Marine

Most warriors and combat specialists spend their years perfecting the classic arts of swordplay, archery, or pole arm tactics. Whether duelist or infantry, martial weapons were seemingly perfected long ago, and the true challenge is to master them.

However, some minds couldn’t stop with the innovation of the crossbow. Experimentation with alchemical components and rare metals have unlocked the secrets of controlled explosive force. The few who survive these trials of ingenuity may become the first to create, and deftly wield, the first firearms.

This specialist focuses on the ability to design, craft, and utilize powerful, yet dangerous ranged weapons. Through creative innovation and immaculate aim, you become a distant force of death on the battlefield. However, not being a perfect science, firearms carry an inherent instability that can occasionally leave you without a functional means of attack. This is the danger of new, untested technologies in a world where the arcane energies that rule the elements are ever present.

Should this path of powder, fire, and metal call to you, keep your wits about you, hold on to your convictions as an artificer, and let skill meet luck to guide your bullets to strike true.

Tool Proficiency

3rd-level Marine feature

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

Gunsmith

3rd-level Marine feature

Upon choosing this specialist at 3rd level you use your proficiency with Tinker’s Tools to craft ammunition at half the cost, repair damaged firearms, or even draft and create new ones (DM’s discretion). Some extremely experimental and intricate firearms are only available through crafting.

Firearm Properties

Firearms are a new and volatile technology, and as such bring their own unique set of weapon properties. Some properties are followed by a number, and this number signifies an element of that property (outlined below). These properties replace the optional ones presented in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Firearms are ranged weapons.

Reload. The weapon can be fired a number of times equal to its Reload score before you must spend 1 attack or 1 action to reload. You must have one free hand to reload a firearm.

Misfire. Whenever you make an attack roll with a firearm, and the dice roll is equal to or lower than the weapon’s Misfire score, the weapon misfires. The attack misses, and the weapon cannot be used again until you spend an action to try and repair it. To repair your firearm, you must make a successful Tinker’s Tools check (DC equal to 8 + misfire score). If your check fails, the weapon is broken and must be mended out of combat at a quarter of the cost of the firearm. Creatures who use a firearm without being proficient increase the weapon’s misfire score by 1.

Explosive. Upon a hit, everything within 5 ft of the target must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier) or suffer 1d8 fire damage. If the weapon misses, the ammunition fails to detonate, or bounces away harmlessly before doing so.

Ammunition

All firearms require ammunition to make an attack, and due to their rare nature, ammunition may be near impossible to find or purchase. However, if materials are gathered, you can craft ammunition yourself using your Tinker’s Tools at half the cost. Each firearm uses its own unique ammunition and is generally sold or crafted in batches listed below next to the price.

 

Firearms

NAME	COST	AMMO	DAMAGE	WEIGHT	RANGE	PROPERTIES
Palm Pistol	50g	2g (20)	1d8 piercing	1 lb.	(40/160)	Light, reload 1, misfire 1
Pistol	150g	4g (20)	1d10 piercing	3 lb.	(60/240)	Reload 4, misfire 1
Musket	300g	5g (20)	1d12 piercing	10 lb.	(120/480)	Two-handed, reload 1, misfire 2
Pepperbox	250g	4g (20)	1d10 piercing	5 lb.	(80/320)	Reload 6, misfire 2
Blunderbuss	300g	5g (5)	2d8 piercing	10 lb.	(15/60)	Reload 1, misfire 2
Bad News	Crafted	10g (5)	2d12 piercing	25 lb.	(200/800)	Two-handed, reload 1, misfire 3
Hand Mortar	Crafted	10g (1)	2d8 fire	10 lb.	(30/60)	Reload 1, misfire 3, explosive

Arcane Shots

3rd-level Marine feature

At 3rd level, you learn to unleash special magical effects with some of your shots. When you gain this feature, you learn three Arcane Shot options of your choice (see “Arcane Shot Options” below). Each time you learn a new Arcane shot, you can also replace one Arcane shot you know with a different one

Once per attack when you fire a shot from a Firearm as part of the Attack action, you can apply one of your Arcane Shot options to that shot. You decide to use the option when the shot hits a creature, unless the option doesn’t involve an attack roll. You have uses of this ability equal to {{modifier:int@min:1#unsigned}} that you regain after a short rest.  You also regain 1 when you roll a 20 on Firearm attacks or you deal a killing blow to a significant threat (DM's discretion).

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

Extra Attack

5th-level Marine feature

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

The number of attacks increases to three when you reach 15th level in this class.

Quickdraw

5th-level Marine feature

When you reach 5th level, you add your Proficiency bonus to your initiative. You can also stow a firearm, then draw another firearm as a single object interaction on your turn.

Rapid Repair

9th-level Marine feature

Upon reaching 9th level, you learn how to quickly attempt to fix a jammed gun. You can spend an arcane charge point to attempt to repair a misfired (but not broken) firearm as a bonus action.

Lightning Reload

15th-level Marine feature

Starting at 15th level, you can reload any firearm as a bonus action.

Extra Attack

15th-level Marine feature

You can attack three times, instead of twice, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

 

Arcane Shot Options

3rd-level Marine feature

The Arcane Shot feature lets you choose options for it at certain levels. The options are presented here in alphabetical order. They are all magical effects, and each one is associated with one of the schools of magic.

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

 

Banishing Shot

You use abjuration magic to try to temporarily banish your target to a harmless location in the Feywild. The creature hit by the shot must also succeed on a Charisma saving throw or be banished. While banished in this way, the target’s speed is 0, and it is incapacitated. At the end of its next turn, the target reappears in the space it vacated or in the nearest unoccupied space if that space is occupied.

After you reach 18th level in this class, a target also takes 2d6 force damage when the shot hits it.

Beguiling Shot

Your enchantment magic causes this shot to temporarily beguile its target. The creature hit by the shot takes an extra 2d6 psychic damage, and choose one of your allies within 30 feet of the target. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw, or it is charmed by the chosen ally until the start of your next turn. This effect ends early if the chosen ally attacks the charmed target, deals damage to it, or forces it to make a saving throw.

The psychic damage increases to 4d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.

Bursting Shot

You imbue your shot with force energy drawn from the school of evocation. The energy detonates after your attack. Immediately after the shot hits the creature, the target and all other creatures within 10 feet of it take 2d6 force damage each.

The force damage increases to 4d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.

Enfeebling Shot

You weave necromantic magic into your shot. The creature hit by the shot takes an extra 2d6 necrotic damage. The target must also succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or the damage dealt by its weapon attacks is halved until the start of your next turn.

The necrotic damage increases to 4d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.

Grasping Shot

When this shot strikes its target, conjuration magic creates grasping, poisonous brambles, which wrap around the target. The creature hit by the shot takes an extra 2d6 poison damage, its speed is reduced by 10 feet, and it takes 2d6 slashing damage the first time on each turn it moves 1 foot or more without teleporting. The target or any creature that can reach it can use its action to remove the brambles with a successful Strength (Athletics) check against your Arcane Shot save DC. Otherwise, the brambles last for 1 minute or until you use this option again.

The poison damage and slashing damage both increase to 4d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.

Piercing Shot

You use transmutation magic to give your shot an ethereal quality. When you use this option, you don’t make an attack roll for the attack. Instead, the shot shoots forward in a line, which is 1 foot wide and 30 feet long, before disappearing. The shot passes harmlessly through objects, ignoring cover. Each creature in that line must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes damage as if it were hit by the shot, plus an extra 1d6 piercing damage. On a successful save, a target takes half as much damage.

The piercing damage increases to 2d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.

Seeking Shot

Using divination magic, you grant your shot the ability to seek out a target. When you use this option, you don’t make an attack roll for the attack. Instead, choose one creature you have seen in the past minute. The shot flies toward that creature, moving around corners if necessary and ignoring three-quarters cover and half cover. If the target is within the weapon’s range and there is a path large enough for the shot to travel to the target, the target must make a Dexterity saving throw. Otherwise, the shot disappears after traveling as far as it can. On a failed save, the target takes damage as if it were hit by the shot, plus an extra 1d6 force damage, and you learn the target’s current location. On a successful save, the target takes half as much damage, and you don’t learn its location.

The force damage increases to 2d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.

Shadow Shot

You weave illusion magic into your shot, causing it to occlude your foe’s vision with shadows. The creature hit by the shot takes an extra 2d6 psychic damage, and it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be unable to see anything farther than 5 feet away until the start of your next turn.

The psychic damage increases to 4d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.

Wild Shot

You imbue your shot with arcane energy drawn from wild magic. The energy detonates after your attack. Immediately after the shot hits the creature, the damage is amplified by the natural arcane energy around it and takes an additional 2d6 damage die per charge spent.  For each charge expended, the attack gains a +2 to the firearm's misfire score.

The damage increases to 4d6 when you reach 18th level in this class.