Gun Mage

Gun mages are arcanists who combine firearm skill with the ability to channel magic through rune-inscribed bullets. They carry a particular mystique in the minds of common people. To the average citizen, gun mages are seen as romantic figures: dashing officers and arcanists who are as skilled with their weapons as they are with magic. In truth, these arcanists practice their magic as a dedicated martial discipline. To fully harness their abilities, gun mages make use of magelocks—special firearms made of an expensive steel alloy that is both resistant to heat and responsive to magic. Some might consider a gun mage’s reliance on firearms and ammunition to be a limitation compared to other spellcasters, but the deadly effectiveness of a practiced gun mage in battle is indisputable. Firearms are potent weapons in their own right, but augmented by a gun mage, a magelock firearm becomes an incredibly versatile weapon.

Runic Shot Options

The Runic Shot feature lets you choose options for it at certain levels. The options are presented here in alphabetical order. They are all magical effects.

If an option requires a saving throw, your Arcane Shot save DC equals 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.

Accuracy

You guide your rune shot to strike with unerring accuracy. When you use this rune shot, you have advantage on the attack roll.

Arcane Brutality

You empower your rune shot to strike with greater force and savagery. When you use this rune shot and hit a creature with an attack, the target takes an extra 2d6 damage, and the attack scores a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20.

Arching Leap

You empower your rune bullet with electricity, causing tongues of lightning to spring from your target to strike another target nearby. When you use this rune shot and hit a creature with an attack, that creature and one other creature of your choice within 15 feet of it take an extra 2d6 lightning damage each.

Black Penny

You empower your rune shot to strike down a nearby foe. When you use this rune shot, you do not have disadvantage on attack rolls made against targets within 5 feet of you.

Detonator

You imbue your bullet with explosive energy that detonates after your attack. When you use this rune shot and hit a creature with an attack, that creature and all other creatures within 10 feet of it take an extra 2d6 force damage each.

Frost Flash

Your rune bullet carries the bite of winter. When you use this rune shot and hit a creature with an attack, that creature takes an extra 2d6 cold damage and must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or have its speed reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn

Heart Stopper

The deathly arcane power of this runeetched bullet is intended to bring a swift end to your target. When you use this rune shot and hit a creature with an attack, that creature takes an extra 2d6 necrotic damage and must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature cannot regain hit points until the start of your next turn. This rune shot has no effect on constructs or the undead.

Molten Shot

Your rune shot becomes white-hot as you infuse it with fiery magical energy. When you use this rune shot and hit a creature with an attack, that creature takes an extra 2d6 fire damage and 1d6 fire damage at the start of your next turn. Any flammable object hit by this shot ignites.

Phantom Seeker

A bullet inscribed with this rune shot becomes ethereal, curving in flight to seek out your target. When you use this rune shot and make an attack, do not make an attack roll for the attack. Instead, choose a target within the normal range of your weapon. That creature must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, the creature takes damage as if it were hit by the bullet, plus an extra 1d6 force damage. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage. You do not need to be able to see your target to use this rune shot.

Shining Beacon

Your rune shot is empowered to strip away mundane and magical concealment from your targets. When you use this rune shot and hit a creature with an attack, any attack roll against the creature has advantage if the attacker can see it, and the creature cannot benefit from cover. This effect lasts until the start of your next turn.

Silencer

You completely muffle the sound of your shot, and your firearm produces no sound when it discharges. When you use this rune shot and hit a creature with an attack, that creature cannot shout or speak until the start of your next turn.

Trick Shot

You empower your bullet to ricochet from your initial target and strike another. When you use this rune shot and make an attack, after the attack, choose a creature within 30 feet of the original target and then make an attack roll to hit the chosen creature. If the attack hits, the chosen creature takes damage from the attack as normal, and any special effects of the attack apply to the creature as normal.

Tool Proficiency

3rd-level Gun Mage feature

You gain proficiency with woodcarver's tools. If you already have this proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan’s tools of your choice.

Gun Mage Spells

3rd-level Gun Mage feature

You always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Battle Smith Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.

Battle Smith Spells

Artificer Level	Spell
3rd	hail of thorns, hunter's mark
5th	branding smite, scorching ray
9th	lightning bolt, conjure barrage
13th	[Tooltip Not Found], fabricate
17th	banishing smite, conjure volley

Arcane Accuracy

3rd-level Gun Mage feature

Runes incribed along the barrel of your weapon allow versatility and power. 

• You gain proficiency with firearms.
• When you attack with a magic firearm, you can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity modifier, for the attack and damage rolls.
• If your Firearm is magical, you may use it as a spellcasting focus.

Runic Shot

At 3rd level, you learn to unleash special magical effects with some of your shots. When you gain this feature, you learn two Rune Shot options of your choice (see “Rune Shot Options” below).

Once per turn when you fire a round from a firearm as part of the Attack action, you can apply one of your Rune Shot options to that bullet. You decide to use the option when the bullet hits a creature unless the option doesn’t involve an attack roll. You have a number of uses of this ability equal to your proficiency, and you regain all expended uses of it when you finish a short or long rest.

You gain an additional Rune Shot option of your choice when you reach certain levels in this class: 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level. Each option also improves when you become an 18th-level Artificer.

Extra Attack

5th-level Battle Smith feature

You can attack twice, rather than once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Spell Conversion

9th-level Gun Mage feature

You've learned new ways to channel arcane energy to increase your weapon's ability to channel arcane destruction. Once per turn, you can convert a spell slot into additional use(s) of your Runic Shot Feature. The Amount of uses restored is equal to half of the spell slot level rounded up (Minimum One)

Runic Expertise

15th-level Gune Mage feature

At 11th level, you can layer the effects of multiple rune shots onto a single bullet. When you expend a use of your Runic Shots feature to make a rune shot attack, you can choose an additional rune shot effect to affect the target. Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.