String weaver
A barbarian charges headfirst at a man with a fur boa and a smug grin. With a flurry of hand movements, the barbarian swings his blows and bellows savagely. Ah, but where is his weapon? In fact, where are his arms? His blood pools as his torso slips from alignment from his waist. The smug man only smiles more smugly, and swings his hand back in leisure, towering over his dismembered enemy. Several steel strings retreat back to his steel-tipped fingers, quickly shedding all the blood that stained them a moment ago.
A true art
The Strings of fate are behind the scenes operatives of death. They will be given a target and are required to do research into the habits and finer details of the target. Using basic training skills and novices to gather this information, they plan a careful approach to assassinate their target. Often after succeeding, the goal is to escape with as little confrontation as possible. All while focusing on utilizing the least expected weapon of all...razor sharp strings!
Creating a String weaver
Why did your character become an assassin in the first place? What about this art of killing drew them down this path? How did they come to pick up the steel string instead of, say, the dagger? Also, make sure they fit the profile of a stylish assassin, with the personality to boot.
Quick build
You can make a String weaver quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the Black Fist Double Agent background.
Class Features
As a String weaver, you gain the following class features
Hit Points
- Hit Dice: 1d10 per String weaver level
- Hit Points at 1st Level: 10+ constitution modifier
- Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per String weaver level after 1st
Proficiencies
- Armor: light armor, medium armor
- Weapons: Steel String Glove, shortbows, rapiers, daggers, shortswords
- Tools: Thieves tools
- Saving Throws: Dexterity, Constitution
- Skills: Choose two from Stealth, Investigation, Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, Athletics, Persuasion, deception, Perception, and intimidation
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- Steel String Glove
- Leather armor two daggers, and Thieves' Tools
- (a) a Burglar's Pack, (b) a Dungeoneer's Pack, or (c) an Explorer's Pack
- (a) a shortsword or (b) a Shortbow and Quiver of 20 Arrows
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String weaver
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features | String damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Strings of death | 1d8 |
| 2nd | +2 | Profession Specialization | 1d8 |
| 3rd | +2 | Fates design | 1d8 |
| 4th | +2 | Ability score upgrade | 1d8 |
| 5th | +3 | String multitude | 2d8 |
| 6th | +3 | Profession Specialization feature | 2d8 |
| 7th | +3 | ─ | 2d8 |
| 8th | +3 | Ability score upgrade | 2d8 |
| 9th | +4 | Profession Specialization feature | 3d8 |
| 10th | +4 | Bonded | 3d8 |
| 11th | +4 | Precise control | 3d8 |
| 12th | +4 | Ability score upgrade | 3d8 |
| 13th | +5 | ─ | 4d8 |
| 14th | +5 | Profession Specialization feature | 4d8 |
| 15th | +5 | Tangle | 4d8 |
| 16th | +5 | Ability score upgrade | 4d8 |
| 17th | +6 | Stitch | 5d8 |
| 18th | +6 | Profession Specialization feature | 5d8 |
| 19th | +6 | Ability score upgrade | 5d8 |
| 20th | +6 | Puppet Master | 5d8 |
Strings of death
Starting from first level, you have your trusty Steel String Glove which allows you to dispose of menial opponents with ease. As you use the glove, the strikes grow in power. You may make a melee weapon attack with your glove, dealing 1d8 slashing damage on hit. The damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th (2d8), 9th (3d8), 13th (4d8), and 17th (5d8) level. This glove cannot be stolen from you as long as you are equipping it and it cannot be disarmed.
As a person well versed and familiar with the tool, you're no stranger to crafting them out of whatever you may have at hand. If your glove is ever destroyed or stolen or lost, you may expend 10 gp to undergo a 4 hour reforging session to make a new one.
The weapon's base properties are listed at the end of this class description.
Profession Specialization
Starting 2nd level, you refine your craft to lay traps with the patience of a spider in the back burner, or to allow your allies to dominate the battlefield. Choose from the Manipulator or Silk weaver subclass's detailed toward the end of the class description. You gain features from your chosen subclass at 2nd, 6th, 9th, 14th and 18th level.
Fates design
Your sheer bloodlust ensures you'll find a way to hit your opponent where it hurts...at a cost. At level 3 you can choose to make an attack made with your steel string glove an automatic critical hit as it finds it's mark. However, upon doing so, you obtain a Fatigued condition and must roll a DC20 Con save. If the save is failed, you gain one level of exhaustion at the end of your turn.
Ability score improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
String multitude
Beginning at 5th level, you can Attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on Your Turn with the steel string glove.
Bonded
Starting 10th level, your prowess with your glove and capacity for magic merge to better your craft. You may expend one hour to make a magical bond with your weapon. The bonded glove now can be recalled to you should it ever leave your side with a bonus action. This feature cannot be used if the weapon has crossed planes.
If you reforge another glove, you will have to re-bond with it. You can only have one bonded glove at a time. If a new bond is forged, the old one is lost. Additionally all attacks made with a bonded glove count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity
Precise control
Starting 11th level, you have more use of your strings besides just slashing up flesh and steel. You can use it to also interact with objects out of combat. By expending an action, you can have your string interact with an object in range. You use your action to control the string's interaction.
You can use it to open an unlocked door or container, stow or retrieve an item from an open container, or tip or flip some light object. The string used to interact cannot attack or activate magic items or carry more than 5 pounds. Additionally your gloves range increases by 30 ft.
Tangle
Starting 15th level, when you successfully attack a creature with your glove, you can further mire them in your attack, making them apt prey for the next attack.
By expending a bonus action, you can force the creature you hit with your glove to make a Dexterity saving throw against the attack roll of that attack. On a fail, they are restrained for 1D4 turns. On success, they are not restrained and are immune to this feature for the next 4 hours.
You may use this feature an amount of times equal your Dexterity modifier, regaining all uses upon finishing a long rest.
Stitch
At 17th level in the case of an emergency, you can use strings to repair skin, sinew, and internal organs as a crude way to staunch the worst effects.
As an action, you can stich up a creatures wounds and restore a number of Hit Points to that creature, equal to your String weaver level.
You may use this feature an amount of times equal your Dexterity modifier, regaining all uses upon finishing a long rest.
Puppet Master
At 20th level, you've become so adept with your wires, they might as well be a part of you...and part of whoever is ill-fated enough to be your adversary.
As an action, make an attack roll against a creature within your wires range. The target must be humanoid. They must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or your wires enter their body, wrapping themselves throughout their limbs, and attaching to their heart and brain. The creature is now under your control.
As a bonus action on your turn, you may order them to move up to their speed, attack one creature, or cast a single cantrip. They are considered paralyzed while they aren't doing anything you order them to. They may repeat the save at the end of each of their turns, breaking free on a success. Also as a bonus action on your turn, you can choose to end the effect, and the victim must succeed on a Constitution save. If they fail, they take 10d6 slashing damage as the wires rip their body open, or half as much on a success. This can also be used as a reaction when they succeed on the save against your control, dealing half damage instead.
Once you use this, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.
Profession Specializations
The distinction between a String weaver and a killer is not what tools they wield but how they wield them. Strings of fate are renowned for their versatility, but they often find an affinity for certain methods; in turn forming their Profession Specializations. Each of the different types of Profession Specializations reflect training or study in a field that String weaver received in their core training or individually sought out themselves.
Silk weavers
Silk Weaver is a title given to a String weaver that chooses to embody the concept of silent killing. They are agile, strong, and intelligent hunters. They dance on invisible strings, filling corridors with razor sharp string, scale structures with ease, and kill before anyone knows they're there.
Spiders web
At 2nd level, you are able to utilize thin strings like that of a spider's. As an action, you can fire up to 5 of these strings from your glove (1 from each finger), choosing a surface within 15 feet of you to attach each string separately, touching another surface to attach the other end. This string is nearly invisible to the naked eye, and requires a Passive Perception of 20 or a successful Wisdom (Perception) check of a DC equal to 8 plus you Dexterity modifier plus your proficiency bonus to see.
Any creature that walks into a line of this string is stopped dead in their tracks and recieves slashing damage equal to your strings damage (twice as much if Dashing), and they now have advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) checks to find it. They can simply duck under it or step over it depending on the height and move at half speed, or they can destroy it. The string has an AC of 10 and 10 hit points, and can hold or pull up to 15lbs for each string. If a string is touched or destroyed, you are alerted and know exactly which string it was.
You can only create 10 strings at a time, with every new string created causing the oldest one to be destroyed, and the strings can be up to 30 feet long.
Careful movement
When you unlock this ability at 6th level, you have honed your knowledge of traps. You know what and where to look for them, and how to disarm them. You have advantage on all checks relating to traps: finding them, disarming them and understanding how they work. You also have advantage on any saving throw they cause to you.
Path of string
At 9th level, your precision regarding your string has grown. As a bonus action, you can now leap into the air or off of something and conjure a thin string of string suspended in the air. The string can only be 15 feet or less above the ground unless there are surfaces within 10 feet of either side of it. The string does not break beneath your weight, and it doesn't need to to attach to any surfaces. The string is only 3 feet long, and will magically extend and shrink on either end when you walk across it. You can jump off the string and create another one to land on within 5 feet of you, destroying the previous one and only using 5 feet of movement. You cannot hang from the string and no one other than you can interact with the string.
Additionally, if you leap off a string to drop onto a creature and make a melee weapon attack, you may give yourself advantage on the attack. If you do, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Threaded cage
Starting at 14th level, your technique with your "web" increase. When you successfully damage another creature with your web, you may choose to maximize the damage die. You may use this feature equal times to your Dexterity modifier, regaining all use after you finish a long rest.
Finesse killer
Starting at 18th Level, your expertise with your strings no longer requires so much stealth. Your victims cannot even scream. When you successfully attack deal damage to a creature that is surprised, you may grapple them automatically with no further action. The creature is then considered choking and their movement speed becomes 0. They cannot complete any vocal components until they get free of the grapple, in which they are no longer choking.
Manipulator
Manipulator is a title given to a String weaver that chooses to focus on some of the more supportive aspects of their strings. They are agile, strong, and intelligent hunters. They guide the movements of their allies, hinder foes, restrain those who dare hurt their benefactors, and let others do the work for them.
Guiding string
At level 2 over the course of your days you have spent significant time studying the human body and its anatomy. You are proficient in the Medicine skill and add double your proficiency bonus (instead of your normal proficiency bonus) to these skill checks.
Additionally, you are able to attach your strings to a willing creature. As an action you attach your strings to one willing creature that is within the range of your strings and that you can see. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your dexterity modifier per long rest.
While your strings are attached to a creature you may do the following:
As an action, your target gains an extra action. That action can be used only to take the Attack (one Attack only), Dash, Disengage, or Use an Object action.
As an action, your target gains advantage on dexterity saves until the start of your next turn.
As a an action, you grant your target a +2 to their AC until the start of your next turn.
All In The Wrists
At 6th level, you now fully grasp the utilities of your wires. As an action, make an attack roll on a target within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw. On a success, nothing happens. Only on a failed save can you choose an effect from the following list:
Pull: you may pull the creature up to 30 feet towards you. You may choose to release them at any time during the pull.
Throw: the target is thrown 30 feet in any direction you choose except up. They take 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet they travel.
Advanced restraints: the target is paralyzed until they repeat the save on any of their turns and succeed.
Creatures with size category above medium have advantage on the save.
Puppets on a string
At 9th level, your control continues to grow and you can augment your allies with ease. You are now able to attach your strings to two allies that are within the range of your strings. When you use an action to augment your allies, both gain the your chosen benefit from your Guiding string.
Intercepting string
At 14th level you're able to make sure your allies are truly safe from harm. If one of your allies that is linked to one of your strings is attacks your string rise to protect them from harm. Until the start of your next turn, they have a +2 bonus to AC, including against the triggering attack.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your dexterity modifier.
Masterful control
At 18th level, you have mastered the ability to control your allies moves. You are now able to attach strings to a number of targets equal to your dexterity modifier. While controlling allies, your guiding string abilities can now be used as bonus action and they are shared among all those affected. Additionally you're able to control your allies even when they are unconscious and on deaths door. When doing so you can't use any of their class features or spellcasting and their speed is halved.
Steel String Glove
Weapons
| Weapon | Cost | Damage | Weight | Properties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel String Glove | 10 gp | 1d8 slashing | 1lb | Light, Finesse, Range (10/20) |
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