Element Shaper (5A)

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This is an Artificer Specialization for 5A.

The elements are alive. An elemental shaper forms them into an elemental construct, matter given form and animation by the artificer's craft. All elemental constructs consists of all the elements, but the methods and tools the element shaper uses changes the mix of elements.

Greyhawk: An ancient art practiced by elves, but also in the old Suel empire and by the Temple of Elemental Evil. Most, including many practitioners, see this as a summoning art rather than as artificing.

Element Shaper Spells

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

Element Shaper Spells

Artificer Level	Spells
3	Absorb Elements, Chromatic Orb
5	Dragon's Breath, Hold Person
9	Pulse Wave, Thunder Step
13	Evard's Black Tentacles, Fire Shield
17	Hold Monster, Steel Wind Strike

Elemental Affinity

At 3rd level, the appearance and nature of your elemental construct depends on a number of choices you make as an element shaper. All elemental constructs are composed of all the four elements, but some have more of one element than of the others. There are numerous places in this subclass where there are multiple choices, one for each of the classic elements, air, earth, fire, and water. Your servant's appearance is shaped by these choices. The basic elemental construct is a rough chunk of matter with chunks of stone, ice, water, and embers, all surrounded by a miasma like a second skin. If you choose air, the servant is less solid and more like a thundercloud. When you choose earth, the servant becomes more solid and hunched over like a beast. Fire makes the servant more fully formed, with a distinct head and limbs. Water makes the servant fluid, malleable, and flexible. This has no effect on the abilities of the elemental construct, it is more of a visual clue.

Elemental Lore

At 3rd level when you choose this specialization, you learn Primordial and one of its elemental daughter languages: Auran (air), Aquan (water), Ignan (fire), and Terran (earth).

You also gain proficiency in Mason’s tools (earth). Potter's tools (water), Smith’s tools (fire), or a musical instrument of your choice (air).

If you already have one or more of these proficiencies or languages, you instead gain proficiency with one language, tool proficiency, or vehicle of your choice for each of the proficiencies you already had.

Elemental Construct

At 3rd level you gain the ability to shape and animate the elements into an elemental construct. You have four basic forms you can choose between, floater (air), biped (fire), multiped (earth), or serpentine (water).

In combat, the elemental construct 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 elemental construct can take any action of its choice, not just Dodge.

If your elemental construct 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 elemental construct returns to life after 1 minute with all its hit points restored. If your elemental construct is lost or you wish to rebuild it, you can create a new elemental construct with 2 hours of work. This allows you to alter any choices made in its construction. You can do this during a long rest. Your old elemental construct returns to inert matter when you start making a new one.

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

Elemental construct

Medium Construct

Armor Class: 11 + PB (natural armor)

Hit Points: 20 x PB.

Speed: 30 ft., Fly 20 ft. (can hover) (floater only), Swim 20 ft. (serpentine only)

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

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

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

Damage Resistances: cold, electricity, fire

Damage Immunities poison

Condition Immunities exhaustion, poisoned, unconscious

Senses: darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10

Languages: understands Primordial.

Challenge: —

Proficiency Bonus: equals your bonus.

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

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)

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

Constrict. Melee Weapon Attack: your spell attack modifier to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. 1d8 +PB piercing damage. The target is grappled, escape DC 10 + PB Until this grapple ends, the creature is restrained, and the elemental construct can't constrict another target. (serpentine only)

Spark. Ranged Weapon Attack your spell attack modifier to hit, range 30/90 ft., one target. 1d6 +PB electrical damage. (floater only)

Elemental Customization

At 5th level, all natural attacks your elemental construct use does magical damage. Your elemental construct gains the multiattack ability.

Multiattack. The elemental construct makes two attacks of any type it knows in any combination.

Manifest Element

Manifest Element Spell Slots

Spell Slot Used	Minimum Artificier Level	Summon Elemental Level
2	9	4
3	9	5
4	13	7
5	17	9

At 9th level you can you can conjure elementals other than your elemental construct. You add the Summon Elemental spell to your spell list, even tough you do not yet have any 4th level spell slots to cast it with.

As you advance in level as an artificer, you can use lower-level spell slots to greater effect when with this ability. When you reach the required level, the spell slot you use is increased to a higher level when you use it to cast Summon Elemental. This increase happens when you cast the spell and cannot affect any other spell you cast.

Elemental Customization

At 15th level you can redesign your elemental construct to fit your needs. When you build your elemental construct, choose one of the following:

• Large (earth) The elemental construct is of Large size taking up 10 ft. of space. A humanoid elemental construct gains reach 10 ft. A quadruped or serpentine elemental construct can carry a rider of Medium size.
• Small (Air) The elemental construct is of Small size and gains proficiency in the Stealth skill.
• Amorphous (water) The servant can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing.
• Fast (fire) All speeds increase by 10 ft.

Designer's Notes

A development of the reanimator, the element shaper is less controversial. Their pet starts out with immunities the reanimate lacks, but develops less new abilities.

• Elemental Affinity is pure flavor, as the description says.
• Manifest Element is quite powerful as a side interest, making the element shaper somewhat like a pathfinder summoner.
• Elemental Customization is weak and could use a rewrite.