Mystic Puppeteer (5e Class)
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The Mystic Puppeteer
Mystic puppeteers are wondrous people, often skilled craftsmen, or entertainers. Unlike regular puppeteers, though, a mystic puppeteer uses magic, or some other mystical force in order to animate their works, and make them more versatile. They use their puppets for a great many things, and sometimes rumors spread that the puppeteers may have even become delusional, believing their own puppets to be alive.
Creating a Mystic Puppeteer
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| A mystic puppeteer's greatest allies are the ones they've made for themselves. Often, they even care for them as if they were family, and trust in them just as much. |
When making a mystic puppeteer, try to think of why you've chosen this pursuit. What got you interested in becoming a puppeteer? Why have you decided to make something more from it? Are the puppets like family to you? Do you want to make others happy? Are you trying to prove a point? What are you trying to accomplish?
- Quick Build
You can make a mystic puppeteer quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Intelligence. Wisdom or Charisma can also be a good third choice. Second, choose the Guild Artisan or Entertainer background. Third, choose the scale mail, a shortbow for a simple weapon, and the explorer's pack.
Class Features
As a Mystic Puppeteer you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Mystic Puppeteer level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Mystic Puppeteer level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, shortswords
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence
Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Medicine, and Stealth
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) Leather armor or (b) scale mail
- (a) A shortsword or (b) any simple weapon
- (a) A dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack or (c) an entertainer's pack
- Two daggers
| Level | Proficiency Bonus | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Mystical Puppets |
| 2nd | +2 | Cunning Maneuver |
| 3rd | +2 | Mystic Specialization |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 5th | +3 | Puppet Dodge |
| 6th | +3 | Improved Mystical Puppets |
| 7th | +3 | Specialization Feature |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 9th | +4 | Spell Protection (one use) |
| 10th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 11th | +4 | Specialization Feature |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 13th | +5 | Spell Protection (two uses) |
| 14th | +5 | Concentrated Mind |
| 15th | +5 | Strengthened Mystical Puppets |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 17th | +6 | Specialization Feature |
| 18th | +6 | Spell Protection (three uses) |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement |
| 20th | +6 | Mystical Puppet Companion |
Mystical Puppets
You have crafted and enchanted a number of loyal puppets equal to your proficiency bonus. Your puppets act on your initiative, but they use their own movement and actions, following your directions to the best of their ability. It takes your bonus action on your turn to direct your puppets, and they will remain stationary and take the Dodge action if not given direction on a turn; directions are issued silently and without movement on your part, coming close to being nothing more than a thought from you. The puppets cannot move outside an area whose size is equal to a 60-foot radius sphere centered on you, and a puppet cannot be forced outside of this area by any means. Each puppet is a Tiny size construct, has a flying speed of 20 feet (hovering), hit points equal to your mystic puppeteer level, an AC of 10, and a carrying capacity of 15 lbs and can push, drag, or lift no more than 30 lbs. Your puppets are immune to the charmed and frightened conditions, and cannot gain exhaustion. Whenever one or more of your puppets are required to make a saving throw, they use your saving throws.
For the purposes of making ability checks, a puppet is considered to have a Strength score of 2, a Dexterity score equal to your Dexterity score, a Constitution score of 10, an Intelligence score of 8, a Wisdom score of 10, and a Charisma score of 12.
As an action, you can call your puppets to fight alongside you, causing them to appear in unoccupied spaces within 10 feet of you. The puppets remain active in combat until the encounter ends or until they are reduced to 0 hit points. You can have and keep any number of your puppets summoned outside of combat if you so choose, though you must still use your action when combat begins to 'shift' any such puppets into a combat state, as if you were summoning them. When attacking, your puppets can only make one melee attack each. This attack uses your Dexterity modifier and proficiency bonus for the attack roll, and the damage of this attack is 1d4 bludgeoning damage with no ability modifier. This damage receives a bonus modifier at higher levels, a +1 bonus at 7th level, then a +2 bonus at 14th level.
If a puppet is reduced to 0 hit points, it vanishes and can't be summoned again unless you expend a use of this feature. Expending a use of this feature returns to you the ability to summon any of your puppets that had previously been reduced to 0 hit points.
You can summon or 'shift' your puppets a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all spent uses of this feature when you finish a short or long rest.
Cunning Maneuver
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your bonus action on your turn to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
Mystic Specialization
At 3rd level a mystic puppeteer must choose a specific Mystic Specialization to pursue, choosing from Commander, Rallier, or Ranger, all detailed at the end of the class description. The specialization you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 17th level.
Ability Score Increase
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Puppet Dodge
Starting at 5th level, when an attacker that you can see hits one of your puppets with an attack, you can use your reaction to cause the attack to miss.
Improved Mystical Puppets
Starting at 6th level, your puppets' attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
Spell Protection
Beginning at 9th level, each one of your puppets can reroll a saving throw that it fails against a spell or other magical effect. If it does so, it must use the new roll, and it can't use this feature again until you finish a long rest; each of your puppets individually gets one use of this feature between long rests.
Each puppet can use this feature twice between long rests starting at 13th level and three times between long rests starting at 18th level.
Concentrated Mind
By 14th level, you have acquired greater mental focus. You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.
Strengthened Mystical Puppets
At 15th level, your puppets are improved further; their AC increases by 3, and you now add your proficiency bonus to their hit point totals.
Mystical Puppet Companion
By 20th level, one of your puppets in particular has become your chosen companion. That puppet has its hit point total doubled, gains a +1 bonus to both its damage rolls and its AC, gains the Multiattack action, allowing it to attack twice instead of once, and remains summoned with you at all times unless defeated in combat; you must still expend uses of your Mystical Puppets feature to 'shift' it for combat as normal, however.
Additionally, when you roll for initiative and have no uses of your Mystical Puppets feature remaining, and none of your puppets remaining, then your chosen companion will be mystically summoned into an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you before combat begins, without you needing to spend an action.
Commander
Commanders are mystic puppeteers who specialize in using their puppets for combat. Their puppets weave around each other on the battlefield, working in tandem, performing coordinated maneuvers and employing tactics as if they were a true military battalion, devastating the puppeteer's foes. They're built to excel in a fight, capable of both giving and taking attacks better than the puppets of other mystic puppeteers, and truly are a force to be reckoned with.
- Combat Ready
When you choose to be a Commander at 3rd level, you modify and equip your puppets to make them more suited for combat. They now appear to wield their own weapons, and wear minor armor plating; your puppets stand at attention out of combat, and appear more like soldiers. Your puppets' effective Strength score increases to 6, and their effective Constitution score increases to 14.
The damage of your puppets' attacks becomes 1d6 instead of 1d4, and receives a +1 damage bonus. Additionally, when you summon your puppets to battle, you may choose which damage type their attacks deal, choosing from bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing; all of your puppets use the same damage type as each other, and once a damage type is chosen, it cannot be changed until you summon your puppets again.
- Fortified Mystical Puppets
At 7th level, your puppets' AC becomes 13, and their hit points become equal to your mystic puppeteer level + your Intelligence modifier.
- Tactical Assault
Starting at 11th level, once per turn, one of your puppets has advantage on an attack roll against a creature if at least one of your other puppets is within 5 feet of the creature and you aren't incapacitated.
- Resilient Fortification
At 17th level, choose two from bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. Your puppets gain resistance to nonmagical damage of the chosen types.
Rallier
Ralliers really bring their puppets to life. They often excel at using their puppets to tell stories or put on shows, with their puppets that move, look, speak, and act like real, living people. They also have a much better way with their words than other mystic puppeteers, and so do well in performing negotiations or even in deceiving others. On the battlefield, however, they shift their focus to supporting their allies, using their puppets to encourage others and to bolster morale. They may not do much to an enemy in combat, but they're still a reliable ally and friend both during and outside of a fight nonetheless.
- Brought to Life
When you become a Rallier at 3rd level, you learn how to make your puppets move and appear incredibly life-like, to the point that some people may mistake them for living creatures at times. They will also now speak in their own voices and display their own unique personalities, though what they do and say is secretly still dictated by you, through a method similar to ventriloquism. Your puppets' effective Charisma score increases to 20, and they add your proficiency bonus to their Performance and Persuasion checks.
You gain proficiency in the Performance and Persuasion skills and you can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any Charisma check you make that doesn't already include your proficiency bonus. Additionally, you can use either your bonus action or your action during combat to summon your puppets.
- Rallying Mystical Puppets
Starting at 7th level, when an ally you can see within 30 feet of one or more of your puppets makes an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw, as long as it can hear at least one such puppet, you can use your reaction to roll a d6, and add the number rolled to their result.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to 2 + your Intelligence modifier (a minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
- Emphasised Rally
Starting at 11th level, when you expend a use of your Rallying Mystical Puppets feature, you now roll a d8 instead of a d6. Additionally, you now regain all expended uses of your Rallying Mystical Puppets feature when you finish a short or long rest.
- Heartfelt Sincerity
Starting at 17th level, when you expend a use of your Rallying Mystical Puppets feature, you now roll a d10 instead of a d8, and the range of that feature increases to be 60 feet from one of your puppets instead of 30 feet.
You also now add your full proficiency bonus to any Charisma check you make that doesn't already include your proficiency bonus, instead of adding only half. Additionally, when you make a Charisma check, you can expend one use of your Rallying Mystical Puppets feature to make the check at advantage; you must have at least one of your puppets available and present to do this.
Ranger
A Ranger has decided to confront problems less directly and instead study a situation intently, then devise a plan of action carefully to resolve issues they're presented with. Rangers are mystic puppeteers that rely more on their observational ability, tricks, traps, and cunning to deal with foes rather than take them head-on. A Ranger's puppets are built to travel much further distances than those of other mystic puppeteers, and are used for covert observation, and the puppets themselves are often even rigged with traps in case of dire situations.
- Far-Seeing
When you devote yourself to the Ranger specialization at 3rd level, you make your puppets more suited for scouting and spying. Your puppets have become more lithe and efficient at movement, and have been modified to allow for you to employ other little tricks. Your puppets' effective Dexterity score increases by 2, their effective Intelligence score increases to 10, and their effective Wisdom score increases to 14, and they add your proficiency bonus to their Perception checks.
You gain proficiency in the Perception skill, and the area your puppets are limited to increases in size to a 120-foot radius sphere centered on you instead of a 60-foot radius sphere, and their movement speed increases to 30 feet; a puppet still cannot move or be forced outside of this area by any means. Additionally, as an action, you can now choose to see and hear through one of your puppets until the start of your next turn, though you lose the benefits of any special senses you may have while doing so. You can't see or hear through more than one puppet at a time. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.
- Watchful Mystical Puppets
Starting at 7th level, your puppets gain darkvision out to a range of 60 feet, and you may benefit from this sense when seeing and hearing through a puppet. Additionally, if you are surprised at the beginning of combat, and aren't incapacitated, you make an Intelligence check; on a result of 13 or higher, you can act normally on your first turn.
- Cunning Companions
At 11th level, your puppets lose the ability to perform their melee attack, and instead gain a ranged attack. This attack uses the same attack roll and damage as their melee attack, but deals piercing damage instead of bludgeoning, and has a range of 60 feet. Additionally, each of your puppets can now be commanded to take a bonus action in addition to their action on your turn; this action can be used only to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action.
- Detonation Trap
Starting at 17th level, your puppets gain another action you can command them to perform. When commanded to perform this action, a puppet detonates suddenly and without warning. Any creature within a 10-foot radius sphere centered on the puppet when it detonates must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC = 8 + your Dexterity modifier + your proficiency bonus). A creature takes 2d8 fire damage and 2d8 force damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. After detonating, the puppet's hit points are instantaneously reduced to 0 as a result.
Multiclassing
Before gaining levels in mystic puppeteer a character must first find a way to be able to craft and enchant their own puppets.
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the mystic puppeteer class, you must meet these prerequisites: 13 Dexterity and Intelligence.
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the mystic puppeteer class, you gain the following proficiencies: simple weapons and light armor.
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