After a nice little vacation, I'm back with another build! This came from a request on the server and went through several iterations as I debated between staying true to the theme of a lot of guns or staying true to the effects that his guns produce. Ultimately, I went for the latter, but as a note, the inventor class with the gunslinger archetype works well for the latter. Going inventor allows Ratchet to reinvent his weapon each day with the weapon innovation, but it lacked some of the more extreme abilities that Ratchet's weapons could produce even in his original game. As always, this build is conceptualized entirely in a vacuum, with choices made in an attempt to fit the character. These choices might not hold up in a campaign with different themes and should be adjusted accordingly.
Let's get into the build for Ratchet from the Ratchet and Clank franchise!
RATCHET
CHARACTER Ratchet
SOURCE Ratchet and Clank
BUILD GOALS
o Ratchet is a lombax, an alien species of feline-like humanoids known for being renowned engineers, who was believed to be one of the last of his kind
o He grew up as an orphaned mechanic until he met the robot, Clank, who convinced him to join him on a quest to save multiple planets from Chairman Drek
o Ratchet wields the part-tool, part-weapon OmniWrench in combat and to overcome puzzles that he faces
o Ratchet is a wisecracking and thrill-seeking hero who often seeks to lighten the mood with jokes
o Despite a tendency to make jokes, Ratchet is dedicated to protecting the universe and is particularly fierce when it comes to defending his friends and homeworld
o He is a skilled mechanic, pilot, and combatant
o Outside of his basic ion blaster, Ratchet wields a large arsenal of weapons even in his first game
o The bomb glove is a gauntlet that tosses small explosives at moderate range
o Similar in design is the decoy glove though it is a more strategic weapon that creates a balloon decoy modeled after Ratchet to distract foes
o The devastator is a homing rocket launcher useful against armored targets though it isn’t as powerful as the R.Y.N.O., a rocket launcher that can fire multiple rockets per launch
o The drone device is a defensive weapon that launches drones to encircle Ratchet, absorbing incoming damage
o Another gauntlet weapon is the glove of doom, which disperses small androids known as Agents of Doom who run at targets before exploding. The mine glove is similar in that it creates mines that home in on foes
o The morph-o-ray fires a beam that converts enemies into chickens
o The pyrocitor is a simple flamethrower with a short range
o The suck cannon sucks up smaller enemies and converts them into explosive projectiles to be launched from it
o The tesla claw unleashes bolts of electricity that can arc between multiple targets when upgraded
o The visibomb gun is another type of rocket launcher that fires missiles that Ratchet can control the flight of
o Finally, the walloper is a melee weapon resembling a boxing glove that is more powerful but less versatile than his OmniWrench
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Nine Lives Catfolk
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Dexterity, +Charisma, +Intelligence, -Wisdom
o Ancestry Feat: Well-Met Traveler
o Skill Feat: Hobnobber
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (trained)
Background: Mechanic
o Ability Boosts: +Intelligence, +Strength
o Skill Increase: Crafting (trained), Engineering Lore (trained)
o Background Feat: Quick Repair
Class & Subclass: Universalist Wizard
o Class Ability Boost: +Intelligence
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Arcana (trained), Athletics (trained), Nature (trained), Society (trained), Stealth (trained), Thievery (trained)
o Arcane Thesis: Improved Familiar Attunement
o Class Feat: Hand of the Apprentice
o Spellbook: Cantrips – electric arc, produce flame, shield; 1st – burning hands, draw ire, magic missile
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 12, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 14)
Catfolk seems to be the best fit for Ratchet’s lombax species with the nine lives heritage meant to reflect on the ability to restart from a checkpoint in a video game. In his game, Ratchet visits a vast array of planets and interacts with a range of characters, so Well-Met Traveler fits well. Before going on his grand adventure, Ratchet was working as a mechanic, making that background a perfect fit. After considering several classes, wizard with their vast array of spells seemed the best way to achieve the effects of his firearms. In addition, it provides the Improved Familiar Attunement, which can be used to represent Clank. With that arcane thesis, Ratchet starts with a familiar that has three abilities, which can be put towards making Clank a clockwork familiar, fitting his robotic nature. With the Hand of the Apprentice class feat, Ratchet can throw his club, a stand-in for his wrench, akin to making a Comet-Strike.
Already with this first set of spells, Ratchet is able to replicate several weapons from his arsenal. Starting with just his cantrips, electric arc functions as the tesla claw and even resembles its upgraded version. Produce flame is meant to resemble the basic ion blaster whereas shield serves the purpose of his decoy device. The pyrocitor is covered by burning hands, R.Y.N.O. gets achieved earlier than expected with magic missile though you won’t be able to fire off 9 missiles until you’re at least level 9, and draw ire is a fantastic fit for the taunter, which wasn’t included in the write-up above as it seemed unlikely. Magic Missile also works for the visibomb gun, given that it is controlled movement of the missile.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Enhanced Familiar
o Skill Feat: Bon Mot
o Spellbook: 1st – summon construct
o Gear: everburning torch
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Toughness
o Skill Increase: Crafting (expert)
o Spellbook: 2nd – final sacrifice, mirror image
o Gear: +1 club, everburning torch, cloak of feline rest
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Spell Trickster Dedication, Barrier Shield, Forceful Push
o Skill Feat: Quick Jump
o Gear: staff of fire, +1 club, brooch of shielding, everburning torch
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str 12, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 19, Wis 10, Cha 16)
o Ancestry Feat: Cat’s Luck
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (expert)
o Spellbook: 3rd – fireball, lightning bolt
o Gear: +1 striking club, crafter’s eyepiece, staff of fire, brooch of shielding, everburning torch, cloak of feline rest
Numerous familiar abilities are gonna be required to fully capture the feel of Clank, such as Speech and Manual Dexterity, and to ensure that he has those abilities while still providing some benefit to Ratchet, Enhanced Familiar gets some extra abilities. The Spell Trickster Dedication provides some handy modifications of spells that Ratchet will pick up down the line. Given his penchant for wisecracks and sarcasm, Bon Mot feels a good fit and Quick Jump is going to play into something further down the line. Toughness is mainly to offset the low HP of wizards, but many of the ancestry feats don’t exactly fit Ratchet, leading to choices that are good rather than that fit the character. The glove of doom requires two spells to pull off – starting with summon construct, which could be learned earlier, and then applying final sacrifice to your minions. Another of the glove weapons, the decoy glove, is achieved through mirror image and enhanced down the line with a feat from the Spell Trickster Dedication. Given that the devastator fires a single missile that explodes, fireball felt a better fit for it whereas lightning bolt is another means of achieving the effects of an upgraded tesla claw.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Confounding Image
o Skill Feat: Magical Crafting
o Spellbook: 3rd – glyph of warding
o Gear: +1 explorer’s clothing, +1 striking club, wand of widening (1st-level), staff of fire, brooch of shielding, hand of the mage
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Crafting (master)
o Gear: endless grimoire, +1 explorer’s clothing, wand of manifold missiles (1st-level), +1 striking club, crafter’s eyepiece, backfire mantle
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Universal Versatility
o Skill Feat: Inventor
o Gear: necklace of fireballs II, endless grimoire, staff of evocation, +1 explorer’s clothing, +1 striking club, wand of widening (1st-level)
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Expanded Luck
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (master)
o Spellbook: 5th – forceful hand
o Gear: +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, bag of holding (type II), necklace of fireballs II, endless grimoire, wand of manifold missiles (1st-level), +1 striking club
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 12, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 18)
o Class Feat: Overwhelming Energy
o Skill Feat: Cat Fall
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (trained)
o Gear: wand of manifold missiles (3rd-level), +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of crackling lightning (3rd-level), necklace of fireballs II, endless grimoire, +1 striking club
Confounding Image works well with mirror image to more accurately achieve the effects of his decoy glove. The mimicry of most of Ratchet’s abilities, in this case his arsenal of weapons, is achieved with spells rather than feats, meaning his choices for such are rather open. With Universal Versatility, Ratchet can adapt to whichever type of spells he feels like casting that day. Overwhelming Energy is a metamagic feat that will allow him to focus on dealing damage with his weapons even when foes would be resistant to such effects, expanding his usage of spells that specifically emulate his armaments. Magical Crafting and Inventor dive into Ratchet’s role as a mechanic and engineer, allowing him to upgrade his or his allies’ weapons. Cat Fall is mainly for the pun – which is probably the same reason it last ended up on one of these builds. Expanded Luck serves to simply increase Ratchet’s ability of his ancestry feat. As for spells in this block, there’s glyph of warding to achieve the mine-like effect of the bomb glove while forceful hand somewhat manages the effects of the walloper and is the closest the build gets to its effect, especially as it is heightened.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Incredible Initiative
o Skill Increase: Athletics (expert)
o Spellbook: 6th – baleful polymorph
o Gear: +2 striking club, horn of blasting, wand of manifold missiles (3rd-level), +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, bag of holding (type II), necklace of fireballs II
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Quickened Casting
o Skill Feat: Glad-Hand
o Gear: +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, +2 striking club, book of lingering blaze, wand of manifold missiles (3rd-level), wand of crackling lightning (3rd-level), wand of smoldering fireballs (3rd-level)
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Black Cat Curse
o Skill Increase: Athletics (master)
o Gear: +2 greater striking club, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, greater crafter’s eyepiece, book of lingering blaze, horn of blasting, wand of manifold missiles (3rd-level)
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Bonded Focus
o Skill Feat: Wall Jump
o Gear: wand of manifold missiles (5th-level), +2 greater striking club, major staff of fire, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, book of lingering blaze, ring of wizardry (type II)
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 14, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 21, Wis 14, Cha 18)
o General Feat: A Home in Every Port
o Skill Increase: Crafting (legendary)
o Gear: +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, necklace of fireballs V, wand of manifold missiles (5th-level), +2 greater striking club, bag of holding (type III), greater crafter’s eyepiece
Ratchet’s attacks can come out at a rapid-fire pace, so Quickened Casting helps with capturing a bit of that feel while Bonded Focus is another feat that isn’t specifically reflective of anything specific about him, but it is handy. Ratchet is often trusted to save a population only moments after landing, fitting Glad-Hand, and he also demonstrates the ability to leap between walls to get to higher positions, which is exactly what Wall Jump is for. A Home in Every Port further players into the way he is welcomed to other planets and Incredible Initiative lets him get a jump on enemies. The only spell that stands out during this block is baleful polymorph to resemble his morph-o-ray.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Detonating Spell
o Skill Feat: Craft Anything
o Gear: necklace of fireballs VI, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, major endless grimoire, wand of manifold missiles (5th-level), +2 greater striking club, ring of wizardry (type III)
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Reliable Luck
o Skill Increase: Society (expert)
o Spellbook: 9th – meteor swarm
o Gear: +3 greater striking club, shock weapon rune, necklace of fireballs VI, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, necklace of fireballs V, wand of manifold missiles (5th-level)
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Bond Conservation
o Skill Feat: Shameless Request
o Gear: diadem of intellect, +3 greater striking club, staff of power, necklace of fireballs VI, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, major endless grimoire
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Incredible Investiture
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (legendary)
o Gear: +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, diadem of intellect, wand of manifold missiles (7th-level), +3 greater striking club, shock weapon rune, necklace of fireballs VI
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Wisdom (Str 14, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 22, Wis 16, Cha 18)
o Class Feat: Archwizard’s Might
o Skill Feat: Powerful Leap
o Skill Increase: Occultism (trained)
o Gear: +3 major striking club, +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, archivist’s gaze, wand of manifold missiles (7th-level), wand of smoldering fireballs (7th-level), staff of power
Detonating Spell plays into some of the explosive properties Ratchet’s weapons demonstrate, but Bond Conservation and Archwizard’s Might are just generally good feats. Craft Anything works for Ratchet’s talent with building and modifying gear. Shameless Request is solely reflective of, well, Ratchet’s general lack of shame. In these final levels, the only spell of note is meteor swarm as another way to capture the feel of the R.Y.N.O., particularly the bigger bang of it.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: This build can be accomplished sans archetypes, but a good option if you’re going that route would be the Inventor Dedication, likely with a weapon innovation for his wrench. Appropriate feats from the archetype are Brilliant Crafter to free up his skill increases, Basic Breakthrough for Built-In Tools to represent the fact that his OmniWrench is tool and weapon in one, and Basic Modification to pick up complex simplicity to enhance its damage. Another good archetype, at least for flavor purposes, is the Gunslinger Dedication, especially with Firearm Expert raising his proficiency with his firearms to be equal to that of any other weapons he would wield. Figuring out what gunslinger way works best for him is a little difficult, but pistolero at least takes advantage of his investment in Diplomacy. Naturally, if going this route, any feats that enhanced his action economy and reloading are going to be big.
BUILD CONCLUSION
This build works more to achieve the varied effects of Ratchet’s arsenal rather than his specific wielding of firearms. The wizard class and its array of spells are the best way to achieve the effects of his arsenal and his arcane thesis gives him access to a clockwork familiar that works well to represent his faithful pal, Clank. The catfolk ancestry works well to represent his lombax race, at least thematically, as the ancestry feats they offer don’t quite fit. There aren’t many weapons that fit the concept of his OmniWrench, but with a club, he can use hand of the apprentice to toss his weapon as though performing a Comet-Strike. His wisecracking is covered by his investment in Diplomacy and specifically the Bon Mot feat and his escapades across the universe make A Home in Every Port feel appropriate. As for Ratchet’s vast arsenal, glyph of warding functions as the bomb glove, mirror image with Confounding Image fills in the feel of the decoy glove, fireball works for the devastator, and magic missile or meteor swarm work for the multi-missile massacre delivered by the R.Y.N.O though the former could also work for the visibomb gun. The closest thing to the drone device is the shield cantrip, but the glove of doom is only accomplished through summon construct and final sacrifice. An early burning hands gets some use as Ratchet’s pyrocitor, and either electric arc or lightning bolt capture the effect and feeling of his tesla claw. The strange power of the morph-o-ray is achieved with baleful polymorph and rounding out his weapons is forceful hand to make do for the walloper. The only weapon that couldn’t be created with the use of spells is the suck cannon.
Be sure to lemme know what you think of the build and who else you might like to see!
If you want to join in on the discussion of these builds and the ones I do for monsters or just hang out with a bunch of fellow TTRPG nerds, check out the Discord server. We also have a Twitter where we try to post teasers for the blog and are trying to get some milestones made up for. Next week is a build for a pair of characters who are equal parts holy and profane.
Until then, have a fantastic Friday!
Comments