Armed with an inventive intellect, a love of magical technology, and an unquenchable desire to shape the world around you, the alluring call of artifice was one you couldn't resist. Your formative years were spent in the pursuit of the unknown, scouring manuscripts about ancient relics, strange phenomenons and lost secrets. This relentless enthusiasm eventually led you to join one of the great institutes of learning, and it was here you were taught that knowledge is a more valuable treasure than gold or gems. Tasked with understanding the building blocks of creation, you aspire to become expert in your field of study - be it as a skilled mage or alchemist, a masterwork craftsman, or even an obsessive biomancer in pursuit of advancing evolution. Inspired, brilliant, and unpredictable; scholars of Magitech seek to blur the lines between the magic and mundane.
Now you're ready to journey into mysterious and far-flung lands on your quest for new lore. Maybe you're an academic sent by your college to seek ancient knowledge from powers or civilizations long lost to time, both evil and benign. Perhaps you desire to stake your place in history as a renowned artisan whose contributions to science come in the form of world-altering technology or legendary inventions that rival even the grandest of spells.
- Skill Proficiencies: Investigation, plus your choice of one from among Arcana, Nature, and History, and Religion, and Medicine
- Tool Proficiencies: Two of your choice that reflect the area of expertise of your engineer.
- Equipment: A set of Artisan’s tools and a book containing research notes relevant to your field of study, a set of set of common clothes, a fine leather case containing a map to a dungeon or ruin, a tattered manuscript relevant to your current project, and a pouch for assorted magitech supplies.
When you attempt to learn or recall a magical or scientific fact, if you don’t know that information, you know where and from whom you can obtain it. Usually, this information comes from a library, scriptorium, university, or independent scholar or other learned person or creature. Knowing where the information can be found doesn’t automatically enable you to learn it; you might need to offer bribes, favors, or other incentives to induce people to reveal their secrets.
Your DM might rule that the knowledge you seek is secreted away in an almost inaccessible place, or that it simply cannot be found. Unearthing the deepest secrets of the multiverse can require an adventure or even a whole campaign.
Suggested Characteristics
Use the tables for the Magitech Engineer background below as the basis for your traits and motivations, modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity as scholar in pursuit of some great knowledge or artefact.
Your bond is almost certainly associated either with the place where you grew up or with the knowledge you hope to acquire through adventuring. Your ideal is no doubt related to how you view the quest for knowledge and truth—perhaps as a worthy goal in itself, or maybe as a means to a desirable end.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I use polysyllabic words that convey the impression of great erudition. |
| 2 | I’ve read every book in the world’s greatest libraries—or I like to boast that I have. |
| 3 | I’m used to helping out those who aren’t as smart as I am, and I patiently explain anything and everything to others. |
| 4 | There’s nothing I like more than a good mystery. |
| 5 | I’m willing to listen to every side of an argument before I make my own judgment. |
| 6 | I . . . speak . . . slowly . . . when talking . . . to idiots, . . . which . . . almost . . . everyone . . . is . . . compared . . .to me. |
| 7 | I am horribly, horribly awkward in social situations. |
| 8 | I’m convinced that people are always trying to steal my secrets. |
| d6 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Knowledge. The path to power and self-improvement is through knowledge. (Neutral) |
| 2 | Beauty. What is beautiful points us beyond itself toward what is true. (Good) |
| 3 | Logic. Emotions must not cloud our logical thinking. (Lawful) |
| 4 | No Limits. Nothing should fetter the infinite possibility inherent in all existence. (Chaotic) |
| 5 | Power. Knowledge is the path to power and domination. (Evil) |
| 6 | Self-Improvement. The goal of a life of study is the betterment of oneself. (Any) |
| d6 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | It is my duty to protect my students. |
| 2 | I have an ancient text that holds terrible secrets that must not fall into the wrong hands. |
| 3 | I work to preserve a library, university, scriptorium, or monastery. |
| 4 | My life’s work is a series of tomes related to a specific field of lore. |
| 5 | I’ve been searching my whole life for the answer to a certain question. |
| 6 | I sold my soul for knowledge. I hope to do great deeds and win it back. |
| d6 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am easily distracted by the promise of information. |
| 2 | Most people scream and run when they see a demon. I stop and take notes on its anatomy. |
| 3 | Unlocking an ancient mystery is worth the price of a civilization. |
| 4 | I overlook obvious solutions in favor of complicated ones. |
| 5 | I speak without really thinking through my words, invariably insulting others. |
| 6 | I can’t keep a secret to save my life, or anyone else’s. |
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