Tear gas is supposed to be incapacitating not just stinky.
The closest natural thing in the game world would be pure hot pepper oil (capsaicin) burned and turned into smoke. It would be used as a repellent and incapacitating agent. As long as you stayed in the cloud you could do nothing but cough and tear up. Unless you used some type of mask or magical breathing. Give it an area of effect like the spell 'fog cloud'. Smaller though.
There is a natural way to make a deadly smoke cloud but I will not go into that here.
String and small bells make a trip wire alarm.
Glue a special whistle to the side of an arrow for a whistling arrow.
There are a hundred low magic to no magic ways to do simple things.
For a minor magic item you could get an artificer to make a 'wand of duplication'. As an action place a piece of paper over the paper you want copied and pass the wand over it to make a copy of the original. It could copy all but the magic effects. Great for infiltrators and spies. Limited to one to one size copies so you might need to use more than one piece of paper to make large copies.
Get an artificer to make you a 'key copier'. Place a key you want copied and a blank key inside the box. Close it for a few seconds and poof the blank in now a copy of the original.
A two mirror periscope to look around corners or over things. In some ways better than a simple mirror.
True on the Tear gas but I was going for an example of that level of distress. We've all smelled something so bad it makes you wretch or near vomit and that's the distraction effect I'm looking for. I'm thinking disadvantage on attacks and no Opportunity attacks on those leaving the gas cloud. Of course a Con save would be in order. I don't feel that's too OP for a first level ability. I guess what I was really looking for was some kind of stat block or something I could reference to put some numbers to the effect.
The narrow perception distance on the arrow can actually be a positive when you want to limit who is alerted.
Tear gas is supposed to be incapacitating not just stinky.
The closest natural thing in the game world would be pure hot pepper oil (capsaicin) burned and turned into smoke. It would be used as a repellent and incapacitating agent. As long as you stayed in the cloud you could do nothing but cough and tear up. Unless you used some type of mask or magical breathing. Give it an area of effect like the spell 'fog cloud'. Smaller though.
There is a natural way to make a deadly smoke cloud but I will not go into that here.
String and small bells make a trip wire alarm.
Glue a special whistle to the side of an arrow for a whistling arrow.
There are a hundred low magic to no magic ways to do simple things.
For a minor magic item you could get an artificer to make a 'wand of duplication'. As an action place a piece of paper over the paper you want copied and pass the wand over it to make a copy of the original. It could copy all but the magic effects. Great for infiltrators and spies. Limited to one to one size copies so you might need to use more than one piece of paper to make large copies.
Get an artificer to make you a 'key copier'. Place a key you want copied and a blank key inside the box. Close it for a few seconds and poof the blank in now a copy of the original.
A two mirror periscope to look around corners or over things. In some ways better than a simple mirror.
I dont think you understood the assignment. OP is asking for ideas of how to use the artificer's level 1 feature, not for homebrew ideas.
True on the Tear gas but I was going for an example of that level of distress. We've all smelled something so bad it makes you wretch or near vomit and that's the distraction effect I'm looking for. I'm thinking disadvantage on attacks and no Opportunity attacks on those leaving the gas cloud. Of course a Con save would be in order. I don't feel that's too OP for a first level ability. I guess what I was really looking for was some kind of stat block or something I could reference to put some numbers to the effect.
The narrow perception distance on the arrow can actually be a positive when you want to limit who is alerted.
Free area denial might be too strong at any level. Rather than assign saves and the like that make it usable in combat, sticking to RP would be best. You can still clear a room while sneaking for example.
The purpose of signal arrows is to be loud to alert as many allies as possible from much further than an arrow can be shot.
I’m a bighuge fan of combining the device created with Magical Tinkering with the mage hand cantrip. Record a “PSST!” sound in a pebble and then use mage hand to tap the device on someone’s shoulder. Or record footsteps and then use mage hand to have them move in a certain direction to lure guards to/away from somewhere. Stuff like that.
Why waste an artificers infusion when a non magical solution does the vary same?
As for a magical arrow. Why not one that simulates a specific bird sound only after it lands? Thus you can fire it toward a friend and he can track it by the sound. Thus recovering the note tied to it. Or one for distraction that makes a specified noise only after landing to draw the enemy away like whispers or the sound of someone walking through the woods failing their hide. Or a blinking light. A black arrow fired in the dark is very hard to see in flight. A white/light blue one in the day is almost as hard to see against the sky. A green or brown for the woods.
As for the stinky smell. Just keep a skunk or two to collect the stink spray. A small vial of that will send all normal people out of the room if only to avoid being the next victim. Or do my trick and drop a skunk down the chimney of the building you want cleared.( As long as the fire is out). If the fire is going use the vial and cover the chimney with a coat or poncho.
The pepper oil could be applied to your shoes to keep any normal dog from even wanting to track you. Or do the hunters trick and attach a rag with the oil on it to a string and pull it behind you. Keeps your shoes from getting stinky.
"Perceivable up to 10' away" is an upper limit on how potent the smell can be, and, well, anything you can't smell more than 10' away isn't gonna be more than moderately annoying with no combat effects.
I was told that whatever the Invisible hand is holding is still visible. So the distraction could be as simple as a feather floating around the room in a strange way. Or the hand could drag a fake rat around.
Or if there are two guards you could slap one in the back of the head to make him think the other did it. Or poke his fanny. But other spells are better than mage hand for non combat distracting.
I was told that whatever the Invisible hand is holding is still visible. So the distraction could be as simple as a feather floating around the room in a strange way. Or the hand could drag a fake rat around.
Or if there are two guards you could slap one in the back of the head to make him think the other did it. Or poke his fanny. But other spells are better than mage hand for non combat distracting.
I believe you’re missing the point. The Magical Tinkering device is the point here, I was using mage hand to facilitate the use of the device.
I just see no need to use a special magic devise to do the very same thing.
Just give the hand a small bell and have it ring the bell. No special magic device needed.
Great idea. No need to use the free and unlimited use feature you already have, just spend all your starting gold on every item possible ahead of time. Don't forget to also learn every cantrip so you never have reason to use the free and unlimited feature you already have.
The device it not "special" it is basically a free cantrip that artificer's get automatically and takes an action. I don't know why you keep shooting down ideas by suggesting using a limited resource like money or cantrip slots instead of the free feature with unlimited uses that only takes and action and you get automatically at level 1.
As the Original Poster I'd have to agree. Sure all the things you are saying are true and as DxJxC pointed out, costly. Do you carry all that stuff with you? If so your party is the luckiest one I've ever heard of.
But moving on...
As I said originally, I can see how it will ultimately be DM discretion. Really I was seeking some insight and debate so I would have some basis for argument if I press the issue. Since I'm not seeing any "rule" prohibiting it I may press on. At the same time I agree that the effect should be less than fog cloud. All I'm really hoping for is a type of olfactory smoke screen that may aid in an escape for low level characters who would use more complicated and effectual means if they had it.
The scenario is this: 3 first level magic users have just been surrounded by 5 armed combatants. Fighting is an option but I see it ending badly for the magic users who have no fighter back up. Retreat seems like the best plan so I thought running away with flair would be a good way to avoid the fight. This was the best means to that end that we have available at this time.
I like the Mage hand usage. Especially with the footsteps. I also like the idea of a pre-determined bird song that would guide separated party members to a hidden note.
I've dropped objects infected with light into scroll tubes to create flashlights for non dark vision party members. And for our dissident, yes torches work just fine but are boring and burn out. I suppose you could just drop the glowing pebble in a bag but again..BORING, much better flair this way.
Thanks for the other ideas, keep them coming.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
**This Space for Rent**
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Searched the forum but didn't turn up a thread that seemed to answer this.
Most likely DM discretion, but what about this?
Using Magical Tinkering to create a smell as potent as tear gas.
Can't recall a non-magical way to calculate the effect of a smell.
Please feel free to share any other creative ways to use the ability.
Here are a couple I use. Replicate maps. Turning arrows into whistling signal arrows. Turing string into alarm trip wire.
**This Space for Rent**
Tear gas is more than "an oder" it is an irritant.
The signal/alarm uses might be limited by the 10 feet the effect can be perceived.
I do like the idea of using it as a camera though. 1 action, take a picture.
Tear gas is supposed to be incapacitating not just stinky.
The closest natural thing in the game world would be pure hot pepper oil (capsaicin) burned and turned into smoke. It would be used as a repellent and incapacitating agent. As long as you stayed in the cloud you could do nothing but cough and tear up. Unless you used some type of mask or magical breathing. Give it an area of effect like the spell 'fog cloud'. Smaller though.
There is a natural way to make a deadly smoke cloud but I will not go into that here.
String and small bells make a trip wire alarm.
Glue a special whistle to the side of an arrow for a whistling arrow.
There are a hundred low magic to no magic ways to do simple things.
For a minor magic item you could get an artificer to make a 'wand of duplication'. As an action place a piece of paper over the paper you want copied and pass the wand over it to make a copy of the original. It could copy all but the magic effects. Great for infiltrators and spies. Limited to one to one size copies so you might need to use more than one piece of paper to make large copies.
Get an artificer to make you a 'key copier'. Place a key you want copied and a blank key inside the box. Close it for a few seconds and poof the blank in now a copy of the original.
A two mirror periscope to look around corners or over things. In some ways better than a simple mirror.
True on the Tear gas but I was going for an example of that level of distress. We've all smelled something so bad it makes you wretch or near vomit and that's the distraction effect I'm looking for. I'm thinking disadvantage on attacks and no Opportunity attacks on those leaving the gas cloud. Of course a Con save would be in order. I don't feel that's too OP for a first level ability. I guess what I was really looking for was some kind of stat block or something I could reference to put some numbers to the effect.
The narrow perception distance on the arrow can actually be a positive when you want to limit who is alerted.
**This Space for Rent**
I dont think you understood the assignment. OP is asking for ideas of how to use the artificer's level 1 feature, not for homebrew ideas.
Free area denial might be too strong at any level. Rather than assign saves and the like that make it usable in combat, sticking to RP would be best. You can still clear a room while sneaking for example.
The purpose of signal arrows is to be loud to alert as many allies as possible from much further than an arrow can be shot.
I’m a bighuge fan of combining the device created with Magical Tinkering with the mage hand cantrip. Record a “PSST!” sound in a pebble and then use mage hand to tap the device on someone’s shoulder. Or record footsteps and then use mage hand to have them move in a certain direction to lure guards to/away from somewhere. Stuff like that.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
Why waste an artificers infusion when a non magical solution does the vary same?
As for a magical arrow. Why not one that simulates a specific bird sound only after it lands? Thus you can fire it toward a friend and he can track it by the sound. Thus recovering the note tied to it. Or one for distraction that makes a specified noise only after landing to draw the enemy away like whispers or the sound of someone walking through the woods failing their hide. Or a blinking light. A black arrow fired in the dark is very hard to see in flight. A white/light blue one in the day is almost as hard to see against the sky. A green or brown for the woods.
As for the stinky smell. Just keep a skunk or two to collect the stink spray. A small vial of that will send all normal people out of the room if only to avoid being the next victim. Or do my trick and drop a skunk down the chimney of the building you want cleared.( As long as the fire is out). If the fire is going use the vial and cover the chimney with a coat or poncho.
The pepper oil could be applied to your shoes to keep any normal dog from even wanting to track you. Or do the hunters trick and attach a rag with the oil on it to a string and pull it behind you. Keeps your shoes from getting stinky.
An artificer could make a timed device to break a vial or light oil on fire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheellock
A simple light device that only come on when someone is in the room.
"Perceivable up to 10' away" is an upper limit on how potent the smell can be, and, well, anything you can't smell more than 10' away isn't gonna be more than moderately annoying with no combat effects.
As for Mage Hand.
A series of special taps to indicate simple commands. Left shoulder touch to look left, double touch to go left and so on. No sounds needed.
I meant to distract a guard and get them to turn around or something.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
I was told that whatever the Invisible hand is holding is still visible. So the distraction could be as simple as a feather floating around the room in a strange way. Or the hand could drag a fake rat around.
Or if there are two guards you could slap one in the back of the head to make him think the other did it. Or poke his fanny. But other spells are better than mage hand for non combat distracting.
I believe you’re missing the point. The Magical Tinkering device is the point here, I was using mage hand to facilitate the use of the device.
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
DDB Buyers' Guide
Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
I didn't miss it.
I just see no need to use a special magic devise to do the very same thing.
Just give the hand a small bell and have it ring the bell. No special magic device needed.
This thread is about how an artificer might use their magical tinkering feature, so yeah, I'd say you definitely missed the point.
Great idea. No need to use the free and unlimited use feature you already have, just spend all your starting gold on every item possible ahead of time. Don't forget to also learn every cantrip so you never have reason to use the free and unlimited feature you already have.
The device it not "special" it is basically a free cantrip that artificer's get automatically and takes an action. I don't know why you keep shooting down ideas by suggesting using a limited resource like money or cantrip slots instead of the free feature with unlimited uses that only takes and action and you get automatically at level 1.
As the Original Poster I'd have to agree. Sure all the things you are saying are true and as DxJxC pointed out, costly. Do you carry all that stuff with you? If so your party is the luckiest one I've ever heard of.
But moving on...
As I said originally, I can see how it will ultimately be DM discretion. Really I was seeking some insight and debate so I would have some basis for argument if I press the issue. Since I'm not seeing any "rule" prohibiting it I may press on. At the same time I agree that the effect should be less than fog cloud. All I'm really hoping for is a type of olfactory smoke screen that may aid in an escape for low level characters who would use more complicated and effectual means if they had it.
The scenario is this: 3 first level magic users have just been surrounded by 5 armed combatants. Fighting is an option but I see it ending badly for the magic users who have no fighter back up. Retreat seems like the best plan so I thought running away with flair would be a good way to avoid the fight. This was the best means to that end that we have available at this time.
I like the Mage hand usage. Especially with the footsteps. I also like the idea of a pre-determined bird song that would guide separated party members to a hidden note.
I've dropped objects infected with light into scroll tubes to create flashlights for non dark vision party members. And for our dissident, yes torches work just fine but are boring and burn out. I suppose you could just drop the glowing pebble in a bag but again..BORING, much better flair this way.
Thanks for the other ideas, keep them coming.
**This Space for Rent**