Magical Puppeteer (5e Class)

Puppeteer

Puppets.....Cause control issues --Hunter W. Oliver

Puppeteer Lore

Puppeteers are people who've discovered ways to make anything into a puppet, whether it's a corpse, living being, inanimate object, elemental, or even the smallest of pebbles around them. They enjoy making things into puppets then using them for their daily lives or adventures. Most puppeteers distance themselves from others, instead preferring the company of their puppets. Very few have seen puppeteers, most being recluses who prefer to let their puppets do the work for them. The few that have lived to see a puppeteer do their best not to anger them, lest they risk becoming a puppet themselves. Puppeteers don't carry their puppets around with them but instead store them in a small pocket rift dimension that keeps them neat and ready for work at a moment's notice! The magic of puppeteers is long forgotten, and the many that have learned to practice it do so with limited power and range.

Quick Build

You can make a Puppeteer quickly by following these suggestions. First, Charisma should be your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Second, choose the Entertainer background. Third, choose Persuasion, and Sleight of Hand as your skills.

Class Features

As a Puppeteer Quick Build you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d6 per Puppeteer Quick Build level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + Constitution modifier per Puppeteer Quick Build level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: Light armor
Weapons: Simple weapons
Tools: Repair kit (Repair kits cost 50gp each)
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Arcana, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion, and Sleight of Hand.

Equipment

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

• Two daggers, a Repair Kit, and a Pocket Watch.
• (a) Marrionette Puppet or (b) Child's Doll. (Both size "tiny")
• (a) Light crossbow and case of 20 bolts or (b) Any simple weapon
• A Journal of Puppet Crafting (notes include 5 examinations of dolls).
• Leather armor

Table: The Puppeteer Quick Build

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	Features	—Spell Slots per Spell Level—
					1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th
1st	+2	—	—	Puppet Maker, Dying Effigy	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+2	2	2	Puppeteer Archetype, Evolve Puppet, Spellcasting	2	—	—	—	—
3rd	+2	2	3	Puppet Possession, Shared knowledge	3	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	2	3	Ability Score Improvement	3	—	—	—	—
5th	+3	3	4	Auto repair, Extra attack	4	2	—	—	—
6th	+3	3	4	Bloody Nightmare	4	2	—	—	—
7th	+3	3	5	Turn Puppet	4	3	—	—	—
8th	+3	3	5	Ability Score Improvement	4	3	—	—	—
9th	+4	3	6	—	4	3	2	—	—
10th	+4	4	6	Puppet Mimicry	4	3	2	—	—
11th	+4	4	7	—	4	3	3	—	—
12th	+4	4	7	Ability Score Improvement	4	3	3	—	—
13th	+5	4	8	Leaching	4	3	3	1	—
14th	+5	4	8	—	4	3	3	1	—
15th	+5	5	9	—	4	3	3	2	—
16th	+5	5	9	Ability Score Improvement	4	3	3	2	—
17th	+6	5	10	Lost Time	4	3	3	3	1
18th	+6	5	10	—	4	3	3	3	1
19th	+6	5	11	Ability Score Improvement	4	3	3	3	2
20th	+6	5	11	Puppet Mastery	4	3	3	3	2

Puppet Maker

At 1st level, you gain the ability to make puppets from objects and Corpses. However, these things require some time for you to know how to properly make them dance to your fingertips. As such, you must spend 1 hour and 10gp on a medium creature or object to examine it, taking an additional hour and 10gp per size category above, and half as much time and gold per size category below. Note: Objects count as tiny for this equation. The creature or object is dissected to such an extent that it is more like a map than anything. You jot down this knowledge inside your Journal of Puppet Crafting. Similar to a Wizards Spellbook if you find another, and copy the pages from one book to another with half the time and cost. Creatures of the same type, beasts, fiends, fey etc. have a 5% chance to not be destroyed when you do your first examination. Roll a d20+X, where X is the number of creatures you have examined of the type. If your roll is a 21 or higher, The creature or object is then preserved and is made into a puppet. (example, if you have examined 3 beasts, you would roll 1d20+3, if the resulting number was 21 or higher the creature or object is made into a puppet)

Every time you examine a creature or object, roll a d20 + Charisma modifier + Proficiency Bonus and keep record of the final number. To make a puppet you must have a total of 50 for that type before you can make a puppet with a body or object of that type. To make a puppet, you must spend 1 hour on a medium creature, lacing its body with magical strings to manipulate the body to your will. Spending an additional hour per size category above, and half for every category below. You can create puppets this way equal to half your Charisma modifier rounded down (minimum of 1 time). You regain this ability after a long rest. Taking one minute, you may also simply strip the magic away from one puppet, leaving it how it was before imbued with your magic

The maximum number of puppets you may have imbued with your magic is equal to how many you can control and how many you can put inside your pocket dimension, if you try to exceed this number, the puppet crafting will fail.

The puppet can be warped to your own pocket dimension. You can only hold a single functioning puppet inside, but every 4 levels (4th, 8th, 12th, and 16th) you can sustain another. Finally, this dimension can only be used to get out your puppets and is whatever you want it to be. The dimension is frozen in time, and you can take no actions inside except for getting a puppet.

The maximum number of puppets you can control in combat is based on your level, you may control one puppet at a time until level 10, which you may use one puppet per hand, a maximum of two.

Puppets made from creatures

• The puppets HP is 10, or four times puppeteer level, whichever is higher.
• The puppet uses the original creatures Strength and Constitution score.
• The puppet uses the puppeteer's Dexterity score.
• The puppets other scores are Int 3, Wis 3, Cha 1.
• Unless the creature had natural armor, the AC is determined by the puppeteers unarmored AC unless it is given normal armor or buying special armor, which costs the same as horse barding armor.
• Because of its dried out body, it is weak to fire damage, resistant to Necrotic damage, immune to Poison damage and the Poisoned condition, and cannot fall asleep by magical means.
• You can use the puppets senses, including your own while possessing them.
• The puppet can move at the original creatures movement speed, including swim, burrow, and fly speeds.
• Puppets lose all innate spellcasting, legendary actions, lair actions, and any other ability or skills the DM determines when the puppet is created.
• The puppet uses your proficiency bonus but does not share your proficiencies.
• Puppet attacks are considered magical to overcome resistance and immunities to non-magical attacks.

Puppets made from objects

• The puppets HP is 10, or four times puppeteer level, whichever is higher.
• AC determined by the material it is made from. Object Puppets may wear armor. If a humanoid shape and proper size it may use normal armor, otherwise it needs custom armor priced at barding.
• Puppets use the Puppeteers Dexterity score.
• Ability Scores: Str 6, Con 14, Int 1, Wis 1, Cha 1, speed 30 ft.
• Object puppets are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition, and cannot fall asleep by magical means.
• Unlike other animated objects, it does not have blindsight, instead, it shares your senses.
• The puppet is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
• It can make a slam (melee weapon) attack that deals 1d6 + your Dexterity Modifier in bludgeoning damage, with an attack modifier equal to your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus.
• The puppet uses your proficiency bonus but does not share your proficiencies.
• If the puppet falls to 0 hit points, it is broken and can be repaired during a long rest and is brought back with 1 Hit Point. This can only be done on one puppet during your long rest. (If the puppet takes massive damage, the DM might subject it to possibly being utterly destroyed and unrepairable.
• The Puppet is able to use items and weapons instead of its slam attack.
• An object puppet with a fly speed can be created at the DM's discretion (for example, a doll with wings could have a fly speed chosen by the DM).
• Puppet attacks are considered magical to overcome resistance and immunities to non-magical attacks.

Note: These stats are base stats, they can be altered at the DMs discretion if the player wanted to build a specific type of puppet, for example, a puppet with high damage and low health, or a puppet with high health and AC and low damage.

• Puppets can do an action and move up to its movement speed for every action you spend on it. If the puppet made with the creature had multiple attacks, it still has so with DM's discretion.

• Spells with range self may target a puppet instead, if it is within 30 feet.

Dying Effigy

At first level, you learn to pull the threads of magic laced in the puppet to bring it forward and take fatal blows instead of yourself. At 1st level, after taking damage that would reduce your hit points to 0, you can instead use your reaction to have a puppet take the damage instead if it is within 100 feet and line of sight. The puppet used will be knocked prone and land within 5 feet of the Puppeteer, the space determined by where the attack came from. After using this ability you must finish a long rest to use it again.

Spellcasting

By the time you reach 2nd level, you have learned to cast arcane spells.

Cantrips

You know two cantrips of your choice from the Puppeteer spell list (found below). The Cantrips Known column of the Puppeteer table shows when you learn more puppeteer cantrips of your choice. Cantrips do not require spell slots to cast.

Spell Slots

The Puppeteer table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level or higher. To cast one of these puppeteer spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the puppeteer spell list. The Spells Known column of the Puppeteer table shows when you learn more Puppeteer spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spells slots.

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

Spellcasting Ability

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

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

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier

Ritual Casting

You can cast a puppeteer spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag.

Spellcasting Focus

you can use an arcane focus (see chapter 5 of the Players Handbook, "Equipment") as a spellcasting focus for your puppeteer spells.

Puppet Somatics

If you are controlling a puppet, you can have your puppet perform the somatic component of a spell you cast.

Puppeteer Archetype

At 2nd level puppeteer picks an archetype to advance their puppeteering style.

Equipt Puppet

At 2nd level, you gain the ability to let puppets equip simple melee and ranged weapons, this may be limited by size or lack of limbs to hold a weapon. A dire wolf would not be able to hold a club for example, but a doll or humanoid may. A small doll might not be able to use a quarterstaff if it is too big for the doll. This ability to let puppets equip items increases at th level, and may equip light armor.

Puppet Possession

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to possess one of your puppets. For 1 minute, while your puppet is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through the puppet's eyes and hear what it hears, gaining the benefits of any Special Senses that the puppet has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own Senses. This ability can be used up to half of your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) times. This ability cannot be used again until you have finished a long rest

Shared Knowledge

At 3rd level, the puppeteer gains the ability to learn more about their puppets' past life, giving them a chance to roll an Insight(Wisdom) check to learn memories about the puppets life. This ability can be used once, needing a long rest to regain the mental energy to peer into the mind of the puppets plaything.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, 6th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th, 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. You can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Auto repair

At 5th level, the puppeteer or puppet is able to repair themselves using the repair kit for 2d6 hit points. Auto repair takes one full turn in battle, the hit points are regained at the beginning of the creatures next turn. The creature or puppet is unable to perform any actions while they are repairing themselves. If attacked the creature must succeed a concentration check, DC equals 10 or half the damage they take, whichever number is higher. This ability can also be used to heal another creature at the risk of turning them into a puppet. Both the Puppeteer and the creature must take the full turn to be repaired, both must make concentration saves if they take damage. Creatures healed this way must succeed a DC 5 Constitution saving throw, ignoring critical failures and successes for this roll. This ability can be used once before it needs to be refreshed with a long rest.

Extra Attack

At 5th level you gain an Extra attack, this can be used with a puppet.

Nightmare

At 6th level, you can make a targeted creature see an illusion of them being chased by monstrous creatures. If they succeed in making a Wisdom saving throw higher than your spell save DC then nothing happens to them and you are knocked prone from the excess magic they blocked. However, if they fail they fall prone, screaming in fear. No matter the outcome roll a d100. On a 99 or 100 instead of falling prone, the victim gets paralyzed for 1d4+PB turns. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses on a long rest.

Mass Repair

At 6th level this allows the puppeteer to repair all their puppets that are damaged for 2d6. You can use this feature once a day. You must take a long rest for it to be used again.

Puppet Mimicry

At 10th level, your puppets gain the option to rank up and become mimic puppets in where they can copy a creature and become it with all its abilities and half its median hit die. But this is only usable for wooden doll puppets. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Leeching

At 13th level, you gain the ability to leech health of your puppets or to have your puppets latch onto a target and stay there slowly leeching 2d4 damage for health stolen to be given to you through the link with your puppets. The target may make a DC 10 Strength check to remove the puppet. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Lost Time

At 17th level you can become a human puppet; You can no longer age and you no longer need to sleep; You can cast Mending as Healing word five times per long rest.

Puppeteer Mastery

At 20th level you can turn any size object or corpse into a puppet in 4d8 hours without the required research.

Puppeteer Archetypes

Assassin

This is a puppeteer who's gone through unfair and unjust dealings in life, so they decided: ¨You know what? I'll kill my targets with my unfair puppets!¨

Hiding Puppet

At 2nd level, Puppets gain False Appearance. When a puppet remains motionless, it is indistinguishable from an object or corpse, an Investigation check equal to your spellcasting DC will reveal the puppet as what it is.

Dream Walk

At 6th level, Your puppets learn how to strike vital areas of the body. The puppets gain a sneak attack die of 1d4, which increase at later levels, (1d6 at level 10, 1d8 at level 14, 1d12 at level 18, and 2d6 at level 20). Use the Rouge Sneak Attack rules for this Feature.

Banshee Scream

At 10th level, The Puppeteer rubs their puppeteer fingerless gloves together causing one puppet to emit a loud unbearable sound that affects all creatures but the puppeteer in a 20ft radius of the puppets. All creatures within this radius must succeed a Constitution saving throw equal to your spellcasting DC or be stunned for two turns. You can use this once per long rest at level 10, twice at level 15, and 3 times at level twenty.

Shield

This puppeteer desires to protect their companions, so they put their skills to the test and try to be a good tank.

Iron Wall Puppet

At 2nd level, The puppeteer's puppet becomes hard and sturdy like an iron wall, which shields the targeted companion or creature the puppeteer picks from harm. AC for targets being protected by the puppet increases by 2 until the puppet moves away. This affect increases to +4 at 14th level.

Restraining Puppets

At 6th level The puppeteer's puppet can grapple a target you can see, and the target must make a DC12 Strength save or be grappled, giving the target disadvantage on attack rolls and halves its movement. It may make a DC10 Strength save to break the grapple.

Enraged Guard

At 10th level The puppeteer becomes enraged. All puppets get two attacks of opportunity and +2 to all attack rolls as long as they are guarding a creature.

Deranged

This puppeteer has lost all reasoning and common sense. Their only wish is to make puppets, killing those that disagree with them and then using their corpses for puppets. As a result, if they see a corpse they get a sudden, unquenchable thirst to claim the corpse to use as a puppet.

Cannibal Puppet

At 2nd level, a puppet can make a bite attack against a creature which deals 1d6 piercing. The puppeteer gains health equal to half the amount of damage dealt this way, if the target dies, the puppeteer gains the total damage dealt as health.

Jack in the Box

At 6th level, You are able to summon a shadow puppet from a target's shadow, if the target has a shadow, if not then the ability will fail. The target must make a Dexterity saving throw, using the puppeteers spell save DC, on a failed throw the target takes 2d8 slashing damage, and half damage on a success. This damage increases to 3d8 at 10th level, 4d8 at 14th level, and 5d8 at 18th level. This can be done once (increasing to two times at level 10) this ability recharges after a long rest.

Puppeteer's revenge

At 10th level Any time a puppet is destroyed the puppeteer goes into a mindless rage, granting them two attacks as a reaction. within the next minute, if the puppeteer falls to 0 hp any puppet within a 30ft radius of the fallen puppeteer will attack on the puppeteers turn, and gains advantage on the creature who put their master at Death's doorstep. The puppets will only protect their master, harming anyone who acts hostile towards them.

Turner Puppeteer

This is a puppeteer who is a mix of the other archetypes but can do something more. They aren't able to fully turn living things into puppets yet but, can turn a part of a living creature into a puppet. Which could work to eventually puppetize a creature, however, that's not how they roll. They are on the edge of logic and insanity, making them not care what happens unless it's important to them. Their puppets also seem to be a little smarter and able to do tasks like crafting and blacksmithing in order to help the puppeteer out.

Exploding Part

At 2nd level, a puppeteer may use an action to prime a limb on a puppet as an explosive. They may trigger this bomb using a bonus action. The affected creature blows up and in a 5ft radius any creature near them takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage and 1d4 piercing damage from bone fragments shooting out everywhere. Must also make a DC10 Dexterity saving throw or be knocked prone.

Turn Puppet

At 6th level the puppeteer can attempt to make living creatures and elementals into puppets where the creature must succeed Wisdom saving throw versus the puppeteer's Turn DC or become a puppet with no will of their own anymore, this lasts for two hours or until the creature takes damage. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

The Turn DC is equal to the puppeteer spell save DC

Lending Hand

At 10th level the puppeteer can assign a puppet to a party member to help them out, giving them advantage on all checks that pertain to Blacksmithing, Tinkering, Studying, Research, Crafting, Cooking, and/or Alchemy.

Sacrificial doll

At 14th level, The puppeteer can sacrifice a puppet using an action or reaction in a dire situation to deal 4d8 bludgeoning damage and 4d8 piercing damage in a 10ft radius. Once this ability is used, it cannot be used again until you finish a short or long rest.

Puppeteer Spell List

You know all of the spells on the basic Puppeteer spell list. Charisma is your spellcasting modifier.

Cantrips

• Blade Ward
• Chill Touch
• Dancing Lights
• Friends
• Light
• Mage Hand
• Mending
• Message
• Minor Illusion
• Prestidigitation
• Thauymaturgy
• True Strike
• Vicious Mockery

1st Level

• Bane
• Compell Dual
• Charm Person
• Cure Wounds
• Detect Magic
• Dissonant Whispers
• Faerie Fire
• Feather Fall
• Healing Word
• Hex
• Identify
• Longstrider
• Silent Image
• Sleep
• Tasha's Hideous Laughter

2nd Level

• Animal Messenger
• Blindness/Deafness
• Blur
• Crown of Madness
• Detect Thoughts
• Enthrall
• Hold Person
• Invisibility
• Mirror Image
• Phantasmal Force
• See Invisibility
• Shatter
• Silence
• Suggestion
• Zone of Truth

3rd Level

• Bestow Curse
• Call Lightning
• Clairvoyance
• Fear
• Feign Death
• Fireball
• Hypnotic Pattern
• Major Image
• Nondetection
• Sending
• Speak With Dead

4th Level

• Charm Monster
• Compulsion
• Confusion
• Dimension Door
• Dominate Beast
• Greater Invisibility
• Hallucinatory Terrain

5th Level

• Awaken
• Danse macarbe
• Dominate Person
• Dream
• Create
• Geas
• Hold Monster
• Mislead
• Modify Memory
• Telekinesis

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To multiclass into Puppeteer, you must meet these prerequisites: 10 Dexterity, 13 Charisma.

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Puppeteer class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor, Simple weapon proficiency

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