School of Design

The School of Design is a school of wizardry for those interested in the inner workings secrets of magic and its practical application. Many wizards of the School of Design endeavor to discover new ways to integrate magic into modern technology or to utilize magic's capabilities in designing gear, tools, or machinery. Other wizards in the School of Design seek to improve the current formulas commonly used for spells, hoping to manipulate them to overcome their weaknesses or change their strengths. Regardless of what a wizard of the School of Design seeks, they inevitably are on the frontier of their particular research, always in search of a new or better way to use and wield magic in the world. 

Tools of the Inventor

At 2nd level, you gain proficiency with tinker's tools and a tool of your choice.

Inventor's Armor

Innovation is a dangerous practice, at least as far as members of this school practice it. As a shield against this risk, you have developed a suit of arcane armor.

Starting at 2nd level, you gain proficiency with light armor and gain a suit of arcanomechanical armor — a magic item that only you can attune to. While you are attuned to it and wearing it, it grants you resistance to force damage.

The armor is light armor and provides an AC of 12 + your Dexterity modifier. It weighs 8 pounds.

You can create a new suit of it at the end of a long rest by using your Tinker's Tools and 1,000 GP worth of material components on a nonmagical suit of studded leather armor, which transforms it. 

As your level in this class, you will slowly improve your arcanomechanical armor, which you are presumed to be doing research and design for in your downtime as you level.

At 2nd level, you are able to implement a single Magic Customization utilizing one of the schools of magic into your armor from the following list:

• Auto-Ward (Abjuration): When you cast any spell using a spell slot, your armor produces a ward with the excess magic energy, which grants you temporary hit points equal to double the spell's level and lasts until your next short rest. Spells using the Ritual Tag that are cast as rituals do not grant this benefit.
• Voidweller's Armory (Conjuration): The back of your armor has runes that summon black tentacles when you make an unarmed strike, allowing you to make unarmed attacks with them instead. Unarmed strikes made with these tentacles have a 10 foot reach and use your Intelligence modifier, dealing 1d4 + your Intelligence modifier magical bludgeoning damage on a hit. The number of unarmed strikes you can make increases to two attacks at character level 5, three attacks at character level 11, and four attacks at character level 17. These attacks do not benefit from the Extra Attack class feature.
• Predictive Sensors (Divination): Your armor has a magically-integrated sense for danger, and alert you to danger. You cannot be surprised, and add half of your Intelligence modifier, rounded up, to your initiative rolls and Dexterity saving throws.
• Hypnosis Ray (Enchantment): As an action, you unleash a hypnotic ray from your armor at a single creature of your choice that can see you. That creature must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a success, the creature will believe it is a creature of your choice for 1 minute, repeating the saving throw if it takes damage. On a failure, the creature is not affected and becomes immune to Hypnosis Ray for the next 24 hours. Once you use Hypnosis Ray, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
• Pyro's Wrist Cannon (Evocation): Your armor has a rune built into the palm of one of its gloves or a wrist cannon that quickens your ability to cast the Firebolt cantrip by using the residual energy of spells you have cast. If you did not already know the Firebolt cantrip, you now know it and can cast it as a bonus action immediately after casting any spell that uses a spell slot.
• Illusory Doppelganger (Illusion): You armor is now capable of producing a perfect illusion of yourself that lasts for 1 minute. As an action, you can make the illusion appear in an unoccupied space that you can see within 30 feet of you. As a bonus action on your turn, you can move the illusion up to 30 feet to a space you can see, but it must remain within 120 feet of you. For the duration, you can switch between the illusion's senses your own as an action. Using the illusion's senses renders your own body incapable of feeling anything happening to it. Additionally, when both you and your illusion are within 5 feet of a creature that can see the illusion, you have advantage on attack rolls against that creature, given how distracting the illusion is to the target.
• Vampiric Robotics (Necromancy): Your armor is now able to contain 3 remote-controlled, magically operated robot stirges. They operate on their own initiative, but all three share the same initiative and are controlled by the player. These robot stirges use the usual stirge stat block, but gain 2 AC and add half of your wizard level, rounded up to their attack and damage rolls. Additionally, the stirge detaches itself from its target after the first drain, and must make additional attack rolls to do so again. The robot stirges can also touch allies to restore their health by the amount the robot has drained. If a robot stirge is destroyed, it can be replaced by a successful DC 15 Tinker's Tool check with 1 hour of time and 10 GP worth of materials.
• Enhanced Transmutation (Transmutation): Twice per short rest, you can cast Stone Shape. Whenever you cast Stone Shape, it can also affect metal objects and surfaces, and can affect objects of Large or smaller size or a surface area of 10 feet in any dimension.

Once you choose a Magic Customization, it cannot be changed, even when making a new set of arcanomechanical armor. This is because of the time it takes to research your craft and skills required to implement the Magic Customization you choose.

Experimental Casting

Starting at 6th level, you can attempt to fuse the casting of spells you can cast by mixing their formulas. You can choose two or three spells to mix together, expending the appropriate spell slots of their minimum casting level. When you do so, tell your DM how you're mixing your spells as precisely as possible, and it is then up to the DM how successful your fusion is and what its effects are. Your DM has a great deal of control over what the fusion does, and the riskier the fusion the more likely it is to turn out dangerously. The only restriction your DM has on how the fusion goes is that it must always be consistent - the result of a fusion between three spells will always result the same way if the same spells are fused. 

Inventor's Armor Second Upgrade

Starting at 10th level, you are able to implement a single Magic Customization utilizing one of the schools of magic into your armor from the following list:

• Improved Defenses (Abjuration): Your armor's defenses are magically reinforced, you gain +1 AC and advantage on saving throws against magic.
• Pockets O' Vials (Conjuration): You have pockets designed on conjure vials of varying degrees of usefulness. As a bonus action, you may pull a vial out of your pocket and either throw it, drink it, or hold onto it. The vial you pull out has random contents using the table below. If you pull out another vial, the previous vial vanishes, and if you throw a vial it uses your ranged spell attack for the roll to hit. When you pull a vial from your pockets, roll a d10 and use the following table:
  • d10 | Result
  • 1 | You pull a Healing Vial. Drinking it recovers 1d4 + 1 hit points.
  • 2 | You pull an Explosive Vial. It deals 1d8 + your Intelligence modifier damage. This damage increases to 2d8 at character level 11 and 3d8 at character level 17. It does double damage if a creature drinks it.
  • 3 | You pull a Chicken Vial. 1d20 chickens spawn where it lands, who then follow you until they die. If you die, they will follow until they find your corpse. If you are on another plane of existence, they teleport to that plane of existence to you. If this vial is thrown and hits a target, that target takes bludgeoning damage equal to the number of chickens conjured.
  • 4 | You pull a Goo Vial. A creature that drinks this begins to suffocate until Lesser Restoration or a greater spell equivalent is cast upon it. A creature struck by a thrown Goo Vial is Restrained. A creature restrained by this effect must succeed on an Athletics check against your spell save DC to break free.
  • 5 | You pull a Slip Vial. A creature that drinks this becomes poisoned. The area struck by this vial when thrown becomes a 5 foot pool of grease. When the grease appears, each creature standing in its area must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or fall prone. A creature that enters the area or ends its turn there must also succeed on a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC.
  • 6 | You pull a Size Vial. An ally that drinks this vial or is struck by this vial becomes one size larger and gains an additional 1d4 damage on their weapon attacks and unarmed strikes. An enemy that drinks this vial or is struck by this vial becomes one size smaller and has 1d4 damage subtracted from all of their weapon attacks and unarmed strikes.
  • 7 | You pull a Skill Vial. A creature that drinks this vial or is struck by this vial gains advantage on their next ability check, attack roll, or saving throw.
  • 8 | You pull a Blink Vial. A creature that drinks this vial or is struck by this vial is transported to the Astral Plane for 1 hour, after which they return to the point they vanished from. If the target is already in the Astral Plane, this vial does nothing. If a target is unwilling, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC to avoid its affects.
  • 9 | You pull a Charm Vial. A creature that drinks this vial or is struck by this vial must succeed on a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC or be charmed by you for the next 10 minutes. You have advantage on all Charisma checks against a target charmed by this effect. If you drink this vial or if you hit yourself with this vial, you automatically fail the Charisma save and spend the next 10 minutes searching for a reflective surface to admire yourself in. This vial fails if used on a creature you are in combat with.
  • 10 | You pull a Haste Vial. A creature that drinks this vial or is struck by this vial has their movement speed doubled for 1 minute.
• Communication Tools (Divination):  You have developed sensors in your armor that allow thoughts to communicate like words. During each long rest, you can establish a telepathic link with one party member. That link lasts until your next long rest, after which you may reestablish your connection or establish a connection with a different member of your party. Additionally, you can cast detect thoughts without a spell slot or material components once per long rest.
• Mechanical Mockery (Enchantment): You have installed sensors in your armor to detect when an enemy attack barely misses you so your armor can play a laugh track tinged with magical energy that makes the attacker roll a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC or be subject to the effects of vicious mockery as if you had cast it.
• Plan C (Evocation): Your armor has a built-in contingency rune formula. At any point, you can set the spell to cast and the condition required to cast it with the restraints of the contingency spell. This does not consume a spell slot and only costs 50 GP. This contingency lasts until triggered, and you cannot set up a new contingency for 24 hours after it has been triggered. Placing a new contingency costs 50 GP and 4 hours of time which can be spent without interrupting a long rest, and causes the previous contingency to disappear. 
• Trickster's Focus (Illusion):  Your armor can now infuse arcane focuses into your illusion spells. You can cast spells from your illusions as if you were standing where the illusion is. You can only use one illusion for this at a time, and you still use your own senses or your Illusory Doppelganger's senses. This Magic Customization also applies to the Illusory Doppelganger Magic Customization.
• Soul Storage (Necromancy):  Your study of the phylacteries liches use resulted in a integrated crystal similar in nature. When a creature of at least Challenge Rating 5 dies within 60 feet of you, you can use your reaction to trap its soul within your Soul Storage. It remains within your Soul Storage for the next 8 hours or until used, after which it is treated as if it had died normally. A soul within your Soul Storage can be used for one of the following effects:
  • As an action, you can convert the trapped soul into pure life energy that you can use to remove all curses, diseases, and poisons affecting a creature you touch.
  • As an action, you fuse and corrupt the trapped soul into a conjuration of an undead whose Challenge Rating is at most 1/2 your current wizard level.
  • You can make your armor dissect the soul's knowledge, granting you a proficiency of your choice among those the creature the soul belonged to possessed. Because this knowledge is not originally yours, it cannot grant expertise, and if you use this feature of Soul Storage again, the new proficiency gained will result in the old proficiency being lost.
• Polymorphic Armor (Transmutation): Your armor is heavily modified to be able to transform into various constructs. Once per long rest, you can use your bonus action to transform into one of the following constructs if your wizard level is greater than or equal to the level listed below. You can stay transformed for 10 minutes. You then revert to your normal form. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.
  • At Level 10: Monodrone, Duodrone, Tridrone, Animated Armor, Bronze Scout, Pentadrone, Helmed Horror, Iron Cobra, Stone Defender, Oaken Bolter, Shield Defender
  • At Level 14: Clay Golem, Stone Golem
  • At Level 17: Hellfire Engine, Iron Golem 

  • While you are transformed, the following rules apply:

    • Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the new form, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus is higher than yours, use the creature's bonus. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can't use them.
    • When you transform, you assume the new form's hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any extra damage carries over to your normal form. As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren't knocked unconscious.
    • You can't cast spells, and your ability to speak or take any action that requires hands is limited to the capabilities of your beast form. Transforming doesn't break your concentration on a spell you've already cast, however, or prevent you from taking actions that are part of a spell that you've already cast.
    • You retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so. However, you can't use any of your special senses, such as darkvision, unless your new form also has that sense.
    • You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the GM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment. Your equipment doesn't change to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.

Once you choose a Magic Customization, it cannot be changed, even when making a new set of arcanomechanical armor. This is because of the time it takes to research your craft and skills required to implement the Magic Customization you choose.

Inventor's Armor Final Upgrade

Starting at 14th level, you are able to implement a single Magic Customization utilizing one of the schools of magic into your armor from the following list:

• Auto-Counter System (Abjuration): Your armor is improved with a magically-integrated system of runes that can automatically detect and counter spells cast at you. Three times per long rest, when a spell is cast at you while you're wearing your arcanomechanical armor, the armor automatically casts counterspell at 3rd level against the spell. This system can detect spells cast at you even if you are not aware one is being cast at you, and its function is automatic, not a choice, although it can differentiate between ally spell casts and non-ally spell casts and will only react to the latter.
• Mechanical Double (Conjuration): Your armor is now built with a conjuration rune to a small pocket dimension that contains your mechanical double. As an action, you can activate this rune to release a mechanical simulacrum that functions exactly like the spell, but its level is half of your wizard level, rounded down, with the corresponding spell slots.
• Ethereal Optics (Divination): Your suit now has optical lenses that are magically enhanced. While looking through these lenses, you have truesight, can see into the Ethereal Plane, and can see a magical outline around secret doors for 30 feet, centered on yourself.
• Irresistible Fiesta (Enchantment): Your armor now has enhancements that can project magic-imbued music. Once per short rest, as an action, you can begin to play the music from your armor for the next minute. All creatures within 30 feet of you (including you) begin to dance. [Tooltip Not Found] creatures are unaffected by this effect. A dancing creature uses all of its movement to dance without leaving its space and has disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws and attack rolls. Unaffected creatures have advantage on attacks against creatures dancing due to this effect. When a dancing target (including you) takes damage, it can make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, ending the effect on itself on a success. Additionally, at the end of each of its turns, a dancing creature can make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC, ending the effect on itself on a success.
• Tyrannical Death Ray (Evocation): You have installed a shoulder-mounted death ray into your armor. Each time a creature makes an attack against you, your armor casts a single ray of fire at the target. This ray is a free action, uses your normal ranged spell attack modifier, and does 3d6 fire damage. You can also, as an action on your turn, fire the death ray twice.
• Aura Camouflage (Illusion): Your armor is now capable of disguising your aura. You gain the benefits of the nystul's magic aura, targeting only yourself, as long as you wear your arcanomechanical armor, and can change the details of its effects at will.
• Master Puppet (Necromancy): Your armor has built-in tools to sustain your consciousness even after you've passed your body's usual threshold for damage. Once per long rest, when you would fall unconscious, you can use this feature to continue fighting for an additional round. During this round, you make death saves as normal on your turn and when you take damage. If you die, it does not come into effect until after your additional round. You cannot heal yourself in any way while in this state, but you can still heal others and be healed by others.
• Overclock Device (Transmutation): Your armor has sensors and runes built in to help you "overclock" your mind. This feature allows your mind the ability to concentrate on two spells at the same time. If you must make a concentration check while concentrating on two spells, you must make a separate check for each spell.

Once you choose a Magic Customization, it cannot be changed, even when making a new set of arcanomechanical armor. This is because of the time it takes to research your craft and skills required to implement the Magic Customization you choose.