Battlesmith (5e Class)

Creating a Battlesmith

Battlesmiths are, in their essence, artificers without magic. They use their tools to create powerful, modified items and adopt a specific exotic style of fighting that can only be made by specific modified weapons which, by custom, battlesmiths forge themselves. When creating a battlesmith, think about where they learned their skills in both fighting and smithery. Think about their goals in doing both and how they balance their two lives.

Quick Build

First, make either Strength or Dexterity your highest score. Then, either Constitution if you want to be more soldier than smith, or Intelligence if you want to be more smith than soldier. Next, choose the guild artisan background.

Class Features

As a Battlesmith you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d10 per Battlesmith level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per Battlesmith level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: All Armor, shields
Weapons: Simple Weapons, martial Weapons
Tools: Carpenter's tools,smith's tools, leatherworker's tools
Saving Throws: Constitution, Intelligence
Skills: Choose two from Athletics, Acrobatics, Arcana, History, Insight, Investigation, Perception, Performance, and Persuasion

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) chain mail or (b) scale mail or (c) leather armor
• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) a longbow and quiver of 20 arrows or (b) a sling and pouch with 20 sling bullets
• (a) carpenter's tools or (b) smith's tools or (c) leatherworker's tools
• (a) a scholar's pack or (b) an explorer's pack

Table: The Battlesmith

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Fighting Style,Master Smithery
2nd	+2	Augmentation (+1)
3rd	+2	Weapon Specialty
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack
6th	+3	Weapon Specialty Feature
7th	+3	Augmentation (+2)
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	High Metal Augmentation
10th	+4	Weapon Specialty Feature
11th	+4	Augmentation (+3)
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Use Magic Weapon
14th	+5	Weapon Specialty Feature
15th	+5	Fast Forging
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Improved Augmentation
18th	+6	Weapon Specialty Feature
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement
20th	+6	Masterful Augmentation

Fighting Style

You adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

Archery

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.

Defense

While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.

Dueling

When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.

Great Weapon Fighting

When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.

Protection

When a creature you can see attacks a target other than you that is within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Two-Weapon Fighting

When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

Master Smithery

Starting at 1st level, when you engage in the crafting downtime activity, each day of downtime you spend crafting counts as two days.

Augmentation

At 2nd level, you gain the ability to modify your equipment to improve your combat ability. You can spend two hours and 100 gp of raw materials to use either smith’s tools, leatherworker’s tools, or carpenter’s tools (DM’s choice) and increase the power of 10 pieces of ammunition, one melee weapon, one shield, or one suit of armor. If it is a melee weapon or a piece of ammunition, then it has a +1 to attack and damage rolls you make using it. If it is a suit of armor or shield, while you are wearing it, it provides an additional +1 to AC. After 1 week, the piece of equipment decays and it loses its bonus and any other features provided by this feature. At 7th level, the bonus increases to +2 when you provide 1,000 gp and at 11th level, the bonus increases to +3 when you provide 10,000 gp.

At 17th level, you can augment equipment so that it suits another creature. When you begin the process, you can choose another creature to gain the bonus while using the equipment. The creature must be with you, assisting you, for the two hours needed to augment the equipment.

Weapon Specialty

At 3rd level, you master skills for a particular exotic style of fighting. Choose Flail Specialist, Shield Specialist, Sling Specialist, or Quarterstaff Specialist, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your chosen specialty grants you features at 6th level, 10th level, 14th level, and 18th level.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 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.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

High Metal Augmentation

At 9th level, attacks made with your augmented weapons deal magical damage for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity. you learn how to augment equipment with rare powerful metals. When you use your Augmentation feature, you can expend at least 200 gp worth of mithral to gain one of the following benefits depending on the equipment.

Mithral Ammunition: When you make an attack using Mithral Ammunition, you can make another attack using Mithral Ammunition as a bonus action.

Mithral Armor: If the armor you augment has a Strength requirement or imposes disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks, they lose these properties.

Mithral Shield: While wielding a shield augmented by mithral, you gain a +1 to Dexterity saving throws.

Mithral Melee Weapon: A heavy melee weapon augmented with mithral loses the heavy property. A melee weapon without the light property gains the light property. A melee weapon with the light property gains the finesse property. A melee weapon with the finesse and light property gains the thrown property range (20/60)

Additionally, when you use your Augmentation feature, you can expend at least 500 gp worth of adamantine to gain one of the following benefits depending on the equipment. A piece of equipment cannot have both a mithral augmentation property and an adamantine augmentation property.

Adamantine Armor or Adamantine Shield: While wearing armor augmented with adamantine or wielding a shield augmented with adamantine, any critical hit against you counts as a normal hit.

Adamantine Melee Weapon or Adamantine Ammunition: Weapons and ammunition augmented with adamantine are nearly indestructible. Whenever an adamantine weapon hits an object, the hit is a critical hit.

Use Magic Weapon

At 13th level, you have gained such mastery over weapons and armor such that you ignore all class, race, and level requirements on the use of magic weapons, ammunition, armor, and shields.

Fast Forging

At 15th level, your skill in forging increases to incredible levels. When you use downtime to craft an object, each day of downtime counts as three days for crafting. You must provide three times as much gold for this day. Additionally, when you recover ammunition from a battle, you can spend 5 minutes to recover the rest of your ammunition. This time represents the time it takes to repair your broken ammunition. If a piece of equipment is damaged, you can work for 5 minutes to repair the item.

Masterful Augmentation

At 20th level, the cost in materials and time required to augment a piece of equipment is halved. In addition, all weapons you augment are given one of the following benefits depending on the type of equipment.

Ammunition: Once per turn, when you make a ranged weapon attack using an augmented piece of ammunition, you make an attack against up to two creatures in a line 5 feet wide and length equal to the weapon’s range.

Armor: While wearing augmented armor, the wearer gains resistance to non-magical bludgeoning piercing and slashing damage.

Shield: While wielding an augmented shield, the wearer can use their reaction to add their proficiency bonus to the shield’s AC bonus against one attack.

Melee Weapon: Once per turn, when you make a melee weapon attack using an augmented melee weapon, you can deal an extra 1d12 damage to the target.

Weapon Specialty

Flail Specialist

Flail specialists customize their flails so they can maneuver the weighted ends in complicated yet dangerous patterns. They’re a scourge on the battlefield, using their flails to defend against swarms, and ensnare their enemies.

Broad Swing

Starting at 3rd level, when you miss an attack using a flail, you can immediately make another attack using the same flail against another creature within 5 feet of you as a bonus action.

Ensnare Creature

Beginning at 6th level, you learn to use your flails to ensnare your enemies. When you use your augmentation feature on a flail, you can spend 30 additional gp to lengthen the chain on your flail. An elongated chain flail has a reach of 10 feet. You can attempt to grapple targets using a flail while welding an elongated chain flail. When you succeed on a grapple using a flail, the target takes 1d8 bludgeoning damage and the flail cannot be used to attack until the grapple ends. You can drop the flail used to trap the opponent as a bonus action and the creature remains grappled. The target can use their action to attempt to escape the grapple. The escape DC equals 10 + your Proficiency Bonus + the weapon’s augmentation bonus.

Catch Weapon

Starting at 10th level, you can use your flails to block incoming attacks by using the flail chain. You can wield an elongated chain flail with two hands. When you do so, you can use your reaction to hold out your flail chain like a shield. You gain a bonus to AC against melee weapon attacks equal to the weapon’s augmentation bonus until the start of your next turn. If a creature scores a critical hit with a melee weapon attack made against you while you have this bonus to AC, then the fail’s chain breaks, destroying the flail. If the flail is augmented with adamantine, then roll a d20. On a 5 or lower, the flail’s chain breaks.

Heavy Strike

At 14th level, you learn to maneuver your elongated chain flails to increase the momentum of the weighted end to dangerously high amounts. As a bonus action, you can prepare a heavy strike. When you do so, the next attack you make with an elongated chain flail is made with advantage and deals an additional d4 bludgeoning damage. If you score a critical hit with this attack, then you may attempt to shove the creature as part of the same attack. Additionally, if the creature is wielding a shield, then the shield is destroyed on a critical hit.

Whirlwind Technique

At 18th level, you keep your flails moving at all times, making you a dangerous foe to approach. Creatures provoke opportunity attacks when they enter the reach of your elongated chain flails. And when you hit a creature with an opportunity attack using an elongated chain flail, you can attempt to shove the creature as part of the same reaction.

Shield Specialist

Shield Specialists customize their shields to become powerful tools for both offense and defense.

Combat Shield Wielding

At 3rd level, you learn how to use your shield to attack your opponent. While wielding a shield, you may make attacks using the shield. You are proficient in the attacks and make them using Strength. The attacks deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage. If you are wielding an augmented shield, you can add your shield’s augmentation bonus to the attack and damage rolls. Additionally, you may Don or Doff a shield as a bonus action.

Notched Shield

Beginning at 6th level, you learn how to modify your shields to defend yourself against attacks. When you use your augmentation feature on a shield, you can spend an additional 30 gp to create a notch in the shield. While wielding a notched shield, you can catch your enemy’s weapons in the notch. When a creature no more than 1 size larger than you makes a melee weapon attack against you, you can use your reaction to make a Strength (Athletics) check contested by the target’s Strength (Athletics) or Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. If you succeed, then you catch the weapon in your shield. The creature wielding the weapon cannot make weapon attacks using that weapon and cannot move further than their weapon’s reach away from you until they use their action to remove their weapon from the notch or drop the weapon. A notched shield can only hold one melee weapon at a time. On your turn, you can release a melee weapon from the notch (no action required).

Two Handed Shield Wielding

At 10th level, you learn to use your augmented shields with two hands. While wielding an augmented shield with two hands, you gain an additional +2 to AC and add an additional damage die to the damage rolls made with your combat shield wielding attacks.

Protective Maneuver

Beginning at 14th level, you learn to force your shields between you and your opponents, protecting you from harm. When you hit a creature with an attack made using a shield, your movement doesn’t provoke opportunity attacks from the target and you gain a +1 to AC against attacks made by the target until the start of your next turn.

Masterful Shield Weilding

At 18th level, your skill in wielding a shield is made incredibly strong. When you use your augmentation feature on a shield and create a notched shield, you may create three notches on the shield. Each notch can hold one melee weapon. Additionally, at the start of each creature’s turn, if you have already used your reaction, you gain another reaction which you can use only to attempt to catch a melee weapon in your shield.

Sling Specialist

Sling Specialists make full use of their slings in both ranged and melee combat. They customize their slings to spray volleys of bullets at their opponents.

Sling Bash

Starting at 3rd level, you learn to use your slings for melee combat. When you take the attack action on your turn and are wielding a sling, you can make a melee weapon attack using your sling. The attack deals bludgeoning damage and uses Dexterity for attack and damage rolls. You must have a piece of ammunition, but the ammunition is not fired. It remains in the sling as you swing the sling and bash the end into the target.

Multi-Shot

Beginning at 6th level, you learn how to fire off multiple bullets from your sling when you attack. You can use your augmentation ability on slings. When you do so, the sling can load additional bullets equal to the augmentation bonus. Once per turn, when you take the attack action and make an attack using an augmented sling, you may use additional pieces of ammunition to deal extra damage dice to the target equal to the number of additional pieces of ammunition you used.

Sling Sniping

Starting at 10th level, attacking at long range with an augmented sling doesn’t impose disadvantage on the attack roll.

Volley-Shot

Beginning at 14th level, when you use your multi-shot ability, you can, instead of adding additional dice to the damage roll, make a single attack against up to 4 creatures within 10 feet of a point within range.

Multi-Shot Improvement

At 18th level, you learn to use your multi-shot more often using different slings on your turn. You can use your Multi-Shot ability twice as long as you are wielding an augmented sling in both hands.

Quarterstaff Specialist

Quarterstaff Specialists fight using their staff. They customize their staffs to split into two, making them a highly versatile fighter on the battlefield.

Staff Mastery

At 3rd level, you learn to use your staff more effectively. The damage die of quarterstaffs you’re welding increases to a d8 and the versatile damage die of the staff increases to a d12.

Splitting Staff

At 6th level, you gain the ability to split your staff into two smaller pieces. When you use your augmentation feature on a quarterstaff, you may spend 30 additional gp to give the staff the ability to split. As a bonus action on your turn, you may split your staff or reconnect it. While split, the staff counts as two melee weapons. Each weapon is a quarterstaff and has the light property. Additionally, while wielding a splitting staff that is connected and a creature misses you with a melee attack, you may use your reaction to split your staff and make one attack using the staff against the creature as you block with the staff then attack the loss in their guard.

Entrap

Starting at 10th level, you learn to connect your splitting staff to trap creatures in your reach. If on your turn you hit at least twice with your splitting staff while it is split, you can use your reaction to attempt to grapple the target and connect your splitting staff. You don’t need to have a hand available to start or maintain this grapple and the grapple ends once you split your splitting staff.

Reshot

At 14th level, you learn how to split your staff to turn a miss into a hit. When you take the attack action on your turn and miss with an attack made by a splitting staff that is not split, you may split the staff and make an additional attack as part of the same action.

Fusion Parry

At 18th level, you learn how to block attacks with your splitting staff by connecting it, then spinning it rapidly to create a barrier. When your splitting staff is split, you may use your reaction to connect the staff and gain a +2 to AC until the start of your next turn.

Multiclassing

To qualify for multiclassing in the battlesmith class, you must meet these prerequisites: Strength 13 or Dexterity 13 or Intelligence 13

When you multiclass into the battlesmith class, you gain proficiency in simple weapons, martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields.

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