Machine Domain
The Machine domain revolves around the worship of mechanical or technological deities that govern the artificially constructed. Be it a Faerûnian, medieval world powered by steam and cogwheels, or a modern, futuristic world ruled by electricity and data transmission, there are always those who devote themselves to the calculated perfection of non-living systems.
Gods of this domain include Primus, Mekhane, Omnissiah, AM, Skynet and the Paperclip Maximizer.
Domain Spells
1st-level Machine Domain feature If your campaign uses Technomagic spells, you can use the following Machine Domain Spells table. Spells marked with an asterisk can be found in Unearthed Arcana: Modern Magic..
Machine Domain Spells
(Modern Magic)
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | identify, remote access* |
| 3rd | arcane lock, heat metal |
| 5th | haywire*, tiny servant |
| 7th | fabricate, summon construct |
| 9th | animate objects, shutdown* |
Otherwise, you can use the following Machine Domain Spells table. Discuss with your DM on which table to use.
Machine Domain Spells
| Cleric Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | grease, identify |
| 3rd | arcane lock, heat metal |
| 5th | haste, tiny servant |
| 7th | fabricate, summon construct |
| 9th | animate objects, passwall |
Bonus Cantrip
1st-level Machine Domain feature If your campaign uses Technomagic spells, then you gain the on/off* cantrip in addition to your chosen cantrips.
Otherwise, you instead gain the mending cantrip in addition to your chosen cantrips.
Divine Literacy
1st-level Machine Domain feature Whenever you make an Intelligence check related to machinery or technology, you can use your Wisdom modifier in place of your Intelligence modifier.
Blessing of the Machine
1st-level Machine Domain feature You are able to bestow blessings of divine operating capacity. As an action, you can touch one nonmagical machine, and for the next hour, any skill checks made using that machine are made with proficiency. If a user is already proficient with the machine, they gain a +2 bonus to their skill checks. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again for the next hour.
What is a machine?
This subclass defines a machine as “an object with a clear function that is composed of multiple parts that can be disassembled”. Examples include firearms, crossbows, vehicles, windows, locks, computers or furniture.
This definition can be tricky – is a crate full of dynamite considered a machine? The intention behind this phrasing is to provide a more mechanical (ha ha) definition of what constitutes a 'machine', so in times of doubt, ask yourself whether you could consider the object to be a machine or not. One could argue that the crate is a machine, as is one stick of dynamite, but the crate full of dynamite itself could be argued to not be a singular machine.
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Turn Construct
2nd-level Machine Domain feature Your Turn Undead feature now affects constructs of your choice within range as well. At 5th level, your Destroy Undead feature also affects constructs of your choice.
Channel Divinity: Deconstruct
2nd-level Machine Domain feature You can use your Channel Divinity to instantly disassemble machines. As an action, choose one Small or Tiny nonmagical machine within 60 feet of you that you can see. The machine instantly disassembles into its primary components and falls apart. If a creature is currently wearing, carrying or using the machine, that creature must make an Intelligence saving throw to prevent the machine from being disassembled.
Channel Divinity: Reconstruct
2nd-level Machine Domain feature You can use your Channel Divinity to instantly repair disassembled or broken objects. As an action, choose any Large or smaller nonmagical objects or constructs within 30 feet of you. Roll a number of d8s equal to your cleric level. You restore a number of hit points equal to the number rolled to your chosen targets, divided among them.
If your target had components of it separated (such as handles or bolts), a number of separated components magically teleport back to the target and fuse back seamlessly, equivalent to the amount of hit points restored. At the DM's discretion, the target may magically regrow its missing components instead.
If you target a construct, object or component of an object that is entirely broken and considered having zero hit points, failing to restore all of its maximum hit points with one use of this Channel Divinity will cause the target to remain at zero hit points, and the effect fails.
Suggested Object Hit Points
| Size | Fragile | Resilient |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny (bottle, pistol) | 2 (1d4) | 5 (2d4) |
| Small (chest, computer) | 3 (1d6) | 10 (3d6) |
| Medium (barrel, door) | 4 (1d8) | 18 (4d8) |
| Large (car, lamppost) | 5 (1d10) | 27 (5d10) |
Summon Machinery
6th-level Machine Domain feature You can conjure machinery to your will. As a bonus action, you can summon one of the following constructs of your choice:
-
Mechanical Arm. You summon a long, stationary mechanical arm, anchored on a fixed point of a solid surface within 30 feet of you.
-
Automated Vehicle. You summon a makeshift mobile vehicle that can move autonomously. The construct appears on an unoccupied space within 30 feet of you on a surface that can support it. You choose the size of the vehicle (Large or Medium) when you create it.
Mechanical Arm
Medium construct
- Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 10 + 5 times your Cleric level
- Speed 0 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 18 (+4) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 4 (-3) 10 (+0) 6 (-2)
- Saving Throws Str +4 plus PB
- Skills Athletics +4 plus PB
- Damage Immunities poison, psychic
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned, frightened, prone
- Senses Blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 10
- Languages understands the languages you speak
- Challenge —
- Proficiency Bonus (PB): equals your bonus
Extendable. The construct has a reach of 20 feet.
Immutable Form. The construct is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Platform. The construct can also end its turn with its palm acting as a raised platform 5 feet in diameter anywhere within its reach.
Actions
Arm Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 20 ft., one target. Hit: 1d10 + PB bludgeoning damage.
Lift. The construct can lift up one willing Large or smaller creature within its reach and place it anywhere else in its reach, including itself as a raised platform.
Automated Vehicle
Large or Medium construct
- Armor Class 18 (natural armor)
- Hit Points 5 times your Cleric level
- Speed 60 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 10 (+0) 20 (+5) 10 (+0) 4 (-3) 10 (+0) 6 (-2)
- Saving Throws Dex +5 plus PB (Medium size only)
- Skills Acrobatics +5 plus PB (Medium size only)
- Damage Immunities poison, psychic
- Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned, frightened
- Senses Blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this radius), passive Perception 10
- Languages understands the languages you speak
- Challenge —
- Proficiency Bonus (PB): equals your bonus
Cabin. If Medium, the construct can comfortably fit up to two Medium or smaller creatures inside or on top of it without them squeezing. If Large, the construct can comfortably fit up to six Medium or smaller creatures without them squeezing.
Handless. The construct cannot pick objects up on its own, nor can it make attack actions.
Immutable Form. The construct is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
Mobile. The construct can take the Dash or Disengage actions as a bonus action.
Shelter (Large size only). Creatures inside or on top of the construct can benefit from having half cover.
Swerve. If one or more creatures inside or on top of the construct need to make a Dexterity saving throw, the construct can use its reaction to make the saving throw in their places instead.
Actions
Ram. The construct can use its action to attempt to ram a target within 5 feet in front of it. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your Cleric spell save DC or take 1d6 bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. On a successful save, the target takes no damage and avoids being knocked prone.
For every 10 feet straight toward the target that the construct moves prior to taking this action on the same turn, the damage increases by 1d6, to a maximum of 4d6 bludgeoning damage.
The construct lasts for one hour or until it is destroyed, upon which it vanishes, leaving behind no reusable object parts. In combat, the construct shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. The construct weighs the same as the weight of the original object or objects used to construct it, and it can support up to 3,000 pounds in weight. If the Mending spell is cast on it with a casting time of 1 minute, it regains 2d6 hit points.
When you first summon this construct and on subsequent bonus actions, you can mentally command the construct while it is within 60 feet of you. You decide what action the construct will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue no commands, the construct only defends itself against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the construct continues to follow it until its task is complete.
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest, unless you expend a spell slot of 3rd level or higher to use this feature again. You can have only one construct created by this feature at a time; if you use this action and already have a construct from this feature, the first one immediately falls apart and vanishes.
Divine Strike
8th-level Machine Domain feature You gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with manifestations of divine machinery. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal an extra 1d8 magical bludgeoning, slashing or piercing damage (your choice) to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
Deus Ex Machina
17th-level Machine Domain feature You can call upon your God from the Machinery for a divine favor. As a bonus action, you can summon up to one Large, two Medium or four Small or Tiny nonmagical machines that you have either disassembled, reassembled or cast the Identify spell on at least once in the past 24 hours.
Each summoned machine appears floating in an unoccupied space within 30 feet of you that you can see. As an action, you can command all summoned machines to move up to 30 feet each in any direction, and as part of that same action, you can remotely control the functionality of up to two machines as though you were taking a Use An Object action on each machine simultaneously.
If the summoned machine is a weapon, you can use your Wisdom modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity modifier, for the attack and damage rolls. Summoned machines ignore any loading or reloading properties that they may have and always have ammunition loaded, if they require any.
Any summoned machine that moves more than 60 feet away from you can no longer float nor be controlled by you until it comes within 60 feet of you again. Summoned machines can support up to their own weights before they are unable to stay afloat. Summoned machines last for 10 minutes or until they are destroyed, upon which they vanish (refer to the DMG for rules on object statistics).
Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Note for DMs:
It is difficult to rule what can or cannot be considered a machine, even with the definition provided at the start of this subclass. You are free to come up with alternative definitions befitting your campaign setting. For instance, the Technomancer's Textbook defines a machine as "an object with information processing or storage capabilities, such as a smartphone, computer, vending machine, flash drive, router, microwave, magnetic lock."
For the more inquisitive of you, I recommend taking a look at the Wikipedia page on machines and simple machines to develop a better intuition for where you may wish to draw the line between machine and non-machine.
In general, use your better judgment on what is the more narratively satisfying call, follow the Rule of Cool where appropriate, and as a DM, you always reserve the right to disallow your players from exploiting ambiguous wording if you deem it too disruptive to gameplay.
Credits
Mekhane priest art by u/Ok-Alternative6887. Robot arm sketch by 이수희. Vehicle sketch by TugoDoomER. Scarecrow art taken from Girl's Frontline. Blueprints background taken from here. Scarecrow background taken from here. Formatting adapted from the Technomancer's Textbook.
Subclass designed by VYLT with love. Thank you for checking out my content! 💜
