Valda's Spire of Secrets 1.0

CONTENTS Introduction................................................... 5 Chapter 1: Races .......................................... 7 Geppettin ....................................................... 8 Mandrake ..................................................... 10 Mousefolk..................................................... 12 Spirithost ...................................................... 14 Near-Human ................................................. 16 Chapter 2: Classes ..................................... 21 New Classes ................................................. 22 Alchemist..................................................... 27 Class Features .............................................. 28 Bomb Formulae............................................ 31 Discoveries ................................................... 34 Fields of Study.............................................. 37 Captain ........................................................ 45 Class Features .............................................. 46 Banners......................................................... 49 Cohorts......................................................... 54 Craftsman .................................................... 63 Class Features .............................................. 64 Artisans’ Guilds............................................. 67 Masterwork Properties.................................. 78 Weapon Properties....................................... 78 Armor Properties .......................................... 86 Gunslinger ................................................... 91 Class Features .............................................. 92 Deeds ........................................................... 94 Gunslinger’s Creeds...................................... 95 Investigator ............................................... 103 Class Features ............................................ 104 Occult Specializations................................. 107 Martyr........................................................ 115 Class Features ............................................ 116 Mortal Burdens ........................................... 119 Necromancer............................................. 127 Class Features ............................................ 128 Grave Ambitions......................................... 132 Undead Thralls ........................................... 140 Warden ...................................................... 145 Class Features ............................................ 146 Champion’s Call.......................................... 149 Warmage ................................................... 157 Class Features ............................................ 158 Warmage Tricks .......................................... 161 Warmage Houses ....................................... 165 Witch.......................................................... 173 Class Features ............................................ 174 Hexes.......................................................... 178 Grand Hexes............................................... 180 Witch’s Crafts.............................................. 183 Chapter 3: Subclasses .............................. 191 Barbarians................................................... 192 Bards........................................................... 198 Clerics......................................................... 204 Druids ......................................................... 210 Fighters....................................................... 216 Monks ......................................................... 222 Paladins ...................................................... 228 Rangers....................................................... 236 Rogues........................................................ 242 Sorcerers..................................................... 247 Warlocks ..................................................... 254 Wizards ....................................................... 262 Chapter 4: Customization ........................ 271 Multiclassing............................................... 272 Auxiliary Levels ........................................... 275 Feats ........................................................... 282 Starter Feats ............................................... 286 Chapter 5: Equipment .............................. 291 Weapons .................................................... 292 Armor ......................................................... 302 Magic Items ................................................ 302 Chapter 6: Spells....................................... 321 Tags ............................................................ 322 Spell Lists.................................................... 322 Spell Descriptions....................................... 329 Chapter 7: Appendices............................. 359 Appendix A: Variant Rules.......................... 360 Appendix B: Familiars ................................ 364 Appendix C: Monstrous Grafts................... 369 Appendix D: Siegeball ............................... 374

Credits Lead Designer Michael Holik Additional Design Alexander Binns, Jaron Mortimer, Matthew Pennell, Ben Huffman, Benjamin Richardson, Jason Sinclair, Justin Forkner, Beniamin Ghita, Max Wartelle Editors Michael Holik, Tony Casper, Benjamin Paff Lead Artist Martin Kirby Jackson Graphic Design Martin Kirby Jackson Cover Illustrator Martin Kirby Jackson Interior Illustrations Lucas Ferreira CM, Martin Kirby, Mariana Livraes, Jordy Knoop, Agustín Marceillac, Moniek Schilder, Loot Tavern (Mo) ON THE COVER Martin Kirby Jackson illustrates a view from the foot of the multidimensional Spire of Secrets. High above, arcane vortices churn into other corners of the multiverse, while levitating stones and crystalline mountainsides dominate the valley. Valda, the devious lich himself, stands cackling, staff and infernal spell in hand, to greet his newest guests. Valda’s Spire of Secrets, Mage Hand Press and their associated logos are trademarks of Mage Hand Press LLC © 2021 Mage Hand Press LLC. All Rights Reserved. First Printing – [DATE] ISBN [NUMBER] Product Identity: The following items are hereby identified as Product Identity, as defined in the Open Game License version 1.0a, Section 1(e), and are not Open Content: All trademarks, registered trademarks, proper names (characters, place names, deities, etc.), new rules, classes, plots, story elements, locations, characters, races, monsters, artwork, graphics, maps, sidebars, and trade dress. (Elements that have previously been designated as Open Game Content or are in the public domain are not included in this declaration.) Open Content: The Open content in this book includes material taken from the Systems Reference Document. No other portion of this work may be reproduced in any form without permission. MAGE HAND PRESS [mailing address] www.magehandpress.com Disclaimer: Side effects may include: rolling up more characters than you could ever play, getting irrationally excited about dice, pretending your GM is a warlock patron, making witch noises instead of character dialogue, and telling insufferable RPG stories.

Hello! I suppose introductions are in order since you’ve infiltrated my nigh-impenetrable spire. And you didn’t even bother to wipe your feet. My name’s Valda—no relation to that other lich with godlike power. I might as well do you the courtesy of a tour, seeing as you’ll never leave this place. I mean, really, when will you adventurers ever learn? Remote mausoleums named “Tomb of Doom” or “Mount Hell” or “Spire of Secrets” mean keep out. This whole place is a death trap! You saw the manticore swarm I put outside—nothing of value could possibly eclipse that! But you barged in anyway. I suppose that means you’ll make a fine addition to my collection. See, I’ve made a habit of capturing you fools alive for a museum of idiocy, an exhibition of suicidal spelunkers. I think I’ve nearly got you categorized, too. Twenty-two neat little groups, organized by rank, age, and fatal ambition. Take a look around, you might even see a distant ancestor! Welcome to my Spire! You’ll never escape. —Valda Using this Book Written for both players and Game Masters, Valda’s Spire of Secrets builds upon the rules for 5th Edition with new rules that you can use with any setting, from published campaigns to worlds of your own creation. Think about this book like a content expansion for the core rules—it isn’t an update of the edition or a new core book. Everything within is optional, and none of it changes the game’s core mechanics or disagrees with its design principles. Spire of Secrets is 5th Edition to its core, but bigger and better in every way. ASSEMBLED WITHIN Chapter 1 presents four brand new races, as well as a new and extraordinarily diverse variant race, the Near-Humans. Chapter 2 brims with ten new classes, each complete with an array of subclasses. Chapter 3 introduces new subclasses and occasionally new features for every class in the core rules. Chapter 4 contains a bevy of customization options, including complete multiclassing rules for all classes, new single level classes called auxiliary levels, feats for characters of all types, and new starter feats, which allow players to create more complex characters without sacrificing core parts of their builds. Chapter 5 explores exotic weapons and armor. It also introduces an array of firearms from throughout the ages and a collection of magic items. Finally, Chapter 6 introduces a compendium of new spells for characters of every class. In addition, the devious lich Valda has left his wry observations throughout the book. As someone who has faced—and killed—countless adventurers, he considers himself an expert on heroic taxonomy. A Letter from the Creator Six years of writing and game design has gone into the book before you. We never believed that we would still be writing content for 5th Edition after all these years, or that our efforts would yield such a tome, such a monument to design and careful iteration. In truth, however, this book is a love letter to our players, to their characters, and to everyone who has brought our content to their table. We’ve written this as a gift to you, to enrich your games from afar and help you seize everything that roleplaying games have to offer. May your stories be the truest type of fiction, and may you roll 20s, just when you need them. Your friends, —Mage Hand Press INTRODUCTION Frozen in marble, you’re less of a liability. I learned long ago that a dead adventurer is a soon-to-be-revived adventurer. Introduction 5

6 We, the Company of Wring, have slain basilisks, withstood the hoarfrost fangs of winter wolves, and trimmed scales from dragons’ hides. But doubtless you wish to hear of our boldest accomplishment: we once visited the fabled Spire of Secrets and lived to tell the tale. Our adventuring company was well-suited to the task. We are forescouted by Blodge, the mouseling thief, whose footsteps are lighter than the winter’s first snow. When force is required, our swordmaiden Priscila Borealis comes to bear. She is elegant as she is deadly, as is the nature of ethereal spirithosts. Aksel of the Baldrheim clan, our cleric, is squat by even dwarven standards, but is the finest healer this side of the Highreach. Lastly, I, Faison the Blue, am a transmuter and conjurer of much repute. I’d have been an archmage, if only they let me take the exams. Mark this tale well, for even now we plan our return to the Spire of Secrets, and shall bring with us a hundred adventurers of every stripe. We expect a cold reunion with that lich Valda and his infernal creations. PAGE 16. NEAR-HUMAN PAGE 14. SPIRITHOST PAGE 12. MOUSEFOLK PAGE 10. MANDRAKE PAGE 8. GEPPETTIN CHAPTER 1

7 CHAPTER 1: RACES Fantasy settings are defined perhaps most clearly by their peoples: not merely humans with the diversity of our world, but fantastic races of nonhumans, the likes of which solely exist in the realms of imagination. These vary from the remarkably humanlike, such as elves and halflings, to the colorful and imaginative, such as dragonborn. However, fantastical settings often include more eclectic races, drawn from the well of monstrous foes that bear intelligence and guile. This chapter presents four new races: the Geppettin, Mandrakes, Mousefolk, and Spirithosts. It also includes one exceptionally diverse race, the Near-Humans, which allow you to construct new and imaginative human-adjacent races and hybrids using feats. Additionally, this chapter includes a crucial sidebar which expands all races even further by freely customizing their talents, appearances, and upbringings.

GEPPETTIN “As soon as he reached home, Geppetto took his tools and began to cut and shape the wood into a Marionette.” —Carlo Collodi, Le Avventure di Pinocchio Ever a joy to children, geppettin resemble living playthings made of wood, cloth, or porcelain. Though easily mistaken for puppets, geppettin aren’t manipulated by a just-out-of-sight puppeteer; they are animated, sentient, and independent. Diverse Oddities As a race, the geppettin are an oddity. Though rare, they are numerous enough and share enough similarities with each other that they may be counted as an actual race of people, and not just freak mishaps of magic. While it may be that there are dedicated creators of geppettin, as there are with golems, a significant number of them have come to life on their own. Physically, geppettin are quite small, often slightly shorter than halflings. Their physical features vary greatly from type to type, but they are almost always humanoid in shape. For simplicity, geppettin are classified by the materials of which they are composed: bisque are porcelain, marionettes are wood, and raggedy are made of fabric. Despite being made of somewhat flimsy materials, sentience seems to grant them an odd hardiness. Additionally, due to their non-living nature, they never hunger, rarely tire, and are adept at being innocuous. Most find some form of work or profession in entertainment, but a few find fantastic success as spies and assassins. Charming, Yet Uncanny Though they bring delight to children, geppettin instill a cold fear in many adults—the type of fear that accompanies the uncanny realization that something inanimate is, in fact, alive. A person’s first reactions to a geppettin can be most telling, and usually fall into two camps: those that find the geppettin delightful, perhaps recalling cherished childhood memories; and those that are taken by an unnerving phobia, feeling a sudden chill upon seeing a doll move of its own impetus. Geppettin Names Like other constructs, geppettin rarely name themselves. Typically, a construct has no conception that living creatures obsessively name everything, and have a name bestowed upon them—in this case, geppettin are normally named by children, or are given terms of endearment by adults. Names. Birdie, Cuddles, Desmond, Dusty, Hobbes, Fluffie, Frowny, Lizzie, Patches, Princess, Pup-pup, Red Jacket, Teddy Geppettin Traits As a geppettin, you have the following racial traits: Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and your Charisma score increases by 1. Age. As constructs, geppettin do not age, and are mature as soon as they become sentient. Alignment. Geppettin, as varied as they are, run the gamut of alignments. Raggedies are generally good, bisques tend towards evil, and marionettes are usually in between. Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Size. Geppettin are Small creatures, rarely breaking 3 feet in height. Darkvision. Geppettin have superior vision in dim light and darkness. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it was bright light, and darkness as if it was dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Construct Anatomy. Even though you were constructed, you are a living creature. You are immune to nonmagical diseases. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. Instead of sleeping, you enter an inactive state for 4 hours each day. You do not dream in this state; you are fully aware of your surroundings and notice approaching enemies and other events as normal. You can still be placed into a torpor by sleepinducing magic. Innocuous. Geppettin are generally indistinguishable from non-living dolls of the same type. Because of that, they can be very stealthy when required. You have advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks you make to appear as a mundane toy. Languages. Geppettin can read and write Common as well as one other language based on their creator’s race (your choice). 8 Races

Pantomime. Fitted with strings, all marionettes are taught to dance. You gain proficiency in the Performance skill, and have advantage on Charisma (Performance) checks made to dance. RAGGEDY Raggedy geppettin, also commonly called plushies, are any form of stuffed or soft doll. Though they often look humanoid, they may also look like animals, monsters, or any other form of anthropomorphic creature. Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score further increases by 1. Adorable. Raggedy, before coming to life, were designed to be appealing to children. As such, you gain proficiency in the Persuasion skill, and have advantage on Charisma (Persuasion) rolls you make against children or other humanoids that are fond of cute things. Stuffed with Fluff. Raggedy are filled with a lightweight, soft material. When you take bludgeoning damage, you can use your reaction to gain resistance to the damage, and you are also knocked 5 feet away from the source of the damage. Subrace. Geppettin are divided into subraces based on material. Choose bisque, marionette, or raggedy for your subrace. BISQUE Bisque geppettin are a form of porcelain doll, crafted with exacting specification and often luxurious clothing materials. Though they are designed to look as realistic as possible, they are often thought to be the most terrifying of geppettin due to their lifeless visage. Though their faces are often very fragile, their construction is generally much hardier than their brethren’s. Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1. China Doll. Any Wisdom (Insight) check made to discern your true emotions has disadvantage. Surprise Attack. Bisque know that their small size and natural stealth lead to being very efficient stalkers. If you surprise a creature and hit it with an attack on your first turn in combat, the attack deals an extra 2d6 damage to it. You can use this trait only once per combat. Terrifying. Your lifeless eyes and face tend to instill fear in people, often without even trying. You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill, and have advantage on any Charisma (Intimidation) rolls in which you are attempting to scare someone that wasn’t initially aware you are alive. MARIONETTE Marionettes are made mostly out of wood, with painted faces and carved clothing. Due to their construction, their jointed limbs are quite flexible, and they are known to be fantastic dancers. Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score further increases by 1. Clipped Strings. You can manipulate your old strings, using them to attack. When you make a melee attack with a light weapon on your turn, the weapon gains the Reach property if it didn’t already have it. This one is stuffed with fluff AND rage! 9Geppettin

MANDRAKE It was an ancient thing of moss-covered wood which creaked like a greatoak as it breathed, but I’ll never forget its eyes: those glowing points were a thing of the fey, a thing of the deep woods forgotten to man. —Faizon the Blue, encountering a mandrake Laymen believe that mandrakes are screaming, crying babies grown from the roots of a plant. However, small, wailing mandrakes are those which are harvested too early; literally children still in infancy. If allowed to grow for a year and a day before being harvested, they emerge fully formed, able to mature into great and powerful tree people. Flesh from Wood With a skin of thick bark and leaves growing at their extremities, you could be forgiven for believing that mandrakes are simply bizarre plants, treants, or animated trees. This might even be partially true: it seems that while mandrakes originated from some plant ancestor, they have become something midway between animal and plant through some strange magic or stranger evolution. Mandrake anatomies are filled with paradoxes. They bleed a ruby ichor, reminiscent of both blood and sap. Their hearts, which look like a knot of roots, pump this around their body, enriching it with oxygen borne by leaves and special pores on their extremities. By preference, mandrakes can bask in the sunlight or consume living things for nourishment, and can even absorb nutrients through their feet, though they rarely subsist by sunlight and water alone. Forest Envoys Alchemists and arcanists alike scratch their heads at mandrakes, but druids know them as the green emissaries who stand between the realms of animals and plants, making peace for all parties. To druidic tradition, mandrakes are unique, ancient constructions of Mother Nature herself, intended to act as delegates for her will. Mandrakes are credited by old druids for aligning elves with the forests and dwarves with the mountains; only with the rising tide of humanoids and their preponderance of gods did most creatures forget about Mother Nature and her half-plant ambassadors. Today, mandrakes are rare, and make their homes in the forests near where villages and cities meet the true wilds. Humans tell tales of mandrakes savaging those who enter their domain, but druids and those who respect the old traditions of the forest know that such ire is seldom undeserved. Mandrake Names Taking their names from the old spirits of the forest, which have long been forgotten by men, mandrakes treat all names with great reverence. Male Names. Akathaso, Bistonis, Cithaeron, Hathor, Nomina, Orseis, Othrys, Yggdras Female Names. Argyra, Circe, Claea, Hadryade, Helike, Lauma, Moria, Thronia Mandrake Traits Because you are neither beast nor plant, you have the following characteristics: Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2. Age. Mandrakes must grow undisturbed for a year and a day before they are harvested. They then mature in a decade and live for centuries, growing wider with more gnarled bark as they age. Alignment. Mandrakes are known to keep centuries-old concords known only to the oldest of creatures. Though they stay neutral in most matters, they tend to lean toward lawful alignments. Size. Mandrakes usually stand tall and slim, typically almost seven feet high, with spring mandrakes being smaller and winter mandrakes being slightly larger, and often hunched over. Your size is Medium. Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Plant Nature. Even though you are not fully a plant, you still possess many of the same traits as one. As long as you are within direct sunlight for at least 4 hours a day, you do not need to eat. Additionally, you can breathe through your leaves and extremities, and can absorb water and nutrients through your feet. Even if you aren’t proficient in Stealth, you can add your proficiency bonus to Dexterity (Stealth) checks that you make to hide in natural environments, such as forests. Root Magic. You know the shillelagh cantrip and can target yourself with the spell, treating one of your limbs as a club instead of an unarmed strike. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the goodberry spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the barkskin spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells. 10 Races

Abundance. You gain the ability to cast the goodberry spell, as per your Root Magic trait, when you choose this subrace at 1st level, instead of at 3rd level. When you cast this spell using this trait, each creature that consumes a berry regains hit points equal to your proficiency bonus. Toxin Resistance. The vibrant colors of autumn bring with them the promise of harvests to come. To protect such a harvest, you have resistance to poison damage. WINTER Mandrakes which are harvested in winter first glimpse the natural world at its harshest, and become harsh in return. Winter mandrakes never grow leaves, and develop gnarled bark that makes them look much older than they are. In addition, they grow large; surviving the winter months fosters a certain strength that other mandrakes rarely, if ever, develop. Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1. Frost Resistance. Due to the bitter frost of the long winter months, you have resistance to cold damage. Powerful Build. You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common. You can also communicate simple ideas to nonmagical plants and can question plants about events that occurred nearby during the past day, gaining information about creatures that have passed, weather, and other circumstances. Seasonal Subrace. Depending on the season in which mandrakes are harvested, they take on vastly different characteristics when they mature. Pick one seasonal subrace from Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. SPRING Mandrakes harvested in the spring are limber and flexible, bearing lighter bark and short green buds instead of leaves. They are by far the thinnest and most agile of the mandrakes. Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1. Sprightly Movement. Your walking speed increases by 5 feet. Storm Resistance. Accustomed to the thunderstorms of spring, you have resistance to lightning damage. SUMMER Summer mandrakes grow high and strong, as they are accustomed to the warm months and everabundant sunlight. Their leaves almost form a canopy, and the roots along their feet can hold fast to the loam when the need arises. Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1. Deep Roots. As long as your feet are on natural ground, you have advantage on Strength saving throws and on all ability checks you make to resist being pushed, shoved, knocked prone, or otherwise moved involuntarily. Wildfire Resistance. Having withstood the dry conditions and occasional forest fires of midsummer, you have resistance to fire damage. AUTUMN Mandrakes harvested during autumn are more colorful than the other varieties, both in disposition and appearance. They are decorated with leaves in a myriad of reds, purples, and yellows. They reflect the natural world at its most bountiful and seek to share the harvest’s gifts with all who will accept them. Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1. 11Mandrake

None can say where this tradition originated, but mouselings hold to it strongly. If one is seen without a hood, it is a sure sign of disgrace and exile, the most personal punishment a village of mouselings can inflict. Mousefolk Names Most mousefolk names are derived from Rodentia, and are fairly squeaky when pronounced as a result. Male Names. Arven, Blodge, Dunfur, Frisk, Jinoree, Phrenik, Reep, Skapp Female Names. Beeka, Constance, Juniper, Romsca, Serena, Tess, Wincey Mousefolk Traits Slight and swift, you possess the following traits: Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2. Age. Mousefolk mature in their teens and live around 80 years. Alignment. Most mousefolk are neutral good. They tend to be kind-hearted and have deeply rooted values. Size. Mouselings stand around 3 feet tall, appearing slightly taller with their large ears, and normally weigh no more than 40 pounds. Ratlings, by contrast, stand almost 4 feet tall but have much smaller ears. Your size is Small. Speed. Your base walking speed is 25 feet. Darkvision. Mousefolk have superior vision in dim light and darkness. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it was bright light, and darkness as if it was dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. Lightfooted. You have proficiency in the Stealth skill. Scurry. You can move through the space of any hostile creature as if it were difficult terrain. Squeeze. You suffer no penalty for squeezing into a space that is only large enough for a creature that is one size smaller than you. Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common. You can also speak Rodentia, a quiet and squeaky language that has no established written form. Mouselings value the oral tradition highly and only take notes in Common, or using an improvised shorthand that approximates the sounds of Rodentia in Common script. Subrace. Mousefolk are commonly divided into two subraces: mouselings and ratlings. Choose one of these subraces. MOUSEFOLK “You laughed when I said I would repay you,“ said the Mouse. “Now you see that even a Mouse can help a Lion.” —Aesop, The Lion and the Mouse Never to be looked down upon, the slight, unassuming mousefolk are kindhearted to a fault and possess courage greater than most giants. Tiny But Brave Though the tiny, big-eared mousefolk are often overlooked by larger creatures, history is brimming with stories of gallant mouse-knights staring down dragons, crossing blades with warlords, and charging into grand battles. It happens that few histories are written about the valor of mousefolk—though many more should be—yet they make appearances in legend all the same, their bravery cementing their place in history. Even excluding the long and proud history of mouse-knights, few mousefolk are apt to fear either big folk or monsters. Mousefolk are good to their neighbors and rarely pick fights; after all, most folk can be reasoned with. Those who can’t be reasoned with, however, should rightly fear mousefolk striking at their knees. Mousefolk do not suffer bullies lightly. Storytellers and Legend-Keepers The mousefolk language, Rodentia, has no written form. Thus, mousefolk preserve their history in story and in song passed from elders to children through the generations. Their oral tradition is rich, filled with stories of grand heroics, shrewd tricks, and swooning romance. Indeed, many mousefolk live to see themselves preserved in the legends of their people, their deeds remembered in a grand epic for the ages. Hooded or Disgraced Though ratlings have long abandoned the old ways, a mouseling is never to be seen without a hood. Following ancient tradition, mouselings wear hoods they have sewn themselves at all times, except in the most dire of circumstances. A hood is a symbol of wealth and social standing, and is sometimes replaced with hats or other headwear when appropriate. 12 Races

A limerick from Valda! RATLING Ratlings often stand a full foot taller than their mouseling relatives, also having longer tails and more pointed ears. They are tougher, more resistant to poison, and far more stubborn than mouselings, but are also unquestionably resourceful. When needed, a ratling can escape just about any enclosure that isn’t constructed entirely from metal and stone, a fact which many jailers hold in contempt. Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1. Gnaw. You can use your action to chew through and break a small nonmagical object that isn’t being worn or carried, like a rope, a wooden rod or handle, or a length of fabric. If you chew on a wooden wall or floor for 1 minute, you can gnaw a hole large enough for a Tiny creature. You can’t chew through materials that are harder than your teeth, such as metal, stone, or crystal. Rat Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage. MOUSELING Mouselings are smaller than their ratling cousins but all the more daring. They sport a wide variety of coats, from grey to brown to very rare whites, but all possess large ears and round, black eyes. Though these features often make them look adorable to big folk, most mouselings want nothing more than to be taken seriously. They fancy themselves knights, merchants, minstrels, explorers, and a wide variety of other occupations; only humans rival mouselings for ambition. Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1. Brave. You have advantage on saving throws you make against being frightened. Nimble Escape. When a creature you can see makes an opportunity attack against you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You can’t use this trait when wearing medium or heavy armor. There once was a mouse with a fiddle She liked bees and telling of riddles But during a break, She made a mistake And broke the thing right down the middle! 13Mousefolk

SPIRITHOST Hers was a kind of unearthly beauty that resisted the very confines of reality—her hair so airy that it flowed in defiance of gravity, her skin so fair that it could be seen right through. I knew not if she was alive—or if I was, given the circumstances— but very little of that mattered for the first few moments, which seemed to stretch on for eons. —Jethro Meddlitt, gnome wizard, meeting a spirithost Half immaterial and half flesh, spirithosts are the eerie, spectral, humanlike residents of the Border Ethereal. Though often confused for specters, ghosts, and other incorporeal undead, spirithosts are very much alive—as much as their shifting, partly material bodies allow. Spectral Sons and Daughters The Ethereal Plane is generally thought to be lifeless; exclusively the domain of restless, incorporeal undead and other transient souls. While it is true that there are no creatures native to that plane, the Border Ethereal has its fair share of adopted inhabitants, such as the blink dog and phase spider. Spirithosts are the only humanoids to have adopted this desolate plane, and might be considered its only true descendants. Though most spirithosts reside on the Material Plane, they can both step sideways into the Etheral Plane naturally, allowing them to bypass physical obstacles, and see into it effortlessly, allowing them to navigate both planes at once. They can even communicate with the dead directly, a feat few mediums take lightly. Branded Undead Though their bodies resemble those of ghosts— slightly translucent and glowing from inside with a pale, white light—spirithosts are not undead. Far from it: they are born, grow old, die, and can even raise children. Despite this, most spirithosts are wrongfully believed to be undead, as their eerie, spectral forms are too similar to ghosts for the layman to differentiate. Many a well-meaning but ignorant cleric has tried to turn or banish a spirithost to no avail. To avoid such conflict, spirithosts often avoid large, unfamiliar towns, or disguise their ethereality from others. Spirithost Names Spirithost names are gentle and sibilant, sounding as if they are whispered. They sound strange in most tongues, for they originate in an old, now forgotten dialect of Common, practiced by the spirithost in days long past. Male Names. Astras, Boreas, Cin’nilas, Cusnon, Fesim, Mesaron, Senvas, Servalas, Sesirops, Yalsin Female Names. Amias, Belias, Heathimis, Lethreas, Nix’silia, Priscilla, Sayu, Shavaras, Sunda, Wishnas Spirithost Traits Your borderline ethereal body grants you the following traits: Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 1, and any other ability score of your choice increases by 2. Age. Spirithosts do not experience time in the same way as most mortal creatures. As a result, even though they mature in their teens, their lives can stretch on for hundreds of years. Alignment. Though some spirithosts are evil, most are simply chaotic, harboring a deep distrust for institutions that so readily brand them as undead. Size. Spirithosts stand as tall as humans, usually around 5 to 6 feet tall. However, their slightly ethereal form is only loosely affiliated with gravity, weighing half as much as a similarly sized human. Your size is Medium. Speed. Spirithosts move gracefully, as if drifting through water. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Ethereal Vision. Your supernatural nature grants you superior vision. While you are on the Material Plane, you can see 60 feet into the Ethereal Plane. Incorporeal Movement. You can move through other creatures as if they were difficult terrain. You can also move through solid objects, but your partially material form can’t pass through more than one foot of stone, one inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt. ANCESTRY 5th Edition inherits some problematic terminology for “race” as a game concept. We prefer the term“ancestry” as an alternative and encourage you to use it in your campaigns, but have opted to use the old terminology in this book for compatibility with the core rules. 14 Races

If you end your movement occupying the same spot as a solid object or creature, you are immediately shunted to the nearest unoccupied space that you can occupy and take force damage equal to twice the number of feet you are moved. Ethereal Nature. You can go twice as long without eating, drinking, or breathing, without penalty. Spirit Speech. You can cast the spell speak with dead, without using spell slots or material components. You can only ask one question of a corpse when you cast this spell in this way. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. Translucence. As a bonus action, you can magically turn invisible until the start of your next turn or until you attack, make a damage roll, or force someone to make a saving throw. Creatures which can see into the Ethereal Plane can see you normally. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language of your choice. TALENTS, APPEARANCE, UPBRINGING The races presented in 5th edition present broad, monolithic portraits of what it is like to be a dwarf, an elf, a halfling, and so on. These illustrations and descriptions, however, are often unhelpful for understanding any particular member of a race and are, at worst, dangerously reductive. If you want to play a more nuanced character, work with your GM to customize the following areas. Talents. Dwarves get a bonus to Constitution because the typical dwarf has a short, brawny build. However, your dwarf might favor academic pursuits or have an obsession with opera. Think of these ability scores as your natural talents, rather than as fixed inborn advantages. When you choose your race and subrace, you can assign your Ability Score Increase traits to ability scores that you choose, instead of those specified in the traits. You can’t assign two increases (a +2 and a +1, for example) to the same ability score, and you can’t increase a score above 20. Appearance. No matter what the official descriptions say, there’s no one canonical way an elf, dwarf, gnome, or tiefling should look. Your character can have any skin color, nose, eyes, hair, and build you want. To put an even finer point on it: your character can look like a person of any real world ethnicity, no matter what race you choose. Upbringing. Certain racial abilities, such as the Dwarven Combat Training trait, are the result of growing up in a traditional dwarven society with its particular values and expectations. Naturally, an adopted or orphaned dwarf won’t have these skills. For example, a dwarf who was adopted by high elf parents might instead have learned to cast a cantrip. Work with your GM to determine which traits are owed to your upbringing; if in doubt, remember that most racial traits, with the exception of perhaps a dragonborn’s breath weapon, can be attributed to your upbringing. You can exchange any such trait with any roughly equivalent racial trait that better reflects your upbringing. 15Spirithost

NEAR-HUMAN Humans are known for being ambitious, diverse, and extremely short-lived, but also have the dubious honor of being associated with an abundance of near-human offshoots, for it seems humans can breed with just about anything. Near-humans are still basically humans, bearing subtly different traits from a wide variety of sources, and are individually rare but make up a surprisingly large portion of any human population. If you choose a human for your race, you can use the Near-Human variant traits, which replaces the human’s Ability Score Increase trait: Ability Score Increase. Two different ability scores of your choice increase by 1. Skills. You gain proficiency in one skill of your choice. Feat. You gain one feat of your choice. This feat must have Near-Human variant as a prerequisite. Near-Human Feats Near-humans come in all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life. They are the barest expression of human diversity; human offshoots from all corners of the world. Each near-human must take one of the following feats at 1st level, which helps define their heritage and grants them new racial traits. ABOLETH SPAWN Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant You were somehow created by an aboleth, and you suffer from strange and hideous mutations as a result. Due to these changes, you have the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You have uncanny psychic resistances. You have advantage on saving throws you make against being charmed. • At least one of your limbs is muscular, rubbery, and pliant, acting more as a tentacle than a limb in its own right. You can use this limb as a natural weapon to make unarmed strikes. On a hit with it, you deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier instead of the normal damage for an unarmed strike. AQUATIC Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant One of your parents is a merfolk, or you are distantly descended from the Elemental Plane of Water; consequently, you have aquatic features like gills, webbed fingers and toes, and fishlike scales, which grant you the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You can breathe water as well as air. • You have a swimming speed equal to your walking speed. BEASTMAN Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant With a short tail, coarse fur covering your face, and long teeth and claws, you appear more like a ferocious beast than a man. Perhaps your parentage includes a werecreature or an intelligent beast, granting you the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks made to smell. • You possess sharp claws, which are natural weapons that you can use to make unarmed strikes. On a hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. FIREBRAND Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant Born, imbued with, or later marked by the powers of Elemental Fire, these near-humans have an affinity for fire magic. Their heritage makes them dangerous adversaries in combat, as does the volatile nature of their innate powers. Firebrands are human in shape, but have deep red skin and flames behind their eyes. You have the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You have resistance to fire damage. • You know the produce flame cantrip. At 3rd level, you can also cast the burning hands spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Your spellcasting ability for these spells is Charisma. 16 Races

HOBBIN Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant The foul-smelling hobbins are half-human and halfhobgoblin. With great, flat noses, orange-tanned skin, coarse hair, and three knuckles on each finger, they don’t quite resemble either of their parents, and may go to great lengths to resemble a normal human or hobgoblin in everyday life. You retain much of the talent for war enjoyed by hobgoblins, and have the following racial traits as a result: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You gain proficiency with flails, javelins, shortswords, slings, war picks, and whips. • When you roll initiative and you are neither surprised nor unconscious, you can move up to 10 feet and can make one melee weapon attack against a creature within your reach. MUL Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant Though one of your parents was a human, the other was a dwarf. Such a pairing is unlikely to have produced offspring, but you have defied the odds to join the ranks of the few, and exclusively sterile, muls. You have the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You have darkvision, the ability to see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. • Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level. • You can read, speak, and write Dwarven. OGRE-BLOODED Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant Your coarse features and monstrous build betray the foul blood that runs through your veins, evidence that one of your parents is an ogre. You have the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You gain proficiency in the Intimidation skill. • You count as one size larger when determining your carrying capacity and the weight you can push, drag, or lift. GREEN SKIN Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant Your people metabolize by basking in the sunlight. Aided by your tough, photosynthetic skin, you gain the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You have advantage on saving throws against being poisoned and have resistance to poison damage. • While you aren’t wearing armor, your AC equals 12 + your Dexterity modifier. GRENDEL Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant With their green-tinted and boil-ridden skin, spindly fingers, and pointed teeth, few people will mark a grendel as half-human. Grendels exclusively favor the look of their troll parentage and have immense difficulty in human society. You have the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You retain some of the regenerative properties of your troll parentage. Whenever you have fewer than one-fourth of your maximum hit points (rounded down), you regain 1 hit point each minute. GRUE Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant One of your parents was a creature of darkness, such as a shadow or a native of the Plane of Shadow. Grues, such as yourself, have blackened skin and cast a shadow in all directions, even when directly in light. In shadows, you are nearly invisible. You have the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You have darkvision, the ability to see in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. • When you are hidden and a creature discovers you with a successful Wisdom (Perception) check, you can reattempt your Dexterity (Stealth) check to hide. On a success, you silently reposition yourself and the creature doesn’t notice you. Once you use this trait, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. 17Near-Human

• Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You always add your proficiency bonus to saving throws against being frightened. • When you take a short rest, you can automatically regain 1 hit die and can choose to spend it immediately. You can’t use the ability again until you finish a long rest. REPTILOID Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant You bear the abrasive skin, slitted eyes, and split tongue of a reptile—perhaps due to a dragonborn or kobold parent—which grant you the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You can go twice as long as other humans without eating or drinking. • You can use your action to spit acid from your mouth. When you do so, make a ranged weapon attack roll against a creature within 30 feet. On a hit, the target takes 1d8 acid damage for each point of your proficiency bonus. Once you use this trait to spit acid, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest. • You can speak, read, and write Draconic. ROGUEAN Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant You hail from an icy, desolate land, prone to dramatic swings in temperature. Surviving the interminable harshness of your home gives you the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You have resistance to cold damage. • You can tolerate temperatures as low as −100 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 300 degrees Fahrenheit. • You have darkvision, the ability to see in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray. STONEBORN Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant With cracked and abrasive skin, stoneborn appear as if they were roughly hewn from granite and have OWLBEARMAN Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant You are a hulking thing of feathers, flesh, and fur; half-man, half-bear, and half-owl, none can say for sure what you are, other than the result of some mad wizard meddling in the gods’ domain. You have the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You can attempt to grapple creatures two size categories larger than yourself, and you have advantage on grappling checks you make on your turn against creatures that are at least one size category smaller than you. • You have a long, hooked beak, normally only possessed by owlbears and birds of prey, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. On a hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. PORTERLING Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant You are a porterling, parented both by a human and either a gnome or a halfling. You stand about as tall as a dwarf, but are far leaner—and if fathered by a gnome, also somewhat top-heavy. Though they are often confused for dwarves, porterlings can only rarely grow large or thick beards. You have the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • Porterlings are unnaturally flexible. You have advantage on checks you make to escape grapple or to slip bindings. • You suffer no penalty for squeezing into a space that is only large enough for a creature that is one size smaller than you. • You can roll a d8 whenever you make a long or high jump, adding the number rolled to the number of feet you cover, even when making a standing jump. This extra distance costs movement as normal. PROTO-MAN Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant You come from a place of massive flora and ancient creatures; your people are hearty and robust, much like very early humans. You gain the following racial traits: 18 Races

WINDSWEPT Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant Carefree and constantly possessed of wanderlust, the extraordinarily pale windswept embody their connection to Elemental Air. Windswept humans are never likely to sleep in the same bed for two nights in a row; they are always moving, always exploring, and always following the wind. You are lighter than a normal human, capable of floating gently on the breeze, and have faint inborn power over the winds, which grant you have the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • When you fall and aren’t incapacitated, you can subtract up to 100 feet from the fall when calculating falling damage and can move up to 2 feet horizontally for every 1 foot you descend. • Your walking speed increases by 5 feet. • Your whispers carry on the wind. You know the message cantrip. similarly rigid personalities. These near-humans are proud of their connection to Elemental Earth and believe themselves conquerors, fated to rule over every stone. You have the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • Your Armor Class increases by 1. • You have advantage on ability checks and saving throws you make to resist being knocked prone or moved against you will. • By placing your hand on natural stone and using your action to focus, you can feel the presence of any natural gems or metals within 100 feet of you. TAURAN Prerequisites: 1st level only, near-human variant Your large nose, strong jaw, and wide head do much to reveal your distantly bovine nature, but the prominent bull-horns atop your head reveal to all that you are half-minotaur. Taurans tower over most people and can solve mazes with ease, but typically possess only a shadow of their minotaur parent’s might. You have the following racial traits: • Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, to a maximum of 20. • You can perfectly recall any path you have traveled. • On any turn in which you only move in a straight line, your speed increases by 10 feet. • You have two horns that you can use to effectively gore your enemies. The horns are a natural melee weapon that you can use to make unarmed strikes. On a hit with them, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. 19Near-Human

20 Happenstance brought us to an old haunt: a rowdy tavern named the Bruised Rooster, which keeps a boxing ring in the common room. The night’s main attraction was Gresher the Mighty, a bugbear pugilist of impressive build, squaring off against Kin-Din, a squirrely kobold. Gresher didn’t land a single blow, and the kobold eventually wore him down for a knock out punch. As we nursed Gresher back to health, he deliriously told of his former adventuring party who vanished while seeking the Spire of Secrets, a lich’s tower of unimaginable treasures. I believed the Spire to be an urban legend, a metaphoric dungeon of unfathomable peril. Gresher assured us otherwise. He told us where the Spire stood and how to reach it. Concealed by illusions, the Spire can be seen only if you approach it from the right angle; if we so much as stepped off the path, it would vanish behind a tree or hill. Stranger still, the journey would take a fortnight, though it could be no more than two day’s ride on the map. Unsettling magic brewed in that place, and a sense of foreboding grew within our company as we resolved to seek it out. His last warning was simply: “Beware Valda. Never has there been a more diabolic lich.”

21 The beating heart of 5th Edition is its character classes. Of the three choices that define your character at first level—Background, Race, and Class—your class carries the most significance, influencing every aspect of how you play the game, from your outlook on the world to the way you survive life-or-death combat. Your class is your calling, the truest embodiment of how your character lives, and provides a platform for feats and subclasses which further refine your vision. CHAPTER 2: CLASSES Spire of Secrets builds on this core pillar with ten brand new classes, many of which are radically different from the twelve offered in the core rules. For example, the captain class lets you control two characters at once, while the warmage lets you play a powerful spellcaster using only cantrips. Each new class also includes at least seven subclasses, as well as all supplemental rules necessary for play.

Craftsman Invention, the class Master artisans and inventors, craftsmen can forge masterwork equipment and devise entirely new weapons on the fly. Play a craftsman if you want to experiment with a comprehensive array of weapon properties to invent entirely new weapons and armor. Gunslinger Critical, the class Narrowed eyes, smoking barrels. Gunslingers live on the edge, brandishing a special resource called risk dice to keep them alive by the skin of their teeth. Play a gunslinger if you enjoy scoring powerful critical hits and having an entire arsenal of guns at your disposal. Investigator Utility, the class Supernatural researchers and monster hunters, investigators use a few silver-tipped crossbow bolts and a tome brimming with rituals to banish monsters that stalk the night. Play an investigator if you want access to boundless utility options and the ability to go toe-to-toe with a vampire or werewolf. Martyr Sacrifice, the class Chosen by the gods to complete a task, martyrs are set upon a harsh, predestined path, requiring constant sacrifice. Martyrs use their hit points to fuel their divine abilities, and can supernaturally resist death’s embrace. Play a martyr if you want to experience the push and pull of sacrificing hit points for massive damage, only to heal moments later. NEW CLASSES This book presents ten new classes to complement the existing twelve in the core rules. Each of these new classes embodies a new way to play and represents common types of adventurers which will be present in most, if not all, settings. You can choose from among the these new classes in any campaign, unless the GM decides that some of the classes, such as the gunslinger, aren’t appropriate for the campaign. You could assemble a sensible party entirely out of classes from this book—an alchemist, martyr, warden, and witch, for example—or pick only one or two of these classes alongside a party of core class adventurers. Using the multiclassing rules in Chapter 4, you can even mix-and-match any number of these classes together to achieve new combinations. Perhaps you can try an alchemist rogue to use explosive Sneak Attacks, or maybe you could play a craftsman monk that specializes in exotic gauntlet weapons. You can find options for further customizing these classes in Chapter 4. With a combination of new feats, auxiliary levels, and multiclassing, the potential for new characters is endless. The following summaries highlight each new class’s core features and why you might enjoy playing them. Additionally, each Mage Hand Press class can generally be described by a single word, which is listed before the class’s summary. Alchemist Alchemy, the class Using half-science, half-magic concoctions, alchemists brew up explosives and transmutative potions on the fly. Play an alchemist if you want to experiment with a wide array of scientific discoveries and lethal bombs! Captain Leadership, the class Brave commanders and savvy tacticians, captains control a second character in the form of a cohort and enhance their allies in combat with dice-fueled maneuvers. Play a captain if you want to lead your allies to victory! NOTE FOR THE GM The craftsman, captain, and necromancer aren’t recommended for first-time players. The captain and necromancer command more than one character at once, while the craftsman requires careful reading and understanding of their properties. Furthermore, discuss with the players before the campaign how best to approach martyrs, which have strong religious themes and references to blood, and necromancers, which are often overtly evil and might pose a challenge to roleplay. 22 Classes

Warmage Cantrips, the class The undisputed masters of cantrips, warmages turn the most humble spells into deadly weapons via an array of tricks. Play a warmage if you want to be a high-damage spellcaster with deep customization and few spells to learn. Witch Debuff, the class Afflicted by a sinister curse, witches can spin dark magic into hexes, which they use to debilitate foes. They are also accompanied by their familiars, loyal magical companions that they use to deal the killing blow. Play a witch if you want to hobble your enemies and cackle while doing so. Necromancer Minionmancy, the class Necromancy, the grim magic of death, is laden with forbidden secrets and unquestionably evil spells. Its practitioners, therefore, are a unique breed, possessing a well of dark energy and an edge for scoring critical hits with spells, to say nothing of their armies of undead thralls. Play a necromancer to balance ethics against ambition and manage multiple monsters at the table. Warden Tank, the class Wardens are tanks of the battlefield that refuse to give an inch. When overwhelming enemies bear down, wardens hold the line for the party and single out targets from the crowd until the tide turns in their favor. Play a warden if you want to be a toughto-kill warrior with a focus on crowd control. NEW CLASSES NAME HIT DIE PRIMARY ABILITY STARTING GOLD SAVING THROW PROFICIENCIES ARMOR AND WEAPON PROFICIENCIES Mage Hand Press Classes Alchemist d6 Intelligence, Dexterity 4d4 × 10 gp Dexterity, Intelligence Light armor, simple weapons, bombs Captain d8 Charisma, Strength or Dexterity 5d4 × 10 gp Constitution, Charisma Light and medium armor, shields, simple and martial weapons Craftsman d10 Strength or Dexterity, Intelligence 5d4 × 10 gp Constitution, Intelligence All armor (including exotic), shields, all weapons (including exotic) Gunslinger d8 Dexterity 4d4 × 10 gp Dexterity, Charisma Light armor, simple weapons, martial firearms Investigator d8 Intelligence, Strength or Dexterity 4d4 × 10 gp Dexterity, Intelligence Light armor, simple weapons, hand crossbows, heavy crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords Martyr d12 Wisdom, Constitution 3d4 × 10 gp Strength, Wisdom Light and medium armor, shields, simple and martial weapons Necromancer d6 Intelligence 4d4 × 10 gp Constitution, Intelligence Simple weapons Warden d10 Strength 5d4 × 10 gp Strength, Constitution Light and medium armor, shields, simple and martial weapons Warmage d8 Intelligence 4d4 × 10 gp Constitution, Intelligence Light armor, simple weapons Witch d8 Charisma 3d4 × 10 gp Wisdom, Charisma Light armor, simple weapons, blowguns, shortswords, and whips 23New Classes

ALCHEMIST Page 26 CAPTAIN Page 44 CRAFTSMAN Page 62 GUNSLINGER Page 90 INVESTIGATOR Page 102 24

MARTYR Page 114 NECROMANCER Page 126 WARDEN Page 144 WARMAGE Page 156 WITCH Page 172 25

26 Classes

A grinning gnome cackles with glee as he hurls a bomb into a group of charging goblins, blasting them into scorched chunks. He produces another, throws it at his feet, and disappears, still laughing, into the ensuing cloud of smoke. A slender elf quickly mixes liquids and herbs in a small bowl. She applies the mixture to an arrow wound on an injured dwarf ’s side, which immediately stops bleeding. Whether their methods are explosive, transformative, or restorative, alchemists live to transmute the world around them to their liking. Chemical Reactions One of the first things an alchemist learns is how to mix chemicals that react explosively with each other. Ostensibly, this is taught to students to prevent deadly accidents, but adventuring alchemists regularly apply this knowledge to create bombs. An alchemical bomb is a 1-pound, apple-sized, spherical glass or clay flask filled with a reactive chemical. A smaller vial of thin glass containing a reagent is suspended in the liquid, and the whole thing is sealed with a cork or wax seal. The chemicals violently explode when mixed. This occurs when the inner vial breaks, usually after the bomb impacts a solid surface or a fuse sets off a small explosive detonator within the vial. Bombs are primarily used to fend off enemies, but creative alchemists may find more practical uses for explosives, such as demolishing obstacles. Serums and Tinctures More experienced alchemists learn to mix less volatile substances into potions, alchemical concoctions that replicate magical effects. These potions range from the medicinal, such as potions of healing, to the transformative, such as potions of gaseous form, to the downright deadly, such as potions of poison. Undisputed masters of potions, alchemists constantly innovate with new formulations and preparations, improving their potions into magic items in their own right. Elemental Sciences The primary source of alchemy’s power comes from the elemental planes. It is no surprise, then, that alchemists strive to tap deeper into that power, researching and discovering new compounds composed of the elements. The pinnacle of alchemy is the philosopher’s stone, which is rumored to grant its bearer supreme elemental power. Few alchemists have succeeded in creating a philosopher’s stone, and fewer still remain alive to divulge its secrets. Creating an Alchemist When you create an alchemist, consider why you study alchemy. Are you attracted to its dangerous power or its ability to help others? Do you desire to use magic, but lack the aptitude or inborn ability? Why do you adventure? Are you searching for new alchemical formulae or rare ingredients? Do you, like so many, seek the philosopher’s stone? Be sure to understand alchemy’s place in your campaign world. You might have learned your trade from a master or studied alongside artificers and wizards in a university. Your trade might be commonplace or an oddity. Depending on the setting, you might be respected for your knowledge or feared for your destructive potential. QUICK BUILD You can make an alchemist quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Intelligence your highest ability score, followed by Dexterity. Choose any background of your choice, preferably one that lends insight into your history with alchemy. ALCHEMIST 27Alchemist

EQUIPMENT You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: • (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon • (a) an explorer’s pack or (b) a scholar’s pack • Alchemist’s supplies and (a) a vial of acid, (b) a vial of alchemist’s fire, or (c) a vial of basic poison • Leather armor and a dagger Natural Philosopher You have learned many things about alchemy during your studies. Starting at 1st level, you can add half your proficiency bonus, rounded up, to any ability check you make to identify herbs, potions, poisons, or other alchemical substances. If the ability check already includes your proficiency bonus, you can add this bonus in addition to your normal proficiency bonus. CLASS FEATURES As an alchemist, you gain the following class features. HIT POINTS Hit Dice: 1d6 per alchemist level Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per alchemist level after 1st PROFICIENCIES Armor: Light armor Weapons: Simple weapons, bombs Tools: Alchemist’s supplies, herbalism kit Saving Throws: Dexterity, Intelligence Skills: Choose three from Arcana, History, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Sleight of Hand, and Survival LEVEL PROFICIENCY BONUS FORMULAE KNOWN REAGENT DICE DISCOVERIES KNOWN FEATURES 1st +2 — — — Bombs, Natural Philosopher 2nd +2 3 — — Bomb Formulae, Field of Study 3rd +2 3 3d10 — Reagent 4th +2 3 4d10 2 Ability Score Improvement, Discoveries 5th +3 4 5d10 2 Flashbang 6th +3 4 6d10 3 Field of Study feature 7th +3 5 7d10 3 Potions improvement 8th +3 5 8d10 3 Ability Score Improvement 9th +4 6 9d10 4 — 10th +4 6 10d10 4 Field of Study feature 11th +4 7 11d10 4 Evasion 12th +4 7 12d10 4 Ability Score Improvement 13th +5 8 13d10 5 — 14th +5 8 14d10 5 Potions improvement 15th +5 9 15d10 5 Blast Coating 16th +5 9 16d10 5 Ability Score Improvement 17th +6 10 17d10 6 — 18th +6 10 18d10 6 Field of Study feature 19th +6 11 19d10 6 Ability Score Improvement 20th +6 11 20d10 6 Philosopher’s Stone THE ALCHEMIST 28 Classes

class, you can choose one of the formulae you know and replace it with another formula. Field of Study While all alchemists share a common knowledge base, most alchemists specialize into a particular field of study. When you reach 2nd level, you select your field of study, which grants you features at 2nd, 6th, 10th, and 18th level. A formula granted by your field of study doesn’t count against the total number of formulae you know. Reagent Starting at 3rd level, you have a collection of powerful alchemical reagents, represented by a pool of reagent dice, that you can spend to brew potions or magnify the power of your explosives. REAGENT DICE You start with three reagent dice, which are d10s, and you gain additional reagent dice as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Reagent Dice column of the Alchemist table. You regain all expended reagent dice when you finish a long rest. When you prime a bomb, you can expend a number of reagent dice up to your proficiency bonus and add the dice to the bomb’s damage roll. BREWING POTIONS You can spend 10 minutes and expend any number of reagent dice to brew potions. These potions retain potency for 24 hours, after which they become inert. If a potion calls for a saving throw, it uses your bomb save DC. The number of reagent dice and the alchemist level required to brew a potion are given on the Potions table: Bombs At 1st level, you can create volatile alchemical bombs using your alchemist’s supplies. Whenever you finish a short or long rest, you can create a number of bombs equal to 10 + twice your alchemist level. For you the cost of materials necessary to create these bombs is negligible. After 24 hours, an unused bomb becomes inert. The statistics of a bomb are shown in the Bomb sidebar above. Priming Bombs. Once per turn you can take the Use an Object action to prime a bomb with explosive reagents and make an attack with it, increasing the bomb’s explosive potential. When you do so, you can add your Intelligence modifier, instead of Dexterity, to the bomb’s damage roll. Additionally, when you throw a bomb in this way, its damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10). Saving Throws. When you throw a bomb, the save DC for its blast radius is calculated as follows: Bomb save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier Bomb Formulae By 2nd level, your research has granted you insight into new alchemical formulations for your bombs. Select three bomb formulae from the Bomb Formulae section. Once per turn when you prime a bomb, you can apply a formula to it. Applying a formula sometimes changes all of the damage dice rolled for a bomb, but also grants it special effects. When you gain certain levels in this class, you learn additional formulae of your choice, as shown in the Bomb Formulae Known column of the Alchemist table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this BOMB Bombs are exotic ranged weapons with the following statistics: Name Cost Damage Weight Properties Bomb 2 sp 1d10 fire 1 lb. Finesse, special, thrown (range 30/90) SPECIAL PROPERTY Bomb. When a bomb hits a target, it explodes in a 5-foot radius and is destroyed. The bomb can be thrown at an unoccupied space within its range. Each creature other than the target within the blast radius must succeed on a DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking half the damage rolled on a failed save or no damage on a successful one. Additionally, as a bonus action, you can empty some of the bomb’s explosive material to permanently remove the blast radius from this bomb, dealing damage only to the bomb’s target. 29Alchemist

Flashbang Beginning at 5th level, you carry a supply of concussive explosives to help you escape from perilous situations. As a bonus action, you can throw one of these explosives at your feet, disorienting and distracting nearby foes. Each Large or smaller creature within 5 feet of you can’t take reactions until the start of its next turn. Evasion Beginning at 11th level, when you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail. Blast Coating Starting at 15th level, you automatically succeed on saving throws against your own bombs and never take damage from them. Philosopher’s Stone At 20th level, you unlock the crowning achievement of all alchemy: a philosopher’s stone, a dynamo of alchemical energy in a fist-sized, glowing jewel. You can construct your philosopher’s stone using your alchemist’s supplies, 1,000 gp worth of materials, and 7 days of work. You can only have one philosopher’s stone at a time. As long as you possess the stone, you gain the following benefits: • Whenever you finish a short rest, you regain all expended reagent dice. • You can brew potions as an action, instead of over the course of 10 minutes. • You age 10 times slower than normal, and you can’t be aged magically. Additionally, you learn the following formula, which doesn’t count against the total number of formulae you know: FORMULA: NUCLEAR BOMB By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with your philosopher’s stone, you can change it into a nuclear bomb. A nuclear bomb deals 10d10 + 100 force damage instead of its normal fire damage, has a blast radius of 1 mile, and completely destroys the philosopher’s stone. Additionally, each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw takes the full bomb damage rolled, or half as much damage on a successful save. Creatures within 60 feet of the bomb gain no benefit from Evasion or similar features. Potion Alchemist Cost Level Potion of Climbing 1 reagent die 3rd Potion of Growth 1 reagent die 3rd Potion of Healing 1 reagent die 3rd Potion of Water Breathing 1 reagent die 3rd Universal Solvent 1 reagent die 3rd Cure-All 2 reagent dice 7th Potion of Greater Healing 2 reagent dice 7th Potion of Heroism 2 reagent dice 7th Potion of Resistance 2 reagent dice 7th Sovereign Glue (1 ounce) 2 reagent dice 7th Potion of Diminution 3 reagent dice 14th Potion of Flying 4 reagent dice 14th Potion of Hill Giant Strength 4 reagent dice 14th Potion of Invisibility 4 reagent dice 14th Potion of Superior Healing 4 reagent dice 14th REAGENT SYNTHESIS When you finish a short rest, you can choose to regain all of your expended reagent dice that weren’t used to brew potions. Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Discoveries In the course of your research, you have made a number of discoveries regarding the nature of alchemy. At 4th level, you gain two discoveries of your choice. When you gain certain alchemist levels, you gain additional discoveries of your choice, as shown in the Discoveries Known column of the Alchemist table. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the discoveries you know and replace it with another discovery that you could learn at that 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. Alternatively, as an alchemist, when you gain an ability score improvement, you can instead choose to learn a new discovery for which you meet the prerequisites. Potions 30 Classes

BRAMBLE BOMB By adding a potent fertilizer to your bomb’s explosive contents, you can change it into a bramble bomb. A bramble bomb deals no damage, but instead causes tough, thorny brambles to sprout from any area of natural ground within the bomb’s blast radius, which becomes difficult terrain. Additionally, if a creature in the blast radius is prone when the bomb detonates, it is enveloped by the brambles and must succeed on a Strength (Athletics) check against your bomb save DC before it can move or stand. The brambles shrivel and die after 1 minute. CRYO BOMB By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a piece of ice-nine, you can change it into a cryo bomb. A cryo bomb deals cold damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d8s, and it requires a Constitution saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, has its speed reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn. HOLY BOMB By adding a few drops of holy water to your bomb’s explosive contents, you can change it into a holy bomb. A holy bomb deals radiant damage instead of fire damage, and its damage dice are d8s, unless the target is a celestial, fiend, or undead. The bomb’s damage dice are d6s against celestials and d12s against fiends and undead. IMPACT BOMB By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a more reactive one, you can change it into an impact bomb. An impact bomb deals force damage instead of fire damage, and its damage dice are d8s. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, is pushed 5 feet away from the center of the blast. BOMB FORMULAE Bomb formulae are summarized on the following table. Bombs that are exclusively available to one field of study are marked with an asterisk. Unless otherwise stated, all bombs produce a loud boom, audible out to one mile, when they explode. Bombs are presented in alphabetical order. Formula Damage Saving Throw Acid Bomb d4 acid Dexterity Arcano Bomb* d12 force Dexterity Bramble Bomb — — Cryo Bomb d8 cold Constitution Holy Bomb d8 radiant Dexterity Impact Bomb d8 force Dexterity Incendiary Bomb d6 fire Dexterity Laughing Gas Bomb d6 poison Constitution Lightning Bomb d8 lightning Dexterity Nonlethal Bomb d8 bludg. Dexterity Oil Bomb d6 fire — Painkiller Bomb* — — Pheromone Bomb* — Wisdom Prismatic Bomb Varies Varies Psionic Bomb d6 psychic Wisdom Quiet Bomb d8 fire Dexterity Seeking Bomb d6 fire Dexterity Shrapnel Bomb* d8 piercing Dexterity Slime Bomb* — — Smoke Bomb — — Sonic Bomb d6 thunder Constitution Stink Bomb d8 poison Constitution Teleportation Bomb — — Thermobaric Bomb d6 fire Dexterity Venom Bomb* d8 poison Constitution Withering Bomb d8 necrotic Constitution ACID BOMB By mixing your bomb’s explosive contents with a few drops of ardenflotic acid, a highly corrosive chemical, you can change it into an acid bomb. An acid bomb deals acid damage instead of fire damage, and its damage dice are d4s. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, takes the same amount of damage again at the end of its next turn. MISSED BOMBS As bombs are explosive projectiles, it makes sense to ask what happens if a thrown bomb fails to hit its target. For simplicity, we assume that missed bombs explode harmlessly in the background or fail to detonate altogether, but do not explode in the target’s space or deal damage within their blast radius. The GM can decide which of these two outcomes happens or Bomb Formulae can determine the outcome randomly. 31Alchemist

LIGHTNING BOMB By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a charged arcane capacitor, you can change it into a lightning bomb. A lightning bomb deals lightning damage instead of fire damage, and its damage dice are d8s. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, can’t take reactions until the end of its next turn. NONLETHAL BOMB By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a pouch of rubber pellets, you can change it into a nonlethal bomb. A nonlethal bomb deals bludgeoning damage instead of fire damage, and its damage dice are d8s. If damage from this bomb drops a creature to 0 hit points, it knocks the creature out, rather than dealing a killing blow, rendering the creature unconscious and stable. Additionally, this bomb’s rubber pellets bounce around corners, ignoring half and three-quarters cover for targets within the blast radius. OIL BOMB By mixing your bomb’s explosive contents with a few drops of a super-surfactant, you can change it into an oil bomb. An oil bomb deals no damage, but coats each creature within the blast radius in a sticky, flammable oil. The next time a creature coated in oil takes fire damage, it takes an extra d6 damage for each die of fire damage rolled, up to a maximum of half your alchemist level, rounded up. This oil can be removed by dousing a creature with a gallon of water. PRISMATIC BOMB By adding an ounce of polyjuice, an unpredictable, multicolored chemical, to your bomb’s explosive contents, you can change it into a prismatic bomb. A prismatic bomb deals damage of a randomly determined type instead of fire damage, and it requires a randomly determined type of saving throw. Its damage dice are d8s. Roll on each of the following tables. d6 Damage Type d6 Saving Throw 1 Acid 1–2 Dexterity 2 Cold 3–4 Constitution 3 Fire 5–6 Wisdom 4 Lightning 5 Poison 6 Radiant INCENDIARY BOMB By adding a thickening agent to your bomb’s explosive contents, you can change it into an incendiary bomb. An incendiary bomb’s damage dice are d6s. Additionally, the area of the blast radius is engulfed in flames, which persist until the start of your next turn. Flammable objects in this area that aren’t being worn or carried ignite. Any creature that ends its turn in this area takes half the bomb’s damage. LAUGHING GAS BOMB By mixing your bomb’s explosive contents with a drop of jesterate, a highly euphoric chemical, you can change it into a laughing gas bomb. A laughing gas bomb deals poison damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d6s, and it requires a Constitution saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, falls prone in a fit of laughter. Once a creature falls prone due to this bomb’s effects, it is immune to this effect (but not the bomb’s poison damage) for the next 24 hours. A bomb for every occasion! 32 Classes

STINK BOMB By adding a single drop of skunkanide, a chemical too unholy to expound upon, you can change it into a stink bomb. A stink bomb deals poison damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d8, and it requires a Constitution saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, has disadvantage on ability checks it makes until the end of its next turn. TELEPORTATION BOMB By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a glowing etherite crystal, you can change it into a teleportation bomb. A teleportation bomb deals no damage and instead opens a rift in space, instantly teleporting you to its point of detonation. This effect fails if the bomb explodes more than 30 feet away from you. THERMOBARIC BOMB By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a lower speed explosive, you can change it into a thermobaric bomb. A thermobaric bomb’s damage dice are d6s, and it explodes in a 10-foot radius. WITHERING BOMB By mixing your bomb’s explosive components with a powerful desiccating agent, you can change it into a withering bomb. A withering bomb deals necrotic damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d8s, it requires a Constitution saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, can’t regain hit points until the end of its next turn. PSIONIC BOMB By mixing your bomb’s explosive contents with dust from a psionic crystal, you can change it into a psionic bomb. A psionic bomb deals psychic damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d6s, and it requires a Wisdom saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, has disadvantage on Constitution saving throws it makes to maintain concentration on spells until the end of its next turn, including against this bomb’s damage. QUIET BOMB By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a wad of thermal cotton, you can change it into a quiet bomb. A quiet bomb’s damage dice are d8s. When this bomb detonates, it makes only a low thud, audible out to 10 feet, and releases a puff of smoke to mask the light given off by its blast. Creatures have disadvantage on ability checks to detect that this bomb was detonated nearby. SEEKING BOMB By replacing your bomb’s explosive contents with a powerful lodestone, you can change it into a seeking bomb. A seeking bomb’s damage dice are d6s. You don’t have disadvantage on ranged attack rolls you make using this bomb as a result of being within 5 feet of a hostile creature. SMOKE BOMB By removing your bomb’s explosive contents entirely, you can change it into a smoke bomb. A smoke bomb deals no damage but fills a 10-foot-radius sphere with smoke. This smoke spreads around corners and its area is heavily obscured. It lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1 round) or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it. Once you throw one of these bombs, you can’t throw another one for 1 minute. SONIC BOMB By mixing your bomb’s explosive contents with a few drops of air elemental essence, you can change it into a sonic bomb. A sonic bomb deals thunder damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d6s, and it requires a Constitution saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, is deafened until the end of its next turn. 33Alchemist

ALCHEMY OF INFLUENCE Prerequisite: 13th level Your alchemical research has revealed many of the basic chemicals that govern emotions. You can brew the following potions: Potion Cost Potion of Animal Friendship 1 reagent die Philter of Love 2 reagent dice Potion of Clairvoyance 3 reagent dice Potion of Mind Reading 3 reagent dice ALCHEMY OF TRANSFORMATION Prerequisite: 13th level You have mastered the alchemical secrets of shifting matter, which allow you to brew the following potions: Potion Cost Oil of Slipperiness 2 reagent dice Sandstone Solution 2 reagent dice Aqua Fortis 3 reagent dice Chameleon Concoction 3 reagent dice Potion of Gaseous Form 3 reagent dice ARCANE STUDY You learn three cantrips of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your wizard spells. BALLISTICS RESEARCH You learn two additional bomb formulae. BATTLE TRAINING You gain proficiency with martial weapons and shields. BEGUILING HAZE Prerequisites: 13th level, Amorist Field of Study When you charm a creature, you can choose to place it in a dreamy state, from which it regards everyone it DISCOVERIES If a discovery has prerequisites, you must meet them to learn it. You can learn the discovery at the same time that you meet its prerequisites. A level prerequisite refers to your level in this class. You can only learn a discovery once, unless otherwise specified. ADVANCED POISONER Prerequisites: 13th level, Venomsmith Field of Study Your morbid research into the most vicious, exotic poisons has revealed how to synthesize the following poisons when you brew potions: Potion Cost Burnt Othur Fumes 3 reagent dice Crawler Mucus 3 reagent dice Drow Poison 3 reagent dice Pale Tincture 4 reagent dice Midnight Tears 5 reagent dice Wyvern Poison 6 reagent dice ALCHEMY OF ASCENDANCY Prerequisite: 17th level A breakthrough in your alchemical studies has revealed the formulation of several potent elixirs. You can brew the following potions: Potion Cost Necromantic Draught 4 reagent dice Oil of Etherealness 4 reagent dice Potion of Speed 4 reagent dice Potion of Stone Giant Strength 4 reagent dice 34 Classes

EXPLOSIVE MISSILE As a bonus action, you can load one of your bombs onto the head of a crossbow bolt. Instead of its normal damage, this bolt deals damage as if the bomb had been primed and thrown, but it doesn’t have a blast radius. Only one of your bombs can be loaded onto a bolt at a time, and you can’t fire an explosive bolt on the same turn you throw a bomb. FIRE BRAND As a bonus action you can mix your bomb’s contents together and apply the fiery concoction to a melee weapon you are holding. Until the end of your turn, this melee weapon deals an extra 1d6 fire damage on a hit. This bonus damage increases by 1d6 at 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6). FIRE EATER Instead of throwing a bomb, you use an action to drink its contents and spit them out in a 15-foot cone. Each creature within the cone must make a Dexterity saving throw against your bomb save DC. On a failed save, a creature takes fire damage as if the bomb had been primed and thrown, or half as much on a successful save. When you use this ability, you take 1d4 points of fire damage for each of your bomb’s damage dice. FIRE IN THE HOLE Prerequisite: 9th level You have tweaked your bomb’s formula to increase its explosive yield. Your bomb save DC increases by half your proficiency bonus, rounded down. FORTIFIED SERUM Prerequisites: 13th level, Apothecary Field of Study Whenever a creature regains hit points by drinking one of your potions, it gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons until the end of its next turn. GRENADIER When you prime and throw a bomb, you can use your bonus action to make an attack with a weapon that isn’t two-handed. DYNAMO CHARGER Prerequisites: 13th level, Dynamo Engineer Field of Study You’ve invented a device that rapidly recharges your spell dynamos. Once per day when you finish a short rest, you can regain 2 expended spell slots stored in dynamos. You can configure these dynamos immediately. sees as close friends. While the creature is charmed, it is nonhostile and acts as though it is charmed equally by each creature it sees. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. BUFFERED METABOLISM Prerequisites: 13th level, Xenoalchemist Field of Study As a reaction when you take damage, you can expend any number of reagent dice up to your proficiency bonus to reduce the amount of damage taken by the total rolled on the dice. CLOTTING AGENT You have developed a serum that thickens your blood. Your hit point maximum increases by your alchemist level + your Constitution modifier, and it increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level in this class. CRAFT HOMUNCULUS Using a special alchemical process requiring 8 hours of work, which can be performed over the course of a long rest, you can create a homunculus. A homunculus functions as a familiar summoned by the find familiar spell, with several differences: • The telepathic link between you and your homunculus functions at any distance, provided you and your homunculus are on the same plane of existence. • You can’t dismiss your homunculus as you would a familiar. • Your homunculus is a construct and can’t assume a different form. • Your homunculus can take the Attack action on its turn. When your homunculus dies, its body remains, and can be reanimated in a procedure requiring 1 hour of work, which can be performed over the course of a short or long rest. DEMOLITION SPREE Prerequisite: 13th level, Mad Bomber Field of Study When you prime and throw a bomb, you can choose to throw a number of bombs equal to the amount of damage dice for the bomb instead of only one. Each bomb you throw deals 1d10 damage plus your Intelligence modifier and can’t target the same creature or space. You must spend reagent dice separately on these bombs and can apply a bomb formula to only one of them. 35Alchemist

Potion Cost 2 × Antitoxin 1 reagent die 2 × Basic Poison 1 reagent die Oil of Taggit 2 reagent dice Potion of Poison 2 reagent dice Serpent Venom 2 reagent dice Truth Serum 2 reagent dice PRECISION EXPLOSIVES You have modified your bombs to have narrow gaps in their explosions, perfect for keeping some creatures safe from the blast. You can choose one creature in the blast radius of a bomb, other than the target, to automatically succeed on its saving throw against the bomb and take no damage from it. REACTIONARY GULP Prerequisite: 17th level By keeping your potions organized on a bandolier or in a series of pouches, you can quickly draw them at a moment’s notice. Immediately after you take damage from a creature you can see, you can use your reaction to drink a potion. RECYCLED POTIONS Prerequisite: 9th level When you brew potions, you can distill those you have already brewed, recovering the reagents stored within. You can convert brewed potions into reagent dice and you can choose to expend those dice to create new potions. You can’t gain more than your maximum number of reagent dice using this ability. SYRINGE Using a sophisticated hypodermic needle, you can more quickly administer potions and poisons. As a bonus action, you can inject a potion into yourself or a willing creature within 5 feet of you, granting the benefits of the potion as if it were consumed normally. You can inject a potion into an unwilling creature with a successful melee attack. TRI-MUTATION Prerequisites: 13th level, Mutagenist Field of Study You’ve developed a powerful, but fleeting way of blending your mutagens together. When you inject yourself with a mutagen, you can choose to inject a tri-mutagen, which grants you the benefit of all your mutagens at once. This benefit lasts for 1 minute, or until you use your bonus action to inject yourself with a different mutagen. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. HEMOREAGENT Prerequisite: 17th level When you prime and throw a bomb, you can convert a measure of your own blood into reagents. You can add five or fewer reagent dice to the bomb’s damage roll without expending them, and you take 1d6 necrotic damage for each reagent die added. This damage can’t be reduced or prevented in any way. LAZARUS BOLT Prerequisite: 9th level You’ve discovered a radical necromantic workaround: restoring life with direct electricity to the heart. As an action, you can drive a bolt into the torso of a creature within 5 feet of you that has died within the last minute and shock it back to life. That creature returns to life with 1 hit point. This feature can’t return to life a creature that lacks a heart, a creature that has died of old age, or a creature that is missing vital organs. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. MAGNIFIED BLAST Prerequisite: 17th level Thanks to a new internal design for your bombs, you have expanded their blast radius and magnitude. Whenever you add reagent dice to your bomb’s damage, you can also choose to expand the bomb’s blast radius by a distance of up to 5 feet per two reagent dice spent. OOZE COWBOY Prerequisites: 13th level, Ooze Rancher Field of Study Tired of waiting for your oozes to catch up with you, you’ve modified your formula to make extra fast slimes! All slimes you make have a speed of 30 feet, unless it was already higher. Additionally, you can ride any ooze you make of Medium size or larger as a mount. You and your equipment suffer no ill effect from touching your oozes directly. Lastly, your oozes add your proficiency bonus to their damage rolls and initiative rolls. POISONER Your research into poisonous compounds has taught you how to concoct lethal toxins. You gain proficiency with the poisoner’s kit. Additionally, you can craft the following poisons when you brew potions, which use your bomb save DC instead of their normal save DC: 36 Classes

FIELDS OF STUDY All alchemists learn the basics of their science: the elements, chemical reactions, and alchemical formulae. Beyond that, alchemists pick up a specialty, which they practice and research in depth. Some focus on the healing arts, and some focus on destruction, while others focus on research or potion-brewing. Fields of study are as varied as the alchemists who research them and have applications equally as diverse. Amorist The study of mind-affecting alchemy is a delicate one, practiced only by a small number of alchemists, known as amorists. Often called “love doctors” by their clientele, amorists specialize in the brewing of potions that produce strong emotional responses in their drinkers. While love potions are by far their most popular product, amorists can also craft pungent pheromone bombs that can even soften the hearts of terrible monsters. BONUS PROFICIENCIES When you choose this field of study at 2nd level, you gain proficiency in the Deception and Persuasion skills. FORMULA: PHEROMONE BOMB Starting at 2nd level, you can replace your bomb’s explosive contents with a potent pheromone, changing it into a pheromone bomb. A pheromone bomb requires a Wisdom saving throw, instead of a Dexterity saving throw. The bomb deals no damage, and instead causes the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, to be charmed by you until the end of its turn or until it takes damage. FIELDS OF STUDY NAME DESCRIPTION Amorist Brewers of love potions and practitioners of mind-affecting alchemy Apothecary Alchemical healers and herbalists Dynamo Engineer Casts spells by preparing them in devices known as spell dynamos Mad Bomber Pyromaniacs who fashion particularly devastating bombs Mutagenist Transmutes their body with experimental, injected mutagens Ooze Rancher Breeds and commands all manner of oozes and slimes Venomsmith Poison expert and assassin Xenoalchemist Modifies their body and the bodies of others with monster surgery Never underestimate the power of blowing things up! 37Alchemist

POTION TOSS Starting at 6th level, you’ve developed a chemical mechanism to deliver potions more effectively to distant allies. You can use your action to hurl a potion at a willing or unconscious creature within 20 feet of you. The target gains the potion’s benefit as if it had consumed the potion normally. SELF-MEDICATION By 10th level, you’ve tested out your own tolerances to painkillers such that you can take a small measure regularly without ill effect. Whenever you drink a potion that has the effect of restoring your hit points (even if you already have all of your hit points), you gain advantage on saving throws until the end of your next turn. ALCHEMICAL RESURRECTION Starting at 18th level, your medicines are potent enough to rouse the dead. By using your action to mix 500 gp worth of diamond dust into a potion of superior healing or a potion of supreme healing, you create a potion of raise dead. If you use your action to pour this concoction on a humanoid corpse that has been dead no longer than 10 days, the target gains the effect of the raise dead spell. Dynamo Engineer As an early alchemical thesis states: if the fundamental energy of magic could be captured within physical substance, there would be no need for magic-users. Some alchemists have founded their careers on this notion, inventing and iterating upon small devices known as spell dynamos, which can store and manipulate arcane energy. These dynamos can be configured to store their energy at a specific resonance, such that, when it is released, it perfectly replicates the effect of a spell. Indeed, these few alchemists have begun to brave the frontier of spellcasting without an ounce of arcane talent; just a knack for tinkering and endless inventiveness. SPECTRUM ANALYZER Starting at 2nd level, you have invented a small device shaped like a monocle capable of rendering magical auras visible to the naked eye. You can cast the detect magic spell once without using a spell slot or spell components. Once you cast the spell in this way, you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest. MAGNETIC PERSONALITY Starting at 6th level, you can add your Intelligence modifier to Charisma checks that you make. ALCHEMICAL PERFUME Beginning at 10th level, you wear an aromatic, mind-altering perfume that endears others to you. When a hostile creature within 5 feet of you makes an attack roll against you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your bomb save DC or have disadvantage on the attack roll. Once a creature succeeds on this saving throw, it is immune to this effect for 24 hours. A target automatically succeeds on this saving throw if it can’t be charmed. ALCHEMICAL ROMANCE Starting at 18th level, during a long rest, you can spend 4 reagent dice to make an extremely potent potion of true love. This potion acts much like a philter of love, except that when you make the potion, you choose the creature the target regards as its true love, provided the target knows the creature or meets it within 24 hours of consuming the potion. Additionally, this effect lasts indefinitely, ended only when you make a new potion of true love, or the effect is removed with a remove curse spell or similar magic. When this potion’s effects are ended on a target, it regards the creature it once loved with total disgust, and can never love that creature again. Apothecary Many practically minded alchemists assume the role of the apothecary, for adventuring parties always need a healer, and clerics might be in short supply. During their downtime, such alchemists have a marketable skill to depend upon for income and can do an indisputable amount of good with their knowledge. Apothecaries are constantly at work studying potions and herbology, preferring to learn how to mend the body, rather than destroy it. BONUS PROFICIENCIES When you choose this field of study at 2nd level, you gain proficiency in the Medicine skill. FORMULA: PAINKILLER BOMB At 2nd level, you can mix your bomb’s contents with a slurry of analgesic oil, changing it into a painkiller bomb. A painkiller bomb deals no damage, but instead grants each creature within its blast radius temporary hit points equal to 1d8 plus half your alchemist level, which last until the end of your next turn. This bomb has no effect on constructs and undead. 38 Classes

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier FORMULA: ARCANO BOMB Starting at 6th level, you can craft arcano bombs. By adding an unexpended dynamo to your bomb (and thus expending the dynamo’s spell slot), you can change it into an arcano bomb. An arcano bomb deals force damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d12s, and it deals one extra die of damage, as if a reagent die were added to it. COUNTER-DISCHARGE Beginning at 10th level, when a creature you can see casts a spell that affects you, you can use your reaction to expend a spell dynamo to release a wave of disruptive magical energy. If the spell requires you to make a saving throw to resist its effects, you have advantage on the saving throw. If the spell deals damage, you have resistance against it. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. SPELLCASTING Also at 2nd level, you can cast spells by storing and releasing energy in spell dynamos. See the core rules for the general rules of spellcasting and the wizard spell list. Spell Dynamos. You power your spells through handheld arcane devices called spell dynamos, which each hold a single spell slot. The Dynamo Engineer Spellcasting table shows how many spell dynamos you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots held in each of your dynamos is; all of these spell slots are the same level. To cast one of your wizard spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell dynamo. You regain all expended spell dynamos when you finish a long rest. Preparing Spells. Unlike other spells, you must prepare the spells held in each of your spell dynamos in advance. When you finish a long rest, you configure each of your dynamos to cast a particular wizard spell you know. You can only use a spell dynamo to cast a spell to which it is configured. When you finish a short or long rest, you can reconfigure your unexpended dynamos to hold different spells. Spells Known of 1st-Level and Higher. You know three 1st-level wizard spells of your choice, two of which you must choose from the evocation and transmutation spells on the wizard spell list. The Spells Known column of the Dynamo Engineer Spellcasting table shows when you learn more wizard spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be an evocation or transmutation spell of your choice, and must be of a level for which you have spell slots. The spells you learn at 8th, 14th, and 20th level can come from any school of magic. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the wizard spells you know with another spell of your choice from the wizard spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots, and it must be an evocation or transmutation spell, unless you’re replacing the spell you gained at 3rd, 8th, 14th, or 20th level from any school of magic. Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your wizard spells, since you cast them using cutting-edge arcane technology. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. Use your bomb save DC as the saving throw DC for a wizard spell you cast, and use your Intelligence modifier when making an attack roll with one. DYNAMO ENGINEER SPELLCASTING ALCHEMIST LEVEL SPELLS KNOWN SPELL DYNAMOS SLOT LEVEL 2nd 3 2 1st 3rd 3 2 1st 4th 4 3 1st 5th 4 3 1st 6th 4 3 1st 7th 5 4 2nd 8th 6 4 2nd 9th 6 4 2nd 10th 7 5 2nd 11th 8 5 2nd 12th 8 5 2nd 13th 9 5 3rd 14th 10 5 3rd 15th 10 5 3rd 16th 11 6 3rd 17th 11 6 3rd 18th 11 6 3rd 19th 12 7 4th 20th 13 7 4th 39Alchemist

Mutagenist The study of alchemy is fundamentally the study of transformation. All alchemists transmute mundane materials into magical substances—potions, elixirs, and bombs—yet some take it one step further. You have discovered the secrets of the mutagen, the keystone of transmutation, which allows you to transform your very body, gaining supernatural strength or speed, sprouting additional limbs or claws, or thickening your skin into a stony aegis. BONUS PROFICIENCIES Starting when you choose this field of study at 2nd level, you gain proficiency in your choice of the Acrobatics or Athletics skill, as well as with shields. MUTAGEN Also at 2nd level, you can use your bonus action to inject yourself with a potent transmutative potion known as a mutagen. You gain one of the following benefits of your choice for 1 minute, or until you use your bonus action to inject yourself with a different mutagen: Strength. Your Strength score increases by 3, to a maximum of 20. Additionally, you sprout claws, fangs, spines, horns, or a different natural weapon of your choice. You can use this natural weapon to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. The damage of this attack is bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing, as appropriate for the natural weapon. Dexterity. Your Dexterity score increases by 3, to a maximum of 20. Additionally, your walking speed increases by 5 feet. Constitution. Your Constitution score increases by 3, to a maximum of 20. As a result, your current and maximum hit points increase accordingly with your new Constitution score, but when this effect ends, both your current and maximum hit points decrease by the same amount. SHARED MUTAGEN At 6th level, you’ve created a mutagen formulation generic enough to safely be injected into others. You can use your action and spend a reagent die to inject a willing creature within 5 feet of you with a mutagen of your choice. A creature can only be under the effect of one mutagen at a time. Once you have injected another creature with a mutagen, you can’t do so again until the original mutagen ends. ARCANE RECYCLER By 18th level, you can convert otherwise wasted magical energy into a usable form. When you miss with an arcano bomb, you can recycle the spell slot stored in the dynamo and transfer it to one of the empty dynamos on your person. Mad Bomber While many “mad bombers” aren’t actually mad, it takes a special kind of crazy to devote one’s life to studying explosives. Most alchemists who specialize in this field are incorrigible pyromaniacs who take great pleasure in burning, blasting, and blowing things up. Mad bombers are always working to improve their bombs’ effectiveness. BLASTING SPECIALTY Starting when you choose this field of study at 2nd level, your bombs deal double damage to objects and structures. FORMULA: SHRAPNEL BOMB At 2nd level, you can augment your bomb’s explosive contents with metal bearings, changing it into a shrapnel bomb. A shrapnel bomb deals piercing damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d8s, and it explodes in a 10-foot radius. TIMED DEMOLITION Starting at 6th level, when you prime and throw a bomb, you can set a duration for its detonation, which can be any number of rounds (any increment of 6 seconds) up to 1 minute. The bomb detonates at the end of your turn after this duration. If a creature is in the area of more than one bomb’s blast radius simultaneously, the creature is only affected by one of the bombs of your choice. BLAST SHIELD Starting at 10th level, you have developed an elemental plating to protect you from hazardous energies. You gain resistance to your choice of acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder damage and can change your selection whenever you finish a long rest. FORMULA: BLACK POWDER BOMB Beginning at 18th level, you can replace your bomb’s explosive contents with a charge of black powder, changing it into a dreaded black powder bomb. A black powder bomb’s damage dice are d12s. 40 Classes

FORMULA: SLIME BOMB At 2nd level, you can mix your bomb’s explosive contents with the remnants of an ooze, changing it into a slime bomb. A slime bomb deals no damage, but coats each creature within the blast radius in a viscous, green slime. No creature coated in slime can take the Dash action or the Disengage action. Slime can be removed by dousing a creature with a gallon of water or by taking an action to remove most of it. BOTTLED OOZES Starting at 6th level, you’ve learned a clever alchemical trick for condensing oozes into denser states and storing them in stasis for later use. Whenever you brew potions, you can spend 2 reagent dice to create an ooze bottle (see Chapter 5). LIQUID ANATOMY By 10th level, your experiments with ooze alchemy have resulted in injecting yourself with a measure of ozoplasm, a fundamental substance which composes oozes and slimes. As a result, you can move through any space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing (though your equipment doesn’t similarly compress). Moreover, any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit. OOZE JUG Beginning at 18th level, you’ve solved the major problem preventing large oozes from being bottled: you just needed a much larger bottle. You have one ooze jug, which functions like an ooze bottle, but contains a larger ooze. You can only have one ooze jug at a time and it can only contain one ooze at a time. You can fill it with the following oozes when you brew potions: Ooze Cost Ochre Jelly 4 reagent dice Gelatinous Cube 8 reagent dice Black Pudding 10 reagent dice Venomsmith For every alchemist that has devoted their life to healing the sick and infirm, there is another with a darker calling. Commonly called poisoners or venomsmiths, these alchemists are masters in the art of crafting deadly and debilitating poisons. Whether employed by an assassin’s guild or performing assassinations themselves, a venomsmith’s presence is usually accompanied by untimely death. ADVANCED MUTATION Starting at 10th level, whenever you inject yourself with a mutagen, you can choose one of the following additional mutations: Hyperelastic. Your flesh takes on a rubbery quality, allowing you to bend and stretch with ease. Melee weapons you use are considered to have the Reach property, if they didn’t already have it already. Additionally, you have advantage on ability checks you make to escape grapple or slip binds. Mucilaginous. Your skin secretes a thick, extremely sticky substance, which helps you adhere to objects. You can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving your hands free. You also have a climbing speed equal to your walking speed. Additionally, creatures have disadvantage on ability checks made to escape your grapples. Polybrachia. You grow a pair of additional arms. These arms are fully functional and can be used to hold weapons and shields (allowing you to hold 2 two-handed weapons, or 4 one-handed weapons), perform somatic components of spells, and perform other actions, though the arms themselves don’t grant you any additional actions. MUTATED BLOOD By 18th level, your mutagens have permanently altered your biology. Choose Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. The chosen ability score increases by 2, and and your maximum for this score is now 22. Once you have chosen an ability score, this selection can’t be altered. Ooze Rancher Unsurprisingly, oozes, jellies, and slimes are a fascinating subject for alchemists who wish to figure out how inanimate chemicals can form together and rise up in a moving, hungry mass. The answer to this question may very well be at the heart of alchemy itself. Alchemists who choose to research slimes in depth are called ooze ranchers, for they breed and keep numerous slimes to experiment upon. OOZE EMPATHY Starting when you choose this field of study at 2nd level, you’ve developed a pheromone mix that endears all kinds of slime to you. Whenever an ooze tries to attack you, it must make a Wisdom saving throw against your bomb save DC. On a failed save, its attack misses. On a successful save, the ooze is immune to this feature for the next 24 hours. 41Alchemist

Xenoalchemist A small number of renegade alchemists elect to experiment on themselves, modifying their anatomy or even outright attaching new body parts. These experiments are often considered unethical and dangerous, even by other alchemists, and those that practice them are branded xenoalchemists for their efforts. As xenoalchemists progress in their studies, they invariably stumble upon the dangerous practice of alchemical necromancy, which allows them to imbue unlife upon amalgamations of body parts. XENOBIOLOGY Starting when you choose this field of study at 2nd level, you have advantage on all ability checks you make to identify or research monsters. MAD SCIENTIST By 2nd level, you’ve learned the finer points of reanimating dead appendages and stitching them to things. You gain two monstrous grafts of your choice. Additionally, you don’t lose hit points or Hit Dice from installing or removing grafts, and it takes you no time to recover after the attachment of a new graft. See Appendix C for monstrous grafts. SURGICAL ATTACK Beginning at 6th level, whenever you take the Attack or prime and throw a bomb on your turn, you can make an unarmed strike as part of that action. You can only use this ability if your unarmed strike is improved by a graft, such as Bestial Features. NECROMANTIC ORGANS By 10th level, you’ve learned how to tinge your own biology with necromancy through reanimated organs that will persist after your death. If you are reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, you can drop to 1 hit point instead. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest. IT'S ALIVE! Beginning at 18th level, your research into the field of necromancy has culminated in an alchemical golem stitched together from discarded body parts. You can create an alchemy golem through an 8-hourlong procedure, which can be conducted over the course of a long rest. To complete this process, you must have a healer’s kit, alchemist’s supplies, and a knife (or a facility with access to such tools), as well as at least three recently deceased humanoid corpses. POISONER Beginning when you choose this field of study at 2nd level, you gain the Poisoner discovery. Until you reach 3rd level, you have 2 reagent dice, which you can spend only on crafting poisons using this discovery. This discovery doesn’t count against your number of discoveries known, and you can’t later replace this discovery with a different one when you gain a level in this class. Additionally, when you deal poison damage to a creature, you ignore resistance to poison damage and you treat immunity to poison damage as resistance instead, dealing half damage. FORMULA: VENOM BOMB At 2nd level, you can mix a few drops of a fastacting toxin into your bomb’s explosive components, changing it into a venom bomb. A venom bomb deals poison damage instead of fire damage, its damage dice are d8s, and it requires a Constitution saving throw instead of a Dexterity saving throw. Additionally, the target, as well as each creature within the blast radius that fails its saving throw, has disadvantage on the next Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution saving throw it makes before the end of its next turn. ALCHEMICAL ASSASSIN Beginning at 6th level, you are adept at applying poisons without being seen. You have advantage on Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) checks you make to add ingested poison to food or drink, to apply poison to a weapon you are holding without being seen, or to place a vial of poison on another creature without it noticing. MITHRIDATISM By 10th level, by administering yourself small doses of various poisons and toxins, you have developed an immunity to their ravages. You have immunity to poison damage and can’t be poisoned. TOXIC RECOMPENSE Starting at 18th level, whenever a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction to unleash a spray of poisonous vapor. The attacker must make a Constitution saving throw against your bomb save DC or be poisoned for 1 minute. While poisoned, the creature takes 1d10 poison damage at the start of each of its turns. A poisoned creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. 42 Classes

Your alchemy golem acts independently on its own turn, but always obeys your commands. On each of your turns, you can use a bonus action to mentally command your golem if it is within 60 feet of you. You decide what action the golem will take and where it will move during its next turn, or you can issue a general command, such as to guard a particular chamber or corridor. If you issue no commands, the golem only defends itself against hostile creatures. Once given an order, the golem continues to follow it until its task is complete. When the alchemy golem drops to 0 hit points, it dies. You can restore your alchemy golem’s hit points and reanimate it over the course of a short or long rest. You can attach up to three grafts to your alchemy golem. You can only have one alchemy golem at a time. ALCHEMY GOLEM MEDIUM CONSTRUCT, NEUTRAL Armor Class 13 (natural armor) Hit Points 76 (9d8 + 36) Speed 30 ft. STR 17 (+3) DEX 9 (–1) CON 18 (+4) INT 6 (–2) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 5 (–3) Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical weapons that aren’t adamantine Damage Immunities lightning Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 Languages understands the languages of its creator but can’t speak CHALLENGE 5 (1,800 XP) Aversion to Fire. If the alchemy golem takes fire damage, it has disadvantage on ability checks and attack rolls until the end of its next turn. Immutable Form. The alchemy golem is immune to any spell or effect that would alter its form. Lightning Absorption. Whenever the alchemy golem is subjected to lightning damage, it takes no damage and instead regains a number of hit points equal to half the lightning damage dealt. Magic Resistance. The alchemy golem has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects. Monstrous Grafts. The alchemy golem’s weapon attacks, including monstrous grafts added by its creator, are magical. Monstrous grafts have a +6 attack bonus, deal twice the normal number of damage dice, and have a +5 bonus to their damage rolls. The alchemical golem can only have 1 graft in each slot. ACTIONS Multiattack. The alchemy golem makes two melee weapon attacks. Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d8 + 3) bludgeoning damage. 43Alchemist

44 Classes

A half-elf, adorned in the ribbons and medals of a high-ranking commander, sits astride an armored warhorse. To her right, a powerfully built orcish man in more pedestrian attire sits atop his own horse, shouldering a hefty greataxe. They set down the road together, accompanied by blaring trumpets and banging drums, which announce their approach. Puffing on a pipe and eyeing the room, a halfling guildmaster in a fitted suit twirls a dagger between his fingers. A crowd of thieves, crooks, and bandits are arrayed before him, all studying blueprints laid out on a candlelit table. Tonight, their chapter of the Thieves’ Guild becomes rich, and their guildmaster goes down in history. Kobolds swarm left and right, scampering across piles of gold pieces, only to be met by the dwarf ’s greataxe. Arrow after arrow, a human archer looses shots that merely plink off the enraged dragon’s crimson scales. A gnomish mage gathers crackling arcane might in his hands for a devastating magical blast. Across the chamber, amidst the chaos, a plan crystallizes in the adventuring company’s leader. She begins shouting orders, and the party sets into motion. Decisive leaders and brilliant strategists, captains inspire their allies to greatness. Invariably, they stand alongside their cohorts—their devoted lieutenants, whom they entrust with their lives. Captains outstrategize their enemies, ensuring that, while they rarely deal the killing blow, they’re always on the winning side. Fearless Leaders Many people aspire to command, but few inspire loyalty as a captain does. Captains rally allies to their side through confidence and determination, but gain long-term friends through wisdom and accountability. A good captain thinks a little bigger than their compatriots, planning one step further and fitting their allies like puzzle pieces to the challenges ahead. To their eyes, there are few defeats; only setbacks, diversions, and detours. Success is always on the path ahead. Moreover, captains lead by example. They stand shoulder-to-shoulder with knights, creep through the night alongside rogues, and study arcane texts with mages, even when they barely understand what they’re reading. Captains are at the front line with their allies, not barking orders from afar. Cohort and Commander A captain is only as good as their second in command, their cohort, who stands by them at every step and safeguards their plan’s success. Far more than a simple ally, a captain’s cohort is a confidant, an advisor, and a trusted friend. Cohorts see their captain as a wellspring of information, and will follow them to the ends of the earth. Creating a Captain The ideal captain—a consummate leader—can be realized in many different ways. Your captain could be a head of an adventuring company, an officer in an army, the president of a corporation, the chief of a tribe, the admiral of a fleet, or any other type of leader. The only commonalities amongst captains are their positions of authority and natural inclinations towards leadership. You should consider how your captain chooses to lead: not simply what banner they fly, but how they treat their followers and how they give orders. Do you rally others to your side with a magnetic personality or a stoic facade? How would you deal with a dilemma that offers only losing strategies? How do you treat your opponents once you’ve secured victory? You should also think of previous victories or defeats that have defined your captain in the past. Has your story been that of a meteoric rise or a disgraceful fall? What event first thrust you into leadership, and how did you first take to it? Which success or defeat led you to the life of an adventurer? QUICK BUILD You can make a captain quickly by following these suggestions. First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Next, select History and Persuasion as your skills, and take the Dueling Fighting Style. Lastly, choose a background reflecting your leadership experience. CAPTAIN 45Captain

• (a) scale mail, or (b) leather armor • A dagger and (a) a warhammer, (b) a longsword, or (c) any simple weapon • (a) a light crossbow and 20 bolts, (b) a shortbow and 20 arrows, or (c) 5 javelins • An embroidered standard and (a) a diplomat’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack Born Leader By 1st level, your competence and commanding personality lend you a knack for leadership. Common folk defer to your authority and influence, especially in times of crisis. As a result, you have advantage on any Charisma (Persuasion) check you make to convince someone to let you take charge of a situation or to give someone orders in a dangerous situation. Additionally, you can use your Charisma modifier, instead of your Intelligence modifier, for any ability check you make related to planning, strategy, or tactics. CLASS FEATURES As a captain, you gain the following class features. HIT POINTS Hit Dice: 1d8 per captain level Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per captain level after 1st PROFICIENCIES Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons Tools: None Saving Throws: Constitution, Charisma Skills: Choose two from Animal Handling, Athletics, Deception, History, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Persuasion EQUIPMENT You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: LEVEL PROFICIENCY BONUS FEATURES BATTLE DICE COHORT FEATURE 1st +2 Born Leader, Fighting Style — — 2nd +2 Cohort — Cohort feature 3rd +2 Banner, War Tactics 2d8 — 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 2d8 — 5th +3 Blitz 2d8 — 6th +3 — 3d8 Cohort feature 7th +3 Banner feature 3d8 — 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 3d8 — 9th +4 Advanced Tactics 3d8 — 10th +4 — 3d10 Cohort feature 11th +4 Coordinated Strike 3d10 — 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 3d10 — 13th +5 Banner feature 3d10 — 14th +5 — 4d10 Cohort feature 15th +5 Lead by Example 4d10 — 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 4d10 — 17th +6 Banner feature 4d10 — 18th +6 — 4d12 Cohort feature 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 4d12 — 20th +6 Warlord 4d12 — THE CAPTAIN 46 Classes

Your cohort obeys your commands as best it can. Your cohort takes its turn immediately before or after your turn each round (your choice), and you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own. COHORT FEATURES At 2nd, 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels, your cohort gains new abilities based on its archetype. HIT POINTS For each captain level you gain after 2nd, your cohort gains an additional Hit Die and increases its hit points accordingly. ABILITY SCORES Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your cohort’s abilities also improve. Your cohort can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or it can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your companion can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature, unless its description specifies otherwise. When you improve a cohort’s ability scores, remember to also increase other relevant statistics, such as skill bonuses, bonuses to hit and damage, and spell save DCs. Fighting Style At 1st level, you adopt a 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. 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. Cohort Starting at 2nd level, you gain a loyal cohort who carries your banner and follows your lead. INITIATING A COHORT Select a companion from the Cohort section; following an 8-hour initiation period, that creature becomes your cohort. You can have only one cohort at a time. If your cohort is ever slain, you can raise them from the dead by the usual methods, such as the raise dead spell, or you can spend 8 hours initiating a new cohort. If you do so, your previous cohort loses all abilities granted by this ability, even if it is later returned to life. You’re not a “hireling” if I don’t pay you! 47Captain

special maneuvers in combat. You begin with 2 battle dice, which are d8s. You regain all expended battle dice when you finish a short or long rest, or when you roll initiative. Your battle die changes and more battle dice become available when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Battle Dice column of the Captain table. SAVING THROWS If one of your maneuvers calls for a saving throw to resist its effects, the saving throw DC is calculated as follows: Maneuver save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier MANEUVERS You can spend battle dice to use the following maneuvers: Brace. As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend a battle die to bolster your allies. Each allied creature within 30 feet of you that can see or hear you adds the battle die to all saving throws it makes until the end of your next turn. Rally. As a bonus action on your turn, you can expend a battle die to choose one allied creature within 60 feet of you who can see or hear you. That creature regains hit points equal to the number rolled + your Charisma modifier. You can’t use this ability to heal a creature who has 0 hit points. Staggering Strike. As a bonus action when you make a weapon attack against a humanoid, you can expend a battle die to attempt to stun the target. On a hit, the target succeed make a Constitution saving throw or be incapacitated until the start of your next turn. 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. Blitz Starting at 5th level, as a bonus action on your turn, you can direct your cohort or a friendly creature within 60 feet of you that can see or hear you to fight alongside you. The chosen creature can use its reaction to move up to its speed or make a single weapon attack. PROFICIENCIES Your cohort gains proficiency in skills listed in its statistics. It also gains proficiency with simple weapons, martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, heavy armor, or shields if its statistics contain weapons or armor from that category. Your cohort uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. Because cohort statistics already include a +2 proficiency bonus, you need only adjust the attack bonus and skill proficiency bonus starting at 5th level. ALIGNMENT Your cohort’s alignment is within one step of your own, and has a personality trait and flaw determined by the GM. Its bond is always, “I will follow my commander into any fray, and I will gladly fight by their side until my death.” Banner Starting at 3rd level, you adopt a banner which you fly in combat, emblazon on your armor, and fix to your seal. You can select from the banners which are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 7th, 13th, and 17th level. War Tactics Starting at 3rd level, you have a pool of battle dice that you can use to bolster your allies or perform 48 Classes

BANNERS Captains adopt emblems that denote their virtues, skills, and command styles, which they fly upon their banners to rally allies to their side. A symbolic statement, this heraldry speaks volumes about what a captain prizes in the world, be it knowledge, allies, or personal gain. Dragon Banner Captains under the banner of the Dragon are among the most formidable warriors to grace the battlefield. Armed with an array of lethal maneuvers, these captains cut through lesser combatants with ease, turning the tides of battle on their own, if needed. The visage of the dragon banner inspires fear and loyalty in equal measure, for the carnage and bloodshed left in a dragon warrior’s wake speaks volumes of their skill. BONUS BATTLE DIE Starting when you choose this banner at 3rd level, your total number of battle dice increases by 1. MANEUVER: CLEAVE Also at 3rd level, you learn the following maneuver: When you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points or score a critical hit with a melee weapon attack on your turn, you can spend a battle die to move up to 15 feet and make an another melee weapon attack as part of the same action. On a hit, you add the battle die to the attack’s damage roll. MANEUVER: WADE INTO BATTLE At 7th level, you learn the following maneuver: You can expend a battle die to take the Dash or Disengage action as a bonus action on your turn. Advanced Tactics At 9th level, your maneuvers improve in the following ways: Brace. Allies can also add the battle die to their ability checks until the start of your next turn. Rally. Whenever you spend a battle die to cause a creature to regain hit points, that creature also gains temporary hit points equal to your captain level. Staggering Strike. When you hit with a staggering strike, you add the battle die to the damage roll. Coordinated Strike By 11th level, you and your cohort fight as a perfect fighting unit. Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can deal an extra 2d8 damage to the creature if your cohort has also hit that creature with an attack since the end of your last turn. Lead by Example Starting at 15th level, whenever you roll a 20 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, each friendly creature within 30 feet of you has advantage when it makes the same type of roll (attack roll, ability check, or saving throw) before the start of your next turn. Warlord At 20th level, when a friendly creature you can see within 30 feet of you misses an attack against a target within range, you can turn the miss into a hit. Alternatively, if it fails a saving throw, you can treat the d20 roll as a 20. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest. BANNERS NAME DESCRIPTION Dragon Banner Uses maneuvers to annihilate their foes on the battlefield Eagle Banner A bow master who uses precision shots to strike foes from high above Jolly Roger Banner A duelist and swashbuckler trained with a cutlass and the unfair tactics of brigands Lion Banner A knightly leader who challenges their foes to honorable combat Ram Banner Shoves their foes and knocks them prone to gain the upper hand in combat Raven Banner A stealthy master of guerilla warfare and covert tactics Turtle Banner Emphasizes defense above all else, using heavy armor and shield wall tactics 49Captain