D&D 5E An Aeronaut Artificer?

[Steampunkette]

I was trying to do something more general, rather than based on the book (which is awesome, and I had forgotten about, is there a sequel?)

There is a power gauntlet infusion already.

I couldn't find it on a quick google search. I did find some powered armor sets that -give- a blaster gauntlet ability, but also Flight so it's kind of a mixed-bag...

But I also found... Artificer Specialties & Infusion Options by laserllama

And the very first option in the book is the Aeronaut! They start out with a 15ft movement rate fly speed, but it grows with them to eventually be 60ft!

Swap around the "Woodcrafting Tools" thing for Air and Sea Vehicles... and it's pretty cool. I particularly like that they get Bonus Damage while Airborne as a thing. I also like their "Dash as a Bonus Action with Charges" benefit at 9th level, but I would prefer it were explicitly referenced as using your flight apparatus to gain the boost, rather than just lightly implied.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I couldn't find it on a quick google search.

Arcane Propulsion Armor - Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.

There is also the Arcane Propulsion Arm, but you have to take your arm off for that.

 

[Mind of tempest]

has the basic idea of what the character would play like been considered not the mechanics but the how you sell someone on the character?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I LOOOOOOVE airships. And the "airship pilot" is definitely an archetypes in certain games. This could work...

They could have some "heavy weapons" (... rockets? a lightning gun?), the kind of weaponry the airship would have.

But this is not just a "one subclass and you are done". This requires its own setting.

Agreed. Definitely proficiency with all shipboard weapons. Maybe it also lets you boost or recharge other people's magic items, and the airship rules let you access other parts of the ship in terms of casting spells and using magical class features? So like, as the engineer or at the helm, you can boost the power to the forward guns, or to the propulsion, or even spend a charge to let the wizard cast shield around the ship?

I'll have to think a lot more about what should be in the subclass, what is in the ship, and what is in stuff like magic items and feats and spells,.

so an ace pilot with a custom ship yes?

I think that the custom ship is more a general thing, tbh. Possibly different subclasses for different classes, even. A Fighter subclass for aeronautical marines, a rogue ace pilot, etc.

AND/OR! What about infusions that are special ship systems? Maybe part of the airship rules would be that there are a couple built in infusions, that the engineer controls, so you're not using all your infusions known on your airship?

Would give a basic sky ship as part of the class be too powerful? Because lets face it it's the base of what this idea is about.

I think that a gliding armor suit would work, as well as the ability to boost or recharge magic items. Then, airship rules that treat different parts of an airship as magic items. and the subclass is immediately better at being an airship helmsperson or engineer than anyone else is, and the class features aren't useless in an adventure on land.

The armor I'd treat like the flying armor from the Elemental Evil adventure, but perhaps at will or at least rechargeable with time or access to an airships "core crystal power system".

While this is a good approach, the simpler approach would be to make the Aeronaut a background, not a subclass.

Skills: Perception, Nature (you need to know it to adjust for weather, understand natural threats to your ship, etc...)

Tool Proficiencies: Vehicles (Sea/Air), Jeweler's Tools

Background Ability: MASTER OF THE BLUE SKIES - When piloting an airship through the air, you can reduce either the crew required by 25% or increase the velocity of the airship by 25%.

Tieing too many class abilities to the airship limits the utility of the class in the typical dungeon setting. Thus, putting it all in a background allows you to build a more rounded character and get the flair of the airship captain.

I'd make that background represent any airship aeronaut, but simpler isn't really the goal, here. Satisfying is.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Would give a basic sky ship as part of the class be too powerful? Because lets face it it's the base of what this idea is about.

Yes. Or not too powerful, but too unwieldy and requiring of fiat.
The class should probably be fairly setting agnostic - would work as a more magical sailor of a conventional ship as well as Eberron or other settings with airships.

Just giving the character an airship out of nowhere, complete with crew, charter etc isn't the sort of thing that a character class represents I believe. More to the point its a level of plot power probably only suitable for higher levels, where what would be thematically more appropriate is the character and rest of the party being crewmen/passengers etc of an airship from the beginning.

You do not want to end up with a player pointing to the subclass and declaring that the DM has to give him an airship, because the rules say so.

What you could do is have a series of stackable infusions that can be used on parts of a vehicle. So one for sails/propellors etc that grants a movement speed, with more infusions spent granting higher speed without requiring wind. One for the rudder that allows direction changes even when not by the wheel. And one for the keel (or dirigible or elemental ring) that allows the ship to take to the air, with more infusions allowing larger ships.
The intent would be that these are probably also rituals requiring material components that would be maintained by several members of the crew. But a high-enough level artificer might have enough infusions to create a small airship by themselves.

has the basic idea of what the character would play like been considered not the mechanics but the how you sell someone on the character?

I think "Magical sky sailor/pirate" sells itself pretty well.
I've not read the books however, so no idea how close it fits the character in them.

(I have also actually already played an artificer "unlicensed privateer" on a magical ship, so wouldn't necessarily find need of the subclass myself. However my suggestions were my besty guess at that the OP was after.)

 

[Weiley31]

I feel like this would be a reflavored Armorer Artificer or even a Battle Smith with the metal dog swapped out for a Drone/Gyrocopter.

That Summoned Dragon Spell in the latest UA could be refluffed as summoning your plane or something.

 

[jgsugden]

...

I'd make that background represent any airship aeronaut, but simpler isn't really the goal, here. Satisfying is.

I addressed that with my final sentence - if you put too many airship abilities in the class, you limit the fun that the PC will have off of the airship. That is not satisfying. A profession is more of a background thing. You can go weither way, but I think you'd be better isolating the actual airship related elements into a background and focus on the magical elements entirely within the class if you want to mimic the books. That preserves the option for other airship officer types.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I addressed that with my final sentence - if you put too many airship abilities in the class, you limit the fun that the PC will have off of the airship. That is not satisfying. A profession is more of a background thing. You can go weither way, but I think you'd be better isolating the actual airship related elements into a background and focus on the magical elements entirely within the class if you want to mimic the books. That preserves the option for other airship officer types.

The current tack I’m looking at is treat airship systems as individual magic items. Ships have a number of attunement slots by ship class.

The Aeronaut is;
Level 3:

• Bonus Proficiencies: Vehicles (Sea/Air), Jeweler’s Tools
• Aeronaut’s Gauntlet: Standard artificer subclass weapon damage model, gets better later. Is built as a weapon, you make ranger weapon attacks with it, can use your hand for anything but a weapon while wearing the gauntlet. Can be overcharged as a bonus action, each use increases its Stress by 1, on a 1-6 scale. Every turn you roll 1d6 to cool down the gauntlet, and every use increases the number you have to meet by 1. Every time you meet the threshold the stress goes down by 1.
• Engineer’s Charge: You gain X charges, can be used to recharge magic items, or increase the damage of magic weapons.

Level 5:

• Extra Attack
• Arcane Gauntlet: Better range
  

Other stuff I want to include: infusions for the base class related to vehicles. A gliding suit, with a few charges per day to gain a fly speed for 1d4 rounds.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Perhaps the gauntlet and glide armor could come online at 3, and the charges come in at 5, and gauntlet and armor upgrade at 9 and 15.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I feel like this would be a reflavored Armorer Artificer or even a Battle Smith with the metal dog swapped out for a Drone/Gyrocopter.

That Summoned Dragon Spell in the latest UA could be refluffed as summoning your plane or something.

I’d say more likely the artillerist, with the propulsion armor infusion, myself, but sure you could do it with a reflavor.

I really like purpose built player character options, though.