Puppeteer Specialization for Artificer

Artificer Specialist - Puppeteer

Tool Proficiency
When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, You gain proficiency in woodcarver’s tools. If you already have this proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan’s tools of your choice.

Puppeteer Spells
Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Puppeteer Spells Table. These spells count as Artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of Artificer spells you prepare.

Puppeteer spells
Artificer Level Spell
3rd Command, Charm Person
5th Zone of Truth, Hold Person
9th Major Image, Fear
13th Compulsion, Confusion
17th Dominate Person, Hold Monster

Grand Marionette
By 3rd level, you have tinkered into existence a faithful puppet, a Grand Marionette. It is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands within reason. See this creature’s game statistics in the Grand Marionette stat block, which uses your Proficiency Bonus (PB) in several places. You largely determine the Marionette’s appearance, but it must have a 1 pound core which you have enhanced with your woodcarver’s tools.
In combat, your Grand Marionette acts during your turn. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the marionette can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.
If the mending spell is cast on it, it regains 2d6 hit points. When it falls in combat, it is destroyed and its core can be reclaimed in order to rebuild the same Grand Marionette by expending a spell slot of 1st level or higher provided you are holding the core in one hand after a minute. If the core is lost, a new core will need to be made and you will be assisted by a new Marionette after a long rest during which you will not gain the benefits of the long rest. Under any of these circumstances, your Marionette returns to full hit points upon revival or creation.

Magical Mechanisms
Starting at 5th level, You’ve come up with a few ideas as to how your Marionette could be enhanced. When using your bonus action to command the Marionette, it gains access to the multiattack feature, being able to use its rend attack twice instead of once when commanded.

At this level the Marionette gains access to spellcasting, and it uses its intelligence as its spellcasting ability as it follows your lead in coming to understand the world. Your Marionette can utter rudimentary verbal spell components and learns two first level spells from the artificer spell list that have a casting time of one action, and can use each spell once every long rest.
Only either you or the Grand Marionette may use spells of 1st level or higher in a given turn, and all of a Marionette’s available single use spells are readied if one is created or revived.

Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + the Grand Marionette’s Intelligence modifier

Spell Attack Modifier = your proficiency bonus + the Grand Marionette’s Intelligence modifier

Artificial Sentience
By the time you’ve reached 9th level, the Marionette has had enough experience and improvements to act out other artificer specifications. The Marionette gains access to a first and second level spell from an artificer specialist spell list, and can use each spell once every long rest. If a spell has a casting time of one bonus action, your marionette may use a bonus action to cast or control the spell when you command it. Additionally, if you are unconscious but not dead, your marionette may use its action to return you to consciousness if you are within 5 feet of it.

Knowledgeable Machine
By 15th level the Grand Marionette has undergone similar improvements as the Warforged they’re loosely based on, and have become more of a living creature than a machine. The Marionette’s natural AC improves by 2, and they also gain access to a third and fourth level spell from an artificer specialist spell list, and can use each spell once per long rest. The spells may come from a different specialization than the list chosen from Artificial Sentience.  If a spell has a casting time of one bonus action, your marionette may use a bonus action to cast or control the spell when you command it.


-Grand Marionette Stat Block-
Medium Construct 
Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 2 + your intelligence modifier + five times your level in this class (the marionette has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your artificer level)
Speed 35 ft.
-
STR 12 (+1) DEX 16 (+3) CON 14 (+2) INT 16 (+3) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 6 (-2)
-
Saving Throws Dex +3 plus PB, Int +3 plus PB
Skills Acrobatics +3 plus PB, Perception +0 plus PB, Stealth +3 plus PB
Damage Resistances poison
Condition Immunities exhaustion, poison
Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 10 + PB
Languages understands the languages you speak
Challenge -
Proficiency Bonus (PB) equals your bonus
-
Actions 
Rend. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target you can see. Hit: 1d8 + PB force Damage.
Spells. If the marionette knows a spell and you did not use your action to cast a spell of 1st level or higher, the marionette may cast that spell as an action instead of attacking.

 

Tool Proficiency

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

Puppeteer Spells

Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Puppeteer Spells Table. These spells count as Artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of Artificer spells you prepare.

Grand Marionette

By 3rd level, you have tinkered into existence a faithful puppet, a Grand Marionette. It is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands within reason. See this creature’s game statistics in the Grand Marionette stat block, which uses your Proficiency Bonus (PB) in several places. You largely determine the Marionette’s appearance, but it must have a 1 pound core which you have enhanced with your woodcarver’s tools.
In combat, your Grand Marionette acts during your turn. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the marionette can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.
If the mending spell is cast on it, it regains 2d6 hit points. When it falls in combat, it is destroyed and its core can be reclaimed in order to rebuild the same Grand Marionette by expending a spell slot of 1st level or higher provided you are holding the core in one hand after a minute. If the core is lost, a new core will need to be made and you will be assisted by a new Marionette after a long rest during which you will not gain the benefits of the long rest. Under any of these circumstances, your Marionette returns to full hit points upon revival or creation.

Magical Mechanisms

Starting at 5th level, You’ve come up with a few ideas as to how your Marionette could be enhanced. When using your bonus action to command the Marionette, it gains access to the multiattack feature, being able to use its rend attack twice instead of once when commanded.

At this level the Marionette gains access to spellcasting, and it uses its intelligence as its spellcasting ability as it follows your lead in coming to understand the world. Your Marionette can utter rudimentary verbal spell components and learns two first level spells from the artificer spell list that have a casting time of one action, and can use each spell once every long rest.
Only either you or the Grand Marionette may use spells of 1st level or higher in a given turn, and all of a Marionette’s available single use spells are readied if one is created or revived.

Spell Save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + the Grand Marionette’s Intelligence modifier

Spell Attack Modifier = your proficiency bonus + the Grand Marionette’s Intelligence modifier

Artificial Sentience

By the time you’ve reached 9th level, the Marionette has had enough experience and improvements to act out other artificer specifications. The Marionette gains access to a first and second level spell from an artificer specialist spell list, and can use each spell once every long rest. If a spell has a casting time of one bonus action, your marionette may use a bonus action to cast or control the spell when you command it. Additionally, if you are unconscious but not dead, your marionette may use its action to return you to consciousness if you are within 5 feet of it.

Knowledgeable Machine

By 15th level the Grand Marionette has undergone similar improvements as the Warforged they’re loosely based on, and have become more of a living creature than a machine. The Marionette’s natural AC improves by 2, and they also gain access to a third and fourth level spell from an artificer specialist spell list, and can use each spell once per long rest. The spells may come from a different specialization than the list chosen from Artificial Sentience.  If a spell has a casting time of one bonus action, your marionette may use a bonus action to cast or control the spell when you command it.