Bonesmith (5e Subclass)
From D&D Wiki
Bonesmith
Artificer Subclass
Bonesmiths are Artificers that use necromancy to empower their infusions. They specialize in using their artificer training combined with necromancy to create a suit of Bone Armor that can be augmented with the remains of the dead. Generally they use the remains of the dead and their own life essence to fuel their magic but some powerful Bonesmiths are able to imprison the souls of the fallen to feed their creations.
Tools of the Trade
When you adopt the Bonesmith specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor. You also gain proficiency with smith’s tools. If you already have this tool proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan’s tools of your choice.
Bonesmith Spells
Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
Artificer Level | Spell |
---|---|
3rd | bane, inflict wounds |
5th | spiritual weapon, ray of enfeeblement |
9th | animate dead, vampiric touch |
13th | blight, Evard's Black Tentacles |
17th | contagion, raise dead |
Bone Armor
When you adopt the Bonesmith specialization at 3rd level, you learn how to use your artificer training combined with necromancy to create a suit of Bone Armor that can be augmented with the remains of the dead.
Your Bone Armor serves as a conduit for your magic. As an action, you can augment any armor with a corpse of medium size or larger or a pile of bones of equal size, turning it into Bone Armor, provided you have smith's tools in hand.
You gain the following benefits while wearing Bone Armor:
- The Bone Armor takes on the properties of the armor you augmented.
- If the armor normally has a Strength requirement, the Bone Armor lacks this requirement for you.
- You can use the Bone Armor as a spell casting focus for your artificer spells.
- The armor attaches to you and can’t be removed against your will. It also expands to cover your entire body, although you can retract or deploy the helmet as a bonus action. The armor replaces any missing limbs, functioning identically to a limb it replaces.
- You can doff or don the armor as an action.
The armor continues to be Bone Armor until you don another suit of armor or you die.
Necrotic Sacrifice
When you adopt the Bonesmith specialization at 3rd level, you learn how to use your own life essence to empower your damage dealing spells and your Necrotic Infusions, using sacrificial dice.
Sacrificial Dice
You have 4 sacrificial dice, which are d6's. A sacrificial die is expended when you use it. You regain all of your expended sacrificial dice when you finish a short or long rest. You gain another sacrificial die at 9th level and one more at 15th level.
Necrotic Spell
Whenever you cast a spell that does damage you can expend a sacrificial die to add necrotic damage equal to the sacrificial die. You take damage equal to half the sacrificial die rounded up.
Necrotic Infusions
When you adopt the Bonesmith specialization at 3rd level, you learn how to customize your Bone Armor by infusing it with the remains of the dead.
- You can choose infusions from the Necrotic Infusion list instead of the Artificer Infusion list.
- When you gain this feature at 3rd-level you can replace any amount of Artificer Infusions you know with Necrotic Infusions.
Here follows the list of Necrotic Infusions:
Bone Claws
Item: A simple or martial weapon and bones weighing at least 25oz
You fashion gauntlets from the bones and claws of the dead for each of your hands that counts as simple melee weapons. When you are not holding anything these gauntlets deals 1d6 slashing damage + necrotic damage equal to your Intelligence modifier. When you attack with the Bone Claws, you can add your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, to the attack rolls.
Necrotic Sacrifice: When you hit a creature with your Bone Claws you can expend one sacrificial die to add it as poison damage, and the target must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, it is poisoned until the end of your next turn. You take damage equal to half the sacrificial die rounded up.
Lethargic Fetish
Item: A gem or crystal worth 100gp and lungs weighing at least 25oz (requires attunement)
You attach a Lethargic Fetish anywhere to your Bone Armor. Awakening the Lethargic Fetish creates an aura that can impair enemies' movement.
The fetish has 2 charges. As a bonus action you can expend 1 charge to awaken this fetish for 1 minute. While this fetish is awake it's low moan creates a lethargic aura with a 15ft radius around the Bonesmith. Enemies entering the area of effect or starting their turn within 15ft of you that is not deafened make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, their movement is halved until the end of their next turn.
The fetish regains all charges daily at dawn.
Necrotic Sacrifice: When you awaken your Lethargic Fetish you can expend one sacrificial die to increase it's area of effect by 5ft for it's duration. Add the sacrificial die to the DC for this feature. You take damage equal to half the sacrificial die rounded up.
Menacing Armor
Item: A suit of armor or a helmet and bones weighing at least 25oz (requires attunement)
You customize your armor to look even more menacing. You gain proficiency in Intimidation if you don't already have it and you can add your Intelligence modifier, instead of Charisma modifier, to Intimidation rolls.
Necrotic Sacrifice: While wearing Menacing Armor, as a bonus action you can expend one sacrificial dice to have enemies that can see you and within 10ft of you make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, they are frightened of you until the end of your next turn. Add the sacrificial die to the DC for this feature. You take damage equal to half the sacrificial die rounded up.
Putrid Fetish
Item: A gem or crystal worth 100gp and livers weighing at least 25oz. (requires attunement)
You attach a Putrid Fetish anywhere to your Bone Armor. Upon taking damage the Putrid Fetish can release a small cloud of poison to damage enemies in a 10ft radius around you.
The fetish has 2 charges. As a reaction immediately after being hit by an attack, you can expend 1 charge to have enemies within 10ft of you make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, they take 1d6 + Intelligence modifier of poison damage and half damage on a successful save.
The fetish regains all charges daily at dawn.
Necrotic Sacrifice: When you activate your putrid Fetish you can expend one sacrificial die to increase it's are of effect by 5ft. Add the sacrificial die to the DC and damage for this feature. You take damage equal to half the sacrificial die rounded up.
Screaming Skull
Item: A suit of armor, helm or staff and a skull from a large or smaller creature
You attach a reasonably sized skull anywhere to your Bone Armor. The skull fire's a necrotic projectile resembling itself.
It counts as a simple ranged weapon, with a normal range of 90 feet and a long range of 300 feet, and it deals 1d6 necrotic damage on a hit. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with it, that creature must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save that creature takes an additional 1d6 necrotic damage and are deafened until the end of it's next turn.
Necrotic Sacrifice: When you hit a creature with a Screaming Skull, you can expend one sacrificial die to have the target and each creature within 5 feet of it make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save they take 2d6 + your sacrificial dice necrotic damage. You take damage equal to half the sacrificial die rounded up.
Stitchling Fetish
Item: A gem or crystal worth 100gp and bones weighing at least 25oz (requires attunement)
You attach a Stitchling Fetish anywhere to your Bone Armor. Upon taking damage the Stitchling Fetish can release hundreds of tiny stitchlings to repair the damage done to the Bonesmith.
The fetish has 2 charges. As a reaction immediately after taking damage from an enemy, you can expend 1 charge to gain temporary hit points equal to 1d6 + Intelligence modifier for 1 hour. You can't gain more hit points than the amount of damage you took from the source.
The fetish regains all charges daily at dawn.
Necrotic Sacrifice: While you have a Stitchling Fetish Attached to your Bone Armor, as an action you can expend a sacrificial die to give it 1 charge. You take damage equal to half the sacrificial die rounded up.
Saving Throws
Some of your Necrotic Infusion features require a saving throw to resist it's effects. The saving throw DC is equal to your Spellcasting DC.
Extra Attack
When you reach 5th level, you can attack twice, rather than once, whenever you take the attack action on your turn.
Improved Bone Armor
When you reach 9th level, you learn how to use your artificer and necrotic infusions to specially modify your Bone Armor. Your Bone Armor now counts as separate items for the purposes of your Infuse Items feature: armor (the chest piece), boots, helmet, and the armor’s weapons. Each of those items can bear one of your infusions. In addition, the maximum number of items you can infuse at once increases by 2, but those extra items must be part of your Bone Armor.
Soul Engine
When you reach 15th level, you can fashion and attach a Soul Engine anywhere to your Bone Armor. By imprisoning the souls of the fallen in the Soul Engine, you can fuel your Necrotic Sacrifice features without using your own life essence.
Using your Smith's Tools you can perform a hour long process to fashion and attach a Soul Engine to your Bone Armor. To perform this activity, you need a diamond worth 1000gp and a heart or brain which are both consumed in the process. The Soul Engine requires attunement to use it's features.
The Soul Engine has the following features:
- The Soul Engine has 4 charges.
- When you roll a sacrificial die you can expend 1 charge to ignore any damage you would take from it.
- When you roll a sacrificial die, once during your turn, you can expend 1 charge to add another 1d6 to that roll.
- As a reaction immediately after a creature dies within 30 feet of you, you can have that creature make a Wisdom saving throw against your Spellcasting DC. On a failed save you capture it's soul within the Soul Engine and it regains 1 charge. You can not capture more souls if the Soul Engine has it's maximum charges.
The Soul Engine does not regain any charges at dawn.
Back to Main Page → 5e Homebrew → Character Options → Subclasses