When creating an arcane puppet master, think about your character's background and drive for adventure. Does the character have a desire to be in the spotlight? Do they use their powers of manipulation to harm others and advance their own standing? Did you character learn from a master puppeteer, or receive a vision or flash of inspiration to create their first puppet?

These arcane puppets are made through trial and error and with great skill. Some may be crafted by a great puppet master and later imbued with magic and controlled by a puppeteer. Others are made through rituals and tedious work with the intent of being a magical tool. Whether made by the current puppeteer or otherwise acquired by the current user, all arcane puppeteers take great pride in their puppet's looks, abilities and construction.

The other extreme that puppeteers fall under is one of secrecy and cunning. These puppeteers will use their magic constructs to do their dirty work while they themselves stay hidden and safe.

Arcane Puppet Masters can come from many walks of life but tend to be one of two extremes. Some live to perform in the spotlight and have made and used puppets for theater throughout their lives. This type of puppeteer enjoys putting on a show, either for laughing crowds or for the hardened warriors that they fight beside.

A group of goblins swarm and poke at an abandoned cart on the road. With no one in sight they begin to ransack the cart but are stopped in their tracks when one of their number screams and falls to the ground. The goblins shriek and scatter as a demonic puppet cuts them with scythe like fingers. A human laughs quietly to himself from the bushes nearby as he controls his puppet from afar.

A six-legged puppet crawls over a wall and onto the ceiling of a heavily guarded compound. It stays quiet and out of sight while recording the voices of the nobles inside. Once it gets the incriminating information needed, it sneaks away.

A beautiful elf woman dances in tandem with an intricately crafted mannequin. The woman's dance is captivating and a crowd gathers. The mannequin's movements are just as smooth and graceful as the woman controlling it and the crowd cheers.

Additionally, when you Cast a Spell with a range of touch, your puppet can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your puppet must be within range of your strings, and it must use its Reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it.

If you are in control of a puppet, you can use your action to have the puppet take an Attack action or Disengage action on your turn, or your reaction to have the puppet take a reaction, such as an attack of opportunity for the puppet. You can use your bonus action to allow the puppet to move on your turn.

You control a Puppet using a set of strings. While you are controlling a Puppet, you can sense what it senses and it share any special sights that you have.

If a puppet is traded to another Puppet Master or a Puppet Master finds a puppet, they can use that puppet normally as if it was their own puppet. If that puppet has any features or upgrades to it that are a higher level than what the current user has access to then those features and upgrades are locked until the user reaches the appropriate level.

If the puppet is reduced to zero hitpoints or partially destroyed, it can be returned to working order over a short or long rest. This will restore the puppet to full health but you will be unable to roll hitdice for yourself while you work, though you do gain the other benefits of a short or long rest. If the puppet is completely destroyed it can be remade by purchasing 1000 gp worth of materials and recreated over the course of 3 days. Alternatively, you may create a new puppet for 1500 gp worth of materials and 7 days of work.

The puppet has its own proficiency bonus which matches your own. It increases in level whenever you gain levels in this class, and gains a new hit die, just as you do. Your puppet may spend hit dice to heal during a short rest, however you must be present and able to make the repairs. Puppets are considered to have a CR equal to half the level of the Puppet Master that controls them, rounded down. Additionally, whenever you gain an ability score increase from this class, your puppet gains an ability score increase of its own, however it’s Intelligence and Charisma scores cannot be increased through this feature.

Starting at 1st level, you have learned to connect your magic strings to a puppet you have made for the first time. This puppet could look like a simple doll or a four legged animal or even an creepy abomination. Though obviously a puppet, there are no visible strings attached to your puppet but the puppet registers as Enchantment magic to those who can see magical auras. You control your puppet on your turn and different abilities will use actions, bonus actions or reactions and will be detailed in the ability. If more than one Puppet Master attempts to attach their strings to the same puppet they must make contested charisma checks and the winner will control the puppet.

At 1st level the length of your strings is 60 feet. You lose control of the subject of the strings if you are separated from it by a distance longer than the length of the strings. It takes an action to attach your strings to your puppet. You can dismiss one or both sets of strings on your turn: this does not require an action. The strings also disappear if you fall unconscious.

Some of your class features require you to use a set of strings – threads of magical force used for controlling your puppets. A set of strings comprises of five threads, attached from each of your fingers on one hand to the limbs and head of a target puppet. You must have an empty hand to use one set of strings: thus if you have two empty hands you can control two sets of strings. Strings are intangible and invisible and cannot be severed by creatures or by magical means within the Material Plane. Beings within the Ethereal Plane can see, manipulate, and sever these strings as if they were normal threads. Additionally, your strings do not work in an anti-magic field but you are able to manipulate your puppet if you are on the Ethereal plane and your puppet is in the material plane.

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

You can make an arcane puppet master quickly by following these suggestions. Make your highest attribute Charisma, followed by Dexterity. Second, choose the Guild Artisan or Performer background.

The Arcane Puppeteer table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level or higher. To cast one of these arcane puppeteer spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a short or long rest.

You know two cantrips of your choice from the arcane puppeteer spell list. The Cantrips Known column of the Arcane Puppeteer table shows when you learn more Arcane puppeteer cantrips of your choice. Cantrips do not require spell slots to cast.

At second level, you are able to cast arcane spells. Most of the spells you are able to learn can be used in tandem with your puppet.

Your choice of school grants you a benefit at 1st level, and again at 7th, 11th and 18th level.

There are three main schools that arcane puppet masters tend to find themselves. The School of Performance, the School of Strings, and the School of Magic.

The manner in which you build your puppet is just as important as its components and design. The build determines your puppet's strengths and weaknesses. When you create your puppet you choose one of the following builds. It takes 7 days of work (8 hour work days) and 1500 gold pieces to create a puppet.

When you create your puppet it has one weapon built in to its design, that it is proficient with. This weapon could be a set of jaws to bite, scyth-like claws, a club hand or tail, or something similar. You can choose to add its Strength or Dexterity modifier to the attack and damage rolls. The damage dealt by this weapon is 1d10, and the damage type can be bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing as appropriate to the weapon created.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the arcane puppeteer spell list. The Spells Known column of the Arcane Puppeteer table shows when you learn more arcane puppeteer spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spells slots. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the arcane puppeteer spells you know and replace it with another spell from the arcane puppeteer spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spellcasting Ability Charisma is your spellcasting ability for your Arcane Puppet Master spells. Your power comes from both training and study, but there's no substitute for the innate skill and passion that a puppet master possesses. You use your Charisma whenever a spell refers to your Spellcasting Ability. In addition, you use your Charisma modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an Arcane Puppet Master spell you cast and when Making an Attack roll with one.

Ritual Casting You can cast an Arcane Puppet Master spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell learned.

Puppet Magic If you are in control of a puppet you can use that hand to perform the somantic component of a spell. Thus you do not need an empty hand to cast such a spell, so long as you are using a set of strings to control a puppet. Your puppet is your arcane focus and as long as you touch it or have a string attached to one of your puppets you are able to cast spells as if you were holding your arcane focus.

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.

Puppetry Expertise Starting at 3rd level, you can project your voice through a puppet you control. You can convince another creature that your puppet is talking by making a Charisma (Deception) contested by their Intelligence (Investigation) check. Additionally at 3rd level you improve your puppet by upgrading or adding components. You make three upgrades of your choice to your puppet from the Arcane Puppet Upgrades list. You choose an additional two upgrades each at level 6 and level 9, and one additional upgrade each at level 14 and level 17. If you have two puppets you may split the number of upgrades between your puppets.

Extra Attack At 5th level, when you use your action to attack you may now attack twice. Additionally, you are able to split your attacks with any puppets you control and this will use the puppet's action. For example, at level 5 you may take the attack action to make one attack and have your puppet make one attack.

Improved Control At 6th level, the length of your strings increases by 30 feet and it takes a bonus action to attach your strings to a puppet. The magic flowing through your strings has also become strong enough to transfer some of that magic into your puppets attacks. Your puppet's attacks count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances and immunity from non-magical attacks and damage. Additionally, when you Cast a Spell, your puppet can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. You must have your strings attached to the puppet, and it must use its Reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an Attack roll, you use your Attack modifier for the roll. Finally, the AC of all your puppets increases by 1.

Puppet Finesse Starting at 10th level, you can use a bonus action to allow a puppet you control to take the Disengage action or one attack. One puppet you control may move on your turn without you having to use a bonus action. Additionally, when you cast a spell, you can spend your reaction to have one puppet make an attack.

Travel Trunk From 13th level onward, you can spend a short rest preparing a nonmagical chest or container as a magical arcane travel trunk. You can only have one such trunk at a time: when you prepare a new trunk, the old trunk reverts to a nonmagical chest. The interior of the trunk acts as a demiplane specifically for your puppets. You can place a number of puppets into the trunk equal to your charisma modifier, regardless of the size of the puppets. Whether the trunk contains puppets or is empty, it has a fixed weight of 25 lbs. If anything other than your puppets are stored in the chest, the item or creature will be immediately teleported directly outside the chest to the nearest unoccupied space. If the trunk is destroyed, its contents spill out unharmed. As a bonus action, if you are within 60 feet of the trunk, you can attach a set of strings to the chest. One puppet of your choice will immediately spring out of the trunk and you are able to attach your strings to the puppet as part of the same bonus action.