Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything isn’t even a week old yet, but it’s all that the D&D community has been talking about for months. Ever since Jeremy Crawford let slip that character creation would be getting some optional new rules, adventurers have been foaming at the mouth for the content inside.
Speaking of content, all of the subclasses in TCoE have seen a previous debut in Wizards’Unearthed Arcana, a content series with material that the D&D community playtests. Many of these classes receive tweaks and updates before their final printed version. The article below will go over the Armorer subclass for the Artificer.
Tools of the Trade is the very first feature for the Armorer, giving you proficiency in smith’s tools. If you already have proficiency in smith’s tools, you may choose another artisan tool to gain proficiency in.
Armorer spells at 3rd level expand the number of prepared spells and give the Armorer a little extra variety. Among these extra spells, Magic Missile, Mirror Image, and Greater Invisibility are the main takeaways.
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As a rather frontloaded subclass, the Armorer is granted another 3rd level ability, Arcane Armor. As an action, you can use your smith’s tools to turn a suit of armor you are wearing into Arcane Armor. While in the armor, you gain the following benefits:
– If the armor normally has a Strength requirement, it no longer has one for you.
– The Arcane Armor can be used as a spellcasting focus for your Artificer spells.
– The armor attaches to you and can’t be removed against your will, although you can use a bonus action to retract or redeploy it.
– The armor replaces any missing limbs, replicating the function.
When you create your armor, you can customize it. Choose from either the Guardian model or the Infiltrator model, each comes with their own abilities. You can change the armor’s model whenever you finish a short or long rest.
Guardian
– Thunder Gauntlets – Each of the armor’s gauntlets count as a simple melee weapon when you aren’t holding anything in them, and they deal 1d8 thunder damage on a hit. A creature hit by the gauntlets also has disadvantage on attack rolls until the start of your next turn.
– Defensive Field – As a bonus action, you gain temporary hit points equal to your level in this class, losing the temp HP if you doff the armor. You can use this bonus action a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all expended uses whenever you finish a long rest.
Infiltrator
– Lightning Launcher – A gemlike node appears on one of your armored fists or on your chest. It counts as a simple ranged weapon, with a normal range of 90 feet and a long range of 300 feet, dealing 1d6 lightning damage on a hit. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with it, you can deal an extra 1d6 lightning damage.
– Powered Steps – Your walking speed increases by 5 feet.
– Dampening Field – You have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks. If the armor normally provides disadvantage to Dexterity (Stealth) checks, the disadvantage and advantage cancel out as normal.
The 5th level ability is simply Extra Attack, granting you an additional attack when you take the Attack action on your turn.
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At 9th level, you can start making modifications to your armor with the Armor Modifications feature. Your armor now counts as 4 separate pieces (chest piece, boots, helmet, special weapons) for the purposes of infusing them. Additionally, infusions on one armor model transfer over to the other if another armor model is chosen. On top of this, the maximum number of items you can infuse at once increases by 2, but those extra items must be part of your Arcane Armor.
Finally, the Perfected Armor ability swings in at 15th level. Your Arcane Armor is granted the following additional benefits depending on which armor model you are currently using:
– Guardian – When a Huge or smaller creature you can see ends its turn within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to magically force the creature to make a Strength saving throw against your spell save DC, pulling the creature up to 30 feet towards you to an unoccupied space. If you pull the target to a space within 5 feet of you, you may make a melee weapon attack against it as part of this reaction. You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all uses of it when you finish a long rest.
– Infiltrator – Any creature that takes lightning damage from your Lightning Launcher glimmers with magical light until the start of your next turn. The glimmering creature sheds dim light in a 5-foot radius and has disadvantage on attack rolls against you. In addition, the next attack roll against the creature has advantage, and if that attack hits it deals an extra 1d6 lightning damage to it.
If you like this subclass and would like to see more, it’s recommended to visit the Dungeons and Dragons website for more information.