Puppeteer

A young woman hums a song while making a beautiful dress. Around her, little puppets made of colorful fabric dance to the rhythm, moving boxes, embroidering ornaments in the dress, and cleaning the workshop before opening time.

A Kalashtar sits idle in a tavern with her eyes closed while she plays with a coin, ignoring the other patrons. Outside, her puppet patrols the roofs and streets while she sees through its senses, seeking for their prey.

The curtain moves to reveal an old man sitting with a traditional outfit. He starts to play his instrument and tells a traditional story. A delicate puppet enters the stage and enacts the character from the tale, to the applause of the spectators.

Ranging from artisans to bounty hunters, puppeteers create their allies instead of seeking them, and train to work in perfect synchrony with them and the runic magic used in their fabrication.

Creating a Puppeteer

When you create your puppeteer character, think of how you started to learn to make puppets and to infuse them. Did you join a guild as a family tradition, following in the steps of your elders? Was your teacher a retired master of a guild and took you as his apprentice? You might be self-taught, looking through the window of the guilds and repeating what they did, hearing and seeking books to learn whatever you could. Maybe you found your puppet lying around, or someone gifted it to you, setting you on this path.

Did you decide to start your adventuring career as a way of perfecting your techniques and runes? What made you join up with a band of adventurers? Do you want to help others through what you have learned, or do you want to learn from them all you can in the ways of combat and magic?

Quick Build

You can make a puppeteer quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Intelligence, followed by Constitution or Dexterity. Second, choose the guild artisan background.

Class Features

As a puppeteer, you gain the following class features.

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• Leather armor and smith's tools, woodcarver's tools, or weaver's tools
• (a) an Explorer's pack or (b) an Entertainer's pack
• (a) two simple weapons or (b) a Light crossbow and 20 bolts

If you forgo this starting equipment, as well as the items offered by your background, you start with 4d4 x 10 gp to buy your equipment.

Optional Rule: Multiclassing

If your group uses the optional rule on multiclassing in the Player's Handbook, you must have an Intelligence score of at least 13 to take a level in this class. You gain proficiency with smith's tools, woodcarver's tools, and weaver's tools, and simple weapons.

Puppet Craft

Starting at 1st level, you have learned the art of creating puppets through tools and runes to accompany you in your travels as a faithful companion. Choose one of the materials below to be the base of your puppet:

• Cloth: These puppets are the most simple and basic puppets someone can make, and are common among kids. Using weaver's tools, you can make one puppet as part of a short or long rest.

• Wood: This is the bread and butter of all professional puppeteers. Being malleable and fairly resistant, most puppets are made with wood. Using woodcarver's tools, you can make one puppet as part of a long rest.

• Metal: Only the most versed, or patient craftsmen use metal for the construction of puppets, creating masterworks that move with gears and runes that surprise any onlookers. Using smith's tools, you can make one puppet as part of a long rest.

The created puppet is a tiny magical object that can be held in one hand. You can have only one puppet at a time and can't create one while your puppet is present. You can create a new puppet of another material for 25 gp if you have the correct tools, as part of a short or long rest (depending on the material of the new puppet). This destroys the previous puppet in the process.

When you create the puppet, you determine its appearance. You can use an action activate the runes in it. Its size changes to medium or small (your choice) and, on each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to cause the puppet to move up to its movement speed to an unoccupied space, but it cannot move more than 60 feet away from you. As part of the same bonus action the puppet can take an action in its stat block, or the Dodge, Disengage, Help, or Use an Object action. You need to have one or both hands free to control the puppet, as magical strings connect your fingers with it.

It reverts to its previous size and is destroyed if it is reduced to 0 hit points, or you can dismiss it early as a bonus action.

You can fully heal your puppet after 1 hour of uninterrupted work, that can be part of a short or long rest.

Puppeteer Save DC

Some puppeteer features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Puppeteer Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus +

your Intelligence modifier

Modifications

At 2nd level, you learn how to customize your puppet to better suit your needs with the use of specific runes and parts.

Modifications Known

When you gain this feature, pick four puppet modifications to learn, choosing from the "Puppet Modifications" section at the end of the class description. You learn additional modifications of your choice when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Modifications Known column of the Puppeteer table.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the puppet modifications you learned with a new one.

Some modifications specify a minimum puppeteer level. You can't learn such a modification until you are at least that level.

Unless a modification's description says otherwise, you can't learn a modification more than once.

Installing a modification

During a short or long rest you can use smith's tools, woodcarver's tools, or weaver's tools to modify one of your puppets with one modification you know. A modification works only on your puppets.

The modification remains in the puppet until replaced.

You can install more than one modification on your puppet during a short or long rest. The maximum number of modifications appears in the Modifications Installed column of the Puppeteer class table. If you try to exceed your maximum number of modifications, the oldest modification immediately stops working, and then the new modification applies.

Puppeteer Guild

At 3rd level, you choose the guild you will join: Mimicry, Persecution, or Replica, each of which is detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 5th level and again at 10th, 14th and 18th level.

Soul Strings

Starting at 3rd level, every piece of work carries a little of your own soul and pride, letting you use the inner magic in every puppet to control it without the need of physical strings. You can mentally command your puppet (no action required), and it can go as far as 120 feet away from you.

Additionally, you can manifest ethereal strings and use them to help your allies in combat. As an action you can manifest your strings and connect them with an ally you can see within 30 feet of you. Until you break this connection (no action required) or you and the connected target are in different planes of existence, you can use an action to give your ally the benefits of the Dodge action until the start of your next turn.

Finally, you can connect your string to an object that weight no more than 100 pounds, and is not being worn or secured. You can use an action on subsequent turns, to move it 10 feet in a direction you choose. If the object is being carried, the creature carrying it must succeed on a Strength saving throw against your puppeteer save DC or drop the object.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 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.

If your DM allows the use of feats, you may instead take a feat.

Sentient Shell

Starting at 6th level, you have learned how to create an artificial core for your puppet, giving it a false soul and some kind of awareness to your puppet. You create an artificial core after 1 hour of work. Choose one from Intelligence, Charisma, or Wisdom. The selected score increases to 14. The other two increase to 10. Your puppet gains proficiency in saving throws using the chosen ability.

Additionally, the puppet can understand all the languages you speak, but can't speak itself. It gains normal vision and hearing in a range of 120 feet.

You may choose not to equip a puppet with an artificial core, or to remove an artificial core as an action, storing the personality and all the memories of the puppet in it. If the puppet is destroyed, its core falls to the ground, intact.

Finally, if you are unconscious or didn't give an order, your puppet acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself.

The following tables offer personality suggestions

d8	Personality Trait
1	My creator is the most talented person alive, and everyone should pay respect to them
2	I'm the only suitable companion for my creator
3	I love being the center of attention, and I feel a bit envious of my creator for creating something as perfect as me
4	All organic creatures are inferior to me, except maybe my creator
5	I like shiny and colorful objects, and insist my creator installs them on me
6	My creator is the most wonderful person in the world, and I shall protect them
7	Every creature that dares to harm my creator in some way will suffer my wrath
8	I want to create another puppet like myself, so my creator will be proud of me

d6	Alignment
1-2	Lawful
3-4	Neutral
5-6	Chaotic

d6	Alignment
1-2	Good
3-4	Neutral
5-6	Evil

Expert Puppet Craft

Starting at 7th level, your crafting technique and the understanding of the runes used in your puppets has reached a new level of improvement. The movement speed of your puppet increases to 30 feet, and its attacks are now magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances.

Also, you have learned to give form to your soul strings to help in moments of need. If your puppet is destroyed, you can perform a 1-minute ritual to teleport the artificial core of your puppet to your side, if it's still intact, and create a copy of the puppet. This puppet has half the hit points of the original, and you must use a bonus action to command it.

Additionally, your puppet can telepathically communicate with you simple ideas, emotions, and images at a range of 30 feet.

Crafter's Pride

At 9th level, you are filled with pride every time your puppet excels inside or outside of combat. Every time your puppet rolls a 20 on a d20, you can roll an additional 2d4 for your next attack roll, saving throw or ability check within the next minute.

Magic Redirection

Starting at 11th level, you and your puppet have a magical connection that allows you two to take the damage that the other would suffer. When your puppet is hit by an attack, you can use your reaction to take half the damage for your puppet. The damage dealt to you is force damage.

Additionally, when you are hit by an enemy attack, your puppet can use its reaction to take half the damage for you. The damage dealt to the puppet is force damage.

Soul Bond

Starting at 13th level, the connection between you and your puppet makes you inseparable. You can use your action to teleport your puppet to an unoccupied space of your choice within 5 feet of you. The puppet must be within 1 mile of you, and can be activated or deactivated.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (a minimum of once), and regain all expended uses after a short or long rest.

Runic Synchrony

At 15th level, the runic magic on your puppet grows in power, giving you and your puppet an advantage against the magic of your enemies. While you and your puppet are no more than 15 feet of each other, both of you have advantage against spells and other magical effects.

Quick Reconstruction

At 17th level, you learn a special rune used to preserve puppets when facing dangerous situations. When your puppet is destroyed, it reforms in your free hand, as a new, intact, and inactive copy of the puppet. If you don't have a free hand, it appears at your feet. Additionally, if it had an artificial core installed, the puppet appears with it.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Ethereal Creation

At 20th level, your understanding of your puppet and its magic equals the forgotten masters, letting you manifest the soul of a puppet. As an action, you can choose to manifest the magical essence of your puppet, creating an exact copy of it for 1 minute. The new puppet has resistance to all damage and is immune to all conditions. You can command both puppets at the same time. Your allies have advantage on attack rolls if at least one of your puppets is within 5 feet of the target.

Additionally, your allies have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects if they are in a 10 feet radius of one of your puppets.

Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Puppetry Guild

At its core, all puppeteers are artisans. Most of them seek ways of perfecting their talents and learn creative ways to modify the puppets. Puppeteers unite under the banner of a guild, to learn secretive techniques and runes to achieve a new level in their craft.

Captivating performance

At 10th level, you can make the magic of the runes create a beautiful and delicate spectacle. Your puppet can use an action to start singing or dancing until the start of its next turn. Enemy creatures that can see or hear the puppet in a 15-foot radius centered on it, must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be captivated by the performance. Until the start of your puppet's next turn, affected creatures make attack rolls and Dexterity saving throws with disadvantage. If you use your action to sing or dance with your puppet the area increases to 30 feet and the creatures have disadvantage on the saving throw. You must be within 5 feet of your puppet to use this special action.

After using this ability you and your puppet must finish a short or long rest.

One hundred Voices

Starting at 14th level, the runes on your puppet now sound in a harmonious tone without the help of anyone. You can choose a base voice for your puppet, and it can mimic any voice perfectly if it heard the creature speaking for at least 1 minute, fooling even the most expert ears.

Additionally, it can cast shatter at its lowest level only requiring a verbal component, a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier before the puppet must finish a long rest.

Perfect Copy

At 18th level, you have achieved a perfect balance between your puppet and the runes of your guild. Your puppet is indistinguishable from a living creature if it doesn't have a part of its body completely exposed (like an arm or a leg), and the material of its face, hands, and feet can move and look as if it were skin, even if it's made of metal or gemstones.

Additionally, your puppet can add double your Proficiency Bonus when making a Charisma (Deception) check. A creature can discern that it's a puppet with a successful Charisma (Insight) check against your puppeteer save DC.

Guild of Persecution

More often than not, the members of this guild are seen as law enforcers, ranging from peacekeepers to bounty hunters, this individuals patrol the streets and hunt criminals with their trusted puppets, silent instruments that can easily neutralize any objective.

Silent Chaser

At 3rd level, you learn how to modify your puppet to chase and capture your objectives more easily. You gain proficiency in Perception. If you already have proficiency in this skill, your Proficiency Bonus is doubled with it. Your puppet gains proficiency in Stealth, and doesn't make sounds when moving.

Additionally, you gain proficiency in martial weapons and your puppet can grapple as a bonus action and doesn't have its movement speed reduced when moving a grappled creature.

When you install an artificial core at 6th level in your puppet, you can use an action to see and hear through the senses of your puppet. While you are using its senses, you are blinded and deafened in regards of you own surroundings.

Chase and Hunt

Starting at 5th level, you and your puppet work together to slow and catch up your enemies. When your puppet takes the Attack action and hits with an attack, you can use your reaction to make a weapon attack to the same creature, if your attacks hits, you reduce the creatures speed in 10 feet until the start of your next turn.

Overwhelming Presence

At 10th level, the magic of your puppet can make its preys feel the pressure of their imminent end. As an action, your puppet can create a magical connection with a creature it can see within 30 feet for 1 minute. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target learns the approximate location of the puppet and becomes blind beyond a 60-foot radius around them. If you use your action to strengthen the connection, the affected creature can only see and hear themselves, you and your puppet for the duration, and they know the exact location of you and your puppet for the duration. You must be at 5 feet of your puppet to use this special action yourself.

On subsequent turns, the affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a success the effect ends for it.

After using this ability you and your puppet must finish a short or long rest.

Walking Prison

Starting at 14th level, the runes and modifications in your puppet makes it the perfect creation to neutralize your targets. When your puppet hits a grappled creature with an attack, it may try to restrain it, even if the target is grappled by an effect or other creature different from the puppet. If the puppet succeeds in the restrain, the grapple ends for the creature and the puppet gains resistance to all damage dealt by creatures grappled or restrained by it.

Additionally it can cast web at its lowest level without providing component materials, a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier before the puppet must finish a long rest.

Apex Hunter

At 18th level, the raw magic power of your puppet runes let it surpass its physical limits easily. The movement speed of your puppet cannot be reduced except by the paralyzed condition, and it ignores difficult terrain. It knows the exact location of creatures with half its hit points or less, within a radius of 1 mile.

Additionally, your puppet can add double your Proficiency Bonus when making ability checks to track a creature that you or the puppet damaged in the last 24 hours.

Guild of Replica

Mostly artisans of all kinds, the members of this guild work alongside a tireless swarm of puppets to craft true masterpieces. But the fluctuating energy of their runes gives the ability to unleash powerful elemental energy to destroy their enemies, or attune to the very essence of those close to them. For these puppeteers, their swarms are the perfect combination between a helper and a weapon.

Arcane Army

At 3rd level, you learn how to link the magic of your runes to control more than one puppet as one and organized group. You gain proficiency in Arcana. If you already have proficiency in this skill, your Proficiency Bonus is doubled with it. Your puppet is considered a medium swarm of small or tiny constructs (your choice), and gains resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage.

Additionally, you gain proficiency in tinker's tools and your puppet can use its action to make an explosion attack. It takes 5 points of damage and force all enemies within 5 feet of it to make a Constitution saving throw. On a fail, the creature takes 2d4 thunder damage.

When you install an artificial core at 6th level in your puppet, after your puppet use its explosion attack it can regain 1d4 hit points.

Elemental Reflux

Starting at 5th level, you can redirect the magic created from the explosion of your puppet to harm your enemies. When your puppet takes the use its action to make an explosion attack, you can use your reaction to make a melee spell attack to one of the damaged creatures in 5 feet of you, if the attack hits, the creature takes 1d8 cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage (your choice).

Equalization

At 10th level, the runes of your puppets can momentarily copy your enemies defenses. As an action, your puppets can gain one of the resistances of one creature in its space, for 1 minute. If you use your action to further enhance the defense of your puppets, it gains one of the invulnerabilities of a creature in its space.

After using this ability you and your puppet must finish a long rest.

Compact Helper

Starting at 14th level, you improve the magic connecting your puppets, creating a nearly perfect union between them. You can use a bonus action to fuse all the puppets of your swarm into one, functional tiny body, for an easy transport or concealment. And you can use a bonus action to revert it to its swarm form if it's in its fused body.

Additionally, you can use your swarm of puppets to help you build different objects faster. The crafting time of nonmagical and magical objects is halved if you have your swarm with you.

Eternal Bombs

At 18th level, the magic of your swarm let it be more durable and dangerous. When your puppets start its turn with less than half its hit points but more than 0, it regains an amount of hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier at the start of its turn, and they have resistance to all kinds of bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage.

Finally, the damage dealt by the explosion is now 2d10 + your Intelligence modifier.

Changelog V.1

• Removed the duration of 1 hour from Puppetcraft and Expert Puppetcraft
• Now Expert Puppetcraft lets you create a temporal copy of a puppet if you lose the original
• Ethereal Creation extra puppet's duration is reduced to 1 minute
• Minor clarifications for some abilities
• Added medium armor and shields proficiency
• Changed explosion attack of Arcane Army from "all creatures within 5 feet of it" to "all enemies within 5 feet of it"
• Proofread by Drew

Art Credits

• Cover: Raivis Draka
• Page 2: Docatto
• Page 3: ell
• Page 5: Jana Schirmer
• Page 6: KOZOUSAN
• Page 7: Chin likhui
• Page 11: JeongSeok Lee
• Page 12: Daarken
• Guild of Mimicry: Yu-Han Chen
• Guild of Persecution: Joseph Meehan
• Guild of Replica: Sara Winters

Stain Credit

• Jared Ondricek