Siege Breaker (5e Subclass)
Siege Breaker[edit]
Artificer Subclass
Some artificers revel in the creation of war machines and armor, hardened items fortified against damage and made to withstand any onslaught. Then there are artificers that specialize in the destruction of such stout items. Siege Breakers are the latter.
Siege Breakers – or just Breakers – are experts at finding flaws in armor and fortification, They strike these targets surgically and use their hardness against them. They are masters of ambush and targeted destruction. If you need it broken, you need a Breaker.
- Bonus Proficiencies
You gain proficiency in the Investigation skill. If you already have proficiency, gain expertise.
You also gain proficiency in glassblower's tools which will be useful for delivering some of your more volatile creations.
- Siege Breaker Spells
Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Siege Breaker Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Bane, Arms of Hadar |
| 2nd | Heat Metal, Shatter |
| 3rd | Erupting Earth, Protection from Energy |
| 4th | Dimension Door, Vitriolic Sphere |
| 5th | Desturctive Wave, Wall of Force |
- Surgical Strike
At 3rd level, you can hit your target exactly how and when you choose. You can cast True Strike as a bonus action and reap its benefits immediately instead of waiting for the next turn. You can do this a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier. You regain all uses at the end of a long rest.
- Spell Grenades
Also at 3rd level, you gain the ability to contain the effects of spells you cast within glass containers. When you use your glass blower's tools as a focus to cast a spell that deals damage and requires a saving throw, you can encase that spell in a glass sphere. The spell can be contained this way for a number of hours equal to your Intelligence modifier. When the sphere is broken, the spell's effects burst forth. If the spell requires a target, it uses the one closest to the container when it breaks and uses your spell save DC. (If multiple targets are the same distance away, the DM chooses.) If the spell effects an area, the container is the source of that area (center of a sphere or cylinder, source of a cone or cube). A spell with a range of self instead targets the broken sphere. At any one time, you can have a number of spells equal to your proficiency bonus encased this way.
The spheres have less than one hit point. Taking any damage at all will shatter it, as will being stepped on, thrown against a solid object, or being subjected to a loud noise within 30 feet (such as from spells like thunderclap, knock, or toll the dead). The Breaker that made the sphere can handle it without fear of it breaking accidentally, as can a person who receives the sphere directly from the Breaker. Anyone else handling the sphere has a 50% chance of breaking it just by touching it, followed by another 50% chance each round they hold it. (Roll any die; odd numbers break it.)
An unused spell grenade can be deactivated by the caster as an action when touching it. It can also be deactivated by the Dispel Magic spell. If the grenade is not deactivated or deployed before its duration ends, it becomes unstable. Roll a d10 once per minute. On a roll of 1, the container cracks and the spell is unleashed.
- Chink in the Armor
At 5th level, you begin to turn heavy armor against itself, magnifying damage by using the armor's own shell to amplify the forces within. When you make an attack roll and hit a target that has an armor class above 15, you can use your reaction to deal the target an additional 1d6 force damage for every point that AC is above 15. You can do this a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all uses at the end of a long rest.
As part of this feature, any time you are within 10 feet of a creature, you can make a DC 15 Investigation (Intelligence) check to determine whether it's AC is above 15. Once you have investigated a creature this way, you can't investigate that creature again until you finish a short or long rest.
- Siege Expert
At 9th level, whenever one of your spell grenades affects a structure, that structure takes maximum damage from the spell. If creatures or objects are also affected by the spell, roll their damage as usual. If multiple structures are affected by the spell, all but one will roll damage as usual.
- Boon of the Demolisher
Also at 9th level, when an enemy with AC over 15 and a hit point maximum of at least 100 is reduced to zero hit points by one of your spells, you regain a spell slot of the same level as the one that finished the target off. If the spell was a cantrip, regain a 1st level spell slot. If the spell was delivered by one of your Spell Grenades, you also add one to your number of grenades currently available. This can include structures if the structure hosted a weapon or other means of attack (a tower with arrow slits, a trebuchet, etc.)
You can gain this boon a number of times equal to half your proficiency bonus, rounded up, regaining all potential boons at the end of a long rest.
- The Harder They Fall
At 15th level, all of your previous features improve.
- Surgical Strike: When you use the True Strike cantrip as a bonus action, you can add +1 to the benefiting attack roll.
- Spell Grenades: Your spell grenades can last from the end of one long rest until the end of the next. Also, anyone throwing one of your spell grenades adds your Intelligence modifier to their attack roll and doubles the normal throwing range. This includes grenades delivered by sling but not by other assisted delivery methods.
- Chink in the Armor: The force damage dice for ACs above 15 remain d6s up to 20 AC, but become d12s for each point above 20.
- Siege Expert: Any structure affected by one of your spell grenades that remains standing becomes vulnerable to the damage type the spell delivered. If a spell delivers multiple damage types, choose one of those for the structure to be vulnerable.
- Boon of the Demolisher: When you gain this boon, you and your allies within 60 feet gain temporary hit points equal to 5 times the level of the spell slot regained, which last 1 minute. Also, at the moment you regain the spell slot, you can use your reaction to immediately cast a spell with that spell slot, provided the spell has a casting time of one action. This includes the potential of storing the spell in a grenade if you already have your glass blower's tools in hand.
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