Hex-Pugilist

Artificers of this specialization know the importance of analyzing your opponent, utilizing your brain in combat rather than relying solely on physical strength. Not only have Hex-Pugilists taken to heart the need for brain and brawn, they have begun the process of crafting enchantments that enhance their physical prowess. These enchantments are bound to this artificer, making each Hex-Pugilist unique in both personality, and adaptability. 

Tool Proficiency

When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with smith's tools and leatherworker’s tools. If you already have either tool proficiency, you may replace the gained proficiency with one other type of artisan's tool of your choice.

Hex-Pugilist Spells

Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Hex-Pugilist Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don't count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.

Hex-Pugilist Spells
Artificer Level	Hex-Pugilist Spells
3rd	Compelled Duel, Inflict Wounds
5th	Kinetic Jaunt, Knock
9th	Blinding Smite, Enemies Abound
13th	Death Ward, Resilient Sphere
17th	Steel Wind Strike, Far Step

Infusion Gauntlets

Beginning at 3rd level, you have developed the techniques required for hand-to-hand combat, and have extrapolated on those techniques to further enhance your artificing endeavors. As an action, you may touch a set of gauntlets, imbuing them with your latent arcane potency. 

While these gauntlets are enchanted in this way, you gain the following benefits while wearing them:

• Your unarmed strikes count as weapon attacks, with which you have proficiency. Your unarmed strikes also count as magical weapons for the sake of overcoming damage resistance.
• Your unarmed strikes deal 1d8 bludgeoning damage, unless they deal more damage from a different feature. If that is the case, your gauntlets re-shape themselves to make way for that feature.
• Your unarmed strikes can be made with your intelligence modifier, rather than strength.
• You may use these gauntlets as a focus for your Artificer spells, as well as to fulfill the material components of spells, as long as that component is not consumed, and has a GP value less than your artificer level.
• These gauntlets snap to your hands when activated, and cannot be removed against your will.

These gauntlets remain infused until you remove them as an action, or you die.

Called Shot

Also beginning at 3rd level, you have studied the art of pugilism, allowing you to quickly appraise the skill of an opponent, and identify any gaps in their defenses. As an action you may target one creature within 60 feet of you that you can see and make an investigation check, contested by the target's deception. On a success, you may use your reaction on any subsequent turns within the next minute to turn one successful melee weapon or spell attack against the target into a critical hit, as you call out to your ally the weakness of the target. You must use your reaction after you know that the attack hits but before any effects of the attack have resolved. You may also use your reaction to give this benefit to yourself. You may only have one creature under the effect of Called Shot at a time. A creature that is hidden from divination magic (such as the “Nondetection” spell) automatically succeeds its deception check without making a roll. Any attempt to alter or replace the target’s roll automatically fails.

Extra Attack

Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice, rather than once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Infusion Gauntlet Adaptation

At 9th level, you have become comfortable within the melee range of others, and have started to develop mannerisms in combat that warrant adapting to your own split-second strategies. You may choose three of the adaptations in the list below, adding them to your gauntlet enchantments. You gain access to additional adaptation options at 10th, 12th, and 14th level. You may also choose one additional adaptation at 10th, 12th, and 14th level. Whenever you gain the “Ability Score Improvement” feature from the Artificer class, you may swap one or all of your adaptations for another of the same level.

 

10th level - Arcane Haymaker Adaptation

You now crit on a roll of 19 and 20 when making attacks with your gauntlets.

10th level - Chronal Displacement Adaptation

When you take the attack action on your turn, and you aren’t concentrating on a spell or other effect, you may immediately use your bonus action to take two additional attacks with your gauntlets. Using this feature also immediately uses your reaction, unless it was already used on your turn.

10th level - Versatile Infusion Adaptation

You may add one of your known infusions to your gauntlets without counting toward your number of infusions active. When you infuse your gauntlets with this feature, you ignore any requirements of properties and item type, as your gauntlets morph to allow the Infusion to take shape. If the Infusion has an effect that requires a property that your gauntlets lack, that property of the infusion does not transfer over. Any wording that says “while wielding this item,” “While wearing this item,” etc. becomes “while this Item is active” at the DMs discretion. All Items under the “Replicate Magic Item” infusion are incompatible with this feature.

12th level - Brains and Brawn Adaptation

When you make an attack with your unarmed strike, you may add both your strength and intelligence modifiers to the attack and damage rolls.

12th level - Thunderous Fist Adaptation

You may cast thunderwave a number of times per day equal to your intelligence modifier without expending a spell slot. When you cast thunderwave in this way, it starts off at a level equal to your intelligence modifier, and decreases in level with each use (so if your intelligence modifier is +5, you can cast thunderwave at 5th level, then 4th level, all the way to 1st level). When you cast thunderwave in this way, you do not need verbal or material components, and the somatic components come in the form of you slamming your hands together, or exerting some other force that can release a shockwave.

14th level - Hex Bruiser Adaptation

While this feature is active, you may speak a command word as a bonus action, causing your gauntlets to be wreathed in wisp-like flame. Whenever you hit a creature with an unarmed strike while the flame is alight, the target of the attack takes an additional 3d6 force damage, in addition to the attack's regular damage amount. The flame lasts until you exit combat, or until you speak the command word again as a bonus action to end the effect. Once you have used this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

14th level - Imitating Weapon Adaptation

While this feature is active, as an action you may touch one magic weapon that you or an ally owns. If the weapon requires attunement you must first have permission from the attuned user in order to activate this feature. Upon touching the weapon it disappears into a pocket dimension, where it remains until you remove it as an action, or use this feature on another weapon. If you use this feature on another weapon without removing the first weapon, the original weapon is destroyed. While a magic weapon is in this pocket dimension, your gauntlets gain all of the features, charges, and damage bonuses of the weapon. Effects like damage type, weapon type, and features that rely on the weapon having a certain property (such as magic bows creating their own ammo when the bowstring is drawn) do not transfer to your gauntlets. This feature cannot imitate weapons of Legendary or Artifact rarity.

9th level - Ethereal Form Adaptation

Your gauntlets gain the reach property. You may also choose for your unarmed strikes to deal force damage instead of bludgeoning as long as this feature is active.

9th level - Focused Strike Adaptation

When you roll for damage on an attack you make with your gauntlets you may add your proficiency bonus to the damage roll.

9th level - High Impact Adaptation

your damage dice changes to 1d12 for attacks made with your unarmed strikes while your gauntlets are active.

9th level - Leaden Aura Adaptation

When you roll initiative, you automatically gain a number of temporary hit points equal to your level, unless you already had temporary hit points that totaled more than your level.

9th level - Mana-Steel Alloy Adaptation

your gauntlets provide a small boost to your defenses, you may exchange one of your attacks whenever you take the attack action to gain a bonus to your AC equal to your Proficiency bonus, this AC bonus lasts until the start of your next turn. In addition, whenever an effect or spell would gain a property based on the target wearing metal (such as advantage on the attack as with Shocking Grasp, or the ability to target as with Heat Metal), you do not trigger any of those properties if the only metal you are wearing is your gauntlets.

Gain the Edge

At 15th level, your ability to size up opponents has peaked, allowing you to infer details about your enemy just from the slivers of telegraphing that they exhibit before each movement. When a creature is under the effect of your Called Shot feature, you may use your bonus action on any of your turns while Called Shot is active to automatically learn one of the following pieces of information: All of the targets damage vulnerabilities, all of the targets damage resistances, all of the targets damage immunities, how many legendary resistances the target has, the target’s highest level spell slot (in the case of it’s magic being innate, you simply learn that it has access to spells), all of the targets condition immunities, or any stat that it makes at least one attack with and that stats value (spell attacks not included).