Gravedigger

These artificers originated from vampires and dhampirs. They use their contraptions to funnel necrotic energy or attach to corpses to animate them and travel in mechanical coffins.

Gravedigger Spells

Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Gravedigger Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.

Artificer level	Gravedigger spells
1st	bane, inflict wounds
2nd	blindness/deafness, gentle repose
3rd	animate dead, feign death
4th	phantasmal killer, shadow of moil
5th	awaken, raise dead

Tools of the Trade

When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with smith's tools or carpenter's tools. If you already have these tool proficiencies, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan's tools of your choice.

Mechanical Coffin

At 3rd level, you gain a mechanical coffin to aid you in combat. It uses the mechanical coffin statblock.  Whenever a creature attempts to enter your mechanical coffin, you know what they look like from the view of inside the coffin. You can use your movement to enter or exit the coffin if you are within 5ft of it. If someone other than you attempts to enter it while you are outside, they must make a dexterity check to enter it before its door(s)/lid close(s). You can choose to allow the creature to enter it. At the start of your turns, you decide whether the coffin is open or closed. If it is closed, creatures in it have total cover from attacks outside the coffin and vice versa.

In combat, the coffin shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the defender can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

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

While in your mechanical coffin, your AC can't be lower than the coffin's. You can improve the coffin's AC for twice the price of the heavy armor that grants that AC and an hour of work.

At the end of a long rest, you can create a new mechanical coffin if you have smith's tools with you. If you already have a defender from this feature, the first one immediately turns to ash. If you die, the coffin acts as if under the effects of a confusion spell and can use any action on its turn, using the turn your previous initiative order. These effects end if you return to life.

Extra Attack

Starting at 5th level, your mechanical coffin can attack twice, rather than once, whenever it takes the Attack action on its turn.

Coffin Modifications

At 9th level, you learn how to use your artificer infusions to specially modify your Mechanical Coffin. Your coffin's natural weapons and armor now count as objects for the purpose of infusions. You can also infuse the coffin with an infusion for a helm, which grants the coffin and anyone inside of its choice, the benefits of wearing the helm. In addition, the maximum number of items you can infuse at once increases by 2, but those extra items must be part of your Mechanical Coffin.

Improved Coffin

At 15th level, your mechanical coffin becomes more powerful:

• Your mechanical coffin gains a +1 bonus to Armor Class.

• Whenever your mechanical coffin uses its Devour the Dead, it adds your intelligence modifier to the hit points regained.