Base Class: Artificer
A battlefield tactician who channels arcane force through specially crafted puppets using invisible magical threads.
Puppeteer's Arsenal
Gain proficiency with:
- Weaver’s Tools
- Woodcarver’s Tools
Optional flavor:
You can use either as your spellcasting focus.
Arcane Puppet
You create a magical puppet linked to you by invisible arcane threads. You can recreate it or repair it with a spell slot over 1 minute. The Arcane Puppet works within 60ft of you. If it goes beyond 60ft it becomes inert and falls prone.
Puppet Rules
Medium construct.
AC:
13 + PB
HP:
5 × Artificer level
Movement:
30 ft.
Can’t move more than:
60 feet from you
If farther:
- becomes inert
- falls prone
You can recreate it during a long rest, or repair it with a spell slot over 1 minute.
Bulwark
Defensive control puppet.
Reaction:
impose disadvantage on attack against nearby ally within 5 ft.
Can provide half cover.
Snare
Control/trap puppet.
When it hits:
reduce speed by 10 ft.
Can use action to create 10 ft hazard zone until next turn.
Striker
Aggressive assassin style.
Attack range:
10 ft.
Once per turn:
extra 1d6 damage if target is adjacent to no allies except puppet.
Threadcaster
Spell relay puppet.
Can deliver artificer spells with range of touch or 30 ft through puppet position
Coordinated Assault
You and your puppet fight as one.
When you cast a spell or take the Attack action:
- your puppet may make one attack as part of the same bonus action command.
Twin Dances
You can have two of your puppets active at once. With your bonus action you can command both to move, but only one to attack. Alternatively you can use your action to command both to attack.
Thread Network
Your puppets weave invisible arcane threads through the creatures they wound, binding pain and motion together.
When a creature takes damage from one of your puppets, it becomes Threadbound until the start of your next turn.
You can have a number of Threadbound creatures equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1).
Shared Suffering
When you take damage while a Threadbound creature is within 60 feet of one of your puppets, you can use your reaction to redirect part of the pain through your arcane threads.
Choose one Threadbound creature. That creature takes force damage equal to:
1d8 + your Intelligence modifier
and the damage you take is reduced by the same amount.
The damage increases to 2d8 + Intelligence modifier at 15th level.
Maestro of Strings
Your control over your puppets reaches supernatural precision, allowing you to conduct multiple constructs as extensions of a single will.
You may maintain up to three puppets simultaneously.
Whenever you command your puppets with your bonus action:
- all active puppets may move,
- and each puppet may use its Empowered Function if available.
Additionally, each puppet frame gains new abilities while under your control.
Striker — Thousand Cuts
The Assassin becomes a relentless execution construct. It makes up to three melee or ranged attacks with a poisoned weapon. For each attack to hit the same target the DC to make a CON save against poison increases from your Spellcasting DC to Spellcasting DC + 2 per hit. A creature that fails the save gains one level of exhaustion and cannot gain another this way for 24 hours.
Bulwark — Iron Bastion / Iron Maiden
The Bulwark unfolds into a moving fortress. Choose a creature within 60ft of you. Bulwark disassembles and reforms around them. Allies are considered to have 3/4 cover. A hostile creature becomes encased within Bulwark's body, gaining full cover but has their movement speed reduced to 0. Allies may make attacks against hostile creatures within Bulwark as though the creature did not have full cover. Hostile creatures can use their action to attempt to break out of Bulwark. If a hostile creature is still within Bulwark at the end of their turn they must make a CON save or gain a level of exhaustion. A creature that fails the save gains one level of exhaustion and cannot gain another this way for 24 hours.
Snare — High Strung
The Snare Puppet gains overwhelming control over movement and positioning. Any creature affected by its base ability automatically fails the save for High Strung. Whenever Snare hits a creature with an attack, or a creature becomes affected by its base ability, it becomes attached to Snare's strings. Snare can move an amount of creatures equal to your INT modifier 15ft in any horizontal direction. Any creature affected by Snare's base ability can be knocked prone or restrained 5ft in the air.
Allied creatures within 5ft of Snare can touch it as a free action to become attached to its strings.
Threadcaster — Arcane Conduit
The Threadcaster becomes a terror relay for magic and threads. Whenever you cast an Artificer spell, Threadcaster casts a copy of it without using a spell slot and maintains its own concentration of the copied spell.
Additionally, whenever you become the target of a spell from a hostile creature you may redirect the damage to Threadcaster or any other active puppets. If Snare is active, you can redirect the damage to any creature affected by High Strung.
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