Timekeepers are a tight-lipped lot, unwilling to allow their technology to fall into the hands of those they deem irresponsible. In fact, powerful geas are casted upon every potential apprentice and further strengthened against curse-breakers long before they come close to learning the secrets of the trade. Because of this, Timekeepers are always very low in numbers at any given epoch, sometimes even to the point of near extinction. However, this has not prevented them from continuously accumulating a fortune using their skills at clockwork.
Tools of the Trade
By the time you adopt this specialty at 3rd level, you’re deeply familiar with employing its tools.
Proficiencies. You gain proficiency with smith’s tools and glassblower’s tools, assuming you don’t already have them. You also gain smith’s tools and cobbler’s tools for free—the result of tinkering you’ve done as you’ve prepared for this specialization.
Crafting. If you craft an item in the tool category, it takes you a quarter of the normal time, and it costs you half as much of the usual gold.
Timekeeper Spells
Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Timekeeper Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
Timekeeper Spells
Artificer Level Spell
3rd Sleep, Faerie Fire
5th Aid, Misty Step
9th Slow, Feign Death
13th Resilient Sphere, Confusion
17th Geas, Mislead
Timepiece
By 3rd level, you have finished crafting a device which breaks into the very fabric of time itself. It can take the form of any portable timekeeping device such as a pocket watch, an hourglass, a metronome, a pendulum or a sundial. If the device is ever farther than 30 feet of you, it magically appears in your pocket. If the device is damaged or destroyed, you may repair it using your Tinker’s Tools during a long rest.
While the Timepiece is in your possession, you may take an additional action on your turn. If you use this feature, you must wait one minute (10 rounds) before using it again.
Temporal Wave
At 6th level, you have modified your timepiece to have effects on creatures other than yourself. While holding the timepiece, choose a creature within sight and use an action to use any of the following features on the chosen creature. Once you have used any of these features, you cannot use any of them again until your next short rest or long rest.
The creature takes a turn immediately after your turn. This turn is in addition to its own turn within this round.
The creature skips its next turn, taking no action. It may still take reactions as normal.
The creature’s features are reset as if it had taken a short rest.
Paradox
By 14th level, your research into the veil of time has culminated into your timepiece’s final upgrade. While the timepiece is in your person, you may use an action to activate a hidden function of the device. While this function is active you cannot use any other feature from your timepiece. This function will remain active for one hour, after which it cannot be used again until the end of a long rest.
While the function is active, you may use an action to use your timepiece to turn back time to the moment you activated the function. You retain your memories of anything you saw, heard or experienced, but do not retain any damage or physical objects. After you have used this function, the timepiece breaks. You are unable to use any features of the timepiece until you repair it at the end of a long rest.
AUTHOR NOTES:
I wanted a very simple to use an understand subclass which used mechanics which are always used, but rarely manipulated by features. The basic feature of the subclass is a better version of the Fighter’s Action Surge. The other features involve other creatures gaining extra turns, losing turns or being moved forwards in time to be refreshed. The capstone ability may be OP as heck, but what’s a time-subclass without some sort of time-travel? The major use of said ability is reconnaissance or to prevent party wipe-outs AND it has a major drawback to the player who uses it until the end of the day.
For the spell list: 3rd level Haste was already in the Artificer’s spell list, Plant Growth is too niche. Chose Feign Death because it’s like a fast-forward which later reverses to normal. Otherwise, major effort was made to choose spells which aid allies and makes enemies curse.
Tools of the trade await opinions, as usually clocks are tinker’s tools which artificers already get at first level. Chose smith’s tools and glassblower’s tools because most timekeeping devices have metal and glass materials.
CHANGELOG:
0.00
Got the idea to make a subclass that messes with time.
Quickly wrote down the features and selected viable spells.
Chose preliminary tools of trade and crafting specialization.
Added a small description of what the subclass expects.
An artificer who crafted a machine that manipulates time oddly enough makes more sense to me than a wizard "simply" using arcane magic to manipulate time.
My only notes at the moment are that faerie fire, aid, and resilient sphere are already baseline artificer spells. (Technically, resilient sphere "isn't" on the artificer spell list but its PHB analogy Otiluke's resilient sphere is.) As always, if you cannot find any other justifiable replacements for them for the spell list, then just keep them. But still try to find justifiable replacements for them from the PHB.
I like it. Seems like a really cool idea for time manipulation. That being said, the ability to go back in time seems like it would be messy for the other players, as they would have to keep track of everything they had in their inventory as well as what information their character knew at the moment your character activated the function.
Anything time reversal based will be a bit of a pain for other players at the table unless it somehow only effects you (such as some sort of localized time-rewind removal of wounds). I would consider changing the 14th level ability. Maybe something similar to the Time Stop spell, or a localized reversal effect like I mentioned in the previous sentence.
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Timekeeper V. 0.00
Timekeepers are a tight-lipped lot, unwilling to allow their technology to fall into the hands of those they deem irresponsible. In fact, powerful geas are casted upon every potential apprentice and further strengthened against curse-breakers long before they come close to learning the secrets of the trade. Because of this, Timekeepers are always very low in numbers at any given epoch, sometimes even to the point of near extinction. However, this has not prevented them from continuously accumulating a fortune using their skills at clockwork.
Tools of the Trade
By the time you adopt this specialty at 3rd level, you’re deeply familiar with employing its tools.
Proficiencies. You gain proficiency with smith’s tools and glassblower’s tools, assuming you don’t already have them. You also gain smith’s tools and cobbler’s tools for free—the result of tinkering you’ve done as you’ve prepared for this specialization.
Crafting. If you craft an item in the tool category, it takes you a quarter of the normal time, and it costs you half as much of the usual gold.
Timekeeper Spells
Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Timekeeper Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
Timekeeper Spells
Artificer Level Spell
3rd Sleep, Faerie Fire
5th Aid, Misty Step
9th Slow, Feign Death
13th Resilient Sphere, Confusion
17th Geas, Mislead
Timepiece
By 3rd level, you have finished crafting a device which breaks into the very fabric of time itself. It can take the form of any portable timekeeping device such as a pocket watch, an hourglass, a metronome, a pendulum or a sundial. If the device is ever farther than 30 feet of you, it magically appears in your pocket. If the device is damaged or destroyed, you may repair it using your Tinker’s Tools during a long rest.
While the Timepiece is in your possession, you may take an additional action on your turn. If you use this feature, you must wait one minute (10 rounds) before using it again.
Temporal Wave
At 6th level, you have modified your timepiece to have effects on creatures other than yourself. While holding the timepiece, choose a creature within sight and use an action to use any of the following features on the chosen creature. Once you have used any of these features, you cannot use any of them again until your next short rest or long rest.
Paradox
By 14th level, your research into the veil of time has culminated into your timepiece’s final upgrade. While the timepiece is in your person, you may use an action to activate a hidden function of the device. While this function is active you cannot use any other feature from your timepiece. This function will remain active for one hour, after which it cannot be used again until the end of a long rest.
While the function is active, you may use an action to use your timepiece to turn back time to the moment you activated the function. You retain your memories of anything you saw, heard or experienced, but do not retain any damage or physical objects. After you have used this function, the timepiece breaks. You are unable to use any features of the timepiece until you repair it at the end of a long rest.
AUTHOR NOTES:
I wanted a very simple to use an understand subclass which used mechanics which are always used, but rarely manipulated by features. The basic feature of the subclass is a better version of the Fighter’s Action Surge. The other features involve other creatures gaining extra turns, losing turns or being moved forwards in time to be refreshed. The capstone ability may be OP as heck, but what’s a time-subclass without some sort of time-travel? The major use of said ability is reconnaissance or to prevent party wipe-outs AND it has a major drawback to the player who uses it until the end of the day.
For the spell list: 3rd level Haste was already in the Artificer’s spell list, Plant Growth is too niche. Chose Feign Death because it’s like a fast-forward which later reverses to normal. Otherwise, major effort was made to choose spells which aid allies and makes enemies curse.
Tools of the trade await opinions, as usually clocks are tinker’s tools which artificers already get at first level. Chose smith’s tools and glassblower’s tools because most timekeeping devices have metal and glass materials.
CHANGELOG:
An artificer who crafted a machine that manipulates time oddly enough makes more sense to me than a wizard "simply" using arcane magic to manipulate time.
My only notes at the moment are that faerie fire, aid, and resilient sphere are already baseline artificer spells. (Technically, resilient sphere "isn't" on the artificer spell list but its PHB analogy Otiluke's resilient sphere is.) As always, if you cannot find any other justifiable replacements for them for the spell list, then just keep them. But still try to find justifiable replacements for them from the PHB.
I like it. Seems like a really cool idea for time manipulation. That being said, the ability to go back in time seems like it would be messy for the other players, as they would have to keep track of everything they had in their inventory as well as what information their character knew at the moment your character activated the function.
Anything time reversal based will be a bit of a pain for other players at the table unless it somehow only effects you (such as some sort of localized time-rewind removal of wounds). I would consider changing the 14th level ability. Maybe something similar to the Time Stop spell, or a localized reversal effect like I mentioned in the previous sentence.
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
Re-imagining unpopular subclasses as part of FIFY WotC. Let us know what you think of our changes!