great Upgrade to me.
14) Extending Mechanism: You may want to specify that this removes the standard -4 penalty for throwing a melee weapon (as per the improvised weapons rules).
15) In integrated weaponry you mention the 'Stow Weapon' action. What is it / where is it in the rules? Or did you mean that they can draw and/or stow their integrated weapon as a free action?
16) You have Damage Reduction 5 at both levels 17 and 19 on the advancement chart. Did you mean 5 at 17 and 6 at 19?
17) Perhaps have the 'Thrusters' Upgrade also give a full time bonus to the Jump use of Acrobatics?
18) Suggestion: Upgrade - Increased Magazine. This would increase the internal ammunition storage for 'ranged' and 'launcher' integrated weapons. Ideally this should give a significant storage amount for those Artiforged who want to be ranged focused.
19) Can integrated ranged weaponry be loaded like normal ranged weapons during use or can they only fire their internal ammunition?
20) Do integrated ranged weapons take an action to reload from the internal magazine? If 19 is yes, does it take an action to manually reload?
21) What damage does the slam attack from Mobility form do?
22) Under Source Quirks you note different tool kits needed to 'remove all tension at the start of each day'. What exactly does this mean? Does it mean you reset your tension to 0 when you wake up?
23) In several area's you use the phrase "You must be capable of raising your tension by 1 ...". Does this mean you have to be below your tension cap but you do not actually have to spend tension to use this ability?
24) Under Steam Source Quirk I suggest you change "In addition, you receive a bonus to CMD against grapple combat maneuvers equal to your power surge bonus against creatures not resistant or immune to fire damage." to "Any creature grappling you that takes damage from your heat suffers a CMB penalty equal to your power Surge bonus."
25) Unlife Source - Negative Discharge: "If a creature deals sufficient damage to make you lose all of the temporary hit points you received from unlife surge, you may perform this as an immediate action." Does this use cost a tension to activate?
Sorry for the three posts but was reading off an on all day and wanted to make sure I got these posted for your attention.
Interesting read. A few suggestions:
...
These are good questions/suggestions. I spent the last couple of hours going through them all!
1) That's a brilliant way to simplify channel energy's benefit to tension. *Jots that down on his "Changes to make on the next draft" list*
2) That seems reasonable as some kind of upgrade.
3) You gain all two or three upgrades at once. I might consider changing it so you raise 1 tension per upgrade gained.
4) That's a typo. (Just fixed it now, thanks!)
5) That's a good point. Maybe I'll do that or make the Augmented Prowess advanced upgrade attractive in other ways.
6) I tend to avoid ability score boosts in my design to keep the math simpler and not entangle myself with the annoying rules about temporary ability score increases. I might do that for some Power Source surges. I'll think about it.
7) I have mixed feelings about that since the class already grants a free Rapid Shot and such. But that's not a bad suggestion. I'll ponder on that. I am considering reworking the ability since I spotted a corner case where you can two-hand a normal weapon and follow it up with an integrated weapon attack. I should examine this ability more carefully, even though I do like the idea of being able to chain a normal weapon with it.
8) Expanded ammunition capacity might be a pretty cool upgrade.
9) You can retrain upgrades like you can with pretty much any class feature. I needed to add the replacement rules for integrated armor and weapons because those involve investing wealth into. I might add some retraining rules to the book or let you swap upgrades every few levels.
10) Having you pay a percentage of the cost might be a good idea. I am also leaning towards having it work like the gunslinger where you have to pay the 300 gp to masterwork it. Masterworking is where nearly all of the wealth goes into a mundane weapon since most weapons cost 20gp to 50gp. That would only leave firearms an issue, which would require special GM permission or an archetype anyway.
11) You can kind of already wield a repeating crossbow integrated weapon. I gave the class hand crossbow proficiency and integrated ranged weapons gain a 4 ammo capacity.
12) Breaking your bonds would be better as a Strength check, which power surge already grants you a 1d6 bonus for! Escape Artist is a silly skill.
13) Flavor-wise, that strikes me as a little odd but that sounds like a good idea regardless.
14) Maybe, but if you have proficiency in a melee weapon that has a range increment, it's no longer an improvised weapon when you throw it. I don't think the upgrade would mislead people into believing otherwise.
15) Good catch! That should be the "sheathe weapon action." Drawing is a free action, retracting is a move action by performing the sheathe weapon action.
16) That's a typo. Though, I originally intended it to give a maximum DR 5/adamantine. I think a DR 6 might be okay since it's not as strong as DR 5/-.
17) A jump upgrade sounds cool enough to be its own upgrade.
18) I think you gave this suggestion in #8! I agree that there should be more ranged upgrades.
19) You reload ranged integrated weapons normally 1 piece of ammunition at a time, but they fire their from internal ammunition storage. Maybe I should clarify this?
20) They kind of work like double barreled pistols or a pepperbox.
21) It should be appropriate for your size, but I should specify that.
22) That's kind of one of the vague aspects of daily abilities in 3rd Edition. I envisioned you need to perform upkeep either before you sleep or after you wake up to relieve all your tension. For mechanical purposes, you remove all tension when you wake up and must have the kit available when you do so.
23) Ugh! I tried to make that clear, but apparently not! When an ability says "you must be capable of raising your tension by 1," you do not actually raise your tension, but you must be able to do so. In other words, you must be at your maximum tension or lower. The text refers to the Power Source class feature, which says "If the artiforged raises his tension any further [than his maximum tension], he becomes fatigued and cannot use any abilities that raise tension unless his tension reduces to the maximum or lower."
24) I like that better. Thank you! I'll go ahead and make the appropriate change.
25) The Unlife Source's Negative Discharge still raises your tension when you use it as an immediate action. I'll add a "instead of a swift action" at the end of that line to better clarify that this is an action economy benefit.
3) You gain all two or three upgrades at once. I might consider changing it so you raise 1 tension per upgrade gained.
I would agree. Just state that you increase one tension per upgrade added with Ad Hoc's use.
9) You can retrain upgrades like you can with pretty much any class feature. I needed to add the replacement rules for integrated armor and weapons because those involve investing wealth into. I might add some retraining rules to the book or let you swap upgrades every few levels.
You may want to include those rules into the class if that is how you envision them working. The reason is that many GM's do not use the retraining rules (mine included). But if part of your concept for the Artiforged is one of adaptability by replacing upgrades with others as needed then including those rules on the class writeup would make it part of the class itself.
11) You can kind of already wield a repeating crossbow integrated weapon. I gave the class hand crossbow proficiency and integrated ranged weapons gain a 4 ammo capacity.
Ok the write up seemed unclear to me but I went and reread it and I think I missed an important line.
For additional clarity you may want to add this to the end of the Ranged Integrated Weapon section:
"Reloading the integral magazine takes a move action to load one ammunition. Feats and abilities that affect crossbow loading speeds also apply when loading a ranged integrated magazine."
14) Maybe, but if you have proficiency in a melee weapon that has a range increment, it's no longer an improvised weapon when you throw it. I don't think the upgrade would mislead people into believing otherwise.
My suggestion would be to clarify that the extending mechanism not only adds the 10' range increment but qualifies the weapon as 'throwable' as well to avoid any confusion.
19) You reload ranged integrated weapons normally 1 piece of ammunition at a time, but they fire their from internal ammunition storage. Maybe I should clarify this?
Yeah, more clarity is always better. If a move action reloads one bolt into the internal magazine it is always best state it explicitly.
[22) That's kind of one of the vague aspects of daily abilities in 3rd Edition. I envisioned you need to perform upkeep either before you sleep or after you wake up to relieve all your tension. For mechanical purposes, you remove all tension when you wake up and must have the kit available when you do so.
So say I am a 14th level artiforge with a 24 in my source modifier atribute, that gives me a total tension cap of 14 if I am figuring this right. I get into a few combats and go to sleep/rest for the night with my tension maxed out at 14 points. I sleep/rest for 8 hours and wake in the morning with 6 points of tension left.
1) I do my daily required maintenance with my toolkit and ... what happens? Does my tension drop to 0?
2) How long does this maintenance take? An hour like mages and priests? Less?
3) And what fluff reason is there for me only being able to wipe out tension this way once per day? Not crucial I know but always good to have IMO.
23) Ugh! I tried to make that clear, but apparently not! When an ability says "you must be capable of raising your tension by 1," you do not actually raise your tension, but you must be able to do so. In other words, you must be at your maximum tension or lower. The text refers to the Power Source class feature, which says "If the artiforged raises his tension any further [than his maximum tension], he becomes fatigued and cannot use any abilities that raise tension unless his tension reduces to the maximum or lower."
May I suggest you change that wording to:
"This ability costs no tension to use but cannot be activated if your tension pool is full."
Few more questions:
Lets say I am a sword and board artiforge with an integrated sword and integrated hand crossbow.
1) Do I have to specify what limbs they are in?
2) How many integrated weapons can I have in one limb?
3) If 1 is no, can I manifest an integrated weapon on any limb?
4) If 4 is yes are limbs for this purpose only arms or even the legs?
5) Assuming I have my sword and Xbow on the same limb, what if I am fighting in melee with my Integrated sword and a normal heavy shield and want to fire my Integrated crossbow. Can I have the sword and Xbow out at the same time on the same limb and if so are there any modifiers? Or would I have to retract my integral sword before using the integral Xbow?
How does Quick Draw work with integrated weapons, if it does at all? I know you essentially get free quickdraw with an integrated weapon but they are actually slower to get out of your hands than a standard weapon and can cause problems with weapon switching.
Since you can drop a standard weapon as a free action to clear your hand may I suggest that you can retract an integrated weapon as a free action but only once per round?
An integrated weapon has masterwork quality and can be magically enhanced as normal for a manufactured weapon. An artiforged can replace a destroyed integrated weapon by spending 1 hour of work and destroying an existing masterwork weapon of his integrated weapon’s base type. The new integrated weapon is made of the same materials as the destroyed weapon.
That paragraph is slightly confusing. May I suggest:
"An integrated weapon must be at least masterwork quality and can be magically enhanced as normal for a manufactured weapon. An artiforged can replace an integrated weapon by spending 1 hour of work to integrate a new, existing weapon of the same general type as the integrated weapon being replaced (melee weapon, ranged or launcher as applicable).
The resulting integrated weapon is made of the same materials as the new weapon installed and retaines any enchantments it may have had. The orginal integrated weapon being replaced is destroyed in the process but the artiforged may salvage it using the artiforging class feature (see below)."
I learned from an old gaming buddy that when writing rules it is best to assume people will try to exploit them and to have a min/maxer/powergamer editer to catch loopholes before they go into play, which is why I am asking so many questions hehe.
I am thinking that with Rapid Shot, Two Weapon Fighting, Greater Deflection Barrier, two integrated hand crossbows and some integrated magazines, an Artiforged could spam a huge quantity of tiny bolts as a ranged based character.
I hope my posts have been helpful. I find the concept of the class very interesting. :)
Darnit couple more:
Armor Configurations: Are these all separate, discrete options or can you have more than one active at one time?
For example: The Buoyant armor configuration is nice but what if I actually need to swim underwater and don't want to roll the extra rolls to stay submerged? Can I disable it and use just my normal Integrated armor or is it 'always on' once installed?
Also if I have 4 configurations does that mean I could have Fortified, Maneuverable, Steady and Warded all active at the same time or does that mean I can add ONE of those abilities each time I manifest my integrated armor?
Or is it you have all these options, mix and match as needed each time you manifest your armor?
If you don't like the 'retract a IW as a free action once per round, would you consider:
'As a free action, raise your tension by one to retract any or all currently deployed integrated weapons."
Active Camoflage: Does it drop when you attack or is it more like the 'Predator Stealth Field'? As written you can make full value stealth checks while your in melee and stay effectively invisible if your stealth skill is good enough.
RETRAINING UPGRADES
Upgrades work more like any other talent pool. I might consider letting you swap an existing upgrade when you level up. One of my early drafts let you know and prepare upgrades like wizard spells and feats from Five Moons RPG. However, I didn't want to make the class too complicated and add more book keeping.
RELOADING INTEGRATED RANGED WEAPONS & QUICK DRAW
Integrated ranged weapons don't have a magazine. If it uses projectile ammunition, you use the same action to reload them as you would a non-integrated version of that weapon. The only difference is that it has an internal storage that "caches" loaded ammunition. The launcher option works differently because the text says you use the draw weapon action to reload it. As a result, Quick Draw applies to the launcher, but not a standard integrated ranged weapon.
TOOLKITS AND REMOVING TENSION
1) If you do your daily maintenance with your toolkit, your tension drops to 0 upon a full night's rest.
2) The maintenance time is fairly negigible. You don't need an hour.
3) The flavor with removing all tension and doing maintenance is that you're composed of both flesh and artifice. You must ensure both sides of yourself rest and are well kept. And because you can only fully refresh your flesh on a daily basis, you can only a full removal of tension once per day.
I may consider reworking all this so that you need the toolkit available whenever you remove tension, and that a full night's rest removes all tension. Or I might just remove the full night's rest thing entirely so that characters simply must remove 1 tension each hour to refresh.
INTEGRATED WEAPONS AND HANDEDNESS
Short answer:
1) You do not need to specify what limbs (if any) you installed your integrated weapon into. Your GM might ask you for flavor and other reasons.
2) You can have as many weapons as feasibly possible integrated into a limb.
3) Since there does not exist a mechanical limitation on where on your body you integrated your weapon, you could possibly manifest it anywhere. However, you might have to explain to your GM why your arm cannon is suddenly on your butt.
4) You can put an integrated weapon anywhere on your body. This is intentional. If you want to wield blades on your feet, a hand crossbow in your chest, or spit shurikens out of your mouth, then go right ahead.
Long answer: In early drafts, integrated weapons were simply weapons you transformed your hands or arms into. When transformed, you couldn't wield another weapon or carry objects in your hand. Ultimately, I wasn't happy with this draft. You basically had a class feature that did nothing but give you a free weapon that can't be disarmed. That's boring and denied cool ideas like having a crossbow hidden in your leg.
As a result, the next draft simply never required you to integrate the weapon into a limb. You can have it anywhere on your body. This not only enables more character concepts, but also makes the class feature much simpler. I see nothing wrong with the handedness benefits because:
1) I deliberately wanted the artiforged to be good with switch-hit builds. Their signature class feature should reinforce that.
2) You can't two-hand your integrated weapon.
3) Juggling around weapons carries opportunity costs, anyway. Most of your class features only work on integrated weapons and getting extra integrated weapons requires spending feats or upgrades.
4) I don't see it as a major balance issue. Pathfinder already has weapons that don't use up your hands or allow you to attack when carrying an item in the same hand.
ARMOR CONFIGURATIONS
The text says "he may install an additional configuration when he customizes his armor." So when you spend an hour to configure you armor, you can install two or more configurations. The text also says you can't select the same one more than once unless it says so. And no, you can't disable a configuration until you configure it again, but you can suppress its effects by retracting your armor.
I learned from an old gaming buddy that when writing rules it is best to assume people will try to exploit them and to have a min/maxer/powergamer editer to catch loopholes before they go into play, which is why I am asking so many questions hehe.
I learned from one of Pathfinder's game designers that while writing unambiguous rules is important, it's good to assume everyone at the table has some degree of common sense and got together to have fun as a group. Designing around mixmaxers and powergamers will not lead to fruitful design and ultimately not stop them. People who exploit the rules to the break the game will break the game regardless. The only true way to stop a powergamer is not inviting them to your table, for the same reason you would not invite a competitive prick to a casual game of Settlers of Catan.
As a result, I try to focus on writing clear rules that are easy to read and understand, rather than super comprehensive rules that cover every corner case.
As a result, I try to focus on writing clear rules that are easy to read and understand, rather than super comprehensive rules that cover every corner case.
Huzzah!
I have already suggested adding special power surge skills to each of the power sources - and you weren't sold on it because of complicating the power sources further. So be it. In the same vein however, I wanted to also suggest that you could create upgrades that are available only to artiforged with the right power source. For example, the unlife source could have an upgrade similar to the deflection barrier that instead creates a barrier made of force that grants a bonus to AC against incorporeal touch attacks.
In the same vein however, I wanted to also suggest that you could create upgrades that are available only to artiforged with the right power source. For example, the unlife source could have an upgrade similar to the deflection barrier that instead creates a barrier made of force that grants a bonus to AC against incorporeal touch attacks.
One of my first drafts of power source worked like that. Instead of giving special abilities as you leveled up, it expanded the list of available upgrades that only artiforged with that power source could select. I ultimately decided against it because most of the upgrade ideas I had could work for any source with only a minor tweak to flavor. With your idea, that's probably how I want to do it -- list the upgrades under the power source. I wouldn't want to put them in the normal list when not all artiforged can select them. Alternatively, I could introduced highly specialized archetypes centered around a power source. This would let me do things that go beyond the scope of what a normal power source would do. For example, an archetype centered around the Arcane Source could replace integrated armor with something that works exactly like a scaling mage armor. What do you think?
That specific example you gave might go well with the Soul Source I got lined up as well. (Maybe I should list all the source ideas I got and see what people think or have suggestions for).
Can't wait to see the next draft.
Sorry for lack of updates. I got a little stumped with some power sources and briefly started to work on another project while I rejuvenated those juices.
There is something I'm debating on and would like your opinions on. I intended that you cannot apply 1-1/2 your Strength modifier on damage rolls with integrated weapons. The current draft leaves that up in the air where it does not deny that possibility, but implicitly, you can't two-hand an integrated weapon. But now, I'm not sure which direction to go. I made the intention because integrated weapons give many great perks as is and flurry assault allows you to off-hand integrated weapons. This will be something I'll watch during playtests.
How do you feel about this?
I didn't notice any changes in the current draft, but here goes.
Integrated Weapon
Hmm. I'm really not sure where to go on the two-handed issue. My gut say to not allow it, due to the imagery of flurry and the weird image of using the second hand to get a better grip on an integrated weapon. It sounds like something that could be in a bad sci-fi or fantasy movie. I would make the following change to Integrated Weapon: "Melee: The integrated weapon has the statistics of a light or one-handed melee weapon of the artiforged's choice. A one-handed integrated melee weapon cannot be wielded in two hands."
Also, does the artiforged need to purchase/provide the initial weapon that is integrated? If not, its probably not a big deal, but it is a bump in the starting gold for a 1st level character.
Armor Upgrade
Change the second sentence to: "In addition, integrated medium armor no longer reduces the artiforged's movement speed." I think it's a little more clear.
Climbing Attachments
Its might be kind of slick to say that he gains a Climb speed of 15 ft, plus 5 ft for every 5 ranks in climb he has. Same for the Swimming Attachments.
Maneuverable
"The artiforged rigs his armor to better support his tactile movements. He chooses one Dexterity- or Strength-based skill check. When using this skill, he can ignore his integrated armor’s armor check penalty. He can select this upgrade more than once. Each time it applies to a different skill.
I agree with Ciaran Barnes on the topic of integrated weapons (explicitly stating that they can't be wielded in two hands).
I took a closer look at power sources. Some options are very focused. Clockwork is all about speed and movement and Unlife has mostly passive boosts that make you last longer. Arcane and Steam are more diverse. Steam seems like the most fun to play (nice combination of offensive, defensive, movement and battlefield control options - I really like the steam trail). I think this sets a good example for other sources.
Unrelated question: do you think it would be a good house rule to allow other classes with a pool resource to regain expended points over the course of the day at a certain rate (similar to the way that you handle tension)?
Alright, I'll specify you cannot two-hand an integrated weapon. Ciaran Barnes, those are some good suggestions. I'm making a note to make those changes on the next draft. I'll do the changes after I finish organizing my documents. I wanted to have a handy link for the version I'm playtesting. I originally hoped to use Google Doc's revision system, but unfortunately, only people with full edit rights can see different versions. So, I'm gonna have to make a separate copy for the version I'm playtesting and then use the document seen in this thread as the "master" development version.
Also, does the artiforged need to purchase/provide the initial weapon that is integrated? If not, its probably not a big deal, but it is a bump in the starting gold for a 1st level character.
Currently, an artiforged does not need to pay for their initial integrated weapon and armor. However, I want to make a change where you still have to pay to get them masterworked, similar to how a gunslinger's battered gun works via Gunsmithing. As you said, the gold advantage is not a big deal in the long term. Short term, this is not where I want to put the power budget of these class features. They should be good because of the inherent usefulness of having a customized weapon attached to you, not because you get a masterwork weapon for free.
I took a closer look at power sources. Some options are very focused. Clockwork is all about speed and movement and Unlife has mostly passive boosts that make you last longer. Arcane and Steam are more diverse. Steam seems like the most fun to play (nice combination of offensive, defensive, movement and battlefield control options - I really like the steam trail). I think this sets a good example for other sources.
This provided some great insight. Quite honestly, I was stumped about ability variety versus focus. In particular, I'm working on a source called the Blighted Source where eldritch energies are merging your flesh and equipment together. Your power surge causes integrated weapon attacks to spread your corruption. I debated between focusing on the corruption aspect or explore other aspects of turning into an abomination, liking using your integrated weapons as limbs.
(Steam Source is a favorite of one of my artist friends. He's been cursing me for it because he's obsessed with designing a steampunk knight now.)
Unrelated question: do you think it would be a good house rule to allow other classes with a pool resource to regain expended points over the course of the day at a certain rate (similar to the way that you handle tension)?
You're asking whether a grit pool or ki pool should regain points gradually with time, as a house rule? That would work perfectly fine with grit and panache. I'd be more careful with static pools like ki and arcane pools, because those can get spells or spell-like abilities. The magus, in particular, can use their pool to regain used spells. If you take that into consideration, then maybe 1 point each hour might be okay. (In many ways, I like the idea of regenerating points each hour in place of the "I sleep and get everything back" paradigm. Maybe with a rule where you can't regenerate points when you're fatigued.)
Version 1.1 Changes
Version 1.2
Added the Solar Source
Version 1.3
Added the Blighted Source, a power source using eldrith energies that mutate your flesh to merge with your equipment and cause your integrated weapons to corrupt other creatures.
Solar source:
Source quirk: The drawback makes sense, but artiforged should be able to go for prolonged periods of time without exposure to sunlight once planar travel becomes available (around 15th level), since adventurers sometimes go to places where the sun (literally) doesn't shine.
Revealing light: One might argue that this doesn't do anything beyond what solar surge already does (shed light like a candle).
When I read solar (as opposed to light), I expected some fire-based abilities (causing a creature to catch fire, for example). A bonus against blinding effects would be fitting as well.
Blighted source:
Blighted Surge: Yuck! To my knowledge, sickened normally does not escalate to nauseated (unlike the fear conditions).
Corrupted Allies: Allies implies that the creatures must be willing, but this should be clarified. I'm all for team-based features, but most characters would probably feel somewhat uncomfortable to be used in this way.
Solar Source: I agree. Solar Source needs a bit of rethinking. I also think the basic ability of might be a tad strong for a 1st level ability. Some fire abilities would definitely go well. One early draft of this source had an ability where enemies couldn't use precision damage or studied combat abilities without getting harmed by "staring at the sun."
Blighted Source: Those are good catches. I went ahead and removed the line about escalating to nauseated and changed Corrupted Allies so you designate "willing creatures."
Blighted Source was fun to design. I pictured the artiforged becoming something like Nightmare from Soul Calibur or a combination of Nautilus and Varus from League of Legends. Nautilus is a diver whose diving suit became biologically apart of him after becoming exposed to an eldritch fluid in the sea. Varus is an archer who's slowly becoming an eldritch humanoid with a longbow that moves almost like it's a living creature, its arrows putting a part of the corruption into foes. I really want to illustrate this power source.
I was re-reading integrated weapons and decided it needed clarification. For fun, I also included some other changes that stray from your design. :) I hope some of this helps. I think you should think about including the gauntlet as a special category again.
Integrated Weapon (Ex): An artiforged can permanently attach a weapon to himself. By spending one hour, he can integrate a weapon in his possession to his body. An integrated weapon retains all of the qualities it had before it was integrated, such as critical range, damage die, damage type, and weight. If the weapon was magical or made of a special material, it retains those qualities. A masterwork integrated weapon can be made into a magical weapon. An artiforged's non-proficiency penalty to attack with an integrated weapon is halved, unless it is an improvised weapon. An integrated weapon can be sundered, but cannot be dropped or disarmed. An artiforged can retract an integrated weapon into his body as a move action, or draw it again as a free action. All integrated weapons fall into one of the following categories:
Melee
An antiforged can only integrate a light or one-handed melee weapon, such as a short sword or warhammer.. He cannot integrate a two-handed weapon, nor can he wield an integrated one-handed melee weapon with two hands. An integrated melee weapon cannot be thrown.
Ranged:
An artiforged can only integrate a projectile ranged weapon that is capable of being fired one-handed, such as a crossbow. Integrated weapons add the artiforged's Strength modifier to damage rolls.
Launcher:
An artiforged who decides to integrate a thrown weapon instead builds and integrates a special launcher that fires the chosen type of thrown weapon as ammunition. The launcher cannot fire a thrown weapon that it was not designed for. He can choose a light or one-handed melee weapon whose entry includes a range increment, or he can choose a ranged weapon that must be thrown. Thee range increment of a thrown weapon fired from a launcher increases by +10 feet. A thrown weapon can be loaded into the launcher as a move action. The launcher can hold a maximum of two one-handed weapons (such as shortspears or tridents), four light weapons (such as daggers or light hammer), four ranged weapons (such as bolas or javelins), or six weapons that can be drawn as ammunition (such as shurikens). A launcher cannot be retracted into the artiforged's body, but once integrated it can be temporarily removed or re-installed in one minute.
An artiforged can only have one weapon integrated at a time. By spending one hour, he can integrate a weapon he has in his possession to his body. An integrated weapon that has been removed has half of it's normal hit points and has the broken condition until it has been repaired.
As another Upgrade, you could make one that grants conditional proficiency in repeating crossbows, shurikens, and some similar exotic weapons, as long as they are integrated.
After over a month of playtesting on a weekly basis, the class seems to hold up pretty well. I think the power level is just about right. The tension system works a lot better than I suspected. It feels like it encourages the player to play boldly. I charged in, took some damage, and then raised a lot of tension to power surge the foe because I knew I was going to have it all lowered at the end of the battle anyway.
I haven't made much progress lately. I got sidetracked by graduation and looking for a job.
I'm debating on the Alchemy Source and Natural Source. I originally thought to have alchemy increase the size of your integrated weapons by one category and have natural give you a natural armor bonus when power surging. I'm not sure if that fits the sources that well. Maybe an alchemy surge creates explosions on hit, or something.
I was re-reading integrated weapons and decided it needed clarification. For fun, I also included some other changes that stray from your design. :) I hope some of this helps. I think you should think about including the gauntlet as a special category again.
That's interesting, actually. My GM also suggested something like that with a "slot" system where you can integrate a single weapon and swap out it for another one each day. An upgrade would increase the number of weapons you can have integrated.
Yes, I'd love to have a power gauntlet option. I haven't decided how to do that. I debated between an extra option, upgrade, or an archetype. An extra option might be the better way to go.
I really think you should look at poison for alchemy. Or perhaps various chemical effects mixing on the weapon, there's all kinds of alchemical substances that would make good inspiration