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Mechanist – Scientist

Concentrating on tools, gears, levers, and machine ideals, the scientist mechanist is a creator of unique and unusual inventions within Thrael. The mechanist's skill with anything mechanical is just short of amazing, and they are handy to have in the fray with their exploding devices and whirling gizmos. Whether it is the relative simplicity found in a locked box's trap, or the complexity of a flying machine, it is well known by all that a mechanist is the master of his domain.

The scientist relies on its mechanism weapons offensively and its evasion defensively. Scientists should concentrate on dexterity and reasoning.

Available Tags

Mechanist Scientists start with 1 ability set. An additional ability set is available at level 15. Scientist Mechanists choose from Physics, Chemistry, or Invention, and cap at 3.

Click on the column header to sort by that column, or click on the tag name to see details about that tag. For an explanation of tags and their use, see the Tags page.

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Circle Name Sphere Info
Chemistry Mechanist - Scientist

These tags are available to Scientist Mechanists. Their abilities may be displayed with the Abilities command.

Name Requirements Cost Description
Chemistry 10 Alchemy None The scientist learns various chemical properties and how to combine them, giving it greater options for alchemy. This tag is required to learn all other chemistry tags.
Invention Mechanist - Scientist

These tags are available to Scientist Mechanists. Their abilities may be displayed with the Abilities command.

Name Requirements Cost Description
Invention 10 Mechanisms None The scientist learns various mechanical theories, allowing it to create a variety of devices to assist it and others. This tag is required to learn other invention tags.
Utility 20 Mechanisms Passive The scientist gains the ability to harvest traps it recovers and turn them into potent weapons.
Craft Advanced Boltclip 50 Mechanisms Passive This is an inherent ability granted by the Invention tag and does not need to be learned separately. The scientist can create advanced boltclips for autocrossbows that do not require tools, take roundtime to open, or require that one be a mechanist to open.
Physics Mechanist - Scientist

These tags are available to Scientist Mechanists. Their abilities may be displayed with the Abilities command.

Physics may be learned from Lars in the Tower of Dhond.

Name Requirements Cost Description
Physics - Passive Allows the scientist to learn other physics tags.
Superior Lockpicker 10 Lockpicking Passive Understanding the inner workings of locks, the scientist learns to pick them considerably faster while losing none of the benefits.
Marksman 30 Archery 1 stamina per attack Through considerable practice, the scientist learns to account for various conditions, increasing its accuracy with crossbows, merchanisms, and firearms. The bonus scales with the Mechanisms skill and the Reasoning stat.
Reactive Efficiency 50 Mechanisms Passive The scientist applies its understanding of the capabilities of its own body to respond to threats in the most efficient manner possible, granting it a passive physical bonus to the Reflexes stat. This bonus scales with Mechanisms skill and the Reasoning stat.
Adrenal Stimulation 70 Mechanisms 10 willpower The scientist uses its superior understanding of the body to willfully release adrenalin, restoring some stamina.
Mechanical Advantage 110 Mechanisms 1 stamina per dodge By understanding the mechanics of bodily motion, the scientist learns to anticipate incoming attacks and respond accordingly, granting it a second chance at defense using its Mechanisms skill and Reasoning stat. The scientist also gains an increase to its resistance to physical damage that scales with Mechanisms and Reasoning, but is disrupted by any armor heavier than scale. This is an armor resistance effect.
Analytical Mind 130 Mechanisms 20 willpower The scientist focuses its mental faculties upon enhancing its capacity to understand the physical mysteries of the world. The bonus to skill gain scales with the Mechanisms skill and the Reasoning stat.
Fastload 150 Mechanisms 1 stamina per regenerative cycle The scientist pushes its physical limits to reduce the reloading time of autocrossbows and firearms by 1 second.
Kel's Theorem 170 Mechanisms 5 Willpower The scientist imposes its understanding of the mundane laws of reality to dispel magickal effects on its person.

Skills

Click on the column header to sort by that column. For an explanation of skills and their values, see the Skills page.

Skill Value
Alchemy Very Good
Animal Handling Bad
Archery Very Good
Armor Very Bad
Channeling Bad
Conditioning Good
Evasion and Dodging Very Good
First Aid Bad
Fishing Normal
Focus Bad
Foraging Normal
Gnosis Good
Kinesis Bad
Larceny Very Bad
Lockpicking Very Good
Lore Good
Mechanisms Very Good
Melee Weapons Normal
Metallurgy Normal
Observation Normal
Outdoorsman Bad
Parry Normal
Shields Normal
Skinning Normal
Sorcery Bad
Stealth Very Bad
Tactics Good
Throwing Normal
Unarmed Combat Bad

Spoiler Information

So, you want to be a mechanist? Really? All right, let me give you a taste of what you have got in store. Spells, gadgets, weapons, flying, potions, lock picking and traps.

Sure, all that stuff sounds neat and fun, but trust me, it is more of a pain than it is worth. Pinch your fingers in a gyrocopter, or blow your hand off with a wrongly mixed potion and you will see what I mean. Well, lets get into the nitty gritty, maybe I can dissuade you there.

Spells, ahh, spells. Magicks (I detest them for the most part) are not critical to a mechanist, but they are fun to have around. Mechanists can learn four circles. That is all, four. Arcane Prime, Via Teg, Via Min Vadis, and Via Vas Glym.

Arcane Prime and Via Teg are probably the two best circles to take as a beginner, offering basic offensive and defensive spells with only a few minutes of learning.

Arcane Prime is basic cantrips of the arcane sphere, offering mostly building blocks and basic knowledge that will help greatly with the more advanced spells and circles.

Via Teg is earth magicks, an elemental circle that manipulates the ground itself.

The more advanced circles are Via Min Vadis, lesser enchanting and Via Vas Glym, the mechanist spells. I would recommend picking up Via Vas Glym when you can, and Via Min Vadis later on. Via Vas Glym offers spells that are more advantageous over Via Min Vadis. At least in my opinion.

Besides magic, mechanists tend to be a sort of mechanical geniuses, able to figure out the workings of intricate devices and repair them.

There are several devices that are available over Thrael which fall into two basic categories, those for combat and utility machines. Combat devices are such things as retractable claws, called brrragas by rehar, automatic crossbows, prods and wrist launchers. Only a few of those are real weapons, but each can help you in combat. Utility mechanisms include spyglasses, lock blasters, gyrocopters, alarms and cameras obscura. Some of these may also be used in combat, in a non-hostile way, for instance, the gyrocopter can help you avoid the blows from a hostile opponent, and spyglasses can tell if a jealous husband or hostile enemy is on their way. Alarms are wonderful way to keep uninvited guests out of your inn room while you are napping.

Important to remember if you choose to use the devices is that they will break and you will need tools to repair them. For the most part, what you need is just your basic lock smithing tool kit: wrench, screwdriver, and pliers. Those three are the most commonly used for repairs.

Mechanists are also clever with the most common device — locks. Lock picking is an entirely different animal than most things, for locks on boxes exist from the intricately complex to the infinitely simple. The main tool in lock picking is, of course, the lock pick. One essential part of lock picking to remember is that most locks resist being opened without their key. Their original owners put traps in the mechanisms to dissuade the smithy from opening them without permission. Therefore, the mechanist or thief must show the proper amount of caution.

There are certain tools used for disarming, but you can use many that you have already purchased for repairing. The additions are the file, rod and snips. There are toolboxes available to carry your precious instruments, and they help you make yourself look like you know what you are doing.

Mechanists are not really the most proficient in combat, but they can hold their own. The three main roads for mechanists in combat that seem to work best are archery, knives and rapiers, and thrown weapons. I tend to think of these as the mechanist weapon classes because there is a device that fits into each class. For archery, you have the choice to use a longbow, short bow, crossbow or the mechanist variant, an automatic crossbow. The longbow and short bow are easier to use for most, the crossbow being more complex and requiring more time in use. The automatic crossbow offers a faster rate of fire over the standard crossbow, but can jam occasionally which will require time and effort to repair, and is most difficult when running from an enraged orc.

Knives and rapiers are self-explanatory. You try to stab your opponent more than they stab you. However, like most things, mechanists have their own take on this method. Retractable claws, or brrragas, are quite effective and leave your hands free for other things, be it a shield or a crossbow. The claws have a tendency to spontaneously retract, and can jam when you try to extend them. There is a certain risk in using them, but as in all combat, the risk is already present.

Thrown weapons are sort of a challenge. Almost anything is throw-able, so the options open to a pursuer of this art is quite broad. Mechanists have a few weapons that they can use specifically for throwing and they deliver a good effect with success. Recommended thrown weapons would be daggers or knives and the devices available to mechanists.

The final part of combat is the spells we have open to us. With only four circles, our choice is a little limited, but there are some rather good combat spells available.

A few of the direct combat spells would be the first two in the Via Teg circle. Be careful though, the second spell in the circle will only work if there are chunks of rock (created with the first spell) or gems to have any effect on the target. Later on, the Via Teg circle offers stone spear, which is a much-improved version of the basic spells. One defensive spell falls between the two offensive spell, and the always popular petrification spell. Bear in mind though that the guard considers petrifying others as a magik offense and is illegal as such.

Via Vas Glym also offers two offensive spells, one that causes acid to cling to the target and eat away for a period of time, and the other called destabilize. This spell is meant to be used in combination with potions, and as such can be very time consuming. The spell is cast at the vial or flask, which spontaneously explodes hitting most everything present. The effectiveness is based off of the complexity of the potion. Personally I am not a big fan of this spell and do not know a lot about it for that reason. However, it is a personal matter.

There are also many, many tags available to mechanists. Tags are taught by many of the merchants and wanderers in the lands and a way we increase our skills. If you go up to a merchant and ask him nicely to train you (train with ), if he can help you, he will, for a price. Some tags are very expensive, some are reasonable, no learning comes cheap. Some tags we can learn are Academician, which increases our Lore skills, or Apprentice Mechanic, our Mechanism skills. Again, some tags are for combat like Pugalist, True Eye or Fencer.

The last essential facet of mechanists is potions and enchanting. Potions, like gadgets, are mostly a mechanist domain, as we are also called alchemists by some in the know. There are four basic types of potions: neutralizers, catalysts, extenders and modifiers. Neutralizers make mixing potions much easier, but the stronger the neutralizer, the strong the catalyst needs to be. Another important fact is that if you use a neutralizer, you must use a catalyst for the potion to have any effect. I realize that I have been redundant many times about this fact within my dissertation, but be forewarned, if you mess up a potion badly enough, they can react violently and Calan has replaced more than one hand for me as a result of an exploding flask. Try keeping them on the ground when you mix them, you can do much more without your toes.

Lastly, I would like to touch on enchanting. This is probably the most mystical side of mechanists. Mechanists are not great enchanters, but do have some basic skills in the art.

Via Min Vadis is the lesser enchanting circle, and it allows the creation of wands and amulets and the ability to infuse spells into them. However, the caster must draw upon their known spells for the infusion, which limits us much more than the average wizard.

The Via Vas Glym circle offers one spell that can harden the blade of a weapon, making it sharper and easier for the wielder to use. Do remember that payment for such services can be quite rewarding, but the process is time consuming and creating a quality amulet or wand is an immense undertaking.

There! This is mechanists at a glance. Become one at your own risk. The path provides several unique challenges and rewards unavailable to the other professions. I would end this with a statement from The Lord of Ways, otherwise known as Kel, but there really are not that many and I doubt doing so would be very well accepted. He has blessed us with logical minds and for that I, Zylic Naekuit, say, "Amen."