…long live Techmaturgy!!!
Yes, the Techmaturge class has been removed from Runarcana, but don’t despair, follow the reasons here and understand how this doesn’t have much of a real impact and how easy it is to convert your character from the Techmaturge class to any other class and maintain not only the same characteristics, but better mechanical functioning.
Benefits:
Below are the benefits of this change:
- Devices are no longer exclusive and artificially locked to a class;
The Techmaturge was originally created to fill a space for “equipment creators” to reflect the Runeterran aspect of this, which is very common in Piltover and Zaun. Since every class needs to have at least one resource that is unique, or that sets it apart from the others, devices were this “unique characteristic”.
In this way, every “Invention” had to be classified as a Device or another category, meaning that only the Techmaturge could use devices through the “Energy” characteristic, which ended up being a forced limitation on the interaction with these items.
- One less class to balance;
During its development, Runarcana sought to balance classes so that any of them could be functional within a campaign. Over time, even if indirectly, the system was modeled to understand classes not as professions, but rather “how you fight”.
An additional class considerably increases the work of balancing for combat, in many cases doing exactly what other classes do without it being interesting to use it because it has other resources that make this balance make sense.
- The Inventor idea or “Theme” can be applied to any class;
Since the class primarily reflects “how someone fights”, the space for their professional activities beyond interests opens up to several possibilities. A soldier may be interested in cartography while a student of the Arcane may very well practice forging.
The inventor is the one who uses the resources at his disposal and creates creations to solve problems by combining techniques from different disciplines, such as techmaturgy, which is the union of magical technology with other technology such as gears, gunpowder, or even forging.
- Tecmaturgy becomes part of the scenario in a non-exclusive way, and can be explored by other classes;
No longer tied to a single class, a techmaturge can be an Arcane, a Marksman, a Hunter, or a Mercurial, as long as this character is interested in and has developed activities in the field of techmaturgy, which includes but is not limited to hextech.
Instead of locking up inventions and separating them into devices, gadgets, and other names that help with this artificial separation, all classes can use this equipment. Typically, what differentiates a techmaturgic item from a “magic item” is the need for energy sources for techmaturgic items.
- Given the latest Lore updates, it makes more sense within the magical landscape of Runeterra.
There are many ways to combine technology with magic, with hextech being just one form of techmaturgy that we see in the Runeterra setting. As such, the expansion of what exactly techmaturgy is and how it relates to a class is not something that is limited to an artificial resource.
Techmaturgy can emerge in any region, using existing magical resources to create new solutions, with hextech being just one among many other possibilities.
Techmaturgy
Chapter 11: Techmaturgy appears, which contains texts on general techmaturgy, an explanation of the techmaturgies of each region (from the current Techmaturgist) + examples from the series of articles on the Runarcana blog. See the Variant Heritage Technological Progression, which already presents important aspects of this development.
Although techmaturgy seems at first glance to be something exclusive to Piltover and Zaun, only Hextech techmaturgy is in some way exclusive, with it existing in all regions through different thematic forms. In Piltover and Zaun, the difference is only how transformative they were in society.
Techmaturgy = Technology + Thaumaturgy, or even the creation of “miraculous” effects through the combination of technology and magic.
It is important to understand that, for an RPG table, the canonical and consolidated lore is just a basis for a new world to be created, where events are different and players can truly influence the world.
Always remember that the mechanical structure serves to enable characterizations, so although in some cases (such as in Techmaturgy) it seems that giving a greater scope is “taking away exclusivity”, it is worth remembering that the rules present how things can be done, and not whether they should be done or not.
Each RPG table has its own fantasy and its own way of interpreting the world of Runeterra or even a new world based on the premises of Runarcana. If a Freljord character at your table will not have access to techmaturgy, this does not mean that this resource should be removed from the system.
Class Features
- Reactor:
- Arcane – Can be replaced by any spellcasting class or subclass
- Crystalline – Combatant Guardian
- Metallic – Already a Combatant
- Liquid Metal -Marksman/Hunter
- Energy: Unnecessary resource, only creates more complications to give exclusivity to devices
- Devices: Become Techmaturge formulas
- Specialist: Possible to acquire via Heritages and/or Enhancements
- Apparitioner: Unnecessary and existed only to fill space
- Combat Style: Works better on other classes
- Techmaturgical Aptitude: Again Heritages and/or Enhancements
- Reactor Emanation: The same as Reactors, class and subclass automatically supply
- Entropy: Energy Mechanics
- Indomitable Mind: Can become an enhancement or heritage
- Energy Conduction: Only exists to increase the artificial limit of Devices
- Vital Energy: Energy Mechanics
- Understanding Schemes: Classes already have similar resources
- Deus Ex Machina: Again reactor
Devices
All are converted to formulas and cease to be exclusive to a class, becoming “Techmaturgical devices” aligned with the techmaturgy of each region in question, aesthetically and mechanically, which can be acquired, built, etc.
The Device improvements will be converted into modifications of the formulas in question. Since the number of formulas received is already substantial, this does not entail any loss.
- Needler: A “firearm” with modifications and enhancements
- Elixir Gun: A firearm with modifications and enhancements
- Technomancer Staff: An arcane focus
- Owl Drone: A utility weapon similar to a familiar
- Pneumatic Aegis: A shield
- Electromagnetic Propulsion Rod: Hammer Bayonet + Firearm
- Ignium: An “improved” flamethrower
- Projectile Radiator: A quiver
- Mecha: Armor
- Magnetic Harbinger: Heimer’s Turrets, bad mechanics for RPG
- Synaptic Reading Bracelet: Oriana’s Ball
- Explosive Transducer: Grenades + explosion control
- Vibrum: An “improved” melee weapon
Conclusion
As you can see, the Techmaturge had an interesting theme and had a lot of synergy with Runeterra, but as a class, it became completely redundant, especially after the new Craft rules, which made the old Inventor the new Techmaturge. The class may have been disbanded, but as a craft it remains even greater than before.
Everything the old Techmaturge did can be done better by other classes, keeping the technological theme but expanding it so that it works in all regions with the most different visions and sources of magic that exist.
Check out the Techmaturge chapter, in Runarcana, to see the immense possibilities that open up with this system change!
EN 
BR