I don’t believe it
There she goes again
She’s tidied up and I can’t find anything
All my tubes and wires
And careful notes
And antiquated notions
But, it’s poetry in motion
And when she turned her eyes to me
As deep as any ocean
As sweet as any harmony
She’s blinding me with science
-
She Blinded Me With Science, Thomas Dolby
There are heroes that use gadgets, heroes that are defined by their gadgets, and the heroes that make the the gadgets. The Gadgeteer doesn’t just possess a collection of toys, but the ability to think on the fly, modify tools and use virtually anything on hand to overcome challenges.
Some notable Gadgeteers in comics include: Blue Beetle, Forge, Mr. Fantastic, Mr. Terrific
Power Framework
Here’s where things get interesting. Gadgeteers that do not have some other ability probably wouldn’t be considered to have a traditional power. We can build the Gadgeteer’s equipment as Gear. However, to better represent the countless number of bits and bobs the hero has we’re going to put together a power with some Drawbacks to illustrate the nature of their abilities.
Genius Inventor
- Parent Attribute: Intelligence
- Primary Role: Offense
- Ranged
- Devastating
- Secondary Role Support: Never Back Down
- Limited Uses
- Limitation: Can Be Disarmed
- General Boons
- Gadgeteer
- Tools: Actual Tools, Elevator, Escape Clause, Hidden Weapon, Smart Device, Vehicle
- Tricky
- Shift Power (Support, Offense)
The Gadgeteer is all about having the right tool from the job. With our basic Framework we have provided some type of Ranged Attack, this might take any number of shapes, from a blaster rifle, trick boomerangs, even some type of mana bolt (for an arcane deviation), the player should define what this typically looks like. We need to add some emphasis on typically, because, it’s really going to depend on the character’s theme, and how they adapt their power in any given situation.
The basic Framework also provides a Secondary Role with a bonus to the Never Back Down Talent. Never Back Down only comes into play when a character has expended all their Willpower, and provides them a bonus to any rolls for one Turn. This represents a host of gadgets that the hero might pull out at the last moment to save the day.
Because the basic Framework represents gear, we add Limited Uses and Can be Disarmed to since this power can be taken away.
While there are not a lot of Boons within the power itself, the Gadgeteer has a number of key General Boons that reinforce the concept. The Tools Boon gives the character a host of minor tricks and ways to modify their gear for free. Tricky and Shift Power allow the Gadgeteer to add key Boons for full scenes, such as returning their weapon to penetrate a foe’s force shield, or react to their biology. Finally, the Gadgeteer Boon itself allows the hero to share their Tools with other heroes, supporting them with ease on the battlefield.
To expand on the Gadgeteer we will be looking at, what I will humbly call, the three faces of Batman, the Detective, the Martial Artist, and the Leader.
The Detective
- Added Support: Forensics
- New Senses: Pick Two
- Trapping
- General Boons
- Languages
- Tools: Bug, Tracer
The Detective adds a number of key Boons for locating information. New Senses for finding things others might have missed. Added Support: Forensics for identifying overlooked details. Languages expand who the Detective can communicate with, while Bug and Tracer ensure nothing slips away. To round this out we add Trapping, so that when the Detective catches the culprit they can lock down their foes.
The Martial Artist
Fighting Style: Select a Martial Art
- Parent Attribute: Dexterity
- Primary Role: Defense
- Secondary Role: Offense (Full Role)
- Secondary Role: Initiative
In addition to their array of gadgets, the Martial Artist adds a potent Fighting Style, learning how to defend themselves, round out their offense and learn how to better read the battlefield.
The Leader
- Secondary Role: Defense
- Armor
- Passive Defense
- General Boons
- Leader
- Surprising
Suiting up, the Leader takes things to the front line. The Leader Boon allows the hero to inspire others, granting allies bonuses to their actions. With Surprising, the Leader can intervene wherever needed.
Common Talents
- Engineering
- Repair
- Science
The Gadgeteer understands how things go together. Their Talents reflect this. Engineering and Science allows them to invent, while Repair ensures that their gear keeps working.
Common Weaknesses
As the Gadgeteer is often a normal human, gifted with amazing tools, Frail can help represent their lack of durability.
The Gadgeteer is a dynamic archetype, best suited for players that can adapt to situations quickly. Their adaptability gives them an advantage in any situation. They can pull their team out of tight spots, or with a single misstep find themselves on the wrong end of a villain’s deadly schemes.
For an example of an Arcane Gadgeteer, take a look at Soren from the Three Rivers Academy Podcast.
