Mechanik’s Union

As ‘Jack warfare becomes more frequent, the brilliant minds that create these machines are constantly innovating new tactics and equipment for battlefield victory. One of the most valuable abilities a ‘Jack can offer is to simply leave one of its hands open, so it may perform grappling or throwing attacks. Although many designs call for turning an entire ‘Jack arm into a weapon, attaching a weapon to the forearms of a ‘jack and keeping its hand free is becoming a more common practice. From the Kodiak’s armored fists, the Mangler’s punching dagger, and even the terrifying new Cygnaran Cyclone’s chain guns, mounting weapons without sacrificing a Jack’s fists gives it’s wielder a tactical upper hand (pun intended).

The Pile Driver utilizes this principle, and besides it’s already impressive ability to punch through steel, offers a ‘Jack more options or special attacks to choose from.

In short, the Pile is a long, tempered steel spike attached to a large steam piston assembly and armored in a plate housing. Much like the Khadoran Marauder, the system is powered directly by the Jack’s engine via thick armored hoses connecting to the rear of the piston. When activated, the spike travels a very short distance with great acceleration, and in most cases, can  punch a perfectly clean hole through serric armor. Instead of replacing the entire arm, however, the assembly is specially mounted onto the forearm of the ‘jack with a custom heavy duty frame.

Stats:

• Size- Large
• Damage- 2d10
• Type- Peircing
• Critical- x3
• Special- After a successful melee Fist attack, immediately make a second attack as a free action and hit automatically (I.e. feat: Bayonet Charge). This attack ignores hardness.
• Special- After making a successful Grapple attack or check, immediately roll a second attack. If successful, this attack ignores hardness.

While having one of these weapons on a ‘Jack is beneficial, mounting two of these weapons (one on each arm) grants devastating abilities.

Critical Gore: After resolving a full round attack on a living creature,  the target must make a DC16 Fort save. If failed, the target suffers ongoing 1d8 bleeding damage (DC 16 heal check).

Critical Steam Bleed: After resolving a full round attack on a Warjack, the target must make a DC16 Fort Save. If failed, the target suffers a cumulative -2 penalty to attack, damage, speed and AC  (DC 16 Craft Mechanika).

Installment:

• 3500G Pile Driver assembly/ 1750G, Exp 89, DC22
• 300G Engine Coupling mod/ 150G, Exp 20, DC20
• 200G Mounting bracket/ 100G, Exp 15, DC15
• Weight- 180lbs each complete system.

As the Dwarves of Rhul settle themselves in the lands of men, word of their military expertise and ingenuity spread as well. It’s rare to see a dwarf that is both skilled and humble, so when a fine Rhulic weapon design is improved upon, word gets out fast.

One example of this is the Copperfist Entry Rifle. While most human riflemen in the Iron Kingdoms are trained as scouts, snipers or assassins, the Rhulfolk tend to take a different approach. Like the Hoplites of our time, units such as the Hammerfall High Sheild Gun Corps utilize solid defense and harrowing offense to deal with their problems, their bulwark shields and double barreled serric rifles working with deadly accuracy on the battlefield.

The Copperfist Rifle however, is designed for close quarters and urban environments, when one doesn’t always have the benefit of a shield-walled platoon. Essentially a shortened yet heavier version of its original cousin, the Entry Rifle is a +1 Breech Lock Sound Burst Double Barreled Serric Rifle (it’s a mouthfull, isn’t it?) capable of making devastating surprise round attacks.

Components include:

• Hammerfall Rifle
• 2 +1 Enhancement Rune Plates
• 1 Sound Burst Rune Plate
• Conduits
• Accumulator Socket
• Heavy Accumulator
• 2 Breech Lock Mechanisms

Stats Include:

• Range- 120 ft
• Weight- 18 lbs
• Length- 3′1″
• Damage- 2d8 (per barrel) + 1d8 Force
• Crit- 19 – 20 x 2
• Effects- Stun (Fort DC 16)
• Reload- 1 Standard (per barrel)

Despite it’s weight (A single +1 rune plate is needed for each barrel, while only 1 Sound Burst plate is needed for the effect), the heavy accumulator needed to power it, and the diligent maintenance needed to clean a breech lock and it’s sabot rounds, the owner of a Copperfist Entry Rifle can literally be the proverbial “SWAT Dwarf” of the IK world.

This doesn’t fit any Mechanika categories, and I apologize if this is inappropriate, but I have to ask…

I’m just getting into IK here in Seattle after years with DnD.  Anybody playing IK here in Seattle, WA?

Hello!

I’m a french master of Iron Kigdom’s world..?  We are few. Sometimes i feel like i’m the lone cause everything about IrK are so rare in the OldWorld

So

I want to ask all your’s authors and you if they allow me to translate and post this translated creation in my own Irk site in construction

Please, dont leave my heroic players in the shadow of the knowless..

sorry for my poor english.. it’s hard for a gobber to learn you Old’tongue

 

We’ve all seen the “Sharpshooter” feat in the Iron Kingdoms book, and I’m sure we’ve all wondered why a Rifleman or trained sharpshooter can’t take a potshot of someone who moves into their line of fire. It works in the real world. In fact, it works so well, they even have a name for it. Cygnaran Long-gunners and Khadoran Widowmakers alike call it “Overwatch.”

So, in the name of “quasi-realism,” I developed a fairly high-level Feat to allow characters a functional overwatch-style shooting technique. It even works outside the Iron Kingdoms, but that’s not important right now.

Overwatch:

Req: Dex 17+, Combat Reflexes, Point Blank Shot, Far Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Sharpshooter, Weapon Focus (with ranged weapon), BAB +10

A character with a ranged weapon who has not moved this round may make a number of additional Attacks of Opportunity equal to their Dex bonus.  The attacks can be used against any target that enters an area within their front facing line-of-sight with that weapon within its first range increment. The character may only take a the full number of Attacks of Opportunity in one round if they are using a weapon that can make multiple attacks in a single round. The character may only make one attack against a single target and must have clear line of sight to the target when they make the attack. Range and cover modifiers are applied normally against this attack.

Opinions are welcome, your milage may vary, offer not valid in all areas, local laws and regulations still apply.

You need:

•  Anti-Grav engine(see below)
• Masterwork Warhammer
• 3 rune plates: 1.+5 enhancement 2.Energy burst(level 5) 3.Concussion blast(level 5)
• Field Generator (cost like an arcantrix engine with 3 level 5 spells)
• mechanical trigger
• 4 conduits

Anti-Grav engine

• engine housing
• 3 rune plates: 1. Energy blast(lvl 5) 2. Containing Field(lvl 5) 3. see magic
• reflective arcane matrix
• alchemical goggles
• heavy hybrid socket
• 5 conduits

Stats:

Damage(M): 1d8 X 3

Critical: X3

Weight: 25 lb

Type Bludgeoning

Special:

When pushing the trigger, the containing field will cease to exist. When you will hit something which makes 1d8 X 5 of damage (instead of 3) + 3d8 of pure energy (don’t apply any DR or resistance to the hit) and the target is thrown 5 ft X strenght modifier. If there is a wall the damages are multiplied by 15 (no DR) and use the result of a d20+Attack bonus against the hardness of the wall if the result exceeds by 5 or more the target is thrown through the wall if the check result is 5 under the “DC” the  wall cracks. In all cases the target is stun or unconsious (DM’s choice)

What makes it go up? Rune plates of levitate. Each rune plate individually lacks the power to lift the whole ship (they are created a Caster level 3 to keep math simple and nix permanent hit point loss for creating 200+ exp items) each plate contributes to lifting 300lbs

The construction of one of the rune plates would require a wizard (or other class of caster) with scribe scroll and etch rune plate. They cost 1,650gp in materials and 132exp and 3 days to create.

However: the spell harnessed by the rune plate is power hungry, every five minutes of operation the rune plate draws a charge from its power source, you will see the dilemma soon

Displacement is a measure of how heavy a ship is sort of: its really a measure of how much water is not in the space taken up by the boat and therefore how much lighter the boat is than the water it has displaced, I will use this to calculate the number of rune plates needed to provide lift.

(For the mathematically savvy you will realize a ship is by definition lighter than its displacement, plus the air in the space held apart by the hull has a bit of something to do with buoyancy. But for the sake of argument we will assume that providing the lift to equal the ships displacement in water will provide enough force to hold the ship in the air too with enough wiggle room to mess around with a bit of extra weight here or there)

The USS Monitor (an early American Ironclad) displaced 776 tons (roughly 1,552,000 lbs) it would require 5,174 rune plates to lift (but it has a whopping 8 inches of iron plate armor…)

The USS Constellation with 1,278 tons displacement would require 8,520 rune plates to lift.

Both of these ships are prime examples of vessels available in the Iron Kingdoms.

Now we can fudge the plates a little to boost there lifting power but increase there cost dramatically or ‘GM Fudge’ the power out put of the plates for the sake of flight.

An alternate plate design calling for a casting of empowered levitate (making it a level 4 spell cast by a 7th level caster has a lifting power just over 1,000lbs [.5 tons] each of these plates would cost 7,700gp in materials + 616exp and 7 days to create.

Back to the Monitor, with its 5,174 rune plates it would need another 5,174 series conduits to link them all together 100gp + 8 exp to create each.

On to a source of power (bwa haha!)
The monitor had 2 steam engines (adequate for outrigger props but what about the rune plates?) each rune plate needs to suck up a charge ever 3 minutes (30 rounds) now comes in the arcane turbine(s) if the rune plates are linked together into banks that draw there charges at the same time (during the same round) we still need a way to generate 173 charges a round, as the rune plates are bundled into 30 sets of 173 plates; also requiring 30 mechanical triggers to start each bank Every 6 seconds another bank is turned on until all 30 banks are running and full lift is generated. Note that all 30 banks must be running at all times the rune ship is in flight, losing just one bank turns your flying ship into a 51,900 lb rock. Warcaster arcane turbines build 6 charges a round but only power 5 items we would need 21 of them just to power the rune plates or a larger arcane turbine or two (or five) LM describes larger turbines providing more charges but not being practical for warcaster armor, but we aren’t making warcaster armor we are making a Runeship.

Looking at arcane turbines I surmise the following: it generates one charge for every 1,333.3r gp + 106 exp to create in cost and they weigh 15 lbs at 6 charges but as a warcaster could easily lift 30 lbs for 12 charges/round I must assume they become weight prohibitive on a compounding scale so I would factor the weight if a player was making the turbine (probably by adding = 15 lb for ever extra charge so: [15 lb at 6 charges would be 30 lb at 7 charges and 45 lb at 8 charges ect.]

The turbines I am fitting my runeship with will be 450 lbs each there are five of them powered by two steam engines they cost 46,690 gp + 3736 exp to make. They generate 35 charges per round.

The Runeship can ascend/descend 20ft per round with the use of a control surface and there’s a single extra rune place mounted on the dead center of the keel and one amid ship on the top to provide sky ballast (a fraction of weight to pull the ship towards the earth or heavens that is neutralized by the other plate pulling in the opposite direction when/if it starts to roll on its axis. The amount of force that can be generated is 300 lbs in each direction, these plates could also be used to force the ship to roll but why would you want to do that?)

That all together creates the bare bones of a Runeship based on the Monitor
It would cost

• 233,500gp + 18,680 exp to make the arcane turbines (467,000gp to contract there construction and 56 days to make each one)
• 8,540,400 gp + 683,132 exp to make the rune plates (17,080,800 gp to contract there construction and 3 days to make each one [or 15,528 days consecutively just under 43 Iron Kingdom years for one person])
• 517,400 gp + 41,392 exp to make the series conduits connecting the rune plates to one another (1,034,800 gp to contract the construction)
• 500 gp + 40 exp to link the arcane turbines to one another with series conduits (1,000 gp to contract the construction)
• 3,000 gp + 240 exp For 30 mechanical triggers to turn the series connected rune plate banks on and off (10,000 gp to contract the construction of these)
• Control surfaces to manipulate all of the rune plates (part of the cost to link them all together)
• And the cost of the ironclad to which it is all attached. The USS monitor cost $195,000 US$ to build in 1862 the price of gold was $35 an ounce that works itself out to being 560$ / 50 gp

That works out to costing 17,410.7 gp to make the ship all the mechanika is attached to.

It took the US 4 months to make the Monitor

A player making this ship would be spending on the order of 9,312,210 gp and about 744,977 exp, it would take him/her about 18,625 days [about 51.3 years]

A nation contracting this project over a large number of workers would be spending about 18,624,420 gp

Could a nation make one? Hell yes!

Movement would be based on the props connected to the steam engines and its mass, I imagine it would move at around 16 knots (double what the monitor could pull off in the water, not factoring in wind) it would ascend descend at up to 20 ft/round (200 ft a minute)

Cargo: 15,000 cu ft

I would build it into a ship shape to allow for its already natural displacement to keep it afloat allowing one to land in rivers, lakes and what not.

It would probably have a 16 hour coal endurance (based on the Monitor and it’s endurance) fuel stores for 47,920 lbs.. When the coal runs out the arcane turbines would spin down and the ship would become a rock (unless you also added 130 heavy accumulators to power the rune plates, you would need 130 of them for every three minutes you wanted to stay aloft)

Broodfather Heavy Warjack
Height/Weight: 10 ft./8.7 tons
Armament: Dual Chainblades, Harpoon Cannon, Beetle servitors
HD: 18d10+30
HP: 129
Base Initiative: +1
Speed: 25 ft.
AC: 23
BAB: +13/+8/+3
MAB: +26/+8/+3
RAB: +15/+8/+3
BAD: 1d10
Space/Reach: 10 ft. by 10 ft./10 ft.
Saving Throws: Dex +8, Will +8, Fort +6
Abilities: Str: 36, Dex 14
Cortex: Arcanum Grade, Int 10, Wis 15
Build DC: 31
Construction Time: 28 weeks
Price: 57950 gp
Special Attacks:
ChainBlades (‘jack melee weapon, 1 in each hand)
These vicious weapons act on a chain belt mechanism that spins razor-sharp “teeth” at immense speeds. The teeth are infused with arcane energy upon activation, and as the teeth spin a whirling energy surrounds the blade, able to melt armor and flesh alike with ease. Not only that, but the wounds these weapons inflict are horrible, jagged cuts that will tear if the target is foolish enough to ignore them, causing further damage.

These weapons are essentially Large chainsaws that have reflexive arcane matrices built into the teeth. When the weapon is activated (a move equivalent action), the 4 Scorching Ray rune plates send the spell energy to each “tooth”, which emit that energy as the chain moves each along. The result is a blade surrounded by whirling red energy that tears through armor with ease (ignores hardness), and also leaves wounds that can tear open further. Should a target that is capable of moving under it’s own power attempt to do so after being damaged by these weapons, there is a cumulative 20% chance for each action taken that the wounds will tear open further, dealing one-third of the damage dealt by the initial blow.
These weapons are accumulator powered, and draw one charge per round of use.

Size: Large
Damage: 2d10 (extra, see description)
Special Qualities: Ignores hardness
Cost: 5500 gp each (must be equipped as a pair to function properly) plus rune plate and accumulator
Craft Check DC and XP cost: DC 20, 89 XP each
Weight: 400 lb.

Harpoon Cannon (‘jack ranged weapon, equipped on torso)
Drawing upon the instruments that whalers use to catch their prey, this weapon uses a 3 sectioned barbed harpoon as ammunition. When the weapon is fired, the three sections whirl to life, spinning independently of one another at breakneck speed. Upon impact, the weapon bores into the target, and once secured, begins to reel in the round.

This weapon is a ‘jack mounted, powered harpoon. Once fired, the boring action of the three sections deals damage for 2 rounds. After that, the round is secured enough that the chain can reel the round in (a move equivalent action). This can be used to drag the opponent closer, perhaps into range for melee weaponry. The weapon is mounted onto the torso, and can use the ‘jacks own weight to help pull in addition to the winding mechanism. For each round the chain is wound, the opponent is drawn one-third the distance fired.

Size: Large
Damage: 3d8 (special, see description)
Special qualities: (pulling, see description)
Range: 120 ft.
Cost: 3000 for gun, 1500 for arm, plus cortex costs.
Craft check DC and XP cost: DC 25, 130 XP for gun, 60 xp for arm.
Weight: 200 lb.

‘Jack-mounted Servitor Bay
Much like the servitor bays on steam armor, however this can deploy 8 tiny or four small servitors. They are usually mounted on the back of a ‘jack, with an extended version that mounts on the front, allowing for a further 8 tiny or four small servitors to be deployed.
Unlike a steam armor, however, a ‘jack can use some of its own power to recharge the accumulators in its servitors at a rate of 1 charge per accumulator per minute.
For an additional 500 gp, a relay to the ‘jack’s cortex can be installed, allowing a jack handler to give instructions to the servitors before they deploy through the ‘jack, using its cortex and modifiers to the DC of the Jack Handling check if one is required. Once deployed, the servitors can receive no further orders in this manner until they return. However, it may be given orders via ‘Jack Handling checks as normal.

Whenever a ‘jack’s damage threshold is reduced (see the LM, p. 24 “Mechanikal Construct Traits” callout), there is a cumulative 20% chance that the servitor bay is rendered inoperable by the damage.
Cost: 2000 gp for normal, 4000 gp for extended, + 500 gp for command
Special Qualities: Mechanikal Construct traits, Steamjack traits, damage reduction 10/serricsteel, Darkvision 60 ft, lowlight vision.
Challenge Rating: 15

A band of ragamuffins and their stolen battlegroup, two Talons and a Nomad, are fleeing the police. Having evaded them, they turn a corner and are met by a young man. “Get out of our bloomin’ way!” their leader shouts. The young man simply smiles and snaps his fingers. A tremendous buzzing fills the air, and the heavy footsteps of a warjack begin to resound throughout the streets. The leader barely has time to shout at his ‘jacks to attack, before eight tiny spheres charge from seemingly all directions, their spinning weapons tearing through the most lightly armored of the bandits like tissue paper. The Talons, responding to their master’s order, charge, swatting at as many of the spheres as possible. But the spheres are nimble, and evade with ease. Soon, one of the Talons drops, as a spinning drill-like weapon pierces it’s right leg, soon followed by its brother. The two spheres that fired the charges quickly stream away, to make room for the heavy warjack that now charges through the alleyway, it’s two blades spinning with arcane fury. The Nomad, having just reached the young man, raises it’s blade and is impaled by a strange form of drill similar to the ones that had immobilized the Talons. The man steps aside, and the Nomad is pulled by a chain into reach of the massive blades wielded by the warjack. In a moment it is over, the bandits that still live groaning in pain, the stolen battlegroup immobilized, and the leader in the young man’s grasp. When the police arrive, they find the bandits tied to a tree, and the ‘jacks in pristine condition, keeping watch over their former masters.

The Broodfather is a ‘jack designed with multiple roles in mind. First, it is an assault ‘jack, with its dual chainblades and torso mounted harpoon cannon. When working in tandem, the Broodfather can pull the enemy in with the Harpoon Cannon, then dice it to ribbons with the chainblades. It can also handle multiple lightly armored enemies and light warjacks by means of a devious servitor delivery system. Flying Carrion Beetle servitors harrass lightly armoured foes, while Ripper Beetles take down light warjacks with a smaller, accumulator powered version of the Harpoon Cannon, the Ripper Cannon. Able to store a full battle squadron of eight Carrion and four Ripper Beetles, the Broodfather can also use its internal power to recharge its servitor’s accumulators. It is also able to run much longer on a full boiler than most others of its class, and it can generally outlast its opponents if all else fails.
It is also, however, a ‘jack that due to its Carrion Beetle’s backup manipulators, and its own, brute strength, can perform much heavier manual labor than any laborjack on the market. It can lift several tons of weight, and is also capable of dextrous manipulation when neccesary.
The Broodfather is a one of a kind machine, and is the loving invention of an as of yet unidentified young mechanik. If this is his first work, who knows what will come next?

“Carrion-Beetle” Attack Servitor

Tiny Construct (Servitor)
HD: 1/2 1d10, hp 3
Init: +3
Spd: 60 ft (see text)
AC: 15
Base Attack: +2
Grapple: -6
Full Attack: Buzz cutter: +2 (2d4 slash)
Dive Bomb: +6 (2d4 slash, see text)
Special qualities: Darkvision 60 ft, Construct Traits, Servitor Traits
Alignment: neutral
Saves: Fort: +0, Ref: +3, Fort: +0
Str 10, Dex 16, Con -, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 1
Novotski Accumulo-Inducer with a Standard accumulator
Cost: 770 gp[/b]

Flight: These servitors fly as though under the effect of a Fly spell cast at 6th level. They will always try to return to their point of origin before the spell expires. Activation of this ability drains 3 charges from the servitor’s accumulator. These servitors may not move any other way, and if they are grounded, they are immobile. They may re-activate this ability for a further 3 charges.

Dive Bomb: When these servitors charge, they use their momentum to inflict additional damage to their targets. Since they are harder to dodge when moving at such speeds, the servitors gain a +4 to their to-hit roll instead of the standard +2, but take only a -2 to AC. For every 20 feet away from the target the servitor starts its charge, add +1 to the damage for a max of +6

“Ripper-Beetle” Attack Servitor

Small Construct (Servitor)
HD: 1d10, hp 6
Init: +3
Spd: 60 ft (see text)
AC: 15
Base Attack: +2
Grapple: -6
Full Attack: Buzz cutter: +2 (2d4 slash)
Dive Bomb: +6 (2d4 slash, see text)
Special qualities: Darkvision 60 ft, Construct Traits, Servitor Traits
Alignment: neutral
Saves: Fort: +0, Ref: +3, Fort: +0
Str 10, Dex 16, Con -, Int 2, Wis 10, Cha 1
Novotski Accumulo-Inducer with a Standard accumulator
Cost: 4270 gp

Flight: These servitors fly as though under the effect of a Fly spell cast at 6th level. They will always try to return to their point of origin before the spell expires. Activation of this ability drains 3 charges from the servitor’s accumulator. These servitors may not move any other way, and if they are grounded, they are immobile. They may re-activate this ability for a further 3 charges.

Ripper Cannon (Servitor-mounted ranged weapon)
Similar to the Harpoon Cannon, this weapon fires a sectioned, barbed harpoon. This one, however, is designed to be operated inside a target without being attached to a chain. It can be reeled in, but only after the round stops moving, generally after combat has ended.

This weapon acts exactly as a Harpoon Cannon, but there is no chain attached when fired. The round contiuously bores into the target until it runs out of power, dealing its damage each combat round until powerdown. There is a chain that can be used, but only when retrieving the round. Once attached, the round spins in the opposite direction until it is free, then pulled in with the chain. The process takes all of 10 minutes to complete.
The Ripper round uses an accumulator, and draws one charge per round of use.

Size: Medium
Damage: 1d10 (special, see description)
Special Qualities: (powered, see description)
Range: 120 ft.
Cost: 3500 plus accumulator
Craft Check DC and XP Cost: DC 25, 160 XP
Weight: 30 lb.

Fusion DC: 21
Market value: 19630 gold
Total Cost: (8865 gold + 709 XP to create)

This Orgoth-style longsword as a narrow fuller down the length of its blade that appears to have been stitched closed with a thick brass thread. It was originally granted to the personal bodyguard of Lord Governor Creaus’s chief vizier, and is a +2 enchanted longsword that grants Regeneration 5 to its wielder (fire and acid do normal damage). Wounds healed by Chirurgeon leave rough scars, as though the wielder had been roughly attended to by a hasty caretaker.

Strong transmutation; CL 16th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, requires the sacrifice of at least 100 otherwise-healthy Humans; Price 98,000 crowns

This Orgoth blade is consecrated in the blood of the Ordic people and imbued with arcane power by their sacrifice. Crafted during the reign of Lord Governor Creaus in 300BR, Priest-slayer is an Orgoth-style +3 enchanted longsword with a number of useful properties. This blade conferrs Spell Resistance 35 once per day (wielder may declare the use of this ability after the spell is cast, but before any damage or saving throw is rolled). When wielded, Priest-slayer grants Spell Resistance 20 versus divine magic. This SR 20 is always on, and can only be waived (to allow beneficial divine magic to affect the wielder) by sheathing the sword.

When viewing the reflection of a spellcaster in the blade of this weapon, he will appear physically-abused. Arcanists will appear battered and beaten, divine spellcasters appear nearly-dead. This is a shadow of the intentions of the weapon’s crafter, and can be used as a none-too-subtle substitute for the Witch Hound feat that also detects priests.

Moderate abjuration and necromancy; CL 15th; Craft Magic Arms and Armor, spell resistence, crafter must sacrifice no less than fifty otherwise-healthy Humans in an Orgoth ceremony no longer known in Western Immoren; Price 48,430 crowns

The Class bonus is similar to a Dex bonus. It stacks with all others [including class bonuses from multiple classes] but is lost when one is flanked, flat-footed, or similar, just as Dex bonus would be. Classes that cannot be flanked, or caught flat-footed retain their Class Bonus to AC as well. Essentially, anytime the Dex bonus is lost, so too is the Class bonus. Dex Bonus and class bonus also stack regarding armour maximum Dex modifier. So as you progress in level, armour becomes less useful to you. A chain shirt with a max Dex modifier of +4 provides +4 AC and allows a combination of Dex and Class bonus up to +4. So a person with a Dex of 18 would not count any Class Bonus towards AC while in a chain shirt.

Defense progression by Character level (Divisions are based on Base Attack Bonus Progression over levels 1 to 20):

AC = 10 + Dex. Bonus. + Armour Bonus. + Class bonus + Misc. Bonus.

A conversion from the DMG. This is a +1 mechanikal flaming burst longsword. The sword can blast forth a fiery ray at any target within 30 feet as a ranged touch attack. The ray deals 4d6 points of fire damage on a successful hit.

Project Costs: Blueprints 9 days to draft, Price 966 gp 5 sp, Cost 483 gp 2 sp 5 cp + 9 XP; Component construction 15 days, Price 11,910 gp, Cost 5,955 + 477 XP + masterwork longsword; Assembly & Fusion 9 days, Price 7,420 gp, Cost 3,710 gp + 197 XP.

Components: masterwork longsword, +1 enhancement rune plate, flaming burst runeplate, scorching ray spell rune plate, offensive spell trigger, mechanikal trigger, hybrid accumulator socket, conduits.

Moderate evocation; CL 7th; Craft Wondrous Item, Etch Rune Plate, Craft (Mechanika) 8 ranks; Craft (Mechanika) fusion check (DC 26); Price 19,645 gp; Cost 9,665 gp + 774 XP + schematic costs; Weight 6 lbs., 8 lbs. with accumulator.
Schematics = 484 gp, 9 xp; Craft (Mechanika) DC 26; 9 days

EDIT: Corrected costs for the Mechanikal Trigger (was showing costs for a +2 equivalent, but Flaming Burst and +1 enhancement are a +3 equivalent total)