Dear Game Master,
I have been running D&D and other TTRPGs for more than ten years.
Players love the idea of a clockwork arm, or of an artificer whose magic looks like gears and steam. The usual answer is to rename a few spells, and by the third session nobody remembers that the fire bolt was supposed to be a machine.
A machine feels different from a spell for one reason: it needs care, and it fails in ways you can predict. So I wrote magic that works that way. It asks for components and maintenance, and when it breaks, there is a table to roll on.
The book is made for 5th Edition.
- 51 mechanical spells, from cantrips to 9th level, for artificers and wizards
- 15 clockwork augmentations in three tiers, from a Mechanical Limb to a Consciousness Transfer Matrix
- Rules for surgery, attunement and daily, weekly and monthly maintenance
- Advice for Game Masters and players on bringing mechanical magic into a campaign
I hope it gives the tinkerer at your table something real to hold. See you when the gears start turning.
P.S. Start with the Arcane Malfunctions Tables on page 14: minor, moderate and major failures you can roll the moment a device at your table goes wrong.
