Archaeologist (5e Class)

Work In Progress

Archaeologist

Long ago, before mankind itself roamed the plains, there were exotic and extraordinary creatures. Creatures large enough to swallow mountains whole, and creatures far too small to be detected easily, even by magic. Eventually, each creature evolved and adapted in it's own way, some died off, and the other's adapted into the earliest ancestors of the creatures we now see from day to day, and along with the evolution of these creatures, came the entrance of new, sentient creatures which boasted the tools and learning capacity necessary to be aware of other more powerful beings, create technology, build civilizations, create and adapt religions and gain immense knowledge. You, however, are more interested in the former. The creatures and beings that existed long before your race was even conceived. You study the clues left by these creatures to strengthen your own knowledge and power.

Creating an Archeologist

Archeologist by Serge da Silva Dias

Why are you an Archaeologist? Are you truly interested in the creatures that came before you, or do you just want to unlock their secrets for more power?

Quick Build

You can make an Archaeologist quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Wisdom. Second, choose the Sage background.

Class Features

As a Archaeologist you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d8 per Archaeologist level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Archaeologist level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: Archaeology kit, cartographer's tools
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, History, Investigation, Perception, Religion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

Table: The Archaeologist

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Field Senses, Researcher
2nd	+2	Cultural Knowledge, Danger Sense
3rd	+2	Eye for Detail, Field of Expertise
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement, Endurance
5th	+3	Exploit Weakness, Analysis
6th	+3	Expertise Features, Exotic Linguist
7th	+3	Evasion
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Steady Eye
10th	+4	Loremaster
11th	+4	Expertise Features
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Use Magic Device
14th	+5	—
15th	+5	—
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Expertise Features
18th	+6	—
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	—

Field Senses

Starting at 1st level, you have a really honed sense, being able to perceive currents of air, sounds and smells that enable you to investigate ruins and find secrets. As an Action, you can open your senses until the end of your next turn. Doing so allows you to detect any traps, secret doors and hidden objects that aren't being carried and hidden creatures up to a range of 30 feet.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1) and regain your uses after completing a long rest.

Researcher

At 1st level, you have honed senses to perceive your surroundings. You can take the Search action using a bonus action.

In addition, when you roll a 9 or lower when using the Search action, you can choose a 10 instead.

Cultural Knowledge

Starting at 2nd level, you can use your knowledge about a creature's culture to gain a benefit in combat. As a bonus action, make a Intelligence (History) check against a DC of 10 + your target's CR (minimum DC 11).

On a success, you devise that creature's behavior and tactics, giving you one of the following benefits of your choice for the next minute:

• Attacks against creatures from the same creature's type and subtype are made with Advantage for the duration.
• Attacks made by that creature against you are made with Disadvantage for the duration.
• You have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) and (Intimidation), Intelligence (History) and Wisdom (Insight) related to creatures from that type for the duration.

Once you use this feature, the base DC increases by 5 when you use it again. The base DC resumes to 10 when you finish a short or long rest.

Danger Sense

At 2nd level, you gain an uncanny sense of when things nearby aren't as they should be, giving you an edge when you dodge away from danger. You have advantage on Dexterity saving throws against effects that you can see, such as traps and spells. To gain this benefit, you can't be blinded, deafened, or incapacitated.

Eye for Detail

Starting at 3rd level, you can use a bonus action to make a Wisdom (Perception) check to spot a hidden passage, door or object or to make an Intelligence (Investigation) check to uncover or decipher clues.

Field of Expertise

Starting at 3rd level, you choose one field of expertise to dedicate in your archeological pursuits. Your choice give you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 11th and 17th levels.

Ability Score Increase

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Endurance

Starting at 4th level, you have advantage on Constitution saving throws to avoid exhaustion from traveling at forced march and not drinking enough water, to resist the effects of extreme cold or heat and to recuperate from injury, disease or poison after three days of downtime.

In addition, you add your proficiency bonus to the amount of minutes you can hold your breath, the amount of rounds you take to start choking and the number of days you can go without food.

Exploit Weakness

At 5th level, when you are benefiting from your Cultural Knowledge feature, you gain the following benefits:

• Once per turn, when you make an attack against that creature with Advantage, you cause +3d6 damage. Alternatively, you can forgo the Advantage to make an additional attack against it.

• When that creature makes an attack against you with Disadvantage, the attack causes half damage on a hit.

Analysis

At 5th level, you know how identify objects and places with great accuracy. You can spend up to 40 minutes analyzing an object or structure (such as ruins). At the end of the first 20 minutes, make an Intelligence (Investigation) check against a DC of 15. On a success, you determine if there's magical auras present in the object or structure, and what school of magic is predominant in it (if any). This analyzes only a 30-foot cube of a structure, and you must be able to see the whole area.

After that, you can spend 20 additional minutes to make an DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check to determine the exact magical properties affecting the target.

Failing a check in any of the stages of your analysis doesn't prevent you from succeeding in the other ones.

Exotic Linguist

Starting at 6th level, if you spend 10 minutes observing a text written in an exotic or dead language, you are able to decipher its meaning. You can translate the equivalent to a number of pages of text equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum one page of text) after the end of those 10 minutes.

Evasion

Beginning at 7th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as a red dragon's fiery breath or an ice storm spell. When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

Steady Eye

At 9th level, you gain advantage on any Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check if you move no more than half your speed on the same turn.

Loremaster

At 10th level, after spending 40 minutes on your Analysys feature, you can spend additional 20 minutes after that, and make an Intelligence (History) check, discovering significant lore about the target being analyzed. The lore might consist of current tales, forgotten stories, or even secret lore that has never been widely known. If the thing you named isn’t of legendary importance, you gain no information. The more information you already have about the thing, the more precise and detailed the information you receive is.

Use Magic Device

By 13th level, you have learned enough about the workings of magic that you can improvise the use of items even when they are not intended for you. You ignore all class, race, and level requirements on the use of magic items.

Adventurer

Combat Experience

Starting at 3rd level, your adventures trough dangerous sites have hardened you. You gain proficiency with martial weapons and firearms (if they are available in your setting).

In addition, when you hit a creature target from your Cultural Knowledge feature, you add 1d6 to the damage dealt.

Rational Bravery

At 6th level, you add your Intelligence modifier (minimum +1) to any checks you make against the frightened condition, and gain Advantage on saving throws against the frightened condition.

Favored Enemy

At 11th level, you can choose a number of creature types or organizations (such as the nazis) equal to your proficiency bonus as a favored enemy. You always have the benefits of Cultural Knowledge against those creatures, not requiring a check.

In addition, once per turn when you miss an attack against the target of your Cultural Knowledge, you can reroll the attack.

Blind Luck

At 17th level, you survive most of your adventures due to a huge stock of luck. When you fail an attack roll, ability check or saving throw, you can reroll that check.

Once you use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, you must take a long rest before you can do it again.

Reliquary

Reliquary

Level	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	Spell Slots	Slot Level
3	2	2	1	1st
4	2	3	2	1st
5	2	3	2	1st
6	2	3	2	1st
7	2	4	2	2nd
8	2	5	2	2nd
9	2	5	2	2nd
10	3	5	2	2nd
11	3	6	2	2nd
12	3	6	2	2nd
13	3	7	2	3rd
14	3	7	2	3rd
15	3	7	2	3rd
16	3	8	2	3rd
17	3	8	2	3rd
18	3	8	2	3rd
19	3	9	2	4th
20	3	9	2	4th

Ancient Relic

Starting at 3rd level, you have found a ancient relic with magical properties. You can choose the form of this relic, being a ring, talisman, staff, or another object you can hold in one hand.

If you ever lose your relic, you found it at your side when you finish your next short or long rest.

Relic Magic

Your relic bears magical properties, which you can control when you hold it. Your relic can be either have Ancient, Eldritch or Sacred nature. Ancient Relics give you access to the druid's list; Eldritch to the Warlock's list; and Sacred to the Cleric's list.

Cantrips

You know two cantrips of your choice from the chosen relic type. You learn additional cantrips of your choice at higher levels, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the reliquary table.

Spell Slots

The Reliquary table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your spell slots are the same level. To cast one of your Reliquary spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a short or long rest.

For example, when you are 8th level, you have two 2nd-level spell slots. To cast the 1st-level spell burning hands, you must spend one of those slots, and you cast it as a 2nd-level spell.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

At 1st level, you know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the relic spell list.

The Spells Known column of the reliquary table shows when you learn more relic spells of your choice of 1st level and higher. A spell you choose must be of a level no higher than what's shown in the table's Slot Level column for your level. When you reach 7th level, for example, you learn a new relic spell, which can be 1st or 2nd level.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the relic spells you know and replace it with another spell from the relic spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability

Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your relic spells, so you use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a relic spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier

Spellcasting Focus

You can use the relic itself as a spellcasting focus for your relic spells.

Relic Knowledge

When you reach 6th level, you achieve a profound understanding of how to understand and use magic items. You gain the following benefits:

• You can attune to up to four magic items at once.
• When you use Analysis on a magical item, the time spent is reduced by half.
• When you take the Search action, you benefit from detect magic until the end of your turn.

Improved Relic Use

At 11th level, you can now awaken the true potential of your chosen relic. Whenever you finish a long rest, you can choosing a lst- or 2nd-level spell from your relic list that requires 1 action to cast. The spell don't need to be amongst your known spells.

While holding the relic, you can cast the spell without spending a spell slot. You can cast the spell a number of times equal to twice your Intelligence modifier (minimum of twice) or until you use this feature again to choose a spell in the relic.

Relic Deep Knowledge

Starting at 17th level, you can attune up to five magic items at once. In addition, you gain a +1 bonus to all saving throws per magic item you are currently attuned to. Your relic is considered a magic item you are attuned to, for the purposes of this feature.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Archaeology class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 Intelligence, 13 Constitution

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Archaeologist class, you gain the following proficiencies: Artisan's tools, Carpenter's tools

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