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By: Mike Kruppenbacher
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                        TECHNOCRAT

The technocrat is a class based on science duplicating magical operations with
machinery and devices.  The minimum requirements for a technocrat are a
strength of 12, IQ of 14, wisdom of 14, and Dexterity of 12.

A technocrat fights on the Fighters table, and uses weapons specialization.

A Technocrat, much like a magic user, studies under a master for a number of
years, and when released from his/her apprenticeship is granted a number of
technical devices, the minimum being the following:

Decoder: Allows a technocrat to decode the writings of another technocrat much
like the Magic User's Read Magic spell.  Being that these are NOT magical
writings, no spell will allow them to be read.

Encoder, the reverse of the Decoder, allows the Technocrat to write technical
data.

Micro-computing Device: This is a storage and retrieval device for anything the
Technocrat cares to record.  The device uses removable storage devices, each of
which will record up to 10 megabytes of data.

Personal Defense Unit(PDU):  This device is the Technocrat's alternative to
varying forms of Armor.  A PDU of level 10 costs about DOUBLE what armor of
Armor Class 10 would cost.  (So, simply take a players handbook and look up the
armor, if they want Armor Class 5, look against armor rated Armor Class 5, and
double the cost.)  : PDU's will turn away 1 point of damage from the wearer per
hit die per 3 classes. (ie, pdu armor class 7 will remove 1 damage from EVERY
die rolled, so 6D6 actually can only do 6D5 damage max.. although you roll 6D6
and subrtact 1 from each die.) : PDU's can be damaged by intense
electromagnetic discharges. (Lightening bolt direct hits), losing 1 level for
every 6D6 damage they receive.

Personal Attack Device(PAD):  This device is a bit like a wand of magic
missles, it casts blasts of 1d4 damage per level of the technocrat, to a
maximum of 1 blasts per recharge, per 3 levels of the technocrat.  This device
is recharged by solar power, and can be recharged in just 4 hours of daylight.
(Cloudy day) or two hours of direct sunlight.  It is also recharged by etheric
methods that require 6 hours. (Draws direct charge from the ether).  Range is
1" per level of the technocrat, blast effect radius being 1/4" per level of the
technocrat. (Ie, underground 10' aboveground 10 yards range, 2.5' raduis
underground, 2.5 yards above affecting every creature in the blast radius with
its damage, whether freind or foe.)

This is the basic minimum equipment, along with the knowlege of gunpowder,
gunmaking, and the making of all ancient weapons, that a Technocrat starts the
game with.  Generally the master will give the novice a PDU of level 8 (armor
class 8) to start his adventuring.  In harder campaigns, more equipment may be
given.  A technocrat is capable of manufacturing many items of high technology
type, but this takes approximately the same amount of time as for a magic user
of the same level.  A technocrat is NEVER capable of making devices that grant
WISHES or other strictly magical devices, however they CAN draw on the powers
of the positive & negative material planes, as well as the forces of the ether.

There is near every major town a Technocrat's guild, as well as a shop for
technocrat items.

A technocrat is a rare individual.  It is almost completely impossible for the
normal citizens of an AD&D campaign to be taught the ways of the technocrat,
because the normal citizen is so steeped in the influences of magic.  (they
will not recognise the physical principals of an item, believing instead that
it is magical in nature.)  So, for instance, a technocrat introducing gun
powder to a town will have a great deal of difficulty overcoming the belief
that it is a "magical powder" and getting the average citizen to use it.

I hope someone out there has been looking for this type of class to add to
their campaign, either as a player character or a non-player character.  If you
do, keep us informed on the "devices" you introduce, how they are made, range,
charges, etc...

I started this class for a group of NPC's that travelled back from the future
to trade for articles of the ancients for profit.. (ie, how much could YOU make
if you traded Michael Angelo for a work of art that had never surfaced, hid it
in that time, and retrieved it in your own time?  Or what if you got hold of
King Arthur's Excalibur, and hid it, and retrieved it in the present etc.. THIS
was what they were doing..)

It worked out so well though that I wrote it out and started using it as an
allowed character class. (I dunno where the sheets are right now, so I just
gave a general outline of the class and its fuunctions..)

Drask Darkstorm
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