The Plaguesmith
A Plaguesmith is an Artificer that focuses on the infectious arts. Through meticulous study or by bad luck and circumstances, you are very familiar with diseases and the disease process. A Plaguesmith's understanding of infections is so exceptional, they can craft a bespoke plague that can harm others but leave the Plaguesmith unscathed.
Tool Proficiency
When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with either a healer's kit or poisoner's kit.
Plaguesmith Spells
You always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the table below. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
| Artificer Level | Plaguesmith Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | detect poison and disease, ray of sickness |
| 5th | lesser restoration, ray of enfeeblement |
| 9th | spirit guardians (necrotic only), slow |
| 13th | aura of purity, blight |
| 17th | contagion, negative energy flood |
Epidemologist
When you become a Plaguesmith at 3rd level, you learn how diseases work and spread. You gain proficiency in the Medicine skill if you don’t already have it and have advantage on skill checks related to diagnosing and treating infections.
Plague Carrier
Also at 3rd level, you may infect yourself with a magical disease to harm your enemies! You can use 10 minutes to craft a magical plague and fill a syringe or vial. The process to create this disease requires a healer's kit, poisoner's kit, or alchemist's supplies and you may have a maximum number of doses equal to your proficiency bonus.
As an action you may inject or take a dose of this magical plague, becoming Infected. The Infection is excreted into your bodily fluids, such as blood, pus, saliva, sweat, and tears, for 10 minutes. You are immune to the effects of your uniquely crafted plague but look noticeably ill while Infected. Any doses of plague last either until they are taken or until the end of your next long rest. If another creature besides you absorbs a full dosage of your concocted magical disease, they must make a successful Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour.
While infected by this magical plague, any creature within 5 feet of you that deals damage to you must, as your bodily fluids spray onto them, succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take necrotic damage equal to your artificer level.
As a bonus action, you may inoculate a weapon or piece of ammo putting your bodily fluids on that item while Infected; when you attack with an item affected by your plague, you can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls. This inoculation lasts until the start of your next turn.
The first creature you hit with your inoculated item takes extra necrotic damage equal to your artificer level and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or become infected by your magical plague until the end of their next turn. An infected creature subtracts 1d4 from the first ability check, attack roll, damage roll, and saving throw, if any are rolled, that creature makes while infected. Any creature that is affected by your plague cannot be harmed by it again until the start of their next turn.
The die subtracted when a creature is infected changes when you reach certain levels in this class, becoming a d6 at 5th level, a d8 at 9th level, and a d10 at 15th level.
Rat-licker
At 5th level, once per turn while Infected by of your plague, if you deal necrotic or poison damage you may either ignore a creature's resistance to that damage type, deal half damage to a creature that is immune to that type of damage, or add your Intelligence modifier to the damage. You may decide to use this feature after you roll for damage. You may use this feature a number of times per short rest equal to your proficiency bonus.
Immune Escape
At 9th level, your terrible tinctures become even worse the more a creature has been exposed. If a creature has been infected by your plague, you may have the creature roll their save at disadvantage once on each subsequent infection by your magical disease. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.
Additionally, you may choose whether or not to suffer the symptoms of any disease you are infected by and you have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned.
Plague Mastery
By 15th level, your knowledge and ability around organic compounds is thorough and expansive and grants you numerous abilities:
- You gain resistance to necrotic damage and poison damage.
- The range of creatures affected by your plague when you are attacked increases from 5 feet to 15 feet.
- You may cast the spell contagion once per long rest without expending a spell slot. When you cast contagion with this feature, the spell only requires one failed save instead of three to infect the target.
