Artificer: Mercury Defender
Defending that which you love is a noble goal, but is a foolhardy one without the proper armament. An artificer of the Mercury Defender special-isation understands this better than anyone, pouring their mind and heart into building a weapon capable of defeating threats near and far. Your weapon acts as an extension of your will, and of your fury for those who seek to destroy what you are charged to protect. After all, the best defense is a good offense.
Defender of Tomorrow
When you adopt this specialisation at 3rd level, your battle-training gives you the following benefits:
You gain proficiency in martial weapons.
When you attack with a magic weapon, you can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity modifier, for the attack and damage rolls.
Mercury Weapon
Also at 3rd level, you have created a Mercury Weapon, a marvel of hextech engineering. The weapon takes the form of a nonmagical martial melee weapon, which you choose when you build the weapon. As a bonus action while you are wielding the weapon, you can transform it into its Mercury Cannon form, or back into its melee form. While in its Mercury Cannon form, it instead acts as a martial ranged weapon with a short range of 60 feet and a long range of 180 feet and the two-handed property, and deals 1d8 lightning damage on a hit.
If you infuse the weapon with an infusion that only benefits one form of the weapon (melee or ranged), both forms still benefit from any bonuses to attack and damage rolls, but
only the form corresponding to the infusion gains any
other benefits.
When you transform the weapon, the next attack you
make with it before the end of your next turn deals an additional 1d8 lightning damage on a hit.
Over the course of a long rest, you may use Tinker's
Tools to build a new Mercury Weapon.
When you do, you may choose a different martial
melee weapon as the melee form of the weapon, and
if you already had a Mercury Weapon, after the long
rest it falls apart and ceases to function as the magic powering it is transferred to your new Mercury Weapon.
Extra Attack
Starting at 5th level, you can attack twice, rather than
once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Thundering Strike
At 9th level, after hitting with a melee attack with your Mercury Weapon, you can push the target up to 15 feet
away. You may do this a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1), regaining all expended uses after a long rest.
Acceleration Gate
Also at 9th level, as a bonus action while wielding your Mercury Weapon in its ranged form, you can deploy an energy gate in a space within 30 feet of you until the start of your next turn. You and any ally who enters the energy gate's space during their turn can immediately teleport to a space they can see within 30 feet of them. You can do this once, regaining the ability to do so after a long rest.
Hextech Capacitor
At 15th level, your Mercury Weapon gains the following features which can be activated as an action, depending on which form it is in:
Lightning Field. While wielding your Mercury Weapon in its melee form, you can discharge energy from the weapon in an area around you. Every creature, other than you, within a 10 foot sphere centered on you must make a Constitution saving throw. On a fail, they suffer 3d10 lightning damage and have disadvantage on the next attack they make until the start of your next turn. On a success, they suffer half damage.
Hypercharge. While wielding your Mercury Weapon in its ranged form, you can overcharge the weapon. You can make two Mercury Cannon attacks with advantage, with the second attack dealing an additional 1d8 lightning damage on a hit.
You can make either of these actions once, regaining the ability to do so after transforming your Mercury Weapon.
Design by u/blunahte. Mercury Defender was created under Riot Games' "Legal Jibber Jabber" policy using assets owned by Riot Games. Riot Games does not endorse or sponsor this project. Made with The Homebrewery.
All art used is property of Riot Games, Inc.
Protector of Piltover
This subclass attempts to emulate the abilities of Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow, while still giving options to make it your own. As a talented inventor and combatant, Jayce fits the theme of an Artificer perfectly. While this subclass specifically tries to evoke his kit, it is general enough to fit into any setting with Artificers, where you may wish to play as an inventor with a transforming weapon.
