Anatomist specialization for Artificer
Abhorrent Ambition
Artificers are scientists and tinkerers, driven by curiosity. But it is possible for that curiosity to go too far, to cross lines and ignore taboos. Anatomists are artificers whose fields of study and lines of inquiry have led them to tinker with the properties of living things, and to find ways to infuse living flesh and bone with properties gained from raw materials many would find unsavory. They are masters of finding utility in the death of others, and as such, are often shunned. Few can stomach the grotesqueries their work entails, and many anatomists have learned to trade the company of the living for that of the dead.
Subclass Features
Tools of the Trade
3rd-level Anatomist feature
You gain proficiency with the Nature skill and with leatherworker's tools. If you already have this tool proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan’s tools of your choice. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of those skills or tools.
Additionally, you gain the mending cantrip, if you don't know it already.
Anatomist Spells
3rd-level Anatomist feature
You always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Anatomist Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
Anatomist Spells
| Artificer Level | Spell |
|---|---|
| 3 | sleep, inflict wounds |
| 5 | blindness/deafness, ray of enfeeblement |
| 9 | animate dead, slow |
| 13 | blight, polymorph |
| 17 | awaken, commune with nature |
Harvest
3rd-level Anatomist feature
Your anatomical studies have resulted in a methodology for extracting biological samples from dead creatures. When you find a beast or humanoid that has been dead for no more than 24 hours, you may spend 10 minutes to make an Intelligence (Nature) check. The DC equals 10 + the creature's challenge rating, rounded up. On a success, you are able to retrieve the desired part and preserve it for up to 24 hours. After that time, it rots and become useless. On a failure, the desired body part is damaged beyond use or repair.
The types of body parts you are able to successfully harvest change as you gain levels in this class, as seen in the below Harvest Table.
Harvest Table
| Artificer Level | Body Part |
|---|---|
| 3 | tongue |
| 3 | eye, ear, or nose |
| 5 | limb, skin, or hide |
| 9 | brain or vital organ |
| 15 | heart |
You will be able to use these harvested parts to create specialized infusions known as anatomist's grafts. No more than one anatomist's graft can be made from a single harvested body part, and only one of each type of body part can be harvested from the same creature.
Graft
3rd-level Anatomist feature
You are able to magically take on the traits of a harvested biological sample from a dead creature through your infusions. You always have one more infusion known and can have one more infused item than is shown in the Infusions Known and Infused Items columns of the Artificer table. These additional infusions known and infused items can only be used for Anatomist Grafts (detailed at the end of this class description), a specialized infusion only available to this class, created with the use of body parts successfully harvested from dead creatures. No creature other than you can attune to these items.
Expanded Taxonomy
5th-level Anatomist feature
Your anatomical studies have expanded, branching out from simply humanoids and natural beasts. You can now harvest parts and create anatomist's grafts from creatures classified as dragons, giants, or monstrosities.
Additionally, while you are attuned to an anatomist's graft, you have resistance to necrotic damage.
Surgeon
9th-level Anatomist feature
Your skill with a scalpel has grown enough that you are now able to perform your operations on others. You can prepare a willing creature to be able to attune to an anatomist's graft with a successful ability check using your proficiency with leatherworker's tools. The DC is equal to 10 + the level prerequisite for the anatomist's graft that creature is being given.
You must perform this check successfully each time a willing creature attempts to attune to a new anatomist's graft. Regardless of whether the check is successful, the creature you are preparing will have a permanent physical change on their bodies as a result. It may be an oddly shaped scar, a patch of skin that appears to be from a different creature entirely, or some other change of your choice.
Exotic Taxonomy
15th-level Anatomist feature
Your mastery of unnatural biological studies has expanded into more arcane, taboo corners than that of even most anatomists. You can now harvest parts and create anatomist's grafts from creatures classified as aberrations, celestials, constructs, elemental, fey, fiend, ooze, plant, or undead. The check required to harvest body parts from creatures of these types takes an hour, and uses Intelligence (Arcana) rather than Intelligence (Nature).
Additionally, any creature attuned to an anatomist's graft has immunity to necrotic damage.
New Infusions
Anatomist's Grafts
Anatomist's grafts are specialized infusions created from the harvested body parts of dead creatures. The requirements for harvesting those parts are detailed in the anatomist subclass description. All anatomist's grafts require attunement.
While you are attuned to these items, your body is visibly altered. The affected body parts change to resemble an aspect of the creature the infused items' ingredients were harvested from. Some changes, such as tongue eye, brain, or internal organs may be subtle, but ears, noses, limbs, and skin will be harder to hide.
For example, if you are attuned to an item created from the ear of a wolf, your ears may be longer, pointed, and coated in thick grey fur. If you are attuned to an item created from the brain of a mind flayer, your skin may change color and your mouth appear to sprout tentacles.
If the mending spell is cast on a creature attuned to an anatomist's graft, it can roll one hit die without expending it and regain a number of hit points equal to the number rolled on the die.
Anatomist Graft: Brain or Vital Organ
Prerequisite: 9th-level artificer
Item: A helmet, headband, or other headgear
You gain any innate spellcasting or psionics the creature had in life, as well as any Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma modifiers and skill proficiencies in the creature's stat block which are higher than yours.
Additionally, you gain some of the knowledge the creature had in life. You know anything it would freely tell to a friendly acquaintance, as well as its surface thoughts (those that would be gleaned from the initial casting of the detect thoughts spell) for 1 hour before it died.
Anatomist Graft: Eye, Ear, or Nose
Prerequisite: 3rd-level artificer
Item: Spectacles, earrings, or other facial ornaments
You gain any senses the creature had in life which you do not, as well as any Keen Sight, Hearing, or Smell features and Wisdom (Insight) or Wisdom (Perception) proficiencies in its stat block which are higher than yours.
Anatomist Graft: Heart
Prerequisite: 15th-level artificer
Item: Clothes, robes, or a suit of armor
You can replicate any skill proficiencies, saving throws, actions, bonus actions, or reactions in the creature's stat blocks that do not require specific equipment the creature owned or wielded in life. No lair actions or legendary actions can be acquired in this way.
Anatomist Graft: Limb, Skin, or Hide
Prerequisite: 5th-level artificer
Item: Bracers, gauntlets, or gloves
You gain any movement speeds the creature had in life which you do not, as well as any Dexterity (Acrobatics) or Strength (Athletics) proficiencies in its stat block which are higher than yours.
You also gain any natural armor the creature had while you are not wearing any armor, and can use any physical attacks the creature had (including multiattack) using the creature's attack and damage modifiers, as long as they do not require simple or martial weapons.
Anatomist Graft: Tongue
Prerequisite: 3rd-level artificer
Item: A copper piece
While the copper piece used for this infusion is held in your mouth, you gain all languages the creature knew in life, and gain advantage on any ability check to interact socially with other creatures the deceased creature knew in life. You can also choose to mimic the voice or sounds of the deceased creature.