Step into the world of Tales of the Valiant with us as we embark on a two-part exploration of the fascinating and unique Mechanist class. In this episode of the RPGBOT.Podcast, we delve into the mechanics and features of this class, discussing its differences from the Artificer, its limited subclass options, and its powerful abilities such as Eyes of the Maker and Shard of Creation. Join us as we break down the augment system, its various effects and limitations, and the exciting Weapon Options feature. And stay tuned as we share our expert insights on building the Metalurgist and Spellrite subclasses, including tips and tricks for level 4 improvements and talents. It's time to roll for initiative and discover the wonders of the Mechanist!

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this two-part episode of the RPGBOT.Podcast, we begin the build of the Mechanist class from Tales of the Valiant. The team explores the differences between the Mechanist and the Artificer, noting that the Mechanist focuses more on building and enhancing items rather than spellcasting. The team also discusses the limited number of subclasses available for the Mechanist and the potential challenges of adapting Artificer subclasses to the Mechanist. We provide insights into ability scores, lineage, and heritage choices for the class; highlighting the Eyes of the Maker feature, which allows the Mechanist to identify magic items, and the Shard of Creation feature, which grants the Mechanist a ball of loose plasma.

We explore the Mechanist's ability to inspire themselves and the scaling of their features with level. We’ll move on to the augments, which are similar to infusions in the 5th edition artificer class; and highlight the adhesive, collapsible, detecting, empowered, elusive, and loading augments and their effects. We break down the limitations and scaling of the augments, and discuss the Augments feature of the Tales of the Valiant Mechanist class.

Finally, we go through each augment and discuss its effects and potential uses and talk about the Efficient Action feature, which allows the use of augments as a bonus action, and the Weapon Options feature, which provides special attacks depending on the type of weapon. Tyler and Ash each will break down builds for the two subclasses of the Mechanist class, the Metalurgist and the Spellrite, briefly mentioning the level 4 improvements and talents.

MATERIALS REFERENCED IN THIS EPISODE

• Black Flag Reference Document on KoboldPress.com
• BFRD.net
• Content From RPGBOT.net
• 5e to ToV Transition Guide

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The Mechanist class in Tales of the Valiant focuses on building and enhancing items rather than spellcasting, making it distinct from the Artificer class.
• Adapting Artificer subclasses to the Mechanist may be challenging due to the differences in spellcasting abilities.
• The Mechanist class offers flexibility in ability score distribution, with a focus on Intelligence for class features.
• Lineage and heritage choices should be made based on the desired playstyle, with options that enhance durability or provide damage resistance being popular.
• The Mechanist class features, such as Eyes of the Maker and Shard of Creation, offer unique abilities related to identifying and interacting with magic items. The Mechanist class in Tales of the Valiant has unique features such as the Shard of Creation and the ability to inspire themselves.
• The augments in the Mechanist class are similar to infusions in the 5th edition artificer class.
• The adhesive augment allows objects to become adhesive and can hold up to a thousand pounds.
• The collapsible augment makes objects smaller.
• The detecting augment provides various vision enhancements, including dark vision, invisivision, magic vision, and x-ray vision.
• The empowered augment gives a +1 bonus to attack and damage, which scales to +2 at level 9 and +3 at level 15.
• The elusive augment allows objects to be disguised as other objects of the same type.
• The loading augment generates ammo and ignores the loading property for ranged weapons.
• The augments scale with level, with the Mechanist gaining more options and the ability to use multiple augments on different items.
• The Mechanist class offers a unique playstyle with versatile and customizable abilities. The Augments feature of the Mechanist class provides a variety of enhancements and abilities that can be applied to weapons and armor.
• Efficient Action allows the use of augments as a bonus action, increasing the versatility and speed of combat.
• Weapon Options provide unique attacks based on the type of weapon used, adding depth and tactical options to combat.
• The Metalurgist subclass focuses on enhancing armor and shields, while the Spellrite subclass combines spellcasting with martial abilities.
• Level 4 improvements and talents offer additional customization options for the Mechanist class.

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Tyler Kamstra

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Ash Ely

• Professional Game Master on StartPlaying.Games
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Randall James

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• Amateurjack.com

Producer Dan

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