The Golemist

 WotC has released a new book about Ravenloft (how many time must we publish this setting?) with new/updated subclasses.

One of these was the artificer reanimator, which was... disappointing.  It's a "pet class" that doesn't offer much besides the pet, and the pet is underwhelming.

There is a balance issue here - the pet can't be too good, otherwise it's like playing 2 PCs at once.  Instead, the pets usually "consumes" the PC's bonus action, and thus, for balance reasons, the pet's impact has to be vaguely comparable to the bonus action taken by another PC.  So the pet is always a sidekick at best.  But what if you want to play a character who's main power *is* the pet, not themselves?

 I think I have a solution.  Instead of having the PC do something, and the Pet do something, the PC should do something *through* the pet, most of their effort would be bolstering the pet.  And I think I'm going to use the smithing mechanism to make this happen. Instead of casting a spell at foes, the golemist infuses their golem with arcane might, by channeling spell slots into them, to clobber their foes. 

There are other elements here that I need to refine - other abilities, and spell list, but I will detail the core powers of the class.  I also don't make any claim that this is properly balanced - it needs to be play tested.  But I think that as a "proof of concept"  this will do.

The Golemist has 2 core powers:  Golem creation and Golem Empowerment.

Golem creation:

the golemist take 1d6 hours to build a golem.  The golem can be healed with mending spells.  It requites a bonus action to command, and acts on the golemist's turn.  The golemist can only have one golem at a time.

At level 3, the golemist has access to the flesh golem.  At level 5, the clay golem, at level 9 the stone golem and at level 15 the iron golem.  

If the golem is killed in combat, the golemist can restore it to life with 1 hour of work and a spell slot (1 flesh, 2 clay, 3 stone 4 iron).  Should the golem be obliterated, or its body not being recoverable, the 

Stats:  10 hp + 5 hp/artificer level.  The golem has a number of hit dice (d10) equal to your level.

Attack:  to hit: same as your spell attack roll.  Damage:  1d6+3 at level 3.  At level 5, gains a 2nd attack.  This is not amazing, but it can be enhanced in various ways

AC: 10 + int modifier

Saves:  advantage on all saves vs magic.  Save proficiency in con, strenght.  Immune to shape changing effects, mind control effects

The golems.  

Flesh golem

Advantages/special abilities

Empowered ability:  Putrid.  When empowered, anyone who hits the flesh golem and is within 5 feet of it takes 1d6 poison damage.  This increases to 2d6 at level 9 and 3d6 at level 15

Brains:  With an int of 8 and some limited capacity to speak, the flesh golem is by far the golem with the best capacity to follow complex orders (within reason) and accomplish out of combat tasks.

Lighting absorption:  the flesh golem is healed by lighting damage

Clay Golem

Empowered ability:  retaliation:  When empowered, the golem may spend a reaction to attack back someone who struck it in melee.  This attack has any damage bonus the empowerment has provided.

Speedy:  The clay golem has a speed of 40 feet

Acid absorption: the clay golem is healed by acid damage

Stone Golem

Empowered ability:  Slow burst:  The golem emits a 5 foot burst of slow-gas (saving throw = your spell saving throw DC)

Tough:  the Stone golem has a + 2 AC and 20 extra hp

Iron Golem

Empowered ability:  Firery bolt:  the Iron golem may replace its attack by one or 2 fire bolts doing 4d6 fire damage.  These bolts has any damage bonus the empowerment has provided.

Blades:  The iron golem's base damage is 1d12

Iron skin:  the iron golem has +2 AC

Fire absorption:  the iron golem is healed by fire damage

GOLEM EMPOWERMENTS:

The golemist, as a bonus action (wich can be part of the bonus action controling the golem) can cast one of the following spell on the golem, which momentarily embues it with arcane might

Level 1 slot:  Golem Smite

The golem gains +1d6 force damage/attack and gains 1d6 temp hp.  Upcasting increases the damage and temp hp by 1d6 per level

Level 2 slot: Golem bolster

The golem gains 10 temp hp. Furthermore, it is protected by a bladeward spell (no concentration needed) for 1 minute

Upcast: each level upcast adds 5 temp .  a level 3 slots increases the bladeward duration to 10 minute, a 5th level slot to 1 hour.

Level 3:  Golem enlargement

The golem is enlarged, gaining a reach of 10 feet, advantage on all athletic checks and strength save.  It damage increases by 1d4 per attack.  Duration is 1 hour

Upcast:  level 5 slot will make the golem huge, with 15 feet range and an extra 1d10 damage per attack

Level 4:  golem surge

Haste like effect

Level 5: golem supremacy

???

As mentioned above, there are balance problems that have to be fixed.  The main one is "how powerful should the golem be?" - clearly stronger than the current class pets - but should they be stronger than summoned pets (like summon construct is *very good*).  Equally as important is how powerful shoujld the emporement spells should be?  There is an efficiency to smite + cantrip vs just casting a spell, but at the same time the the empowered actions can't be significantly weaker than buffing the golem with a spell the "old fashion way". 

But I think the fundamental principle is sound - that a "pet class" instead of having the pet be the use of its bonus action, and thus limited in potency, should be designed with pet being the main source of offensive power.  If the golemist casts an empowerment spell on the golem, it only takes their bonus action, but because of the 1 slot/round rule, they now must take a normal attack or cast a cantrip, which isn't a particularly potent action.  

I think this method could also be used for other "pet classes" where the main "star" of the show is the pet - a dragon master, a "summoner", an elementalist etc etc. 

What do you think?