I don't understand Tinker Methodologies

[Swordstire]

Are they not locked in, like specializations?

I ask this because of Armsmaster. Judging by his dual specialization: Efficiency and Miniaturization, I first assumed that he was a Binary/Multiheaded and Focal Tinker focused on his Halberd(™). But I found out he was actually a Gentleman Tinker (Focal and Liberty). But in the Tinkers 2.0 Doc page, he is also mentioned in the Combat and Magi Methodology.

So are Tinkers just not stuck in their staring methodologies, and can shift into others with some effort, or is this freedom available to Armsmaster by being a Liberty Tinker, and or because of his collaborations with Dragon who is a Freewheel Tinker (Liberty and Free). I know that Liberty Tinkers are allowed to break a specific rule that Tinkers have, but I assumed that was applied to him having two, arguably three specializations: Efficiency and Miniaturization, (and Hybridization). I supposed it could also be the dramatic shift that Liberty Tinkers are supposed to have, but something like that would be in the beginning of his career not the middle.

I know that there ARE examples of Tinkers changing Methodologies in Bonesaw and Mannequin. But for the first (Bonesaw) I assume it was through a Second Trigger or Jack's power making her Shard do it. As for the second (Mannequin) it has been stated that he should be treated as a separate entity from Sphere. More of a creation by Sphere than Sphere himself.

I supposed it could have been caused by him reaching his Sechen Range. When he moved to Brockton for work and severing ties and connections during the Endbringer battle or after he took on a new persona as Defiant after meeting Mannequin.

Or I could just be looking too much into this and Wildbow just wanted to use his tech as examples for Combat and Magi Tinkers and Armsmaster actually isn't those Sub-types, he just creates stuff that could qualify him as those. Because how do you move away from being a Multi Personality Tinker, does Kid Win just have to GIT GUD and not be a Mastermind Tinker, or is someone just telling him his specialization what shifts him from being a Mastermind to something else.

_____

In the topic of Tinker Methodology.

Are all Tinkers supposed to have 2 Methodologies, because in the Tinkers 2.0 Doc, it makes you pick two Methodologies. Or is the Google Doc just set up like that because the characters we are supposed to be creating aren't meant to be no-named Tinker 2-4 background nobodies?

Tinkers like Bakuda are labeled as Chaos Tinkers in the wiki and fandom page, but Armsmaster is also labeled a Focal Tinker and we know that he isn't just one, he is a (Focal x Liberty) Tinker.

I know that people don't really care much about Tinker Sub-types and that the class of Parahumans has been revamped and that a whole sub-type the Limit Tinker has been removed and merged into other sub-types like Hyperspecialist, Multiheaded, and Liberty. So the information in those sites might be outdated and in the beginning lines is even stated to may not be canon. But it makes me wonder if all Tinkers actually do have two Methodologies. Because there seems to be some separation between a Control Tinker and a Control x Control Tinker. Then again it could just be outdated and all Tinker with one Methodology is just a _ x _ Tinker, like Bakuda might be a Field Test Tinker (Chaos x Chaos) Tinker.

 

[Soupervan]

Tinker specialities should be locked in but they can be broader than they first appear, while Armsmaster focuses on his weapon of choice his specialization isn't for his weapon but in minuturization and efficency, in canon he not only built his halberd but also his own suit of power armor and also things like a predictive combat computer with Dragon's help- did shitty against Leviathan and he got so wrecked that he got the stick beaten out of his arse but he still built the thing.

Additionally for the sake of fanfiction powers are technically living entities and at least some of their limitiations may be self imposed therefore if a shard comes to like a host or just wants to see what they'll do with more powah they may be able to. Of course the opposite is also true, if a Shard decides the host is unsuited... well, there's a fanon theory that's often seen in fanfiction with Leet's shard trying to kill the guy hence why all his stuff gets fried and it's not a limitiation inherent in his power.

Oh, and don't forget about second triggers, extremely rare but always possible- though with rules from Scion that might only be at times of stress related to their OG trigger for capes not juicing out of vials- and expand their tinker's database with whatever else they had avaiable or whatever the story calls for.