Artificer Specialties
This document presents three variant subclasses for the 2019 Unearthed Arcana artificer. The three variants are based loosely around elements of the 2017 Unearthed Arcana artificer that were removed in the latest revision, specifically the mechanical servant class ability and the gunsmith specialization:
- The Golemancer variant gives the artificer a mechanical companion that improves over time.
- The Arcane Arblester variant improves the artificer's damage and utility when wielding crossbows (and, if you're using the optional rules, firearms).
- The Mechanist variant is a hybrid of the two prior variants, and comes closest to the original 2017 class.
Golemancer
Tools of the Trade
By the time you adopt this specialty at 3rd level, you’re deeply familiar with employing its tools.
Proficiencies. You gain proficiency with smith’s tools and jeweler’s tools, assuming you don’t already have them. You also gain those tools for free—the result of tinkering you’ve done as you’ve prepared for this specialization.
Crafting. If you craft a common, uncommon, or rare magic item in the wonderous item category, it takes you a quarter of the normal time, and it costs you half as much of the usual gold.
Golemancer Spells
Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Golemancer 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 | false life, thunderous smite |
| 5th | branding smite, warding bond |
| 9th | blinding smite, vampiric touch |
| 13th | fire shield, staggering smite |
| 17th | antilife shell, banishing smite |
Mechanical Companion
At 3rd level, you learn to create a mechanical companion using a combination of engineering and arcane magic.
Assembling a mechanical companion takes 8 hours of work and requires jeweler’s, smith’s, and tinker’s tools. You are assumed to have the required materials on hand as part of your tool kits. You can only have one mechanical companion at a time. If you assemble a second companion, you must disassemble your existing companion as part of the process.
Your companion is friendly to you and your companions. It has a rudimentary intelligence and obeys your companions as best as possible. When you assemble your companion, you decide its form, which can be any Medium humanoid or beast. Regardless of its form, your mechanical companion is obviously artificial, being composed of metal, wood, leather, and other non-living materials.
In combat, your companion shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. You control where your companion moves on its turn. As a bonus action on your turn, you can command your companion to take any action in its stat block or the Dash, Disengage, Help, or Search action. If you do not command your companion, it repeats the action it was most recently commanded to take. If it is unable to take that action, it takes the Dodge action.
If the mending spell is cast on your companion, it regains 2d6 hit points. During a short rest, you can make minor repairs to your companion, restoring hit points equal to your level to it. During a long rest, you can make major repairs, restoring your companion to full health. If you companion dies, you can rebuild with 4 hours of work. Doing so restores your companion to full health.
Mechanical Companion
Medium construct, neutral
- Armor Class 13
- Hit Points equal to five times your artificer level + your Intelligence modifier
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 5 (-3) 11 (0) 7 (-2)
- Saving Throws Strength +4, Constitution +3
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
- Languages understands the languages you speak
Arcane Conduit. When you cast a spell with a range of Self, you may target your mechanical companion instead of yourself.
Incremental Improvement. Whenever your proficiency bonus increases by 1, your mechanical companion’s armor class, saving throws, and attack bonus increase by 1 and it’s damage bonus increases by 2.
Actions
Bite (beast type only). Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 2d4+2 piercing damage.
Slam (humanoid type only). Melee weapon attack: +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+2 bludgeoning damage.
Custom Upgrades
Starting at 6th level, you gain the ability to upgrade your mechanical companion’s abilities. At the end of a long rest, you can install one kit in your mechanical companion, chosen from the "Upgrade Kits" section below. Your companion gains the abilities associated with that kit. At the end of each long rest, you can choose a different upgrade kit for your companion.
Improved Custom Upgrades
Starting at 14th level, your companion can have two upgrade kits installed at the same time. At the end of a long rest, you can switch one or both of your companion’s active upgrade kits.
Upgrade Kits
Arcane Attunement: When you cast a spell targeting yourself, you can also target your mechanical companion if it is within 30 feet of you. When you cast a concentration spell that targets only you and your companion, your companion can maintain concentration on that spell for you. Your companion must make concentration checks to maintain concentration on the spell as normal.
Enhanced Actuators. Your mechanical companion’s speed increases by 20 feet, it has advantage on Dexterity checks and Dexterity saving throws, and it can use the Disengage action as a bonus action.
Force Shielding. When this upgrade kit is installed, and at the end of each long rest while it is installed, your mechanical companion gains temporary hit points equal to twice your artificer level. In addition, when a creature adjacent to your companion takes damage, your companion can use its reaction to reduce that damage by half. Your companion takes damage equal to the amount by which the damage is reduced.
Juggernaut Attachments. Your companion’s size increases to Large. Your companion gains advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws, and deals an extra 1d6 damage with attacks.
Rapid Targeting: When your companion takes the Attack action on its turn, it can make two attacks.
Support Protocols. Your companion can use the Help action as a bonus action.
Arcane Arblester
Tools of the Trade
By the time you adopt this specialty at 3rd level, you’re deeply familiar with employing its tools.
Proficiencies. You gain proficiency with smith’s tools, assuming you don’t already have it. You also gain smith's tools for free—the result of tinkering you’ve done as you’ve prepared for this specialization.
Crafting. If you craft a magic item in the ammunition or ranged weapon categories, it takes you a quarter of the normal time, and it costs you half as much of the usual gold.
Arcane Arblester Spells
Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Arcane Arblester 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 | guiding bolt, mirror image |
| 5th | acid arrow, spike growth |
| 9th | conjure barrage, feign death |
| 13th | dimension door, greater invisibility |
| 17th | conjure volley, mislead |
Infused Munitions
When you take this specialty at 3rd level, you gain the ability to infuse bolts and bullets with magical energy. At the end of a long rest, you can create three infused bolts or bullets, chosen from the "Munition Infusions" section below. When you use this feature, you can choose to expend a spell slot. If you do, you create can infuse an additional number of bolts or bullets equal to the level of the spell slot expended.
You can use an infused bolt or bullet in place of normal ammunition when making an attack with a crossbow or firearm. Infused bolts and bullets are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Each infused bolt or bullet is destroyed after being used, regardless of whether the attack hits of misses.
Rapid Fire
Starting at 6th level, you can magically enhance the speed of mechanical weapons. You ignore the loading property of any crossbow or firearm you wield.
Spread Shot
At 14th level, you gain the ability to magically duplicate ammunition at the moment it is fired. As an action, you may make an attack with a crossbow or firearm against multiple creatures within your range, up to a number of targets equal to your Intelligence modifier. The attack uses one piece of ammunition, and the any effects from the ammunition used apply to all targets.
Munition Infusions
Explosive Shot. If this attack hits, the bolt or bullet explodes, dealing 1d10 fire damage to the target and every creature within 10 feet of it. At 10th level, the damage increases to 2d10.
Flashbang Shot. If this attack hits, the bolt or bullet bursts with light and sound. The target and each creature within 10 feet must make a Constitution save against your spell DC or be blinded and deafened for 1 round.
Force Shot. If this attack hits, the target takes an additional 2d6 damage and is pushed 10 feet away from you. At 10th level, the damage increases to 4d6.
Homing Shot. If this shot misses, you can repeat the attack against a different target within 60 feet of the original target. If the secondary attack misses, you can continue to repeat the attack until you hit or you run out of eligible targets. No creature can be targeted more than once by each use of homing shot.
Net Shot. If this attack hits, a net bursts forth from the bolt or bullet. The shot deals no damage, but if the the target is Large or smaller, it becomes restrained. The target or an adjacent creature can use an action to make a Strength check against your spell DC, freeing the target on a success. Dealing slashing damage to the net (AC 10) equal to 10 + you artificer level also frees the creature without harming it, ending the effect and destroying the net.
Phasing Shot. This attack ignore cover, including total cover. You still have disadvantage against creatures with total cover, unless you have some way of perceiving them.
Shocking Shot. If this attack hits, the target must make a Constitution save against your spell DC or be stunned for 1 round.
Mechanist
Tools of the Trade
By the time you adopt this specialty at 3rd level, you’re deeply familiar with employing its tools.
Proficiencies. You gain proficiency with smith’s tools, assuming you don’t already have it. You also gain smith's tools for free—the result of tinkering you’ve done as you’ve prepared for this specialization.
Crafting. If you craft a magic item in the ammunition or ranged weapon categories, it takes you a quarter of the normal time, and it costs you half as much of the usual gold.
Mechanist Spells
Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Mechanist 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 | floating disk, guiding bolt |
| 5th | acid arrow, knock |
| 9th | conjure barrage, lightning bolt |
| 13th | dimension door, fire shield |
| 17th | conjure volley, telekinesis |
Infused Munitions
When you take this specialty at 3rd level, you gain the ability to infuse bolts and bullets with magical energy. At the end of a long rest, you can create three infused bolts or bullets, chosen from the "Munition Infusions" section below. When you use this feature, you can choose to expend a spell slot. If you do, you create can infuse an additional number of bolts or bullets equal to the level of the spell slot expended.
You can use an infused bolt or bullet in place of normal ammunition when making an attack with a crossbow or firearm. Infused bolts and bullets are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction. Each infused bolt or bullet is destroyed after being used, regardless of whether the attack hits of misses.
Mechanical Companion
At 6th level, you learn to create a mechanical companion using a combination of engineering and arcane magic.
Assembling a mechanical companion takes 8 hours of work and requires jeweler’s, smith’s, and tinker’s tools. You are assumed to have the required materials on hand as part of your tool kits. You can only have one mechanical companion at a time. If you assemble a second companion, you must disassemble your existing companion as part of the process.
Your companion is friendly to you and your companions. It has a rudimentary intelligence and obeys your companions as best as possible. When you assemble your companion, you decide its form, which can be any Medium humanoid or beast. Regardless of its form, your mechanical companion is obviously artificial, being composed of metal, wood, leather, and other non-living materials.
In combat, your companion shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. You control where your companion moves on its turn. As a bonus action on your turn, you can command your companion to take any action in its stat block or the Dash, Disengage, Help, or Search action. If you do not command your companion, it repeats the action it was most recently commanded to take. If it is unable to take that action, it takes the Dodge action.
If the mending spell is cast on your companion, it regains 2d6 hit points. During a short rest, you can make minor repairs to your companion, restoring hit points equal to your level to it. During a long rest, you can make major repairs, restoring your companion to full health. If you companion dies, you can rebuild with 4 hours of work. Doing so restores your companion to full health.
Mechanical Companion
Medium construct, neutral
- Armor Class 14
- Hit Points equal to five times your artificer level + your Intelligence modifier
- Speed 30 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 12 (+1) 12 (+1) 5 (-3) 11 (0) 7 (-2)
- Saving Throws Strength +5, Constitution +4
- Damage Immunities poison
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned
- Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12
- Languages understands the languages you speak
Incremental Improvement. Whenever your proficiency bonus increases by 1, your mechanical companion’s armor class, saving throws, attack bonus, and damage bonus increase by 1.
Actions
Bite (beast type only). Melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 2d4+2 piercing damage.
Slam (humanoid type only). Melee weapon attack: +5 to hit, reach 5ft., one target. Hit: 1d6+2 bludgeoning damage.
Well-Oiled Machine
At 14th level, you and your mechanical companion have fought side by side so long that you naturally act in synchronicity. When you hit a creature adjacent to your companion with an attack, your companion can use its reaction to immediately make an attack against the same target.
In addition, your companion can use the Help action as a bonus action on its turn.
Munition Infusions
Explosive Shot. If this attack hits, the bolt or bullet explodes, dealing 1d10 fire damage to the target and every creature within 10 feet of it.
Flashbang Shot. If this attack hits, the bolt or bullet bursts with light and sound. The target and each creature within 10 feet must make a Constitution save against your spell DC or be blinded and deafened for 1 round.
Force Shot. If this attack hits, the target takes an additional 2d6 damage and is pushed 10 feet away from you.
Homing Shot. If this shot misses, you can repeat the attack against a different target within 60 feet of the original target. If the secondary attack misses, you can continue to repeat the attack until you hit or you run out of eligible targets. No creature can be targeted more than once by each use of homing shot.
Net Shot. If this attack hits, a net bursts forth from the bolt or bullet. The shot deals no damage, but if the the target is Large or smaller, it becomes restrained. The target or an adjacent creature can use an action to make a Strength check against your spell DC, freeing the target on a success. Dealing slashing damage to the net (AC 10) equal to 10 + you artificer level also frees the creature without harming it, ending the effect and destroying the net.
Phasing Shot. This attack ignore cover, including total cover. You still have disadvantage against creatures with total cover, unless you have some way of perceiving them.
Shocking Shot. If this attack hits, the target must make a Constitution save against your spell DC or be stunned for 1 round.