The Hero Within RPG 8: The Tinkerer Class – Innovators, Engineers, and Masterminds
Is intelligence the greatest weapon? Can invention surpass magic? What defines a true Tinkerer?
In The Hero Within, the Tinkerer is the ultimate problem-solver, innovator, and technological mastermind.
Unlike warriors who wield swords or Mägo who harness arcane forces, Tinkerers craft, invent, and modify the world around them to overcome obstacles. Whether it’s through gadgets, weapons, or arcane machinery, they redefine what’s possible.
With three stages of progression, Tinkerers develop from curious builders to masters of invention and technology. But we want your input! Should Tinkerers focus on crafting, battlefield engineering, or something entirely new? Let’s dive in.
🔹 The Tinkerer Class Progression
Tinkerers in The Hero Within aren’t just mechanics—they are innovators. Their journey unfolds as follows:
Inventor (Stage 1): A creative problem-solver, skilled in crafting simple gadgets and modifying existing technology.
Engineer (Stage 2): A master of efficiency, developing more complex contraptions and battlefield tools.
Artificer (Stage 3): A legendary creator who merges science, technology, and magic into world-altering inventions.
Each stage grants access to new crafting materials, advanced inventions, and greater control over technology.
Community Question:
Should Tinkerers specialize in a single field (weapons, automation, alchemy), or should they be able to mix various disciplines?
What kinds of inventions should be unique to Tinkerers?
⚙️ Gadgets & Inventions – What Should a Tinkerer Create?
Tinkerers don’t wield raw power—they design the tools that can change the tide of battle. Some invention ideas include:
Mechanical Companions – Automatons that assist in battle or exploration.
Explosive Devices – Traps, grenades, or alchemical bombs.
Arcane-Powered Weapons – A fusion of technology and magic, creating firearms, energy blades, or other unique weapons.
Utility Gadgets – Grappling hooks, lockpicks, surveillance drones, or teleportation devices.
Community Question:
Should Tinkerers be able to mass-produce basic gadgets, or should inventions be limited and highly specialized?
What are some must-have gadgets that would make the Tinkerer fun and exciting to play?
🔬 Science vs. Magic – Should Tinkerers Blend the Two?
Tinkerers thrive on ingenuity, but should they tap into arcane forces, or should they remain purely technological? Possible approaches include:
Pure Tech: Tinkerers avoid magic, relying on gears, wires, and mechanical innovation.
Magic-Infused Engineering: Tinkerers blend science and magic, creating spell-powered devices.
Alchemy & Chemistry: A focus on potions, chemical reactions, and transmutation.
Community Question:
Should Tinkerers use magic-infused tech, or should they remain purely mechanical?
Should Alchemy be a core part of the Tinkerer class, or its own separate discipline?
🛠️ Balancing Innovation – Limits & Challenges
A challenge with Tinkerers is balance—ensuring they feel powerful without overshadowing magic or brute force. Some balancing mechanics could include:
Blueprint System: Tinkerers must design blueprints before building major inventions.
Resource Management: Gadgets require materials that must be found or purchased.
Breakage & Maintenance: Inventions have durability and must be repaired or improved over time.
Community Question:
Should Tinkerers be limited by blueprints and materials, or should they have free rein to invent?
Should inventions have a risk of malfunctioning, or should they always be reliable?
🏆 Help Us Shape the Tinkerer Class!
This is your chance to influence how invention and technology work in The Hero Within! We want to hear from you:
Should Tinkerers focus on utility, combat, or both?
What kinds of inventions would be the most fun to use?
How should their crafting system work—structured or freeform?
Drop your thoughts in the comments at LifeOfFiction.com and let us know what you think! Together, let’s build a progression system that truly reflects the hero’s journey! ⚙️🔩🔥
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Thank you for your time and insights—your feedback is what helps bring The Hero Within to life!
I love that a malfunction MIGHT make it work better...hehe.
Yeah, I like that a lot.
this is really interesting
Here’s how I would do it
As to how their gadgets are powered wether by magic or by electricity or by steam power or whatever I would stick that under flavor and let your players decide how they want their character to feel
It doesn’t need to affect the abilities
It doesn’t need to affect the actual way they are played but it empowers players to go in so many different directions
My artificer has a massive generator on his back that fuels his inventions
Mine has magic runes carved which grant them power
It just allows for a roster of different characters from the same class
As far as limits and machines
I would give them a health bar which requires maintenance and downtime to fix (nothing major but it means they have to be aware of how they are using them in combat and if they’re reckless they can’t use it till they find a time and place to repair it)
And I like Benjamin’s idea of malfunctions but I would do it when they take damage maybe when it reaches half health you roll to see if it malfunctions if it does you roll to see what it does
Does it explode?
Does it just deal itself extra damage?
Who knows maybe something breaks but it makes it run double time and does its job even better!
I would make a table they have to roll on if it malfunctions