Gadgeteer

Some warriors become fascinated with the possibilities presented by new technology and arcanoscience, and in their tinkering devise a variety of tools that can be useful in a battle.

These gadgeteers keep a lot of tricks up their sleeves or, more often, on their belts.

Utility Items

At 3rd level, you learn to combine a mix of tinkering, alchemy, and the most basic magical prestidigitation to build single-use items useful in combat. You store various components on your person – often in utilitarian belt pouches – and prepare devices when you have a few spare minutes. These items only function for you, and fall apart if they’re away from you for more than a minute.

When you gain this feature, you invent three Gadgets of your choice (see “Gadget Options” below). You keep the details of the invention in a book called a codex. You invent an additional gadget when you reach certain levels of this class: 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th level.

You can also add more gadgets to your codex by learning from other inventors, typically by spending one day of down time with that inventor’s aid and spending 100 gp for the necessary materials to tinker. You might also reverse engineer a gadget you find, though this could take longer and be more expensive, at the Narrator’s discretion.

The interaction of alchemical energies limits how many gadgets you can have prepared at any one time. Whenever you complete a short rest, you prepare a number of gadgets equal to 3 + your Intelligence modifier. You can prepare multiple copies of a given type of gadget in this way. If you prepare more gadgets, your previous gadgets cease to work but can be recovered for raw materials. Gadgets only work once, unless otherwise noted.

Activating a gadget requires an action unless otherwise noted, and you can only activate one gadget per turn. Thanks to your deft fingers and arcanotechnological riggings, you can use a hand holding a weapon to use a gadget. If the weapon has a magic bonus to attack and damage rolls, you can touch the gadget to the weapon as part of using it, giving the gadget the same bonus.

Weapon Gadgets. If a gadget is labeled ‘weapon,’ you can draw it like ammunition and use it in place of an attack. You are considered proficient with any weapon gadgets (i.e., you add your proficiency bonus to any attack rolls they require, unlike normally, when they’re treated as improvised weapons). No matter how many attacks you can make, however, you can still only assemble one gadget each turn.

Gadget Options

Choose from the following. If a gadget calls for a saving throw, the DC is 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.

Adaptable Antitoxin Applicator. As a bonus action you inject an alchemical variety of antitoxin that does not need to be drunk to provide its benefit. The recipient gains advantage on saving throws against poison for 1 hour and is immune to poison for one round.

Alchemist’s Phlogiston. (Weapon) A superior form of alchemist’s fire, this sticky, adhesive fluid ignites when exposed to air. In place of an attack, you can throw this flask up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. Make a ranged attack against a creature or object. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 fire damage at the start of each of its turns. A creature can end this damage by using its action to extinguish the flames.

Alkahest. (Weapon) In place of an attack, you can splash a vial of this highly caustic acid onto a creature within 5 feet of you or throw the vial up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. In either case, make a ranged attack against a creature or object. On a hit, the target takes acid damage equal to 2d8 + your Intelligence modifier.

Animal Repellent Spray. As a bonus action you spray chemicals on yourself or another creature within 5 feet. For the next ten minutes, any living creature that comes within 10 feet of the doused target smells something so repellent that it feels a momentary instinct to flee. The creature must make a Constitution saving throw . If it succeeds, it can ignore the chemicals for their duration. If it fails, it is poisoned until the end of its next turn. Thereafter it is unaffected, though unintelligent creatures likely still avoid the doused creature.

Arcanoinveigling Rod. As a bonus action you plant a magically resonant rod into some solid object and choose a damage type: acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, psychic, radiant, or thunder. For the next ten minutes, any creature within 10 feet of the rod has resistance to that damage type. The rod functions somewhat akin to a lightning rod, so if the rod is moved, or if it is not planted into something solid, it ceases to function.

Ascension Gear. This gadget can be reused multiple times.

As a bonus action, you aim and launch an advanced grappling device at a surface within 60 feet. You can then hold the gear or attach it to yourself, typically at your belt.

A spool can reel you to the surface struck, as long as the surface is secure and heavier than you; or it can pull an item that is significantly lighter than you toward you. If the weight is comparable, both ends tend to get pulled toward each other.

You can choose to immediately activate the spool, which retracts 30 feet. Each round thereafter you can maintain your grip on the gadget and retract the spool another 30 feet without spending an action, or you can simply maintain your current distance. A Dexterity (Acrobatics) check (DC 10) might let you use the anchor point to swing across a gap, effectively gaining a fly speed of 60 feet, with the limit that you generally cannot go higher than your anchor point. 

The grappler cannot grab onto held or worn objects, nor onto creatures unless they’re unconscious or willing.

Autootolarynx. As a bonus action, you don a mask that enhances smells. For the next ten minutes you can detect creatures within 30 feet by sense of smell, and can easily track trails by their scent.

Bespoke Bane. When you prepare this item, choose a creature whose damage immunities and resistances you are aware of. As a bonus action, you can hold this item, or throw it at a point within 20 feet. If you throw it at a creature, the device clings to the target unless it succeeds a Dexterity saving throw , though the creature can remove the device by spending an action. The device emits an alchemical aura in a 10-foot radius that causes creatures of the type you chose to lose their damage resistances, and for their damage immunities to become resistances instead. This lasts for one minute.

Chiaroscuro Bomb. As an action you can throw this item at a point within 20 feet. When you do, you choose whether it produces a blinding flash or releases a cloud of obscuring smoke. If a flash, creatures in a 10-foot square centered on the target point must succeed a Constitution saving throw or be blinded until the start of your next turn. If smoke, the item creates a 10-foot square of concealment that lasts for one minute. Strong wind can disperse the smoke.

Cloak of Gliding. This gadget can be reused multiple times.

As a reaction when you fall 10 feet or more, you can cause this cloak to extend and stiffen like a wing, which momentarily stops you from falling farther. Thereafter, at the end of each of your turns you fall 10 feet (or more, if you desire). While descending, you have a fly speed of 60 feet, though you cannot increase your altitude. You do not take falling damage while using this cloak. When there is no longer air resistance from falling, the cloak returns to its normal shape.

Instant Contrivance. This gadget can be reused multiple times.

When you prepare this gadget, pick any set of tools that weighs ten pounds or less. As an action, you can assemble a set of such tools, which last until you collapse it to an inert form. (You might be able to get smithing tools, for example, but not an actual forge.)

Locative Lantern. As a bonus action, this hand-held lantern sheds light in a 20-foot radius for one minute. During that time, creatures cannot teleport into or out of the illuminated area, creatures cannot use incorporeal movement in the area, and ethereal creatures in that area can be affected as if they were not ethereal. When a creature tries to move out of the radius of the light, they must succeed a Strength saving throw . If it fails, its movement stops. You can hold the lantern, or attach it to yourself, typically on your belt. The lantern functions even if you’re not holding it.

Nocturnal Goggles. As a bonus action, you don goggles that grant you darkvision, letting you see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. They function for ten minutes.

Redoubled Reaction Ram. (Weapon) In place of an attack, you can shove a creature within 5 feet. You gain a +4 bonus on your Strength (Athletics) check to shove the creature, and if you succeed you deal force damage equal to your Intelligence modifier, and can either knock the target prone or push it 10 feet.

Alternatively, you can spend a bonus action to place this device against a door and can make a Strength check, with a +4 bonus and advantage , to break down that door. It can likewise be useful for shattering unattended inanimate objects.

Splattering Lubricant. As an action, you can throw this item at a spot within 60 feet. Slick lubricant covers the ground in a 10-ft. square centered on that point, which turns it into difficult terrain for ten minutes. Each creature standing in the area when the lubricant lands must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone . A creature that enters the area or ends its turn there must also succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone.

Synthetic Peril. You usually wear this item under clothes. When you start your turn and are charmed , this item jabs you with a wickedly barbed needle, without you needing to spend an action. It causes no actual damage, but is so shockingly painful that your mind reacts as if you have been attacked and damaged by the creature charming you, which often allows you to make a new saving throw against the charm. Once activated, the device continues to stab you at the start of each of your turns for one minute.

Tanglegrim Bag. (Weapon) In place of an attack, you can throw this item up to 20 feet, making a ranged attack against a creature or object as an improvised weapon. On a hit, the target takes necrotic damage equal to 1d8 + your Intelligence modifier, and it must make a Strength saving throw . If it succeeds, its Speed is reduced by half for 10 minutes. If it fails, its Speed is reduced to 0 for ten minutes. Whether it succeeds or fails, it can spend an action to make a Strength check (DC 10), and if succeeds it can break free of the entanglement.

Thunderstone. (Weapon) In place of an attack, you can throw this item at a point within 20 feet. The stone shatters and releases a deafening and painful boom. Each creature in a 10-foot square centered on the target point must succeed a Constitution saving throw . If it fails it takes thunder damage equal to 1d4 + your Intelligence modifier, is pushed 5 feet away from the center of the area, and is deafened for a minute. If it succeeds it takes 1 thunder damage and is not pushed or deafened.

My Own Design

At 7th level, you can devise a custom apparatus of exceptional power. Choose one spell of 2nd level or lower that any class can cast. Your apparatus can produce the same effect, requiring the same action to activate as the spell takes to cast, and using your gadget saving throw DC for any spell saving throw DC. If the spell requires any expensive components, the apparatus requires components of equivalent cost. After you use your apparatus, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest .

Signature Item

At 10th level, choose one gadget you know how to create. You are treated as always having one of those items prepared, and they do not count against the number of items you can prepare at a time.

At 18th level, choose another gadget as a signature item.

Ready for Anything

At 15th level, you can use any gadget you have in your codex without having to have prepared it first. After you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest .