Most Artificers are entirely innocent in their practice, creating little mechanisms, tinkering, having a happy-go-lucky experience as their quirky selves. However, some Artificers are the complete opposite. Hyper recluses, dedicated to the taboo experimentation of mixing flesh and magic or bestowing life where there was never any before. Animator Artificers are those who deal with the art of creating golems and/or the undead. With precise needlework or sculpting abilities, Animators are able to create terrifying constructs that are the products of nightmares.

Animators, however, may not have malicious or vile intentions. They may have been given this craft through the family's heritage, or seek knowledge and understanding of life and death, or wish to determine a way to create life and beauty through their creations.

Tool Proficiency

When you take this subclass at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with Leatherworker's tools, Mason's tools, or Woodcarver's tools. If you already are proficient in these tools, you can pick any new tool proficiency.

Animator Spell List

Starting at 3rd level, the following spells in the table are always prepared for you. They are artificer spells, but don't count against the number of spells you can prepare.

Animator Spells

Artificer Level	Spell
3rd	Sleep, Unseen Servant
5th	Blindness/Deafness, Gentle Repose
9th	Animate Dead, Speak with Dead
13th	Aura of Life, Polymorph
17th	Danse Macabre, Reincarnate

Instill Life

Beginning at 3rd level, you can use leatherworker's tools, tinker's tools, mason's tools, or woodcarver's tools to take 10 minutes to magically create a minor golem of wood, stone, clay, or flesh, depending on what you have on your person or around you. You can only have one golem active at a time. 

Minor golem

Small construct, neutral

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points  20

Speed  20 ft.

STR

16 (+3)

DEX

10 (+0)

CON

14 (+2)

INT

4 (−4)

WIS

10 (+0)

CHA

4 (−4)

Saving Throws Dex +3, Con +4

Skills Athletics +3

Damage Immunities poison, psychic

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned, frightened, petrified, paralyzed

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages understands the languages you speak

Immutable Form. The golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.

Magic Weapons. The golem's weapon attacks are magical.

Actions (Requires Your Bonus Action)

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target you can see. Hit: 1d8 + 3 magical bludgeoning damage.

Explode. As an action, if the golem was ordered to, a small incendiary device inside explodes, destroying the golem in the process. Any creature within 10 feet of the explosion must make a Dexterity saving throw against your Spell Save DC. If they fail, they take 3D8 fire damage, or half on a save

When you create the golem, you can decide its shape and form, but it must have a design making it capable of walking. The golem is a magical construct. You can use the mending cantrip to heal it 2D6 hit points. The golem takes its turn directly after yours. On your turn, you can use your bonus action command any number of golems created by this feature and are within 60 feet of you to perform any of their actions on their turn. If they do not receive a command, they remain motionless and do nothing.

Improved Creator

At 5th level, you can now have two golems created by your Instill Life feature active at a time.

Modify Creations

Starting at 9th level, you are able to spend 1 hour magically improving your creations using your tinker's tools. You can choose one golem or undead under your control during that time and  add one of the following features to that creature:

• Multiattack. The creature can now make two attacks of any of its attack options.
• Greater Golem. You can make a golem one size greater and increase its movement speed to 30 feet.
• Bolster Defenses. You can increase the AC of the creature by +2 AC.
• Magic Resistance. You can give the creature the Magic Resistance feature, giving it advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
• Magic Weapons. You can turn your undead creature's attacks into magical attacks for the purpose of overcoming resistances and immunities.

Each creature you control can only have one feature added at a time. When you spend the hour improving a creature, you cannot be interrupted and cannot expend Hit Dice, or the improvement fails. You can only improve one creature per day.

Golem Master

Starting at 15th level, you are now able to have three golems created by your Instill Life feature at once.