Artillerist (5e Subclass)

Artillerist

Fighter Subclass

The artillerist is the sort of fighter that loads, aims, fires, moves and maintains artillery such as trebuchets, catapults, scorpions, and ballistae. Sometimes artillerists are called engineers or siege specialists. The Artillerist is expected to be an NPC subclass most of the time. It might be a useful PC class if the party spends most of its time at sea on ships, or if a fighter wants to become very good with javelins, or become a large trap constructor.

Maintain Artillery

Starting at first level, you can keep your artillery maintained with as little as one hour per day per piece of artillery.

• Artillery you have maintained within the last 24 hours fires at advantage.
• Artillery unmaintained for one month fires at a disadvantage.
• Artillery unmaintained for one year no longer fires.
• You can return an artillery piece that has been unmaintained for over a year to a maintained state with one day's work.

Load, Aim and Fire Artillery

You have proficiency with all forms of artillery in addition to your normal fighter proficiency with martial weapons.

Area Affect Damage Dodging

Dangerous creatures, enemy armies, and attacking wizards are forever trying to take out the opposing artillery first. This makes your artillery and you a target for major area effects and breath weapons.

• Starting at 3rd level as a reaction, if you are wearing light armor or no armor, you can dive into a hole or behind other full solid cover if such exists within 10 ft. This reduces the damage from breath and area affects by half.
• The artillery itself does not provide solid cover. Earthworks and stonework can.

Maritime Aiming and Firing

Starting at 7th level, you no longer have disadvantage when firing artillery from a moving platform such as a wagon, ship, or airship.

Javelin Master

Ballistae and scorpions usually fire specially made javelins.

• Starting at 7th level, you add +2 to hit and +2 damage when firing, throwing, or fighting with a javelin.
• Your short range when firing or throwing javelins also doubles.

Emplacement Construction

Starting at 10th level, you can build earthworks or stoneworks which give you and your artillery partial cover, and a stable platform to fire from.

• Earthworks take one day per artillery piece.
• Stonework takes one month per artillery piece.

Engine Construction

Starting at 15th level, you can put your experience with artillery to use, building them.

• You can apply this knowledge to building large traps that someone else has designed.
• You can also build siege engines, and artillery transports.
• Building a siege engine or large trap requires four artillerists one month.

Engine Design

Starting at 18th level, you can do more than construct engines. You can now design new kinds of artillery, siege engines, transports, turrets, and large traps.

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