Combat Engineers are artificers specialized in front-line combat. Each builds a suit of armor, a weapon, and an automaton to aid them in battle, but the variety from there is endless and as unique as the individual combat engineer’s tactical style and preferences.
Starting at 3rd level, when you prepare your artificer spells you can prepare certain spells and create spell inventions for them in addition to your normal number of prepared spells. These spells count as artificer spells for you, even if they aren’t on the artificer spell list.
Table: Combat Engineer Spells
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | shield, winter’s bite |
| 5 | magic weapon, seed bomb |
| 9 | crushing haymaker, dimensional rend |
| 13 | flail from beyond, rage of the meek |
| 17 | celestial armory, weapon of the chosen |
Also at 3rd level, your combat training grants you proficiency with martial weapons and heavy armor.
| Level | Maneuvers Known |
Maneuvers Degree |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 1st |
| 4 | 3 | 1st |
| 5 | 3 | 1st |
| 6 | 3 | 1st |
| 7 | 4 | 2nd |
| 8 | 4 | 2nd |
| 9 | 4 | 2nd |
| 10 | 5 | 2nd |
| 11 | 5 | 2nd |
| 12 | 5 | 2nd |
| 13 | 6 | 3rd |
| 14 | 6 | 3rd |
| 15 | 6 | 3rd |
| 16 | 7 | 3rd |
| 17 | 7 | 3rd |
| 18 | 7 | 3rd |
| 19 | 8 | 4th |
| 20 | 8 | 4th |
Beginning at level 3, you learn to use combat maneuvers. You gain proficiency with the Grinding Cog tradition and one more chosen from Biting Zephyr, Cutting Omen, and Viper’s Fangs. You learn two maneuvers of your choice from traditions you are proficient with.
You have an exertion pool equal to twice your proficiency bonus, regaining any spent exertion at the end of a short or long rest. You use your maneuvers by spending points from your exertion pool. The Maneuvers Known column of Table: Combat Engineer Maneuvers (below) shows when you learn more maneuvers from a tradition you are proficient with, while the Maneuver Degree column shows the highest degree you can select maneuvers from at a given level.
Additionally, whenever you learn a new maneuver, you can choose one of the maneuvers you know and replace it with another maneuver of the same level from a tradition you are proficient with.
Finally, at level 3, you put together a set of equipment that will aid you in combat. You gain all of the following:
Choose one of the following options:
Light Armor: Your armor provides you an AC of 12 + your Dexterity modifier. It is designed for stealth and mobility, giving you an expertise die on Acrobatics, Athletics, and Stealth checks.
Medium Armor: Your armor provides you an AC of 14 + your Dexterity modifier (maximum 2). It is designed for versatility, and allows you to draw or stow any one-handed weapon or spell focus you have on your person without using an action once per turn.
Heavy Armor: Your armor provides you an AC of 17. It is designed for maximum protection and also provides you with temporary hit points equal to your proficiency bonus which regenerate at the beginning of each of your turns.
Choose one of the following options:
Quick Weapon: Select a weapon with the finesse and/or dual-wielding properties. It gains both of these properties and the parrying property if it does not already have them.
Versatile Weapon: Select a weapon with the Versatile property. It gains the Defensive (any) property.
Heavy Weapon: Select a weapon with the two-handed property. It gains the parrying immunity property and deals an additional 1d4 points of damage.
You have an automaton that obeys your commands as if it were a familiar per the find familiar spell. It has the stats of a Gear Spider with the addition of one of the following options:
Autonomous Medic: Your automaton can help you and your companions stay alive in combat. When you finish a short or long rest, it gains a number of healing charges equal to your proficiency bonus. As a bonus action, you can have the assistant move up to its movement speed and heal a creature it can touch for hit points equal to 1d8 + your Intelligence modifier.
Autonomous Weapon: Your automaton is equipped with a ranged weapon with a range of 100/400 that deals piercing damage equal to 1d12 + your Intelligence modifier. On your turn, you can use your action to direct it to fire on a target you can see, using an attack bonus of your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.
Autonomous Scanner: You can use a bonus action to have your automaton take the Search action on your behalf.
If you lose your weapon, armor, or automaton or it is destroyed, you may replace one of them at the end of a long rest. You can only replace one item per rest and any previous version (including one no longer in your possession) crumbles to worthless scrap when you do; the new version has the same traits as the old one, including any upgrades you have applied. You may also use this ability to construct a new item of the same variety with different options.
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Also at 5th level, you upgrade one of your pieces of gear. Choose one of the following options:
You improve your armor. Its AC increases by +1 and you gain an additional ability based on the variety of armor it is.
Upgraded Light Armor: Your armor is outfitted with a stealth system. As a bonus action, you can cause yourself to fade from sight, becoming lightly obscured for one minute. Once you have used this ability a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.
Upgraded Medium Armor: Your armor is outfitted with a movement enhancement system. Your walking speed increases by 10 feet while wearing your armor.
Upgraded Heavy Armor: Your armor is equipped with an automatic medical system and stabilizers. The armor now automatically ends ongoing damage on you after it has triggered once and you have advantage on saving throws to avoid being moved against your will or knocked prone.
You gain the following option:
Upgraded Weapon: your custom weapon deals an additional 1d4 of damage (for a total of 2d4 if it is heavy).
You improve your automaton. Its armor class increases to 14, its hit points increase to 35, and you choose one of the following upgrades. You can only upgrade a function your automaton already possesses.
Upgraded Medic: If your automaton has the Autonomous Medic option, it now heals for 2d8 + your Intelligence modifier.
Upgraded Weapon: If your automaton has the Autonomous Weapon option, it now deals damage equal to 2d8 + your Intelligence modifier and its range increases to 150/600.
Upgraded Scanner: If your automaton has the Autonomous Scanner option, it now performs the Search action automatically on your turn, not requiring an action from you. You must still specify what it’s looking for.
Additional Automaton Function: Your automaton gains a second set of capabilities. For example, if you had selected the Autonomous Weapon option at level 5, you could select the Autonomous Medic option now.
At 9th level, you continue to upgrade your gear. Choose one of the following options or one of the upgraded options from level 5:
Prerequisite: Upgraded Armor
You continue to upgrade your armor, which gains an option based on its type:
Advanced Light Armor: The armor’s stealth system improves. As a bonus action, you can become invisible until the beginning of your next turn. Once you have used this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum once) you can’t do so again until you finish a short or long rest.
Advanced Medium Armor: The armor now includes a helmet with a protective breathing mask. You have advantage on saves against inhaled poisons and toxins and may hold your breath for an additional minute before you begin suffocating.
Advanced Heavy Armor: The armor includes a set of strength enhancers. When calculating what you can push, drag, or lift, your size is considered one step larger. This stacks with the Orc heritage’s Heavy Lifter feature and similar features.
Prerequisite: Upgraded Weapon
If your weapon does not have the Upgraded option for its type, it gains that now. If it does have that option, it instead gains the following one:
Advanced Weapon: Your weapon gains the Vicious property.
Prerequisite: Upgraded Automaton
You further upgrade your automaton. Its AC increases to 15, its hit points increase to 50, and you add one of the following options:
Antitoxin Module: The automaton gains three charges which stack with the ones from Autonomous Medic (if applicable). It can spend a charge to neutralize one poison with a DC of 15 or lower in a creature it can touch. It regains all spent charges when you finish a short or long rest.
Targeting Module: On its turn as an action, the automaton can highlight a target within 30 feet, granting an expertise die to creatures targeting it with attacks.
Flight Module: The automaton gains a fly speed of 40 feet.
At 15th level, you apply your final upgrades to your equipment. Choose one of the following options or one of the options from levels 5 or 9:
Prerequisite: Advanced Armor
Your armor’s AC increases by 1, and you gain an additional feature based on its type:
Cutting-Edge Light Armor: You gain a Climb speed equal to your walking speed and you are permanently under a spider climb effect while you are wearing it.
Cutting-Edge Medium Armor: Your armor now includes various measures to prevent you from succumbing to the worst that supernatural foes can dish out. You gain immunity to the petrified condition and make saving throws to avoid the confused, frightened, incapacitated, paralyzed, and slowed conditions with advantage.
Cutting-Edge Heavy Armor: Your armor now protects your allies as well as you and has antimagic countermeasures incorporated. Friendly creatures your size or smaller can use you to provide 3/4th cover. Your armor is also immune to magical spells and effects that target it specifically such as the heat metal spell or a rust monster’s antennae.
Prerequisite: Advanced Weapon
Choose two first-level combat maneuvers that cost no more than 1 exertion. While wielding your weapon, you can use these maneuvers at will without spending exertion.
Prerequisite: Advanced Automaton
Your automaton’s speed increases by 20 feet, its AC increases to 17, its hit points increase to 70, and you add one of the following options:
Stabilizer Ray: The automaton gains 3 charges which stack with the ones from Autonomous Medic and Antitoxin Module (if applicable). As an action on its turn, the automaton can spend a charge to automatically stabilize a creature making death saves within 30 feet of it. It regains all spent charges when you finish a short or long rest.
Tinkerer’s Arms: The automaton gains a set of built-in thieves’ tools and can use them with a bonus equal to your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier at your direction.
Teleportation Module: As a bonus action on your turn, you can teleport to an empty space adjacent to your automaton. Once you have used this ability a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum once) you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.