Homebrew Artificer Specialist: Gunsmith

Hello Everyone,

So we really like the UA Artificer 2019, but we felt is was missing a real gunsmithing subclass. I found this homebrew on Reddit and we tweaked a little. Please, read over and this tell us what you think. We tired to keep it balanced and inline with the other subclasses. I would like to belive that this would would make the Artificer class more fun to play!

Thanks!

Artificer Specialist: Gunsmith

A Gunsmith specializes in combining magic with alchemical science to engineering powerful firearms. This makes them very valuable at long range and mid-range support.

Tools of the Trade

By the time you adopt this specialty at 3rd level, you’re deeply familiar with employing its tools.

Proficiencies: You gain proficiency with Tinker’s tools and alchemist’s tool. You also gain tinker's tools and Alchemist’s tools for free – the result of tinkering you’ve done as you’ve prepared for this specialization.


Crafting: If you craft a magic item in the weapon (ammunition) category, it takes you a quarter of the normal time, and it costs you half as much of the usual gold.

Gunsmith Spells

Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Gunsmith Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.


Artificer Level Spells

3rd Shield, magic missile
5th Melf's acid arrow, scorching ray
9th conjure barrage, lightning bolt
13th elemental bane, Fire Shield
17th cone of cold, conjure volley

Thunder Rifle

At 3rd level, your skills in magical engineering allow you to craft a powerful firearm, called the Thunder Rifle.It is a ferocious weapon that fires lead and thunder bullets that can punch through armor with ease.

As an action, you can summon the Thunder Rifle once for free and must finish a long rest before doing so again. If your Thunder Rifle breaks, casting the mending spell on it repairs it entirely, provided it has not been melted or disintegrated. You can also summon another Thunder Rifle by expending a spell slot of 1st level or higher. If you summon a second Thunder Rifle, the first one disappears.

You may add one infusion to your rifle as per the normal rules of infusion.

When you create your Thunder Rifle you are proficient with the Thunder rifle; When you attack with the Thunder Rifle you can use your Intelligence modifier instead of your Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls.



Thunder Rifle Properties Damage Types

Thunder Rifle Ammunition (range 150/500), loading, two-handed 1d12 piercing

Arcane Marksman

At 6th level, your skills with magic and engineering allow you to further improve the potency of your Thunder Rifle. When you finish a long rest and have your tinker’s tools in hand, you can use them to increase the magical power of your Thunder Rifle. Until you finish another long rest, your attacks with your Thunder Rifle count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage resistance. Your rifle now strikes with extra magical explosive force doing an extra 1D6 thunder damage. (*This damage increases to 2D6 when you reach 14th level in this class)

In addition, on each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to give yourself advantage on the next attack roll you make using your Thunder Rifle.

Master Gunsmith

Starting at 14th, your Thunder Rifle now becomes truly frightening and does an extra *2d6 thunder damage and you now score a critical hit on a roll of 19-20.

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Originally Posted by NinjaLemur247

Hello Everyone,

So we really like the UA Artificer 2019, but we felt is was missing a real gunsmithing subclass. I found this homebrew on Reddit and we tweaked a little. Please, read over and this tell us what you think. We tired to keep it balanced and inline with the other subclasses. I would like to belive that this would would make the Artificer class more to play!

Thanks!

Artificer Specialist: Gunsmith

A Gunsmith specializes in combining magic with alchemical science to engineer powerful firearms. This makes them very valuable as long- and mid-range support.

Tools of the Trade

By the time you adopt this specialty at 3rd level, you’re deeply familiar with employing its tools.

Proficiencies: You gain proficiency with Tinker’s tools and alchemist’s tool. You also gain tinker's tools and Alchemist’s tools for free – the result of tinkering you’ve done as you’ve prepared for this specialization.

In addition, you gain proficiency with firearms.

Crafting: If you craft a magic item in the weapon (ammunition) category, it takes you a quarter of the normal time, and it costs you half as much of the usual gold.

Gunsmith Spells

Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Gunsmith Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.

Gunsmith Spells


Artificer Level Spells

3rd Shield, magic missile
5th Melf's acid arrow, scorching ray
9th conjure barrage, lightning bolt
13th elemental bane, Fire Shield
17th cone of cold, conjure volley

Arcane Blaster

At 3rd level, your skills in magical engineering allow you to craft a powerful firearm, called an Arcane Blaster. It is a ferocious weapon with varying effects, depending on how you create and customize it.

As an action, you can summon an Arcane Blaster once for free and must finish a long rest before doing so again. You can also summon an Arcane Blaster by expending a spell slot of 1st level or higher. If you summon a second Arcane Blaster, the first one disappears. If your Arcane Blaster breaks, casting the mending spell on it repairs it entirely, provided it has not been melted or disintegrated.

When you create your Arcane Blaster, you decide which type it is, choosing from the options in the Arcane Blaster table. You are proficient with the Arcane Blaster. When rolling for attack and damage rolls using your Arcane Blaster, you add your Intelligence modifier.



Arcane Blaster

Arcane Blaster Properties Damage Types

Sky Striker Ammunition (range 150/500), loading, two-handed 1d12 piercing + 1d6 lightning
Concussion Ammunition (range 30/120), loading, two-handed 1d8 piercing + 1d8 force
Frost Needle Ammunition (range 30/120), loading 1d10 piercing + 1d4 cold

Arcane Marksman

At 6th level, your skills with magic and engineering allow you to further improve the potency of your Arcane Blaster. When you finish a long rest and have your tinker’s tools in hand, you can use them to increase the magical power of your Arcane Blaster. Until you finish another long rest, your attacks with your Arcane Blaster count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage.

In addition, on each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to give yourself advantage on the next attack roll you make using your Arcane Blaster.

Master Gunsmith

Starting at 14th level,Whenever you create and wield one your Arcane blasters you create magical shield for yourself providing three-quarters cover has a +5 bonus to AC and Dexterity saving throws. In addition, You can now create two Arcane Blasters for free and must finish a long rest before doing so again. Each Arcane Blaster can be of the same or a different type. If you summon a third Arcane Blaster, the first one disappears.

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After a quick look over I think it'll suffer from two things:

1) The damage is pretty high early on (especially paired with Arcane Weapon) but then there doesn't seem to be any scaling to it after that.

2) The class is meant to be all about gunsmithing, but to actually have gun you need to either burn slots or use a once per LR ability. None of the other latest UA Artificer subclasses needed a limited resource to imbody their schtick.

I think this would be better off as just using firearms (creating them and their ammunition at half cost) and then making enhancements to the gun(s) itself and special ammunition.

Might want to put this in the homebrew section of the forums, or ask it to be moved. (Can 'report' yourself just to get a mod to look at it to put it in the right place. )

Another poster had suggested it this post get moved to the right section. Can a moderator please do that for me? Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Dork_Forge

After a quick look over I think it'll suffer from two things:

1) The damage is pretty high early on (especially paired with Arcane Weapon) but then there doesn't seem to be any scaling to it after that.

2) The class is meant to be all about gunsmithing, but to actually have a gun you need to either burn slots or use a once per LR ability. None of the other latest UA Artificer subclasses needed a limited resource to imbody their schtick.

I think this would be better off as just using firearms (creating them and their ammunition at half cost) and then making enhancements to the gun(s) itself and special ammunition.

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1) so we reworked the intail damage so it wasn't so high and now works more an on scaling system.

2 ) all the subclasses really on the there summon ability for extra damage or abilities, but I appreciate your feedback. Please let me know what you think of the rework.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NinjaLemur247

1) so we reworked the intail damage so it wasn't so high and now works more an on scaling system.

2 ) all the subclasses really on the there summon ability for extra damage or abilities, but I appreciate your feedback. Please let me know what you think of the rework.

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The Alchemist and Battlesmith's homunculous and iron defender are always there and can always attack etc. none of their limited abilities are about damage. The only one that really follows that kind of thing is the Artillerist really and whilst they can get utility and damage from their turrets, their actual schtick is wands. In comparison to the other archetypes it will just feel a bit lack lustre/underpowered in comparison and if you have more than one or two encoutners a day they'll end up being a Gunsmith not using a Gun or an Artificer just not using spells.

I think how you broke up the damage is better.

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Originally Posted by Dork_Forge

The Alchemist and Battlesmith's homunculous and iron defender are always there and can always attack etc. none of their limited abilities are about damage. The only one that really follows that kind of thing is the Artillerist really and whilst they can get utility and damage from their turrets, their actual schtick is wands. In comparison to the other archetypes it will just feel a bit lack lustre/underpowered in comparison and if you have more than one or two encoutners a day they'll end up being a Gunsmith not using a Gun or an Artificer just not using spells.

I think how you broke up the damage is better.

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I don't know where your seeing that the gunsmith loses their gun? Yes, a slot can be used to create one but their's no time limit on them. They last until you either make a new one or the old one gets destroyed. How are they not doing gun things?

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Originally Posted by Daghoulish

I don't know where your seeing that the gunsmith loses their gun? Yes, a slot can be used to create one but their's no time limit on them. They last until you either make a new one or the old one gets destroyed. How are they not doing gun things?

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That's my bad, I read having to create it as not always having it (like the turrets they're clearly based on) and OP never actually corrected and said that it stays indefinitely unless destroyed or resummoned. Though at that point why is it using that mechanic like a summoned item? The original Gunsmith just allowed you to create a rifle that stayed there, how often would an Artifcer actually need to use the ability to create the blaster 2 or more times a day?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Daghoulish

I don't know where your seeing that the gunsmith loses their gun? Yes, a slot can be used to create one but their's no time limit on them. They last until you either make a new one or the old one gets destroyed. How are they not doing gun things?

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is correct the gun lasts until it's either destroyed or dismissed (perhaps the artificer needs the to his infusion slot for something else). With the class released in the new book. I would have to totally re-work this write up anyway :(

Interesting take :) Gunsmiths are always interesting!

The artificer artillerist gives you a “gun” (really small turret”) why not just us that?