Engineer

A
small candle burns low in its holder, a large
wooden desk is covered in old tomes and a
stack of empty plates. A young woman
feverishly works, nose an inch above the paper,
copying notes and drawings onto a blueprint.
She brings the finished blueprint over to her
work bench, and begins to build, metal is
welded together, small runes are etched, gears are being fitter,
her brow furled in concentration as sweat drips down her
nose. As the first glow of dawn approaches, she finally rests,
in front of her, her first contraption sits, ready for testing.
Building a Better World Field Testing Required
Engineers eschew the tradition and teachings of the arcane While many engineers may choose to stay safe in a large city,
to instead focus on more material techniques. They are the the need for extensive testing calls some to the life of
elite craftsman, taking pride in their unique contraptions, and adventure. Those that venture into the field discover not only
the skill it takes to make them. Pushing the boundaries of danger, but also new, rare materials, and ways to build your
their craft as they hone their skill. The study of an engineer is contraptions to produce stronger and stranger effects.
never truly done, there are always many new research to be Necessity is the mother of all invention. As you adventure
done and new discoveries to be made. more, you see many ways that things can be improved that
others might have missed.
The Engineer
Level Proficiency Bonus Features Spell Level Contraptions Built
1st +2 Tricks Up My Sleeve, Tool Box 1st 1
2nd +2 How They Built It 1st 2
3rd +2 Specialization 2nd 2
4th +2 Ability Score Improvement 2nd 2
5th +3 I Can Fix It!, Specialization Feature 3rd 3
6th +3 Tool Expertise, Adaptive Armor 3rd 3
7th +3 Work Smarter Not Harder, Give Me a Week 4th 3
8th +3 Ability Score Improvement 4th 3
9th +4 Wait For It 5th 4
10th +4 Specialization Feature 5th 4
11th +4 Quick Repair, Not Quite a Trick 5th 4
12th +4 Ability Score Improvement 5th 4
13th +5 Better Adaptations 5th 5
14th +5 Specialization Feature 5th 5
15th +5 Smarter Than Your Average Bear 5th 5
16th +5 Ability Score Improvement 5th 5
17th +6 Go Big or Go Home 5th 5
18th +6 Re-Primed 5th 5
19th +6 Ability Score Improvement 5th 5
20th +6 Specialization Feature 5th 5

Quick Build
You can make an engineer quickly by following these Class Features
suggestions. First, make intelligence your highest ability
score, followed by strength or constitution. Second, choose Hit Points
the guild artisan background. Hit Dice: 1d8 per engineer level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution
modifier for engineer level after 1st
Proficiencies
Armor: Light armor, medium armor
Weapons: Simple weapons, mauls, warhammers, hand
crossbows, light crossbows.
Tools: Choose 3 artisans tools
Saving Throws: Intelligence, Charisma
Skills: Choose 3 from History, Religion, Medicine, Athletics,
Insight, Investigation, Survival
Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the
equipment granted by your background:
(a) any simple weapon or (b) a war hammer
(a) a Crossbow, hand or (b) a Crossbow, light
20 crossbow bolts
(a) a Dungeoneer's Pack, (b) Explorer's Pack
Leather armor and a multi-tool
Tool Box
The tool box is the most fundamental piece of an engineer’s
kit. It contains the tools needed to create their contraptions,
as well as has enough tools to be used as any artisan’s tools
you have proficiency with.
Tricks Up My Sleeve
Sometimes magic isn’t magic, but very clever tinkering. When
you complete a long rest build a number of contraptions
containing the effect of any Abjuration or Evocation spell on
the Wizards spell list. The contraptions known column of the
Engineer table shows the number of contraptions you can
build. The spell effect stays active in the contraption until it is
used or you complete another long rest.
The spell must be less than or equal to the spell level shown
on the spell level column of the Engineering table. Use your
intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an
Engineer spell you cast and when making an attack roll with
one. Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your
Intelligence modifier Spell attack modifier = your
proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
The gadgets have an AC of 10 and 5 + your intelligence
modifier health.
How They Built It
When you reach 2nd level, you can apply your tool proficiency
bonus when attempting to gain knowledge about an object or
construct made with tools you are proficient in. You also gain
a bonus to attack and damage rolls against inanimate objects
equal to your intelligence modifier.
Specialization
At 3rd level pick a specialization representing your field of
study as an engineer. Combat Engineer, Patient Planner, or
Tinkerer, which are detailed at the end of the class. These
specializations grant you features at 3rd, 5th, 10th, 14th, and
17th levels.
I Can Fix It!
Beginning at 5th level, when you attempt to build something
using tools you are proficient in, you may halve the time it
takes, the item you created will also last half as long. You may
do this once per short rest.
Adaptive Armor
Starting at 6th level, by spending an hour preparing your
armor, you add special elemental buffers to it. You gain
resistance to fire, lightning, or cold damage.
Tool Expertise
At 6th level choose any tool you are proficient with. Your
proficiency bonus is doubled on any check that you make that
uses that tools proficiencies. At 11th level, you can choose
another tool to gain this benefit with.
Work Smarter Not harder
When you reach 7th level, you may substitute your
intelligence modifier for your dexterity or strength modifier
for tool checks using tools you are proficient in.
Give Me a Week
At 7th level, when you use a tool that you are proficient in on
a check over more than 8 hours, you may double your
proficiency bonus on that check.
Wait for It
When you reach 9th level you add a timer to your gadgets,
triggering them to activate at a specified time. The time must
be under an hour, and the gadget must still be above 0hp to
function.
Not Quite a Trick
On reaching 11th level, what you are building can no longer
be contained in simple contraptions. You may build one large
contraption per long rest. This contraption can contain a
spell up to the 6th level.
At 15th level, you can build two large contraptions, and at
20th level, you can build 3.
At higher levels you can store even more powerful effects. You
can contain a 7th level spell at 13th level, an 8th level spell at
the 15th level, or a 9th level spell at 17th level.
Quick Repair
At 11th level, once per long rest, you may rebuild a
contraption you used today when you take a short rest.
Better Adaptation
Beginning at 13th level, when you select a damage resistance
for your adaptive armor, you may instead choose acid, poison,
or thunder damage, gaining resistance to damage of the
selected type.
Smarter than your average bear
When you reach 15th level, your capacity for growth expands
beyond that of others, your intelligence score maximum is
increased by 2. This does not affect your current score.
Go Big or Go Home
At 17th level, you can contain even the most powerful effects
in a contraption. Over a long rest, you can build an epic
contraption. This contraption can contain a spell of the 9th
level.
Re-Primed
Upon reaching 19th level, once per long rest, you can rebuild
contraptions equal to your intelligence modifier. You cannot
change the effect held in the contraption, and you cannot
exceed your maximum number of contraptions.
Engineering Specialization
No one can know everything, so engineers must focus their
study. Many work with other engineers to further their
understanding, or set out on their own to gather ideas from
the world around them.
Combat Engineer
Always ready for a fight, the combat engineer thrives in the
harshest environments. They combine their contraptions with
advanced combat tactics to control the battle.
Bonus Proficiencies
When you select this specialization at 3rd level you gain
proficiency in heavy armor and shields
Armor mk.I
You spend time tailoring armor to your specific needs. You
can spend 8 hours working to improve your armor, making it
into a masterwork armor, increasing the AC by 1. To do this,
you need proficiency in the tools used to make the armor,
weaver’s for cloth, leatherworker’s for light, and blacksmith’s
for medium or heavy armor.
Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once,
whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.
Contingency Plan
At 10th level, when you take a short rest, you may expend a
contraption with a casting time of 1 action, but the
contraption does not come into effect. Instead, when a
circumstance occurs, the contraption is activated. You
describe that circumstance when you expend the contraption.
The contingency plan takes effect immediately after the
circumstance is met for the first time, whether you want it to
or not.
At 15th level, when you take a short rest, you can choose two
contraptions, each with separate circumstances.
Extra Adaptations
When you reach the 10th level, you add another layer of
protection to your armor. When you finish a long rest, you
may spend 30 minutes specifically protecting against
piercing, slashing, or bludgeoning damage. You can
resistance to the chosen type of damage.
Combo
Starting at 14th level, when you use a contraption, you can
make one weapon attack as a bonus action.
Armor mk.II
At level 20, you create an exoskeleton suit for yourself to
amplify your strengths. It takes 30 minutes to don and doff
this suit. While wear this suit, your size increases by 1 step,
medium becomes large, and small becoming medium, etc.
Your strength and maximum strength increases by 2.
Patient Planner
Never rushing, the patient planner is a vigilant observer,
preferring to wait until the perfect moment to spring their
trap rather than take an unnecessary risk. They take
advantage of their comrades’ skills to form a strong battle
plan.
Pressure plate
When you reach 3rd level, you have spent enough time
building to develop a pressure release plate. As an action
place a contraption with a cast time of 1 action in an
unoccupied space within 5 feet of you. Beginning at the start
of your next turn, if a creature enters the square, the pressure
plate is triggered, and the contraption is activated. If the spell
effect targets a point, the point must be the directly above the
pressure plate.
You can carry 2 pressure plates with you at a time. This
number increases at later levels, increasing to 3 traps at 10th
level, and 4 at 17th level.
Deploy Cover
At 3th level, as an action, you may place portable cover,
granting yourself half cover. The cover is made up of two 5-
foot panels, which must be contiguous. You can collapse the
cover as an action as well.
If the cover is not recovered, you build a new one over your
next long rest.
Draw a bead
At 5th level you take your time to calculate every variable, and
precisely plan your action. As an action choose a creature you
can see. At the start of your next turn, if the creature has not
moved, you gain advantage on all attacks against the creature
and deal an extra 2d8 damage of the same type if you deal
damage to that creature.
This ability’s damage increases when you reach higher
engineering levels. The damage roll increases by 1d8 at 5th
level, 11th level and 17th level.
Plans With Friends
Starting at 10th level, when you attack a creature, you work to
help your allies execute their plans as well. When you hit a
creature with a weapon attack, choose an ally, they add your
intelligence modifier to their next attack against the creature.
Better cover
Beginning at 10th level, when you deploy cover, the cover can
be up to a four 5-foot panels.
Fully Prepared
When you reach 14th level, when you select a damage
resistance for your adaptive armor, any ally behind your
deployable cover is also granted the resistance.
R.A.C. (Remote Activated Contraption)
Beginning at 20th level, an action or bonus action, you can
activate any pressure plate as though a creature had stepped
on it.
Tinkerer
The curse of the tinkerer is to always be filled with wonder.
Can it be done? How would it happen? What if? Always
testing and pushing, tinkerers constantly adjust their
contraptions to create more powerful and strange
contraptions. They constantly learn, improving their mind as
well as their skills.
Reload and repeat
You gain 2 extra cantrips. These contraptions can only
contain a cantrip spell effect, but do not lose the effect when
used, allowing them to be used as many times as you want.
Try everything
When you become a tinkerer at level 3, you can add half your
proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any tool check you
make that doesn’t already include your proficiency
bonus.
More contraptions less problems
When you reach 5th level, the number of gadgets you can
build is increased by your intelligence modifier.
Expanded Tool Box
Starting at 5th level, your tool box overflows with tools. You
have enough tools in your tool box, that it can be used as any
artisan tools.
A slight adjustment
At 10th level, once per long rest, when you take a short rest,
you may change the spell effect contained in a primed
contraption to any other spell effect you know.
Substitution
When you reach the 14th level, you can adjust the effect type
of any contraption you create. When you build a contraption,
you may change its fire, cold, or lightning damage to one of
the other two damage types.
Reload mk.II
When you reach 20th level, choose a single first level
spell from your spell list. You build a custom
contraption to contain this spells effect at first level.
You use the spell as normal, but the effect is not lost
when used, allowing it to be used as many times as you
want. Over a week of downtime you can change the spell
contained in this contraption.

Image Credits:
In order of appearance
The-Smith by Hamsterfly
Flying Machine by Leonardo Da Vinci
Dwarf by Vadim Marchenkov
Blacksmith - Peca by Jun Hyunk Lee
Thank you also to everyone who has given me
feedback on The Engineer, it really is invaluable