Alternate Artificer v2.0.1
A gnome sits hunched over a workbench in a room cluttered with every sort of tool, carefully drawing the final lines to an intricate rune. With a crackling hum of arcane energy, the completed rune flares with power, and she watches with a smile of pride as the golem comes to life and stands.
A troll growls in hunger as it looms over a dwarf, who slides a long, metal tube from a holster at his belt. With a thundering boom, a gout of energy erupts from the tube, and the troll's growls turn into shrieks of panic as it turns to flee.
With a thunderous crash of energy a figure lands in the middle of the battlefield. As the smoke clears, a towering presence stands amidst the war-torn battlefield clad in glowing mechanical platemail. The glowing visor swivels to inspect the wreckage. It raises a gauntlet, and lightning crackles forth.
Makers of magic-infused objects, artificers are defined by their inventive nature. Like wizards, they see magic as a complex system waiting to be decoded and controlled through a combination of thorough study and investigation.
Artificers, though, focus on creating marvelous new magical objects. Spells are often too ephemeral and temporary for their tastes. Instead, they seek to craft durable, useful items.
Cunning Inventors
Every artificer is defined by a specific craft. Artificers see mastering the basic methods of a craft as the first step to true progress, the invention of new methods and approaches. Artificers are arcane engineers, students of invention and warfare who craft deadly firearms, ingenious gadgets, magical armor, and mechanical beings that they can augment with magic.
All artificers are united by their curious and inventive nature. To an artificer, magic is an evolving art with a leading edge of discovery and mastery that pushes further ahead with each passing year. Artificers value novelty and discovery. This penchant pushes them to seek a life of adventure.
A hidden ruin might hold a forgotten magic item or a beautifully crafted mirror perfect for magical enhancement. Artificers win respect and renown among their kind by uncovering new lore or inventing new methods of creation.
Intense Rivalries
The artificers’ drive to invent and expand their knowledge creates an intense drive to uncover new magic discoveries. An artificer who hears news of a newly discovered magic item must act fast to get it before any rivals do. Good-aligned artificers recover items on adventures or offer gold or wondrous items to those who possess items they are keen to own. Evil ones have no problem committing crimes to claim what they want.
Almost every artificer has at least one rival, someone whom they seek to outdo at every turn. By the same token, artificers with similar philosophies and theories band together into loose guilds. They share their discoveries and work together to verify their theories and keep ahead of their rivals.
The Artificer
Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features | Spells Known |
1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Upgrades |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | +2 | Artificer Specialization, Magic Item Analysis | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2nd | +2 | Spellcasting, Tool Expertise | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
3rd | +2 | Artificer Specialist Feature, Specialization Upgrade | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 1 |
5th | +3 | Artificer Specialist Feature | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | 2 |
6th | +3 | Arcane Reconstruction, Cross Disciplinary Knowledge | 5 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | 2 |
7th | +3 | Wondrous Item Proficiency | 6 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 |
8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 6 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 |
9th | +4 | ─ | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 4 |
10th | +4 | Improved Magical Crafting, Wondrous Item Recharge | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 4 |
11th | +4 | Study of Magic | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 5 |
12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 5 |
13th | +5 | ─ | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 6 |
14th | +5 | Artificer Specialist Feature | 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | 6 |
15th | +5 | ─ | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 7 |
16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 7 |
17th | +6 | ─ | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
18th | +6 | Wondrous Items Mastery | 11 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
20th | +6 | Peerless Inventor | 12 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 |
Creating an Artificer
When creating an artificer character, think about your character's background and drive for adventure. Does the character have a rival? What drove your character down the path of being an artificer? Is it about curiosity and invention, or about the power their inventions bring? Did you character learn from another artificer, or receive a vision or flash of inspiration to learn their craft?
Consider how your character interacts with the world, and what they represent. Consult with your DM regarding guilds or societies your character might belong to.
Quick Build
You can make an artificer quickly by following these suggestions. For the Gadgetsmith or Thundersmith paths, make your highest attribute Dexterity, followed by Intelligence. For Golemsmith, Infusionsmith, or Potionsmith, Intelligence followed by Constitution or Dexterity, and for Warsmith or Fleshsmith, choose either Strength or Intelligence, with Constitution as your second highest attribute. Second, choose the Guild Artisan background.
Class Features
- Hit Dice: 1d8 per artificer level
- Hit Points at 1st: Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per artificer level after 1st
Proficiencies
- Armor: Light armor, medium armor
- Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, heavy crossbows.
- Tools: Thieves’ tools, one other tool of your choice
- Saving Throws: Constitution, Intelligence
- Skills: Choose three from Arcana, Deception, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Religion, Sleight of Hand
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) a light crossbow and quiver of 20 bolts or (b) any two simple weapons.
- (a) scale mail, (b) leather armor, or (c) chain mail.
- thieves’ tools and a dungeoneer’s pack
Artificer Specialization
At 1st level, you focus your craft on a particular specialization: Gadgetsmith, Golemsmith, Infusionsmith, Potionsmith, Thundersmith, Warsmith or Fleshsmith, each of which are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 3rd, 5th, and 14th level.
Magic Item Analysis
Starting at 1st level, your understanding of magic items allows you to analyze and understand their secrets. You know the artificer spells detect magic and identify, and you can cast them as rituals without material components.
Tool Expertise
Starting at 2nd level, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses any of the tool proficiencies you gain from this class.
Spellcasting
As part of your study of magic, you gain the ability to cast spells at 2nd level. The spells you learn are limited in scope, primarily concerned with modifying creatures and objects or creating items.
Spell Slots
The artificer table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your artificer spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of your Artificer spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know three 1st-level spells of your choice from the artificer spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Artificer table shows when you learn more Artificer spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the Artificer spells you know and replace it with another spell from the Artificer spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.
Spellcasting Focus
You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your artificer spells. See chapter 5, "Equipment" in the Player’s Handbook for various arcane focus options.
Artificer's Spell Casting
An Artificer is fundamentally someone that understands and regularly interacts with magic, leading to the ability to apply this knowledge as spell casters, but how you want to approach your Artificer's spell casting is up to you.
While the Focuses listed in Chapter 5 "Equipment" are certainly functional options, feel free to explore other approaches in coordination with your DM. From a functional standpoint, the only requirement would be that you have a defined material or focus for the spell.
Consider for some spells that perhaps your Artisan's Tools are your focus, or perhaps a specific item you've made is your material component for a spell. Perhaps instead of a "Component Pouch" that simply contains all the material components you could need for your spells, you have an "Artificer's Toolbelt" that contains the various spellcasting assistance contraptions you've made to cast your spells. For the purposes of mechanics, the only thing that matters is that if functions the same way, and is used consistently.
Specialization Upgrade
Your expert craftsmanship allows you to improve, modify, or add to your specialization's features..
Starting at 3rd level, choose an upgrade from the list at the end of your specialization, and gain the benefits listed in the description of the Upgrade.
You select an additional Upgrade at 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th level. You cannot select an Upgrade more than once, unless the Upgrade's description says otherwise. Whenever you level up, you can exchange one of your existing upgrades for another upgrade of the same level requirement as the replaced upgrade.
In any case that a specialization allows an Upgrade to be swapped out, Upgrades must always be selected as if the Artificer is the level they were when they got that Upgrade slot. For example, if you replace your Stormforged Weapon and reselect all of your upgrades as a 5th level Artificer, you could select one 3rd level upgrade and one 5th level upgrade, or two 3rd level upgrades, but you would not be able to select two 5th level upgrades.
Customizing Artificer Upgrades
The upgrades for each Artificer Specialization are presented in a list at the end of the Specialization, but invariably there will always be ideas for upgrades not included in that list. At the heart of an Artificer beats an unrelenting drive for creativity, after all! Feel free to consult your DM for potential custom upgrades.
Consult the Expanded Toolbox more ideas and playtesting content.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Arcane Reconstruction
At 6th level, you have mastered the knowledge of using magic to repair things. You learn the mending cantrip, and can cast it at will. Additionally, you learn the cure wounds spell. If you already know cure wounds you can select another spell from the Artificer spell list. When you cast cure wounds, it can heal constructs in addition to normally valid targets.
Cross Disciplinary Knowledge
At 6th level, you can expand on your knowledge across fields. You can craft one of the following: a Thundersmith's Stormforged Weapon, an Infusionsmith's Animated Weapon, Blasting Rod, or Infused Weapon, a Potionsmith's Alchemical Reagent Pouch and Alchemical Fire or Alchemical Acid, or an Unrestricted Gadgetsmith Upgrade.
If you select a Stormforged Weapon, you gain proficiency with that weapon and knowledge of how to make ammunition for it (if required). You cannot apply Infused Weapon to another weapon granted by this class.
If this selection is lost or destroyed, you can remake it following the rules for remaking the select item in subclass.
Wondrous Items Proficiency
At 7th level, your familiarity with the workings of magical items means that you can ignore class based restrictions on attuning to magical items.
Additionally, you can now attune to 4 magical items at once.
Improved Magical Crafting
At 10th level, your experience in creating your own wondrous invention makes you more adept at crafting a magic item than a normal spellcaster. Creating a magic item takes you half the time it would normally take.
Additionally, you can make 1 hour of progress toward crafting a magic item, scroll, or potion during a long rest.
Wondrous Item Recharge
Starting at 10th level, you can recharge a magic item that has charges or per rest uses, as long as those charges or uses can only be used to cast spells. To restore charges or uses, you perform a ritual that takes one minute and expends a spell slot of equal or higher level than a spell slot level of a spell cast by the item.
The number of charges or uses restored to the item is equal to the number of charges or uses required to cast that spell using the item once.
Study of Magic
At 11th level, your proficiency in the workings of magic has become so great you can cast detect magic and identify at will without expending a spell slot.
Additionally, you have advantage on all Intelligence (Arcana) checks to understand the workings of magical traps, effects, or runes.
Wondrous Item Mastery
Starting at 18th level you can activate a magic item that would normally take an action as a bonus action instead.
Additionally, you can attune to 5 magical items at a time.
Peerless Inventor
At 20th level, your mind is always thinking of new options and clever solutions. You can select and create temporary version of an Upgrade from your subclass you are qualified to take but do not have with a level requirement of 11th level or lower as an action. You have this upgrade until you complete a short rest. You cannot select another temporary Upgrade in this fashion until you complete a short or long rest.
Magical or Mechanical?
One of the core debates that arises around an Artificer is if they are a "Magical Engineer" or what a magical engineer would even mean. Do they tinker with mechanics and gears or with magic and runes? The answer is, of course, whatever suits your world, game, and the vision of the player.
Gadgetsmith
A Gadgetsmith is an Artificer whose curiosity and inventive genius have run rampant. While other Artificers may spend their whole career perfecting a single-minded pursuit, a Gadgetsmith believes that quantity is at least as good as quality.
Quick footed and quicker witted, a Gadgetsmith is never caught without another trick up their sleeve. Their minds are always jumping ahead to solve the next problem with a clever gadget.
A Gadgetsmith can come from any walk of life, but usually exemplifies a curiosity and distaste for the suppression of knowledge or technology, usually favoring freedom to experiment, leaning toward more Chaotic behaviors.
Gadgetsmith's Proficiency
When you choose this specialization at 1st level, you gain proficiency with nets, rapiers, whips, and tinker's tools.
Essential Tools
At 1st level, you've mastered the creation of the essential reusable tools for surviving the battlefield as a gadgeeter. You have the following items:
- Grappling Hook. As an attack or as an action, you may target a surface, object or creature within 20 feet. If the target is Small or Smaller, you can make a Strength (Athletics) grappling check to pull it to you and grapple it. Alternatively, if the target is Medium or larger, you can choose to be pulled to it, however, this does not grapple it.
- Smoke Bomb. As an action, you can use this to cast fog cloud centered on yourself without expending a spell slot. It lasts a number of rounds equal to your intelligence modifier and does not require concentration.
- Gadgetsmith Weapon. Pick one of Boomerang of Hitting, Impact Gauntlets, Lightning Baton, Repeating Crossbow, or Shock Generator from the upgrade section. You receive this upgrade and it does not count against your upgrade total.
Unlimited Smoke Bombs?
If you or your DM is concerned about the unlimited use of Smoke Bombs, consider adding a Proficiency Modifier number of uses per short rest. This should not mechanically impact their usage, but the reason they do not have the limit is to encourage players to feel free to use them in non-combat situations. With limits, even ones that are not usually hit, players tend to treat their Smoke Bomb as exclusively a combat feature.
Additional Upgrade
At 3rd level, you've mastered the essential tools, and have begun to tinker with ways to expand your arsenal. The number of upgrades you have for your class level is increased by one.
The number of additional upgrades you get increases by one more at 5th level to two more than the class table.
Recycle Gadgets
Starting at 3rd level, during a long rest and taking effect when you complete it, you can disassemble your gadgets and create different ones. When you do this, remove any upgrade you would like, and pick a new upgrade its place.
You still must select upgrades that are valid for the level you gained the upgrade at (e.g. at 9th level, you can only have one upgrade that has a prerequisite of 9th level).
Additionally, if a gadget is destroyed, you can use this feature to recreate it for materials worth 20 gold pieces.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Combat Gadgets
Beginning at the 14th level, when you take the Attack action, you can replace an attack with using any gadget that requires an action to use.
Gadgetsmith Upgrades
Unrestricted Upgrades
Airburst Mine
You create a mechanical device capable of producing a devastating blast. You can use this device to cast shatter or thunderburst mine without expending a spell slot. Once used, the gadget cannot be used again until you complete a short or long rest.
Boomerang of Hitting
You create a magical boomerang. You have proficiency in this weapon, and it has the Finesse, Thrown (30/90), and Special properties, and deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage. At level 5, this weapon gains a +1 to attack and damage rolls; this increases to a +2 at level 14.
Special: When this weapon is Thrown, you can target two creatures within 10 feet of each other, making a separate attack roll against each target.
This weapon returns to your hand after you make an attack with it using the Thrown property.
Belt of Adjusting Size
You create a belt with a creature size dial on it. While you are wearing this belt, you can use an action to cast Enlarge/Reduce on yourself. Once you use this gadget, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Element Eater
You create a device capable of absorbing incoming elemental damage. You can activate this device and cast absorb elements without expending a spell slot, but the gadget cannot be used again until you complete a short or long rest.
Enhanced Grappling Hook
You enhance your grappling hook, increasing its range to 30 feet. Additionally, the enhanced power of the grappling hook means that when pulling yourself to a larger or larger creature or object, you can drag one medium or smaller willing or grappled creature within 5 feet of you with you.
Fire Spitter
You create a gadget that creates a quick blast of fire. As an action, you can cast Aganazzar's Scorcher with this gadget without expending a spell slot, but the gadget cannot be used again until you complete a short or long rest.
Flashbang
You create a high luminary discharge device. As an action, you can target a point within 30 feet. Any creature within 20 feet of the targeted point must make a Dexterity saving throw or be blinded until the end of its next turn. Once you use this gadget, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Gravity Switch
You build a switch that turns off gravity. You can use it to cast fallArtificer without expending a spell slot. Once you this gadget, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Impact Gauntlet
You create a magic weapon capable of amplifying the impact of your blows. You have proficiency in this weapon, and it has the Finesse, Light and Special properties. It deals 1d8 bludgeoning damage. At level 5, this weapon gains a +1 to attack and damage rolls; this increases to a +2 at level 14.
Special: When you make an attack roll, you can choose to forgo adding your Proficiency modifier to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you can add double your Proficiency modifier to the damage roll.
You can apply this upgrade up to 2 times, making a separate item each time.
Jumper Cable Prerequisite: Requires Shock Generator.
When you cast shocking grasp with your shock generator, you can add your Intelligence modifier to the damage dealt.
Additionally, you can make a DC 10 Intelligence (Medicine) to revive an unconscious companion. If you succeed this check, they regain consciousness with 1 hitpoint and a number of temporary hit points equal to your Artificer level, but they gain 1 level of exhaustion.
Lightning Baton
You create a baton that channels lightning, creating a magic weapon. You have proficiency in this weapon.
It has the Finesse and Light properties. It deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage and 1d4 lightning damage on hit. On an attack roll of 20 with this weapon, the target must succeed a Constitution saving throw against your Spell Save DC or become stunned until the start of your next turn. At level 5, this weapon gains a +1 to attack and damage rolls; this increases to a +2 at level 14.
You can apply this upgrade up to 2 times, making a separate item each time.
Mechanical Arm
You create a mechanical arm, giving an extra hand. This mechanical arm only functions while it is mounted on gear you are wearing, but can be operated mentally without the need for you hands. This mechanical arm can serve any function a normal hand could, such as holding things, making attacks, interacting with the environment, etc, but does not give you additional actions.
Mechanical Familiar
You can create the blueprint for a small mechanical creature. At the end of a long rest, you can choose to animate it, and cast find familiar. The familiar's type is Construct. This construct stays active until you deactivate it or it is destroyed. In either case, you can choose to reactivate it at the end of a long rest.
Jumping Boots
You modify your boots with arcane boosters. While wearing these boots, you are under the effects of the jump spell.
Net Launcher
You build a device capable of delivering nets to their targets more effectively. While you have this upgrade, nets have a range of 20/60 for you.
Repeating Hand Crossbow
You build an improved hand crossbow. You have proficiency in this weapon, and it has the Ammunition (range 30/120), Light, and Special properties and deals 1d6 piercing damage. At level 5, this weapon gains a +1 to attack and damage rolls; this increases to a +2 at level 14.
Special: This weapon does not require a free-hand to load, as it has a built in loader. Once per turn, when you take the Attack action with this weapon and have advantage on an attack, you can forgo advantage on an attack to make one additional weapon attack (also without advantage) with this weapon against the same target as a bonus action.
Shock Generator
You create a device capable of generating potent shocks. You can use this to cast shocking grasp . When you cast shocking grasp with this feature, you can use either your Dexterity or Intelligence modifier for the melee spell attack roll.
Shocking Hook Prerequisite: Requires Shock Generator
You can integrate your Shock Generator and your Grappling Hook. If the target of your Grappling Hook is a creature, you can cast shocking grasp using your Shock Generator on that creature as a bonus action when pulling it to you or being pulled to it.
Sight Lenses
You create a set of lenses you can integrate into a set of goggles, glasses, or other vision assistance that allow you to see through obscurement. You can see through fog, mist, smoke, clouds, and non-magical darkness as normal sight up to 15 feet.
Smoke Cloak
You create a cloak that causes you to blend in with smoke. When you start your turn lightly or heavily obscured by smoke, you are invisible until your turn ends, you cast a spell, make an attack, or damage an enemy.
Striding Boots
You modify your boots with amplified striding speed. While wearing these boots, you are under the effects of the longstrider spell.
5th Level Upgrades
Autonomous Crossbow
You modify a crossbow to be able to aim and fire and its own. As an action, you can deploy a tiny construct. Once deployed, the tiny construct can be fired as a bonus action making an attack from where it is deployed. You make a ranged spell attack, and if the attack hits it deals 1d6 + your intelligence modifier piercing damage. The construct becomes inactive after 1 minute has passed, or after it has fired 10 times.
Once you have activated it, you cannot activate it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Binding Rope
You create a rope that is capable of animating and binding a target. As an action, target a creature within 30 feet. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw against your Spell Save DC or become restrained until the end of your next turn. If you are currently grappling the target, it makes the Dexterity saving throw with disadvantage. The rope can only restrain one target a time.
Explosive Gauntlet Prerequisite: Impact Gauntlet
Your gauntlet's can exert massive kinetic force when striking. When you make an attack with your Impact Gauntlet, you can choose to move 10 feet in the opposite direction, or, as a bonus action, force the target to make a Strength saving throw or be knocked 10 feet backward.
You can expend an attack to use the movement effect of this gauntlet even if not attacking target.
Smoky Images
When you use a Smoke Bomb, you can use a bonus action to cast mirror image without expending a spell slot. Once you do this, you cannot do this again until you complete a short or long rest.
Vanishing Trick
When you use a Smoke Bomb you can cast misty step without expending a spell slot. Once you do this, you cannot do this again until you complete a short or long rest.
9th Level Upgrades
Arcane Nullifier
You make a device that nullifies the arcane through means you assure everyone else you understand. As an action, you can use this device to cast dispel magic without expending a spell slot.
Once you use this gadget, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
Phase Trinket
You create a magical stopwatch that manipulates ethereal magic. As an action, you can cast blink or dimension door using the Stopwatch without expending a spell slot.
Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Stinking Gas
You make a more potent compound for your Smoke Bomb. When you use a Smoke Bomb, you can choose to cast stinking cloud rather than fog cloud, following the same rules. You cannot cast stinking cloud in this way again until you complete a short or long rest.
Stopwatch Trinket
You create a magical stopwatch that manipulates time magic. As an action, you can cast haste or slow using the stopwatch without expending a Spell Slot.
Once you use this Upgrade, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
11th Level Upgrades
Crossbow Spider Prerequisite: Autonomous Crossbow
You upgrade your Autonmous Crossbow design to be mobile. When you use your bonus action to command it, you can move it up to 20 feet. It is under the effect of the spiderclimb spell and can skitter along and stand on any surface. You improve the central crossbow increasing its damage to 1d8 + your Intelligence modifier, and its firing capacity to 20 shots before it becomes inactive. Additionally, you make it sturdier, and it gains hit points equal to twice your Artificer level.
Flying Gadget.
You build a a device that allows you to fly, such as of deployable artificial wings. You can activate this device as a bonus action, or as a reaction to falling. Whatever form it takes, when activated it gives you a flying speed of 30 feet.
Lightning Generator Prerequisite: Requires Shock Generator
You upgrade your shock generator with additional lightning capabilities. You can cast lightning lure at-will using it, and can overload it to cast lightning bolt. Once you overload it, you cannot use it to cast lightning bolt again until you complete a short or long rest.
Additionally, when dealing Lightning damage during your turn, you can add your Intelligence modifier to one roll of the damage dealt.
Truesight Lenses. Prerequisite: Sight Lenses.
You upgrade and fine-tune your sight lenses, granting you Truesight up to 15 feet.
Useful Universal Key.
You create a Universal Key to obstacles, transmuting them into not-obstacles. As an action, you can apply this key to a surface to cast passwall without expending a spell slot.
Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
15th Level Upgrades
Bracers of Empowerment.
You create bracers that can empower you. You can use this to cast Tenser's transformation without expending a Spell Slot.
Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Bee Swarm Rockets.
You design a type of tiny firecracker-like device, which can release rockets in large numbers. You have a maximum number of rockets equal to your Artificer level. You can release between one and the number you have remaining as an action. Each rocket targets a point you can see within 40 feet. Creatures within 10 feet of a target point must make a dexterity saving throw. Creatures that fail take 2d6 fire damage per rocket that effects the area they are standing in, or half as much on a successful one.
You rebuild your stock to your maximum during a long rest.
Dimensional Toolbox
You build a toolbox, filling it the many ideas you've had and discarded, with the magical power of making those ideas reality when you need them most. As an action, you can withdraw an Unrestricted Upgrade (one with no level requirement) from the Gadgetsmith list. Gadgets withdrawn from the toolbox are fleeting, and disapear after one minute. Once you have drawn an upgrade from the toolbox, you cannot draw another upgrade from it until you complete a long rest.
Disintegration Ray.
You create a Disintegration Ray. You can use this to cast disintegration without expending a Spell Slot.
Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Golemsmith
A Golemsmith is an Artificer that has committed themselves to creating a true work of artifice, forging a golem. A painstaking life ambition, they plan and design meticulously, even if in practice sometimes compromises on materials must be made.
Why a Golemsmith embarks on the quest to forge this artificial construct of life can vary. For many it is the pure pursuit of forging the perfect creation, while for others, it is simply so they do not have to carry around their loot, or to have a loyal companion to count on at all times.
A Golemsmith is rarely chaotic, as they are people of great care and discipline; those that are not would not have succeeded where they have, but some have been set on their path by such events that might drive them to interact chaotically with society as a whole.
Golemsmith's Proficiency
When you choose this specialization at 1st level, you gain proficiency with smith's tools and tinker's tools.
Mechanical Golem
Starting at 1st level, you forge a mechanical golem to carry out your orders and protect you. The golem is under your control, and understands the languages you speak, but does not speak.
The Golem obeys your commands as best it can. On your turn, you can verbally command the construct where to move (no action required by you) and take an action, which requires your action to do. Additionally, you can use your reaction to direct it to take a reaction. The Golem acts on your commands during your turn. If you issue no action command to your Golem, it takes no actions.
Your Golem's Proficiency increases when yours does. If the golem is killed, it can be returned to life via normal means, such as with the revivify spell.
In addition, over the course of a long rest, you can repair a slain servant if you have access to its body. It returns to life with half (rounded down) its maximum hit point at the end of the rest during which you repaired it. If the servant is beyond recovery, you can reproduce the construct exactly as it was, with four days of work (eight hours each day) and 100 gp of raw materials.
Over the course of a short rest, you can restore hitpoints equal to your Intelligence modifier + your Artificer level to your golem, or repair it to full health during a long rest
The base statistics of your golem are as follows:
Golem
Medium Construct, unaligned
- Armor Class 14 (Natural Armor)
- Hit Points 5 + ([Golem's Constitution Modifier + 5] * Artificer Level)
- Speed 30ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 4 (-3) 5 (-3) 1 (-5)
- Damage Immunities poison, psychic
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned
- Senses passive perception 7
- Languages Understands creator’s languages, but cannot speak
Bound. The golem is magically bound to its creator. As long as the creator and it are on the same plane of existence, the creator can telepathically call the golem to travel to it, and the golem knows the distance and direction to its creator.
Golem Chassis
When you create your golem, you can add one prefix to its type in the form which basic chassis you use for golem. For example, if you select Warforged, your golem becomes a Warforged Golem, and gains the Warforged modifications to its base statistics.
Warforged
Your golem is roughly humanoid, and comes with the robust flexibility and options that this form provides. Its base strength becomes 16(+3) and it gains proficiency in shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons.
Its natural weapon is: Slam: +5 (Strength + Proficiency) to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 1d4 + 3 (Strength) bludgeoning damage.
Quadrupedal
Your golem takes on a quadrupedal design. Larger and more sturdy, it is more suitable to launch into the fray or carry its creator. Its base size becomes large, its base strength and constitution become 16(+3), its natural armor becomes 16, and its speed becomes 35 ft.
Its natural weapon is: Bite: +5 (Strength + Proficiency) to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 1d10 + 3 (Strength) piercing damage.
Winged
Your Golem is modeled off a flying creature. Smaller and lighter than most golems, it is kept aloft by intricate wings. Its base size becomes small and it gains a flying speed of 30 ft.
Its natural weapon is: Talon: +4 (Strength + Proficiency) to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 1d8 + 2 (Strength) slashing damage.
Launcher
Your Golem becomes akin to a mobile turret, taking the frame of a ballista or other launching device. Its base Dexterity becomes 16(+3) and its speed becomes 25 ft.
Its natural weapon is: Shoot +5 (Dexterity + Proficiency) to hit, reach 60/240ft., one target. Hit 1d10 + 3 (Dexterity) piercing damage.
Specialized
Your Golem defies all expectations, its design fueled by your own rampant creativity. A little less robust and stable, it is far more extensible to your visionary plans. Your Golem starts with the basic statistics, but you can select 2 free upgrades that do not count against your upgrade total.
Its natural weapon is: Slam: +4 (Strength + Proficiency) to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit 1d8 + 4 (Strength) bludgeoning damage.
Intelligent Oversight
Starting at 3rd level, you can take the Help action as a bonus action when assisting your golem.
Additionally, when you take the Help action to aid an ally (including your golem) in attacking a creature, the target of that attack can be within 30 feet of you, rather than 5 feet of you, if the allied creature can see or hear you.
Autonomous Action
Starting at 5th level, you no longer need to spend your action or reaction to direct the golem to use its action or reaction, and it can act following mental commands communicated while it is within 60 feet of you.
If the Golem is not directed to take any action, it will take the Dodge action in combat.
Magical Nature
Additionally at 5th level, your golem's natural weapons count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Perfected Design
Starting at 14th level, your golem can add your Intelligence modifier to all of its attack rolls, skill checks, and saving throws.
Golemsmith Upgrades
Unrestricted Upgrade
Arcane Resonance.
You craft a magical essence connector and install it into your golem's core, allowing you and it to share certain magical effects. You can make any spell you cast that targets only you also target your golem.
Defender Protocol.
You build in a protocol response into your golem to defend its master. The golem gains the Protection fighting style.
Fine Tuned Dexterity.
You craft improved gears and joints for your golem. Your golem's Dexterity ability score increases by 2, increasing its ability at tasks requiring fine motor skills. If, after taking this skill, the golem's Dexterity is 16 or greater, it gains proficiency with Thieves' Tools. If, after taking this skill, the golem's Dexterity is 18, it gains proficiency with the Stealth skill.
You can take this upgrade more than once. A golem's maximum Dexterity ability score is 18.
Grappling Appendages
You install an additional pair of grappling appendages taking a form of your choice. For the purposes of grappling, these serve as two additional free hands for your Golem. Additionally, your golem gains a climbing speed equal to its movement speed so long as it is not using these appendages to grapple.
Heavy Armor Plating
You can incorporate a suit of Heavy Armor into your golem allowing it to equip that suit of armor. Your golem's Armor Class becomes the Armor Class granted by the equipped armor. While incorporated with your golem in this way, the golem has Proficiency with that armor. You can change or remove the incorporated armor at any time once you have taken this upgrade, but it takes twice as long as normally equipping or unequipping the choosen armor type.
While equipped with Heavy Armor, your Golem has disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
Structural Constitution.
You have reinforced your Golem with layers of protection and redundant systems. Its Constitution ability score increases by 2, increasing its stability and durability. If, after taking this skill, the golem's Constitution is 16 or greater, it gains advantage on Death Saving Throws. If, after taking this skill, the golem's Constitution is 18, it gains proficiency with Constitution saving throws.
You can take this upgrade more than once. A golem's maximum Constitution ability score is 18.
Systematic Strength.
You build an improved frame and power source for your golem. Your golem's Strength ability score increases by 2, and increasing its ability at tasks requiring raw strength. If, after taking this skill, the golem's Strength is 16 or greater, it gains proficiency with Strength saving throws. If, after taking this skill, the golem's Strength is 18, it gains proficiency with the Athletics skill.
You can take this upgrade more than once. A golem's maximum Strength ability score is 18.
Magical Essence.
You infuse a fragment of magical essence into your golem, allowing it to attune to one magical item. This follows all normal attunement rules.
Warfare Routines.
You advance the control routines for your golem, allowing it to fight more effectively. Your Golem gains one Fighting Style of your choice from Archery, Dueling, or Great Weapon Fighting.
5th Level Upgrade
Arcane Barrage Armament.
You install an mounted armament to your golem, taking whatever form is most appropriate, charged with arcane power. As an action, the golem can cast magic missile as a 3rd level spell. When cast this way, it has no Verbal or Somatic components.
Once used, this armament cannot be used again until the Artificer completes a short or long rest.
Cloaking Device.
You install an Arcane Cloaking device on your Golem. Your golem can use this device to cast invisibility on itself without expending a spell slot.
Once used, this device cannot be used again until the Artificer completes a short or long rest.
Flamethrower Armament.
You install an armament to your golem, taking whatever form is most appropriate, capable for reproducing powerful flames. As an action, the golem can cast burning hands as a 3rd level spell.
The spell save DC is equal to your spell save DC. When cast this way, it has no Verbal or Somatic components.
Once used, this armament cannot be used again until the Artificer completes a short or long rest.
Iron Fortress. Prerequisite: Medium or Larger Golem, Golem Constitution of 18.
You extend your golems shielding and stationary stability. Your Golem now counts as three quarters cover for people within 5 feet (so long as it between them an the attacker) or riding it. Additionally, it cannot be moved against its will while in contact with the ground.
Shielding Bond
After studying the arcane fundamentals of Shield Golems, you have gained insight on how they shield their controllers, and can implement it in your own golem. Your golem gains the ability to cast warding bond without expending a spell slot. When cast in this method, it does not require material components.
Once the golem casts warding bond in this way, it cannot use this feature to cast it again until it completes a short or long rest.
9th Level Upgrades
Powered Charge. You select this upgrade twice.
You improve your golem's charging speed, increasing its movement speed by 5 feet. If your golem's speed is 40 feet or more after taking this upgrade, it gains the ability to use a Forceful Slam after moving 20 feet or more in a straight line toward it before attacking; if the attack hits, the target must make a Strength saving throw with a DC of 8 + the golem's proficiency + the golem's strength modifier, being knocked prone on.
Expanded Frame.
You enlarge your golem, increasing its size category by one if possible, up to a maximum size of Large. If your golem is Large after taking this upgrade, it gains advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws and your golem's maximum hit points become 5 + ([Golem's Constitution Modifier + 6] * Artificer Level).
During the process, you can determine if your golem will have the appropriate physiology to serve as a mount. You can take this upgrade multiple times, but cannot make a golem larger than Large.
Gigantic Golems
Making Huge or Gigantic may or may not inherently break anything, but is in general not a good idea. A Large creature can fit anywhere that a normal player character can fit due to the Squeezing rules, while a Huge or larger creature cannot. A DM can always allow larger golems, but it is in general not recommended due to the natural limitations it will encounter.
Mark of Life. Incompatible: Launcher Chassis.
You have attained the understanding of magic and you craft a Mark of Life on the forehead of your Warforged Golem, turning it into a Warforged Companion. It gains an Intelligence score of 10, a Wisdom score of 10 and a Charisma score of 8. This allows it to follow more complex commands without direct input, speak, and remember things.
Roleplaying a Warforged Companion
If you choose the Mark of Life upgrade, your Warforged golem becomes a sentient companion, capable of learning, thinking, and having opinions. Consider how this may impact your interactions.
Fundamentally, a Warforged Companion is still entirely loyal to their creator, but they develop a personality and thoughts of their own.
Overdrive.
You build in a special mode allowing your golem go beyond its limitations. As your action, you can overcharge your golem with energy, granting it the effects of haste for a number of rounds equal to your intelligence modifier. Once used, you cannot use this again until you complete a long rest.
11th Level Upgrade
Mechnical Wings.
You add intricate and powerful mechanical wings to your golem, granting it a flying speed. If your golem is Medium or smaller, it gains a flying speed is 30 feet. If your golem is Large or larger, its flying speed is 25 feet.
Multiattack Protocol.
Your Golem gains multiattack. When your Golem uses the Attack action, it can attack twice.
Thundering Stomp. Prerequisite: Golem of Large size
Your golem can leverage its increased size and magical nature to unleash a crushing stomp of magical energy when it brings down its foot. Your golem can replace any attack with the thunderclap spell using the Artificers level and spell save for casting the spell.
Transforming Golem.
You install clever multifunctional components allowing your golem to reduce its size. Your golem can collapse its size back down to one size smaller, but while in the collapsed mode any movement speed it has is reduced by 10 feet. The process takes 1 minute to invoke or revert.
15th Level Upgrade
Artificial Learning. Prerequisite: Mark of Life.
Your Warforged Companion begins to apply its abilities to learn new things, gaining a class level in a class of your choosing. Your Warforged Companion gains all the first level features of the chosen class. This does not include health or class proficiencies (for example, selecting Fighter grants only Fighting Style and Second Wind).
You can select this Upgrade multiple times, granting another level of features or the first level features of another class each time it is selected.
Brutal Armaments.
You increase the effectiveness of your Golem's natural weapons, allowing it to strike with lethal strikes. When your golem makes an attack, you can subtract is proficiency from the attack roll. When you do so, if the attack his, you can add double its proficiency bonus to the damage roll of the attack.
Shared Power.
You bind your golem's power source to your own soul, allowing you to tap its power and it to tap your power.
- As its action, your golem can expend one of your spell slots to cast a spell you know.
- As an action, you can drain a number of hit points from the golem up to twice your Artificer level, gaining that many temporary hit points.
- Either you or your golem can give up your action to allow the other to take an additional action. This additional action can only be used to Attack (one weapon attack only), Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object.
Infusionsmith
An Infusionsmith is, in some ways, perhaps the most quintessential type of Artificer. While other Artificers may delve into mechanics and tinkering, an Infusionsmith is an artificer that tinkers with magic itself.
These are cutting edge of magical engineering, understanding the principle applications of magic. An Infusionsmith would have ground to stand on in calling a wizard an impulsive spell slinger, for these are the artificers that work their magic through careful and meticulous method, laying down magic they may not use for hours, or painstakingly crafting a long lasting enchantment.
An Infusionsmith can be magical swordsman, a wandslinger, or bookish supporting character with a bag full of tricks that never quite runs dry. Some will stand within a maelstorm of animated blades while others will plink away with a crossbow that seems unerringly accurate, but their common theme is using their prowess of infusion to make themselves formidable.
Infusionsmith's Proficiency
When you choose this specialization at 1st level, you gain proficiency with jeweler's tools and calligrapher's supplies.
Your knowledge of infusion magic gives you a natural affinity for scribing spell scrolls. Creating a magic spell scroll only takes you half the time and material cost it would normally take.
Infused Armament
Starting at 1st level, you can infuse a powerful armament to take into battle. At the end of a long rest, select one of the Infusions below. The infusion lasts until the end of your next long rest.
Animated Weapon
You touch a melee weapon, causing it to spring to life. An animated weapon can be carried or stowed, but while readied, it floats beside you. While an animated weapon is readied, as an action you can make a melee spell attack with it.
If this attack hits, it deals the weapon's damage dice + your Intelligence modifier. The range of this attack is 30 feet, with that range reduced to 15 feet if the weapon has the Heavy property and increased to 60 feet if the weapon has the Light property.
Blasting Rod
You touch a nonmagical wand-blank, stick, staff, or rod, infusing with the ability to cast a cantrip. Select one Evocation Cantrip from the Wizard spell list that does not require concentration. Thereafter, as an action, you can use the Blasting rod to cast that cantrip.
Once per turn, when you deal damage to a creature or object with your Blasting Rod, you can add your Intelligence modifier to damage dealt to that target.
Infused Weapon
You touch a weapon, enchanting its effectiveness. While this weapon is enchanted, you - and only you - have proficiency with it.
An Infused Weapon can be wielded like a normal weapon, but gains the following property: you can apply your Intelligence modifier to the to attack and damage roll of the weapon where you usually apply your Strength or Dexterity modifier.
If an Infused Weapon has a single damage die, and that damage die is less than a d12, the damage die of the Infused Weapon is increased (for example, a dagger's damage die would go from a d4 to a d6).
Spell Manual
At 3rd level, you have a Spell Manual containing two 1st-level wizard spells of your choice. Your Spell Manual is the repository of any non-Artificer spell you know.
You cannot cast these spells and they do not count against your spells known, but when you would learn a new Artificer spell, you can select that spell from a spell in Spell Manual instead of the Artificer spell list, at which point you can cast it as normal. You can choose to scribe any Artificer spell you can cast into the Spell Manual, as if copying from a written spell.
Learning Spells of 1st Level and Higher
Each time you gain a artificer level, you can add one wizard Spell of your choice to your Spell Manual for free. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have Spell Slots, as shown on the Artificer table.
On your adventures, you might find other Spells that you can add to your Spell Manual. For each level of the spell, the process takes 2 hours and costs 50 gold pieces.
Infuse Magic
Additionally at 3rd level, you can use your Spell Manual to infuse magic items, such as wands, storing the power for later use. In a special ritual taking 1 minute, you can expend a spell slot to cast a spell as normal, but the spell does not take effect, and is stored in the item for later use.
Subsequently, any creature holding the item with an Intelligence of 6 or higher that is aware there is magic infused in it can expend the stored magic to cast the spell.
The spell uses your spellcasting modifiers, but is in all other ways treated as if the creature holding it cast the spell. The magic infused in the item fades if you complete a long rest without expending the stored spell.
Improved Armaments
Starting at 5th level, you have mastered the use of your Infused Armaments, allowing you grow more effective with them.
Your Animated Weapon infusion can now animate two Animated Weapons, and you can attack with both them as part of the same action.
Your Blasting Rod infusion can now be used more easily. If you cast a spell using an item from Infuse Magic or from a wand (from the Magical Wand upgrade or a normal wand), you can cast the cantrip with your Blasting Rod as a bonus action.
Your Infused Weapon empowers you, allowing you to attack twice instead of once when you take the attack action.
Infused Focus
Starting at 14th level, you can anchor a powerful spell into an item. When you cast a concentration spell, you can anchor it to an item (such as a staff, wand or weapon), and do not need to maintain concentration. The spell lasts a number of rounds equal to your intelligence modifier, after which the spell ends.
Once you use this ability, you must complete a short or long rest before using it again.
Unrestricted Upgrades
Animated Archer
You master animation enchantments allowing you to use your Animate Weapon feature on a ranged weapon and a quiver of ammunition. An animated ranged weapon hovers near you, and can target anything inside the weapon's normal range with a ranged spell attack, dealing weapon damage + your intelligence modifier on hit. The weapon requires ammunition, and can carry up 30 pieces of ammunition at a time, after which it needs to be reloaded as an action.
Animated Shield
You apply your animating magic to a shield. At the end of a long rest, you can touch a shield, causing it to spring to life and protect you until you complete your next long rest. While it is protecting you, you gain the benefit if you had the shield equipped. You cannot benefit from both an animated shield and an equipped shield.
While you have an animated shield, you can use your reaction to send it to defend an ally who is being attacked. You can impose disadvantage on that attack, but do not gain the benefits of having an animated shield until the start of your next turn.
Arcane Armament
You master armoring yourself with magical enchantments. You learn the mage armor spell. While under the effect of mage armor, you can add your Intelligence modifier to your AC instead of your Dexterity modifier. You can only do this if you are not adding your Intelligence modifier to your AC from another source. Additionally you gain resistance to force damage.
Deflecting Weapon
While you have an animated melee weapon, if you are attacked you can use your reaction to defend yourself with them, granting you +2 AC against an single attack. If the attack misses you and the attacker is within 5 feet of you, you can immediately attack the creature that attacked you, making a melee spell attack with one animated weapon against the attacker if they are in range.
Magical Wand.
You create a new Wand that you can infuse with a spell of 1st level or higher that you have recorded in your Spell Manual. This wand does not require attunement, but can only be used by you. The spell must be of a level that you can cast. This wand has three charges.
You can expend a charge to cast the selected spell at its base level. The wand regains all charges at the end of a long rest.
You can select this upgrade multiple times, selecting a different spell each time you take this upgrade.
Infuse Elements
You can infuse elements with your magic temporarily, granting you limited control of them. You learn the cantrips control flames, mold earth, and shape water.
Skilled Animation
You manage to make the magic of your Animated Weapons so potent that attacks made with them are made with a fighting style. Attacks made with one handed weapons gain Dueling, attacks made with two-handed weapons gain Great Weapon Fighting, and attacks made with ranged weapons gain Archery.
Soul Saving Bond
You set up a special magical bond between you and another creature. When either creature bound by this abilities fails a Wisdom, Intelligence, Charisma, or Death saving throw, the other character can make their own saving throw, replacing the failed saved with their own roll. If this ability is used on a death saving throw, the replacement roll is a 20. Once a roll is replaced by this feature, it cannot be used again until both creatures in the bond have completed a short or long rest.
This bond can be set up with a different creature at the end of a long rest.
Warding Stone
You learn how to weave a protective enchantment on an item. That item gains a pool of temporary hit points equal to your Artificer level. Whoever is carrying this item gains any temporary hit points remaining in this pool, but these are lost when that creature is no longer carrying this item.
This pool of temporary hit points refreshes when the Artificer that created it completes a long rest.
Worn Enchantment
You can enchant an item you a wearing, such as as scarf or cloak to animate and assist you with a task, be it climbing a wall, grappling an enemy, or picking a lock. You can expend a 1st level spell slot to gain proficiency in a Strength or Dexterity skill until you complete a long rest. You can use up all the magic in the item to gain advantage on one check of that skill, immediately ending the effect.
5th Level Upgrades
Arcane Ammunition
You infuse a ranged weapon with special magic granting it magical ammunition. The weapons damage becomes force damage and it no longer requires ammunition to fire. If the weapon had the Loading property, it no longer has the Loading Property.
Infuse Shadows
You learn the spell shadow blade. When you are wielding the blade conjured by shadow blade you can treat it as an Infused Weapon.
Lesser Ring of Protection
You make a prototype Ring of Protection. Any creature wearing it can add +1 to their armor class.
Malicious Infusion.
As a reaction to being hit with a metal weapon, you can cast heat metal targeting the weapon that struck you. Additionally, you learn the spell heat metal.
Ring of Reaction
You make a minor magic ring. Any creature wearing it can add your Intelligence modifier to their Dexterity saving throws and initiative rolls.
Translocation Binding
As a bonus action while attacking with an Infused or Animated melee weapon, you can expend a first level spell slot and teleport to an unoccupied location within 5 feet of it before it returns to you. You can invoke this even if the attack misses the target.
Weapon Enchantment Resonance
When you cast arcane weapon, magical weapon, elemental weapon, holy weapon, or vorpal weapon it also effects any weapon Animated or Infused by you. Additionally, you can target a weapon with any arcane weapon, magical weapon, or elemental weapon even if the weapon is already magically.
Weapon Enchantment Expertise
When you cast arcane weapon, magical weapon or vorpal weapon on a weapon, that weapon deals an additional 1d4 force damage. The damage of elemental weapon is increased by 1d4 of the elemental type chosen, and the damage of radiant weapon is increased by 1d4 radiant damage.
Additionally, when you make a Constitution save to maintain concentration on arcane weapon, magical weapon, elemental weapon, radiant weapon, or vorpal weapon, you have advantage on that saving throw.
9th Level Upgrades
Detonate Armament Prerequisite: Arcane Armament.
As a reaction to taking damage, you can end the effect of mage armor to cast thunder step without expending a spell slot. When you cast thunder step in this manner, it deals force damage instead of thunder damage.
Once you do this, you cannot use this ability again until the end of your next short or long rest.
Dimensional Pockets
You enchant a pocket on your gear to contain far more than it would appear. That pocket can hold any object that can fit through a 6 inch diameter opening, and up to 50 pounds. The pocket otherwise behaves in the same manner as a bag of holding.
Invisibility Cloak
You make a cloak of invisbility. While wearing this a creature can cast invisibility once without expending a spell slot. When cast in this method it does not require concentration. It cannot be used again in that way until you complete a short or long rest.
Prepared Enchantment
You bestow magical enchantments onto your gear, casting a limited version of contingency without expending a material component or spell slot. When cast in this way, the spell triggered by contingency must must a 2nd level or lower spell, and ends if you complete a long rest before the contingency is triggered.
Once you cast contingency in this way, you cannot cast it again until you complete a long rest.
Spell Trapping Ring.
You set a powerful magic into a non-magical ring. You can use this ring to cast counterspell without expending a spell slot. When you cast counterspell in this way and it succeeds, the spell countered is stored in the ring. You can then cast the stored spell without expending a spell slot, but the spell fades if it is not used before you complete a long rest.
Once you use this ring, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
11th Level Upgrades
Enchanted Broom
You can enchant a broom (or broom like object) into a Broom of Flying. You set the command word for the broom, and the Broom only obeys you.
Empower Weapon
When you hit a creature with a weapon, you can infuse the weapon with arcane energy as a bonus action to deal 3d4 additional force damage. When infusing the weapon in this way you can expend a 1st level spell slot to increase the damage further. The extra damage is 3d4 for a 1st-level spell slot, plus 2d4 for each spell level higher than 1st.
Mixed Technique
When create an Arcane Armament at the end of a long rest, you can create two different Infused Armaments (you cannot select the same option twice); if you use your action to use one to attack or cast a cantrip, you can make a single attack with the other as a bonus action (a single Animated Weapon attack, or a single attack with your Inufsed Weapon).
For example, if you use your action to cast a cantrip with your Blasting Rod, you can use your bonus action to make a single animated weapon attack, or if you use your action to attack with your Animated Weapons, you can make a single Infused Weapon attack.
Spellsword's Technique
You can make a Blasting Rod that allows you to cast booming blade, and consequently use Mixed Technique to cast booming blade, attacking with your Infused Weapon in your other hand, and then attack with your bonus action.
Life Infusion
You learn a potent magical infusion that suffuses a creature with life energy. You can cast regenerate without expending a spell slot. Once you cast this spell in this manner, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Magical Rod.
You create a new Rod that you can infuse with a spell of 5th level or higher you have recorded in your Spell Manual. This rod does not require attunement, but can only be used by you. The spell level must be equal to half or less of your Artificer level (as of when you would get this upgrade), rounded down. This rod has one charge. You can expend the charge to cast the selected spell at its base level. The rod regains all charges at the end of a long rest.
You can select this upgrade multiple times, selecting a different spell each time you take this upgrade.
How to get high level spells?
Astute players will note that you can only add spells of a level you can cast through leveling to your Spell Manual, but you cannot cast a 5th level spell until higher level than Magical Rod upgrade becomes available. Spells for Magical Rods will primarily have to be found in the wild, in the form of scrolls, and copied into your Spell Manual that way.
15th Level Upgrades
Advanced Object Animation
When you cast the animate objects spell, your animated objects add +1 to their attack and damage rolls per object it counts as (tiny objects gain +1, huge objects gain +8).
Third Animated Weapon
Your mastery of weapon animation expands to greater breadth of control. You can animate a third weapon with your Animate Weapon feature. When you make a spell attack with your animated weapons, you can attack with this weapon as well.
Potionsmith
A potionsmith is an artificer who has pursued the secrets of alchemy. While many a village has an apothecary grinding odd herbs and roots into potent (or not so potent) concoctions, the careful process of mixing and brewing is just one way to achieve results. Through the use of the intricate secrets of the craft and direct infusions using magical rituals, a potionsmith can come up with explosive results in the blink of an eye... sometimes literally.
An potionsmith can be a scholar who has delved into of the knowledge the world has to offer or an explorer that has unlocked the secrets of the wilderness. Their knowledge could come from being friends of the fey, or from unfettered access to the royal library. As such, potionsmith's can be good or evil, lawful or chaotic.
Potionsmith's Proficiency
When you choose this specialization at 1st level, you gain proficiency with Blowguns, Alchemist’s supplies and Herbalism kit.
Your knowledge of alchemy gives you a natural affinity for brewing potions. Creating a potion through normal crafting takes you only half the time and cost it would normally take.
Alchemists and Potions
Immediately on making an Potionsmith, one may think of the magic potions that exist in most D&D settings, from the simple Healing Potion to the legendary Potion of Storm Giant Strength, however, someone does not need to be an Potionsmith to make these, as crafting rules for them are open to all classes, and best outlined in Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
An alchemist with their proficiency will certainly have the edge in potion crafting, but these potions are not fundamental to the class.
Alchemical Reagents Pouch
At 1st level, you've acquired a pouch of useful basic reagents, much as a wizard might carry a component pouch. You've tucked away things that will come in handy, and can retrieve them as part of using an ability that might require them. As long as you have this pouch on, you use the potionsmith's features. This pouch is considered as alchemy supplies for the purposes of crafting.
If you lose your reagent pouch, you can spend 50 gold pieces to reacquire the various stocks you need, or spend 1 full day gathering them from a natural environment without expense.
Instant Reactions
At 1st level, you know how to get instant reactions to occur without the niceties of grinding, simmering and brewing required for more refined concoctions.
Moreover, you know enough ways to do these that with just a few standards supplies, you can get these results out of a wide range of things you can gather in almost any locale and a pinch from your reagent pouch.
You can pick three instant reactions from your Upgrade list; these include Alchemical Fire, Alchemical Acid, Healing Draught, Poisonous Gas, or Fortifying Fumes. The reactions you pick do not count against your maximum Upgrades known.
Alchemical Infusions
At 3rd level, you have found a way to skip most of the brewing process for alchemically creating potent magically effects by directly infusing the potion with your own magic. When you finish a short or long rest and have an empty vial on your person, you may choose one or more the following spells and use a spell slots to cast them.
Spell Level | Infusion Spells |
---|---|
1st | cure wounds, fog cloud, grease, heroism |
2nd | barkskin, shatter, lesser restoration, web |
3rd | blink, water breathing, stinking cloud, haste |
4th | stoneskin, confusion |
5th | cloudkill, skill empowerment |
When you cast spells in this way, the spell does not take effect immediately, but is infused into the potion. If the spell grants an effect or restores health, the creature will gain the effect of the spell when the potion is consumed as an action.
If the spell has an area of effect, that area of effect takes place when the vial is broken, with the effect centered on where the vial breaks. As an action, you or another creature can either consume the vial, or throw it up to 30 feet where it shatters on impact.
If the spell has a persistent effect that requires concentration, it does not require concentration to maintain, but its duration is shortened to a number of rounds equal to your intelligence modifier.
A spell that does not require concentration lasts its normal duration. An infused potion loses its potency if it is not used by the end of your next long rest.
You can gain additional spells for your Alchemical Infusions through your Alchemist upgrades.
On Creativity and Catapults
While as per the feature, you can only accurately throw the vial containing an Infused Potion 30 feet, the trigger merely specifies that the effect takes place where it breaks.
If you can find another way to deliver the vial, such as the catapult spell on the artificer spell list... or, well, an actual catapult, you can apply these methods as well.
Empowered Alchemy
Starting at 5th level, when you deal damage, grant temporary hit points, or restore health with an instant reaction or alchemical infusion, you can add your intelligence modifier to the damage dealt or health restored.
Infusion Expertise
Starting at 14th level, when you create an Alchemical Infusion at end the end of a short or long rest, the first alchemical infusion you create does not require a spell slot to infuse, and you can select an alchemical infusion that you would otherwise not have a spell slot of high enough level for when making this infusion.
Potionsmith Upgrades
Unrestricted Upgrades
Alchemical Fire Instant Reaction
As an action you can produce a reaction causing a searing flame. At a point within 15 feet, you can a toss quick combination of reagents that will cause searing fire to flare up in a 5 foot radius. Creatures in that area have to make a Dexterity saving throw against your Spell Save DC, or take 1d8 fire damage.
The damage damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).
Alchemical Acid Instant Reaction
As an action you can produce a reaction causing a caustic acid to form. At a point within 15 feet, you can a toss quick combination of reagents that will cause a splatter of acid in a 5 foot radius.
Creatures in that area have to make a Dexterity saving throw against your Spell Save DC, or take 2d4 acid damage. Damage from this acid deals double damage against structures and objects.
The damage damage increases by 2d4 when you reach 5th level (4d4), 11th level (6d4), and 17th level (8d4).
This Upgrade counts as a new Instant Reaction, and all rules for Instant Reactions apply to it.
Adrenaline Serum
You create a potent serum. As a bonus action on your turn, you can consume a dose of this serum. Consuming this Serum increases your Strength and Dexterity ability score by your Intelligence ability score (up to a maximum of 22) for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier. On the round that this wears off, your movement speed is zero and you cannot take any actions until the end of your turn. You can use this a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum 1) before you must take a short or long rest to be able to gain the effects from the serum again.
Auto Injector
You create an automatic potion injector that you can wear. As an action, you can load a potion (either an infused potion or a normal potion) into this injector at any time. Subsequently while a potion is loaded into the injector, you can consume the potion using your reaction. Only one potion can be held in the injector at a time.
Delivery Mechanism
You modify the stability of your reagents and develop a better delivery mechanism. You can target a point within 30 feet for your instant reactions (including ones gained from Upgrades, such as Explosive Reaction) that target a point. The additional precision allows you to better target the effects, allowing creatures of your choice within the target area to automatically pass a dexterity saving throw against your effects.
Explosive Reaction Instant Reaction (upgrade only)
You formulate a new instant reaction, a devastating minor explosion. Targeting a point within 15 feet, as an action, you cause an explosion. Creatures within 10 feet of the target point must make a Constitution saving throw against your Spell Save DC, or take 1d10 thunder damage from the shockwave of the explosion.
The damage damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).
This Upgrade counts as a new Instant Reaction, and all rules for Instant Reactions apply to it.
Fortifying Fumes Reaction Instant Reaction
You formulate a new instant reaction, a powerful fortifying stimulate. Targeting a point within 15 feet, as an action, you cause fumes to erupt. Creatures within 10 feet of the target point can choose to hold their breath and not inhale, but creatures that inhale the fumes gain 1d4 temporary hit points, deal 1d4 additional damage on their next melee weapon attack, and have advantage on their next Constitution saving throw. Any remaining benefits fade at the end of your next turn.
The both the temporary hit points and damage bonus increase by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4).
This Upgrade counts as a new Instant Reaction, and all rules for Instant Reactions apply to it.
Frostbloom Reaction Instant Reaction (upgrade only)
You develop an endothermic reaction, a devastating localized cold snap that creates an instant bloom of ice. Targeting a point within 15 feet, as an action, you cause an the area to erupt in frost.
The area within 5 feet of the target point becomes difficult terrain until the end of your next turn, and any creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw against your Spell Save DC, or be caught by the ice taking 1d6 cold damage; a creature entirely in the area of effect that fails also becomes restrained until the end of their next turn. They can use their action to make a Strength saving throw to break free of the ice early.
The damage damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).
This Upgrade counts as a new Instant Reaction, and all rules for Instant Reactions apply to it.
Healing Draught Instant Reaction
As a bonus action, you can produce a combination that will provide potent magical healing. Immediately after creating the draught, you or another creature can use their action to consume it or administer it to a creature within 5 feet. A creature who drinks this draught regains 1d8 health. A creature can benefit from a number of these healing draughts equal to their constitution modifier (minimum 1), after which they provide no additional benefit until they complete a long rest. A Healing Draught that is not consumed by start of your next turn loses its potency.
The healing increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).
Homunculus Familiar
You learn the alchemical process for creating a homunculus minion. You can cast find familiar without expending a spell slot or requiring material components beyond your alchemical reagents and blood (as described in the spell). The familiar's type becomes construct or monstrosity, and can appear in any tiny shape you want, but uses the statistics of any creature that can normally be summoned.
Inoculations
You gain resistance to poison damage.
Additionally, at the end of a long rest you, you can select up to five people (including yourself) that are inoculated against the poisonous effects you can produce that require a constitution saving throw (such as the Poisonous Gas instant reaction or the cloudkill infusion), allowing them to automatically pass the saving throw until the end of your next long rest.
Persistent Reactions
Your reactions that effect a target area persist in that area until the start of your next turn. Creatures entering the effect or ending their turn there have to repeat the saving throw against the effect. You can choose to make a reaction not persist at the time of taking the action to cause it.
Poisonous Gas Instant Reaction
As an action you can produce a reaction causing noxious fumes. At a point within 15 feet, you can toss a quick combination of reagents that will cause a whiff of poisonous gas to erupt spreading to a radius of 10 feet. Creatures in that area have to make a Constitution saving throw against your Spell Save DC, or take 1d4 poison damage and become poisoned until the end of their next turn.
The damage damage increases by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4).
Poisoner's Proficiency.
You delve into the secrets of the darkest secrets of herblore, learning the potent secrets of poison. During a long rest, you can create one of the three following poisons.
- Contact poison. You can apply this to a melee weapon or up to ten pieces of ammunition, that weapon or ammunition deals an additional 1d4 an poison damage; weapon can deal poison damage 10 times before the poison wears off.
- Ingested poison. This a simple flavorless powder. If a creature consumes a full dose of this poison before the end of your next long rest, after one minute has passed they must make a Constitution saving throw with disadvantage against your spell save DC or take a number of d10 equal to your Artificer level in poison damage, and become poisoned until they complete a long rest.
- Inhaled poison. This poison can be used to modify your poisonous gas reaction. You can use this dose of poison to make your poisonous gas instant reaction have a radius of 20 feet and deal twice as much damage on a failed save.
A poison that has not be used by the time you complete your next long rest loses its potency and has no effect if used.
Secrets of Flight
You learn the secrets of infusing the ability escape the shackles of gravity into your Alchemical Infusions. You can add the following spells to your list of available spells for alchemical infusions:
Spell Level | Infusion Spells |
---|---|
1st | feather fall |
2nd | levitate |
3rd | fly |
Secrets of Fire.
You learn the secrets of infusing fire into your Alchemical Infusions. You can add the following spells to your list of available spells for alchemical infusions:
Spell Level | Infusion Spells |
---|---|
1st | faerie fire |
2nd | dragon's breath |
3rd | fireball |
Secrets of Frost.
You learn the secrets of infusing frost into your Alchemical Infusions. You can add the following spells to your list of available spells for alchemical infusions:
Spell Level | Infusion Spells |
---|---|
1st | armor of agathys |
2nd | snilloc's snowball swarm |
3rd | ice storm |
Secrets of...
Almost any set of three spells, a 1st level, 2nd level, and 3rd level spell of either short term buffs or area of effect damage spells can work, so long as there is a thematic connection between the spells.
Consult with your DM about additional options if you don't see what you want present here.
Weapon Coating.
You learn to how to coat a weapon or piece of ammunition with one of your instant reactions to take effect on hit. As a bonus action, you can apply your instant reaction to a melee weapon or piece of ammunition. Until the end of your turn, the next hit with that weapon or with a coated piece of ammunition will cause the effect of the instant reaction to the target. The creature automatically takes the damage or healing associated with the reaction, but makes a saving throw as normal against any additional effects.
The Implications
There is an Instant Reaction that restores health, rather than deals damage. This can be applied via weapon coating as well, though the weapon damage of the implement is not negated, perhaps your allies will forgive a blowgun dart coated in a healing draught... if you hit the attack.
5th Level Upgrades
Explosive Powder Prerequisite: Explosive Reaction
You manage to stabilize and refine your Explosive Reaction. You can prepare up to your Intelligence modifier in Explosive Reactions that do not detonate instantly. They will only detonate when exposed to fire. These Explosive Reactions last 1 minute before losing potency. The maximum damage a creature can take from the detonation of multiple Explosive Reactions is twice the damage of an Explosive Reaction, but structures take the full damage of multiple Explosive Reactions.
9th Level Upgrades
Aroma Therapies.
You expand your alchemical knowledge to be able to produce incense and simmering reagents that grant effects to those that inhale their fumes. If creatures spend a long rest inhaling fumes from a concoction you devise with this feature, creatures regain an extra 2d4 hit dice, recover from 1d4 levels of exhaustion and are cured of any non-magical diseases they are suffering from.
Greater Adrenaline Serum. Prerequisite: Adrenaline Serum.
You upgrade your adrenaline shot to produce even more extreme and magical effects in the creature it effects. Your Adrenaline Serum now additionally grants you temporary hit points equal to twice your Artificer level when you consume it, and advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks as well as the effects of haste and heroism for its duration. These effects do not require concentration, but end when the serum ends.
Infusion Stone.
You use the secrets of Alchemy to create an Infusion Stone. You can use this stone in the process of infusing potions in place of a spell slot level less than or equal to the highest level spell slot you can cast.
You can use this stone to replace a spell slot for an infusion once. It regains this charge after you complete a long rest.
Mana Potion.
During a short rest, you can create a mana potion. A mana potion loses its potency if it is not consumed within 1 hour. As an action, a creature can consume a mana potion to restore a spell slot of its choice, up to third level.
Potent Reactions.
You refine your reactions increasing their potency. The die you roll to determine the damage or healing effect of your reactions is increased by one. A d4 becomes a d6, a d6 becomes a d8, a d8 becomes a d10, and a d10 becomes a d12.
11th Level Upgrades
True Homunculus Prerequisite: Homunculus Familiar
As your expertize grows, you can create a true wonder of alchemy. Instead of casting find familiar you can cast create homunculus, but when casting in this way it requires material components as normal.
Panacea
When you create a Healing Draught, you can add more a more potent concoction. That Healing Draught heals the maximum value of the dice rolled when restoring health and has the effect of greater restoration. Once you make an improved Healing Draught like this, you cannot make one again until you complete a long rest.
15th Level Upgrades
Elixir of Life.
You can brew a special potion using your Philosopher stone. Brewing this potion takes 8 hours and requires crushing a diamond worth at least 2,000 gold pieces. An Elixir of Life causes a creature that drinks it ceases to age for 4d4 years. A creature drinks this Elixer gains a death ward effect that lasts until triggered.
A more potent elixer can be created, adding an additional 1d4 years for regained for each diamond spent.
Philosopher's Stone.
You create a Philosopher's Stone allowing you recreate wonders of alchemy. So long as you have a supply of non-gold metal, you can create up five pounds of gold a day (250 gold pieces worth). Additionally, the Philosopher's Stone can be used in place of a Diamond costing 500gp or less as spell's Material Component, and is not consumed when used in such a way, but loses its powers for 24 hours.
Thundersmith
A Thundersmith is an Artificer has harnesses the primal force of elemental power, channeling its power into their great creation: a weapon of unmatched devastation. Spectacular and terrible, these weapons bring fear to their foes and awe to their allies.
Why an Thundersmith bends their mind to the task of making such a thing - some are coldly analytical about the destruction it causes, seeking to continually improve it, tweaking it for ever more optimized destruction, while others view it merely as a tool, a means to an end, while others still reveal in the crash of thunder that heralds the terrifying force of their weapon.
While some may look at these weapons as the dawn of a new age, in truth wielding them is a tricky and arcane art no simpler than making them, something only the one who forged the device will every truly master, each weapon a unique piece of devastating art.
Thundersmith's Proficiency
When you choose this specialization at 1st level, you gain Proficiency with tinker's tools and smith's tools.
If your weapon requires ammunition, you gain the knowledge of how to forge them, and create them with smithing tools during a long rest. You can create up 50 rounds of ammunition during a long rest, with materials costing 1 gold piece per 10 rounds.
Stormforged Weapon
Starting at 1st level, you harness the power of elemental power of thundering storms to create a powerful weapon. This weapon requires attunement and you proficient with it while attuned. and you can only be attuned to one Stormforged Weapon at a time. If you have multiple Stormforged Weapons, you can change which one you are attuned to during a long rest.
If you lose your Stormforged Weapon or wish to create additional ones, you can do so over the course of three days (eight hours each day) by expending 200 gold pieces worth of metal and other raw materials. When you make a new Stormforged Weapon, you can make the same or different type, and select the same or different upgrades.
Select one of the following and consult the Thunder Powered Weapon table for its statistics.
Thunder Cannon
You use the power of Thunder to launch a projectile with terrible power, if limited accuracy, over long distances. Ringing out with a booming crash, it brings fear to the battlefield.
Hand Cannon
Forgoing the guiding barrel, this packs uses the thundering power to launch a projectile with all the force of a Cannon, though its effective range is far more limited.
Firearms In a Campaign Setting
A lot of campaign settings do not feature firearms, and in some of these the Thundersmith variant of Artificer might not be the right choice, but consider that the Artificer is fundamentally someone that tinkers with and explores boundaries of magic as much as or more so than technology.
A Thunder Cannon need not be a gunpowder powered device, even in a setting where gun powder exists, but can be powered by harnessing elemental powers, bound through various carefully researched magical techniques. In most cases, the wonders of an Artificer are more an engineering marvel of magic than technology, but that balance can shift depending on what is best for your setting.
Kinetic Hammer
Rather than launching a projectile with the thundering force, you keep that force imbued in the weapon, allowing for devastating force to be applied to the attack.
Charged Blade
You create a bladed weapon that channels the harnessed power of the elemental storm power directly into the blade, causing it to lay waste to all it strikes. This weapon deals Lightning damage when applying Thundermonger.
Thunder Powered Weapons
Weapon Name | Damage | Weight | Type | Properties |
---|---|---|---|---|
Thunder Cannon | 1d12 piercing | 15 lbs. | Ranged | Ammunition (range 60/180), Two-Handed, Loud†, Loading |
Hand Cannon | 1d8 piercing | 5 lbs. | Ranged | Ammunition (range 30/90), Light, Loud†, Loading |
Kinetic Hammer | 1d10 bludgeoning | 10 lbs. | Melee | Two-Handed, Heavy, Loud†, Charged* |
Charged Blade | 1d6 slashing | 3 lbs. | Melee | Finesse, Loud†, Charged* |
(*) Charged Your weapon is powered by elemental energies; the first time per turn you make a damage roll with it, you can add 1d4 to the damage roll.
(†) Loud: Your weapon rings with thunder that is audible within 300 feet of you whenever it makes an attack.
Thundermonger
At 3rd level, the elemental power of your weapon is so powerful its strikes deal bonus thunder damage.
When you hit a target with your Stormforged Weapon, you can deal an extra 1d6 thunder damage. After discharging this bonus damage, you cannot deal this bonus damage again until the start of your next turn.
This extra damage increases by 1d6 when you reach certain levels in this class: 5th level (2d6), 7th level (3d6), 9th level (4d6), 11th level (5d6), 13th level (6d6), 15th level (7d6), 17th level (8d6), and 19th level (9d6).
Devastating Blasts
Beginning at 5th level, when you miss an attack with your Thundering Weapon, you can apply Thundermonger damage to the target creature you missed, but it deals only half the bonus damage. Dealing damage this way counts as applying Thundermonger damage.
Unleashed Power
Starting at 14th level, when roll damage for Thundermonger or your Stormforged Weapon, you can expend a spell slot to reroll a number of the damage dice up to the level of the spell slot + your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one). You must use the new rolls.
Thundersmith Upgrades
Unrestricted Upgrades
Adaptable Weapon.
You can adapt a weapon without the Ammunition property have a secondary attack type giving it the functionality of a Hand Cannon, or give a weapon with the Ammunition Property a secondary attack with functioning as a Charged Blade.
How to merge your weapons.
If you want to call it a gunblade, I'm not here to stop you, but it can be any range of configuration, from a bayonet to something more exotic.
Arcane Lightning
After long study of internal workings of your Stormforged Weapon, your mastery of lightning and Thunder Magic is such that learn the following spells at the following levels and can cast them as Artificer Spells.
Artificer Level | Spell |
---|---|
3 | thunderwave |
5 | shatter |
9 | lightning bolt |
13 | storm sphere |
Extended Reach.
You extent the reach of your weapon. If your weapon has the Ammunition property, its range is extended normal range by 30 feet, and maximum range by 90 feet. If you weapon has the the Two-Handed property, it gains the Reach property.
Lightning Burst
You upgrade your Stormforged Weapon to discharge its power in within a 5-feet wide and 60-feet long line. If you have not dealt Thundermonger damage since the start of your turn, as an action, you can make a special attack. Each creature must make a Dexterity saving throw against your Spell Save DC or take damage equal to the bonus damage of Thundermonger as lightning damage on a failed save, half as much on a successful save.
This counts as discharging your Thundermonger damage. Firing in this way does not consume ammo.
Point Blank. Prerequisite: Hand Cannon
Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls. Additionally, can use your Hand Cannon when making opportunity attacks.
Silencer. Incompatible with Echoing Booms.
You upgrade your Stormforged Weapon with a sound dampening module. Your Stormforged Weapon loses the Loud property. Additionally, you can expend a 2nd level spell slot to overcharge the Silencer, casting the spell silence.
Note: Sound - and consequently Thunder Damage - cannot pass through silence or effect a creature inside its area of effect.
Shock Absorber.
You add a reclamation device to your Stormforged Weapon to gather energy from the surroundings when it is present. As a reaction to taking Lightning or Thunder damage, you can cast absorb elements without consuming a spell slot. When absorbed in this method, you can apply the bonus damage granted by absorb elements to your next weapon attack even if you make a ranged weapon attack.
Sonic Movement.
You reclaim and rebalance your weapon to leverage the backdraft of the force it exerts. When you deal Thunder damage on your turn with your Stormforged weapon, you can move 5 feet away from the target that was damaged.
Twin Thunder.
You can attune to two one-handed Stormforged Weapons at the same time, so long as they either share the same Upgrades, or have total Upgrades equal to your maximum Upgrade count between them. If you make an attack with one of them while holding the other, you can attack with the other as a bonus action, however, both share the same use of Thundermonger. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative or you have the Two Weapon Fighting Fighting Style.
While dual wielding Stormforged Weapon, you can load a Stormforged Weapon without a free hand.
5th Level Upgrades
Weapon Improvement.
You fine tune your Stormforged Weapon for increased devastation. The weapon gains a +1 bonus to Attack and Damage Rolls made with it and the piercing damage dealt by your Stormforged weapon is considered magical. At 14th level, the bonus increases to +2.
Echoing Boom. Incompatible with Silencer.
You pack extra power into your Thundermonger, increasing the damage it deals by 1d6.
Harpoon Reel
You devise a secondary attack method that launches a harpoon attached to a tightly coiled cord. This attack has a normal range of 30 feet and a maximum range of 60 feet, and it deals 1d6 piercing damage. This attack does not apply Thundermonger damage. This attack can target a surface, object, or creature.
A creature struck by this attack is impaled by the Harpoon unless it removes the Harpoon as an action, which causes it to take an additional 1d6 damage. While the Harpoon is stuck in the target, you are connected to the target by a 60 foot cord. Dragging the connected party via the attached cord causes the creature moving to move at half speed unless they are a size category larger.
While connected in this manner, you can use your bonus action to activate the Reel action, pulling yourself to the location if the target is Medium or larger. A Small or smaller creature is pulled back to you, and ending the connection.
Alternatively, you can opt to disconnect the cord.
This attack cannot be used again until the Reel action is taken.
Connected... by a Rope.
Note that Harpooning a creature means means that there is a rope connecting you to them. While you can use this to move them as per the ability, they can also use this to move you, particularly if they are substantially larger. Many Thundersmiths were last seen saying "I got this" and then Harpooning a dragon. User discretion is advised.
Terrifying Thunder. Prerequisite: Echoing Booms.
You add an additional amplifier to maximize the shock and awe value your cannon blasts. The first time a target takes damage from Thundermonger, they are deafened until the end of their next turn.
Additionally, they must make a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell Save DC or become frightened of you for one minute. They can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of their turns.
If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Terrifying Thunder for the next 24 hours.
Storm Blast.
You upgrade your Stormforged Weapon to discharge its power in 30-foot cone from the gun. If you have not dealt Thundermonger damage since the start of your turn, as an action, you can make a special attack. Each creature must make a Strength saving throw, or take 1d6 + half the bonus damage of Thundermonger and be knocked prone.
This counts as discharging your Thundermonger damage. Firing in this way does not consume ammo.
9th Level Upgrades
Ride the Lightning. Prerequisite: Lightning Burst
When you use the Lightning Burst ability, you can opt expend a spell slot of the first level or higher to infuse yourself into the burst of power. When you do so you are teleported up to 60 feet in the direction of the Lightning Burst (ending early if the Lighting Burst is blocked by an obstacle). You can stop anywhere along the path of the Lighting Burst, but the Lightning Burst will stop where you do.
Shock Harpoon Prerequisite: Harpoon Reel
After hitting a creature with the Harpoon fire mode, you can use a bonus action to deliver a shock. If you have not dealth Thundermogner damage since the start of your turn, you can deal damage equal to your Thundermonger bonus damage as lightning damage. This counts as discharging your Thundermonger damage. Additionally, the target must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be stunned until the end of its next turn.
Once used, the Harpoon must be reeled in before this can be used again.
Synaptic Feedback.
You install feedback loop into your cannon, allowing you to siphon some energy from your Stormforged Weapon to empower your reflexes.
Whenever you deal Lightning damage with your Stormforged Weapon your walking speed increases by 10ft and you can take the Dash or Disengage actions as a bonus action. This effect lasts until the end of your turn.
Thunder Jump
Build a quick release for the arcane thundering energy that fills your Stormforged Weapon. As an action you can channel it to cast thunder step. This counts as discharging your Thundermonger damage.
Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest.
11th Level Upgrades
Backblast
After dealing Thunder damage on your turn, you can cast thunder clap as a bonus action. You can do this a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, regaining all uses after a long rest.
Blast Radius
Your Devastating Blasts now deals half your weapon damage (including your modifier) in addition to half your Thundermonger damage when you apply it to a missed target that is within 30 feet of you.
Stabilization
Being prone no longer causes you to have disadvantage when making a ranged weapon attack with your Stormforged Weapon. If neither you nor a target creature has moved since you last made a ranged weapon attack against them, you have advantage on ranged weapon attacks against them.
15th Level Upgrades
Elemental Swapping. You upgrade the firing chamber for more adaptable damage. When you take the attack action with your Stormforged Weapon you can adjust the firing chamber, causing any bonus damage granted by Thundermonger to deal fire, cold, acid, or lightning damage instead of thunder damage. Alternatively, you can use a Vial of Holy Water to cause your next Thundermonger bonus damage to deal radiant damage.
Massive Overload. Prerequisite: Storm Blast or Lightning Burst
Before taking a shot, you can expend a 3rd level or higher spell slot to use Storm Blast or Lightning Burst at the same time as making an attack; in this case the Storm Blast or Lightning Burst is powered by the spell slot and does not count as apply Thundermonger for that turn. The direction of this secondary ability is the same as your attack.
Doing this damages your Stormforged Weapon and you must spend an action to repair it before you can fire again. You must have the secondary ability unlocked as an upgrade to use it.
Masterwork Weapon. Prerequisite: Weapon Improvement
The bonus to attack and damage rolls for your Stormforged Weapon becomes +3. This bonus increases to +4 at 20th level.
Mortar Shells. Prerequisite: Stormforged weapon with the Ammunition property.
You build a secondary firemode allowing you to fire your cannon like a mortar. Pick a target point within range, and make an attack roll. Apply the attack roll to all creatures within a 5 foot radius of the target point. Creatures hit take weapon damage plus half of Thunder monger bonus damage. Dealing damage this way counts as applying Thundermonger damage for the turn.
Creatures do not benefit from cover against this fire mode unless they have overhead cover as well.
Warsmith
A Warsmith is an Artificer that has turned their wondrous talent of invention to a singular goal: making themselves a juggernaut of war. The reasons behind this could be benevolent or nefarious. Some Warsmiths seek to turn their invention into a machine of death and terror; others become the arbiter of justice and order, and others still perhaps merely seek to refine their craft in pursuit of pure innovation.
Because few individuals would pursue such a wondrous invention without a driven purpose to their endeavour, Warsmiths tend to be Lawful, usually driven to their actions by a greater purpose they seek the power to accomplish, be it righting the wrongs of the world, or bringing it to heel beneath their ironshod boot.
Warsmith's Proficiency
At 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor, tinker's tools and smith's tools.
Warplate Gauntlet
At 1st level, when you take this specialization, you construct a Warplate Gauntlet. This is a specialized Wondrous Item that only you can attune to. When you create a Warplate Gauntlet, you can add one of the following upgrades to it: Power Fist, Force Blast, or Martial Grip. This upgrade does not count against your upgrade total. You can make multiple gauntlets with different upgrades, but can only be attuned to one at a time.
If you lose your Warplate Gauntlet, you can remake it during a long rest with 25 gold worth of materials, or can scavenge for materials and forge it over two days of work (eight hours a day) without the material expense.
While wearing a Warplate Gauntlet, you can engage Artificial Strength.
Artificial Strength
When you don your Warplate Gauntlet or as an action while wearing it, you can dedicate some of your intelligence to fully controlling the power of the gauntlet. You can reduce your current and maximum Intelligence score to increase your current Strength ability score by the same amount, but you can only raise your Strength ability score up what your Intelligence ability score was before engaging Artificial Strength. You can stop using Artificial Strength at any time, and it automatically ends if your gauntlet is removed.
Warsmith's Armor
At 3rd level, you've attained the knowledge of forging and arcane tinkering sufficient to create a set of armor that augments and expands your abilities from a standard, non-magical, set of heavy armor using resources you've gathered. This process takes 8 hours to complete, as well as a place to forge and incorporates a Warplate Gauntlet (they do not require separate attunement).
While wearing your armor, your Strength ability score increases by 2, and your maximum Strength ability score becomes 22.
You can create a new set of armor by forging it from a set of gathered and purchased materials in a process takes 2000 gold pieces and eight hours.
You can create multiple sets of armor, but you can only be attuned to one of them at a given time, and you can only change which one you are attuned to during a long rest. If you create a new set of Warplate, you can apply a number of Upgrades equal to the value on the class table, applying each at the level you get it on the class table.
When you create your armor, you can create a heavy plated Warplate, a magically enhanced set of gear, Warsuit, or you can integrate your changes directly into your body as a Integrated Armor.
Warsmith Armor
Armor Name | AC | Weight | Strength Requirement | Stealth | Properties |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Warplate | 18 | 75 lbs. | — | Disadvantage | Heavy Armor, Powerful Build |
Warsuit | 14 + Dex Modifier (max 2) | 45 lbs. | — | — | Medium Armor |
Integrated Armor | 14 + Dex modifier (max 2) | 30 lbs. | — | — | Medium Armor, Powerful Build |
(*) Powerful Build You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift.
If your armor is Warplate or Integrated Armor, you gain the Powerful Build trait. Powerful Build means you count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or left.
Additionally, if you are small, you become medium while wearing Warplate.
Design Note:
Warsmiths & Magical Armor
By the rules laid out here, using magical armor as a base for your Warsmith's armor has no additional effect. This is intentionally the ruled-as-written rules, but there is certainly some flexibility here. Personally in my games, I allow it use magic armor as the base armor with the following considerations:
- Using Admantite or Mithril, the properties carry over to the Warsmith's armor.
- Using +1/+2/+3 armor carries over, but counts as taking a free "Armor Class" upgrade for each +1 the armor has, meaning that upgrade cannot be taken to make the armor +4 or better.
- Armor of Resistance carries over, counting as taking "Resistance" upgrade for that damage type for free.
Other cases can be handled on a case by case basis. Consult with your DM and work something out that would be reasonable to combine making recieving magic armor a cool bonus, but not something that breaks the game!
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Fully Customized Gear
Starting at 14th level, you've mastered the customization of your Warsmith's armor. You can add one additional upgrade your armor that does not count against your Upgrade total.
Additionally, during a long rest, you can now swap out any one upgrade for any other upgrade of the same level, so long as you don't have an upgrade that requires the upgrade you are removing as a prerequisite, or an incompatible upgrade.
What Does Your Armor Look Like?
Nothing in this document specifies that visual appearance of your armor beyond the type of armor, but it very likely does not look like a standard set of armor. Consider what the visual differences are - are you enhancements more mechanical in nature or more magical in nature? Does it have geared joints, glowing runes, or both?
Consider how your setting might react to someone standing around in such armor. In all but the highest magical settings, such a set of armor is likely to attract some curiosity or concern.
Warsmith Upgrades
Unrestricted Upgrades
Accelerated Movement You can apply this upgrade twice.
You reduce the weight of your armor by 15 lbs. While wearing your armor your speed increases by 10 feet. This applies to all movement speeds you have while wearing your armor.
Arcane Visor
While wearing your armor, you have darkvision to a range of 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, this upgrade increases its range by 60 feet. Additionally, you gain advantage on saving throws against being blinded.
Faraday Helmet
You arrange the magical channels of your armor to interfere with magical manipulation of your mind. While wearing your armor, when you make a Saving Throw to save against being charmed, mind controlled, stunned, or confused by magical means, you can replace the number rolled on the die with the number of Upgrades you have.
Flame Projector
You gain the ability to unleash fire energy. While wearing your Warplate Gauntlet, you can cast fire bolt, and gain access to the following spells at the following levels while wearing your Warplate Gauntlet:
Artificer Level | Spell |
---|---|
3 | burning hands |
5 | scorching ray |
9 | fireball |
13 | wall of fire |
Force Blast
You upgrade your Warplate Gauntlet to deliver special ranged attacks. These attack are a ranged spell attack that deals 1d8 + your Intelligence modifier force damage, and has a range of 30 feet.
You are proficient in this weapon. When you take the attack action, you can use this ranged spell attack in place of any attack made. At level 5, this spell attack gains a +1 to attack and damage rolls; this increases to a +2 at level 14.
Grappling Reel
Your Warsmith's armor gains an integrated grappling reel set into your gauntlet. As 1 attack or 1 action, you may target a surface, object or creature within 30 feet. If the target is Large or Smaller, you can make a Grapple check to pull it to you and Grapple it on success. Alternatively, if the target is Large or larger, you can choose to be pulled to it, this does not grapple it.
Lightning Channel
You are able to funnel your suits power into your attacks. You can use this upgrade to cast lightning chargedArtificer as a bonus action without expending a spell slot. Once used, this upgrade cannot be used until you complete a short or long rest.
Additionally, you can apply the damage from lightning charged on your Force Blast ranged spell attacks.
Lightning Projector
You gain the ability to unleash lightning energy. While wearing your Warplate Gauntlet, you can cast shocking grasp, and gain access to the following spells at the following levels while wearing your Warplate Gauntlet:
Artificer Level | Spell |
---|---|
3 | thunderwave |
5 | lightning charged |
9 | lightning bolt |
13 | storm sphere |
Martial Grip
Your Warplate Gauntlet grants the ability to wield a wide variety of powerful weapons. You gain proficiency with martial weapons while wearing your Warplate Gauntlet.
Power Fist You can apply this upgrade twice.
You upgrade your Warplate Gauntlet to better punch things. Your Warplate Gauntlet is upgraded to a magical weapon you have proficiency with dealing 1d8 bludgeoning damage and gains the Light and Special properties. At level 5, this magic weapon gains a +1 to attack and damage rolls; this increases to a +2 at level 14.
Special: When you make an attack roll, you can choose to forgo adding your Proficiency modifier to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you can add double your Proficiency modifier to the damage roll.
With Power Fist applied twice, you have a Power Fists for each hand that can be used for Two-Weapon Fighting.
Reinforced Armor
You reinforce the structure and materials that make up your Warsmith's armor. Your Warsmith's armor Armor Class (AC) increases by 1.
You can apply this upgrade up to 3 times.
Sentient Armor
You create an artificial personality integrated into your armor, giving it limited sentience. This sentience assists you in many ways. While wearing your armor, your Intelligence ability score and maximum Intelligence ability score are increased by 2.
Level 5 Upgrades
Arcaneware Prerequisite: Sentient Armor
You upgrade the artificial personality integrated into your armor to assist with a new skill. Select a skill from the following: Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, or Religion. While able to communicate with your armor, you gain proficiency in this skill.
Active Camouflage
As an action, you can activate active camouflage causing your suit to automatically blend into its surroundings. This lasts until deactivated. While this is active, you are considered lightly obscured, and can hide from a creature even when they have a clear line of sight to you. Wisdom (Perception) checks to find you that rely on vision are made with disadvantage.
Collapsible Incompatible with Integrated Armor or Piloted Golem
Your Warsmith's armor can collapse into a case for easy storage. When transformed this way the armor is indistinguishable from a normal case and weighs 1/3 its normal weight. As an action you can don or doff the armor, allowing it to transform as needed.
Divination Visor Prerequisite: Arcane Visor
You cast divination Artificer spells you know as a bonus action, and if they require concentration, they no longer require concentration maintain.
Emergency Protocol Prerequisite: Sentient Armor
The intelligence in your armor will attempt to preserve your life. If you are Incapacitated or Unconscious and cannot take your action, it will cast a spell or take the dodge action. It can only cast spells using your armor's upgrades. It will act once, and cannot act again until you complete a short or long rest.
Focal Reflectors Prerequisite: Force Blast
You upgrade your Force Blast to strike at greater distance and accuracy. The range of all your ranged spell attacks with your Force Blast is increased by 30 feet. Additionally, you gain a +2 to hit with ranged spell attacks.
Mechanical Enhancement Prerequisite: Integrated Armor
You improve every aspect of yourself ever so slightly. You gain +5 feet of movement, one additional hit point per Artificer level, and +1 to Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws.
Reactive Plating Prerequisite: Warplate
Your armor partially deflect incoming blows. You can use your reaction when hit by an attack to reduce the damage of that attack by an amount equal to your proficiency bonus.
Resistance
You tune your armor against certain forms of damage. Choose acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, radiant, or thunder damage. While wearing your Warplate you have resistance to that type of damage. If you apply this upgrade more than once you must choose a different damage type.
Sealed Suit Prerequisite: Warplate
As a bonus action on your turn you can environmentally seal your Warplate, giving you an air supply for up to 1 hour and making you immune to poison (but not curing you of existing poisoned conditions).
In addition to the above, you are also considered acclimated to cold and hot climates while wearing your armor, and you're also acclimated to high altitude while wearing your armor.
Level 9 Upgrades
Ether Reactor
You construct an ether reactor that feeds your armor, powering its upgrades with arcane energy. The Ether Reactor has 6 charges, and can be used to power upgrades that cast spells, even upgrades that would normally only recharge after a rest can cast instead using charges, spending 1 charge per level of the spell you are casting. You can cast spells at a higher level by expending more charges. It regains all charges at the end of a long rest.
If your Ether Reactor has no charges left, you can overdraw your Ether Reactor for one last burst of power, but your armor is temporarily immobilized and your speed while wearing your armor becomes zero for a number of rounds equal to the level of the spell cast. Once you do this, you cannot do this against until you complete a long rest.
Iron Muscle
You reinforce the structure of your armor, giving it the strength of giants. While wearing your armor, your current Strength ability score is increased by 2, and your maximum Strength ability score becomes 24.
Phase Suit Prequisite: Warsuit
You gain the ability to cast misty step and blink while wearing your Warsuit. Additionally, as an action, you can become intangible, and move through creatures or objects until the end of your turn. If you end your turn inside a creature or object, you are forced to the nearest unoccupied location, taking 10 force damage for each foot you are forced to move. Once you become intangible using this upgrade, you cannot do so again until you complete a short or long rest.
Piloted Golem Prerequisite: Warplate, Incompatible with Collapsible.
You enlarge your Warplate, turning it into a piloted mechanical golem. Your size category when wearing the armor increases by one, and you have advantage on Strength saving throws and Strength checks against creatures the same size as you or smaller than you.
Large Creatures & Large Weapons
Large weapons are not defined in the Player's Handbook for 5e, so what a Large weapon will be (if anything) is up to your DM.
The Dungeon Master's Guide provides guidance for doubling a Large weapon's damage dice on page 278 when discussing monster's weapons, but other DMs opt for a more modest increase akin to the spell enlarge of just having large weapons deal 1d4 additional damage.
Level 11 Upgrades
Ablative Armor Prerequisite: Piloted Golem
You leverage your Warplate's increased size to load it up with some redundant layers of armor to protect you. At the end of a short or long rest, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier + Artificer level.
Cloaking Device Prerequisite: Active Camouflage
If you do not move during your turn with active camouflage engaged, you can use your reaction to take the Hide action using an Intelligence (Stealth) check. You make this check with disadvantage if you are within 5 feet of another creature or you attacked during your turn.
You can overload your camouflage to cast greater invisibility without expending a spell slot. Once you do this, you cannot do this again until you complete a long rest.
Distributed Force
You can empower attacks with both arms equally. You gain the Two-Weapon Fighting Style: When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
Lightning Rod Prerequisite: Lightning Channel
Whenever you cast lightning chargedArtificer, you can treat the spell as if it was cast by a spell slot one level higher.
Flash Freeze Capacitor Incompatible with other Capacitors.
You can store arcane energy, releasing it in a torrent of freezing energy. As an action, you can cast cone of cold without expending a spell slot or charges. The effected area becomes difficult terrain until the end of your next turn.
Once you use this upgrade, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Flight Incompatible with Piloted Golem.
You integrate a magical propulsion system into your Warsmith's armor. While wearing your Warsmith's armor you have a magical flying speed of 30 feet.
Integrated Attack. Prerequisite: Integrated Armor or Warplate
You integrate a melee weapon into your Warsmith's Armor. When you apply this upgrade you must have a weapon to integrate, and you must choose where on your armor the weapon is located. The weapon cannot have the Heavy property. You are proficient with this weapon. As a bonus action you can activate the weapon.
You must treat it as though you are wielding it with one hand, but you cannot be disarmed of it. Once activated, you can use this weapon when you take the attack action, and it does not require the use of a hand or your Warplate Gauntlet. You can apply this upgrade multiple times, selecting a new weapon and new location on your armor to install it.
When you activate your integrated weapon, you can immediately make one attack with it. While it is active, you can make an attack with it using your bonus action.
Power Slam Capacitor Incompatible with other Capacitors.
You store up kinetic energy, and unleash it in a mighty bound. As an action, you can jump up to your entire movement speed and cast destructive wave without expending a spell slot or charges upon landing.
Once you use this upgrade, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.
Self-Repair Matrix Prerequisite: Ablative Armor
At the start of each turn, if you have no temporary hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal your proficiency modifier.
Titan Grip You can take this upgrade twice
You improve your grip strength and control of one of your gauntlets beyond the limits of flesh. You can wield a two-handed weapon in one-hand for the gauntlet this upgrade is applied to, and do not need two hands to wield a lance in a hand this upgrade is applied to, even if you are not mounted.
Level 15 Upgrades
Phase Engine Prerequisite: Warsuit
When you are attacked, you can use your reaction to become intangible, causing that attack to miss if it is a nonmagical attack, or to have disadvantage if it is a magical attack. Once you do so, you cannot do so again until you complete a short or long rest. This upgrade is refreshed every time you teleport or enter the ethereal plane.
Heavy Plating Prerequisite: Warplate
You install special heavy plating, giving you resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-magical sources while wearing your Warplate.
Recall.
When not being worn you can hide your Warsmith's armor in a pocket dimension. As an action you can magically summon the armor and don it. You can use a bonus action to return the armor to the pocket dimension.
While in the pocket dimension the armor cannot be affected by other abilities and cannot be interacted with in any way.
Shield Arm. Prerequisite: Piloted Golem
You integrate a shield into one of your armor's arms. You have proficiency with that shield, and can deploy it as a bonus action. It requires the use of that arm while deployed.
Sun Cannon.
You install a sun cannon into your Warsmith's armor, allowing you to unleash devastating solar laser blasts. As an action, you can cast sunbeam without expending a spell slot.
Once you use this ability, you can not use it again until you complete a long rest.
Virtual Interface. Prerequisite: Sentient Armor
When you use Artificial Strength to raise your Strength ability score, you no longer lower your Intelligence ability score below your natural maximum (not counting Sentient Armor).
About This...
The Fleshsmith is included at the end out of alphabetical order on purpose. Though it is an Artificer subclass, it is obviously somewhat thematically different, and not appropriate for all settings.
Fleshsmith
A Fleshsmith is the sort of person that makes people uncomfortable. Even when encountered in the most ideal circumstances, they simply have the sort of gaze that makes one think they may be thinking "how could I improve that" as they look at you.
A particularly path of Artificer that has turned their creative talents... inward. They seek to understand and improve the limitations of flesh. All too frequently they place a slightly different value on aesthetic than others might, tending to find beauty primarily in efficiency.
A Fleshsmith tends be more eccentric than inclined to any particularly alignment, though even the most benevolent one may find that the only reason their activities wouldn't be illegal is that no one considered them possible.
Fleshsmith Proficiency.
When you choose this specialization at 1st level, you gain proficiency in the Medicine skill, as well as proficiency with Leatherworker's tools (it's best if you don't think about the details on that one too much...)
Thesis of Flesh
At first level, you select an approach to your work, a specialization to your art form. Select on the following options:
Perfection of Form
Nature had its chance to make your form, now it's your turn to improve it. When you take this path, select one of Extra Arms, Extra Claws, Extra Fangs, or Extra Tentacle. You gain that upgrade, and it does not count against your upgrade total.
When you take the attack action, you can use your bonus action to make single additional attack with this upgrade. You can make this additional attack a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier. You regain all uses at the end of a long rest.
Perfection of Mind
You know that perfection is an aspect of knowledge, a perfect understanding of the mechanics of the Body, inside and out. But particularly inside. You gain the Doctor upgrade, and it does not count against your upgrade total.
If you are holding a melee finesse weapon you have proficiency with, as action you can make a Intelligence (Medicine) ability check against a creature within reach with a DC equal to its armor class. If you succeed the check, you can deal damage to that creature equal to your weapons damage dice plus your Intelligence modifier. If you have Extra Attack, you deal twice the weapon's damage die.
Uncanny Vitality
Starting at 3rd level, your body has such vitality that it is constantly able to restore itself. At the start of your turn, you can choose to expend a hit die and regain the value rolled + your Constitution modifier health (as normal for expending a hit die).
Additionally, you regain hit dice equal to your Constitution modifier on a short or long rest (in addition to normal hit dice recovery on a long rest).
If you are missing any limbs at the start of a long rest, at the end of the long rest the missing limb is regenerated.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Autoimmune Response
Starting at 14th level, you've attained full mastery of your body and its functionality, able to detect when it malfunctions. As a reaction, you can end a condition or disease effecting you as the result result of failing a saving throw, even if you would normally not be able to take reactions due to the condition.
Once you do this, you cannot do this again until you complete a short or long rest.
Fleshsmith Upgrades
Unrestricted Upgrades
Adorable Critter
You experiment on creating an adorable critter. You create - or modify - a CR 0 tiny creature. This creature serves as a familiar as per the find familiar spell, and you can resuscitate it (or rebuild it, as necessary) at the end of a short or long rest should anything untowardly happen to it.
You can use your bonus action to make your adorable critter cast primal savagery as first level caster using its reaction. You can do this a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier. It uses your Spell Attack modifier. It regains all uses of this after completing a long rest.
Better Eyes You can select this Upgrade multiple times.
Your eyes did not see everything you wanted them to, so you replace them eyes that do. You gain a benefit to your vision, selecting one of following enhancements: Blindsight (10 feet), Darkvision (60 feet), the ability to see clearly twice as far as your natural vision range, or proficiency in the Perception skill. If you select this upgrade again, you must select a different benefit.
Doctor
You master the knowledge of the mechanical properties of the body. You can make all Medicine checks as Intelligence (Medicine) checks and can add double your proficiency to Intelligence (Medicine) checks. When you take an Intelligence (Medicine) check to stabilize a creature, they regain 1 hit point.
Crushing Grip
You don't let things go once you have them in your grip. Creatures that are grappled or restrained by you have disadvantage on attempting to escape the condition. Additionally, you can choose to apply damage equal to your Strength modifier to any creature that starts its turn grappled or restrained by you.
Extra Arm.
You build yourself an additional arm, and attach it to yourself. This arm is capable of doing things an arm can do, like holding things.
Extra Claws
You add natural weapons to your hands, as they seem to lack them. You gain a natural weapon that deals 1d8 slashing damage, and counts a finesse weapon. You are proficiency with these new claws. You cannot use the claw as a weapon unless the hand being used is free and not holding anything, but they count as a weapon being held.
Extra Fangs
You've noticed that other creatures out there are better at biting things than you. You fix that. Your mouth becomes a natural weapon that deals 1d10 piercing damage. You are proficient using this fangs as a weapon.
Extra Eyes
Why only see one direction? You add extra eyes. You have advantage on Spot checks, you gain proficiency in Wisdom (Perception) checks. If you already have proficiency in Perception, you can add double your proficiency bonus to your Wisdom (Perception) skill checks.
Extra Tentacle.
You decided you could use a bit more reach, and crafting yourself a tentacle. Using this tentacle, you can make a Strength (Athletic) check or object interaction with a reach of 10 feet.
Your tentacle is a natural weapon the deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage with the reach property. You are proficient with this natural weapon.
Field Surgery
Some say that not all medical problems require surgery. Not you. As an action, you can repair a body to its natural limits far more quickly that its natural limits. You can repair a willing creature within 5 feet, allowing them to expend hit dice up to half Artificer level (rounded up). Each hit dice spent is rolled as normal, but you can add the higher value of their Constitution modifier or your Intelligence modifier.
This does not require the Doctor upgrade, but probably should. If taken without the Doctor upgrade, any hit die rolled as odd number is taken as damage by target creature.
Fix Flesh
Your expertise in the working of flesh makes you an artisan of fixing broken creatures. When you cast cure wounds you restore an additional amount of health equal to your Intelligence modifier.
Forbidden Knowledge
You deliver into the arcane mechanics of how bodies work. Otherwise known as Necromancy. You learn additional spells as shown on the table below:
Artificer Level | Spells Learned |
---|---|
3 | inflict wound, false life |
5 | blindness/deafness, gentle repose |
9 | life transference, vampiric touch |
13 | blight |
Horrifying Abomination Prerequisite: At least 5 upgrades modifying your body.
The perfect form you have crafted intimidates inferior beings. You gain proficiency in Intimidation skill, and you are already proficiency in it, you can add twice your proficiency bonus.
Massive Mutation
You develop a method to suddenly mutate. As an action, you can become a large sized creature. Any creature that witnesses this must make a Wisdom Save against your Spell Save DC or become frightened of you until the end of their turn.
While you are large, your attack deal additional 1d4 damage with your natural weapons and weapons sized for medium creatures, and you have advantage on Strength (Athletics) checks. You can revert to normal size as bonus action.
You can spend a number of rounds equal to your intelligence modifier as a large creature before you must revert and can no become large until you complete a short or long rest. After a short or long rest, you regain all rounds of duration you can remain as a large creature.
Secondary Life Organs
Realizing the fragility of mortal life, you modify yourself with additional necessary functions. When you make a Death Saving Throw, you can replace the results of that roll with a 20.
Once you do this, you cannot do this again until you complete a long rest.
Subdermal Plating
Exoskeletons are bulky, and endoskeletons just don't offer enough protection, so you compromise. You gain natural armor granting you a base AC of 16 + your Dexterity modifier (maximum 2).
Toxic Blood
Copying certain frog species, you make your blood poisonous. Once per turn, when a creature hits you piecing or slashing damage while within 5 feet of you, they take poison damage equal to your Constitution modifier. If damage is from a biting attack, they take twice as much damage.
You may also opt to make yourself take on a different skin hue, to let creatures know they shouldn't eat you.
Unnatural Health
You're a shining beacon of vitality. You gain an additional 1 maximum hit point for each level of Artificer you have. Additionally, When you roll a 1 or 2 on a hit die for recovering health, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if it a 1 or a 2.
5th Level Upgrades
Life Merchant
You've can share your considerably vitality with other creatures. You are generous person, after all. You can cast life transference without expending a spell slot. Once you cast in this way, you cannot cast it again with this upgrade until you complete a short or long rest.
Mutating Mastery
After so many little adjustments, you find that your form is quite flexible to your needs. You gain the ability to cast alter self at will.
Pressure Points Prerequisite: Doctor
You extensive knowledge of anatomy allows you to target critical spots. When you deal damage to a target with a melee weapon, as a bonus action you can force them to roll a Constitution Saving Throw against your spell save DC.
If they fail, they are slowed until the end of your next turn. If the target is already slowed they become restrained until the end of your next turn. If the creatures is already restrained they become stunned until the end of your next turn. If they already stunned they become paralyzed until the end of your next turn.
If they target becomes paralyzed from these attacks or passes a Constitution saving throw against it, they become immune to this ability for 24 hours.
Reflexive Twitch Prerequisite: Extra Arm
When you take damage from a target within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to reflexively attack them with your Extra Arm. This attack does not add your Strength or Dexterity modifier to damage dealt, unless that modifier is negative.
Safe Revival Technique Prerequisite: Doctor
You can cast revivify without expending a spell slot or material component. For some reason the target gains a level exhaustion, and is frightened of you for one minute upon reviving.
Unnatural Weapons, Very Unnatural Weapons
All of the natural weapons you have, such Extra Claws, Tentacles, Fangs, and including any natural weapons not granted by this subclass, become magically. Additionally, you can add +1 to the attack and damage rolls of them. This modifier becomes a +2 at level 14.
Uncanny Strength Prerequisite: 18 Strength You can take this upgrade twice
You don't see what the big deal is with two handed weapons. After some small improvements to one of your arm and grip, you can hold a two handed weapon in one-hand in the upgraded hand.
Note that this does not grant them the Light property, so two-weapon fighting will not inherently work with them, though with the Dual Wielder feat, they would.
Zombie Critter?!
If your Adorable Critter dies, it comes back to life at the end of its next turn. It can do this a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, and regains all lives after you complete a long rest and repair or rebuild it.
9th Level Upgrades
Extreme Mutation Prerequisite: Mutation Mastery
You can push your mutation to the limits and well beyond using a touch of magic. You learn the spell polymorph, but unless you know this spell from another source, you can only target yourself. Additionally, you can cast this spell without expending a spell slot, but once you do so, you cannot do so again until complete a long rest.
Life Void Prerequisite: Life Merchant
You hunger for missing vitality. After casting life transference until the end of your next turn whenever you damage a creature with your natural weapons, you can deal an additional 1d6 necrotic damage and regain hit points equal to the damage dealt.
Massive Hulk Prerequisite: Massive Flex
You no longer have a limit to how long you can stay in larger form.
11th Level Upgrades
Adorable Critter?! Prerequisite: Adorable Critter
You upgrade your Adorable Critter. When your Adorable Critter uses primal savagery it grows to medium size and gains temporarily hit points equal to your Artificer level until the end of its turn. It now casts primal savagery as an 11th level spell caster.
Dark Miracle Prerequisite: Doctor
When you use an action that restores health another player, you can expend up to 4d4 of your own hit points to increase the amount of health restored by that much. Creatures that receive this strange surge vitality have advantage on their next attack or saving throw.
Extra Endurance Prerequisite: Perfection of Form
Attacks made with various extra appendages and weapons no longer are limited to being used a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier.
Extra Arm(s) Prerequisite: Extra Arm, You can add this Upgrade up to 3 times.
You can add more additional Extra Arm upgrades. When you use a bonus action to attack with your Extra Arm, you can make an attack with each Extra Arm you poses, but attacks after the first one do not add your modifier to the damage dealt, unless that modifier is negative.
Very Forbidden Knowledge Prerequisite: Forbidden Knowledge, Extra Fangs
You use your knowledge of the manipulation of life force and your hunger for flesh to turn yourself into a dark, ravenous, beast that consumes life. These things happen. When you use your bonus action to attack with your Extra Fangs they deal an additional 2d8 necrotic damage. If the target is a living creature over CR 1/4, you regain health equal to half the necrotic damage dealt.
Wings Seem Useful
You decide the wings seem useful, and install a pair on your back. You can shape them like any naturally functional wings, such as a bird, bat, or insect. These grant you a flying speed equal to your movement speed, so long as you are not wearing heavy armor.
Vivisection Prerequisite: Perfection of Mind
When dissecting a creature using an Intelligence (Medicine) check granted by Perfection of Mind, if the creatures remaining hit points is lower than the result of your Intelligence (Medicine) check, you can choose to vivisect the creature, killing it instantly instead of dealing damage.
If you kill a creature in this manner, you have advantage on an Medicine check to harvest organs, ingredients, or other items from it.
Instantly Kill?
The maximum damage of vivisection would be 20 + (2 x your proficiency modifier) + (your Intelligence modifier), or 35 damage at the level you get it; the average damage would be only 26 in cases it would apply. While this is a lot of damage, particularly given it's very high chance to hit compared to a normal attack, it will not exceed the damage done by a level 11 martial character, and is conditional.
15th Level Upgrades
...Adorable Critter? Prerequisite: Adorable Critter?!
Your Adorable Critter can become a medium or large creature at will, and no longer has a limit to how often it can cast primal savagery with its action.
Best Eyes Prerequisite: Better Eyes
Despite your high quality eyes, you've noticed somethings still see better than you, so you take their eyes and use those instead. You gain truesight of 30 feet in addition to your normal vision.
Flesh Shaper
You gain the ability to cast clone without expending a spell slot. You still require material components. Once you cast this spell, you cannot cast it again until you complete a long rest.
Undying Fortitude
When you drop to zero hit points, rather than falling conscious, you make a Constitution saving throw equal to the amount of damage over your current hit points taken. On success, your hit points become 1 instead of zero, and you remain conscious.
Artificer Spell List
1st Level
- Alarm
- Arcane Ablation Artificer
- Arcane Weapon Artificer
- Bond Item Artificer
- Catapult
- Comprehend Languages
- Cure Wounds
- Detect Magic
- Disguise Self
- Expeditious Retreat
- Fall Artificer
- False Life
- Feather Fall
- Grease
- Identify
- Illusory Script
- Jump
- Longstrider
- Sanctuary
- Seeking Projectile Artificer
- Snare
- Unburden Artificer
- Unseen Servant
- Tenser’s Floating Disk
2nd Level
- Aid
- Alter Self
- Arcane Lock
- Blur
- Cloud of Daggers
- Darkvision
- Earthbind
- Enhance Ability
- Enlarge/Reduce
- Find Traps
- Heat Metal
- Hold Person
- Imbue Luck Artificer
- Invisibility
- Knock
- Lightning Charged Artificer
- Locate Object
- Magic Weapon
- Magic Mouth
- Nystul’s Magic Aura
- Protection from Poison
- See Invisibility
- Spider Climb
- Thunderburst Mine Artificer
3rd Level
- Dispel Magic
- Dispel Construct Artificer
- Elemental Weapon
- Feign Death
- Flame Arrows
- Fireburst Mine Artificer
- Gaseous Form
- Glyph of Warding
- Life Transference
- Lightning Arrow
- Magic Circle
- Nondetection
- Protection from Energy
- Sending
- Tiny Servant
- Wall of Sand
- Water Breathing
- Water Walk
- Wind Wall
4th Level
- Arcane Eye
- Death Ward
- Fabricate
- Fire Shield
- Freedom of Movement
- Greater Invisibility
- Leomund’s Secret Chest
- Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere
- Repair Artificer
- Stone Shape
- Stoneskin
- Sickening Radiance
5th Level
- Animate Objects
- Creation
- Hold Monster
- Legend Lore
- Mislead
- Passwall
- Skill Empowerment
- Telekinesis
- Teleportation Circle
- Transmute Rock
- Vorpal Weapon Artificer
- Wall of Stone
Custom Spells
Spells tagged "Artificer" can be found in Appendix A, Artificer Spells. Spells marked "ExpandedToolbox" are new spells and can be found in the Expanded Toolbox.
Appendix A: Artificer Spells
1st Level Spells
Arcane Ablation
1st-level transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 1 hour
You touch a piece of worn armor or clothing and imbue it with magic. The creature wearing this the imbued item gains 4 temporary hit points for the duration. When these temporary hit points are exhausted, at the start of the creature's next turn it will gain 3 temporary hit points. This repeats when those temporary hit points are exhausted as the previous total minus one, until no temporary hit points would be gained and the spell ends.
At Higher Levels: The initial temporary hit points increases by 1 for each slot level above 1st.
Arcane Weapon
1st-level transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up to 1 hour
You touch a weapon and imbue it with magic. For the duration the weapon counts as a magical weapon, any damage dealt by it is Force damage.
Bond Item
1st-level conjuration
- Casting Time: 1 minute
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 8 hours
You touch a item weighing no more than 100 pounds and form a link between you and it. Until the spell ends, you can recall it to your hand as a bonus action.
If another creature is holding or wearing the item when you try to recall it, they make a Charisma saving throw, and if they succeed, the spell fails. They make this save with advantage if they have had possession of the item for more than 1 minute.
Fall
1st-level transmutation
- Classes: Artificer, Sorcerer, Wizard
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Self
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
You alter gravity for yourself, causing you to reorient which way is down for you until the end of your turn. You can pick any direction to fall as if under the effect of gravity, falling up to 500 feet before the spell ends.
If you collide with something during this time, you take falling damage as normal, but you can control your fall as you could under normal conditions by holding onto objects or move along a surface according to your new orientation as normal until your turn ends and gravity returns to normal.
Seeking Projectile
1st-level transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
You touch a piece of ammunition or thrown weapon imbuing it with the property of seeking its target. When an attack roll is made with that weapon, the attack roll can add your spell casting modifier to the value on the dice. If that makes the value on the die a 20 or more, the attack is a critical hit as if a 20 was rolled.
Unburden
1st-level transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 1 hour
A creature you touch no longer suffers the penalties to movement speed or to their Dexterity (Stealth) checks while wearing heavy armor, and is no long encumbered from carry weight unless they are carrying more than twice the weight that would encumber them.
2nd Level Spells
Imbue Luck
2nd-level abjuration
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: 1 hour
You touch a weapon or worn item and imbue luck into it. If imbued on a weapon, for the duration, on an attack roll, the wielder can roll an additional d20 (they can choose to do this after they roll, but before the outcome is determined). The creature can choose which of the d20s is used for the attack roll.
If imbued into a worn item, they can roll a d20 when attacked, then choose whether the attack uses the attacker's roll or theirs.
With either use, the spell immediately ends upon rolling the extra d20.
Lightning Charged
2nd-level evocation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S, M (a piece of once used lightning rod)
- Duration: 10 minutes
You channel lightning energy into a creature. The energy is harmless to the creature, but escapes in dangerous bursts to other nearby creatures.
Every time that creature strikes another creature with a melee attack, a spell with a range of touch, is struck by another creature with melee attack, or ends their turn while grappling or being grappled by another creature, they deal 1d6 Lightning damage to that creature.
Once this spell has discharged 6 times (dealing up to 6d6 damage), the spell ends.
At Higher Levels: The spell can discharge damage 2 additional times (dealing 2d6 more total damage) before the spell ends for each slot level above 2nd.
Thunderburst Mine
2nd-level abjuration
- Casting Time: 1 minute
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S, M (Any tiny nonmagical item, which is destroyed by the activation of the spell)
- Duration: 8 hours
You can set a magical trap by infusing explosive magic into an item. You can set this item to detonate when someone comes within 5 feet of it, or by a verbal command using your reaction (one or more mines can be detonated).
When the magic trap detonates, each creature in a 10-foot-radius sphere centered on the item must make a Constitution saving throw. A creature takes 3d8 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If a creature is in the area of effect of more than one thunderburst mine during a turn, they take half damage from any subsequent effects of the mines.
A magical mine must be set 5 feet or more from another mine, and cannot be moved once placed; any attempt to move it results in it detonating unless the Artificer that set it disarms it with an action.
3rd Level Spells
Dispel Construct
3rd-level abjuration
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: 60 feet
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
You can attempt to purge the magic animating a construct within range, rendering it inert. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or be reduced to zero hit points. If the target has more than 100 hit points remaining, it makes this roll with advantage.
Fireburst Mine
3rd-level abjuration
- Casting Time: 1 minute
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S, M (Any tiny nonmagical item, which is destroyed by the activation of the spell)
- Duration: 8 hours
You can set a magical trap by infusing explosive magic into an item. You can set this item to detonate when someone comes within 5 feet of it, or by a verbal command using your reaction (one or more mines can be detonated).
When the magic trap detonates, each creature in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on the item must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 5d8 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. If a creature is in the area of effect of more than one fireburst mine during a turn, they take half damage from any subsequent effects of the mines.
A magical mine must be set 5 feet or more from another mine, and cannot be moved once placed; any attempt to move it results in it detonating unless the Artificer that set it disarms it with an action.
4th Level Spells
Repair
4th-level transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Instantaneous
You touch a construct or inanimate object, causing it regain 10d6 hit points. This causes any parts or material that has broken away from the construct or object to reattach, repairing it to the condition it was in before losing those hit points.
If the construct or object damaged state is the result of age, you can instead repair to the condition it was in 10d6 years ago, if it was previously in a better condition during that time (the condition can only improve or not change).
At Higher Levels: The hit points restored increases by 2d6 (or the years restored) for each slot above 4th.
5th Level Spells
Vorpal Weapon
5th-level transmutation
- Casting Time: 1 action
- Range: Touch
- Components: V, S
- Duration: Concentration, Up to 1 hour
You touch a weapon and imbue it with power. Until the spell ends, the weapon becomes indescribably sharp, ignoring resistance to slashing damage, and gains the Siege property, dealing double damage to inanimate objects such as structures. If weapon has a modifier of less than +3 to attack and damage rolls, its modifier becomes +3 to attack and damage rolls for the duration of the spell.
Additionally, if a critical strike of this weapon would leave a creature with less than 50 hitpoints, the target creature is decapitated, killing it.
Multiclassing
Should you want to multiclass into Artificer, the prerequisites and proficiencies are listed below:
- Prerequisite: 13 Intelligence.
- Proficiencies gained: Arcana skill, light armor.
For the purpose of multiclassing and spell slots, add half your Artificer levels rounded down when calculating your Spell Slots on the multiclassing spells slots table (like Paladin or Ranger).
Feats
While an Artificer can get a lot of mileage from the existing feats, this is an additional select with two things in mind. First, they are feats that may more directly play on what an Artificer will find themselves gravitating to in the course of play, and second feats that leverage the new mechanics introduced by the Artificer.
You can see from feats like Magic Initiate or Martial Adept that leveraging other class features can be a core part of expanding your character through feats, and a feat is a perfect way to dabble in a bit of Artifice without fully walking the path of Gond.
Innovator's Upgrade
Prerequisite: Artificer
You've honed your mind into a nonstop analytical machine. You can select an additional upgrade from your subclass list. You can select this feat multiple times, selecting a different upgrade each time.
Mental Adaptability
You've found ways to think outside the box, making connections that other - lesser - minds can never seem to understand.
- When you have to make a Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma saving throw, you can roll all three and pick the highest result. Once you do this, you cannot do it again until you complete a long rest.
- You can select an additional upgrade that is not from your subclass list, so long as you can apply it to something in your possession. This upgrade cannot be a level restricted upgrade.
Art Credits
Artificer as a class was created by Wizards of the Coast.
All images are randomly taken from the internet:
- Class Image (Fantasy Iron Man): theDURRRRIAN (Artstation).
- Magic Cube Thing: Wizards of the Coast.
- Belt potion Thing: Wizards of the Coast.
- Library image: Wizards of the Coast.
- Workshop image: Wizards of the Coast.
- Gadgetsmith Image 1 - Maximize Velocity - Magic the Gathering - Wizards of the Coast.
- Gadgetsmith Image 2 - Deadeye Brawler - Magic the Gathering - Wizards of the Coast.
- Gadgetsmith Image 3 - Wizards of the Coast.
- Golemsmith Image 1: Wizards of the Coast.
- Golemsmith Image 2: Wizards of the Coast.
- Golemsmith Image 3: Magic the Gathering - Wizards of the Coast
- Infusionsmith Image 1: Paizo
- Infusionsmith Image 2: Paizo
- Infusionsmith Image 3: Paizo
- Potionsmith Image 1: Paizo
- Potionsmith Image 2: Magic the Gathering - Wizards of the Coast
- Potionsmith Image 3: Paizo
- Potionsmith Image 4: Wizards of the Coast.
- Thundersmith Image 1: Harness the Storm - Magic the Gathering, Wizards of the Coast.
- Thundersmith Image 2: Iron Kingdoms, Privateer Press.
- Thundersmith Image 3: iron kingdoms, Privateer press.
- Thundersmith Image 4: Iron Kingdoms, Privateer Press.
- Warsmith Image 1: theDURRIAN (Artstation).
- Warsmith Image 2: (Cyborg): theDURRIAN (Artstation).
- Warsmith Image 3: Iron Kingdoms, Privateer Press.
- Fleshsmith Image 1: Magic the Gathering - Wizards of the Coast
- Fleshsmith Image 2: Paizo.
Supported By
Creation is made possible by generous patrons:
- Andrew Hoertt
- Ara Enzeru
- Austin Fox
- Christoph Haaß (Rune)
- Code Ghoul
- Ethan Reinhart
- Garion Pankievich
- GMBinder
- HerdSheep
- Ihileath
- James Sant
- Jau
- Kybernetes
- Lawrence Eger
- Mercutiorty
- Nannette Groft
- Quentin Padilla
- Rory Collier
- Russel Hobson
- Spenser Birney
- Thortron
- Thought-Knot
- Unlikely Alpaca
- Vaelin
- Verixa Okblek
...and many more!
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Thank you!
Changelog
Artificer v1.7
Artificer v2.0
General
- Cannonsmith renamed Thundersmith, basic functionality expanded to more than just cannons.
- Wandsmith folded into Infusionsmith.
- Fleshsmith added.
- Cross Disciplinary Knowledge added.
- Superior Attunement folded into Wondrous Item Recharge.
- Wondrous Item Recharge tweaked to included uses or charges.
- Soul of Artifice replaced with Peerless Inventor.
Gadgetsmith
- Airburst Mine can now be used to cast Shatter or Thunderburst Mine.
- Enhanced Grappling hook reduced to 30 feet (from 40).
- Jumper Cable added (from Expanded Toolbox).
- Mechanical Familiar no longer restricts flying pets. Have your damn mechanical owls, and may their hooting haunt your nightmares.
- Net Launcher, added.
- Repeating Hand crossbow; the additional attack now takes your bonus action, and is also made without advantage.
- Smoky Images added (from Expanded toolbox)
- Vanishing Trick added (from Expanded toolbox)
- Crossbow Spider added (from Expanded toolbox)
- Bracers of Empowerment moved to 15th level.
- Dimensional Toolbox added.
Golemsmith
- Golem chassis can now be selected from Warforged (same as old), Launcher, Quadrupedal, or Specialized.
- Defender Protocol Added - not that your golem's reaction spends your reaction until level 5.
- The stat upgrades were rebalanced and buffed.
- Stablization, Redundant Systems, Percision Movements, etc have all be wrapped into the stat upgrades.
- Cloaking Device can no longer cast greater invisibility, but moved to much lower level.
- Powered Charge added at 9th level.
- Expanded frame is +1 size and caps a large.
- Mark of Life is incompatible with Launcher chassis.
- Warforged Apprentice/Warforged Adept folded into one skill you can take multiple times, Artificial Learning.
- Brutal Armaments added
- Shared Power added as a new 15th+ level upgrade.
Infusionsmith
- Infused Armament has been renamed Arcane Armament.
- Infusionsmith now can make an Animated Weapon, Blasting Rod, or Infused Weapon.
- Animated Weapon is now a melee spell attack with a range, rather than a ranged spell attack that ignored cover and melee range disadvantage.
- Level 3 is now Spell Manual + Infuse Magic, but without the free spells.
- This means an Infusionsmith can effectively cast any spell on their list with enough preparation, which might be too good. I may limit this down more in a future pass before 2.0 is ready.
- Level 5 now upgrades basically whatever level 1 enchament you are using, it's extra attack + wands akimbo + second animated weapon, but you can only use one of them at a time.
- Added animated shield from Expanded Toolbox.
- Removed Triggered Infusion.
- Added magical wand.
- Added Arcane Ammunition.
- Weapon enchantment has been completely revamped and unlinked.
- Added Infused Shadows.
- Added Dimensional Pockets.
- Buffed Empower Weapon.
- Mixed Technique added.
- Added Magical Rod.
Potionsmith
- Instant Reactions are now pick 3 of 5 with Acid and Fortifying Fumes added to the default list.
- Poisonous Gas radius increased to 10 feet (from 5).
- Alchemical Homunculus renamed to Homunculus Familiar and just casts Find Familiar.
- Inoculations now is per long rest, as it was a bit awkward with changing party members previously as to how it worked.
- Weapon Poison from Poisoner's Proficiency now only lasts 10 hits on a melee weapon, the poison also expires if it is not used by the end of the a long rest, to clarify that you are not intended to just stockpile it.
- Explosive Powder added (from Expanded toolbox).
Thundersmith
- Thunder Cannon -> Stormforged Weapon. Can now select Thunder Cannon, Hand Cannon, Kinetic Hammer, and Charged Blade. For now Arm Cannon has been dropped, it will reappear in the Expanded Toolbox.
- Thunder Cannon changed to 1d12 from 2d6. I think the bigger range is a better fit for a cannon.
- Reload action replaced with standard Loading action.
- Thundermonger wording changed slightly, but actual functionality is the same.
- Elemental Swapping has been moved to an upgrade. Replaced by Unleashed Power.
- Unleashed Power added.
- Lighting Charged Bayonet -> Adaptable Weapon. Basically the same thing, but can go both ways.
- Arcane Lightning -> Brought over from Expanded Toolbox.
- Extended Reach -> New version of Extended Barrel. Only 1 upgrade now.
- Point Blank -> Brought over from Expanded Toolbox and buffed.
- Sonic Movement -> Brought over from Expanded Toolbox.
- Weapon Improvement -> Moved up to level 5, now is one upgrade, scales to +2 at 14.
- Harpoon Reel -> no longer applies Thundermonger on its own.
- Ride the Lightning -> Move over from Expanded Toolbox.
- Backblast -> Brought over from Expanded Toolbox and nerfed to int/day (thunder clap scales pretty well).
- Blast Radius -> Clarified slightly to include modifier in halved damage.
- Elemental Swapping -> Added, same as feature version, but requries 15th level.
- Massive Overload -> Brought over from Expanded Toolbox.
- Masterwork Weapon -> +3/+4 scaling at 20 for 1 upgrade, so +3 is now 2 upgrades total but comes much later, and scales to +4.
Warsmith
- The gauntlet can pick from Martial Grip, Force Blast, or Power Fist.
- Artificial Strength added.
- Integrated Armor and Warsuit variants added.
- Fully Customized Gear is 1 upgrade down from 2.
- Arcane Visor Changed
- Faraday Helmet added.
- Projector charges moved to Ether Reactor.
- Flame Projector moved earlier, grants spells known.
- Lightning Channel, added.
- Lightning Projector moved earlier, grants spells known.
- Martial Grip added.
- Sentient Armor made one upgrade.
- Acraneware added.
- Divination Visor added.
- Emergency Protocol added.
- Focal Reflectors added.
- Mechanical Enhancement added.
- Reactive Plating split in two and moved earlier.
- Ether Reactor now gives charges for projectors and upgrades.
- Iron Muscle is the strength upgrade.
- Phase Suit added.
- Ablative Armor added from Expanded Toolbox
- Cloaking Device changed (heavily).
- Distributed Force, added.
- Lightning Rod, added.
- Titan Grip, added.
- Phase Engine added.
- Heavy Plating (other half of reactive plating).
- Shield arm added.
- Virtual Interface, added.
Fleshsmith
- Added.
Artificer v2.0.1
- More than 100 corrections and grammar fixes. If you see something wrong, add it to the list!
- Blasting Rod now states "nonmagical" for the base material. Making a Blast Rod out of various magical staffs is probably too good, if niche, use case.
- Blasting Rod no longer buffs the damage of Wands by +Int; just the blasting rod itself. The level 5 feature already makes it very good with Wands, and double dipping on the power was too much.
- Cross Disciplinary Knowledge know grants a Blasting Rod, Animated Weapon, or Infused Weapon, not the feature to make any of them.
- Infused Weapon cannot be applied to another weapon gained from the class (Stormforged weapons, for example).
- Uncanny Strength, like Titan Grip, now applies to 1 hand per upgrade, and you can take it twice.
- Entangle replaced by Fog Cloud on the Alchemical Infusions for potionsmith (as several people pointed out it'd be a better fit).
- Twin Thunder power reduced. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative.
- More grammar, format and spelling fixes.