Trainer Specialty

The Trainer pursuit of artificer is a new and relatively untapped field. What started as attempts to create sturdier bags of holding turned into a unique chance for biologists and scholars to contain creatures typically too dangerous to study. Some have taken this a step further, training these creatures to do battle to overcome their own lack of natural strength. These scholars, known as Trainers, toe the line between researcher, adventurer, and sometimes even cruel taskmaster. Regardless of how they choose to use this power, they have the ability to bridge the gap between mortal, monster, and machine.

Scholar of the Natural

When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Nature and Animal Handling Skill. Additionally, when you make an Animal Handling check, you may add your INT modifier instead of your WIS modifier.

Tools of the Trade

Also at 3rd level, you've learned how to create unique Orbs of Holding. Using woodcarver's tools or smith's tools and 100 GP of raw materials during a long rest you can create one Orb of Holding, a tiny object which no one but a Trainer Artificer can properly use.

These orbs are magical objects with an AC of 30, 1hp, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. If it is forced to make an ability check or a saving throw, treat all its ability scores as 10 (+0).

 

 

Way of the Trainer

At 3rd level you have begun to take on the role of a trainer, a role requiring a bevy of unique knowledge and skills.

Catchable Monsters

While most common animals are simple to catch and contain, some more unique or crafty specimens require the touch of more practiced trainers.

• A creature must have an INT score less than your Prof bonus and a challenge level less than half your Artificer level (rounded down, minimum of 1) in order to be considered catchable.
• Additionally, only Beasts and Monstrosities are considered Catchable Monsters.
• Captured Monsters are not considered to be Catchable Monsters, meaning that you cannot capture another Trainer's monsters nor they yours.

Catching Monsters

Catching monsters is the cornerstone of being a trainer, allowing you to gather specimens to study or allies to accompany you on your journey.

• As an action, you can activate and then throw one of your empty Orbs of Holding at a catchable monster within 30ft as a ranged attack adding your Sleight of Hand modifier to hit.
• If the creature is hit, it and anything it is carrying that is not another creature and weighs less than it does is teleported inside the Orb of Holding, with the orb landing in the space it formerly occupied. Each orb can only hold one creature at a time.
• The creature is then forced to make a Charisma saving throw against your Spell DC. On a success, the creature appears in the nearest, unoccupied, safe space to where it was before. On a failure, the creature is considered captured and will remain inside the orb.
• Captured creatures are considered Friendly and will follow your commands.
• Captured creatures are friendly only to those they captured and neutral to all others.
• If you wish, you can permanently release a captured creature from one of your Orbs of Holding, with the creature no longer being considered captured and the orb being empty once again.

Battling with Monsters

Battling with monsters requires perfect unity between trainer and trainee.

• As an action, you can summon a captured creature to an unoccupied space within 15ft from it's Orb of Holding. You can only have one creature summoned this way at a time.
• This creature acts on your turn, but will only take the dodge action unless you use a bonus action to command them. If you are incapacitated, the creature can instead take any action.
• You can also use your bonus action to Recall a summoned creature, returning it to it's Orb of Holding.

Caring for Monsters

The tasks and trials of an adventurer will take their toll on even the toughest creatures.

• Captured Monsters can be healed as any creature would be, taking into account things like the negative healing of undead and so forth.
• If a captured monster drops to 0HP it goes unconscious. Touching an Orb of Holding to a defeated Captured Monster friendly to you causes it to be automatically Recalled.
• If an Orb of Holding containing a Captured Monster is broken, the creature is forcefully ejected to the nearest, unoccupied space. You must then make an Animal Handling check with a DC equal to the creature's CR x 2 (rounded up). If you fail, the creature becomes hostile.

 

Advanced Actions

At 5th level, your bond between you and your summoned creatures has deepened, and they grow faster at responding to your commands. You gain an extra attack on each of your turns, which you can use to have a summoned Captured Creature take the attack action instead.

Additionally you now gain the ability to use your bonus action to Swap: returning a currently summoned creature to its Orb of Holding and summoning another creature in it's place as the part of the same bonus action.

Bond of the Heart

At 9th level, you and your companions have grown to truly care for one another, and this bond has inspired you to find ways to better protect them. During a long rest, you can spend 100GP of materials to improve an Orb of Holding to a Greater Orb of Holding. Whenever you summon a creature from a Greater Orb of Holding, it gains temporary hitpoints equal to your artificer level.

Master of Many

At 15th level, your skill at commanding your companions has allowed you to control multiple of them at once. Whenever you would Summon, Recall, or Swap a creature; you may instead effect two creatures at once. Whenever you would cast a spell upon or give a command to one creature, you may perform the action upon both creatures at no extra cost, regardless of range.