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View Full Version : D&D 5e/Next Artificer Subclass: The Professor Explorer



sandmote
2019-12-05, 03:55 PM
This is meant to be a usable joke subclass, based on the version of the Absent-Minded Professor (Warning: Link goes to TV tropes) (https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AbsentMindedProfessor). I think Environmental Hazard is a bit strong, so I ddin't grant a combat bonus at 6th level.


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 cartographer's tools and woodworker's tools, assuming you don’t already have them. You also gain cartographer's tools and woodworker'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 ring category, it takes you a quarter of the normal time, and it costs you half as much of the usual gold. This benefit also applies to wondrous items worn directly on the head or feet.

Alchemist Spells
Professor Explorer Spells Table
Level Spells
3rd Ensnaring Strike, Goodberry
5th Web, Spike Growth
9th Remove Curse, Speak With Plants
13th Arcane Eye, Banishment
17th Conjure Volley, Wrath of Nature

Amicable Buffoon
At 3rd level, you have also trained in a wide variety of unrelated fields. When you make an arcana, history, medicine, nature, persuasion, or religion check, you may roll a 1d4. On a four, you may add double your proficiency modifier to the roll, irrelevant of your normal proficiency bonus with the skill. This bonus cannot be applied if you attempt to repeat the roll, even if you could add the bonus on the first attempt.

Starting at 14th level, you may add also the bonus to your roll if you roll a three on the d4.

Environmental Hazard
From 3rd level, traps simply go off around you. Trees fall, ceilings break, lightning strikes, machinery explodes, and other objects become a severe threat in your vicinity.

As an action, you can cause a trap to go off in your general vicinity. Choose a point within 30 feet of yourself. Creature within ten feet of the point must make a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 bludgeoning damage, as an accident occurs in the immediate vicinity (your DM may choose a different damage type, depending on what accident takes place). This damage increases to 2d6 at 5th level, 3d6 at 11th level, and 4d6 at 17th level.

You personally, however, regularly remain untouched, as hazards just barely miss you-- possibly without you even noticing. You gain proficiency in Dexterity saving throws, and have advantage on saving throws against effects created by your amicable buffoon feature.

Field Explorer
By 6th level, you have learned to more easily navigate your surroundings. As a bonus action, you can ready your equipment, granting you a +10 bonus to your walking speed until the end of your turn.

While you retain the speed bonus, moving through nonmagical difficult terrain costs you no extra movement, and you gain a bonus on athletics and acrobatics checks equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of plus one).

Evasion
Beginning at 14th level, you can nimbly dodge out of the way of certain area effects, such as an ancient 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.

Note: this was written with the UA version of the artificer class.

Artagon
2019-12-08, 02:19 PM
This looks like a subclass for the UA version, yeah? They removed the crafting speed thing from level 3 with the official release. Now it's rarity gated starting at level 10 and is not specific to the sub-class. Also, the levels at which they get abilities are now 3, 5, 9, and 15. (edit: just saw your disclaimer at the bottom)

Basing feedback on the Artificer UA it's thematically fun though I'm not sure if it lines up, power-wise, with the other UA options.

Tools of the Trade: Fine, thematic with an explorer. Not necessarily an absent-minded professor.

Spells: Again, this feels like some sort of naturalist explorer rather than a professor.. but I like the idea of a more naturalist themed Artificer, so it gets a pass.

Amicable Buffoon: This feels pretty gimmicky. What prevents the player from making subsequent checks to try again? I'd want something a bit more reliable. The official Artificer has something called Flash of Genius, which can be used Int times per day and mostly fulfills what you're trying to do here. Since you're using the UA content though, I'd say just make it a +1d6 (int mod/long rest) and it can improve to d8 at 14. They use it as a reaction to making the skill check.

Environmental Hazard: Thematically I like this, but I'm struggling to find the balance in the mechanics. Clearly you want the active component to be a placeholder for a Cantrip, except better, yeah? I don't necessarily have a problem with this conceptually except it might still be a bit too good in it's current incarnation. A 10' radius is pretty big for a cantrip. Compare this ability to the Turrets, which have non-scaling damage in the UA, or the cantrip granted to the Archivist.. They aren't really even in the same ballpark. Granted, the turrets or other pets only use a bonus action.. but they can also be killed or crowd controlled. Have you considered making it function more like a trap? Aka, set it at an unoccupied location for people to wander into and set it off. If it was a single square you could even add int to damage and have a condition on it, like maybe restrained for a round. Single unoccupied square + condition and you might be able to move it to that sweet sweet bonus action category.

Field Explorer: No. Sorry, but bonus action for +10 speed is.. weird and not really all that good, even if it procs unhindered movement. My advice here would be to look at the UA 'Class Feature Variants' for inspiration, specifically the Deft Explorer options. They fit that same sort of power curve with less gimmick. This also feels like a good level for those options (the UA gives it to Ranger WAAAaaay too early (admitted by the devs))

Evasion: Yeah, ok, makes sense with the other stuff.

sandmote
2019-12-08, 04:51 PM
Thanks for the feedback!


This looks like a subclass for the UA version, yeah? They removed the crafting speed thing from level 3 with the official release. Now it's rarity gated starting at level 10 and is not specific to the sub-class. Also, the levels at which they get abilities are now 3, 5, 9, and 15. (edit: just saw your disclaimer at the bottom) Yeah, I was considering updating this for the official version, but's going to be a while before I pick up the book. Particularly given I've heard the Archivist didn't make it in.


Tools of the Trade: Fine, thematic with an explorer. Not necessarily an absent-minded professor.

Spells: Again, this feels like some sort of naturalist explorer rather than a professor.. but I like the idea of a more naturalist themed Artificer, so it gets a pass. I fully admit I have trouble with ideas that have only one theme, as they end up feeling very one dimensional. Both of these are tied more to the explorer aspect.


Amicable Buffoon: This feels pretty gimmicky. What prevents the player from making subsequent checks to try again? I'd want something a bit more reliable. The official Artificer has something called Flash of Genius, which can be used Int times per day and mostly fulfills what you're trying to do here. Since you're using the UA content though, I'd say just make it a +1d6 (int mod/long rest) and it can improve to d8 at 14. They use it as a reaction to making the skill check. I will explicitly add a one attempt limit per use. Although I generally don't see which of the listed skills a DM would allow to be repeated nonstop anyway. Arcana, History, Nature, and Religion could be re-rolled until the player gets a 20 (so I don't expect it to be allowed no matter what), and medicine and persuasion generally have downsides if you fail the first roll.

Edit: I'm also glad to hear they've added a bit more utility to the class


Environmental Hazard: Thematically I like this, but I'm struggling to find the balance in the mechanics. Clearly you want the active component to be a placeholder for a Cantrip, except better, yeah? I don't necessarily have a problem with this conceptually except it might still be a bit too good in it's current incarnation. A 10' radius is pretty big for a cantrip. Compare this ability to the Turrets, which have non-scaling damage in the UA, or the cantrip granted to the Archivist.. They aren't really even in the same ballpark. Granted, the turrets or other pets only use a bonus action.. but they can also be killed or crowd controlled. Have you considered making it function more like a trap? Aka, set it at an unoccupied location for people to wander into and set it off. If it was a single square you could even add int to damage and have a condition on it, like maybe restrained for a round. Single unoccupied square + condition and you might be able to move it to that sweet sweet bonus action category. I'm worried a particular condition would narrow down which random events can thematically fit. Since posting I've also remembered 15 foot squares are a thing. Would that size (roughly halfway between a 5 foot and 10 foot radius) fit better? Particularly given typically Acid Splash is considered very weak.


Field Explorer: No. Sorry, but bonus action for +10 speed is.. weird and not really all that good, even if it procs unhindered movement. My advice here would be to look at the UA 'Class Feature Variants' for inspiration, specifically the Deft Explorer options. They fit that same sort of power curve with less gimmick. This also feels like a good level for those options (the UA gives it to Ranger WAAAaaay too early (admitted by the devs)) If it's that big an issue I can slap on Roving from your suggestion instead, I guess?

Although I think adding a minor combat bonus would better; I'm just short on an idea. Adding +int modifer damage to one target of environmental hazard?