Martial Archetype: Living Weapon

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# Martial Archetype: Living Weapon

A lab rat and test subject, the Living Weapon is a breathing armory. Experimented on and built to be a walking one man army, these fighters are masters in adaptability. Able to change their strategies, and their bodies as well, to overcome any foe, the Living Weapon will always achieve its ambitions, or those of its creator.

### Weapon Form
At 3rd level, your body itself becomes the embodiment of a living bio-mechanical weapon, which you choose from the options below. As a bonus action, you turn into your Weapon Form, which lasts until you fall unconscious or choose to end it (no action required). You are proficient with any weapon attack that a Weapon Form allows you to make, and you can't be disarmed of the weapons created by a Form, though you are considered to be wielding them for the purposes of your Fighting Style feature. While in your Weapon Form you cannot use your hands for actions, such as using an object or potion.

Each time you finish a short or long rest while you have smith's tools available, you can replace the benefits of your previous Weapon Form with a different one.

•  ***Reinforced Iron.*** When you attack in your reinforced form, your armored fists become Wrecking Balls, big melee weapons that have the *versatile* and *heavy* properties, dealing 1d10 bludgeoning damage one-handed and 2d6 bludgeoning damage two-handed. Your attacks with these weapons deal double damage to objects and structures.

Additionally, when you take the Attack action on your turn, you can attempt to shove a creature as a bonus action.

• ***Braided Steel.*** You can wield a Steel Whip, a braided metal whip-like weapon, dealing 1d8 slashing damage with a Reach of 15 feet and has the *finesse* property.

• ***Quicksilver.*** You grow Quickened Blades, which are short blades on your arms that deal 1d6 piercing damage and has the *finesse* and *light* properties.

Additionally, when you engage in two-weapon fighting with your Quickened Blades, you can make two attacks as a bonus action instead of one. You can use this feature an amount of times equal proficiency bonus per long rest.

If you chose Two-Weapon Fighting as your Fighting Style, when you engage in two-weapon fighting using only these weapons, you can add your ability modifier to all attacks you make as part of the same bonus action. You can't gain this benefit if you made an attack with a different weapon as part of the Attack action.

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### Improved Specimen 
At 7th level, you learn to tinker and adapt your Weapon Forms to prepare for anything. When you attune to a magical melee weapon, you can incorporate it into your body and choose one of your Weapon Forms. Your weapon attack granted by that Form gains the properties of that incorporated weapon. <br> Additionally, you gain a secondary effect from each of your Weapon Forms while they are active.

•  ***Reinforced Iron.*** When you activate your Weapon form, as a bonus action on each of your turns  you can gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier + half your fighter level. You lose these temporary hit points if you exit your Weapon Form or change to a Form other than Reinforced Iron.

•  ***Braided Steel.*** The steel cords that enhance your muscles have surprising tensile strength. When you make an ability check using Strength, you can add your Dexterity modifier to the result. Additionally, when you hit a creature that is Large or smaller with your Steel Whip, you can coil a secondary whip around the target and use your bonus action to attempt to grapple it. If you successfully grapple the creature, you can also choose to pull the creature up to 10 feet towards you. You can attack normally with your Steel Whip, however you can only grapple one creature in this way at at time.

• ***Quicksilver.*** Your speed increases by 10 feet, and you can take the Dash action as a bonus action. Additionally, you can give up one of your bonus action attacks when you engage in two weapon fighting with the Quickened Blades to take the Disengage action as part of your bonus action.

> ##### Variant: No Magic Weapons
> Some campaigns are played without magical weapons, armor, and the like. In such a game, with the DM's permission, you can swap the Improved Specimen feature's weapon-assimilation benefit with the following: "Your attacks with your Weapon Forms' weapons count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical weapons."

### Enduring Machine
At 10th level, you can push through any obstacle, steel and artifice sacrificed for the living being beneath. When you take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points but doesn’t kill you outright, you can choose to instead drop to a number of hit points equal to half your fighter level. Your Weapon Form then immediately ends if it was active, and you can't activate your Weapon Form again until the end of your next turn. <br> 
Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.

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### Perfected Evolution

At 15th level, your continued exploration, tinkering and nurturing has produced the perfected versions of your Weapon Forms.

• ***Reinforced Iron.*** When you push a creature as a bonus action, you can attempt to repel your foe with sheer force.  If you shove the creature backwards, it is pushed 30 feet instead of the normal 5 feet. If you knock it prone, it is also stunned until the end of its next turn. You can empower your shove an amount of times equal to your Constitution modifier per long rest.

Additionally, when you attack a creature that is prone, you deal an additional 1d12 bludgeoning damage on a hit.

•  ***Braided Steel.*** When you use your bonus action to grapple a creature with your secondary Steel Whip, it is restrained while it is grappled. You can use a bonus action on each of your turns to deal 1d8 slashing damage to a creature that is grappled this way.

• ***Quicksilver.*** When you engage in two-weapon fighting with your Quickened Blades, you can make three attacks as part of the same bonus action instead of two. Additionally, your speed increases by an additional 10 feet.

### Fluid Tinkering
At 18th level, your experience allows you to expertly modify your battle strategy to adapt to every situation possible. As a bonus action on your turn, you can change your Weapon Form to a different option, provided you have smith's tools in your possession. <br> Any benefits from your previous Weapon Form, such as those gained from your Improved Specimen feature, are lost.

> ##### Created by Hicks
> Edited and helped by the wonderful people of the Discord of Many Things server.
>
> Art by <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/329818372681101413/" target="_blank">Johann de Venecia</a>.