Strategist

Artificers are excellent tinkerers that are known for their love of a workshop but many share an equal love for the battlefield. Tinkering in a lab to create the next best thing is only half as good if you don't get to see it in action. Strategists love being in the thick of it, between allies and foes creating tethers and changing the course of battle with their boons. Often found next to their kindred spirits the Battle Smiths, they work best in a team.

Bonus Spells

3    Death Ward           / Hold Person
5    Shield                     / Wall of Force
9    Absorb elements / Earthbind
13  Synaptic Static    / Thunderstep
15  Antagonize           / Raulothim's Psychic Lance

Tethering

Tether your self to an ally or enemy to bestow boons or debuff and control the battlefield.

-You can form a number of tethers equal to half your PB, rounded down. Once you have used all your tethers, you must complete a short rest in order to replenish them.
-As a bonus action you can attempt to tether to a creature. The creature must succeed on a Wis save against your spell DC or be tethered. If the creature succeeds, tethering is unsuccessful but the tether is not wasted. A creature can choose to fail its roll.
-Tethers have a range of 30ft and last 1hr. If either creature moves further than 30ft away from the other, the tether is severed and both creatures take 1d8 psychic damage.You may choose to severe the tether willingly as a free action. When you do so neither creature takes the severance damage.
-You may have multiple tethers active, but only one tether per creature.


Ally Tethering:
When one creature is required to roll an Int, Wis or Char save the other creature may roll as well and the player can choose the result of either roll.
Creatures tethered receive a +1AC bonus
Spells that require touch can be delivered through tethers

Enemy Tethering:
When an enemy is forced to roll an Int, Wis or Char save they do so with disadvantage if they are tethered, directly or otherwise, to the creature casting the spell.
Enemies tethered receive a -1AC
Spells that require touch can be delivered through tethers

Untethered Retribution

When taking the attack action you can magically create a flail/whip in a free hand. The flail/whip has a number of tails equal to your current unused tethers. On a successful hit, you deal 1d8 psychic damage for each tether. The tethers then disappear but do not get expended.

Networking

When already tethered to a creature, you can use that creature as a starting point for your next tether, whether ally or foe, thus extending the range.

Life Link

Ally Tether
Tethered creatures receive 1d8+Int Mod temp hit points at the start of their round

Enemy Tether
Creatures take 1d8 psychic damage at the start of their round

Mind Link

Tethered creatures can communicate telepathically. They do not need to speak the same language but they must speak at least one language.

Tether Pull [level 13]

As a bonus action you can force any number of tethered creatures to roll a STR save vs your spell DC. On a fail, the creature is pulled 15 ft towards you and if you choose so, it falls prone.

Tethering Mastery

Tethered enemy creatures have their speed halved.
The dice from Untethered Retribution and Life Link increase to d10

Amalgamation [level 17]

Ally Tether
Tethered ally creatures share all resistances.

Enemy Tether
Tethered enemy creatures' resistances are ignored.

Moreover, once per day you can create one additional tether. This tether must be with a friendly creature, has unlimited range extending to other planes, cannot be severed unless you choose to do so and lasts until you reform this tether the next day.