Deus Ex Machina (5e Subclass)

Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Ex-Machina Spells table.

These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don't count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.

When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Athletics and Medicine skills.

When you reach 3rd level, you begin to improve your body with your creations, crafting powerful mechanic tools of self defense. You learn how to build a Hand Cannon and how to perform Structural Improvements:

Hand Cannon: You begin your work with a handy tool of self defense. You learn how to craft a Hand Cannon. The Hand Cannon is a ranged martial weapon, with the heavy property. It has a range of 30/90, and it deals damage equals to 1d6 bludeoning and 1d6 fire. When performing attacks with this weapon, you can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of Dexterity, for the attack and damage rolls.

Structural Improvements: By the time you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you have begun reinforcing and improving your body. Choose from which material you graft your frame:

• Lightweight Structure. You develop a light material to infuse your body with. Your movement speed increases by 15 feet, you gain proficiency in the Acrobatics skill, and your weight is halved.
• Reinforced Structure. You infuse your body with some dense material. You have advantage on saving throw or skill checks against any effect that would move you against your will, your AC becomes 13 + your Constitution modifier, and your weight is doubled.

You can change the chosen improvement at the end of a long rest.

At 3rd level, your research and mastery of your craft allow you to produce an artificial lifeform, which acts as your servant. The servant is a construct that obeys your commands without hesitation and functions in combat to protect you. Though magic fuels its creation, the servant is not magical itself.

• Your servant's ability scores follow the standard array for player character creation.
• Select a race for your servant to mimic. Your servant has all the traits of the chosen race, though is a construct.
• Your servant can only speak, read, and write the languages you know.
• Your servant has three levels in the expert, spellcaster, or warrior class, detailed in Unearthed Arcana: Sidekicks. You can't change this choice later. Your servant does not gain experience points and does not count as a character when calculating experience distribution. When you gain a level in the artificer class, your servant also gains one.
• The servant gains darkvision up to a range of 60 feet if it doesn't already have it.
• It can't be charmed.
• It is immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition.
• It is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form.
• If you are the target of a melee attack and the servant is within 5 feet of the attacker, you can use your reaction to command the servant to respond, using its reaction to make a melee attack against the attacker.

The servant obeys your orders to the best of its ability. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own.

If the servant is killed, it can be returned to life via normal means, such as with the revivify spell. In addition, over the course of a long rest, you can repair a slain servant if you have access to its body. It returns to life with 1 hit point at the end of the rest. If the servant is beyond recovery, you can build a new one with one week of work (eight hours each day) and 1,000 gp of raw materials.

At 5th level you improve your servant by upgrading or adding components. You can craft three upgrades of your choice to your servant from the Mechanical Servant Upgrades list.

You can choose one additional upgrade at 6th level, at 9th level , at 11th, at 14th level and at 17th level.

At 5th level, you've gathered enough experience to build minor mechanical upgrades on yourself. Chose one of the following features. You can change the chosen improvement over the course of a long rest, using your tinker' tools:

• Increase your speed by 10 feet
• Add 1d6 to unarmed attacks. You can add your Intelligence, instead of Strength to your attack and damage rolls with unarmed attacks.
• Add +2 to all ranged attack.
• Increase your AC by +1.
• Gain resistance to slashing, piercing or bludgeoning damage (chose one) from nonmagical sources.
• Deal additional lightning damage equal to your Intelligence modifier with your melee weapon attacks.
• Gain temporary hit points equal to half your level whenever you finish a short or long rest.

Beginning at 9th level, you have added hidden compartments into your body, and can stow items inside yourself. The weight of these items in pounds cannot exceed one tenth your carrying capacity. Creatures within 5 feet of you can detect these compartments with a successful Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Medicine) check. The DC for this check equals your artificer spell save DC.

Once you reach 15th level, you have vastly refined your mortal flesh. You are immune to disease. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours each day. You can choose to dream in this state, or you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal. In addition, your body improvement has greatly increased, granting you the following benefits:

Superior Cannon You learn to increase the efficiency of your Hand Cannon greatly. It now deals 1d8 bludgeoning and 1d8 fire damage, it's range is increased to 60/180, and is considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistances. In addition, your superior cannon grant you the following benefits:

• Burst Short. You can now use it in a way that will unleash all ammunition in one attack, this burst shot attack causes all creatures in a 60 foot cone to make a Dexterity saving throw or take damage equal to 6d6 bludgeoning and 6d6 fire. This special attack causes your Hand Cannon to overheat, and you must wait for it to cool down before using the Hand Cannon again, otherwise it will break and cause you to take 6d6 fire damage. On each round of cool down you can roll 1d6, on a 6 the Hand Cannon is ready to use again.

• Magic Shot When you use your action to make a attack with your Hand Cannon, you can use your bonus action to cast a cantrip. This special attack causes your Hand Cannon to overheat, and you must wait for it to cool down before using the Hand Cannon again, otherwise it will break and cause you to take 6d6 fire damage. On each round of cool down you can roll 1d6, on a 6 the Hand Cannon is ready to use again.

Arcane Reconstruction You have an extra measure of protection against death. When you drop to 0 hit points, you can choose to instead drop to 1 hit point. Alternatively, if you are subjected to an effect that would instantly kill you, you can choose to negate that effect. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until after you finish a long rest.

You upgrade the chassis of your construct to create a larger, more powerful frame. The size of your construct increases one category.

Additionally, the construct’s hit die increases by one size (d6 becomes d8, d8 becomes d10).

Hit points are recalculated when this upgrade is taken, according to the following table.

Locomotive Adaptation

You attach fins, webbing, grappling hooks, burrowing claws, or other appropriate locomotive aids. The construct gains a swim speed equal to its highest speed, a climb speed equal to its highest speed, or a burrowing speed equal to half its highest speed. You can select this upgrade multiple times.

Longer Reach

Prerequisite: Large size

You increase the reach of your servant’s melee attack, by adding tentacles, lengthening arms, or another appropriate modification. The construct's range for melee weapon attacks increases by 5 feet.

Powerful Build

You strengthen the lifting and pulling capabilities of your construct. The construct gains proficiency in the athletics skill. Additionally, the construct counts as one size larger when determining its carrying capacity and the weight it can push, drag, or lift.

Precision Instruments

You graft fine tools onto your construct allowing it to adeptly perform specific tasks. The construct gains three tool proficiencies of your choice, and it always has those tools available. You can select this upgrade multiple times.

Reserve Power

You install a node for conducting magical energy, enchanted to spontaneously repair your construct. By touching the construct and expending a 1st level spell slot, you can restore 2d8 + your Intelligence modifier hit points to your mechanical servant.

When you expend a spell slot of 2nd level or higher, the healing increases by 1d8 for each slot level above 1st.

Runic Engravings

Prerequisite: Construct’s Wisdom score must be 13 or higher

By inscribing arcane runes onto your mechanical servant, it is able to utilize some spellcasting abilities. The construct learns a cantrip that requires a ranged spell attack. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom. You can select this upgrade multiple times.

Smoke Screen

You attach a mechanism capable of creating a 20-foot-radius sphere of thick grey smoke centered on a point within 120 feet. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is heavily obscured. It lasts for 1 minute or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it.

Once your construct uses this feature, it must finish a short or long rest before it can use it again.

Extra Attack

Prerequisite: 6th level Artificer

Faster moving appendages allow your companion to attack rapidly. Your companion can make two weapon attacks whenever it takes the attack action on its turn. If it already has the Extra Attack feature, your companion can make three weapon attacks whenever it takes the attack action.

Clockwork Brain

Prerequisite: 6th level Artificer

You design a clockwork brain and install it into your mechanical servant. The construct gains an intelligence score of 12, allowing it to utilize items imbued with your magical infusion. It gains the ability to speak one language of your choice.

Additionally, you can use your Infuse Magic feature directly on your construct once without counting against your max number of infused spells. Only the construct can activate the infusion.

Due to its increased intelligence, the construct loses its immunity to psychic damage.

Exoskeleton

Prerequisite: 6th level Artificer, Construct’s Strength score must be 15 or higher

By replacing much of the construct’s chassis with heavy metal plates you significantly upgrade its armor at the cost of more noticeable movement. The construct’s AC becomes 18 + proficiency bonus. The construct has disadvantage on stealth skill checks.

Greater Runic Engravings

Prerequisite: 6th level Artificer, Runic Engravings upgrade

By inscribing more powerful arcane runes onto your mechanical servant, it is able to utilize more spellcasting abilities. The construct learns a cantrip of your choice. Its spellcasting ability is Wisdom.

Relentless

Prerequisite: 6th level Artificer

A variety of backup systems are installed into your construct. If the construct takes damage that would reduce it to 0 hit points, it instead is reduced to 1.

Once your construct uses this feature, it must finish a short or long rest before it can use it again.

Upgraded Build

Prerequisite: 6th level Artificer

You improve upon the foundation of your mechanical servant's build. Choose one ability score from Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, or Wisdom. The construct's score for the chosen ability becomes 16, if the score was already 16 or higher, you add 2 to the score, up to a maximum of 20.

Weapon Mastery

Prerequisite: 6th level Artificer

By focusing on improving your servant’s weapon systems, you enable the construct to use more powerful weapons. Choose 2 martial weapons. Your construct becomes proficient with those weapons, and you are able to integrate the chosen weapons into the construct's design.

Overload

Prerequisite: 7th level Artificer

The construct is upgraded with an energy discharge weapon. As an action, the construct can release a blast of electrical energy from its body. Each creature within a 20 ft cone must make a Dexterity saving throw against the construct save DC. A target takes 5d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

This damage increases to 6d10 at 11th level and 7d10 at 15th level.

Once your construct uses this feature, it must finish a short or long rest before it can use it again.

Flame Spout

Prerequisite: 7th level Artificer

The construct is upgraded with a flame weapon. As an action, the construct can send out a blast of fire. Each creature in a 5 ft wide 60 ft line starting from the construct extending in a direction of your choice must make a Dexterity saving throw against the construct save DC. A target takes 8d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

This damage increases to 10d6 at 11th level and 12d6 at 15th level.

Once your construct uses this feature, it must finish a short or long rest before it can use it again.

Cloaking Mechanism

Prerequisite: 9th level Artificer

Through a series of enhancements, magical and mechanical, you create an advanced stealth system. As an action, the construct can become invisible. The invisibility ends after one hour, or if the construct attacks or casts a spell.

Once your construct uses this feature, it must finish a short or long rest before it can use it again.

Upgraded Sensor Array

Prerequisite: 9th level Artificer, Arcane Sensors upgrade

You work to advance the sensor modules on your construct. The construct gains blindsight out to a range of 30 feet and cannot be surprised.

In addition, the construct can make a perception check to search for hidden enemies as a bonus action instead of an action.

Magically Warded

Prerequisite: 11th level Artificer

You provide strong antimagic enchantments for your mechanical servant. The construct has advantage on saving throws against spells.

Once your construct uses this feature, it must finish a short or long rest before it can use it again.

Hair Trigger Springs

Prerequisite: 11th level Artificer

By honing your construct’s reaction times, it becomes able to avoid damage with lightning reflexes. When forced to make a dexterity saving throw to avoid taking damage, the companion takes half damage on a failed save, and no damage on a success.

Advanced Materials

Prerequisite: 14th level Artificer

By utilizing rare ore in upgrading the construct’s armor, the construct gains resistance against bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

Overdrive

Prerequisite: 14th level Artificer

You develop a system which allows your construct to generate a surge of energy for a short flurry of activity. As an action, the construct may double its speed until the end of its turn. The construct may then make a single melee weapon attack against each creature it can reach during its turn. It has advantage on attack rolls, and opportunity attacks have disadvantage against it.

Spark of Intellect

Prerequisite: 17th level Artificer, Clockwork Brain Upgrade

Through an inexplicable breakthrough in the design of the clockwork brain, your mechanical servant gains an Intelligence score of 18.

Choose two level 1 spells and a single level 2 spell from the artificer spell list. The companion can spontaneously cast each of those spells once per short rest, without providing material components. Intelligence or Wisdom is its spellcasting ability.

Arcane Shielding

Prerequisite: 17th level Artificer

You install a device which can generate a bubble of arcane energy. As a bonus action the construct can activate the shield. While the shield is active the construct gains resistance to all damage for 1 minute.

Once your construct uses this feature, it must finish a short or long rest before it can use it again.

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