An Artificer Battle Smith Subclass variant for D&D.
Quick, quick!
While kobold inventors build improvised weapons, gadgets and traps to keep nasty adventurers out of their homes, the Master Inventor is a rather different breed.
You are the epitome of kobold craftiness, blessed with a mind so creative, that even seasoned adventurers tremble before your creations. Your experience with various tools of destruction make you deadly in ambushes and guerrilla warfare tactics, while your magic gift makes your creations far more deadly.
Reuse and recycle
Kobolds have very limited access to resources, so they recycle everything they can get their claws on. As such, your creation would be typically made of scrap and recycled or refurbished materials. Unlike your not-so-gifted brethren, your creations are built to last. They might not be pretty for non-kobolds, but they work.
Relation with dragons
A dragon would do nearly anything to get himself the service of a master inventor. A hoard defended by one would become an impregnable fortress of murder-holes, traps, ambushes, poisonous vermin and kobold assassins. The good news for every aspiring dragon slayer is, that Master Inventors are very, very rare.
Master Inventors in the service of metallic dragons will often put their inventions to good use among those entrusted to the care of the dragon. But the minions of evil are numerous, and the creations of a Master Inventor do not care about alignment when it comes to deadliness.
Adventure Life
A kobold never leaves her lair without a good cause. Since Master Inventors are rare and precious, they are often needed where they are, but on a few occasions, a Master inventor might need to prepare for adventure.
When a master inventor loses his tribe, or is given a quest by his dragon patron, he sets out to prepare himself. He begins by constructing a special form of companion, a steel assembler. Working as both a means of transportation and defense, these constructs are both home and bodyguard to the master inventor abroad.
Features
When you choose this subclass at level 3, you gain a set of features. You gain new features on certain levels as indicated.
Small Frame, Big Brain
You might be tiny, but your brain is big. Starting at 3rd level, you can easily identifiy weak points in your enemies defenses, and turn this against them.
You gain the following features:
– You gain proficiency in poisoner’s kit and one other tool proficiency of your choice.
– You add the Replicate Magic Item: All-Purpose-Tool +1 to your list of infusions.
Choose one of the following features:
– You are considered to be proficient with every weapon you fabricate yourself. This includes your weapon inventions from the Weapons Inventions feature. When using a weapon you made yourself, you may use your intelligence modifier instead of Dexterity or Strength for the attack and damage rolls.
– When attacking with a cantrip, you may add your Intelligence modifier to the damage roll.
Kobold Master Inventor Spells
As a Master Inventor, you gain the can add the following spells to your list of prepared spells. They do not count against the number of spells you can have prepared.
| Level | Spells |
| 3rd | Alarm, Bane |
| 5th | Branding Smite, Dragon’s Breath |
| 9th | Erupting earth, Glyph of Warding |
| 13th | Fabricate, Summon Construct |
| 17th | Animate Objects, Awaken (Construct) |
Steel Assembler
Your tinkering has borne you a companion, a steel assembler. It’s friendly to you and your companions, and it obeys your commands. See its game statistics in the Steel Assembler stat block, which uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. You determine the creature’s appearance and whether it has two legs or more; your choice has no effect on its game statistics. Often, steel assemblers represent giant vermin, or, if the kobolds do not serve a dragon who could hold it against them, even miniature dragons.
In combat, the assembler 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 assembler can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.
If the mending spell is cast on the assembler, it regains 2d6 hit points. If it has died within the last hour, you can use your smith’s tools as an action to revive it, provided you are within 5 feet of it and you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher. The assembler returns to life after 1 minute with all its hit points restored.
At the end of a long rest, you can create a new steel assembler if you have smith’s tools or tinker’s tools with you. If you already have an assembler from this feature, the first one immediately perishes. The assembler also perishes if you die.
Upgrades for the Steel Defender (Optional Rule)
When you first gain this feature, you may add one upgrade from the following list to your assembler. You can change one upgrade when you gain a level in this class, and you gain one new upgrade each time your proficiency bonus improves.
*Improved Armor: Your assembler gains a bonus of +1 to its Armor Class. You can gain this upgrade multiple times.
*Disassembling Unit : Your assembler is fitted with an assortment of shears, saws, smelting units and other means of disassemling scrap into usable pieces. You may add double your proficiency bonus to its damage rolls. Additionally, the assembler can use its Disassembling Unit to provide you with usable materials for your creations. To use this feature, you designate a piece of material made of metal, wood or other usable ressources, weighting a minimum of 1 pound, and feed it to the Assembler. The assembler then produces material worth 1 gp out of it. You cannot sell these, this is just for the purpose of calculating item costs. Disassemling one full load of material (240 pounds) takes a short rest. Disassembling four pounds of material takes 1 minute.
*Alternative Propulsion: Your Assembler either gains burrowing speed or climbing speed (your choice) equal to its movement speed. You can gain this feature multiple times.
*Powerful: Your assembler gains the powerful build feature, effectively increasing its size by one category for the sake of calculating its carrying, lifting, pulling and pushing capabilities.
*Skillful Servant: Your Assembler gains one skill proficiency and one tool proficiency of your choice. You can gain this feature multiple times.
*Deadly (Prerequisite: Level 6): Your assembler can be fitted with a secondary weapon system. It is considered proficient with its use, and can make a second attack whenever it takes the attack action during its turn. The secondary system deals 2d6 plus your proficiency bonus damage of either acid, poison, force or lightning damage (your choice when you gain this upgrade).
Weapon Invention
Starting at 3rd level, you can improvise weapons from scrap. These are the traditional weapons of the kobold tribes. Of course, you have slightly improved them.
This list is not comprehensive. If you can think of any application, talk to your DM, and if she approves, add it to the list.
You can use this feature to create one of the options from the following list. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain expended uses after you finish a long rest.
Flask of Acid. You create two flasks of acid, each dealing 2d6 acid damage when thrown at a creature (Ranged Weapon Attack, range 5/20 ft., one target)
Alchemist’s fire. You create one flask of alchemist’s fire. When hurled at a creature, it deals 1d4 fire damage at the start of each turn. A creature can end this damage by using an action to make a DC 10 Dexterity check to extinguish the flames.
Basket of Centipedes. You create a basket full of angry centipedes. When you hurl it into a 5-foot-space within 20 feet of your position, you summon a Swarm of Insects (centipedes) with 11 hitpoints. They immediately emerge from the basket and roll initiative. At the end of each of the swarm’s turn, there is a 25% chance that the swarm disperses.
Green Slime Pot . You create 2 Pots of Green Slime. You can throw it at the target, and it breaks open on impact. Ranged Weapon Attack, range 5/20 ft., one target. Hit: The target is covered in a patch of green slime (see chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Miss: A patch of green slime covers a randomly determined 5-foot-square section of wall or floor within 5 feet of the target.
Rot Grub Pot: You create a clay pot of Rot Grub. When you throw it into a 5-foot-square space within 20 feet of it, and it breaks open on impact. A swarm of rot grubs (see appendix A, Volo’s Guide to Monsters) emerges from the shattered pot and remains a hazard in that square.
Scorpion on a Stick. The kobold create a melee weapon with a scorpion tied to the end of a 5-foot-long pole. Melee Weapon Attack, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage, and the target must make a DC 9 Constitution saving throw, taking 4 (1d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Skunk in a Cage: You release a skunk into an unoccupied space within 5 feet of your position. The skunk has a walking speed of 20 feet, AC 10, 1 hit point, and no effective attacks. It rolls initiative and, on its turn, uses its action to spray musk at a random creature within 5 feet of it. The target must make a DC 9 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target retches and can’t take actions for 1 minute. The target can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. A creature that doesn’t need to breathe or is immune to poison automatically succeeds on the saving throw. Once the skunk has sprayed its musk, it can’t do so again until it finishes a short or long rest.
Wasp Nest in A Bag: You throw a small bag into a 5-foot-square space within 20 feet of it. A swarm of insects (wasps) with 11 hit points emerges from the bag and rolls initiative. At the end of each of the swarm’s turns, there’s a 25% percent chance (d100) that the swarm disperses.
You are considered to have the appropriate material for the construction of these weapons with you, maybe a special skung bait you devised, which never fails to attract a skunk. Of course, your DM might rule that you also have to carry these. In the case of the skunk, you might have to roll or carry a bigger container with you, but maybe it is just a pet following you around.
Make vast use of descriptions as you use these weapons. Nothing is more fun for your comrades than seeing a bag of wasps being released upon the enemy.
Make their eyes water!
Beginning with 5th level, you have learned to make your inventions even deadlier.
Your Weapon Inventions have become more deadly. Whenever you use one of your Weapon Inventions, you can add 2d6 to the damage. This feature lasts until your next damage roll with the weapon, and can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, but no more than once per turn. This feature also extends to the damage of your insect swarms.
You regain expended uses after you finish a long rest.
Minions never die!
At 9th level, you have come up with a solution to the problem of dying allies.
Whenever you or your Steel Assembler take the attack action, you may choose one of the following effects:
*Extra Damage: The target takes an extra 2d6 acid or poison (your choice) damage.
*Healing: You may heal a creature that you can see within 30 feet of your target, restoring hit points equal to 2d6 plus your Intelligence Modifier.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, but you can do so only once per turn. You regain expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Improved Assembler
Your Steel Assembler improves.
*The extra damage and healing of your “Minions never die!” feature increase to 4d6.
*Your steel assembler gains a +2 bonus to Armor Class
*Whenever your steel assembler uses its Deflect Attack, the attacker takes force damage equal to 1d4 + your Intelligence modifier.
