Path of the Mechanicum

Many forgemasters and inventors subscribe to a distinct scientific reasoning, using modern technologies, science, progression and other such heretical reasoning. However, there exists a sect of technological masters who do not innovate, who do not discover, and who do not question. With faith as their tool, they respect the old ways, the traditions of their predecessors, and the techniques passed down through the generations. As the world grows more and more reliant on artificial wisdom, the Mechanicum focus on the glory of the human mind, of the honor of god's creation, and of the strength and certainty of steel. The weakness of flesh, and the hubris of science, is heresy. 

Level 3: Roaring Hymns

Starting at 3rd level, you take an oath, which if broken, disables all subclass features until you are granted absolution by a higher authorization Mechanicum priest than yourself. This oath has no room for other similar oaths (such as another class or subclass with similar intent). In exchange, you are authorized to learn the Roaring Hymn, and to submit for bodily modification:

Roaring Hymn: When you activate your rage, you murmur a prayer of your oath (silence, ect, make this ability unusable). When you make your first melee attack on a turn while this is active, you can unleash a 10ft square of lightning in the space in front of you (angled just ahead of you). Creatures in the area must make a strength saving throw against your Mechanicum DC (10+STR+Prof), or take 1d6 lightning damage for every barbarian level you have, and an additional 1d4 damage times your rage bonus. 

Bodily Modification. Choose one of the following below. Each time you gain another subclass feature from this subclass, choose another. 

Iron Lungs: Your lungs filter out toxic and other harmful elements, simulating a lack of need for clean air. You can hold your breath for up to 4 hours at a time. 

Servo Arm: You install a second mechanic arm, grafted onto your back and reaching around your shoulder. You may attach a one or two handed firearm to this arm and fire it as if you were holding it. However, you do not have proficiency with shields, and your main hands cant be used to cast spells, fire ranged weapons, or hold shields, instead being used to hold and wield melee weapons in one or two hands. Detaching/reattaching this firearm is similar in time to doffing/donning heavy armor. 

Mechanicum Eye: You gain vision that can detect the differences in heat between visible creatures and objects (does not work through walls, but does work through smoke and other obscurement) up to 60ft. 

Cranial Stud: You can make intelligence skill checks you are proficient in with strength, instead of INT. 

Due to the nature of these enhancements, you are considered both a construct and a humanoid creature. Your oath is broken if you step away from this humanoid and machines mixed nature, such as if you were to be reincarnated into a different creature type (fey, fiend, ect.) or otherwise lose one of these types. due to initiates only being chosen as humans to begin with, this subclass may only be taken by humans and their subraces/variants (including Ran), or mechanical creatures such as warforged or mecha gnomes. 

Mechanicum Oath:

I shall not be tempted to invent new technologies, lest my hubris bring on ruin 

I shan't humor the heretic or the fool who creates infernal intelligence artificial

I embrace my humanity, my strength of spirit, and my weakness of flesh

Level 6: Wisdom of Those Before

At 6th level, you gain a specialty with energy weapons. When you deal force, psychic, necrotic, or radiant damage (or fire, at higher levels) with a firearm or melee weapon, add your rage bonus. In addition, you gain one of the benefits below:

Las Sniper (radiant, psychic): Once per turn when you make an attack with a melee weapon of these damage types, you can also attack a different target with a held firearm of this damage type. That attack has a +5 to hit, and reactions that increase armor class or influence damage cannot be used on it's attack or damage roll (such as the shield spell) due to it's incredible speed. 

Plasma Launcher (Force, necrotic): Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a firearm attack, they must make a constitution saving throw against your Mechanicum DC. On a failed saving throw, they are plasma burned. They take the attack's damage at the beginning of their turn. Any creature within 5ft of them may use an action to make a medicine check aganst your Mechanicum DC to remove or cure the plasma. You are immune to plasma burns, and their duration is one minute at maximum.

At 17th level, you gain one additional hidden authorization (still only choosing one):

Melta Beam (Fire): Once per turn, while you fire a firearm at under half it's short range, it deals double it's usual damage. 

 

Level 10: Mechanicum Malfuctium

At 10th level, you gain authorization to download the language of machines: Binary. While speaking this language, only others who speak the language understand you, even with magical forms of comprehension, as well as all constructs and computer level intelligences. In particular, the Mechanicum speak directly to the machine's spirit, similar to that of a soul. While speaking to a machine, you may awaken a certain consciousness that has been hidden inside of it, similar to that of a sentient weapon. In addition, your sleight of hand checks now use strength, and can be used to interact with machines for the purposes of hacking or giving commands. 

As an action while raging, you may use this power to force any number of constructs you can see with an intelligence greater than 5 to make a charisma saving throw. On a failed save, you scramble the intelligence of it's construction, imposing a great bane to their ability to act. They have a -1d12 to attack rolls and ability checks for the next minute, and -1d6 to saving throws. However, the Mechanicum order condemns most deeply the soulless machines. If your target has no soul, you may also use this ability on them, regardless of their creature type. you can only use this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, until you take a long rest. 

Level 14: Overwatching Burst

At 14th level, you are authorized to learn the penultimate techniques of the mechanicum, Overwatch and Burst Fire

Overwatch: As a reaction when a creature enters the range of your firearm, or your melee weapon, you may attack that creature with the respective weapon. For this attack, replace their weapon mastery with the trait slow (in which you have mastery). This attack can be burst fired, however, you can only hit the attack roll on a die roll of a 10+, automatically missing on anything lower, even if your modifier would allow a hit. 

Burst Fire: After taking the attack action and making at least one melee weapon attack this turn, you may use a bonus action to unleash a burst fire with your weapon in a 20ft cone in front of you. You attack all creatures in that area, friend or foe alike. If an attack misses an ally, reroll the attack, targeting an enemy further away from you than the ally was. If the attack misses an enemy, do the same but to an ally. When burst firing, you can only fire an amount of ammunition equal to your remaining ammo before a reload. You cannot reload in the middle of using the ability.