Strongholds and Followers: Artificer

[EggKookoo]

Has anyone played with Colville's Strongholds & Followers? I like the gist of it and I'm thinking of introducing the idea of a home base to my players when we resume their campaign after the next one (they'll all be partway through 8th level at that point). But I have an artificer in the party and it looks like he wrote the book before they were made official, and hasn't seemed to have gone back to it.

[Grod_The_Giant]

I'm not familiar with the supplement--is the issue that every other class gets a bunch of unique stuff they can do, or a gut feeling that someone calling themselves an Artificer should be able to do more with the subsystems?

[Saelethil]

Artificer is also outside of the SRD so they couldn’t use it even if it they wanted to.

[EggKookoo]

Ah, sorry, not sure why I didn't realize people wouldn't be familiar with it.

S&F has a mechanic or ruleset for handling player-based housing (a keep or arcane tower or whatnot). Part of that is that your stronghold gets abilities and flavor/ribbon/things based on your class. Kind of like legendary and lair actions you can take while you're defending your base, but only once each between rests instead of every round like a true legendary creature. For example, the fighter can use an action that makes all ally attack rolls auto-hit until the end of his (the fighter's) next turn. It seems pretty fun.

I'm certainly capable of whipping up some stuff like this for an artificer but I was curious if anyone had already done so, or more specifically if anyone knew of Colville had done so. I'm guessing the answer to that last question is no...

[Dr.Samurai]

The artificer could get an Artificer's Workshop, which works as the other strongholds.

Allies could gain a benefit like... an extra use of a magic item ability? Or an extra attunement slot for a day, or something similar that works with magic items.

[arnin77]

I’ve used it a little bit; I did a lodge for my Ranger and (the rogue one) for my rogue. Currently my Paladin is building a keep.

I think if you wanted to use it for artificer you could build one of the suggested buildings like a keep or tower and just apply it as an artificer?

[EggKookoo]

Okay, so I'll probably go with something like this.

Demesne Effects


Numerous Tiny constructs busy themselves throughout the demesne, making repairs, performing landscaping functions, and keeping everything in good repair.
You can cast the mending cantrip while within the domain, if you can't already. In addition, you can select a number of allies up to your Intelligence modifier to also be able to cast it while within the demesne. You can transfer or revoke this ability at will.
You automatically succeed with any Intelligence (Investigation) check you make while within the demesne when attempting to determine the properties of any nonmagical alchemical concoction.


Stronghold Actions

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), you can take a stronghold action to cause one of the following effects. You must be in the same hex or province as your stronghold, and can’t use the same effect again until after a short or long rest.


Select a location you can see within 90 feet. A number of short-range Force Ballistae erupt from the ground, walls, and other surfaces. Each can target a creature you choose within 30 feet of the point you selected and make a single ranged magical attack (using your spellcasting ability and bonus). This attack deals 2d8 force damage plus an additional 1d8 force damage for each level of your stronghold. The ballistae then immediately retract out of sight. More than one cannon attack a single target, but you must be able to see the creature.
You can cause an armored, walled cell to manifest 20 feet above a Huge or smaller creature that you can see within 300 feet. The creature must make a Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or be caught as the cage slams down upon it. Once caged, the creature is considered blinded but has total cover from a perspective outside the cage. Any creature (including the inhabitant) can attack the cage. It has 30 hit points and an AC of 23. It is immune to poison, psychic, and necrotic damage and resists nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. If the cage is reduced to 0 HP the creature is freed.
You recover all spent spell slots as though you had completed a long rest.


Class Feature Improvement: Overgear Spells

You gain the ability to "overgear" a spell slot. When you use this feature, the effective level of the slot increases by 1 upon casting the spell. Once you increase a spell level this way, you can't do it again until you complete an extended rest. You can increase the effective level of the spell beyond a level that you're capable of casting normally, but you can never increase a spell level beyond 9th. Each time your stronghold increases its level, you can one additional effective level you can apply to your spells. You can apply them to different castings of combine them onto a single casting. You recover all overgear uses when completing an extended rest.