[hero] Tinkerer

[Dilas]

Well it's been a... while. Now I'm back into the swing of it, so I figure I may get started pumping out ideas again.


Gnomes are not the most virtuous of races. They tend to be frivolous, a bit reckless, and experimental. Somehow, they have the luck that gods don’t have, and are one of the most brilliant if not loopy races about. They are fortunately on good terms with most of the goodly races.

Machinery and technology are still new and primitive, but Gnomes have managed to make it work somehow. They have developed the first magazine Crossbow, a rapid fire crossbow that launches 4 jagged bolts with each shot. It hits like a monster truck... after all 4 hits, but has quite the reload time.

With their knowledge, Tinkers possess a few other gizmos and of course, chemical contraptions usually made of healing. Tinkers use no actual magic, but they are talented researchers and obviously choice manufacturers.

Skill-wise, their crossbow's damage uses their ‘melee’ stat, it can get high, though they don’t have an actual melee attack.

Let’s put out some skills:

Level 1: Barrage – The gnome starting skill, a physical attack that strikes from a distance. It has a long reload time, oddly enough. The 4 shots do 25% of your attack power in each hit.
Level 3: Grenade – Much like the first game, grenades are a bit unwieldy, but blast a decent radius and scatter those struck by them.
Level 5: Healing Salve – A short ranged heal, the target receives a small amount of recovery and then gets a healing over time effect.
Level 9: Scatter Shot – The scatter shot, while also based on your attack stat, hits weaker than most attacks, but it targets out a few extra units, in the end the net damage technically outdoes the original but at least a sliver.

Stats:
Health: Low
Attack: High
Defense: Medium
Armor: Above Average
Intelligence: Top Notch
Movespeed: Slow
Accuracy: High (If the bullet hits the target, it won’t miss, but armor will effect it)
Wage: Somewhat High

Converted Tinkers don’t get along with the monster humanoids, namely goblins, orcs, and especially kobolds if any exist. Beyond that, other races are inconsequential, but gnomes get along with their burlier Dwarven relatives.

To be quite honest, with a library or workshop in close proximity, a tinkerer is easily kept happy. His wage is high, since his resume DOES include two very vital roles to basic and advanced dungeon facilitation. Not paying him or her can be unwise.

Tinkers if they were to be recruitable from a hero portal would want an ample sized amount of workshop and library tiles, perhaps 16 of each bare minimum.

In battle, they fight at the back, staying there because they are bogged down.

Now, you may wonder: Why Tinkers over other units? Let’s give a list.

1. A lack of gnomish representation hurts. Gnome punting is a legendary urban legend in most games… here? Maybe…
2. The start of a technology renaissance is engineered by gnomes.
3. A Researcher/manufacturer, not to mention a researcher who isn’t a magic user or mystical type but instead a ranged physical warrior is not yet seen.
4. A more whimsical hero, rather than a seemingly virtuous dullard allows Gnomes to give the forces of good some more shades of grey than mere thieves and witches ever could.

I don't have a picture, but picture a little bearded gnome with a full face of hair, workshop goggles, and a rediculously large knapsack briming with small gizmos, potions and steam. This is what makes them walk rather slowly.

[MeinCookie]

I prefer my alchemist suggestion... If only because I feel hand-held fire-arms really don't belong in DK.

[Dilas]

But the alchemist isn't a gnome! The Tinker is, and gnomes don't get any love!

I'm not suggesting MORE DAKKA by any stretch. Just the very basic and first signs of machinery.

Keepers have it, as seen in their traps. Sentry cannons, and advanced gear torture devices. Now, keeper creatures who build aren't the smartest, but heroic gnomes are like they are in any fantasy setting: smart, crafty and paving new futures with new ideas.

Originally, I wanted the blunderbuss to backfire, but that'd be unfair. Even still, it's probably the most advanced device you'll even see unless you assault a gnomish city. If you do, be careful.

[MeinCookie]

Yes they have Sentry Cannons... but they aren't hand-held. Blunderbusses are a different level entirely. What is more, Sentry Guns take mana and automatically spin on the spot and aim which suggests some amount of Magic involved.

I am adverse. It doesn't feel DK.

There is a reason they have turned down every "Gunner" suggestion up to this point.

[Dilas]

If you have an alternative weapon, I'm willing to hear. I'm not sure what can be more primitive, maybe a hand cannon, unwieldy and prone to backfire... perhaps to make it fit, it can be powered by a semi-magical source.

The theme here is advancement. I again, if it doesn't seem to be understood, am not trying to get a steampunk feel. I'm simply trying to move from 1300's medieval to 1400's/Renaissance medieval and only for a yet unseen race of hero.

Of course, I'm always game for suggestions if you feel you can make it fit better.

[MeinCookie]

I do get that which is what I don't like. Your moving DK forward a hundred years. DK should be eternally the same in terms of technology, or else before you know it people will be waring top hats and it will take place among the London sewers. DK doesn't need to go forward. Why should one bother advancing technologically if you can do better with magic.

Make it an overcomplex windlass crossbow or something - an arbalest.

[Necror]

you wanne put wow crap in dungeon keeper?
wow has enough crappy copies.

[kyle]

If you have an alternative weapon, I'm willing to hear. I'm not sure what can be more primitive, maybe a hand cannon, unwieldy and prone to backfire... perhaps to make it fit, it can be powered by a semi-magical source.

The theme here is advancement. I again, if it doesn't seem to be understood, am not trying to get a steampunk feel. I'm simply trying to move from 1300's medieval to 1400's/Renaissance medieval and only for a yet unseen race of hero.

Of course, I'm always game for suggestions if you feel you can make it fit better.

This is certianley won't be something we will be doing to WFTO, Dungeon keeper is medieval fantasy, and fits that theme more than perfectly, fable II did this when it should of stayed with Medieval fantasy, what it was good at.

Something to remember is, Don't mess around with shit that worked, improve the things that didin't, you try messing around with things that are good and you will end up making it worse most of the time.

[Dilas]

You could be more civil in your responses...

But I'm curious as to what defines stealing from WoW. Eventually, all fantasy settings will begin to take from one another.

Besides, I was more stealing from Dungeons and Dragons, no doubt where the original Dungeon keeper took many of its ideas from as well.

[Necror]

Holy shit that site is ugly.
I don't like guns in medieval games.
DnD has many monsters so if it has one that sucks it won't ruin the game but DK hasn't so it would.