Artificer

Heroes of Fantasy

Author August Hahn, Tim Hitchcock, Joseph Miller, Ian Sturrock, John Thompson, Paul Tucker & Patrick Younts

Series Power Classes

Publisher Mongoose Publishing

Publish date 2005

Science and magic are often considered to be mutually exclusive, with those learned in them generally favouring one or the other. However, both science and magic are complex subjects and, as any reputable scholar will point out, there are always exceptions to any rule. It makes sense that a mind capable of understanding the intricacies of arcane formulae and the reactions between various alchemical reagents, would also be able to grasp the complexities of machinery and formulate ways of combining them.

In the majority of fantasy settings, the most mysterious aspect of science is mechanical engineering. Simple machines, such as levers, pulleys and wedges, are widely used but anything more complex than a crossbow is generally limited to visionaries, madmen and savants. The artificer is a little of all three. With his magic wholly grounded in the machinery he constructs, an artificer is as different from a wizard as a wizard is from a sorcerer. While this can be a great benefit to the artificer, it can also be a great hindrance. Without his gadgets and gizmos he is virtually powerless – an artificer is so reliant
on his machines when casting spells that he simply does not know how to do so without them.

The Artificer

Adventures: Artificers are rarely accepted as members of common society, much as wizards and sorcerers are often shunned. Theirs is usually a solitary life, alone with their machinery and their magic. An artificer rarely minds the solitude, as it allows him to pursue his studies uninterrupted and without posing a risk to anyone who might wander too close to a failed experiment. However, this lifestyle does not lend itself well to adventure and travel.

That does not mean that artificers are ill suited to adventuring. On the contrary, an artificer can be very effective in battle, both as a frontline combatant and in a support role. When moved to undertake a journey, an artificer’s great intellect and powerful machines provide considerable benefit to those who would accompany him.

Characteristics: The most important facet of an artificer’s existence is his mastery over applied science. With the right tools and materials, there is little a skilled artificer cannot accomplish. While few artificers work quickly, the devices they create exhibit remarkable abilities through a melding of science and magic that few others could hope to match. This incredible knowledge does tend to mark artificers as intellectuals of the highest order, distancing them from ‘other folk’. An artificer may be quite friendly, but his manners of speech and behaviour are often very off-putting.

Alignment: Alignment is rarely an issue for artificers, who run the entire gamut of good and evil, law and chaos. If there is an overall trend in these mechanomancers, it is towards chaos. The kind of thinking that lends itself to genius and invention is often non-linear, which carries over to everything else an artificer does. While a chaotic alignment is not required, most artificers take a creative, unconventional approach to the world around them. When one spends most of his life redefining the rules of the universe, how important can something as trivial as a society’s laws truly be?

Religion: An overwhelming number of artificers have no religious leaning, tending to worship the dogmas of magical science instead. If an artificer’s culture venerates a god or goddess of magic, a small minority will place their faith in that deity as the source of their power. Those few artificers that come from a culture with a divine power of machinery will likely venerate that deity instead. A rare few may split their reverence between gods of magic and machines, embracing both halves of their expertise. Ultimately, as their focus tends to be towards the arcane and mechanical sciences, religion is often of little interest.

Background: Very few artificers come from lower-class backgrounds, as the level of intense education required to master the basics of the artificer’s Craft is simply not available to those without the money or freedom to pursue it. In rare instances, a gifted youth might be taken in and fostered by a wealthy patron, but the majority of artificers are apprenticed from upper-class families or have the means to support their own education.

Races: Two races vie for the largest number of artificers, humans and Gnomes. Humans lend themselves well to the rigours of creative thought due to their incredible versatility. Human artificers normally learn their Craft from a mentor or by gathering lore from texts and other sources. Usually solitary, human artificers keep their craft a secret, training only those who seem gifted with the same twin sparks of magic and invention.

Gnomes have a keen analytical mind and an innately magical nature, thus fitting the mould of the artificer perfectly. In contrast with the human members of their profession, gnomish artificers are often accepted members of society and display their gifts openly. It is not uncommon for gnomish artificers to be trained in large schools as readily as wizards are.

Among other races, the artificer is not a common class. Elves often find the mechanical aspects of the role to be distasteful, half-elves rarely have the social freedoms or wealth to pursue the training, dwarves have better things to do with their forges and half-orcs generally lack the Intelligence to grasp even the most basic concepts of magical science. Similarly, Halflings tend to lack the discipline to take the study of arcane science seriously.

Other Classes: Because of the unique nature of artificers, few classes pose a social difficulty for them as companions. Monks, barbarians, fighters, rangers and paladins are usually seen as welcome muscle for the more dangerous aspects of any expedition. bards are appreciated for their creativity, if considered a little frivolous in their apparent lack of constructive applications. Rogues can come close to an artificer in their appreciation of complex devices, though the rogue’s focus on disabling and circumventing them often runs counter to an artificer’s instincts. The faith that priests and druid place in intangible forces often makes an artificer uncomfortable, though their power to heal is an undeniable asset. It is in other arcane spellcasters that artificers find the best company. They can compare arcane knowledge with sorcerers, whose innate grasp of magic fascinates them endlessly. wizards are their preferred associates, as artificers find the most intelligent conversation with their magical peers.

Game Rule Information

Abilities: As is perhaps obvious, Intelligence is the most important statistic for any artificer. Intelligence affects the artificer’s skills and abilities, and determines how effective his machines are in performing their functions. Artificers must also have a good Dexterity to perform fine work
and Strength is useful to manipulate the larger segments of their mechanical devices. As an artificer’s experiments can often put his health at risk, a formidable Constitution can also be a great boon. Wisdom and Charisma are least important to an artificer, though it never hurts to be wise enough to recognise the dangers inherent in an upcoming construction or charismatic enough to overcome the social stigma related to an artificer’s chosen profession.

• Alignment: Any
• Hit Die: d4

Class Skills

The artificer’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Intelligence), Concentration (Constitution), Craft (alchemy) (Intelligence), Craft (mechanomancy) (Intelligence), Disable Device (Intelligence), Knowledge (Intelligence), Open Lock (Dexterity), Profession (Wisdom), Search (Intelligence), Spellcraft (Intelligence) and Rope Use(Dexterity).

Skill Points at 1st Level: (4 + Intelligence modifier) x 4.

Skill Points at Each Additional Level: 4 + Intelligence modifier.

The Artificer
Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Arcane Science, Mechanomagical Weapon (1d4)
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Invention I, Mechanomagical Armour (+2)
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Elemental Modification (+1d6)
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Invention II
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Mechanomagical Weapon (1d6)
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Invention III, Mechanomagical Constructs
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Mechanomagical Armour (+4)
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Elemental Modification (+1d8), Invention IV
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	–
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Invention V, Mechanomagical Weapon (1d8)
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Steelgrafting
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Invention VI, Mechanomagical Armour (+6)
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Elemental Modification (+1d10)
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9	Invention VII
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9	Living Machines, Mechanomagical Weapon (1d10)
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Invention VIII
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	–
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Elemental Modification (+2d6), Invention IX
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	–
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Technogenesis, Mechanomagical Weapon (1d12)

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the artificer:

Weapon and Armour Proficiency: An artificer is proficient with all simple weapons and the repeating crossbow. He is also proficient with light and medium armour. Note that armour check penalties for armour heavier than leather apply to the skills Balance, Climb, Escape Artist, Hide, Jump, Move
Silently, Sleight of Hand and Tumble. Also, Swim checks suffer a -1 penalty for every five pounds of armour and equipment carried.

Arcane Science: An artificer does not cast spells in the usual sense, instead he constructs devices that duplicate the effects of arcane spells. These mechanomagical constructions are equal parts science and sorcery, consisting of mechanical components charged with arcane power and tasked to a particular service.

Mechanomagical Weapon: By means of shearing fields of magical force, rotating blades and other mechanical or magical changes, an artificer is able to greatly enhance the amount of damage a non-magical Masterwork melee weapon can deal. The extra weight and odd balance of these modifications means that a wielder suffers a -4 penalty to attack rolls, in addition to the -4 penalty for not being proficient in the weapons use (if applicable). A character can negate this penalty by taking an Exotic Weapon Proficiency in the weapon; for example, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (mechanomagical Greataxe).

Enhancing a weapon with mechanomagic adds an extra damage dice to the weapon, to a maximum value determined by the weapon’s size and the artificer’s class level. A 1st level artificer can increase any weapon’s damage by 1d4, improving the damage the weapon deals on a successful hit. As the artificer gains experience and increases in skill, this maximum value increases, to 1d6 at 5th level, 1d8 at 10th level, 1d10 at 15th level and 1d12 at 20th level. In addition to the limit imposed by the artificer’s class level, Tiny weapons can have a maximum additional damage die value of 1d6, Small weapons a maximum of 1d8, Medium-size weapons 1d10 and Large weapons 1d12.

Modifying a weapon in this way costs 250 gp multiplied by the maximum damage value of the added damage die and an amount of XP equal to 1/50 of the gp cost, and takes one day for every 1,000 gp of the final cost. Thus, increasing a longspear’s damage dice by 1d12 would cost the artificer 3,000 gp, 60 XP and take six days. Mechanomagically enhancing a double weapon affects only one end of the weapon. A weapon cannot possess both magical and mechanomagical enhancements, however, the weapon can be further enhanced with the Elemental Modifications class feature.

Mechanomagical Armour: Much as an artificer can alter weapons, he can also provide modifications to Masterwork medium or heavy armour. By imbuing the armour with magical energy and adding mechanical alterations to its construction, an artificer can increase the protection it provides and grant the wearer an enhancement to his Strength. At 2nd level, the artificer can imbue the armour with damage reduction 2/+1 and a +2 enhancement bonus to Strength. These values increase to 4/+1 and +4 at 7th level, and again at 12th level to 6/+1 and +6.

Making these modifications to a suit of armour costs 1,000 gp multiplied by the bonus squared and 1/50 of the gp value in XP. The modifications take one day per 1,000 gp of the final value and add 10, 20 or 30 pounds to the armour’s weight (for +2, +4 and +6 respectively), to a maximum of double the armour’s base weight. Unlike a mechanomagically-enhanced weapon, armour that has been altered in this way can hold a magical enhancement, to a maximum effective enhancement of +5.

Invention: A progression of the artificer’s craft, this ability allows him to construct devices that duplicate spell effects without the need to channel his
own magic through them, much like magical staves and wands. An artificer can create a device containing any spell he knows, except for those of the highest level he can cast. For example, a second level artificer can create a device containing any 0-level spell that he knows, whereas a 10th level artificer can create a device containing any spell that he knows of 0-level through 4th level. The save DC versus these devices is 10 + one-and-a-half-times the spell level.

Activating one of these devices, which hold 50 charges when first created, requires the user to correctly manipulate a number of switches, button and dials. This is a standard action and provokes an attack of opportunity. Activating one of these devices without prior knowledge of the correct sequence requires a successful Intelligence check or Use Magic Device check (DC 15 + spell level). Creating one of these spell devices costs spell level x caster level x 1,000 gp and 1/50 of this amount in XP, takes one day per 1,000 gp and requires a successful Craft (mechanomancy) check (DC 10 + spell level + caster level). A failed skill check results in half of the raw materials and one days worth of work being wasted.

Elemental Modification: By summoning magical energies and directing them through a focusing device of his own design, an artificer can imbue a melee weapon with special properties. The weapons deal an additional amount of damage from one of the five energy forms (acid, cold, electrical, fire or sonic) dependant on the level of the artificer at the time of the imbuement. This deals 1d6 points of damage at 3rd level, 1d8 at 8th level, 1d10 at 13th level and 2d6 at 18th level. Only one form of energy damage can be imbued into a given weapon and weapons that have been modified with this ability cannot carry a magical enhancement, although they may have been modified with the Mechanomagical Weapon class feature. The damage from this enhancement is not multiplied on a critical hit.

If an artificer of sufficient skill wishes, he can reduce the amount of damage caused by a successful hit by two steps (1d10 to 1d6 or 2d6 to 1d8) to imbue the weapon with a burst effect similar to the magic weapon special quality. This causes an extra amount of damage on a successful critical hit equal to the damage value from which the enhancement was reduced. If the weapon has a critical multiplier higher than x2, the amount of extra damage dealt on a critical hit is equal to the higher damage (1d10 or 2d6) plus one additional dice for each step the multiplier is above x2. Thus, a modified Greataxe (critical modifier x3) would deal either 2d10 or 3d6 extra points of damage on a successful critical hit, depending on the power of the enhancement, in addition to its normal critical hit damage.

Imbuing a weapon with the energies of this ability costs 500 gp multiplied by the maximum damage value of the imbued energy and 1/50 of this amount in XP. For weapons imbued with the burst ability, this cost increases to 750 gp multiplied by the maximum damage value of the burst damage. The imbuing process takes seven days.

Mechanomagical Constructs: An artificer of this level has developed the extraordinary ability to create mechanomagical versions of living creatures that respond to his commands, much like a mechanical golem. These creations are often used for both offensive and defensive purposes, as they possess much of the physical might of their living counterparts. When creating a mechanomagical creature, its type becomes ‘construct’ (which may or may not affect its Hit Die type), it has maximum hit points for its hit dice, possesses no Constitution or Intelligence (non-abilities), its Charisma is reduced to one and its Challenge Rating is increased by one.

In addition to possessing the standard construct traits and the magic immunity of an iron golem, mechanomagical constructs have the standard Strength, Dexterity and Wisdom scores of the creature they are modelled after, which must be a corporeal creature with a definitive physical form (which eliminates oozes, shapechangers and some undead) and no more hit dice than the artificer’s class level. The construct also gains the base creature’s land movement rate and physical attack forms. A mechanomagical construct can be enhanced with one or more of the base creatures other movement methods or extraordinary abilities, but supernatural or spell-like abilities must instead be duplicated by spell-devices created using the Invention class feature. A construct featuring one of these devices automatically knows how to use it and can do so as a standard action. Since the devices are integrated into the construct’s design, however, activating one does not provoke an attack of opportunity or require the construct to manipulate the device in any external manner. As normal, the DC of any save against the effects of one of these devices is 10 + one-and-a-half-times the spell level. A mechanomagical creature possesses a natural armour bonus equal to the hardness value of the material used, instead of that possessed by the base creature.

Creating a mechanomagical construct costs 400 gp per Hit Dice +500 gp for each additional movement mode or extraordinary ability added, plus the full cost of any spell devices used. In addition, the artificer expends 1/50 of the total value in XP and must pay for the material used in the creature’s construction separately. Construction of the mechanomagical creature takes one day per 250 gp of the construct’s final value and requires a successful Craft (mechanomancy) skill check (DC 15 + Hit Dice + two per attack + one for each added extraordinary ability or movement mode). A failed check wastes 1d6x10% of the construct’s total cost in materials and half of the creation time.

Steelgrafting: Having learned to create mechanical duplicates of creatures, an artificer with the power of steelgrafting discovers how to bond his constructions with the bodies of living beings. From replacement limbs to additional appendages and implanted inventions, an artificer can blur the line between metal and flesh.

The specifics of this power are best left to individual Games Masters, who may wish to define the precise extent of what steelgrafting can accomplish. It is suggested that this ability should at least duplicate the effects of a regeneration spell at a cost of 2,500 gp per limb replaced, plus the cost of the material used. Replaced limbs have a Strength equal to the maximum starting Strength for the race or creature type in question and must be repaired as an object. Only tasks performed by the replacement limb benefit from this enhanced Strength (Games Master’s discretion). The base material determines hardness and hit points for steelgrafted limbs. The Difficulty Class of the Craft (mechanomancy) skill check required to successfully carry out this work is equal to five plus the Strength score of the replaced limb.

Another suggested ability of steelgrafting is the adding of new limbs to existing creatures at the same base cost (2,500 gp plus materials). These new limbs can be used in preference to the altered creature’s own and allows the eventual learning of the Multidexterity and Multiweapon Fighting feats. These feats are not gained automatically. Other possibilities
are the province of the Games Master.

Steelgrafting takes one day per 1,000 gp and costs an amount of XP equal to 1/50 of the total gp value.

Living Machines: A somewhat misleading name, living machines refers to the property that anything created by an artificer of this level can exhibit if he wishes to incorporate it at the time of construction – mechanical regeneration. Any device, mechanomagically enhanced weapon or armour, steelgrafted item or construct built by an artificer capable of making living machines gains the Fast Healing special quality, allowing it to heal one hit point of damage per round, and can benefit from healing magic as if it were a living being. Living machines cannot repair damage caused by corrosion (acid, rust, etc.) and continue to regain lost hit points until they are reduced to -10, just as living creatures are capable of doing. Using this ability increases the total cost of the device, item or construct by 10%.

Technogenesis: The ultimate expression of the artificer’s craft, technogenesis is the infusion of true life into an unliving shell. In order to qualify for this modification, the construct must first have been created using the Living Machine class feature. The complexities involved in imbuing an inanimate object with a life force uses up 5,000 gp of raw materials, costs the artificer 500 XP. Successfully imbuing the object with life requires a Craft (mechanomancy) skill check (DC 40), with failure resulting in the waste of all of the raw materials and the entire infusion period, and carries a 25% chance of destroying the object as the mystical energies
tear it apart.

The infusion process that makes technogenesis possible takes five days to perform. For all intents and purposes, the technogenesis class feature duplicates the effects of an Awaken spell, except that it affects constructs instead of animals. A construct that has undergone this process retains all of the abilities, special qualities and limitations it possessed before, except that, because it now possesses an Intelligence score, it is vulnerable to mind-affecting spells and effects. The alignment of the construct is the same as the artificer that imbued it with life, although it is subject to possible change as the construct learns from experience and develops an individual personality.

Starting Gold: 3d4x10 gp.

Arcane Science and Artificer Spellcasting

An artificer knows and can cast a number of spells per day as if he was a sorcerer. He can cast any spell from the wizard/sorcerer spell list that he knows and uses his Intelligence to determine bonus spells per day and the Difficulty Class of saving throws against his spells. An artificer’s spells are called ‘designs’.

In order to cast a design, the artificer must first construct to correctly focus his arcane energies. Each spell requires one of these devices in order for the artificer to cast it, however, each device can be reused indefinitely. Building a mechanomagical Spell Focus is an expensive affair, costing 100 gp x spell level squared and taking one day for every 300 gp of the items cost, or fraction thereof. Zero-level mechanomagical foci cost 50 gp and take one day to construct. Mechanomagical foci weigh half-a-pound per spell level. If a spell normally requires a material component or focus with a price of over 10 gp, the artificer must include enough of that component for 10 castings of the spell in the construction of the mechanomagical foci, increasing the cost of construction appropriately. A successful Craft (mechanomancy) skill check (DC 10 + twice the spell level) is required to successfully create a mechanomagical focus, with failure ruining 1d6x10% of the raw materials and wasting one day of work.

For example, a rod which focuses the energy of a fireball spell costs 900 gp, takes three days to construct and weighs one-and-a-half pounds, whereas the small boxlike contraption that focuses the energy of a permanent image spell costs 4,600 gp (3,600 gp + 1,000 gp for the material components), takes 16 days to construct and weighs three pounds.

These devices take many forms, from a strange looking gauntlet that channels a shocking grasp spell, to an intricate Clockwork horse figurine that magically expands to form the focus of a mount spell. A single mechanomagical focus can contain the designs of more than one spell, but each spell that the device acts as a focus for must be paid for separately during the items creation. Many artificers carry more than one focus for their more potent and useful designs, as they are unable to cast them without such devices.

Because artificers do not cast spells in the conventional sense, they do not suffer some of the limitations that wizards and sorcerers must endure. Artificer spells do not possess verbal, somatic or material components (other than the spell devices they must have on hand) and so they do not incur the Arcane Spell Failure normally imposed by wearing armour. Despite the lack of somatic components, an artificer must have at least one hand free to manipulate their spell devices and still provokes an attack of opportunity when attempting to activate a design within an enemies threatened area. Because artificer spells do not have other components, Concentration checks made to complete an interrupted spell receive a +2 competence
bonus.

Artificers neither assemble nor benefit from spellbooks, although many maintain notes on the construction of their designs. A first level artificer begins play knowing four 0-level and two 1st level designs. An artificer automatically gains new designs as he advances in level, as shown in the SRD, representing sudden flashes of inspiration that he develops into fully working devices.

Mechanomagical Equipment

This section contains a few of the myriad items that could be dreamed up by the mind of an artificer. In a world where mechanomagical constructions are common or at least known, an artificer can expect to make a substantial profit from those with the contacts, wealth and interest to purchase their creations.

It should be noted that, unless an area has been exposed to mechanomagical items for quite some time, ‘normal’ folk will likely react to echanomagical devices (and those who carry them) with distrust, fear, confusion and a small amount of hostility. If such devices are virtually unheard of, there will certainly be a few who will covet these items for the power they believe they will bring to them.

Boots of Leaping

These are heavily reinforced boots with a layer of springs and notched gears between an upper sole of metal and a lower sole of heavy leather. By shifting one’s feet forward and tapping the heels together forcefully, these springs can be released – propelling the wearer upwards with surprising speed. A Jump check (DC 15) is required to use this device properly but boots of leaping add 10 feet to a Jump when the roll is successful. An unsuccessful check results in the user suffering 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and making a 10-foot Jump in a random direction. Recoiling these boots is a full-round action.

Caster Level: -; Prerequisites: Craft (mechanomancy) 5 ranks; Market Price: 70 gp; Weight: 2 lb.

Defending Sphere

This little Clockwork wonder is a segmented steel ball with a pair of extending wings. When one of the metal plates is slid into position, the wings unfold and the ball flutters into the air, circling the one who activated it. A defending sphere moves itself to intercept incoming attacks, absorbing 10 points of damage before being destroyed. A defending sphere circles the user for five rounds before its springs need rewinding, which requires a full-round action and provokes an attack of opportunity. Only one defending sphere can protect a given user at a time.

Caster Level: 3rd; Prerequisites: Craft (mechanomancy) 6 ranks; Market Price: 350 gp; Weight: 1 lb.

Geargyre

Considered little more than a toy in societies familiar with mechanomancy, the geargyre is a metal falcon constructed of intricate plates and delicate machinery. When given a specific flight path, requiring an Intelligence check (DC 15), the geargyre can deliver a written message or light parcel (anything weighing less than one pound) over a great distance. Assuming nothing occurs on the journey, a geargyre can cover 50 miles in a single day. A geargyre has eight hit points, although even a single point of damage renders it unable to fly until it is repaired.

Caster Level: 6th; Prerequisites: Craft (mechanomancy) 9 ranks; Market Price: 200 gp; Weight: 5 lb.

New Skill

Craft (mechanomancy)

(Intelligence; Trained Only; Artificer Only)

A complex skill involving elements of Spellcraft, blacksmithing, armoursmithing, weaponsmithing, etching and mechanical engineering, mechanomancy is the key skill for an artificer’s abilities. Because of the complicated nature of this skill, checks attempted without the proper artisan’s tools on hand suffer a -4 circumstance penalty instead of the usual -2 imposed for improvised tools. If there are no tools available at all, this skill cannot be attempted.

In addition to being used with the various class features of the artificer, this skill can be used to construct much simpler mechanical devices that will earn the artificer an income, as per the Craft skill. This skill can also be used in the construction of complex weaponry, such as the repeating crossbow, with the Craft (mechanomancy) skill check DC being the same as that of the regular skill check.

New Magic Item

Runic Tools

These magical tools provide an artificer with everything he needs to craft incredibly intricate and powerful devices. When used by a character with ranks in a metal or stone-related Craft skill, a set of runic tools bestow a +5, +10 or +15 circumstance bonus to all skill checks. A set of runic tools can only be used for the creation of one item before they must be allowed to rest for 24 hours.

Caster Level: 9th; Prerequisites: Create Wondrous Item, fabricate; Market Price: (+5) 100 gp, (+10) 400 gp, (+15) 900 gp; Weight: 1 lb.

New Feats

Arcane Researcher

The complexity of magical creations is a fascinating topic for you, providing countless hours of enjoyable study and yielding more information than others can usually discover.
Prerequisites: Knowledge (Arcana) 4 ranks, Knowledge (engineering) 4 ranks, able to cast identify.
Benefit: Your in-depth knowledge of arcane lore grants you a +1 circumstance bonus to all Knowledge checks related to magic items of any sort. This bonus increases to +2 if you are researching notes on an example of a spell you do not currently know. You also receive knowledge of a second property (if any) of any item handled with an identify spell.

Mechanomagical Savant

You excel at creating mechanomagical items. Your work is faster, more precise and often superior to that of your peers.
Prerequisites: Artificer level 2+, Skill Focus (Knowledge (engineering)).
Benefit: When you use the Invention, Mechanomagical Constructs or Steelgrafting class features, the total gp cost is reduced by 10%. This also reduces the creation time and experience point cost.
Special: This feat can be taken up to five times, with each instance reducing costs by 10% of the original total value (up to a maximum of 50%).