Artificer: Nuclear Covering
An artificer that specializes in nuclear covering is either brave or careless enough to keep radioactivity close to heart, literally. Such an artificer develops an armor with statistics enhanced by the artificer's magic, unleashing potent attacks, and generating a formidable defense. The artificer bonds with this armor, becoming one with it even as they experiment with it and refine its nuclear capabilities.
Tools of the Trade
When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor. You also gain proficiency with smith's tools. If you already have this tool proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan's tools of your choice.
Nuclear Coat
Beginning at 3rd level, your metallurgical pursuits have led to you making armor a conduit for your magic. As an action, you can turn a suit of medium or heavy armor you are wearing into a Nuclear Coat, provided you have smith's tools in hand. While wearing a Nuclear Coat all your spell slots are converted into energy; spell slots get converted in to energy following the same rule as spells convert into spell points.
You gain the following benefits while wearing this armor:
- If the armor normally has a Strength requirement, the nuclear coat lacks this requirement for you.
- You can use the nuclear coat as a spellcasting focus for your artificer spells.
- You are immune to the effects of extreme heat and have resistance to radiant damage.
- The armor attaches to you and can’t be removed against your will. It also expands to cover your entire body, although you can retract or deploy the helmet as a free action. The armor replaces any missing limbs, functioning identically to a body part it is replacing.
- You can doff or don the armor as an action.
- You know the Lightning Lure cantrip and it doesn't count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
The armor continues to be Nuclear Coat until you don another suit of armor or you die.
Nuclear Artillery Spells
Starting at 3rd level, while in overdrive you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Nuclear Artillery 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 | Nuclear Artillery Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Jim's Magic Missile, Thunderwave |
| 5th | Mirror Image, Scorching Ray |
| 9th | Lightning Bolt, Aura of Vitality |
| 13th | Fire Shield, Greater Invisibility |
| 17th | Cloudkill, Wall of Force |
At 3rd level: Hazmat Overdrive
Beginning at 3rd level, your nuclear aspirations have led to you making your armor a weapon of mass destruction. As an action, you can overdrive your Nuclear Coat, provided you have smith's tools in hand. While in overdrive, your Nuclear Coat is enveloped by shell like metal plates and gains the following properties for the duration:
- Your armor class is raised by 3.
- Your armor imposes disadvantage on stealth checks.
- You are immune to radiant damage.
You can also cast specific spells in this armor state at specific levels as shown in the Nuclear Artillery Spells Column. Maintaining your armor in overdrive requires you to maintain your concentration, if you cast a spell that requires concentration you end your overdrive, overdrive also ends whenever you've depleted your energy or 10 minutes have passed. Once overdrive ended, the Nuclear Coat can enter it again after you finish a short rest, but only if you still have energy left.
Atomic Boom
Also, at third level once per long rest you can bind to your armor up to 3 metallic weapons, binding to one takes no time and you unbind from all weapons at the end of a long rest. These weapons become magnetically submissive to your armor, being able to attract them from a distance of up to 10 meters; they are also charged with a magnetic boom every time you attack with them, dealing an additional 1d4 thunder damage, this damage increases by an additional 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4).
Radiation Pulse
Finally, at 3rd level, you can send out a pulse of ionized radiation. As an action, all creatures within a 15ft sphere must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, creatures take 1d10 poison, 1d10 radiant damage and become poisoned. On a successful save they take half damage and are not poisoned. This damage increases by an additional 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).
Additionally, if you hit a wall with your Radiation Pulse you can see through the wall as long as it is no thicker than 5ft until the end of your next turn.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to half of your proficiency bonus (rounded down), you regain all uses after finishing a long rest. If you've expended all uses of this feature you can still use it in exchange for as much energy as the number of damage dice used in the feature at the current time.
At 5th level: Extra Attack
Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice, rather than once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
At 9th level: Overcharge
At 9th level, you have unlocked the secrets of nuclear fission. While wearing your Nuclear Coat you can, as an action, imbue a number of magic items you are touching with energy. Roll 1d4 for each item, they regain charges equal to the number rolled. You can use this feature on up to a total of your proficiency bonus number of items. This feature can be used once per long rest.
Versatile Destruction
Additionally, when you cast a spell that deals thunder, radiant or lightning you can change that damage type to one of the other types listed.
At 15th level: Split The Atom
At 15th level, as an action, you can casue an extreamly violent reaction splitting the very foundation of matter. Each creature in a 30-foot-radius sphere centered on a point within 90ft of you must make a Constitution saving throw. A target takes 5d10 radiant and 5d10 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The energy spreads around corners, igniting flammable objects in the area that aren't being worn or carried. The area remains irradiated for the next 3d4 rounds and any creature that ends its turn within the area takes 2d6 poison damage. You can use this feature once per long rest.