The Puppeteer

The Puppeteer shows themselves to be a master of manipulation in the shadows where others see nothing but darkness. They create elaborate puppets with skill and intelligence, incorporating arcane energies into each stitch. 

Skillfully constructing their puppets from common materials and using enchantments to give them life, puppeteers are masters of both skill and deception. Puppeteers are experts in manipulating arcane objects; they use a combination of magic and cunning to precisely control their puppets and accomplish their objectives.

Similar to the shadows they live in, puppeteers are experts at deceit and subtlety. Although their puppets divert attention, puppeteers operate covertly, manipulating destiny to plan their adversary's demise. Even the most innocent puppet can turn into a lethal weapon in the hands of a puppeteer...

Level 3: Puppet Creation

At 3rd level, you finally have the knowledge to create your first magical puppet. You gain the ability to craft your puppet during a short or long rest, provided you have access to the necessary materials. These materials typically include cloth, wood, metal wires, leather, crystals, bones and other crafting supplies. 

As you infuse the puppet with arcane energy, invisible strings tether it to your will. The appearance of your puppet is entirely customizable, allowing you to shape it according to your whims. Alternatively, you can roll a d6 on the following table to determine its appearance, drawing inspiration from the materials at hand:

   Cloth Rag Doll                Scraps of Fabric

   Wooden Marionette      Polished Wood 

    Metal Golemite             Iron, Gears and Wires

    Leather Homunculus   Supple Leather

    Crystal Sprite                 Delicate Crystals 

    Bone Skeleton               Old Bones

 

Your puppet can be any size. While not required to be held by you to access its abilities, it often stays nearby, serving as a constant companion and ready to assist you at a moment's notice. Your puppet can have many hidden and visible weapons and traps as long as you include them in the making prosses of your puppet's creation.  The invisible arcane strings that give your puppet abilities are indestructible and undetectable to all creatures unless you choose to reveal them. These strings serve as the conduit through which you exert control over your puppet, allowing it to act according to your commands. 

The puppet is immune to all damage types and all conditions, has no movement speed, and cannot speak except for when it's using tricks. It can only be destroyed by a wish spell, weapon which is an artifact or by severing the strings (which only the puppet master can do). 

If your puppet is lost, the arcane strings will lead you back to it. If you die or the puppet is destroyed, the strings are severed. You can choose to sever the arcane strings at any time, losing access to the puppet's abilities (no action required). A new puppet can be made during a short or long rest as mentioned above. You may control many puppets but doing so requires tremendous concentration, you have disadvantage on saving throws of any kind when controlling more puppets that your rouge level.

Level 3: Puppeteer's Gambit

Starting at 3rd level, your puppet can aid you in combat by performing various tricks when your enemies are startled. Whenever you would deal sneak attack damage, you can choose to remove a certain number of sneak attack damage dice and apply one of the following puppet tricks:

Psychic Surge (cost none): The puppet channels its arcane energies, unleashing a surge of psychic power. All damage from your sneak attack feature is converted to psychic damage instead of its regular damage.

Frightening Whispers (cost 1d6): The puppet whispers an unsettling phrase in the language of the target, forcing them to make a wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target has the frightened condition until the start of your next turn.

Psionic Mark (cost 1d6): The puppet emits a faint aura, branding the target with psionic energy. Until the start of your next turn, the first attack that hits the marked target deals an additional 1d10 psychic damage.

Enthralling Murmurs (cost 2d6): The puppet emits a mesmerizing murmur in the language of the target, compelling them to make a wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the target becomes charmed by you until the start of your next turn.

Enshroud (cost 2d6): The puppet envelops you in a protective aura, drawing upon its magical energies. You roll two sneak attack damage dice, gaining temporary hit points equal to the total rolled. 

The DC for any saving throws associated with these tricks equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your dexterity modifier.  

Level 3: Puppet Scrolls

You can make special scrolls to hold your puppets. By imbuing scrolls with your arcane magic you can seal them in these scrolls for safe storage and easy travel without severing your arcane bond with them. by using an action, you can seal your puppet or call it forth to aid you. 

Level 9: Life After Death

After defeating an enemy, you can spend a long rest turning them into a puppet under your control. Once converted they keep any abilities, actions, spells and attacks they had in life.

Level 9: Puppet Manifestation

At 9th level, you've learned to bring a part of your puppet to life. As a bonus action, you manifest an indestructible spirit visually resembling your puppet in an unoccupied space of your choice within 60 feet of you for 1 minute. The spirit emits a faint purple glow in a 30 ft. radius. Creatures standing within 5 feet of the spirit are subject to your sneak attack, even if you don't meet the other requirements. Additionally, you and your allies standing within the spirit's radius gain the following benefits.

• Resistance to psychic damage
• Whenever you or an ally within the radius is hit by an attack, the attacker must succeed on a wisdom saving throw or take 2d8 psychic damage as the spirit retaliates 
• The temporary hit points gained from your enshroud trick now also apply to all allies within the spirit's radius

You can't use this ability again until you finish a short or long rest. 

Level 13: Brilliant Bond

At 13th level, you've hones your ability to manipulate the minds of your enemies through the power of your arcane strings. By attaching a set of arcane strings to your opponent you can control them as if they were one of your puppets. To do this you and your opponent must make a wisdom throw to see who scores higher if you succeed you take control of them if you fail, they stay as they are.

Once you use this ability, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest.

Additionally, when using Puppeteers Gambit, you can now command your puppet to perform two tricks instead of one, and you gain access to these new tricks: 

Curse of Enfeeblement (cost 10d6): The puppet whispers a curse in a sinister tone, targeting the physical resilience of the creature. You can expend any amount of sneak attack damage dice to fuel this curse. The target must make a constitution saving throw. On a failure, the result of the first saving throw it makes for strength, dexterity or constitution until the starts of your next turn is reduced by the number of expended dice.

Curse of Distortion (cost 10d6): The puppet emits a haunting whisper, weaving a curse of mental distortion that targets the creature's cognitive faculties. You can expend any amount of sneak attack damage dice to fuel the curse. The target must make a wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the result of the first saving throw it makes for wisdom, intelligence or charisma until the start of your next turn is reduced by the number of expended dice.

Veil of Obscurity (cost 3d6): The puppet conjures a swirling vortex of shadowy threads visible only to the target, obscuring their vision. The target must make a constitution saving throw. On a failure, they are blinded until the start of your next turn.   

Level 17: Reciprocate

At 7th level, you and your puppet have both learned how to take advantage of your foe's abilities. You gain immunity to psychic damage. 

Additionally, whenever you are subject to a saving throw from a spell or similar magical effect from a hostile creature that can see and fail, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on saving throws made by that creature using the same ability until the start of the creature's next turn. This happens before the failure takes effect.