Min/Max Boards

Cyberneticist base class
Cyberneticists are the pure activators. They focus almost entirely on module use and socket attachments with their class features. Although the have only an average progression for activated modules (tied with the dreadnought), they have the highest amount of energy and socket attachments among the three base classes. Indeed, they eventually wind up with more attachments than modules, a situation they can take advantage of with their Extra Attachment class feature. The apparently limited number of active modules is offset by the additional abilities granted by the extra socket attachments and the ability to trade out active modules for inactive ones a few times per day.

A cyberneticist is defined by his module selection. With the right choices, a cyberneticist can hold his own in melee, engage in ranged combat, emulate the powers of a traditional spellcaster, or provide the niche abilities of a rogue or other skill user. Since modules can be changed daily, the cyberneticist can fill a different role each day, even switching between them in the middle of an adventure at higher levels. Proper feat selection can aid in focusing on a particular role or on enhancing the class's already considerable versatility.

Abilities: The extreme versatility that cyberneticists have makes it difficult to elevate one ability score above another. Intelligence is important to maintain a broad skill base, and brighter cyberneticists know how to push the limits of technology even further. Cyberneticists tend not to practice a strict physical training regimen, leading them to be frailer than most other activators, so a good Constitution score is valuable.
Races:
Alignment: Any.
Starting Gold: 5d4x10 (125 gp)
Starting Age: As wizard.

Hit Die: d6

Table: The Cyberneticist

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Activating
						Active Modules	Energy Pool	Socket Attachments
1	+0	+2	+0	+2	Technical Knowledge, Tinkering Activator	2	1	0
2	+1	+3	+0	+3	Attachment Focus +1, Least Socket Access	3	2	1
3	+2	+3	+1	+3	Reattach Module 1/day, Reverse Engineering	3	3	1
4	+3	+4	+1	+4	Protected Modules	3	3	2
5	+3	+4	+1	+4	Extra Attachment (2 sockets)	3	4	2
6	+4	+5	+2	+5	Lesser Socket Access	4	5	2
7	+5	+5	+2	+5	Reverse Engineering	4	6	3
8	+6/+1	+6	+2	+6	Reattach Module 2/day, Repurpose Module 1/day	4	7	3
9	+6/+1	+6	+3	+6	Improved Energy Capacity +1	4	8	4
10	+7/+2	+7	+3	+7	Expanded Sockets (2 modules)	5	9	4
11	+8/+3	+7	+3	+7	Greater Socket Access, Reverse Engineering	5	10	4
12	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8	Repurpose Module 2/day	5	12	5
13	+9/+4	+8	+4	+8	Reattach Module 3/day	5	14	5
14	+10/+5	+9	+4	+9	Extra Attachment (3 sockets), Shielded Modules	6	15	6
15	+11/+6/+1	+9	+5	+9	Attachment Focus +2, Reverse Engineering	6	16	6
16	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Core Socket Access, Repurpose Module 3/day	6	17	6
17	+12/+7/+2	+10	+5	+10	Expanded Sockets (3 modules)	6	19	7
18	+13/+8/+3	+11	+6	+11	Reattach Module 4/day	7	21	7
19	+14/+9/+4	+11	+6	+11	Reverse Engineering	7	23	8
20	+15/+10/+5	+12	+6	+12	Cybernetic Apotheosis, Repurpose Module 4/day	7	25	8

Class skills (4 + Int modifier per level, x4 at 1st level): Bluff, Computer Use, Concentration, Craft, Disable Device, Gather Information, Jump, Knowledge (all skills, taken individually), Profession, Ride, Search, and Use Magic Device.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As a cyberneticist, you are proficient with all simple weapons, with light and medium armor, and with shields (other than tower shields). You are also proficient a single martial weapon of your choice, chosen at 1st level.

Activating: A cyberneticist's primary ability is activating modules, which are drawn from the cyberneticist module list. You know and can activate any module from this list.

A cyberneticist can activate only a certain number of modules at once. Your base concurrent allotment is given on the table above.

At 1st level, you gain access to a pool of energy, which can be allocated to your active modules to increase their effects. If you already have a pool of energy, combine the two to determine the total amount of energy available. Your character level determines the maximum amount of energy that can be allocated to any given module at one time, as indicated on table Table: Energy Capacity by Level.

As a swift action, you may reallocate your energy allocations amongst your active modules.

Tinkering Activator: You receive Tinkering Activator as a bonus feat. This allows you to use your Intelligence modifier to determine the save DCs of your modules.

Technical Knowledge (Ex): A cyberneticist must always stay on top of current technological developments. This ability functions as the bard's bardic lore ability using your cyberneticist level in addition to your levels in other classes that grant bardic lore and similar abilities, except that it only applies to topics related to technology in some way and that Knowledge (architecture and engineering) grants a synergy bonus to your checks instead of Knowledge (history).

You can also determine whether or not an object is cybernetic or magical or not by handling and observing it for 1 minute. If you succeed on a technical knowledge check against a DC of 10 + the object's activator or caster level, you also determine its cybernetic and magical properties, as per an identify spell with a caster level equal to your class level. For items with both cybernetic and magical properties, use the the higher of the two DCs. If you fail, you cannot retry this check on the same object until you gain a new cyberneticist level.

Attachment Focus (Ex): Starting at 2nd level, you grant a +1 enhancement bonus to the energy capacity of your energy receptacles that are attached to any of your sockets. Beginning at 15th level, this bonus increases to +2 for any energy receptacle attached to at least two of your sockets.

Socket Attachments: Beginning at 2nd level, you can attach active modules to the sockets that you have available. The number of socket attachments that you can have in effect at any one time depends on your level (see the Socket Attachments column in the table above). At 2nd level, you gain access to your Least sockets, allowing you to attach modules to them. At 6th level, you gain access to your Lesser sockets. At 11th level, you gain access to your Greater sockets. At 16th level, you gain access to your Core socket.

Reattach Module (Su): Once per day, starting at 3rd level, you may detach one of your modules from a socket to which it is attached and attach any module that you have active to a socket (either the same or another socket). The socket attachments must be valid, as if attaching modules normally. Using this ability is a standard action. You can use this ability one additional time each day for every 5 cyberneticist levels you have beyond 3rd.

Reverse Engineering (Ex): At 3rd level, and once more every 4 levels thereafter, you can permanently add any one module to your cyberneticist module list, even if that module is not normally on any class module list. This does allow you to activate more modules than normal. It only increases the options you have when activating modules.

Protected Modules (Ex): Your technical skill and custom modifications provide resistance against effects that would disrupt your modules' functions. At 4th level, your modules gain a resistance bonus equal to your Intelligence modifier to their activator level to resist being suppressed.

Extra Attachment (Ex): Starting at 5th level, your modules can be attached to multiple sockets. At 5th level, each of your modules can be attached to up to 2 sockets at once, granting the benefits for each. Each additional attachment this way counts against your total socket attachments, as normal. At 14th level, your modules can each be attached to up to 3 sockets at once.

Repurpose Module (Su): As your cybernetic skill advances, you learn to jury-rig modules in the field using parts of other active modules. Once per day, starting at 8th level, you may deactivate one of your active cyberneticist modules and activate another module in its place. The newly activated module must be a module you could activate normally, and you can attach it to some number of sockets as though attaching modules normally, up to the number of attachments the deactivated module had. Using this ability is a standard action. You can use this ability one additional time each day for every 4 cyberneticist levels you have beyond 8th.

You may also spend a use of reattach module when you use this ability. If you do, you can make socket attachments from other modules you have active instead of only the module you have newly activated. The total number of socket attachments you make this way is still limited to the number of attachments the deactivated module had.

Improved Energy Capacity (Ex): Beginning at 9th level, your energy capacity is 1 higher than normal for your level. This affects the energy capacity of receptacles that use your energy capacity as their own, such as modules and Systems, but not those that have a fixed energy capacity, such as modules activated through a device.

This ability stacks with the effects of attachment focus and similar abilities.

Expanded Sockets (Ex): Beginning at 10th level, each of your sockets can accommodate up to 1 additional attachment at once, for a total of 2. At 16th level, this improved to 2 additional attachments, for a total of 3 attachments to any socket.

Shielded Modules (Ex): Starting at 14th level, your modules become so advanced as to even function inside an anti-magic field. You can attempt a DC 15 Will save each round to maintain the function of your active modules inside an anti-magic field, a dead magic zone, or a similar area wherein magic does not function. The save DC increases by +2 each round, and you may not make subsequent Will saves if you fail until your modules have been reactivated by leaving the field. Other magic items and supernatural abilities are still suppressed as normal.

Cybernetic Apotheosis (Su): At 20th level, your mastery of cybernetics reaches its peak. Once per day as a free action, you can activate this ability. For a number of minutes equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1), all of your active modules are considered to be attached to all of your accessible sockets at once, regardless of your, your modules', and your sockets' normal limit of concurrent attachments.