Becoming A Battlesuit Pilot...
As a Level 1 Character
- Gain all the traits in the Core Battlesuit Traits table.
- Gain the Battlesuit's level 1 features, which are listed in the Battlesuit Features table.
As a Multiclass Character
- Gain the following traits from the Core Battlesuit Traits table: Hit Point Die, proficiency with Martial Weapons, and training with Light and Medium armor and Shields.
- Gain the Battlesuit's level 1 features, which are listed in the Battlesuit Features table.
Battlesuit Class Features
Level 1: Fighting Style
You gain a Fighting Style feat of your choice (2024 Player's Handbook). Instead of choosing one of those feats, if your DM has approved the use of the Vaerdspace Armory Catalog, you can choose one of the options below. Whenever you gain a Battlesuit level, you can replace the feat you chose with a different Fighting Style feat.
Level 1: Artisan School
Upon taking the 1st level of this class, you adopt a particular school of artisan trades as your specialty. Choose one of the following options which will grant you two artisan tool proficiencies and unique crafting items detailed in the Vaerdspace Armory Catalog. You will gain more proficiencies in artisan tools and other tools through the Artisan Lessons feature, but you will be unable to learn the additional crafting options.
Chemist. You gain proficiency with Alchemist's Supplies and your choice of either the Herbalism Kit or the Poisoner's Kit. Using your Alchemist's Supplies, you are now able to craft Blackpowder, Flashpowder, Thermite, Fireworks, and Grenades. At higher levels, you also gain the ability to craft Potions and Poisons of greater rarity or price that are detailed in the Poison and Magic Item sections of the 2024 DMG using the relevant tools (Common or 250gp at level 4, Uncommon or 500gp at level 8, Rare or 750gp at level 12, and Very Rare or 1,000gp at level 16)
Ceramicist. You gain proficiency with Potter's Tools and Glassblower's Tools. Using your Potter's Tools, you are now able to craft Ballistic Plates, and using your Glassblower's Tools you are now able to craft Ceramic Glass. Additionally, you can craft any sword, dagger, or axe of any type using your Potter's Tools or Glassblower's Tools, granting those weapons both a 50% weight reduction and the Bleed weapon mastery perk as described in the Vaerdspace Armory Catalog for anyone who wields them.
Engineer. You gain proficiency with Tinker's Tools and Jeweler's Tools. Using your Tinker's Tools, you are now able to craft Spring Clocks, Bug Zappers, Mechanical Toys, and Music Players. Additionally, you can craft non-standard ammunition for Firearms, as well as the Fire Lance, Arrow Rocket and Payload Arrows, Dragon Rocket, and Flamethrower.
Shipwright. You gain proficiency with Carpenter's Tools and your choice of either Woodcarver's Tools or Painter's Supplies. Using your Carpenter's Tools, you can now craft Carriages, Carts, Chariots, Sleds, Wagons, and Rowboats, and you can participate in Ship Repairs, reducing the cost by half when you choose to for each day of repairs. Additionally, if you choose the Woodcarver's Tools you can craft non-standard arrows and bolts as detailed in the Vaerdspace Armory Catalog, or if you choose the Painter's Supplies you can apply camouflage paint to an ally with the Utilize action, providing them advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks, which lasts for 4 hours.
Clothier. You gain proficiency with Weaver's Tools and your choice of either Leatherworker's Tools or the Disguise Kit. Using your Weaver's Tools, you can now craft Cold-Weather Clothes and Hot-Weather Clothes, and give one of those same properties of those items to any mundane armor you can craft using Weaver's Tools. Additionally, if you choose the Leatherworker's Tools, you can apply the properties of Cold-Weather and Hot-Weather Clothes to armor you can craft using those tools, or if you choose the Disguise Kit you can also craft the Camouflage Mantle.
Level 1: Weapon Mastery
Upon taking the 1st level of this class, your training with weapons allows you to use the Mastery property of two (2) kinds of Simple or Martial weapons of your choice. Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you may practice weapon drills and change your chosen weapons. When you reach 4th level, you can use the Mastery properties for three weapons, and at 10th level you can use the Mastery properties on four weapons.
Level 2: Battlesuit Chassis
Starting at 2nd level, you receive your first Battlesuit Chassis, which is derived from your current suit of armor if you are proficient. Your armor weight is translated over to your Battlesuit, with heavy armor becoming a heavy chassis, medium armor becoming a medium chassis, and light armor becoming a light chassis. A suit of light armor may alternatively be made into an exosuit with no armor class that functions as clothing. You must be proficient in an armor weight to be able to convert it into a Battlesuit Chassis.
Your Battlesuit Chassis’ AC equals that of the original armor, and can be upgraded over a short rest by consuming a suit of armor with a higher armor class of that weight. Transitioning to a new weight takes an uninterrupted long rest and a suit of armor with the desired weight.
In addition, your Battlesuit possesses no Strength requirement for you, doubles your normal push, drag, and carry weight (after species traits are applied), and cannot be worn or otherwise operated by anyone except you.
Level 2: Battlesuit Alterations
Starting at 2nd level, you may choose two Alterations from the Tier 1 list to learn and apply to your armor, should you meet the prerequisites for the Alteration. Unless otherwise stated, each Alteration you wish to apply to your Battlesuit requires an uninterrupted long rest. If you choose to remove or replace an Alteration, that Alteration is destroyed in the process and will require another long rest to reapply if desired. You learn two more Alterations and may replace a single learned Alteration with a new one for every Tier unlocked and every time you gain the Artisan Lesson feature.
You unlock higher Tiers at later levels within this class, unlocking Tier 2 when you reach 9th level, Tier 3 when you reach 13th level, and Tier 4 when you reach 17th level.
Level 3: Battlesuit Subclass
You gain a Battlesuit subclass of your choice. The Artillery, Assault, Engineering, Heavy, and Recon Division subclasses are detailed after this class's description. A subclass is a specialization that grants you features at certain Battlesuit levels. For the rest of your career, you gain each of your subclass's features that are of your Battlesuit level or lower.
Level 4: Ability Score Improvement
You gain the Ability Score Improvement feat (2024 Player's Handbook) or another feat of your choice for which you qualify. You gain this feature again at Battlesuit levels 8, 12, and 16.
Level 5: Extra Attack
You can attack twice instead of once whenever you take the Attack action during your turn.
Level 6: Pilot Mobility
You gain the following traits of this feature only when you are outside of your Battlesuit and not wearing heavy or medium armor. When you reach 6th level, your speed increases by 5 feet. This bonus increases by another 5 feet when you reach Battlesuit levels 10, 14, and 18. Additionally, at Battlesuit level 10, you gain the ability to move along vertical surfaces on your turn without falling during the move, at Battlesuit level 14, you are no longer slowed by non-magical difficult terrain, and it only costs you 5 feet of movement to stand from a prone position, and finally at Battlesuit level 18, your jump height and distance is permanently doubled, and you gain the ability to take the Dash action as a Bonus Action.
Level 6: Professional Armorer
When you reach 6th level, you gain the ability to apply a single non-exclusive Alteration to a mundane suit of armor or clothing. You may do this to half as many suits of armor or clothing as you have a number of learned Alterations. If a suit is permanently lost or destroyed, you may make a replacement Additionally, whenever you begin to craft armor of any kind with the appropriate tools, you can choose to either reduce the cost of materials to craft by half or you can reduce the number of days required to craft by half.
When you reach 10th level, your skill improves and you gain the ability to apply two non-exclusive Alterations to a mundane suit of armor or clothing, and can apply a single Alteration to a vehicle (like a wagon or an animal's saddle or barding), which takes the place of one of you suits of armor or clothing.
When you reach 14th level, you have achieved the knowledge and experience necessary to apply non-exclusive Alterations to magical suits of armor and clothing. In addition, any vehicles or mundane suits of armor or clothing you apply an Alteration to are considered magical for effects that cannot damage magical items.
Level 6: Artisan Lessons
When you reach 6th level, you also learn one new artisan tool proficiency of your choice, or gain double proficiency in any tool proficiency you already know.
You may also choose to switch up to two known Alterations with an equal number of new Alterations from tiers you can access. When you switch your choice of known Alterations for new Alterations, any instances of the lost Alteration are rendered unusable or otherwise effectively destroyed.
You gain both of these benefits again when you reach 10th, 14th, and 18th level in this class.
Level 9: Weaponsmith
Upon reaching 9th level, your artisanal skill extends to weapons as well. Over a short rest you may prepare a number of weapons equal to half your Proficiency bonus, granting those weapons either a +1 to hit for the first five attacks or a +1 to damage for the first five hits with that weapon. You may instead grant these boons to an equal number of batches of five pieces of ammunition, however each piece of ammunition will only have one use instead of five. Additionally, whenever you begin to craft weapons of any kind with the appropriate tools, you can choose to either reduce the cost of materials to craft by half or you can reduce the number of days required to craft by half.
This temporary boon increases to +2 when you reach 17th level, and you can craft weapons made from special materials like adamantine and mithral.
Level 9: Master At Arms
Upon reaching 9th level, whenever you finish a long rest you may choose any of the Mastery weapons you are using and replace its Mastery property of each with another Mastery property. The chosen type of weapon must qualify for the new property.
These property changes only apply to you, not for others, and they end for you when you finish your next Long Rest.
When you reach 17th level, you gain the ability to apply two Mastery properties to one of your Mastery weapons. You can only use one Mastery property at a time when you make an attack, and you must decide which property you are imposing on your target before you know whether your attack hits or misses.
Level 19: Epic Boon
You gain an Epic Boon feat (PHB) or another feat of your choice for which you qualify. A Boon related to your Division Specialty is recommended.
Battlesuit Alteration Options
Battlesuit Alteration options are organized by Class Level at which they are unlocked, and then in alphabetical order.
Level 2: Tier 1 Alterations
Camouflage Netting
Prerequisite: Weaver's Tools -or- Camouflage Kit
When not moving, impose Disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks for creatures attempting to locate you without magic; you must use a long rest to reapply whenever you enter a new terrain type.
Cavalry Frame
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Your overland travel speed is doubled, and your walking speed in combat is increased by 10 feet.
Comfort Fit
Prerequisite: Weaver's Tools
Remove penalties for sleeping in armor.
Extinguishers
Prerequisite: Alchemist's Supplies
Once per short rest, using your reaction, deploy automatic extinguishers to the critical elements of your Battlesuit, ending any spells or burning conditions that cause continuous Acid, Fire, or Radiant damage to you; you can create a handheld, single-use fire extinguisher over a long rest at a material cost of 20gp.
Canisters. This alteration fills a set of installed canisters in the Battlesuit, and cannot share those canisters with other similar alterations.
Flare Launcher
Prerequisite: Alchemist's Supplies -or- Explosive Supplies
Once per short rest, using a Bonus Action, fire a flare 30 feet directly upwards into the air that emits bright light out to 60 feet, and dim light for another 60 feet; the flare may adhere to the first surface it makes contact with or coast down on a small parachute, emitting light for 1 minute. You can create 1d4 handheld flares over a long rest at a material cost of 10gp each, which can be thrown up to 30 feet as part of the attack action.
Canisters. This alteration fills a set of installed canisters in the Battlesuit, and cannot share those canisters with other similar alterations.
Forced Entry Kit
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Advantage on breaching or destroying soft structures (wood, plaster, clay, etc.) when using tools like sledge hammers, mining picks, splitting axes, or the Battlesuit's fists with the Goliath or Titan alterations.
Improved Shocks
Prerequisite: Tinker's Tools
Lift, Push, & Drag as if one size larger.
Integrated Shield
Prerequisite: Carpenter's Tools
Using a shield you already have in your profession, you affix that shield to the off-hand of your Battlesuit. The integrated shield cannot be disarmed from you, and as long as the shield is not a heavy shield (see Vaerdspace Armory Catalog), it does not prevent you from interacting with objects, grappling, or using two-hand weapons.
Loud Speakers
Prerequisite: Tinker's Tools
You add a loud speaker to your Battlesuit, which you can speak into through a speaker in your helmet or on the collar of your chassis. Using a free action, you may activate the loud speaker to amplify your voice to three times its normal volume.
Low Footprint
Prerequisite: Leatherworker's Tools
Impose disadvantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track the Battlesuit in operation without magic.
Radio Uplink
Prerequisite: Tinker's Tools -or- Radio Equipment
You integrate a simple radio system into your chassis, with the speaker located either within your helmet or on the collar of your chassis. When attuned to the correct frequency, you can communicate with any radio installation within a 25 mile radius, and directly communicate with anyone who possesses radio equipment up to 5 miles away.
Rapid Deployment
Prerequisite: Leatherworker's Tools
You may Don and Doff the Battlesuit as an Action.
Ram Prow
Prerequisite: Woodcarver's Tools
Lightweight uparmored collar that allows you to run through structures and large items made of soft materials such as wood, plaster, clay, and soft stone. You must be able to move at least 10 feet in a straight line before collision to use the Ram Prow, which carries into successive collisions.
Searchlights
Prerequisite: Tinker's Tools
When activated, you cast bright light in a 60 foot cone and dim light for another 60 feet. The light burns for up to six hours using a pint of oil.
Storage Racks
Prerequisite: Leatherworker's Tools
Apply saddlebags to the Battlesuit scaled to the size of your Battlesuit.
Level 9: Tier 2 Alterations
Binocular Telescope
Prerequisite: Glassblower's Tools -or- Jeweler's Tools
Gain advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks if you have not moved this turn; you may magnify distant objects to look either 4x or 10x apparent size.
Camouflage Paint
Prerequisite: Painter's Supplies
Add your Intelligence modifier to your Dexterity (Sneak) checks; you must use a long rest to repaint whenever you enter a new terrain type.
Low Noise Exhaust
Prerequisite: Tinker's Tools -or- Mechanic's Tools
Gain advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
Nautical Frame
Prerequisite: Carpenter's Tools
You have advantage on saving throws against exhaustion when swimming.
Night Optics
Prerequisite: Glassblower's Tools -or- Jeweler's Tools
Gain Darkvision out to 30 feet; if you already have Darkvision, improve your Darkvision by 15 feet.
Overlapping Plates
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Ranged weapon attack rolls from bows and crossbows suffer disadvantage against you, and you negate penetrative range of bows and crossbows.
Roll Cage
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
You gain resistance to damage from falling.
Rolled Steel
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Ranged weapon attack rolls from firearms suffer disadvantage against you, and you negate the penetrative range of firearms.
Smoke Dispenser
Prerequisite: Alchemist's Supplies -or- Explosive Supplies
Once per short rest, using a bonus action, create a 10-foot radius (+5 for every size the Battlesuit has increased) cloud of smoke that heavily obscures all vision centered on yourself. You can create 1d4 handheld smoke grenades over a long rest at a material cost of 50gp each, which can be thrown up to 30 feet as part of an attack action.
Canisters. This alteration fills a set of installed canisters in the Battlesuit, and cannot share those canisters with other similar alterations.
Standoff Armor
Prerequisite: Tinker's Tools -or- Potter's Tools
Damaging touch spell attacks suffer disadvantage against you.
Tuned Servomotors
Prerequisite: Tinker's Tools -or- Mechanic's Tools
Using your bonus action, you may Dash as part of your movement; you may use this a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, and regain all uses over a short rest.
Uparmored
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Improves Armor Class by one.
Stackable. This alteration stacks with other alterations that provide similar effects.
Weather Proofing
Prerequisite: Leatherworker's Tools -or- Weaver's Tools
You have advantage on saving throws against environmental extreme heat or cold temperatures.
Wooden Armor Refit
Prerequisite: Woodcarver's Tools
Your armor is refitted using wooden plates, slats, lames, or other designs according to the armor used to make the Battlesuit, which reduces your armor class by 1, but negates all effects targeted at metal and suffers no additional effects normally targeted at wood.
Materials. This alteration replaces all external materials of the Battlesuit, destroying any previous alteration that also replaces materials.
Level 13: Tier 3 Alterations
5-in-1 Weave
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Resistance to weapon slashing damage.
Diving Frame
Prerequisite: Carpenter's Tools
Your suit is watertight and assists you in swimming and diving, granting you a swimming speed equal to your walking speed and 1 hour of stored breathable air.
Drone Scout
Prerequisite: Tinker's Tools
Once per long rest, you can deploy and activate a tiny wheeled drone that lasts for 10 minutes; you can see everything your drone sees, and move it anywhere out to a maximum range of 300 feet when operating the Battlesuit at a speed of 30 feet per round using your Bonus Action.
Flash Launcher
Prerequisite: Tinker's Tools -or- Explosive Supplies
Once per short rest, using a Bonus Action, deploy several flash-crash grenades forcing every creature within a 10-foot radius to succeed a Constitution Saving Throw (DC 8 + Proficiency + Int Mod) or become blind until the end of your next turn. You can create 1d4 handheld flash-crash grenades over a long rest at a material cost of 75gp each, which can be thrown up to 30 feet as part of an attack action or rigged to a tripwire, detonating on impact.
Canisters. This alteration fills a set of installed canisters in the Battlesuit, and cannot share those canisters with other similar alterations.
Goliath Chassis
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Increase your Battlesuit's size by one; your unarmed strikes are considered simple melee weapons and now deal an extra 1d8 bludgeoning damage
Stackable. This alteration stacks with other alterations that provide similar effects.
Improved Hardening
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Improve Armor Class by one.
Stackable. This alteration stacks with other alterations that provide similar effects.
Mithral Materials
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Your armor no longer imposes disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.
Materials. This alteration replaces all external materials of the Battlesuit, destroying any previous alteration that replaces materials.
Radar Sensor
Prerequisite: Tinker's Tools -or- Radio Equipment
A number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, using a Bonus Action, you can emit a radar pulse that detects creatures in a 15 feet radius, even those that are invisible, hidden, or obscured by environmental conditions or spell effects such as that imposed by the Fog Cloud spell.
Reactive Plates
Prerequisite: Alchemist's Supplies -or- Potter's Tools
You may use your reaction to ignore the effects of a spell when you are hit with a spell attack a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier per long rest.
Sealed Helmet
Prerequisite: Tinker's Tools
Your helmet is airtight, and as a Bonus Action, you may activate the seal to prevent all foreign gas or liquids from entering the helmet. You have enough air to last 10 minutes, after which the helmet unseals automatically and has a cooldown of 1 minute.
Sloped Plates
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Resistance to weapon piercing damage.
S-Mine Launcher
Prerequisite: Tinker's Tools -or- Explosive Supplies
Once per long rest, using your action, deploy several shrapnel mines into the air around you, exploding to send lethal shrapnel into surrounding creatures; every creature (excluding yourself) within a 10-foot radius must make a Dexterity saving throw or suffer 1d10 + your Intelligence modifier slashing damage, or half on success. You can create a single handheld S-Mine over a long rest at a material cost of 50gp each. Handheld S-Mines can be buried in any 5 foot space and trigger when a creature walks over that space.
Canisters. This alteration fills a set of installed canisters in the Battlesuit, and cannot share those canisters with other similar alterations.
Spall Lining
Prerequisite: Weaver's Tools
Resistance to weapon bludgeoning and force damage.
Level 17: Tier 4 Alterations
Arcane Disruptor
Prerequisite: Jeweler's Tools
Once per long rest, using a bonus action, emit an anti-magic pulse that affects everything within 30 feet of you. All effects resulting from spells or magic items (excluding the Battlesuit) are immediately ended, and until the end of your next turn, any spellcaster caught in range is unable to expend spell slots and magic items are rendered inert.
Adamantine Materials
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Critical hits against the Battlesuit become normal hits.
Materials. This alteration replaces all external materials of the Battlesuit, destroying any previous alteration that replaces materials.
Area Denial System
Prerequisite: Jeweler's Tools
Using your bonus action, you may activate this device to impose disadvantage on ranged spell attacks targeting any creature within 5 feet of you, including yourself, until the start of your next turn a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier per long rest.
Canisters. This alteration fills a set of installed canisters in the Battlesuit, and cannot share those canisters with other similar alterations.
Defensive Field
Prerequisite: Jeweler's Tools
Using a bonus action, gain a number of temporary Hit Points equal to your class level; you can use this device a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier, and regain all uses over a long rest.
Explosive Eject
Prerequisite: Alchemist's Supplies -or- Explosive Supplies
If you are reduced to 0 Hit Points, you may choose to safely eject from the Battlesuit out to a distance of 50 feet. The Battlesuit then explodes, causing 5d6 Fire and 5d6 Thunder damage to every creature within a 20-foot radius, completely destroying the Battlesuit in the process. You may also choose to do this preemptively as an Action.
Incendiary Dispenser
Prerequisite: Alchemist's Supplies -or- Explosive Supplies
Once per short rest, using a Bonus Action, create a burning cloud of smoke with a 10-foot radius centered on yourself that lasts for three turns and deals 3d6 + Intelligence modifier fire damage to every creature that is caught in the cloud; while operating the Battlesuit, you are immune to this weapon. You can create a handheld incendiary smoke grenade over a long rest at a material cost of 100gp each, which can be thrown up to 30 feet and detonate on impact.
Canisters. This alteration fills a set of installed canisters in the Battlesuit, and cannot share those canisters with other similar alterations.
Reentry Kit
Prerequisite: Weaver's Tools
You gain immunity to damage from falling.
Reinforced Armor
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Improve Armor Class by one.
Stackable. This alteration stacks with other alterations that provide similar effects.
Titan Chassis
Prerequisite: Smith's Tools
Increase Battlesuit size by one; your unarmed strikes are considered simple melee weapons and now deal an extra 1d8 bludgeoning damage.
Stackable. This alteration stacks with other alterations that provide similar effects.