Roguish Archetype
Mechanist
Many rogues find engineering skill to be a useful addition to their skillsets, but the Mechanist puts it squarely at the center. Mechanists are locksmiths, trapmakers, and tinkerers. While a mechanist can draw on a rogue's normal toolkit, they thrill at devising bespoke inventions to solve novel problems.
Mechanists can come from any walk of life. While family wealth or high status can be a great aid in developing the skills needed, desperation is sometimes an equally powerful motivator. Similarly, mechanists show no tendencies in alignment; engineering skill can be put to good or evil purposes.
Mechanist Features
| Rogue Level | Feature |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Toolwise, Cunning Contraptions |
| 9th | Instant Deployment |
| 13th | Calculated Reflexes |
| 17th | Endless Invention |
Toolwise
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you become a master of mechanical skills. You gain proficiency with tinker's tools, or another tool of your choice if you are already proficient. When you make an ability check to modify or exploit a complex machine, you do so with advantage.
There's no formal definition for a "complex machine", but as a rule of thumb, you might say this applies to any tinker's tools or thieves' tools check of DC 18 or higher.
Cunning Contraptions
Also at 3rd level, you learn to make a variety of devices to augment your performance in combat. You can construct these contraptions over a short or long rest, creating a number up to your Intelligence modifier. Only you can use your contraptions, and any that haven't been triggered turn to scrap when you finish a short or long rest. When any of these devices calls for a saving throw, the DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier. Any contraption that is deployed but not triggered can be recovered as an action and reused later.
You know how to construct two of the options below. You can choose to learn an additional option at 9th level and again at 13th level.
Razor Trap
You develop a throwable trap which sprays blades at an enemy when triggered. As an action, you can throw one trap into an unoccupied 5-foot space you can see within 30 feet. When any creature enters the space, the trap triggers, causing the creature to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, it takes slashing damage equal to one roll of your Sneak Attack dice. On a success, it takes half as much damage.
Spring Trap
You create a spring-loaded plate to bounce your enemies around the battlefield. As an action, you can throw one trap into an unoccupied 5-foot space you can see within 30 feet. When any creature enters the space, the trap triggers, causing the creature to make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, it is pushed 10 feet in a direction you choose when you deploy the trap. You can make an opportunity attack against a creature that steps on your Spring Trap.
Machine Grease
You adapt your oil can for easy combat use. As a bonus action, you can spray slippery grease on the ground in a 5-foot space adjacent to you. When a creature enters the space for the first time on a turn or starts its turn there, it must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.
Barbed Bola
You create a wire bola which you can use to entangle your foes. This bola is a ranged weapon (range 20/60) with which you are proficient. On a hit, it deals 1d4 piercing damage and reduces the target's speed by half until the end of its next turn.
Shrapnel Bomb
You fill a grenade casing with gears, sprockets, bolts, and other bits of discarded scrap. As an action, you can throw this bomb at a point you can see within 60 feet. Each creature within 10 feet of the point must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, a creature takes piercing damage equal to half of one roll of your Sneak Attack dice. On a success, it takes half as much damage.
Combat Drill
You construct an automated drill which you can attach to an enemy. As an action, you can force a creature adjacent to you to make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, you have attached the drill to it, which bores in at the end of each of the target's turns, dealing piercing damage equal to one roll of your Sneak Attack dice. The target or any adjacent creature can remove the drill as an action. A creature can only have one drill attached to it at a time.
Sawtoothed Spanner
You construct a special wrench which can find the gaps in an enemy's armor. This wrench is a melee weapon with the finesse property with which you are proficient, which deals 1d6 bludgeoning damage on a hit and which you allows you to use your Intelligence in place of Dexterity for its attack and damage rolls. Attacking with it does not count as deploying a contraption. Instead, you can "deploy" the wrench to apply your Sneak Attack to an attack with it even if the attack doesn't meet any other requirements to do so.
Trapmaker's Art
Most mechanists will choose to start with one trap option and one non-trap. Focusing solely on traps is exciting but can be unreliable.
Instant Deployment
At 9th level, you hone your skill at speedy gadget use. When you use your Cunning Action, you can also deploy any of your contraptions as part of the same bonus action.
Calculated Reflexes
At 13th level, your mechanical mind helps you process the action with lightning speed. When you roll initiative, you can add your Intelligence modifier to the result. In addition, the first time each combat you are targeted with an attack, you can add your Intelligence modifier to your AC.
Endless Invention
At 17th level, you achieve mastery over your contraptions. All of your contraptions are improved.
Razor Trap
The first time a creature steps on one of your razor traps, it makes the save with disadvantage.
Spring Trap
Your spring traps push creatures twice as far.
Machine Grease
You can choose to create a grease puddle of any size up to a 20-foot radius. You are immune to the grease's effects.
Barbed Bola
Your bola's damage increases to 2d4 and its range is doubled (40/120).
Shrapnel Bomb
Your shrapnel bomb's radius increases to 20 feet.
Combat Drill
Your combat drill fouls its target's armor, causing all attacks against it to be made with advantage.
Sawtoothed Spanner
Your special spanner's damage increases to 2d6.
Mechanist quirks
The following are some optional quirks for a player of this archetype to choose from.
| d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | Your weapon of choice is a wrench. |
| 2 | You wear a toolbelt at all times. Even to bed. |
| 3 | You name your contraptions and cry if they're destroyed before serving their purposes. |
| 4 | You've never been able to get those grease stains off your fingers. |
| 5 | You look down on any tinkerer whose hands aren't covered in pinches, nicks, and burns. |
| 6 | Your adventuring lifestyle is only to fund your other inventions. |
Appendix 1: 5e++
If you're playing with the 5e++ ruleset by KibblesTasty, it adds an additional subclass feature for rogues at 5th level. In order to make the Mechanist compatible, make the following adjustments.
Rush Job
At 5th level, you excel at finding the opening to use your contraptions. Once per turn when you deploy a contraption, you can move up to 10 feet as part of the same action.
Change Log
v0.1
- Rough Draft
Credits & References:
- Mechanist created by somanyrobots Discord | Patreon
Art
Thopter Mechanic, by Joshua Raphael © Wizards of the Coast LLC
Background Image Stains
License
© 2026 somanyrobots, CC BY-NC 4.0
Fan Content Policy
- This work is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
5E SRD Content
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC, available here.
The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available here.
