The Puppeteer

Puppets of Every Kind

With great craftsmanship, come thousands of creations. From wood, metal, stone, some puppets are even created out of nothing but paper and their core. The art of creating a puppet is a deeply personal one, and their shapes they can take are limitless.

There is but one thing uniting all puppeteers: dedication. Be it creating a world-rending construct, able to level kingdoms; a graceful marionette able to perform inhuman dances; or simply an indestructible core, all puppeteers are wholly dedicated in giving their hopes and dreams shape, placing part of their souls on every core they make.

Simple Living

You might find several puppeteers who have given up on the life of an adventurer, choosing instead to devote themselves to their craft as artisans, as performers, or taking up a life of hermitage with their creations as their only friends.

Because of that, you will never fail to find materials for your puppets, some may even hold secret tools of only their own creation. As honorable it is to live a simple and quiet life, it is equally honorable to be devoted to spreading the knowledge of puppetry through the world.

String of Many Worlds

Throughout the D&D multiverse, puppeteers tend to change. Whether through the puppets they use, the physical of magical aspect of their strings, or simply the repair tools available for them to use. Talk with your DM in how this class can be incorporated into the world.

Creating a Puppeteer

To create a puppeteer, consult the following subsections, which give you hit points, proficiencies, and starting equipment. Then look at the Puppeteer table to see which features you get at each level. The descriptions of those features appear in the "Class Features" section.

Quick Build

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

Part 1 | Introduction

Multiclassing and the Puppeteer

If your group uses the optional rule on multiclassing in the Player's Handbook, here's what you need to know if you choose puppeteer as one of your classes.
Ability Score Minimum. As a multiclass character, you must have at least an Intelligence score of 13 to take a level in this class.
Proficiencies Gained. If puppeteer isn't your initial class, here are the proficiencies you gain when you take your first level as a puppeteer: light armor, carpenter's tools, smith's tools, tinker's tools.

Your puppet is used as an extension of your own character. Using a bonus action, you can activate your puppet, it remains active for 1 hour, until you dismiss it as a bonus action, or until you're incapacitated. While active, you can use your actions, bonus actions, or reactions to activate the puppet's abilities. Your puppet's damage dice increase as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Puppet Damage Dice column of the Puppeteer table. You can also have your puppet wield any simple or martial melee weapon.

You learn to heal your allies in the same way you channel energy into your puppet's core. You can use your action heal up to two allies within 30 feet of you for 1d6 + your spell attack modifier. You can use this feature once per long rest.

At 10th level, you can heal 4 allies in the same way.

Living Attunement

7th level puppeteer feature

Your bond with your puppet has reached a new level, part of your soul transferred into its core.

You can now give up one of your attunement slots to equip your puppet with one magical item that requires attunement. Furthermore, your puppet's attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

You are able to equip it with two magical items that require attunement at 14th level.

Last Resort

9th level puppeteer feature

Charged with a will to win, your puppet can deliver an explosive charge with its dying breath. When your puppet is reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to detonate its core, forcing each creature in a 20-foot-radius to make a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw. Each creature takes 8d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. You have advantage on the saving throw.

The DC of the explosion increases to 18 and the damage to 12d6 fire damage at 15th level.

Puppet Enhancement

10th level puppeteer feature

You have finally achieved a new stage for your puppet and its core, gaining the following features:

• Each Hit-Dice you use to heal yourself or your puppet heals for 2d6.
• Your puppet gains a +2 bonus to Armor Class.
• Your puppet can now be up to 60ft from you.

Sudden Transposition

13th level puppeteer feature

The movement between you and your creation becomes like an effortless waltz. If an effect you can see forces you or an ally within 60 feet of you to make a saving throw, you can use your reaction to switch locations with your puppet, and have it perform the saving throw instead.

Everlasting Creation

15th level puppeteer feature

Even as you fall, your puppet knows not to stop fighting until its body falls apart. If you fall unconscious while your puppet is active, you can still control it, and you do not have to make death saving throws until your puppet falls to 0 hit points. You suffer the normal effects of taking damage while at 0 hit points, and will die once you fail three death savings throws.

One with the String

18th level puppeteer feature

After many sleepless nights, you discover how to place a puppet core inside you, turning your body into a living construct. Your body no longer ages, and can't be magically aged, and you no longer need food or water.

You can now use your puppet's actions, bonus actions, and reactions as if they were your own, and you gain a base AC of 17 as long as you aren't wearing armor. (your Dexterity modifier doesn't affect this number)

Eternal Cage

20th level puppeteer feature

With your core's destructive power perfected, you have developed your greatest technique. As an action, you or your puppet can attempt to grab a Medium creature within 10 feet, forcing it to make a DC 18 Strength saving throw. If they fail, your core emerges, swallowing them whole and killing them instantly. You can use this feature once per long rest.

A creature is immune to this effect if it has legendary actions. Such a creature instead takes 10d8 force damage from this feature instead, as the core pushes them 10 feet away from you.

Part 2 | The Puppeteer

As you bring your puppet closer to you, it becomes easier to tense and release its strings in order to better shield it from attacks. When your puppet is at least 5 feet from you, it gains a +3 bonus to its Armor Class.

Awakened String

6th-level String-Core feature

With blazing speed and control, your two puppets attack with as much fury as an entire army. As an action, you can give yourself advantage on all your puppet's attacks for 1 minute or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell).

You can use this feature once per short rest.