D&D 5E An Aeronaut Artificer?

[doctorbadwolf]

For once I have a subclass idea rather than a class idea!

So, anyone who has read Jim Butcher’s The Aeronaut’s Windlass (one of Jim’s worst titles, and for such a great book!) will recognize what I’m going for here right away.

So, the idea is to have a little crystalpunk, a little magitech with airship stuff, in the artificer. A character well suited to a setting where airships aren’t the sole venue of a special bloodline, but a magi-technology that a clever inventor can specialize in. Obviously it will work best in campaigns that feature magitech, but it should also work in any campaign.

The concept is a mix of swashbuckler of the sky, and magitech engineer.

So, to start, gain proficiency with Vehicles (Sea/Air), and the ability to build, modify, and repair ship systems and magitech devices better than other people, and with more weapons, possibly. At least rapier and hand crossbows if artificers lack either.

Next, the crystal-powered pew pew gauntlet. My inclination is to not make it as exclusive as the other artificers subclass toys, but perhaps the aeronaut has a better one than is generally available.

A ribbon feature to boost engine systems in magitech vehicles.

maybe some kind of aether mechanic that lets you channel power into magic items and magitech devices? Maybe recharge magic items?

Any other ideas? I’ll dig more into this tomorrow, but for now I hope to see some thoughts on what you’d want or expect from a fighting magitech engineer with a lazer gauntlet!

 

[Ancalagon]

I LOOOOOOVE airships. And the "airship pilot" is definitely an archetypes in certain games. This could work...

They could have some "heavy weapons" (... rockets? a lightning gun?), the kind of weaponry the airship would have.

But this is not just a "one subclass and you are done". This requires its own setting.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Love the idea! I'll give it a bit of thought.

 

[Mind of tempest]

so an ace pilot with a custom ship yes?

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

So, Tool proficiency: Gemcutting and Vehicles Sea/Air

Gaining Martial weapons at 3rd Using Int to Attack/Damage. Extra attack at 5th.

Gain Gauntlet: Counts as a Ranged Simple weapon with a range of 20/60? Deals d8 Radiant? damage. Also counts as a spell focus.
Should also have some sort of per day ability to interact with the 9th level ability. Cone attack?

Overcharge item: Can restore charges or uses to a magic item as if at a new day. Proficiency bonus times per day, but only once to any one item other than one of their infusions.? Not sure whether there are items out there that will break the game.

15th. - Not sure.

Spells:
3rd: Featherfall, Colour spray?
5th Levitate, Shatter?
9th: Fly, Hypnotic Pattern?
13th: Freedom of Movement? Conjure elemental (If Eberron style maybe?)
13th: Wall of Force, Animate objects?

 

[Eubani]

Would give a basic sky ship as part of the class be too powerful? Because lets face it it's the base of what this idea is about.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Okay, here is my take:

Aeronaut (Artificer subclass)


Ace Pilot (3rd level)
You gain proficiency with Air/Water vehicles. If you already have this proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other vehicle or type of artisan’s tools of your choice. You can use any vehicle your are controlling as your spellcasting focus. Whenever you make a skill check to control and air vehicle you have advantage on the check. [Eberron specific: you can use a Wheel of wind and Water as if you possessed the Mark of Storm dragonmark.]

Flight Suit (3rd level)
When you complete a long rest, provided you have smith’s tools in hand, you craft an item which may be a backpack, boots, or incorporated into your armor. When you have this item equipped you have a fly speed of 30'. The item continues to be your flight suit until you craft another such item or you die.

Powered Flight (5th level)
The base speed of your Flight Suit increases to 40 ft. As a bonus action you can double the speed of any air vehicle you are controlling, or your own fly speed, for 1 minute. You can use this ability once per short or long rest. You can burn a spell slot to gain an extra use of this ability. If you burn a spell slot higher than 1st level the duration increases to one minute per spell level. Alternatively, you use this ability to carry one extra creature per spell slot level of medium size or smaller without suffering from any encumbrance effects (you must grapple hostile creatures first).

Quick reactions (5th level)
If you are falling you can activate your flight ability as a reaction and hover.

Enhanced aeronautical engineering (9th level)
When you complete a long rest, provided you have smith's tools in hand, you can use your skills to improve either your flight suit or your vessel. Whichever you choose to enhance, it's base movement speed is increased by 10 ft and it's AC increases by 1. This ability can be used once per long rest and you cannot have more than one item enhanced in this way. When you use this ability you can give your ship/suit the properties of one of your infusions. This does not count against your maximum number of infusions and if it requires attunement you are automatically attuned to it without using an attunement slot.


That's enough for now, as for the spell list, I suggest spells that assist navigation could included.

 

[Steampunkette]

So, Tool proficiency: Gemcutting and Vehicles Sea/Air

Gaining Martial weapons at 3rd Using Int to Attack/Damage. Extra attack at 5th.

Gain Gauntlet: Counts as a Ranged Simple weapon with a range of 20/60? Deals d8 Radiant? damage. Also counts as a spell focus.
Should also have some sort of per day ability to interact with the 9th level ability. Cone attack?

Overcharge item: Can restore charges or uses to a magic item as if at a new day. Proficiency bonus times per day, but only once to any one item other than one of their infusions.? Not sure whether there are items out there that will break the game.

15th. - Not sure.

Spells:
3rd: Featherfall, Colour spray?
5th Levitate, Shatter?
9th: Fly, Hypnotic Pattern?
13th: Freedom of Movement? Conjure elemental (If Eberron style maybe?)
13th: Wall of Force, Animate objects?

I like a lot of what you've got, here.

For the glove, how about powering it by Gemstones and Crystals? Each 5gp of value in the gemstone, you get a shot, and the chamber can hold either 50gp of gemstones or 1 gemstone of any value.

Could even toss in some flavor-text about the color of the blasts being the same color as the gemstone being expended. Purple for Amethyst, Red for Ruby, Blue for Sapphire... you get the idea.

Yes, it's much more expensive than an arrow even though it only does 1d8 of damage and has a shorter range. It's also -Radiant- damage and -Cool- if it runs on gemstones!

Okay, here is my take:

Aeronaut (Artificer subclass)


Ace Pilot (3rd level)
You gain proficiency with Air/Water vehicles. If you already have this proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other vehicle or type of artisan’s tools of your choice. You can use any vehicle your are controlling as your spellcasting focus. Whenever you make a skill check to control and air vehicle you have advantage on the check. [Eberron specific: you can use a Wheel of wind and Water as if you possessed the Mark of Storm dragonmark.]

Flight Suit (3rd level)
When you complete a long rest, provided you have smith’s tools in hand, you craft an item which may be a backpack, boots, or incorporated into your armor. When you have this item equipped you have a fly speed of 30'. The item continues to be your flight suit until you craft another such item or you die.

Powered Flight (5th level)
The base speed of your Flight Suit increases to 40 ft. As a bonus action you can double the speed of any air vehicle you are controlling, or your own fly speed, for 1 minute. You can use this ability once per short or long rest. You can burn a spell slot to gain an extra use of this ability. If you burn a spell slot higher than 1st level the duration increases to one minute per spell level. Alternatively, you use this ability to carry one extra creature per spell slot level of medium size or smaller without suffering from any encumbrance effects (you must grapple hostile creatures first).

Quick reactions (5th level)
If you are falling you can activate your flight ability as a reaction and hover.

Enhanced aeronautical engineering (9th level)
When you complete a long rest, provided you have smith's tools in hand, you can use your skills to improve either your flight suit or your vessel. Whichever you choose to enhance, it's base movement speed is increased by 10 ft and it's AC increases by 1. This ability can be used once per long rest and you cannot have more than one item enhanced in this way. When you use this ability you can give your ship/suit the properties of one of your infusions. This does not count against your maximum number of infusions and if it requires attunement you are automatically attuned to it without using an attunement slot.


That's enough for now, as for the spell list, I suggest spells that assist navigation could included.

Oh, I love this. But it lacks the magic gauntlet of the book series.

Could swap the Gauntlet in for the 5th level "Powered Flight" to be a blaster-hand...

But if we do use the blaster-gauntlet... would it be better to just have it be an invention that any Artificer -could- make, but then make it's design a secret except to Aeronauts? Like you'd have to find an Aeronaut to teach you, or steal the information in a daring heist or something...

Of course, if we do that, we could do the same thing with the Flight Suit... But that maybe kinda sucks 'cause it eats up the Artificer's Infusion budget. At level 3 you only know 4 infusions and only get 2...

Hmm... Maybe the 3rd level ability could be "You gain access to the Flight Suit and Power Gauntlet Infusions and you can create one of them without it counting against your active infusions. You can create the other, normally." And then also put the Martial Weapon Proficiencies at that level as part of the Ace Pilot class feature renamed "Aeronautic Training"?

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Oh, I love this. But it lacks the magic gauntlet of the book series.

I was trying to do something more general, rather than based on the book (which is awesome, and I had forgotten about, is there a sequel?)

There is a power gauntlet infusion already.

 

[jgsugden]

While this is a good approach, the simpler approach would be to make the Aeronaut a background, not a subclass.

Skills: Perception, Nature (you need to know it to adjust for weather, understand natural threats to your ship, etc...)

Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (Sea/Air), Jeweler's Tools

Background Ability: MASTER OF THE BLUE SKIES - When piloting an airship through the air, you can reduce either the crew required by 25% or increase the velocity of the airship by 25%.

Tieing too many class abilities to the airship limits the utility of the class in the typical dungeon setting. Thus, putting it all in a background allows you to build a more rounded character and get the flair of the airship captain.