Nanomachinist
Nanomachinist
The nanomachinist recognizes that size does not matter – numbers do. These delicate tinkerers harness the might of tiny, flying automatons that can coalesce together to form a powerful, synchronized force. Some nanomachinists base their designs after a specialized craft of theirs; their nanomachines may appear as a flock of origami paper birds, a cursive trail of ferrofluid ink, or a shimmering cloud of arcane jewel dust.
Tools of Minute Detail
3rd-level Nanomachinist feature You can now manifest a magnifying glass using your The Right Tool for the Job feature. You also gain proficiency with jeweler's tools. If you already have this tool proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan's tools of your choice.
Nanomachinist Spells
3rd-level Nanomachinist feature You always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Nanomachinist Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
Nanomachinist Spells
| Artificer Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | magic missile, tenser's floating disk |
| 5th | cloud of daggers, dust devil |
| 9th | gaseous form, wall of sand |
| 13th | Evard's black tentacles, storm sphere |
| 17th | telekinesis, insect plague |
Nanomachines
3rd-level Nanomachinist feature You have developed a swarm of nanomachines. Your nanomachines are kept inactive inside a space of your inventory such as a pouch, pocket or sleeves of a long cloak. If they are ever lost, you can craft a new swarm of nanomachines over the course of a long rest, provided you have jeweler's tools with you.
As an action, you can activate your swarm of nanomachines, releasing them in a space within 5 feet of you. Your swarm remains active for 1 hour, unless it is first reduced to 0 hit points or you are incapacitated, upon which it deactivates and returns to a place in your inventory. You can deactivate it early as an action. Whenever your swarm deactivates, you cannot reactivate it for the next hour unless you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher. You cannot activate your swarm if it has 0 hit points.
In combat, the swarm acts during your turn. You fully control its movement (no action required), and you can use a bonus action on your turn to command it to take an action of its own. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If no command is issued, it will only take the Dodge action on its turn. You also use your reaction to command the swarm to use its reaction if triggered, otherwise the swarm does not take its own reactions. You can only command your swarm if you are within 60 feet of it. If the swarm is more than 60 feet away from you, it will automatically take the Dash action on its turn to attempt to return to the nearest space within 60 feet of you. If it is unable to do so, it will continue to attempt so on subsequent turns until it successfully returns or deactivates.
Swarm of Nanomachines
Medium swarm of Tiny constructs, neutral
- Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 3 + your Intelligence modifier + 5 times your artificer level (the swarm has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your artificer level)
- Speed fly 30 ft. (hover)
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10
(+0)10
(+0)16
(+3)4
(-3)10
(+0)6
(-2)
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing and slashing
- Damage Immunities poison, psychic
- Condition Immunities all
- Senses shares your senses (blind and deaf otherwise)
- Languages understands the languages you speak
- Challenge —
- Proficiency Bonus (PB) equals your bonus
Immutable Form. The swarm is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Replenishable. You can use your action to heal the swarm if you are within 5 feet of it, have jeweler's tools in hand and expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher. A 1st-level spell slot heals the swarm for a number of hit points equal to 1d8 + your Intelligence modifier, and the healing increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st. Provided you have jeweler's tools with you, you can also restore hit points to the swarm over the course of 1 hour by expending its Hit Dice as though it were taking a short rest. Over the course of a long rest, you can restore all hit points to the swarm and a number of its spent Hit Dice equal to half your artificer level.
Swarm. The swarm can occupy another creature's space and vice versa, and the swarm can move through any opening large enough for a Tiny object. The swarm can't regain hit points or gain temporary hit points except through its Replenishable feature. The mending spell does not restore any hit points to the swarm.
Actions
Adaptive Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d8 + PB bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage (your choice).
Platform (swarm has more than half HP). The swarm reforms itself into a platform affixed in the air. The platform is composed of a number of 5-foot-by-5-foot panels equal to three times the swarm’s PB. Each panel is one inch thick and must be contiguous with at least one other panel, and at least one panel must originate from the swarm's initial position. The platform can have any shape you desire, though it can't occupy the same space as a creature or object. It can fit a space smaller than its size without issue.
In this form, the swarm has an AC of 18 and no longer has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage. The platform can support up to 250 pounds in weight for every 10 hit points it has (rounded down) and can provide cover for creatures if angled appropriately. A creature can attempt to force its way through the platform by making a Strength (Athletics) check against your spell save DC. If you are willing, you can allow a creature to automatically succeed this check. On a success, the creature passes through the platform as though it was difficult terrain.
The swarm loses its platform form if it has insufficient hit points, its weight limit is exceeded, it uses its movement or undertakes any other actions. Upon dropping its platform form, the swarm reforms in the space closest to the middle of the platform. You can command the swarm to drop its platform form anytime during your turn (no action required).
Reaction
Intercept (swarm has at least 5 HP). When a creature that you can see hits a target within 5 feet of the swarm (other than the swarm itself) with an attack, the swarm can use its reaction to intercept the attack, reducing the damage the target takes by 1d10 + PB (to a minimum of 0 damage). The swarm sacrifices a number of hit points equal to the damage reduced, which cannot be reduced or prevented in any way.
Machine Blood
5th-level Nanomachinist feature You have incorporated nanotechnology directly into your own body. They harden in response to physical trauma. Whenever you take bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage, you can use your reaction to reduce the damage taken by 1d10 + your Intelligence modifier and store the reduced damage until the end of your next turn or until you use this feature again. Before the duration ends, you can add additional bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage (your choice) to one damage roll you make, equal to your stored damage.
Strength In Numbers
9th-level Nanomachinist feature Your swarm has become so vast that it now gains additional benefits. Whenever your swarm has more than half its maximum hit points (rounded down), its size counts as Large. While it is Large, its melee attacks deal bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage (your choice) equal to 2d8 + your proficiency bonus.
Furthermore, while your swarm is Large, it gains the following additional actions:
Actions
Restrict (Large size only). Your swarm can attempt to restrain one creature that is entirely within its space. The creature must make a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the creature is restrained until the swarm is no longer Large, it is deactivated, or it undertakes any other actions besides the Drag command. The creature can repeat its saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.
While restraining a creature, the swarm no longer has resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage. You can command the swarm to release the restrained creature anytime during your turn (no action required).
Drag (Large size only). Your swarm can attempt to drag one creature entirely within its space. The creature must succeed on a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC to avoid being moved. A willing creature can choose to fail this saving throw, and a creature restrained by the swarm has disadvantage on the saving throw. On a failure, the swarm can move itself and the creature up to 15 feet in any direction it can fly to.
Credits
Cover art and page 2 art taken from Big Hero 6. Senator Armstrong screenshot taken from here.
Monster designed by VYLT. Thank you for checking out my content! 💜
Assimilation
15th-level Nanomachinist feature Your nanomachines have become seamlessly compatible with biology. Your nanomachines gain the following additional actions:
Actions
Constructive Assimilation (swarm has at least 20 HP, 1/Day). The swarm sends a portion of itself to constructively infuse themselves into a willing creature of your choice within 5 feet of the swarm. Your swarm sacrifices a number of hit points equal to 6d6 + your Intelligence modifier, and the target receives a number of temporary hit points equal to the sacrificed hit points for the next minute. While the target has these temporary hit points, it can add an additional 2d6 bludgeoning, piercing or slashing damage (the target's choice) to any damage roll it makes once per turn.
Destructive Assimilation (1/Day). The swarm destructively converts a creature’s organic matter into more nanomachines. Choose one creature within 5 feet of the swarm. The target must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 6d8 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success. A creature can willingly fail this saving throw. Your swarm heals for a number of hit points equal to the damage dealt.
