Demolitionist (5e Subclass)
Demolitionist[edit]
Artificer Subclass
The art of infusing everyday objects with elemental energy is far less precise than most would believe, sometimes producing... volatile consequences. To an ordinary Artificer, this is an undesirable outcome to be shunned at all costs, mitigated with months of research and trial-and-error. To a Demolitionist, trained in harnessing unstable energies, explosive force is but another tool in their magical arsenal; one that is used to lethal effect.
Demolitionists are specialised, offense-based Artificers notorious for playing with explosive, volatile energies. While Artillerists create explosions using gadgetry and magically-infused sidearms, Demolitionists infuse any object with explosive force and prime targets to explode after a set duration or triggering event, opening up new tactical possibilities.
Quick Build: Highest ability score(s): Intelligence, Dexterity.
- Prime Item
Starting when you choose this specialisation at 3rd level, you gain the ability to prime a nonmagical object with explosive energy as a cantrip or with a spell slot of at least 1st level.
- For objects weighing 5 lb or less, this process only requires a bonus action, or can be performed instantaneously while out of combat.
- For objects weighing more than 5 lb, this process requires an action, a spell slot, and concentration on the target object for (2 x (weight of the object in lb)) seconds, to a maximum of 8 hours (120 lbs).
Priming an object temporarily gives it an orange-reddish glow creating dim light in a 5 foot radius while priming. A fully Primed Object is indistinguishable from a regular object that is not primed.
Once a Primed Object is detonated (or destroyed,), it will deal force damage in a radius around it to all creatures if they fail to make a Dexterity saving throw (the DC of which is determined below at "Triggers"). The blast creates a loud sound audible from 4 x its range.
The maximum number of items primed, damage and radius of the blast is determined by the following table below:
| Level | Max Primed Objects | Damage (Object <5lb) | Blast Radius (Object <5lb) | Damage (Object >5lb) | Blast Radius (Object >5lb) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 1d12 | 5 ft | (ln obj weight/5) d12 | (obj weight)0.5 x 2 ft |
| 6 | 2 | 2d12 | 5 ft | (ln obj weight/5) d12 | (obj weight)0.5 x 3 ft |
| 9 | 2 | 2d12 | 5 ft | (ln obj weight/5) d12 | (obj weight)0.5 x 4 ft |
| 12 | 3 | 3d12 | 10 ft | (ln obj weight/5) d12 | (obj weight)0.5 x 5 ft |
| 15 | 3 | 3d12 | 10 ft | (ln obj weight/5) d12 | (obj weight)0.5* x 6 ft |
| 18 | 4 | 4d12 | 15 ft | (ln obj weight/5) d12 | (obj weight)0.5 x 8 ft |
Any spell slots consumed to Prime Objects are refreshed upon a short rest instead of a long rest.
- Triggers
A Primed Object also gains an additional property known as a Trigger, which determines when the Primed Object will detonate dealing damage. There are four main Triggers: Destruction, Detonate, Timed and Impact. When priming an object, you can choose from either the Detonated, Timed or Impact Trigger.
- Destruction Trigger
An automatic Trigger that applies to all Primed Objects when they are destroyed (e.g. breaking a glass bottle). Once the object is destroyed, the detonation occurs instantly. This can also occur, for instance, if an incoming attack on you destroys the Primed Object in your hand or carried on you. When a Primed Object is destroyed and detonates, all creatures in the radius must make a Dexterity saving throw of (Spell DC + 1), or suffer full damage. Otherwise, the creature suffers only half damage.
- Detonate Trigger
A Trigger that you can apply onto a Primed Object. You activate the Primed Object as an action, causing it to detonate at the moment of your choosing. In order to detonate a Primed Object manually, it must be visible to you and within 120 ft of you. When a Primed Object is detonated in this manner, all creatures in the radius must make a Dexterity saving throw of (Spell DC), or suffer full damage. Otherwise, the creature suffers only half damage.
- Timed Trigger
A Trigger that you can apply onto a Primed Object as you are priming it. Once primed, the Primed Object detonates within any period of time between 20 seconds to 1 hour. When a Primed Object is detonated in this manner, all creatures in the radius must make a Dexterity saving throw of (Spell DC + 1), or suffer full damage. Otherwise, the creature suffers only half damage.
- Impact Trigger
A Trigger that you can apply onto a Primed Object as you are priming it. Once primed, the Primed Object detonates upon any impact with sufficient force against another target. Throwing the object or dropping it from an average handheld height is typically sufficient force to cause a detonation. When thrown, the Primed Object acts as either an improvised weapon or, if it is a ranged weapon, takes on the properties of that weapon (along with any proficiency bonuses or advantages/disadvantages). When a Primed Object is detonated in this manner, you can choose to have the creature struck by the impact fail the saving throw and taking the full damage of the explosion or you can choose to make all creatures in the radius must make a Dexterity saving throw of (Spell DC), on a fail receiving the full damage and on a success receiving half damage. Otherwise, the creature suffers only half damage.
- Examples of Primed Object use
- Priming a coil of rope with an Impact Trigger to act as an explosive magical tripwire.
- Priming a small stone with a Time Trigger, rolling it towards enemies and detonating it as a time bomb.
- Priming ammunition with an Impact Trigger to turn them into explosive ammunition.
- Priming fruit with a Detonate Trigger, leaving it in town, and detonating it from a distance.
- Priming thrown weapons with the Destruction Trigger, throwing them onto the ground within 5 ft of each other, and destroying one with another thrown weapon to produce a chain explosion.
- Touching a small statue while praying at it, priming and converting the statue into a large bomb.
- Blasting Wand
Starting when you choose this specialization at 3rd level, you place an additional infusion on an Enhanced Wand (on top of its existing bonuses). On each successful hit, roll an additional d20. When a 20 is rolled, a powerful explosion affecting a 5ft radius of the target is created, dealing damage equivalent to a Primed Object weighing less than 5 lb (see table above). All creatures in the radius must make a Dexterity saving throw of (Spell DC + 1), or suffer full damage. Otherwise, the creature suffers only half damage.
- Blasting Weapon
Starting when you choose this specialization at 3rd level, you place an additional infusion on an Enhanced melee Weapon (on top of its existing bonuses). On each successful hit, roll an additional d20. When either a 1 or a 20 is rolled, a powerful explosion affecting only the wielder and the target creature shoves both of them backwards up to (1d4)*5 ft, dealing damage equivalent to a Primed Object weighing less than 5 lb (see table above). Both the wielder and the target creature make a Dexterity saving throw; a successful throw causes half damage to be taken, a failed throw causes full damage to be taken.
- If a 20 is rolled, the wielder gains an advantage on the saving throw.
- If a 1 is rolled, the wielder gains a disadvantage on the saving throw.
- Explosive Variants
Starting at 5th level, you also gain one Variant Point ("VP") per long rest (2 VP at Level 10, 3 VP at Level 14, 4 VP at Level 18). By spending a Variant Point while priming an object, your Primed Objects can now have one of the following effects:
- Anti-Materiel: All creatures within the radius must, at the end of their turn, make a Constitution saving throw of (Spell DC + MaxVP) or have their AC lowered by MaxVP for 5 minutes.
- Anti-Personnel: Adds +(MaxVP)d12 of piercing damage to your Primed Object.
- Deafening Bomb: All creatures within the radius must, at the end of their turn, make a Constitution saving throw of (Spell DC + MaxVP), or take 1d10 thunder damage and be deafened for 1 minute. Increases the audible range of the Primed Object's detonation to 10 x its effective range.
- Dirty Bomb: All creatures afflicted must make a Constitution saving throw of (Spell DC), taking (MaxVP)d12 of poison damage on a failed save and half as much damage on a successful one. If the poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even after regaining hit points.
- High Explosive: Adds +(MaxVP)d12 to your Primed Object's damage roll and +5ft to its detonation radius.
- Incendiary: Ignites the ground in the same radius in heavy flame for 1 minute. All creatures within the radius must, at the end of their turn, make a Constitution saving throw of (Spell DC), taking (MaxVP)d12 fire damage on a failed save and half as much damage on a successful one.
- Muffle: Decreases the audible range of the Primed Object's detonation to 2 x its effective range.
- Stun Bomb: All creatures within the radius must, at the end of their turn, make a Constitution saving throw of (Spell DC), or be incapacitated until the start of your next turn. A target which has 20 + (MaxVP x 10) or more remaining hit points automatically succeeds on the saving throw, and a target which has been hit by a Daze or Stun Bomb in the last 10 minutes gains an advantage on its saving throw.
- Blast Suit
Starting at 9th level, you place an additional infusion on an Enhanced Defense armor or shield (on top of its existing bonuses). While equipped, the wearer/wielder gains resistance to force damage, and a successful saving throw on any Primed Object effects cause the wearer/wielder to take no damage. Once per turn, the wearer/wielder also gains an advantage on saving throws for any Primed Object effects.
- Living Bomb
Starting at 15th level, you can now use a bonus action to turn a creature into a living bomb in the same way as a Primed Object. If the creature resists the effects, it must then make either a Constitution or Intelligence saving throw for each turn it is primed, or disengage. If the creature has no special effects to disengage without a reaction, your priming is sped up by 1 minute.
- Condescended Bomb
Starting at 15th level, you can now use more than 120 lbs of material to make a bomb. the maximum now becomes your level in Artificer x 15.
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