Reanimator (5A)

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This is an Artificer Specialization for 5A.

Resurrection and creating life is a millennia-old dream of both science and arcane magic. Divine magic can do this, but it vexes many wizards and artificers that they cannot. This is what the reanimator strives to do.

Greyhawk: Medicine is far from being a science, but it is getting there. Reanimators are medical practitioners, some were on the path to becoming Chirurgeons before their studies focused on the border of life and death. As such, reanimators are likely to be found in large cities, especially where there is a medical school. Others have had to flee their Alma Mater and start a secretive practice in some isolated spot.

Medical Training

When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in the Medicine skill. If you are already proficient in Medicine, you gain proficiency in another skill of your choice.

Medical Attention

If you or any friendly creatures you assist spend one or more Hit Dice to regain hit points at the end of the short rest, each of those creatures regains additional hit points equal to your proficiency bonus in Medicine.

Reanimator Spells

Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Reanimator Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.

Reanimator Spells

Artificer Level	Spells
3	Sleep, Witch Bolt
5	Gentle repose, Hold Person
9	Animate Dead, Life Transference
13	Aura of Life, Death Ward
17	Awaken, Modify Memory

Reanimate

At 3rd level your studies of life and death allows you to create a reanimate. This is a living creature made out of parts of inorganic materials and the body parts of formerly living creatures. You have 3 basic forms you can choose between, biped, multiped, or serpentine. What ever form you choose, the reanimate looks obviously artificial.

In combat, the reanimate shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take another action. That action can be one in its stat block or some other action. If you are incapacitated, the reanimate can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

If your reanimate has died within the last hour, you can use an action to revive it, provided you are within 5 feet of it and you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher. The reanimate returns to life after 1 minute with all its hit points restored. If your reanimate is lost or you wish to rebuild it, you can create a new reanimate with 8 hours of work. This allows you to alter any choices made in its construction. If your old animate still lives it goes feral.

The stat block for the reanimate uses your Proficency Bonus (PB) in many places.

Reanimate

Medium monstrosity

Armor Class: 11 + PB (natural armor)

Hit Points: 20 x PB.

Speed: 30 ft., Swim 20 ft. (serpentine only)

STR 10 plus PBx2 (+PB) DEX 13 (+1) CON 15 (+2) INT 5 (-3) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 6 (-2)

Saving Throws: Dex +1 plus PB, Con +2 plus PB

Skills: Athletics +0 plus PBx2, Perception +0 plus PB

Damage Resistances: electricity

Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 plus PB

Languages: understands one language you know.

Challenge: —

Proficiency Bonus: equals your bonus.

Weapon proficiencies: proficient in simple melee weapons. (biped only)

Hands: Has 2 hands that can use weapons. When attacking with weapons it has proficiency with it uses your spell attack modifier to hit. (biped only)

Slam Attack. Melee Weapon Attack your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. 1d8 +PB bludgeoning damage

Bite Attack. Melee Weapon Attack your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. 1d8 +PB slashing damage (multiped or serpentine only).

Claw Attack. Melee Weapon Attack your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. 1d8 +PB piercing damage (multiped only).

Reanimate Evolution

At 5th level your reanimate gains the multiattack ability.

Multiattack. The reanimate makes two attacks of any type it knows.

Its Intelligence increases to 9 (-1). It and learns to speak and begins to ask you questions about the world.

Reanimate Customization

At 9th level you can redesign your reanimate to fit your needs. All natural attacks your reanimate uses does magical damage. Further, when you build your reanimate, choose one of the following:

• Large The reanimate is of Large size taking up 10 ft. of space. A humanoid reanimate gains reach 10 ft. A quadruped or serpentine reanimate can carry a rider of Medium size.
• Small The reanimate is of Small size and gains proficiency in the Stealth skill.
• Wings The reanimate gains wings that gives it a flying speed of 40 feet.

Its Intelligence increases to 13 (+1). It begins to speak to others than you and to form its own opinions. It learns a total of three languages, including Common and the language it started with. You no longer need to give orders to your reanimate, it acts on its own. It is charmed by you and loyal to you.

Create Life

At 15th level you can cast one of Clone, Create Undead, Raise Dead, Simulacrum, or True Polymorph. These spells gain a casting time of six hours when cast in this way. You must finish a long rest before you can cast one of these spells again.

Designer's Notes

The reanimator has a combat pet that is a living creature, and can thus be healed by normal healing spells. This pet is more of an offensive combatant than other artificer pets. The spells deal with life force, including some necromancy, but the reanimator is not primarily a necromancer.