Martial Archetype
Notes from the Palm: The origin for this archetype came from the 3.0 book Iron Heroes, my absolute favorite 3rd party source book. Lots of awesome Conan-esque sword and sorcery, you should check it out. The Armiger in that book relied almost completely on his armor as the source of his strength, and I just translated that into a 5e style. Mechanically, the concept is a variation on “what if the Fighter had Warlock invocations?”, and I think that answer is “it’d be awesome!”.
If you like this class, you should check out the Craftsman!
Armiger
In the intense, violent schoolroom that is the battlefield, warriors have learned a great many lessons: the importance of tact and timing, the necessity of speed, and value of cunning. Yet above all these lessons, one stands triumphant in its importance and utter simplicity: skin is both soft and weak, and does little to stop an axe head.
Because of this, man developed armor. It is this tool of combat that the Armiger specializes in, both in its use and in its creation. With your skin of steel and your shield in hand, you stand between your allies and certain destruction.
Well-Fitted Suit
When you select this archetype at 3rd level, you begin to learn the intricacies of armor craftsmanship. You can convert a medium or heavy suit of armor into a Well-Fitted Suit of armor. This particular suit of armor is fitted to your exact specifications, and can only be worn proficiently by you. Your Well-Fitted Suit gains a +1 magical bonus to AC (or increases it’s bonus by +1, to a maximum of +3), and the armor’s Strength requirement is lowered by 1. Additionally, a Well-Fitted Suit of armor may be donned and doffed in 1/10 of the time. Should you lose your Well-Fitted Suit or should you wish to fit another suit, you may do so with 24 hours of work and costs 100 gp worth of materials, plus the cost of the armor.
Metallurgy
At 3rd level, you gain proficiency with Blacksmith’s tools. Additionally, you unlock some great technique of forging that you can use to upgrade your armor. At 3rd level, you learn three Crafting Techniques, and two additional techniques at level 7, 10, 15, and 18. You keep your knowledge of techniques in a special crafting manual. You may learn new techniques through adventuring and meeting other craftsmen; doing so requires you to spend time and gold as if you were copying spells into a spellbook (assume Basic Techniques are level 1 spells, Apprentice Techniques are Level 2, etc.).
Crafting Techniques are separated into 5 levels: Basic, Apprentice, Joruneyman, Master, and Legendary. Unless otherwise noted, a given suit may only have one of each type of technique applied to it. Applying a crafting technique to a suit requires time, tools, and the appropriate materials:
- Basic: 100 GP and 1 day of work
- Apprentice: 200 gp and 3 days of work
- Journeyman: 300 GP and 5 days of work
- Master: 400 GP and 1 week of work
- Legendary: 500 GP and 2 weeks of work
Saving Throws. If an effect of wearing your Well-Fitted Suit calls for a saving throw, the saving throw DC is calculated as follows:
Shining Armor
Starting at 7th level, when you roll initiative, the first hostile creature that sees you wearing your Well-Fitted Suit (or the nearest hostile creature, if multiple creatures can see you) must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the creature has disadvantage attacking any target other than you for up to 1 minute. At the end of each of its turns, an affected target may repeat this saving throw, ending the effect on a success. The effect also ends if you are knocked unconscious or the target loses sight of you. Any creature that succeeds this saving throw cannot be affected by this ability again for 24 hours.
Wall of Iron
Starting at 10th level, as a reaction, you can move up to half your movement speed and interpose yourself between a willing ally and an attack or damaging effect that you can see, either stepping in front of an ally or pushing that ally 5 feet. If you block an attack, the attack now targets you instead, and your ally is unaffected. If you block a damaging effect, you take on the whole effect, though you are allowed a saving throw. Your ally is unaffected, even if it is still within the area of the effect.
Craftsman’s Eye
Starting at 15th level, as an action, you can make a single melee attack against a creature that you can see wearing manufactured armor. On a hit, the target must make a Dexterity saving throw or attacks made against it have advantage until it removes that suit of armor. At the end of each of the creature’s turns, the target may repeat this saving throw, ending the effect on a success.
Additionally, you can spend 10 minutes to reinforce an ally’s suit of armor. While reinforced, this armor negates the first critical hit received by its wearer, turning it into a normal hit. After this attack, the armor is no longer reinforced.
Master Craftsman
At 18th level, you learn to craft adamantine armor, mithral armor, and dragonscale armor. Doing so requires 1 week of time and 500 gold (for mithral or adamatine) or 5000 gold (for dragonscale) in special tools and raw materials, plus the cost of the suit of armor. Adamantine and mithral armor may be any form of medium or heavy armor, and dragonscale may be any form of light or medium armor.
Basic Techniques
Boot Springs
You install a pair of high-tension springs in the boots of your armor. While wearing your well-fitted suit, you may use a bonus action to triple your Jump distance for that turn, and your jump distance is not limited to your movement speed. Your suit must be light or medium armor to accept Boot Springs.
Hooked
You add a series of discrete, retractable hooks to the gauntlets and boots of your armor. While wearing your Well-Fitted Suit, You gain a climb speed equal to your movement speed. Your suit must be light or medium armor to accept this upgrade.
Modular
You alter your Well-Fitted Suit to be adjustable on the fly. As an action, you may readjust, remove, or attach parts of your armor; doing so allows you to shift your suit between light (studded leather), medium (half plate), or heavy (full plate) armor forms.
You may apply additional crafting techniques to a modular suit. One of the forms maintains this technique, and the other forms are upgraded as if they were separate suits. Applying this technique to any type of armor other than Full Plate requires additional materials: 1500 GP if the suit is Light armor, 1000 GP if the suit is medium, and 500 GP if the suit is heavy.
Spiked
You add a layer of retractable spikes onto the knees, shoulders, gauntlets, helmet, and boots of your armor. While wearing your Well-Fitted Suit, your unarmed strikes deal 1d4 bludgeoning or piercing damage. Your suit must be medium or heavy armor to accept this upgrade.
Retractable Shield
You install a retractable shield into one of your bracers. As a bonus action, you may deploy or retract your shield. You may enchant this shield or install any other magic shield in its place. Your suit must be medium or heavy armor to accept this upgrade.
Apprentice Techniques
Adamantine Plating
Prerequisite: 7th level
Your Well-Fitted Suit gains the abilities of a suit of adamantine armor. You may not apply this and the Mithral Plating technique to the same suit. Your suit must be medium or heavy armor to accept Adamantine Plating.
Bladed Armor
Prerequisite: 7th level
You install a pair of retractable blades on the bracers of your Well-Fitted suit. Your blades are light, finesse weapons that deal 1d8 slashing or piercing damage. You cannot be disarmed of these blades, and you have advantage on Sleight of Hand checks made to conceal these blades. You may replace either of these blades with the blade of any magical sword, or have one or both blades enchanted. You may hold or otherwise manipulate a weapon, shield, or other object on the same arm as your arm blade, though you may not attack with your arm blade and use an object or weapon held in that hand on the same turn.
Juggernaut Plating
Prerequisite: 7th level
You install a set of heavy shoulder plates and a reinforced helmet on your armor, turning you into a veritable battering ram. While wearing your Well-Fitted Suit, you may, as an action, move up to your speed towards an inanimate object (this includes buildings, walls, gates, etc.). At the end of this movement, you hit the object, dealing 3d6 + twice your level bludgeoning damage, and you ignore the object’s damage threshold. Your suit must be heavy armor to accept Juggernaut Plating.
Mithral Plating
Prerequisite: 7th level
Your well fitted suit gains the abilities of a suit of mithral armor. You may not apply this and the Adamatine Plating technique to the same suit. Your suit must be medium or heavy armor to accept Mithral Plating.
Reinforced
Prerequisite: 7th level
You learn how to increase the toughness of your steel. While wearing your Well-Fitted Suit, you reduce all non-magical slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage by 2 points. This reduction does not stack with any other form of damage reduction, including resistance. You suit must be medium or Heavy armor to accept this upgrade.
Journeyman Techniques
Darksteel Plating
Prerequisite: 10th level
You learn how to blend darkstone, stone infused with necrotic energy, into your steel. You gain resistance to necrotic and radiant damage while wearing your well fitted suit. Your suit must be heavy armor to accept Darksteel Plating.
Deep Crystal Studding
Prerequisite: 10th level
You learn how to stud your underlying leather with deep crystal, crystal infused with latent psychic energy. You gain resistance to force and psychic damage while wearing your well fitted suit. Your suit must be light or medium armor to accept Deep Crystal studding.
Durable Plating
Prerequisite: 10th level
The magical AC bonus of your Well-Fitted Suit increases by 1, to a maximum of +3.
Installed Crossbow
Prerequisite: 10th level
You attach a hand crossbow and loading mechanism to a gauntlet on your well-fitted suit. This hand crossbow deals 1d6 damage, and ignores the loading property, allowing you to make as many attacks as you have with it each turn. You have advantage on Sleight of Hand checks to conceal this crossbow. Should you wish to, you may replace this installed crossbow with any magical light or hand crossbow, or you may have it enchanted. You may hold or otherwise manipulate a weapon, shield, or other object on the same arm as your Installed Crossbow, though you may not attack with your Installed Crossbow and use an object or weapon held in that hand on the same turn.
Installed Wand
Prerequisite: 10th level
With a bit of assistance, you learn how to install a functional wand in one of the arms or in a special casing on the shoulder of your armor. While wearing your well fitted suit, you gain access to two cantrips. These may be selected from either the wizard, sorcerer, or warlock spell list, and your spellcasting modifier for these cantrips is Intelligence. You may replace this wand with another magic wand of any sort.
You may apply this technique to a single suit multiple times, up to three.
Magnetic Plating
Prerequisite: 10th level
You learn to blend lodestone into your armor plating, all the better to draw enemy attacks to your impenetrable shell. While wearing your well-fitted suit, any ranged weapon attacks made with metallic ammo (arrowheads, metallic sling bullets, javelins, etc.) or melee weapon attacks that target a creature within 10 feet of you instead target you. A creature wielding a metallic weapon may make a Strength save to target someone else. Your own attacks are not affected by your Magnetic Plating. Your suit must be heavy armor to accept Magnetic Plating.
Second Skin
Prerequisite: 10th level
You learn how to craft your armor to be breathable, light, and flexible, without compromising its protective ability. Your well-fitted suit’s maximum Dexterity bonus increases by 1, it no longer applies disadvantage on skill checks, and no longer imposes any penalty for sleeping in it. You suit must be medium armor to benefit from this upgrade.
Master Techniques
Aquatic Plating
Prerequisite: 15th level
You learn how to blend water elemental essence into your armor, allowing your armor to move effortlessly in the water. While wearing your Well-Fitted Suit, you gain a swim speed equal to your movement speed, you gain resistance to cold damage, and you can breathe underwater.
Cushioning Underlay
Prerequisite: 15th level
You learn to pad your armor with owlbear down in just the right spots to resist damage from falling. While wearing your Well-Fitted Suit, you are immune to falling damage, and you gain resistance to bludgeoning damage.
Dragon Scale Underlay
Prerequisite: 15th level
You learn how to best utilize dragon scale in the production of heavier armors. Select two damage types (acid, fire, lightning, poison, thunder): While wearing your Well Fitted Suit, you gain resistance to each of those damage types.
Living Wood Underlay
Prerequisite: 15th level
You apply a thin layer of living wood to the underside of your armor’s plating. This wood seeps a restorative sap into your skin. As long as you are wearing your Well-Fitted Suit, while you are below half your HP maximum and you have at least 1 HP, you gain 1 HP at the start of each of your turns.
Molten Plating
Prerequisite: 15th level
You learn how to blend fire elemental essence into your steel, seeping heat into your attacks and providing you protection from the same. While wearing your Well-Fitted Suit, you gain resistance to fire damage, and your attached weapons deal an additional 1d6 fire damage per strike.
Windswept Plating
Prerequisite: 15th level
You learn to blend air elemental essence into your steel, allowing your armor to nearly float in the air and move swifter than the wind. While wearing your Well-Fitted Suit, your base speed increases by 10 feet, and you gain the ability to fly at your normal movement speed. You must start and end your flight on solid ground; otherwise, you immediately fall. You suit must be light or medium armor to accept Windswept Plating.
Legendary Techniques
Immortal Plating
Prerequisite: 18th level
You learn how to blend celestial essence into your steel; this essence knits your wounds back together, at a very alarming rate. While wearing your Well-Fitted Suit, while you are below half health and you have at least 1 HP, you heal 4 HP at the beginning of each of your turns. This stacks with the bonus from Living Wood underlay.
Impenetrable Plating
Prerequisite: 18th level
The magical AC bonus of your Well-Fitted Suit increases by 1, to a maximum of +3.
Invincible Plating
Prerequisite: 18th level
You learn how to blend in Earth Elemental essence into your steel, making your armor nigh indestructible to certain forms of strikes. Select either bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. While wearing your Well-Fitted Suit, you are immune to that type of damage. You suit must be heavy armor to accept Invincible Plating.
Changelog: 2/10/16: Craftman’s Eye: Fixed typos
Magnetic Plating: Fixed typos
Juggernaut Plating: Deals bludgeoning damage, rather than force, and ignore’s an objects damage threshold
Bladed Armor: Rules for holding objects added
Installed Crossbow: Rules for holding objects added
2/10/16
Added Costs and time section to Metallurgy
Added costs to Modular technique
Added Bludgeoning Damage resistance to Cushioning Underlay to make it a more attractive high level option
