Weaponsmith Awoken by the sound of a scribbling quill, he watches as the dwarf sketches out some triangles on the small notepad next to her bedroll. A powerful crossbow or greatsword will likely come of the drawing, perhaps even one that can slay the evil that plagues this dying region. But not before he tests the damn thing. The man pulls the blanket up, rolls over and gently rubs the still-healing reminder of the last weapon he had the pleasure of "testing." The elf mounts the greatsword sideways on the counter, with the point and the two grooves along the flat of the blade aimed at the three men who just walked in, each with a hand behind their back. The metal chamber in the core of the sword whirs with a metallic screech as the runes on the sword glimmer. The man in front takes a step toward the elf but is halted by a pair of bolts penetrating his chest. The smith adjusts the aim to the second man and fires again. Weaponsmiths are craftsmen who specialize in tools for slaughter. It takes a keen mind and a strong arm to both invent the next greatest sword and to smith it from raw materials. The brightest among weaponsmiths understand how magic can be utilized to emphasize and magnify the destructive power of their creations. Developers and Users Weaponsmiths find joy in watching someone find success with a weapon the smith made. In the very rare case that someone finds failure instead with a creation of the weaponsmith, there is something to be learned in that moment. Each mishap provides some insight into how to make a better weapon next time for the wielder, given that they could indeed still wield. Or at least breath. When a smith wields their own weapon, the creation truly comes alive. As two lovers might understand eachother with a glance, the weaponsmith and his weapons are intimate to a level that allows them to achieve feats otherwise impossible. Creating a Weaponsmith As you create your weaponsmith character, consider the character's main clientele. What weapons will your party want to use? Will you be selling to knights and guards, or the local thieves' guild? If you are already a popular smith, what led you to choose adventuring? Quick Build You can make a weaponsmith quickly by following these suggestions. First, Intelligence should be your highest ability score, followed by Strength. Second, choose the Guild Artisan background. Class Features As a Weaponsmith, you gain the following class features. Hit Points Hit Dice: 1d10 per weaponsmith level

1d10 per weaponsmith level Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier

10 + your Constitution modifier Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per weaponsmith level after 1st Proficiencies Armor: Medium armor, heavy armor

Medium armor, heavy armor Weapons: All weapons

All weapons Tools: Smith's tools, fletcher's tools Saving Throws: Intelligence, Strength

Intelligence, Strength Skills: Choose two from History, Insight, Persuasion, Athletics and Arcana Equipment You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: (a) a light crossbow that you crafted and 20 bolts or (b) any simple weapon that you crafted

(a) scale mail or (b) chain mail

smith's tools, fletcher's tools, a dagger, a flask of oil, a scholar's pack, and a magnifying glass

The Weaponsmith Level Proficiency Bonus Features Max Weapon Level 1st +2 Handcrafted, Research Notes, Simple Crafting 1 2nd +2 Runic Activation, Playing Favorites 1 3rd +2 Target Market 1 4th +2 Ability Score Improvement, Weapon Improvement 2 5th +3 Martial Crafting 2 6th +3 That's Not Supposed to Happen 2 7th +3 Target Market Feature 3 8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 3 9th +4 — 3 10th +4 Enhanced Runes 4 11th +4 Flavor of the Week 4 12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 4 13th +5 Runic Resonance 5 14th +5 Viral Power 5 15th +5 Target Market Feature 5 16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 5 17th +6 Backup Plan 6 18th +6 Quick Repairman 6 19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 6 20th +6 Target Market Feature 6

Handcrafted When any creature makes an attack with a weapon that you crafted, they gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage. This modifier changes as the weapon gains levels, as shown in the Modifier column of the Crafted Weapons table. Some of your features involving crafted weapons require the target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows: Handcrafted save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier Research Notes Your familiarity with weapons and how each of them are used allows you to catch details during fights that others might miss. Whenever you see a successful attack made using a weapon that you crafted, you make one Research Note. Only you can understand what you write on your Research Notes without the use of magic. Simple Crafting During a short or long rest, you can create any simple weapon in exchange for Research Notes equal to half the cost in gold pieces of the weapon. The weapon begins at Weapon Level 1. Crafted Weapons Level Modifier Backfire 1st 1 1d6 2nd 1 1d8 3rd 2 1d8 4th 2 1d10 5th 3 1d10 6th 3 1d12 7th 4 1d12 8th 4 1d20 Runic Activation Starting at 2nd level, when crafting or improving a weapon, you may choose any number of runes to apply to the weapon. A weapon with runes has Activations equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one) at the time of applying the runes to the weapon. Anyone wielding a weapon you crafted can, as a bonus action, activate any of the Effects of the weapon's runes by touching that rune on the weapon, expending one Activation, and succeeding on a Backfire die roll, as described in the Backfire & Broken Weapons note. Effects that require the target to make a saving throw use the DC described in the Handcrafted feature. Weapons with runes require attunement. Backfire & Broken Weapons Before any creature activates a rune on a weapon that you crafted, they first roll 1d6. This die changes as the weapon gains levels, as shown in the Backfire column of the Crafted Weapons table. If they roll a 1, they cannot attack and instead must roll on the Backfire table to create an effect. After backfiring, the weapon is broken. When a weaponsmith sees a weapon backfire, they make five Research Notes. When using a broken weapon, a creature must succeed on a DC 12 Athletics ability check before they can roll to attack. If the wielder of the weapon is within 5 feet of a weaponsmith and the weaponsmith is not blinded, grappled, incapacitated, paralyzed, petrified, restrained, stunned, unconscious, or exhausted past exhaustion level equal to their Max Weapon Level, the weaponsmith can use an action to repair the weapon.

If the runes you applied have, at any time, a combined total Instability greater than the weapon's Modifier (as shown in the Instability column of the Weapon Runes table and the Modifier column of the Crafted Weapons table), then the weapon automatically backfires upon trying to activate any rune on the weapon. The weapon regains expended Activations at each dawn. Playing Favorites Beginning at 2nd level, when wielded by you, a weapon that you crafted has the Modifier and Backfire of a weapon one level higher, as shown in the Modifier and Backfire columns of the Crafted Weapons table. You can also swap between any crafted weapons during combat without using an action. Target Market At 3rd level, you decide upon a target market for weapons. You choose between the Black Market and the Adventurers' Market, both detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice of market grants you features at 3rd level and then again at 7th, 15th and 20th level. Ability Score Improvement When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Weapon Improvement When you reach 4th level, the Weapon Level of crafted weapons can be improved in exchange for Research Notes equal to the inital cost of the weapon in Research Notes. Your weaponsmith level determines the maximum level to which you can improve a weapon, as shown in the Max Weapon Level column of the Weaponsmith table. A crafted weapon at Weapon Level higher than 1 generally has a market value equivalent to its base cost times its Weapon Level.

Backfire 2d6 Effect 2 The weapon misfires upon breaking. If the weapon is being wielded, roll to hit the wielder. On hit, roll for damage. 3 A shard of the largest piece of the weapon breaks off and large, malicious vines burst out. If the weapon is being wielded, the vines grapple the wielder until the end of their next turn or upon receiving fire damage. 4 The weapon's handle breaks off and releases a burst of dark, opaque powder. All creatures within 5 feet of the weapon are blinded for 1 minute. 5 If the weapon is being wielded, it casts dispel magic as a 3rd-level spell on the wielder. If the weapon's level is above 3, the spell is cast as that level of spell. 6 The weapon casts grease centered on itself. 7 A high pitch noise blares from the broken weapon for 1 minute or until it is repaired. No one within 30 feet of the weapon can hear anything but the screech. 8 All the hair on the body of every creature within 5 feet is singed off. Each creature must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or take 1d8 fire damage. 9 The weapon emits an electrical discharge. All creatures within 5 feet must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 lightning damage and are be paralyzed for 30 seconds. The weapon does an additional 1d6 lightning damage per Weapon Level above 1. 10 The weapon sprays gas from a hydraulic chamber. All creatures within 5 feet have confusion cast on them. 11 Roll 1d4. From 1 to 4, in order of North, South, East and West, respectively, the weapon teleports to the furthest unoccupied space in the direction rolled within 20 feet. If the weapon is being wielded, the wielder is teleported with the weapon. 12 The weapon casts fireball as a 3rd-level spell centered on itself. Martial Crafting Starting at 5th level, during a short or long rest, you can create any martial weapon in exchange for Research Notes equal to half the cost in gold pieces of the weapon. Crafted simple weapons begin at Weapon Level 2. That's Not Supposed to Happen At 6th level, if a crafted weapon that you can see backfires, before anyone rolls for the Backfire effect, you can declare a single effect from the the Backfire effect table to be impossible. The Backfire effect roll is skipped and the impossible effect occurs. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Enhanced Runes Starting at 10th level, the runes you put on your crafted weapons are imbued with strong magic. The weapons you craft count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to non-magical attacks and damage. Crafted simple weapons begin at Weapon Level 3 and crafted martial weapons begin at Weapon Level 2. Flavor of the Week By 11th level, for one week after a weapon has been crafted by you, anyone that wields it gain proficiency in all Charisma based ability checks and Charisma saving throws. Runic Resonance At 13th level, as an action, you can activate a rune on any crafted weapon with runes you can see or sense within 30 feet of you. If the weapon has a wielder and the wielder is unwilling to let the rune be activated, if they succeed on an Intelligence saving throw, the rune will not activate. If the weapon does not have a wielder, any effects of the rune that generally only affect the wielder will have no effect (but one Activation will still be spent on the effect). Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. Viral Power Starting at 14th level, you can siphon unstable power from the runes in your crafted weapons and infect other weapons with the power. As an action, when wielding a weapon you crafted, you can cause a number of weapons you can see to Backfire. The number of weapons is equal to the Modifier of your currently equipped crafted weapon. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Backup Plan Beginning at 17th level, you've figured out a novel, convenient way for weapons to be combined and detached. Any crafted weapon can be fitted with a mount for a single simple melee weapon type. A weapon of that type can be attached to the crafted weapon and when attached, the two weapons can be swapped between each other without requiring any action. The two weapons, when attached in this way, count as a single weapon of the same type as the original crafted weapon for the purposes of Two Weapon Fighting, but if either weapon backfires, only the backfiring weapon breaks. Quick Repairman By 18th level, you've seen your share of breaks and know all the fixes. You can repair a broken weapon as a bonus action, or if the weapon breaks within 5 feet, as a reaction. Crafted simple weapons begin at Weapon Level 4 and crafted martial weapons begin at Weapon Level 3. Target Market Different weaponsmiths target different clientele, and a weapon is first and foremost a tool meant to suit the wielder's needs. Whether those needs are to help others or slay them is a decision you can make for yourself. Black Market A merc is only as good as the tool he uses and as such, weaponsmiths command both fear and respect among their clientele in the various underbellies of the world. One who would dare to move against such a smith would find themselves on the blacklists of every thieves' and assassins' guild in the local demesne and beyond, in the unlikely event that they survive the inital encounter with the craftsman. Branding Beginning at 3rd level, you see the value in a good name for a weapon. Anyone who carries a weapon you crafted and gave a name gains proficiency in Intimidation ability checks if the target of the wielder knows the name of the weapon and can see it. Volatile Weaponry By 3rd level, you have developed a new technique to maximize the killing power of your goods. You can choose to craft volatile weapons, which require the wielder to roll for Backfire a number of times equal to the weapon's Modifier instead of once when activating runes, but deal the maximum possible damage for the weapon when they hit. Volatile weapons can have their runes activated through the Runic Resonance feature from 60 feet away. Volatile weapons cannot be repaired. Volatile weapons are notoriously risky and selling one often requires a Persuasion ability check. Notorious Smith At 10th level, people around the world recognize your work from the sheaths of criminals. You gain the False Identity feature from the Charlatan background and the Criminal Contact feature from the Criminal background. Warning System Starting at 15th level, the runes on your crafted weapons glow very faintly when hostile creatures are within 100 feet. Any creature wielding a weapon that you crafted and which has runes cannot be surprised. Ever Sharp At 20th level, your weapons imbue their wielders with the ability to see all and be seen by none. Wielders of weapons crafted by you gain advantage on Stealth and Perception ability checks and begin combat as if they rolled a 20 on initiative. If a wielder of a weapon crafted by you ties in initiative to a creature not wielding a weapon you crafted, the wielder wins the tie. Adventurers' Market Whether catching rats or slaying demons, most adventurers can benefit from having an excellent weapon, and you are willing to make one for them, assuming they have the coin. If they don't, then perhaps they'll have the pleasure of becoming familiar with your merchandise from the business end. Branding Beginning at 3rd level, you see the value in a good name for a weapon. Anyone who carries a weapon you crafted and gave a name gains proficiency in Persuasion ability checks if the target of the wielder knows the name of the weapon and can see it. Happy Accidents At 3rd level, you begin to recognize the silver linings in mishaps. When you repair a broken weapon, you can choose to make the weapon a happy accident. Until the weapon is repaired again or improved, the weapon loses the bonus to attack and damage granted by the Handcrafted feature and instead adds the Backfire die to damage. While a weapon is a happy accident, it has the Modifier and Backfire of a weapon one level higher, as shown in the Modifier and Backfire columns of the Crafted Weapons table. This effect stacks with the Playing Favorites feature. Renowned Smith By 10th level, people around the world recognize your craftsmanship from the sheaths of adventurers. Any guild that generally works above the law and employs adventurers desparately wants your business. You gain the Rustic Hospitality feature from the Folk Hero background when visibly carrying a weapon you crafted and you gain the Guild Membership feature from the Guild Artisan background, but need not pay any dues. Faith Inspiring Starting at 15th level, any creature wielding a weapon you crafted cannot be frightened if they know you crafted it. Deus Ex Machina At 20th level, your weapons imbue their wielders with otherworldly abilities in times of peril. When wielders of weapons crafted by you have less than half their maximum hit points remaining, they gain proficiency in all saving throws.