An archaic but modern looking rifle made of solid metal, this item is one of the four Champions’ Artifacts. Used by legendary artificers, the A.A Rifle grants them greater versatility in battle and all situations. It’s currently unknown exactly what the A.A stands for, since each Champion says it means something different. Most recently, Champion Alax’tor says it stood for Alax’s Amazing.

It’s rumored to have first been created by an Artificer who become the first Champion of The Rifle. The blueprint for the device was shown to him in a dream, revealed by an ancient monstrous deity.

This artifact is indirectly passed down from one champion to the next. The Champion of the Rifle’s insignia, a torch with a large 64 tooth gear behind it, is drawn on both sides of the rifle’s stock.

It’s usually recovered within a pile of rusted and well-worn gears and wire. The Champion is nowhere in sight.

The item has the following properties, which unlock at their corresponding levels…

Slumbering (Level 3)

The A.A rifle is heavily modifiable, with various Armaments available that you can construct. Each Armament can be constructed as an action, using a set of Tinkerer’s Tools and a specific item that’s built into the Armament (aka the Crafting Material). You can only have 5 Armaments at a time. If you construct a sixth one, the first one you made falls apart instantly. The Crafting Material of the Armament is consumed when you finish making it.

• Spicy Bottle -  Crafting Material: Alchemist’s Fire. This grenade and launcher combo fires a flask of alchemist’s fire up to 150ft away from you, targeting an object or creature and covering the ground in a 5ft radius with a white flame. The target must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 3d4 Fire damage. The flame remains for 1d6 rounds, and any creature that enters the burning area must also make the Dex save.
• Laser Pointer –  Crafting Material: Magnifying Glass and a Mirror. This gun mounted gadget can be activated as a bonus action during your turn, creating a small laser emitting from it. For the next minute, all ranged weapon attacks from the A.A. Rifle gain a bonus to hit equal to twice your proficiency. After the 1 minute expires, the power source for the laser sight dies and becomes unusable.
• Grappling Gun –  Crafting Material:  50ft of hempen rope. This gun mounted gadget can be activated as a bonus action during your turn, firing out a reinforced rope onto a target surface within 40 feet of you. Roll a d20, if the result is 10 or higher, the hook attaches to the target location, allowing you to swing across gaps or climb steep walls. As a bonus action, you can detach the grapple hook module from your gun. Additionally you may choose to recall the cable without detaching it, pulling you toward the targeted surface. If the targeted surface is a medium or smaller object, it is pulled toward you instead.

Stirring (Level 9)

The A.A Rifle becomes stronger, and now deals 3d10 magical piercing damage. You unlock the following additional Armaments:

• Bandaid in a Can -  Crafting Material: Any health potion. Range: 20ft/60ft. This canister and launcher combo contains a health potion in aerosol form. As a bonus action, you fire the canister at a target location within range, filling a 5 ft radius sphere with the healing gas. This gas reaches around corners and can pass through small cracks. Until the start of your next turn, any creature that starts or ends their turn within the sphere regains HP as if they had used the health potion.
• Bedazzlement Blast -  Crafting Material: A Mirror and a Signal Whistle. This barrel attachment transforms your next attack’s physical bullet into a flurry of sounds and lights. Every creature in a 30 ft cone must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, taking 2d8 thunder damage and becoming blinded and deafened on a failure, and taking half as much damage on a success.
• ATD-SMG Mount -  Crafting Material: 5SP of Iron. This underbarrel attachment provides a mount for you to steady your aim and unleash hell. As an action, you can stand up the mount. While using it, your movement speed is reduced to 0 and you are given half cover. When you make an attack, you can choose to expend a single round of ammunition as normal, or fire a short burst and expend additional rounds of ammunition. If you fire a short burst, all creatures within a 30 ft cone must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d8 magical piercing damage on a failure and half as much on a success. When you wish to move, you must tear your weapon from the mount, leaving it behind.

Awakened (Level 15)

The Armaments for the A.A rifle becomes stronger, unlocking new properties that can further debilitate your enemies or benefit your allies.

• ATGOT Railgun Cannon -  Crafting Material: A gemstone worth 500 GP or more. This long barrel attachment for your rifle converts excess kinetic energy into an electrical charge, propelling your shot at a much higher speed and increasing its maximum range to 500ft. As an action, you can fire this railgun at a target within range. When your attack roll hits, the railgun deals 5d10 force damage and the target must make a Dexterity Saving throw or be knocked unconscious.
• Smile Dip Smoke -  Crafting Material: 10 pieces of Chalk. Range: 120 feet. Packing bits of powdered candy and sidewalk chalk into a canister could never be a bad idea. You create a 20-foot-radius sphere of bright pink fog centered on a point within range. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is heavily obscured. It lasts for 10 minutes or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it.
• GTFOH Hook -  Crafting Material: Black and Tackle. Don’t like that guy being so close? Tell him to Get The Fnck Outta Here! If a Large or smaller creature ends its turn within 5 feet of you, you may use your reaction to attach a giant fishing hook to the creature and fling it 20 feet away. The creature must make a Dexterity Saving Throw or be knocked prone.

~~ Ascendant (Special condition at the DM's discretion)~~

The damage dealing properties of this weapon deal double damage.  The rest of the properties have their effective ranges doubled.

Notes: If an Armament requires a saving throw, the DC equals your spell save. Whenever you create an Armament, you must succeed a DC 15 Arcana save, or take 1d6 damage due to a minor mistake while you create it. The type for this damage is determined by the DM.