Artificer Speciality - Timekeeper
One of the most esoteric paths an artificer may follow is one who uses their tools to manipulate time itself. These timekeepers usually have little concern for the standard integrity of a timeline, and instead seek to manipulate bits and pieces of it to advance their own understanding of the timelines. The pinnacle of the research into time is being able to freeze their own aging, or even reverse death entirely.
Thankfully most timekeepers have little drive to enact wide sweeping changes, instead preferring to tinker away and learn for learning's sake, instead of more nefarious causes.
Tool Proficiency
When you adopt this specialization at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with either smith's tools or woodcarver's tools. If you already have both of these proficiencies, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan's tools of your choice.
Timekeeper Spells
Starting at 3rd level, you always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the timekeeper spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don't count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.
Timekeeper Spells
| Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Feather Fall, Gift of Alacrity |
| 5th | Arcane Lock, Misty Step |
| 9th | Haste, Slow |
| 13th | Death Ward, Freedom of Movement |
| 17th | Hold Monster, Temporal Shunt |
Timekeeper's Timepiece
At third level you craft an exquisite magical timepiece that serves as an arcane focus for your spells. This can take a number of different forms - a wristwatch, an ornate belt buckle, a pendant, and more. Regardless of its form the Timepiece serves as the centrepiece for the Timekeeper's spells and abilities.
While the Timepiece is on your person, you add your intelligence modifier to your Initiative rolls. The Timepiece has 3 charges in it, which can be expended on the following features:
- When you cast a spell that has a casting time of 1 Action, you can expend 1 charge to change its casting time to a Bonus Action.
- As a bonus action you can expend 1 charge and give a creature you can see Advantage or Disadvantage (your choice) on the next saving throw, ability check or attack roll they make before the start of your next turn.
- As a reaction after taking damage you can expend 1 charge to reverse the flow of time, regaining hit points equal to half the damage you took.
The Timepiece regains all charges at the end of a long rest. After you reach 9th level in this class the Timepiece can hold 5 charges, and upon reaching 15th level this increases further to 9 charges.
Chronological Siphon
At 5th level the Timepiece siphons off excess chronologic energy from the spells you cast and allows you to refocus them. While you have your Timepiece on your person you can use your bonus action after casting a spell to unleash a blast of temporal energy at a creature within 60', though this can be either advancing the ravages of time or reversing them.
If you choose to advance time, the target creature takes force damage 1d8 + your intelligence modifier, or half as much on a successful constitution save. If you choose to reverse time, the target creature regains hit points equal to 1d4 + your intelligence modifier, but this cannot heal more than half the damage the creature has taken since the end of your last turn.
At 11th and 20th levels the damage dice of these effects increases by 1d8 and 1d4 respectively (2d8/2d4 at 11th, 3d8/3d4 at 20th).
Absolute Reversal
At 9th level you learn how to turn back time for an individual creature or object that you can see. As an action choose a target within 60'. The target must succeed on a constitution saving throw against your spell DC or have their form reversed back to how it was at the end of your last turn. This reverts damage, positioning, expended spell slots or abilities, conditions or spell effects. For instance if the target was affected by Hold Monster at the end of your previous turn, but has since overcome it, Absolute Reversal would enforce the spell on them again. This would enforce Concentration on the creature casting Hold Monster however, and if they had another concentration spell active they would have to choose which one to maintain. Likewise if the target creature had cast a new concentration spell since the end of your last turn, this would forcibly end it instantly, while giving them the spell slot back in return.
You cannot target yourself with Absolute Reversal, but the target can choose to willingly fail their saving throw. Absolute Reversal can only be used once before requiring a long rest. At 20th level, it can be used twice before requiring a long rest.
Your Own Clock Stopped
At 15th level your advancement with time-based magic has progressed such that you stop aging. Whatever age you are, you no longer progress in years or have to worry about dying from old age. Instead you are effectively immortal.
At 20th level when you are reduced to 0HP or killed, you can use your reaction (even while dead) to reverse the effect or attack that caused this entirely, returning to as you were before it took place. You must complete 7 long rests before being able to use this part of Your Own Clock Stopped again.
Chronal Elementals
At 15th level you can use your action to summon two elementals of chronal energy - an Expediate Elemental and an Epocheric Elemental, whose statblocks are below. These elementals can be commanded mentally at no action, and act on your initiative. If you do not command them, they do not move and solely take the Dodge action. They persist for ten minutes. Chronal Elementals can be summoned once per long rest.
The elementals appear at points you choose within 60' of you.
Expediate Elemental
Medium elemental
- Armor Class 16 (natural armour)
- Hit Points 78 (12d8+24)
- Speed 80'
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 20 (+5) 14 (+2) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) 6 (-2)
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks.
- Damage Immunities force, poison
- Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
- Senses darkvision 60', passive perception 10
- Languages Understands one language you know (but does not speak it)
- Challenge 5 (1,800xp)
Expediate Field. When the Expediate Elemental is reduced to 0 HP it vanishes, instead creating a field of expedite energy within a 15' radius of its last position. Creatures in the area are affected by the Haste spell while within the field, but suffer no fatigue when leaving it. The field lasts for 10 minutes after its creation, before dissipating.
Expeditious Strikes. After successfully hitting a creature with an attack, roll a d6. On a 3-6 the elemental can make an additional attack. Each time the same creature is successfully attacked, the range on the d6 decreases by 1, capping at 6. This resets if the Expediate Elemental attacks a new creature.
Chronal Expulsion. At the start of your turn the Expediate Elemental releases retained chronal energy, dealing 2d6 force damage to all creatures within 10' of it. A successful dexterity saving throw halves this damage.
Actions
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) bludgeoning damage.
Epocheric Elemental
Medium elemental
- Armor Class 18 (natural armour)
- Hit Points 78 (12d8+24)
- Speed 20'
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA 14 (+2) 20 (+5) 14 (+2) 6 (-2) 10 (+0) 6 (-2)
- Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing and slashing from nonmagical attacks.
- Damage Immunities force, poison
- Condition Immunities exhaustion, grappled, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned, prone, restrained, unconscious
- Senses darkvision 60', passive perception 10
- Languages Understands one language you know (but does not speak it)
- Challenge 5 (1,800xp)
Epocheric Field. When the Epocheric Elemental is reduced to 0 HP it vanishes, instead creating a field of slowing energy within a 15' radius of its last position. Creatures in the area when it appears or who enter it are affected by the Slow spell for as long as they remain in the field. The field lasts for 10 minutes after its creation, before dissipating.
Chronal Expulsion. At the start of your turn the Epocheric Elemental releases retained chronal energy, dealing 2d6 force damage to all creatures within 10' of it. A successful dexterity saving throw halves this damage.
Actions
Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) bludgeoning damage.
Time Stop (Recharge 6). Target one creature within 50'. They must succeed on a DC16 Constitution saving throw. If they fail, the target loses their next turn, cannot take reactions, and gain immunity to all damage, effects and conditions until the end of the Epocheric Elemental's next turn.