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- Mechanika Basics
- Accumulators
- Arcane Condenser
Until a better system is devised, we have provided a temporary Mechanika creation ritual in the rituals section of the site. These should be treated as mechanikal constructs in terms of in game conversation, and treated identical to normal 4e magic items in every other way.
As we stated in the rituals section, this is not how we intend to have mechanika work in perpetuity. A full mechanika system, with a whole lot of options will be coming out in one of our updates to come, but it is going to take a lot of work. In the mean time, the above ritual should suffice, especially given the absolute variety of 4e magic items.
The only truly unique thing about mechanika at the moment is the use of Accumulators. They are detailed in the tab on the left.
These are the power sources of mechanikal devices, and without them, most mechanika just looks quite impressive. They come in three major varieties; light, standard and heavy. These are commonly used in any number of devices, and the size of the device determines what kind of accumulator it can accommodate, as detailed below. The heavier and larger the accumulator, the more of a charge it can hold.
Accumulators drain their charges based on the level of item they are attached to. One charge per day per tier of the item is drained from the accumulator as long as it is attached to the item. In addition, the use of a daily or encounter ability on the item also drains one charge from the accumulator. The types of accumulators are listed below, along with the kind of items they are attached to.
| Type | Charges | Type |
| Light | 5 | Small firearms and dagger-sized light blades |
| Standard | 10 | Most normal sized weapons and firearms |
| Heavy | 20 | Large-scale mechanika, and unusually large weapons |
To perform this process, a character must be trained in Alchemy, and have the Ritual Caster feat. The character must then make a DC 20 Alchemy check to begin the process. The process costs 5gp and one day per charge to be restored. The process of restoring charges cannot be interrupted or the accumulator will never be able to be recharged again.
Handling Accumulators
Accumulators are useful technology, but there is a danger to them. If an accumulator is broken, overcharged or installed improperly in its device it can rupture. This releases the arcane energy stored inside in a dangerous explosion. Damaging accumulators to the point of rupture requires reducing them to 0 hit points. Accumulators statistics for taking damage are below.
| Type | AC/Reflex | Foritude | Hit Points |
| Light | 8 | 8 | 20 |
| Standard | 5 | 10 | 30 |
| Heavy | 5 | 10 | 40 |
Mishandling the installation of accumulators in a device follows the rules provided in the mechanika skill, and is accomplished by failing the check by more than 10 to install it.
Finally, rules for overcharging accumulators are provided with the Arcane Condenser's entry.
When an accumulator ruptures it explodes in a burst 3 that deals 4d6 force damage, +1 force damage for each charge in the accumulator when it ruptures. Those with the evasion feat take half damage.
Most adventurers do not have multiple weeks to get their mechanika back up and running. Thus, the arcane condenser was invented. The item is not cheap, costing around 3000 gold pieces. However, it is light and portable, and allows an arcane caster to quickly recharge an accumulator.
To recharge, the caster places the accumulator in the provided slot in the machine. Then, placing his hands on the contact points provided, he begins to channel arcane energy into the device. This translates directly into charges for the accumulator.
To channel this energy, the caster chooses to sacrifice spells into the machine. This may only be done using powers with an Arcane power source. By expending a spell in this way, it cannot be cast again for the rest of the day (even if it is an at-will or encounter power). The caster chooses each round which spell he will channel, and 1/3 the level of the spell is conferred into the accumulator as charges.
The only problem with this machine is that it tends to hold the caster to the contact points. To stop the caster must make an Arcana or Mechanika check with a DC of 20. If he fails the check, the machine drains his highest level remaining power into the accumulator, and he may retry the check. This goes on until the caster manages to remove his hands, or he over charges the accumulator. If the accumulator is overcharged, it ruptures as per the rules in Accumulator. This destroys the machine, and the caster is dazed until he takes a short rest. A light accumulator is overcharged at 6 charges, a standard at 12, and a heavy at 24.
