I am going to make a campaign set in a time when technology is readily available, but not like futuristic Earth or whatever. To keep the campaign fantasy, I'm going for a Star Wars kind of feel with technology, especially since in the campaign there needs to be a physical way to get to other planets.
So I thought I would attempt to create a new class that fits that theme of technology (tinkerer). But, I don't know if it's balanced or not. It feels balanced and looks balanced on paper, but anyway, here's the class:
Tinkerer
Hit Dice are 1d8 per level
proficiencies are no armor, finesse and loading weapons, and technician's tools, a type of tool that I would add into the game as well that would include the basics that a tinkerer would need.
Skill proficiencies: Technology another new part of the game (a new skill), and one other from Arcana, Insight, History, and Investigation.
Equipment: You start with
- (a) any simple weapon or (b) two knives
- (a) handaxe, or (b) healer's kit
- basic technician's tools, and an explorer's pack.
When you reach 4th level, and again at 9th, 13th, 17th, and 20th, you can increase 1 of your ability scores by 2 or 2 of your ability scores by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Class Features
[Placeholdername] 1st level feature
If at any time someone in your party (including yourself) makes a check related to technology, your expertise can help others (or yourself) create, repair, or understand technology. This comes in the form of a die roll, the results of which you can add to the check. At 1st level, your die and modifier is 1d4/2 (round down). At 5th level it becomes 1d4, and at 11th it becomes 1d4×2, and at 17th, if the player making the check you choose to help with rolls a 1, it's 1d10.
You can't use this feature if you are in some way incapacitated or distracted. This feature has 2 uses before you must take a rest to regain uses. If you take a short rest, the number of uses you gain back is equal to 1d4/2 (round up). If you take a long rest, you regain all uses of this feature. At 11th level, the maximum use number before a rest increases to 3 and at 20th, it increases to 4. You can use this feature after the die is rolled but before effects take place. For the sake of technicalities, this feature applies after any other effects on the check.
[Placeholdername]
At 2nd level, you gain a keen eye for what state technology is in. You have advantage on Investigation checks related to technology.
[Placeholdername]
Beginning when you reach 6th level, when you are creating or modifying a gadget or other mechanical or technology-based object, the time it takes to do so (in minutes) is reduced by 1/3 the original time plus your Tinkerer level. If the original time is 300 minutes or more, add double your Tinkerer level instead. If the original time is 600 minutes or more, add triple your Tinkerer level instead. If this makes the time it takes to create or modify the object go below 1 minute, count it as 30 seconds.
[Placeholdername]
Beginning when you reach 11th level, you can, using an action, DM permitting, create an improvised weapon or shield. The weapons do 1d6-1 (minimum of 1) damage of the appropriate damage type, and have 1d4 uses. The shields give you a +1 to AC and have 11 hitpoints. You can't use this feature twice in a row. You also can't use this feature if you don't have both hands free, and you also can't use this feature if another object created by this feature has more than half its uses (or hitpoints) left.
At 20th level, the damage done by the weapons increases to 1d6+1, the number of uses for the weapons becomes 1d6, the shields give you +2 AC and have 13 HP instead of 11.
Best Answer
This class is underpowered
...and by a significant margin. That's because regardless of how much your campaign focuses on technology, Dungeons & Dragons as a game has a heavy emphasis on combat. Your class simply provides no tools with which to participate in combat at all.
Every level should give you something
Take a look at the typical level progression table for official classes. These characters get something with every level, beyond just more HP. Even classes which don't get new features (like the wizard) provide new spell levels, which provide whole new avenues with which to interact with the game. Your class simply gets... nothing at all at several levels.
You should have some way of dealing with combat
Every class has some way of improving its damage output. Whether it's through fighting styles, extra attack, cantrips that scale with level, or access to higher level spells, a 19th level character will deal more damage than a 2nd level character. This is not true with your class. As I read it, the only improvement to combat available is the ordinary increase in proficiency bonus. There is technically an improvement at level 20, but since the weapons you can create are still vastly inferior to those that are readily available at level 1, I'm going to go ahead and not count that.
I don't think you want to create a class
Whenever you set out to create a new class, the first question you should ask yourself is whether you actually need to. The way I see it, you aren't trying to create a new style of combat, or a new kind of spellcaster. All you really want is a character who gains a few very specific abilities that let them interact with things specific to your world.
There are a few things that might suit your needs better.
If you want different players to be able to interact with your technological world in different ways, consider creating custom feats for each ability you want to exist. Then you can allow your players to take these feats piecemeal, without restricting their class.
If you want to give a class access to your technological world without creating one from the ground up, consider creating a subclass. A good option here might be a new fighter Martial Archetype. These archetypes receive about the same number of features specific to their subclass's flavor as you've listed here, while keeping up with the power level of competing classes through simple improvements to their combat abilities. Alternatively, if you want a sort of hacker aesthetic, consider a rogue.
In short
I think it's clear that you've focused heavily on making sure your tinkerer class is not overpowered. That's a good impulse; it's easy to accidentally favor a new creation. Unfortunately, the class is missing fundamental pieces that would compel somebody to choose it.
I'd suggest reevaluating whether this is the best way to achieve the result you're looking for. If it is, you'll need to spend a fair amount of time understanding how the other classes achieve their goals, in order to produce something comparable.