The Mechanist

A Mechanist is an artificer who combines complex machinery with strange, tentacled life forms (the Skreeblin) to construct automaton companions. As a mechanist becomes more skilled in their craftsmanship, they uncover new ways to construct these automata. They will also inject their Skreeblin's with biomass to replicate them, allowing them to construct more and more of these helpful little friends.

 

Level 3: Tools of the Trade

When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with smith’s tools. If you already have this proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan's tools of your choice

Level 3: Automaton Creation

Beginning at 3rd level, you can spend an hour and one spell slot of 1st level or higher to construct an automaton of a chosen type. Alternatively, you can construct any number of automatons as part of a long rest, and you will immediately lose the spent spell slots upon waking up. After 24 hours an automaton will naturally deconstruct as the Skreeblin's longing for oxygen becomes too strong and it dismantles itself. Alternatively you can spend 5 minutes deconstructing an automaton by hand. You can only construct as many automata as your maximum number of spell slots will allow, and the maximum number of automata you can have active at any one time is shown in the table below.

As a bonus action, you, or a friendly creature who you permit to command your automatons, can issue a single command to any number of automatons within 30ft of them, provided that they can a) see you or b) hear you and you speak the command in a language that they understand. An automaton will continue trying to complete it's assigned task until commanded to stop or until the task is complete.

At level 3, the automaton types you can choose from to construct are as follows:

- The knight: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/5453699-automaton-knight

 - The Archer: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/5454753-automaton-archer

- The Projector: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/5454763-automaton-projector

Level 5: Rapid Reassembly

You can spend an hour changing the type of a single automaton without spending any additional spell slots. This may be done as part of a short rest.

Level 5: Automaton Repair

You can cast the mending spell on an automaton to restore it by 1D4 hit points.

Level 9: Mechanist savant

Starting at level 9, your mastery of automaton construction unravels new ways of creating them. You unlock the following additional automaton types, each of which require a spell slot of 2nd level or higher to craft:

- The Balloon: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/5455385-automaton-balloon

- The Goliath: https://www.dndbeyond.com/monsters/5455404-automaton-goliath

Level 15: Mechanist Mastery

Starting at 15th level, you become highly proficient in creating automatons. As part of a long rest, you can craft 3 automatons of any type without expending any spell slots.