Runeforge Enchanter

Runeforge Enchanters are a rare group of artificers who have combined the incredible power of giants' runes with the limitless potential of elvish arcane magic to craft some of the most powerful weapons and items in the material plane. They are experts at 3 things: adaptability, magic item creation, and empowering their arcane weapon--a weapon etched with runes that grant it incredible power. As you get stronger, so will your arcane weapon until it can rival even the gods.

This subclass is similar in playstyle to the battle smith, except it trades out the steel defender for the arcane weapon.

Author's Note: I've always thought a major problem with the artificer is that they always know more infusions than they can use and that they don't get enough infusions in general to really feel like a magic item master. This subclass attempts to remedy that through a system of "imbuements" that allows runeforge enchanters to craft magic items they've identified before or have chosen through the replicate magic item infusion. That way they can dump their excess infusions into replicate magic item and then craft the items with imbuements.

Artisan Arcanist

3rd-level Runeforge Enchanter feature

Your extensive training in crafting and enchanting has given you proficiency in two artisan tools of your choice.

Runeforge Enchanter Spells

3rd-level Runeforge Enchanter feature

You always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Runeforge Enchanter Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare. In addition, there are more spells this subclass has access to learning that are not ordinarily artificer spells.

Runeforge Enchanter Spells

Artificer Level	Spell
3rd	shield, identify
5th	branding smite, magic weapon
9th	haste, glyph of warding
13th	fabricate, fire shield
17th	animate objects, legend Lore

Arcane Weapon

3rd-level Runeforge Enchanter feature

After extensive experimentation, you have unlocked the ability to inscribe a personal arcane rune onto a weapon binding it to yourself with magic.

• You choose a weapon in your possession, you gain proficiency with it if you're not already. It becomes your arcane weapon. It's magical and you can use it as a spell casting focus. You can always perform the somatic components of spells while you have your arcane weapon in one or both hands.
• After you finish a long rest, you may choose a different arcane weapon, losing your old proficiency and gaining the new one.
• When you attack with your arcane weapon, you can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity modifier, for the attack and damage rolls.
• You can magically manifest the weapon into your hands as a bonus action. Similarly, you can stow the weapon into a pocket dimension that only you can access.
• Your arcane weapon may be infused (once) and spells like magic weapon and conjure barrage may target it, despite it being a magic item. However, attack, damage, and similar modifiers may not stack above +3.
• Your arcane weapon is considered to have a rarity of common at level 3, uncommon at level 5, rare at level 9, and very rare at level 15 unless you select a magic item of greater rarity to be your arcane weapon.

Arcane Tinkering

3rd-level Runeforge Enchanter feature

Your tinkering has given you the ability to create magic items by etching imbuement runes onto mundane items. Arcane Tinkering functions similar to the magical tinkering feature, with some additions.

• Setup: To use this ability, you must have a set of artisan’s tools in hand that could conceivably be used to craft the intended magic item (e.g. woodcarver's tools to make a wand) and you must be proficient with that set of tools.
• Detailed Knowledge: You can only use arcane tinkering to create magic items that you have detailed knowledge of. Detailed knowledge can be gained through using the identify spell on a magic item, possessing a formula, having access to it through replicate magic item, or other methods the DM might provide, such as through intense reseach.
• Imbuements: The number of magic items you can have imbued via magical tinkering is determined by your intelligence modifier (aka your imbuements) where it takes 1 imbuement to create a common magical item, 2 imbuements to create an uncommon item, and 4 imbuements to create a rare magic item. 
• Rituals: Imbueing a common item requires a 2 hour ritual, uncommon requires a 4 hour ritual, and rare requires an 8 hour ritual. Un-imbueing an item requires a 1-minute ritual and destroys the item, but frees its imbuements for future use.

When you reach 18th level and you gain the Magic Item Master feature, you also gain: you may perform the rituals required to imbue items via arcane tinkering in a quarter of the time.

Runic Augmentation

5th-level Runeforge Enchanter feature

Your mastery over your arcane weapon has given you the ability to magically augment it by inscribing runes into it. When you gain this feature, you add the effects of one Runic Augmentation option of your choice to your arcane weapon. You gain additional augmentations at levels 9 and 15.

Animation Rune

You can use a bonus action to toss your arcane weapon into the air and speak the command word. When you do so, it begins to hover, flies up to 30 feet, and attacks one creature of your choice within 5 feet of it. It uses your ability score modifier for attack and damage rolls.

While your arcane weapon hovers, you can use a bonus action to cause it to fly up to 30 feet to another spot within 30 feet of you. As part of the same bonus action, you can cause it to make one attack against a creature within 5 feet of it.

After the hovering arcane weapon attacks for the third time, it flies up to 30 feet and tries to return to your hand. If you have no hand free, it falls to the ground at your feet. If the sword has no unobstructed path to you, it moves as close to you as it can and then falls to the ground. It also ceases to hover if you grasp it or move more than 30 feet away from it.

Elemental Rune

Select poison, acid, fire, cold, radiant, necrotic, or lightning, that becomes your arcane weapon's new damage type and the weapon takes on an according appearance. You may select a different damage type whenever you finish a long rest or choose a new arcane weapon.

Increase the damage die of your arcane weapon by one step according to the list below to a max of 1d12.

• 1d4 increases to 1d6
• 1d6 increases to 1d8
• 1d8 increases to 1d10
• 1d10 increases to 1d12 (max)

Empowerment Rune

Any +1 bonuses on your arcane weapon become +2 bonuses and +2 bonuses become +3 bonuses. Attack, damage, and similar modifiers on your arcane weapon can now stack up to +4.

Mageblade Rune

Your arcane weapon critically strikes on a 19 or 20.

Whenever your arcane weapon critically strikes, you may choose to not roll an extra damage die. If you do so, that turn, you may cast a cantrip with a casting time of one action as a bonus action targeting the creature you just critically struck.

Multiattack Rune

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

Warding Rune

Select a monster type (or two races of humanoid).
Your arcane weapon glows dimly when within 500 feet of that kind of creature. The closer the creature is to your arcane weapon, the brighter the glow becomes. Exceptionally powerful magic may be able to obscure this effect.
Your first attack on each of your turns using your arcane weapon that hits a creature of the selected type has one of its damage die roll its maximum possible result.

Grafting Rune

9th-level Runeforge Enchanter feature

You have gained the ability to transfer the magic of an item into a magic grafting rune and enscribe that rune onto your arcane weapon.

• By performing an 3-hour ritual, you can transfer the effects and abilities of another magic item of equal or lesser rarity into your arcane weapon. The other item is then left mundane. Your arcane weapon may only have one such transfer on it at a time. If it would receive a second transfer, it loses its previously transferred effects.
• If you transfer the magical effects of an item created with arcane tinkering, the imbuement cost is transferred to your arcane weapon along with the magical effects.
• Whenever you choose a new arcane weapon, the new weapon maintains the same previously transfered effects.

*note the transfer must make sense to the DM (e.g. The magical abilities of an alchemy jug may not be permitted to transfer to your arcane weapon).

Expert Arcanist

15th-level Runeforge Enchanter feature

All your arcane abilities get stronger:

• Your total maximum number of imbuements via arcane tinkering is now equal to twice your intelligence modifier.
• You now may use 8 imbuements and a 16 hour ritual to create very rare magic items.
• Your arcane weapon can now hold two transfers instead of one.
• You arcane weapon can now hold two infusions instead of one.