"To conquer death is to strip it bare of mystery.
To
defy the gods is to become their equal."
—Lord Solomon, Third Mortis Engineer of the Scions
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Artificer: Mortis Engineer
Before manikin technology revolutionized artificial life, Level 3: Tool Proficiency
the Scions' earliest experiments emerged from the blood-
soaked laboratories of the Mortis Engineers. These You gain proficiency in the Medicine skill. If you are
deranged pioneers arose during the First War's darkest already proficient in it, you gain proficiency in another
hours, when desperation bred monsters and necessity skill of your choice.
justified atrocity. While their contemporary counterparts
work with sterile materials like gold and ivory, Mortis
Engineers reveled in the vile work of grafting lightning Level 3: Mortis Engineer Spells
science to still-warm flesh.
You always have certain spells prepared after you reach
From their chambers high in what would become the particular levels in this class, as shown in the Mortis
Scions' Fortress, screams regularly echoed throughout the Engineer Spells table. These spells count as Artificer
walls as Mortis Engineers refined their horrific craft. Their spells for you, but they don't count against the number
experiments involved shocking living subjects until they of Artificer spells you prepare.
discovered the precise voltage needed to animate dead
tissue. The failures far outnumbered the successes—
countless bodies reduced to charred husks, nervous Artificer level Spells
systems burned out, and muscles exploded from within.
3rd False Life, Witch Bolt
In battle, Mortis Engineers are nothing short of
Lightning Charged,
nightmarish. Their mastery of lightning allows them to 5th
Ray of Enfeeblement
scorch their enemies from the inside out, before raising
the smoking corpses as puppets. Their signature 9th Lightning Bolt, Revivify
technique involves driving electrified metal rods through 13th Graveyard Shuffle, Jumping Jolt
nerve clusters and major organs, creating undead that
spasm and twitch with unnatural speed under the Negative Energy FloodXGtE,
17th
absolute command of their killer. These reanimated Raise Dead
horrors leak ozone and burned flesh, their bodies
wrapped in crude metal conductors that occasionally
spark and sizzle against rotting skin. Level 3: Jumpstart
The Mortis Engineers’ development of resurrection You can channel lightning to mend wounds. Once on
chamber technology came at an unspeakable cost in your turn, when you deal Lightning damage to a
human suffering. Their research required countless creature with a spell of level 1 or higher, you can choose
"fresh" subjects, leading to whispered rumors about to heal the creature instead. The creature regains Hit
where these specimens truly came from. Though most Points equal to your Intelligence modifier multiplied by
Mortis Engineers eventually abandoned organic matter the spell's level (minimum of 1). If the spell affects
for the cleaner manikin science, the old guard continues multiple creatures, choose one which receives the
their grotesque work. Their hidden laboratories are healing; the others take the damage as normal. Starting
harrowing galleries of half-formed bodies suspended in at level 9, you can ignore this limitation and heal
lightning-charged tanks, waiting to be perfected or multiple creatures at once.
mercifully destroyed.
If you attempt to heal a creature in this way on
Today, the Mortis Engineers operate in utmost secrecy consecutive rounds, the creature must succeed on a
within the fortress's highest towers. Even the Scions, who Constitution saving throw or take the Lightning
pride themselves on scientific progress at any cost, keep damage as normal instead. The DC for this save starts
their distance from these deranged practitioners. While at 15 and increases by 5 for each subsequent round
manikin achievements are celebrated in public squares, the healing is used on that creature. This DC resets
Art by Dark Lord Studios
Mortis Engineers toil in shadow-cloaked workshops that after the creature doesn’t receive healing from this
reek of decay. The constant hum of their generators feature for 1 round.
barely masks the sounds from within—the crackle of
lightning, the buzz of conductors, and sometimes, if one
listens closely, the whimpers of their latest subjects as
they push the boundaries between life, death, and
mechanical horror.
This content is compatible with Steinhardt’s Guide to the Eldritch Hunt, ©MonkeyDM Publishing SRL. 112
Level 3: Galvanized Flesh Level 5: Shock Troopers
You master the art of reanimating corpses through Your expertise in electrical animation enhances your
electricity. When you deal Lightning damage to a zombies' capabilities. Each zombie you create has a
corpse of size Small or larger with a spell of 1st level or Speed of 40 feet, and you can choose to have its attacks
higher, you can take a Bonus Action to embed metallic deal Lightning damage instead of Bludgeoning damage.
rods into the nervous system of the corpse and briefly
bring it to unlife as a Zombie. Additionally, your zombies gain the following
Bonus Action:
The zombie gains Temporary Hit Points equal to twice
your Artificer level, and it gains a bonus to its attack ● System Overload. The zombie attempts to shock
and damage rolls equal to your Intelligence modifier one creature it can see within 5 feet of it. The target
(minimum of +1). must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against
your spell save DC or take 1d6 Lightning damage and
You can control up to 2 zombies at once. This increases have its Speed reduced by 10 feet until the end of its
to 3 zombies at level 9 and 4 zombies at level 17. If you next turn. If the target has taken Lightning damage
attempt to create more zombies than this limit allows, since the start of its last turn, it automatically fails this
your oldest zombie crumbles to dust. A zombie saving throw. A creature whose Speed is reduced to 0
disintegrates after 10 minutes, when it drops to 0 Hit by this feature has the Stunned condition until the
Points, or if you take a Bonus Action to extract the rods, start of its next turn.
killing it.
The zombies are Friendly to you and your companions. Level 9: Unending Legion
In combat, they share your Initiative count, but they
take their turns immediately after yours. They obey You've mastered the art of mass reanimation. You
your verbal commands (no action required by you). If create a specialized container that uses manikin
you don't issue a command, or they can't see and hear technology to enhance your Undead servants. This
you directly, they take the Dodge action. container can take the form of a coffin, chest,
backpack, or other similar receptacle of your choice,
When a zombie you created is reduced to 0 Hit Points, which you must carry on your person.
it releases a surge of electricity. One creature of your
choice within 15 feet of the zombie must succeed on a Each zombie you create can be enhanced with a
Dexterity saving throw against your spell save DC or metallic shell from your container. An enhanced zombie
take Lightning damage equal to your Intelligence gains these benefits:
modifier (minimum of 1) and have its Speed reduced
by 10 feet until the start of its next turn. ● Its Armor Class equals 12 + your Intelligence modifier
● It adds your Intelligence modifier to saving throws
● It has Immunity to Lightning damage
Level 5: Death Lightning
In addition, when you take a Bonus Action as part of
You learn to interweave necrotic and electrical energies. your Galvanized Flesh feature, you can animate a
Whenever you cast a spell that deals Necrotic damage, number of zombies equal to the level of the spell you
you can choose to have it deal Lightning damage cast, up to your maximum limit, provided sufficient
instead and vice versa. corpses are affected by your lightning spell.
In addition, the legions you raise can act as catalysts for
your spells. When you cast a spell with a range of touch, Level 15: Flesh Titan
choose one of your zombies within 100 feet of you; it
can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your You’ve perfected a volatile combination of electrical
zombie must use its Reaction to deliver the spell when shocks and enhancement serums. As an action, you can
you cast it. inject a zombie under your control within 5 feet of you
with this unstable mixture, causing its flesh to swell
and crackle with intense electrical energy. It becomes a
Flesh Golem for 1 minute, but still benefits from any
of your features that affect zombies.
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Art by Marcelo Orsi Blanco
At the end of the minute, or when it reaches 0 Hit Once you’ve used this feature, you can’t use it again
Points, it dies in an explosion of lightning. Each creature until you finish a Long Rest or expend a spell slot of
within a 20-foot radius centered from the flesh golem level 5 or higher to use it again.
must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against
your spell save DC or take 4d8 Lightning damage.
This is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards.
Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
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Corpse Bag
Replicable Magic Item (Level 2 Artificer)
Wondrous Item, Uncommon
This specially treated leather bag is larger on the inside
than it appears and is designed to preserve and
transport corpses for necromantic purposes. The bag
can hold up to ten Medium or smaller corpses, which
don't decay while inside it. The bag weighs 2 pounds
regardless of its contents.
As an action, you can reach into the bag to stow a
corpse. Once per turn, you can retrieve a corpse (no
action required). Each corpse must be placed into or
removed from the bag individually. Alternatively you
can take an action to turn the bag inside out and spill
out all the corpses within. If the bag is pierced or torn,
it ruptures and is destroyed, and its contents spill forth.
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