Demolitionist

You set a small round object on the floor in a doorway as four Zombies come stumbling towards you, a grim smile on your face as you nimbly steps back to distance yourself from your foes.

A man studies the hinges of a door, preparing a small explosive device he has made in order to attach a small device to the door and telling his comrades to step back.

Demolitionists specialize in using destructive forces to blow apart enemies and environment alike. They are not very subtle, but don’t mind getting their hands dirty in order to find the quickest and easiest way to overcome obstacles, making them both a friend and foe.

### **Versatile Abilities**

Demolitionists see the world as a destructible environment, and usually resolve that use of this knowledge can be helpful for both combat and exploration. They focus on readying themselves for a fight, but train themselves to be able to blow through traps and barriers skillfully.

When faced with combat, demolitionists tend to prefer attacking at range. Throwing things is what they do best, and the handiness of weapons that can be thrown or used in close quarters appeal to them. More often than not, however, a demolitionist uses explosives to specify a target and wear down the enemies around it with a blast of shrapnel.

### **A Time and Place for Everything**

Outside of abandoned mines, there aren’t too many places where making things explode is considered a useful profession. Most demolitionists make themselves at home in areas where there are plenty of miners who need help clearing new paths through their quarries. Some others gather where communities are just beginning to take place, offering their services for the purpose of clearing the land of obstacles or monsters. A few demolitionists use their expertise for more nefarious means.

Demolitionists become adventurers for many reasons. An adventuring demolitionist might simply have been hired by the party, while another might feel that the open world is a place with more freedom for their destructive profession than any city or town.

## **Creating a Demolitionist**

As you make your demolitionist character, think about the character’s view of the world. Are you tired of the monotony of the mining life? Do you put yourself out for hire, in hopes of finding new places and blowing those places up? Do you have a personal conviction to use a destructive force to create good? Is your drive to experience to world born of curiosity, or something a little darker?

What sort of event caused you to seek the adventuring life? Maybe a mining accident left you scarred and wanting escape. Perhaps your mentor decided that you were ready to make your own way in life, sending you out to make your own living. Did the unexpected result of an explosion give you a sudden burst of insight into other uses for your talent? Or maybe you formed a bond with a stranger—another member of your adventuring party—who saw great potential in the way you do things, and you were invited to a life of danger, mystery, and treasure. Or are you fallowing a path of chaos, blowing random things up with a hope that you kill a few creatures, so you can cause enough havoc to satisfy yourself.

#### **Quick Build**

You can make a demolitionist quickly by following these suggestions. First, choose Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence to be your highest ability score. Strength is helpful for throwing explosives effectively, and more beneficial if you are planning to use medium armor. Dexterity is useful if you prefer to use light armor, and Intelligence is good if you want to make it harder for targets to avoid the shrapnel of your explosions. Make one of the other two ability scores your second highest, or make Wisdom your second highest score if you plan to make the most of the Font of the Combatant class option. Second, choose the Inventor Background.

## **Class Features**

As a demolitionist you gain the following class features.

### **Hit Points**

* **Hit Dice:** 1d10 per demolitionist level
* **Hit Points at 1st Level:** 10 + Constitution modifier
* **Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d10 (or 6) + Constitution modifier per demolitionist level after 1st

### **Proficiencies**

* **Armor:** Light armor, medium armor
* **Weapons:** Explosives
* **Tools:** Explosive kit
* **Saving Throws:** Dexterity, Intelligence
* **Skills:** Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, and Survival

### **Equipment**

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

* (a) Three Grenades or (b) Three Molotov Cocktails
* (a) A Machete or (b) A Crossbow and 20 Bolts
* (a) A Handgun and 10 Bullets or (b) Two Knives of Your Choice
* An explosive Kit

### **Tools of the Trade**

Beginning at 1st level, you have developed a way to create small explosives that are an effective means of combat. You are proficient with the explosives, which are simple ranged weapons that have the thrown and finesse property with a range of 20/60. On a hit, the explosive deals 1d6 force damage. On a miss no more than 5 less than their AC (example being AC 15, hitting at least 10 or higher would trigger the shrapnel), each creature within 5 feet of the target, including the target, must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 piercing damage from the shrapnel. The DC for the saving throw equals 8 + your Intelligence modifier + your proficiency bonus. You must spend at least 30 minutes during a long rest to make 6 explosives using your explosive kit, which is a pouch containing the specialized ingredients that you have perfected through your studies. You may spend an extra 30 minutes to make more if you wish. The force and piercing damage of the explosives, as well as the number of explosives you can make during a rest, increase as you gain demolitionist levels, as shown on the Damage and Explosives columns of the Demolitionist table.

### **Controlled Blast**

Also at 1st level, you know how to place explosives in such a way that you can manipulate the environment around you without causing too much calamity. You can spend 10 minutes to study an object or area of an object no larger than 1 foot on any side (a lock on a door, the lid of a small chest, a set of bars on a window, etc.), granting you insight into the weak points of that object or area. You can then use one of your explosives to destroy that object or area of an object without causing any damage to surrounding objects or creatures. You can use this feature twice, regaining any expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.

### **Inspiration**

Upon reaching 2nd level, you can use your voice to Inspire your allies. Choose one ally within 60 ft. of you that can hear you. That ally gains one Inspiration that they can use. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, regaining all expended uses after completing a short or long rest.

### **Versatile Explosive**

By 2nd level, you learn ways to modify the way you craft your explosives, giving them special properties. Choose an option from the list detailed at the end of the class description. When you craft explosives during a long rest, you can choose to substitute your normal materials for the options you have chosen. An explosive can only be modified by one option at a time. If you choose to substitute a material, you can make that substitution for up to half of the explosives crafted during that long rest. You gain a new option when you reach 6th level, and again at 14th level. When you gain a level in this class, you can also replace an option you have with a different one.

### **Duck and Cover**

Also at 2nd level, your time around your own explosives has made you adept at knowing when and how to avoid getting hurt by the blasts. When you are subjected to a saving throw by the effect of one of your explosives, you can choose to automatically succeed on the saving throw, and if you do, you take no damage if you would normally take half damage on a successful save. You can only do this a number of times equal to your dexterity modifier, per long rest.

### **Font of Demolition**

At 3rd level, you adopt a particular style of your trade that more closely defines the way you handle combat. Choose Font of the Combatant, Font of the Engineer, or Font of the Combat Medic. The font you choose grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th, 11th, and 15th level.

### **Smoke Bomb**

Also at 3rd level, you learn how to use spare components from your explosive kit to create devices which are effective at causing distractions, allowing you to make a quick getaway. You can make two of these devices when you make explosives during a rest, or by spending at least 10 minutes during a short rest. The devices lose potency after 24 hours. You can only have two smoke bombs made at a time. You can throw down a smoke bomb as a reaction. When thrown, a smoke bomb creates an area of thick smoke in a 10-foot radius sphere that spreads around corners. The area the smoke covers is heavily obscured and lasts for 1 minute, or until a wind of moderate or greater speed (at least 10 miles per hour) disperses it.

### **Ability Score Improvement**

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of you 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.

### **Flashbang**

At 5th level, you gain the ability to create special explosives that produce a small blast of light and sound. You can create one of these explosives when you craft explosives during a long rest, or by spending at least 10 minutes during a short rest. When crafted during a long rest, a flashbang does not count against the number of explosives you can normally make. Flashbangs lose potency after 24 hours, and you can only make one at a time, due to the flashbang being made of spare components. You can use a flashbang as a reaction when you are targeted by an attack from a creature within 30 feet of you. When you use a flashbang, make a ranged weapon attack, as you would with any explosive. On a hit, the creature has disadvantage on the triggering attack roll. Hit or miss, the target and any creatures within 5 feet of the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature is blinded and deafened until the start of its next turn. The explosion also creates a loud bang that can be heard from 300 feet away. You must have a free hand in order to use a flashbang. The number of flashbangs you can make increases at 9th level, and again at 13th and 17th level, as shown on the Demolitionist table.

### **Master Dungeoneer**

By 18th level, you have become so educated in the ways of architecture and tactical layout that you are able to discern the details of a structure with uncanny accuracy. You can spend 1 hour studying the perimeter of a building to create a passable map of the inside, so long as you can see any floors that you are trying to map. Additionally, your experience with traps allows you or any friendly creatures to gain a bonus to any check made to find traps equal to your Intelligence modifier.

### **Demolitions Expert**

By 20th level, you have perfected your art, in both efficiency and effectiveness. You can spend 10 minutes during a short or long rest to create explosives. You can also use a Versatile Explosive option on any number of explosives you make. Additionally, you can use your Controlled Blast feature an unlimited number of times, so long as you have one explosive per cubic yard of material.

## **Versatile Explosive Options**

The options for the Versatile Explosive feature are listed in alphabetical order below.

* **Aerodynamic Explosive.** This streamlined casing increases the range of the explosive to 30/120.
* **Incendiary Explosive.** This flammable powder doesn’t cause shrapnel to spread or cause damage on a hit, but it creates a fire equal to a 10-foot cube that lasts for 1 minute. A creature that enters the fire or starts its turn there must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking the 2d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
* **Light Explosive.** This lighter casing is easier to throw, allowing you to throw explosives made with it as a bonus action.
* **Potent Explosive.** This powerful component increases the damage dice of explosives made using it from d6s to d8s.
* **Spiked Explosive.** This dangerous casing pierces the target and surrounding creatures with spikes. On a hit, the target takes piercing damage equal to the ability modifier you used to throw the explosive. The damage caused by the shrapnel is increased by the same modifier.
* **Sticky Explosive.** This adhesive causes an explosive to stick to the target. Explosives made with this component don’t cause shrapnel to spread around the target, but you roll double the damage dice for the force damage on a hit.
* **Volatile Explosive.** This powder doesn’t cause force damage to the target, but the area of the shrapnel increases to a 15-foot radius. (Can be used in conjunction with incendiary to increase the fire to a 20ft cube)

## **Multiclassing**

* ***Prerequisites.*** To qualify for multiclassing into the demolitionist class, you must meet these prerequisites: Strength or Dexterity 13, Intelligence 13
* ***Proficiencies.*** When you multiclass into the demolitionist class, you gain the following proficiencies: Light armor, medium armor, Explosive Kit