Thundersmith

An Artificer (Revised) subclass by KibblesTasty

A Thundersmith is
an Artificer has harnesses the primal force of elemental power, channeling its power into their great creation: a weapon of unmatched devastation. Spectacular and terrible, these weapons bring fear to their foes and awe to their allies.

Why a Thundersmith bends their mind to the task of making such a thing - some are coldly analytical about the destruction it causes, seeking to continually improve it, tweaking it for ever more optimized destruction, while others view it merely as a tool, a means to an end, while others still reveal in the crash of thunder that heralds the terrifying force of their weapon.

While some may look at these weapons as the dawn of a new age, in truth wielding them is a tricky and arcane art no simpler than making them, something only the one who forged the device will every truly master, each weapon a unique piece of devastating art.

Thundersmith's Proficiency
When you choose this specialization at 1st level, you gain Proficiency with tinker's tools and smith's tools. If your weapon requires ammunition, you gain the knowledge of how to forge them, and create them with smithing tools during a long rest. You can create up 50 rounds of ammunition during a long rest, with materials costing 1 gold piece per 10 rounds.

Stormforged Weapon
Starting at 1st level, you harness the power of elemental power of thundering storms to create a powerful weapon. This weapon requires attunement and you proficient with it while attuned. and you can only be attuned to one Stormforged Weapon at a time. If you have multiple Stormforged Weapons, you can change which one you are attuned to during a long rest.

If you lose your Stormforged Weapon or wish to create additional ones, you can do so over the course of three days (eight hours each day) by expending 200 gold pieces worth of metal and other raw materials. When you make a new Stormforged Weapon, you can make the same or different type, and select the same or different upgrades.

Select one of the following and consult the Thunder Powered Weapon table for its statistics.

Thunder Cannon
"You use the power of Thunder to launch a projectile with terrible power, if limited accuracy, over long distances. Ringing out with a booming crash, it brings fear to the battlefield."

Hand Cannon
"Forgoing the guiding barrel, this packs uses the thundering power to launch a projectile with all the force of a Cannon, though its effective range is far more limited." {| class="article-table"

Firearms In a Campaign Setting
A lot of campaign settings do not feature firearms, and in some of these the Thundersmith variant of Artificer might not be the right choice, but consider that the Artificer is fundamentally someone that tinkers with and explores boundaries of magic as much as or more so than technology.

A Thunder Cannon need not be a gunpowder powered device, even in a setting where gun powder exists, but can be powered by harnessing elemental powers, bound through various carefully researched magical techniques. In most cases, the wonders of an Artificer are more an engineering marvel of magic than technology, but that balance can shift depending on what is best for your setting.


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Kinetic Hammer
"Rather than launching a projectile with the thundering force, you keep that force imbued in the weapon, allowing for devastating force to be applied to the attack."

Charged Blade
"You create a bladed weapon that channels the harnessed power of the elemental storm power directly into the blade, causing it to lay waste to all it strikes. This weapon deals Lightning damage when applying Thundermonger."

Thundermonger
At 3rd level, the elemental power of your weapon is so powerful its strikes deal bonus thunder damage.

When you hit a target with your Stormforged Weapon, you can deal an extra 1d6 thunder damage. After discharging this bonus damage, you cannot deal this bonus damage again until the start of your next turn.

This extra damage increases by 1d6 when you reach certain levels in this class: 5th level (2d6), 7th level (3d6), 9th level (4d6), 11th level (5d6), 13th level (6d6), 15th level (7d6), 17th level (8d6), and 19th level (9d6).

Devastating Blasts
Beginning at 5th level, when you miss an attack with your Thundering Weapon, you can apply Thundermonger damage to the target creature you missed, but it deals only half the bonus damage. Dealing damage this way counts as applying Thundermonger damage.

Unleashed Power
Starting at 14th level, when roll damage for Thundermonger or your Stormforged Weapon, you can expend a spell slot to reroll a number of the damage dice up to the level of the spell slot + your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one). You must use the new rolls.

Adaptable Weapon
"You can adapt a weapon without the Ammunition property to have a secondary attack type giving it the functionality of a Hand Cannon, or give a weapon with the Ammunition Property a secondary attack with the function of a Charged Blade."

Arcane Lightning
"After long study of internal workings of your Stormforged Weapon, your mastery of lightning and Thunder Magic is such that learn the following spells at the following levels and can cast them as Artificer Spells."

Extended Reach
"You extent the reach of your weapon. If your weapon has the Ammunition property, its range is extended normal range by 30 feet, and maximum range by 90 feet. If you weapon has the the Two-Handed property, it gains the Reach property."

Lightning Burst
"You upgrade your Stormforged Weapon to discharge its power in within a 5-feet wide and 60-feet long line. If you have not dealt Thundermonger damage since the start of your turn, as an action, you can make a special attack. Each creature must make a Dexterity saving throw against your Spell Save DC or take damage equal to the bonus damage of Thundermonger as lightning damage on a failed save, half as much on a successful save.""This counts as discharging your Thundermonger damage. Firing in this way does not consume ammo."

Point Blank
Prerequisite: Hand Cannon"Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn't impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls. Additionally, can use your Hand Cannon when making opportunity attacks."

Silencer
Incompatible with Echoing Booms"You upgrade your Stormforged Weapon with a sound dampening module. Your Stormforged Weapon loses the Loud property. Additionally, you can expend a 2nd level spell slot to overcharge the Silencer, casting the spell silence."

Shock Absorber
"You add a reclamation device to your Stormforged Weapon to gather energy from the surroundings when it is present. As a reaction to taking Lightning or Thunder damage, you can cast absorb elements without consuming a spell slot. When absorbed in this method, you can apply the bonus damage granted by absorb elements to your next weapon attack even if you make a ranged weapon attack."

Sonic Movement
"You reclaim and rebalance your weapon to leverage the backdraft of the force it exerts. When you deal Thunder damage on your turn with your Stormforged weapon, you can move 5 feet away from the target that was damaged."

Twin Thunder
"You can attune to two one-handed Stormforged Weapons at the same time, so long as they either share the same Upgrades, or have total Upgrades equal to your maximum Upgrade count between them. If you make an attack with one of them while holding the other, you can attack with the other as a bonus action, however, both share the same use of Thundermonger. You don't add your ability modifier to the damage of the bonus attack, unless that modifier is negative or you have the Two Weapon Fighting Style.""While dual wielding Stormforged Weapon, you can load a Stormforged Weapon without a free hand."

Weapon Improvement
You fine tune your Stormforged Weapon for increased devastation. The weapon gains a +1 bonus to Attack and Damage Rolls made with it and the piercing damage dealt by your Stormforged weapon is considered magical. At 14th level, the bonus increases to +2.

Echoing Boom
Incompatible with Silencer"You pack extra power into your Thundermonger, increasing the damage it deals by 1d6."

Harpoon Reel
"You devise a secondary attack method that launches a harpoon attached to a tightly coiled cord. This attack has a normal range of 30 feet and a maximum range of 60 feet, and it deals 1d6 piercing damage. This attack does not apply Thundermonger damage. This attack can target a surface, object, or creature.""A creature struck by this attack is impaled by the Harpoon unless it removes the Harpoon as an action, which causes it to take an additional 1d6 damage. While the Harpoon is stuck in the target, you are connected to the target by a 60 foot cord. Dragging the connected party via the attached cord causes the creature moving to move at half speed unless they are a size category larger.""While connected in this manner, you can use your bonus action to activate the Reel action, pulling yourself to the location if the target is Medium or larger. A Small or smaller creature is pulled back to you, and ending the connection. Alternatively, you can opt to disconnect the cord.""This attack cannot be used again until the Reel action is taken."

Terrifying Thunder
Prerequisite: Echoing Booms"You add an additional amplifier to maximize the shock and awe value your cannon blasts. The first time a target takes damage from Thundermonger, they are deafened until the end of their next turn.""Additionally, they must make a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell Save DC or become frightened of you for one minute. They can repeat this saving throw at the end of each of their turns.""If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to Terrifying Thunder for the next 24 hours."

Storm Blast
"You upgrade your Stormforged Weapon to discharge its power in 30-foot cone from the gun. If you have not dealt Thundermonger damage since the start of your turn, as an action, you can make a special attack. Each creature must make a Strength saving throw, or take 1d6 + half the bonus damage of Thundermonger and be knocked prone.""This counts as discharging your Thundermonger damage. Firing in this way does not consume ammo."

Ride the Lightning
Prerequisite: Lightning Burst"When you use the Lightning Burst ability, you can opt expend a spell slot of the first level or higher to infuse yourself into the burst of power. When you do so you are teleported up to 60 feet in the direction of the Lightning Burst (ending early if the Lighting Burst is blocked by an obstacle). You can stop anywhere along the path of the Lighting Burst, but the Lightning Burst will stop where you do."

Shock Harpoon
Prerequisite: Harpoon Reel"After hitting a creature with the Harpoon fire mode, you can use a bonus action to deliver a shock. If you have not dealt Thundermogner damage since the start of your turn, you can deal damage equal to your Thundermonger bonus damage as lightning damage. This counts as discharging your Thundermonger damage. Additionally, the target must make a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC or be stunned until the end of its next turn.""Once used, the Harpoon must be reeled in before this can be used again."

Synaptic Feedback
"You install feedback loop into your cannon, allowing you to siphon some energy from your Stormforged Weapon to empower your reflexes." Whenever you deal Lightning damage with your Stormforged Weapon your walking speed increases by 10ft and you can take the Dash or Disengage actions as a bonus action. This effect lasts until the end of your turn. Thunder Jump"Build a quick release for the arcane thundering energy that fills your Stormforged Weapon. As an action you can channel it to cast thunder step. This counts as discharging your Thundermonger damage.""Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a short or long rest."

Backblast
"After dealing Thunder damage on your turn, you can cast thunder clap as a bonus action. You can do this a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, regaining all uses after a long rest."

Blast Radius
"Your Devastating Blasts now deals half your weapon damage (including your modifier) in addition to half your Thundermonger damage when you apply it to a missed target that is within 30 feet of you."

Stabilization
"Being prone no longer causes you to have disadvantage when making a ranged weapon attack with your Stormforged Weapon. If neither you nor a target creature has moved since you last made a ranged weapon attack against them, you have advantage on ranged weapon attacks against them."

Elemental Swapping
"You upgrade the firing chamber for more adaptable damage. When you take the attack action with your Stormforged Weapon you can adjust the firing chamber, causing any bonus damage granted by Thundermonger to deal fire, cold, acid, or lightning damage instead of thunder damage. Alternatively, you can use a Vial of Holy Water to cause your next Thundermonger bonus damage to deal radiant damage."

Massive Overload
Prerequisite: Storm Blast or Lightning Burst"Before taking a shot, you can expend a 3rd level or higher spell slot to use Storm Blast or Lightning Burst at the same time as making an attack; in this case the Storm Blast or Lightning Burst is powered by the spell slot and does not count as apply Thundermonger for that turn. The direction of this secondary ability is the same as your attack.""Doing this damages your Stormforged Weapon and you must spend an action to repair it before you can fire again. You must have the secondary ability unlocked as an upgrade to use it."

Masterwork Weapon
Prerequisite: Weapon Improvement"The bonus to attack and damage rolls for your Stormforged Weapon becomes +3. This bonus increases to +4 at 20th level."

Mortar Shells
Prerequisite: Stormforged weapon with the Ammunition property"You build a secondary fire mode allowing you to fire your cannon like a mortar. Pick a target point within range, and make an attack roll. Apply the attack roll to all creatures within a 5 foot radius of the target point. Creatures hit take weapon damage plus half of Thunder monger bonus damage. Dealing damage this way counts as applying Thundermonger damage for the turn.""Creatures do not benefit from cover against this fire mode unless they have overhead cover as well."