The Scarp Forger
This was made for a player of mine in the online campaign I DM. This was before we had an artificer join. He would ask to steal what he could to craft them into weapons, and he ended up being the lockpicker/trap disarm guy, so I just made him a subclass based around that idea for his ranger character. This has been playtested extensively (he's been playing this subclass every week for 8 months).
Scrap Forger
The Forge Raider is a master scavenger and craftsman, adept at repurposing found weapons, armor, and magical items to create powerful, weaponized armor for their beast companion or enhance their own weapons with innovative attachments. These rangers travel the world, seeking out ancient battlegrounds, abandoned fortresses, and forgotten ruins to salvage materials and enhance their allies.
Tools with a Repurpose
Beginning at 3rd level, disassembling and reassembling salvaged items you find increases your knowledge by sheer brute force of weapons and armor in the world. You gain proficiency in either Tinker’s tools or Smith’s tools and can be used as an arcane focus for casting your ranger spells.
Makeshift Casting
Your ability to create makeshift items with the remnants of leftover items has manifested in spells you know. You learn an additional mending spell. When you reach certain levels in this subclass you learn additional spells, as shown in the Scrap Forger Spells table. Each spell counts as a ranger spell for you, but it doesn't count against the number of ranger spells you know.
| Ranger Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Identify |
| 5th | Knock |
| 9th | Conjure Barrage |
| 13th | Fabricate |
| 17th | Legend Lore |
Scrap Punk
Starting at 3rd level, you can choose one of the following abilities:
Junkyard Buddy. At 3rd level, you bond with a creature that becomes your partner in battle. Choose a beast that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower or use the Beast of Metallurgy stat block (detailed below). Add your proficiency bonus to the beast's AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in. Its hit point maximum equals its normal maximum or four times your ranger level, whichever is higher. Like any creature, the beast can spend Hit Dice during a short rest.
The beast obeys your commands as best as it can. It takes its turn on your initiative. On your turn, you can use your bonus action to verbally command it to take the Attack, Dash, or Help action. If you don't issue a command, the beast takes the Dodge action. Once you have the Extra Attack feature, you can make one weapon attack yourself when you command the beast to take the Attack action.
If you are incapacitated or absent, your beast companion acts on its own, focusing on protecting you and itself. It never requires your command to use its reaction, such as when making an opportunity attack.
While traveling through your favored terrain with only the beast, you can move stealthily at a normal pace.
If the beast dies, you can obtain a new companion by spending 8 hours magically bonding with a beast that isn't hostile to you and that meets the requirements.
You can also salvage and repurpose mundane weapons and armor into either a Battle Armament or War Harnesses. Choose from one from the following features:
- Battle Armaments. You repurpose salvaged weapons to create armaments for your companion to wear. An armament increase the companion’s damage by +1 and your companion has advantage on their first attack of their turn.
- War Harness. You can create armor for your companion from repurposed salvaged weapons that bolster’s it’s defense. A harness increases the companion's’ AC by +1 and allows you to choose resistance to one of the following damage types: Bludgeoning, Slashing, or Piercing.
Trials of Inexperience. Due to your inexperience and brute force, trial by error style of learning, there is a 30% chance to create defective equipment. At the end of the companions’ turn, roll percentile dice. On a 30 or lower, the equipment breaks. You may spend downtime during a short rest to repair the equipment.
Junk Modding. You can salvage various items to create an attachment for your weapon. Choose from one of the attachments below:
- Fitted Foregrip. You repurpose salvaged weapons create a grip for a weapon that is molded to your hand. Your first cast of Hunter’s Mark no longer requires concentration.
- Composite Blade. You repurpose salvaged weapons to create a strong composite metal to craft your weapons and ammunition. Your first cast of Hunter’s Mark does not consume a spell slot.
Trials of Inexperience. Due to your inexperience and brute force, trial by error style of learning, there is a 30% chance to create defective equipment. At the end of the your turn, roll percentile dice. On a 30 or lower, the equipment breaks. You may spend downtime during a short rest to repair the equipment.
Drek Meister
Starting at 7th level, you become a Drek Meister, refining your skills to a competent level. You may choose one of the options granted at 3rd level, or choose to upgrade an existing feature from one of the options below:
Calibrated Junkyard Buddy
- Calibrated Battle Armaments: Requires Battle Armaments. Your Salvage Buddy skill now allows you to create refined armaments as a magical item. Your companion can use it’s action to cast a cantrip from the Druid spell list as an action. The companion's melee weapon attacks count as magical for the sake of resistances against non-magical attacks.
- Calibrated War Harness: Requires War Harness. You can now create an advanced harness for your companion. This harness allows your companion to take the Dash, Disengage, or Help without the use of a bonus action on its turn, if it has not attacked. It also grants a +2 to AC and resistance to one type of magical damage (acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder) chosen when the harness is created.
Trials of Inexperience. Due to your inexperience and brute force, trial-and-error style of learning, there is a 15% chance of creating defective equipment. At the end of the companions’ turn, roll percentile dice. On a 15 or lower, the equipment breaks. You may spend downtime during a short rest to repair the equipment.
Calibrated Junk Modding
- Quick-release Strap: Requires a previous Junk Mod. These straps allow the ranger to use their reaction when surprised to make a single weapon attack. If this attack hits, you gain advantage on their initiative roll for the ensuing combat encounter.
- Serrated Edge: Requires a previous Junk Mod. When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can choose to cause a serrated wound. The target must make a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier). On a failure, the creature's flesh is rended, causing it to 'bleed out'. While bleeding out, the creature loses 1 hit point for every foot of movement it takes. Additionally, if the creature is affected by Hunter's Mark, it makes attacks at disadvantage.
Trials of Inexperience. Due to your inexperience and brute force, trial by error style of learning, there is a 15% chance to create defective equipment. At the end of the your turn, roll percentile dice. On a 15 or lower, the equipment breaks. You may spend downtime during a short rest to repair the equipment.
Salvage Savant
Starting at 11th level, you become a salvage savant, refining your skills to an proficient level. You may choose one of the options granted at 5th level, provided you have the prerequisite, or choose to upgrade an existing feature from one of the options below:
Refined Junkyard Buddy
- Refined Battle Armament: Requires Calibrated Battle Armaments. Starting at 11th level, your companion’s attacks are now +2, and when you command your companion to take the Attack action, the beast can make two attacks, or it can take the Multiattack action if the companion has access to that feature. The companion may use one of their attacks to cast a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-level spell with the ritual tag from the druid spell list instantaneously.
- Refined War Harness: Requires Calibrated Battle Harness. This harness increases your companion's base AC by an additional +3 and has a built-in pocket healer’s kit. When a creature within 10 feet of you or your companion falls to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to expend one use of the healer’s kit to stabilize the creature. The healer’s kit has 4 charges and can be restocked on a short or long rest.
Trials of Inexperience. Due to your inexperience and brute force, trial-and-error style of learning, there is a 5% chance of creating defective equipment. At the end of your turn, roll percentile dice. On a 15 or lower, the equipment breaks. You may spend downtime during a short rest to repair the equipment.
Refined Junk Modding
- Tactical Gloves: Requires a previous Junk Mod. While wearing tactical gloves, you know the Absorb Elements spell and always have it prepared. Additionally, you may cast it a number of times equal to your proficiency. The effect of the Absorb Elements spell now extends to ranged weapons. Should Hunter’s mark be active on a creature, the absorb element spell’s duration becomes concentration for the purpose of this feature, during which each attack after the first initial cast gains the effects of a 1st-level absorb elements spell. Should you fail to maintain concentration on Hunter’s mark, the concentration for the modified absorb element spell also ends.
- Makeshift Whetstone: Requires a previous Junk Mod. To keep your weapons effective, you’ve learned how to repurpose salvaged materials to create a whetstone to finely sharpen the edges of your weapons. You critically hit on a 19 or 20. If the target of the critical hit has less than 20 hit points, the target instantly falls dead.
Trials of Inexperience. Due to your inexperience and brute force, trial-and-error style of learning, there is a 5% chance of creating defective equipment. At the end of your turn, roll percentile dice. On a 5 or lower, the equipment breaks. You may spend downtime during a short rest to repair the equipment.
Wreckage Reconstructionist
Starting at 15th level, you become a wreckage reconstructionist, perfecting your skills to an expert level. You can choose one option from each of the 3rd, 5th, and 7th features that you have not chosen. The requirements for that option is removed for the sake of this feature. In addition, Trials of Inexperience condition is replaced with Scavenge-tech Manifest.
Scavenge-tech Manifest. You have perfected transforming the bits and bobs, junk, and scraps that you have found with precision and speed, allowing you to create one-time use items during battle. When a creature, using a weapon or wearing armor, within 5 feet of you, drops to 0 hit points, roll a percentile dice. On a roll of 100, you are able to create an item that replicates one of the features of the creature. The GM (DM) decides on what feature is granted. It cannot replicate Legendary Actions. If it is a spell, it uses your spellcasting modifier and spell save if applicable. It can only be used a number of times equal to your proficiency, but breaks at the end of 24 hours.