Artificer Speciality: Kobold Inventor
The Kobold Inventor makes use of its natural surroundings to create ingenious inventions out of acidic spit, wasp nests, and whole live animals. Not considered a proper speciality by more “learned” artificers, kobold inventors continue to catch the world off guard with their unique brand of resourcefulness.
To reflect the scavenged nature of your magic, consider how artificers are encouraged to reflavour their spells as inventions, and lean even further into things a kobold would consider inventive. Your Entangle spell might be a bunch of ropes dipped in goop and cobwebs, or you might cast Magic Missile by slingshotting entire live birds at people! Rather than channeling mystical energy through your Animal Assistant, you might cast Acid Splash through your raven assistant by having it drop a pre-prepared bandolier of acid vials.
Optional Restriction: Kobold
Given how the speciality is often dismissed by other artificer groups, your GM may rule that it is limited to characters who are kobolds or who have spent time among them.
| Artificer Level | Kobold Inventor Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Skill Proficiency, Kobold Inventor Spells, Rustic Ingenuity, Animal Assistant |
| 5th | Improved Animal Assistant |
| 9th | Greater Animal Assistant |
| 15th | Superior Animal Assistant |
Skill Proficiency
3rd-level Kobold Inventor feature
You gain proficiency with the Animal Handling skill, or with any other skill of your choice if you are already proficient in Animal Handling.
Kobold Inventor Spells
3rd-level Kobold Inventor feature
You always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Kobold Inventor Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
| Artificer Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Beast Bond, Entangle |
| 5th | Animal Messenger, Flock of Familiars |
| 9th | Conjure Animals, Elemental Weapon |
| 13th | Giant Insect, Locate Creature |
| 17th | Awaken, Insect Plague |
Rustic Ingenuity
3rd-level Kobold Inventor feature
The maximum number of Artificer Infusions you can maintain at any one time is increased by 1.
Animal Assistant
3rd-level Kobold Inventor feature
You have gained the services of an invaluable lab partner, in the form of a CR 0 Beast of your choice. You may change the type of Beast for your Animal Assistant by bonding with a new creature over the course of a long rest; if it is killed, you may instead use this time to magically return it to life. Your Animal Assistant takes its turns immediately after yours, and it counts as an ally to you and your companions, obeying your verbal commands.
Your Animal Assistant has the following changes to its stat block:
- Its maximum hit points equal five times your artificer level. Rather than spending hit dice, whenever you take a short rest and roll hit dice to regain hit points, it also regains 5 hit points for each hit die you spend.
- Its proficiency bonus, which it adds to attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws, equals your own.
- If the Beast is Tiny, it gains proficiency in the Stealth skill; if it was already proficient, it instead doubles its proficiency bonus for Stealth checks.
- If the Beast is Small, it gains proficiency in the Survival skill; if it was already proficient, it instead doubles its proficiency bonus for Survival checks.
- If the Beast is Medium, it gains proficiency in the Athletics skill; if it was already proficient, it instead doubles its proficiency bonus for Athletics checks.
Your Animal Assistant also helps you in your magical endeavours; it can take the Help action to aid you when making checks related to magic or crafting, even if it does not have the requisite proficiency.
Your Artificer Infusions that require armour or clothing can instead be cast on barding, saddles, tiny sweaters, etc. worn by the creature. If it is wearing or carrying one of your Infused Items, it can activate and benefit from that item’s magical properties (first attuning to it if required) if you allow it, such as expending charges of Armour of Magical Strength or a Wand of Magic Detection; this does not allow it to wield weapons unless its form would already let it.
Finally, when you cast a spell, you may choose for the spell to originate from your Animal Assistant instead of you, as long as the creature uses its reaction to convey the spell; you may cast a spell in this way a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
Improved Animal Assistant
5th-level Kobold Inventor feature
When your Animal Assistant takes the Attack action, it may attack twice, instead of once, and it adds your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1) to the damage rolls of its attacks. Additionally, casting cantrips through your Animal Assistant no longer expends a use of that ability.
Greater Animal Assistant
9th-level Kobold Inventor feature
Your Animal Assistant gains a new benefit based on its size:
- If the creature is Tiny, it gains proficiency in Dexterity saving throws if it was not already proficient. When it makes a Dexterity saving throw that would allow it to take half damage on a success, such as against the burning hands spell, it instead takes half damage on a failed save and no damage on a success.
- If the creature is Small, it may take the Dash or Disengage action as a bonus action on each of its turns.
- If the creature is Medium, it gains proficiency in Strength saving throws if it was not already proficient. Additionally, it counts as one creature size larger when calculating its maximum carry capacity and the amount of weight it can push, drag, or lift.
Superior Animal Assistant
15th-level Kobold Inventor feature
You achieve an unparalleled partnership with your Animal Assistant, granting it the following benefits:
- The creature gains proficiency with all weapons you are also proficient with. If its form would not usually permit it to wield weapons, you may create a special attachment to bond one weapon of your choice to it, which it may then treat as though it is wielding; Tiny creatures can only wield Light weapons, and only Medium creatures can wield Heavy weapons.
- When you cast a spell through your Animal Assistant that deals damage or restores hit points, you may choose one target of the spell to take additional damage or receive additional healing equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1).
- When the creature takes the Help action, the target of its help can be up to 30 feet away.
- The creature can help you complete your magical endeavours faster. When you cast a spell as a ritual or when you craft a magic item, you may do so in half the time if your Animal Assistant remains with you for that time.