Palaeo Games
Caption
“Most blacksmiths sculpt metal… This one chooses a more grizzly material.”
This gory reimagining of a blacksmith makes armour, weapons, and trinkets from the carcasses of slain great creatures. Through a combination of muscle and necromantic magic, they are able to create fearsome weapons, armour, and fighting companions.
Level 3: Spellcasting
Bonesmiths use a combination of physical prowess, anatomical knowledge, and necromantic magic to create their gruesome armaments. As a byproduct of this, they have developed a knack to cast certain spells. The information below details how you as a Bonesmith can cast spells. Full details regarding spellcasting can be found in Spellcasting.
Cantrips. You know the Poison Spray, Mending, and Spare the Dying cantrips.
Spell Slots. The Bonesmith spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your level 1+ spells. These spell slots may only be used to cast Bonesmith spells, and you regain all expended slots when you finish a Long Rest.
Prepared Spells of Level 1+. Rather than preparing a list of level 1+ spells from a pool that would be available for you to cast with this feature, you instead have a set list of specific spells that are always prepared, depending on your Fighter level. When you reach a Fighter level specified in the Bonesmith Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.
Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your Bonesmith spells.
Spellcasting Focus. You can use Smith’s Tools, Leatherworker’s Tools, or a weapon that you have crafted with your Melder of Flesh and Bone feature as a Spellcasting Focus for your Bonesmith spells.
Bonesmith Spell Slots Table
| Fighter Level | —Spell Slots per Spell Level— | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 3 | 2 | ― | ― | ― |
| 4 | 3 | ― | ― | ― |
| 5 | 3 | ― | ― | ― |
| 6 | 3 | ― | ― | ― |
| 7 | 4 | 2 | ― | ― |
| 8 | 4 | 2 | ― | ― |
| 9 | 4 | 2 | ― | ― |
| 10 | 4 | 3 | ― | ― |
| 11 | 4 | 3 | ― | ― |
| 12 | 4 | 3 | ― | ― |
| 13 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ― |
| 14 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ― |
| 15 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ― |
| 16 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ― |
| 17 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ― |
| 18 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ― |
| 19 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 20 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Bonesmith Spells Table
| Fighter Level | Bonesmith Spells |
|---|---|
| 3 | Inflict Wounds, False Life, Find Familiar |
| 7 | Ray of Enfeeblement, Alter Self, Protection from Poison |
| 13 | Speak with Dead, Animate Dead, Fear |
| 19 | Blight, Fabricate, Death Ward |
Level 3: Body Knowledge
When you attack with a weapon that you crafted via your Melder of Flesh and Bone feature (see below), you can use your Intelligence modifier, instead of your Strength or Dexterity modifier, for the attack and damage rolls.
Level 3: Grim Harvest
You can harvest resources from slain creatures that you may use to craft items. The Creature Harvest Table below outlines suggestions for managing the resources harvested from a creature and how long it takes to harvest from that creature. When harvesting, the DM may decide (or roll) how much, if any, of that resource you can harvest within the appropriate range of values. These are just guidelines, and we recommend that you discuss this with your DM when the moment arises. Rotting and decayed carcasses are not generally suitable for harvesting.
Your allies may assist you in harvesting. If at least two other humanoids assist you in harvesting, you may halve the harvest time taken for each creature you harvest from.
Creature Harvest Table
| Creature Size | ——Resources Harvested—— | Time Taken | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hide or Skin | Bone or Chitin | Horn, Feathers, or Scales (if applicable) | Fangs, Claws, or Mandibles (if applicable) | ||
| Tiny | 0-1 | ― | ― | ― | 3 minutes |
| Small | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 6 minutes |
| Medium | 1-2 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 15 minutes |
| Large | 3-4 | 3-4 | 2-3 | 1-2 | A Short Rest |
| Huge | 5-7 | 5-7 | 4-5 | 3-5 | A Long Rest |
| Gargantuan | 10-12 | 10-12 | 8-10 | 8-10 | One day |
Level 3: Melder of Flesh and Bone
You gain proficiency with Leatherworker’s Tools and Smith’s Tools. Over the course of a Long Rest, you can use your Leatherworker’s Tools and Smith’s Tools to craft armour, shields, and weapons from the parts of slain creatures. The Bonesmith Suggested Crafting Table outlines suggestions for the resource requirements for crafting these items. These are just guidelines, and we recommend that you discuss this with your DM when the moment arises.
Additionally, you gain proficiency with Medicine checks.
Bonesmith Suggested Crafting Table
| Item Type | Example Item | Suggested Resources |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Medium Armor | Hide Armour or Scale Mail | 4 Hide or Skin 1 Feathers or Scales |
| Complex Medium Armor | Breastplate or Half Plate | 4 Hide or Skin 1 Bone or Chitin 2 Feathers or Scales |
| Simple Heavy Armor | Ring Mail or Chain Mail | 4 Bone or Chitin |
| Complex Heavy Armor | Splint or Full Plate | 6 Bone or Chitin 2 Hide or Scales |
| Small Weapon | Dagger, Handaxe, Dart, etc. | 1 Bone or Chitin OR 1 Horn, Fangs, Claws, or Mandibles |
| Medium Weapon | Shortsword, Mace, Crossbow, Axe, etc. | 2 Bone or Chitin 1 Hide or Skin OR 1 Bone or Chitin 1 Horn, Fangs, Claws, or Mandibles |
| Large Weapon | Longsword, Warhammer, Quarterstaff, Longbow, etc. | 3 Bone or Chitin 2 Hide or Skin OR 2 Bone or Chitin 2 Horn, Fangs, Claws, or Mandibles |
| Huge Weapon | Greataxe, Halberd, Lance, etc. | 2 Hide or Skin 5 Bone or Chitin OR 3 Horn, Fangs, Claws, or Mandibles 3 Bone or Chitin |
| Shield | Shield | 3 Hide or Skin 1 Bone or Chitin OR 3 Bone or Chitin |
| Trinket | Necklace, Ring, Dice, etc. | 1 Horn, Fangs, Claws, or Mandibles 1 Hide or Skin |
Designers’ Note
Melder of Flesh and Bone is intended to allow a player to fulfil the role within a party as its armourer or blacksmith – granting party-wide bonuses through abundant equipment. It can also generate the party significant wealth. However, some players may seek to use these rules solely to generate excessive wealth. To deter such exploitation, they may find that local traders are repulsed by their designs, that their influx of goods lowers their value, and/or that regional bandits are quickly armed with their formerly sold equipment.
Level 7: Improved Crafting
You better understand the creation of items from flesh and bone. The items you craft using your Melder of Flesh and Bone feature become +1 items of their respective type.
Level 7: Construct of Flesh
During a Long Rest, you may craft a Construct of Flesh. This requires 4 hide/skin, 4 bone/chitin, and any combination of 4 horns, feathers, scales, fangs, claws, or mandibles.
The Construct of Flesh is a Friendly Undead companion that obeys your commands. It is a Medium creature with the appearance of your choice (although is usually fairly gruesome) and the statistics outlined in the Construct of Flesh stat block. You may only have a single Construct of Flesh at a time. If you create a second one, the first collapses into the components you used to create it.
The Construct of Flesh in Combat. In combat, the Construct of Flesh takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its Reaction on its own, but may only take the Dodge action unless you take a Bonus Action on your turn to command it to take any other Action. If you have the Incapacitated condition, the Construct of Flesh acts on its own and isn’t limited to the Dodge action.
Level 10: Artisan Crafter
Your knowledge of your craft deepens to that of an experienced crafter. The items you craft using your Melder of Flesh and Bone feature become +2 items of their respective type.
Level 10: Improved Construct of Flesh
You may select a second Trait for your Construct of Flesh from its initial list of abilities. The selected Trait cannot be the same as the first one you picked. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can forgo any number of attacks to have the Construct of Flesh make attacks in your stead.
Level 10: Body Modification
Over the course of a Long Rest, you can incorporate one set of your crafted armour or up to two of your crafted weapons into your own flesh. They become a part of you and can only be removed if you choose to remove them over the course of a Long Rest. The weapons can be concealed within your body or drawn out from your body as a Bonus Action. You may only have up to three of your crafted items incorporated into your body in this manner at any one time.
Level 15: Master Crafter
Your creations are only rivalled by the works of master smiths. The items you craft using your Melder of Flesh and Bone feature become +3 items of their respective type.
Level 15: Combat Bonesmithing
When you take the Attack action on your turn, you may expend ten of your harvested resources in any combination (the resources must be within 5 ft. of you or in an extradimensional space that you can access within 5 ft., like in a Bag of Holding). If you do so, you may replace one of the attacks with a casting of one of your Bonesmith spells that has the casting time of one Action.
Each subsequent time that you use this feature, the harvested resource cost increases by ten (1st: ten, 2nd: twenty, 3rd: thirty, etc.). However, this cost resets back to ten when you complete a Long Rest.
Level 18: Minion Master
The AC of your Construct of Flesh is increased by 2 (cumulative with the Robust Trait if you selected it) and you may select a second attack for your Construct of Flesh from its initial list of attacks. The selected attack cannot be the same as the first one you picked. All attacks made by your Construct of Flesh deal an additional 2d6 Necrotic damage.
Additionally, when your Construct of Flesh drops to 0 hit points, you may choose to instead have it drop to 1 hit point. You may do this once, then must complete a Long Rest before you can do so again.
Level 18: Flesh from Shadow
You may cast the spell Creation, without requiring a spell slot. You may do this once, then must complete a Long Rest before you can do so again. When you cast this spell, you may “create” a fresh carcass of a beast up to Large in size that is suitable for harvesting from. The carcass persists for only 24 hours, however harvested materials from it persist for one week and can be used to craft items (which also only persist for one week) using your Melder of Flesh and Bone feature.