While others look at the ocean floor and see only sand and salt, you see a graveyard of potential. Whether you hailed from a shimmering coral city or a lonely deep-sea trench, your gaze was always fixed upward—not at the stars, but at the strange, heavy objects that drifted down from the "World of Air."
To your people, these sunken relics were trash or omens of danger. To you, they were puzzles waiting to be solved. You have spent your life salvaging rusted gears, waterlogged leather, and mysterious metal canisters, teaching yourself the logic of surface-dweller mechanics. Through trial, error, and a fair share of minor explosions, you’ve learned to breathe new life into discarded junk, proving that even the most broken land-gift has a purpose beneath the waves.
- Feat: Scrap Tech Jury Rig
You have a keen eye for the structural integrity of salvaged goods. You can spend 1 hour and 5gp worth of "found" materials to create a non-magical device that mimics the effects of a piece of adventuring gear (such as a grappling hook, a compass, a spyglass, or a tinderbox).
Because these items are often held together by sheer willpower and salvaged springs, they are fragile. The device functions for 24 hours (or until the end of your next long rest) before it irrecoverably breaks or falls apart. At the DM’s discretion, using the item in high-stress situations (like combat) may require a Dexterity (Tinker's Tools) check to keep it from jamming.
- Skill Proficiencies: Investigation, and your choice of Sleight of Hand or Perception.
- Tool Proficiencies: Tinker’s Tools, and your choice of Thieves’ Tools or Smith’s Tools.
- Languages: Aquan, and one of your choice (Common, Gnomish, or Dwarvish).
- Equipment: A set of Tinker's Tools (The heart of your trade).
A "Jury-Rigged" Lantern: A surface lantern you've modified with waterproof seals and a bioluminescent jellyfish or glowing coral inside.
A collection of 3 "Surface Curiosities": Roll or pick from the table below.
A sturdy, waterproof leather satchel for hauling scrap.
A set of traveler's clothes (perhaps patched with bits of sailcloth or ship-canvas).
A pouch containing 10gp (mostly mismatched coins found in shipwrecks).
The "Surface Curiosities" Table (1d8)
Since your character loves repurposing items, these make for great roleplay "trinkets" to start with:
- A rusted clockwork bird that can no longer fly but still chirps when wound.
- A heavy brass spyglass with a cracked lens that distorts light into rainbows.
- A metal flask that smells faintly of high-quality dwarven ale.
- An oversized iron key with no matching lock (yet).
- A porcelain doll head that you’ve fitted with glowing sea-stone eyes.
- A mechanical music box that plays a surface lullaby, slightly slowed by water damage.
- A silver fork with the tines bent to function as a makeshift wrench.
- A glass jar containing a collection of colorful, smoothed-over glass shards from broken bottles.
You possess an instinctive understanding of surface-dweller mechanics and how they fail under hydrostatic pressure. Using your tinker’s tools and a collection of salvaged scraps, you can spend 1 hour to create a temporary, functional version of a piece of non-magical adventuring gear found in the Player’s Handbook (such as a grappling hook, a spyglass, a compass, or a hooded lantern).
To craft the item, you must provide materials worth at least 1/4th of the item's gold value. These materials can be found by scavenging shipwrecks, refuse piles, or ruins during a short or long rest.
Constraints:
Fragility: Because these items are held together by salvaged springs and sea-wax, they are prone to failure. The item functions for 24 hours or until you finish a long rest, at which point it falls apart into useless scrap.
Malfunction: If you use the item in a high-stress situation (such as during combat or a chase), the DM may ask for a DC 12 Dexterity (Tinker’s Tools) check. On a failure, the item breaks immediately after use.
Buoyancy: Unless specified otherwise, your jury-rigged items are weighted to be neutrally buoyant, allowing them to be used effectively underwater.
Suggested Characteristics
Personality Traits (1d8)
- I collect "surface sounds" and try to mimic the clicking of gears or the whistling of wind.
- I am incredibly protective of my toolkit; I’ve named each wrench and screwdriver.
- I compare everything I see on land to something I’ve found at the bottom of the ocean.
- I have a habit of taking things apart to see how they work, often forgetting to put them back together.
- I speak very fast, especially when explaining the mechanics of a new "discovery."
- I am strangely fascinated by fire and smoke, things that don't exist in my home.
- I treat "surface trash" like holy relics, often cleaning and polishing rusted spoons.
- I am surprisingly calm in a crisis, as long as I have a mechanical puzzle to distract me.
Ideals (1d8)
- Innovation: Why do things the old way when a new gadget can do it better? (Any)
- Resourcefulness: Waste is a sin; everything can be repurposed into something useful. (Neutral)
- Curiosity: The greatest treasure isn't gold; it's the knowledge of how a machine functions. (Chaotic)
- Preservation: These items are the only things left of lost lives; I must keep them "alive." (Good)
- Efficiency: A well-oiled machine is the highest form of beauty. (Lawful)
- Independence: If I can build what I need, I don't need to rely on anyone else. (Chaotic)
- Generosity: My inventions should make life easier for my entire pod. (Good)
- Pragmatism: If a tool works, it doesn't matter where it came from or who owned it first. (Neutral)
Bonds (1d8)
- I am searching for the missing part of a massive, sunken clockwork engine.
- I owe my life to a surface sailor who threw me a buoy during a storm.
- My workshop is my sanctuary; I’ll do anything to protect my collection of "land-junk."
- I want to prove to my elders that surface technology isn't a threat, but a tool.
- I carry a locket I found in a wreck and am determined to find the family it belongs to.
- A rival scavenger stole my greatest invention, and I’m going to get it back.
- I am fascinated by a specific surface city and dream of seeing their Great Library.
- My tools were passed down to me by a hermit who taught me the "Way of the Gear."
Flaws (1d8)
- I’ll walk right into a dangerous shipwreck if I see a shiny brass valve inside.
- I have a hard time understanding the concept of "private property" regarding mechanical parts.
- I’m convinced that with enough tinkering, I can make any surface object work underwater.
- I get irritable and twitchy if I haven't fixed something in the last 24 hours.
- I trust anyone who shows an interest in my "treasures" a little too much.
- I am terrified that if I go too high above sea level, I’ll "dry out" and lose my mind.
- I value the life of a complex machine over the comfort of my companions.
- I often "improve" my friends' gear without asking, sometimes with explosive results.
| d8 | Personality Trait |
|---|---|
| 1 | I collect "surface sounds" and try to mimic the clicking of gears or the whistling of wind. |
| 2 | I am incredibly protective of my toolkit; I’ve named each wrench and screwdriver. |
| 3 | I compare everything I see on land to something I’ve found at the bottom of the ocean. |
| 4 | I have a habit of taking things apart to see how they work, often forgetting to put them back together. |
| 5 | I speak very fast, especially when explaining the mechanics of a new "discovery." |
| 6 | I am strangely fascinated by fire and smoke, things that don't exist in my home. |
| 7 | I treat "surface trash" like holy relics, often cleaning and polishing rusted spoons. |
| 8 | I am surprisingly calm in a crisis, as long as I have a mechanical puzzle to distract me. |
| d8 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Innovation: Why do things the old way when a new gadget can do it better? (Any) |
| 2 | Resourcefulness: Waste is a sin; everything can be repurposed into something useful. (Neutral) |
| 3 | Curiosity: The greatest treasure isn't gold; it's the knowledge of how a machine functions. (Chaotic) |
| 4 | Preservation: These items are the only things left of lost lives; I must keep them "alive." (Good) |
| 5 | Efficiency: A well-oiled machine is the highest form of beauty. (Lawful) |
| 6 | Independence: If I can build what I need, I don't need to rely on anyone else. (Chaotic) |
| 7 | Generosity: My inventions should make life easier for my entire pod. (Good) |
| 8 | Pragmatism: If a tool works, it doesn't matter where it came from or who owned it first. (Neutral) |
| d8 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I am searching for the missing part of a massive, sunken clockwork engine. |
| 2 | I owe my life to a surface sailor who threw me a buoy during a storm. |
| 3 | My workshop is my sanctuary; I’ll do anything to protect my collection of "land-junk." |
| 4 | I want to prove to my elders that surface technology isn't a threat, but a tool. |
| 5 | I carry a locket I found in a wreck and am determined to find the family it belongs to. |
| 6 | A rival scavenger stole my greatest invention, and I’m going to get it back. |
| 7 | I am fascinated by a specific surface city and dream of seeing their Great Library. |
| 8 | My tools were passed down to me by a hermit who taught me the "Way of the Gear." |
| d8 | Flaw |
|---|---|
| 1 | I’ll walk right into a dangerous shipwreck if I see a shiny brass valve inside. |
| 2 | I have a hard time understanding the concept of "private property" regarding mechanical parts. |
| 3 | I’m convinced that with enough tinkering, I can make any surface object work underwater. |
| 4 | I get irritable and twitchy if I haven't fixed something in the last 24 hours. |
| 5 | I trust anyone who shows an interest in my "treasures" a little too much. |
| 6 | I am terrified that if I go too high above sea level, I’ll "dry out" and lose my mind. |
| 7 | I value the life of a complex machine over the comfort of my companions. |
| 8 | I often "improve" my friends' gear without asking, sometimes with explosive results. |
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