Artificer: Shadowbinder/Shadesmith
Concept: Artificer subclasses centered and themed around the spell Creation and shadow magic. Instead of directly tinkering and creating things, instead use shadows and illusions to create 'real' items. Use dark themed spells to create things out of shadow and temporary things. Conjure duplicates of items and weapons made of shadow, etc.
Rogue themed subclass for artificer, use sneak attack and illusion spells.
Tools of the Trade
When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with calligrapher's supplies or painter's supplies. If you already have both of these proficiencies, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan's tools of your choice.
Shadesmith Spells
You always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Shadesmith Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don't count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
Shadesmith Spells
| Artificer Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Arms of Hadar, Minor Illusion, Shield |
| 5th | Darkness, Shadow Blade |
| 9th | Hunger of Hadar, Major Image |
| 13th | Evard’s Black Tentacles, Shadow of Moil |
| 17th | Bigby's Hand, Enervation |
Shadow Armory
Starting at 3rd level, you begin to delve into the secrets of creation. By analyzing and converting material around you, you are able to perfectly replicate items, adding them to your shadow armory. Over the course of one minute for mundane items, and one hour for magical items, you are able to convert any item that can fit into a 5x5 cube, and isn't part of a larger structure or item, into shadow, absorbing it in the process.
As a bonus action, you may recreate any item from your shadow armory as long as you are holding it or it is on your person. Any item you recreate is obviously magical and composted of wisps of shadow, though this does not impede any function of it. Any item recreated by you disappears if it is not within 10 feet of you within one minute. You can create multiple copies of mundane items stored in your armory, but only one copy of a given magical item.
Infused items may be added to your armory, but you may still only have the normal maximum number of infused items at any given time. You may remove, create, and change which infusions you have created or added to your armory at the end of along rest as normal. Whenever you create an infused item, you may choose to add it directly to your armory without creating the item first, but you must have the base item, such as a helmet or suit of armor, in your armory already. Magical items that require attunement must still be attuned to in order for you to use them.
Mundane items, once added to your armory, cannot be removed by any means. Magical items cannot be removed either, but can be restored by channeling the energy from your armory into a suitable vessel over the course of an hour. For instance, if you add a Flame Tongue to your armory and later wish to remove it, you can channel the magical into another sword suitable for holding the enchantment.
Any weapon you add to your armory deals psychic damage instead of bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. You may use your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, for attack and damage rolls with these weapons. You are considered proficient with any weapon added to you armory, and any one handed melee weapon gains the thrown 20/60 property.
Any armor you create ignores disadvantage that it would normally incur for Dexterity (stealth) checks.
Umbral Warrior
Lastly at 3rd level, you are able to inflict extra damage with your shadowy strikes. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon from your shadow armory, you can deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage to that target. This damage increases as you gain levels in this class: 2d6 at level 5, 3d6 at level 7, and an additional 1d6 every two levels thereafter.
Master of Creation
Starting at 9th level, you may change what infusions you are currently using over the course of a short rest, provided any items you replace and create are all part of your shadow armory. You cannot replace or create any item that has charges or a limited number of uses.
Additionally, you learn the spell Creation and may treat it as if it were a 3rd level spell for you. You always have this spell prepared, it does not count against the number of spells you prepare each day, and you may cast it without expending a spell slot once and regain the ability to do so after a long rest.
Meld Into Shadow
At level 15, you've gained the ability to meld into the shadow around you. At the start of your turn, if you are in dim light or darkness, you may become invisible until the start of your next turn, or until you enter an area of bright light. While you are invisible this way, you may teleport to any other point that is dimly light or in darkness that you can see as long as it is within your normal movement range.
You may do this a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier and regain all uses after completing a long rest.