Blade Animist

A sword is only as good as the artificer who gave it sentience. A Blade Animist makes their mind and weapon function as a single entity. Familiars and animal companions will never compare to the ally that is your sentient weapon.

Tool Proficiency

3rd-level Blade Animist 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.

Blade Animist Spells

3rd-level Blade Animist feature

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

Blade Animist Spells

Artificer Level	Spell
3rd	divine favor, zephyr strike
5th	cloud of daggers, spiritual weapon
9th	tiny servant, conjure barrage
13th	guardian of faith, summon construct
17th	conjure volley, holy weapon

Prepare for War

3rd-level Blade Animist feature

You've learned to craft weapons with whatever metal you have handy. This creation requires 1 hour of uninterrupted work. With smith's tools in hand, you create a nonmagical simple or martial weapon in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you. The weapon you create can be worth no more than 100 gp. You must use metal materials, which can include coins, with a value equal to the weapon you are creating. The end result is completely made of metal, replacing wood or rope with steel or chain/cable. You may only create a weapon in this way a number of times a day equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded down. Shop owner's and merchants view such weapons with suspicion and refuse to buy them.

Sentient Weapon

3rd-level Blade Animist feature

You are able to infuse a weapon with a degree of sentience. When you imbue a melee weapon that lacks the two-handed or special property with one of your artificer infusions, you can grant it a spark of life, creating a sentient weapon. It’s friendly to you and your companions, and it obeys your commands. See its game statistics in the Sentient Weapon stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places and shares your intelligence score and alignment. The weapon retains its range, thrown property, damage dice, and damage type as if being wielded in one hand. You can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity modifier, for the attack and damage rolls of this weapon. You and anyone you designate may wield the sentient weapon as normal, but it will attempt to thwart being wielded by anyone else.

On your turn, you can command the sentient weapon to move (no action required by you). You can use your action to command it to take the Attack, Dash, Disengage, or Help action. If you don't issue a command, the sentient weapon takes the Dodge action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, your sentient weapon can make two attacks, or you can each make one attack. If you are incapacitated or it isn't within 100 feet of you, the sentient weapon can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge. As long as you are living and on the same plane of existence, the sentient weapon always knows your location and will attempt to return to within 100 feet of you, and will pursue this path until rendered inanimate.

If the mending spell is cast on it, it regains 2d6 hit points. If it has been reduced to 0 hit points within the last hour, you can use your smith’s tools as an action to reanimate it, provided you are within 5 feet of it and you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher. The sentient weapon returns to life after 1 minute with all its hit points restored.

At the end of a long rest, you can infuse another appropriate weapon and create a new sentient weapon. If you already have a sentient weapon from this feature, the first one immediately reverts to an inanimate weapon. The sentient weapon also reverts to an inanimate weapon if you are not on the same plane of existence, it spends more than 24 hours away from you, or you die.

Extra Attack

5th-level Blade Animist feature

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

Summon Spectral Blade

5th-level Blade Animist feature

While your sentient weapon is flying, not being wielded, and is within 100 feet of you, you can use a bonus action to create a spectral version of it in your free hand. You can make attacks and cast spells as normal with this spectral weapon. The spectral weapon is an exact copy the the sentient one, but is inanimate. Casting a spell on either weapon effects both weapons. The spectral weapon lasts until you dismiss it as a bonus action, the sentient weapon isn't flying, is being wielded, isn't within 100 feet of you, or is rendered inanimate.

While manifested, the sentient weapon can hear and see, and it has darkvision and hearing out to 60 feet. While within 100 feet of you, your sentient weapon can telepathically share with you what it sees and hears (no action required).

Whenever you cast an artificer spell on your turn, you can cast it as if you were in the sentient weapon's space, instead of your own, using its senses. You can do so a number of times per day equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

 

Improved Sentient Weapon

9th-level Blade Animist feature

Your sentient weapon has grown in power:

• Your sentient weapon deals an extra 1d8 psychic damage.
• The infusion used on your sentient weapon doesn't count toward your maximum number of infusions.

Two Minds as One

15th-level Blade Animist feature

While you are holding your sentient weapon, you have expertise in the Arcana and History skills.

While your sentient weapon is within 100 feet of you, when you or your sentient weapon take damage, the target can use its reaction to gain resistance to all damage from the triggering source, and the other takes the same amount as psychic damage. You or your sentient weapon can use this reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.