Motorist

AKA Kinetisist, Kinetic Mechanic, Transporter, Mobilist, Velocity, Roamer, Accelerator, Pilot, Movnaut, Machinist

Kinetic Machine Statblock

If going with the mountable creature route

Discarded Features

• The vehicle can move under its own power and no longer requires external power sources, such as being pulled by creatures or pushed by oars or wind.

• The vehicle gains a walking or swimming speed of 40ft (your choice), which it can use on your turn if it does not have a turn of its own. Alternatively, if you are using vehicle rules from Ghosts of Saltmarch (or similar), the vehicle gains an additional movement option to move 40ft. This action can only be taken while you are within 100ft of the vehicle but is unaffected by damage or wind direction.

• (Alt to above) Once on each of your turns, while you are within 100ft of the vehicle, you can command it to move 40ft (no action required). Caveat about land/sea? This does imply it's in addition to existing movement

• If you pilot the vehicle, you gain a bonus to any ability checks or saving throws you make to operate or maintain control of the vehicle. This bonus is equal to your Intelligence modifier. Also include attack rolls?

These benefits last until you use this feature again, the vehicle is destroyed or you die.

Kinetic Machine (Alt)

Starting at 3rd level, you can create a magical contraption. Using smith's tools or tinkerer's tools, you can spend 1 minute to create a Tiny, Small or Medium kinetic machine in an unoccupied space on a horizontal surface within 5 feet of you. A Small or Medium kinetic machine occupies its space, and a Tiny one can be worn on a creature's feet or back, donning or doffing a Tiny machine requires an action or bonus action. When you create the machine, you determine its appearance, including the method by which it moves, such as wheels, legs or propellers.

Once you create a machine, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest or until you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher. You can have only one machine at a time, if you create a second one, the first is destroyed.

The machine is a magical object. Regardless of its size, the machine has an AC equal to 13 + your proficiency bonus and a number of hit points equal to five times your artificer level. It is immune to poison damage and psychic damage, and all conditions. If it is forced to make an ability check or a saving throw, treat its Strength score as equal to your Intelligence score and all other ability scores as 10 (+0). If the mending spell is cast on it, it regains 2d6 hit points. It disappears if it is reduced to 0 hit points or if you dismiss it (no action required).

If you cast mending on the machine, or spend 1 minute repairing it with smith's tools or tinker's tools, it regains a number of hit points equal to 2d10 + your Intelligence modifier.

Once on your turn, you can command the machine to walk, climb or swim up to 60ft in a direction of your choice (no action required), provided you are within 100ft of it. If a creature other than you is riding or wearing the machine, you can allow that creature to make a command on its turn instead of yours.

A Small or Medium machine can carry up 500lbs or drag up to 1000lbs, while a Tiny machine relies on the creature wearing it to carry or drag weight.

A Small or Medium machine can be mounted by any creature that is Large or smaller, provided they weigh less than 500lbs.

• Lower speed but allow bonus action to mover further? (e.g. move 40ft with no action, and bonus action for additional 40ft)

• HP seems a little low

• Explicit rule about cover?

The vehicle can now move under its own power and does not require the use of creatures, oars or wind to move it. You grant it one of the following options:

• If the vehicle does not normally have its own speed (such as a cart or wagon), you can grant it a walking or swimming speed of 40ft (your choice). When a creature pilots the vehicle, they can command the vehicle to use this speed once on their turn (no action required). The pilot may also use an action to double this speed for the current turn.

• If the vehicle already has a walking, swimming, climbing or flying speed (such as your Kinetic Machine), you can increase one of those speeds by 10ft.

• If the vehicle uses the rules found in Ghosts of Saltmarch (or similar), you can give it an additional movement option to move 40ft. This movement is unaffected by damage or wind direction.

Maybe just leave this for vehicles and have Kinetic Machine be a separate thing

maybe just say you can move the vehicle (and leave any existing speeds as they are)

Turbocharge

Starting at 5th level, you can use a bonus action to touch a vehicle you have enhanced with youe Enhance Vehicle feature and double its speed until the start of your next turn. (doesn't really work with GoS stuff and may be too strong stacked with already high speed)

Enhanced Vehicle

Starting at 3rd level, over the course of 10 minutes, you can touch your Kinetic Machine or any non-magical vehicle and imbue it with your artifice. The effects of this last until you use this feature again, the target is destroyed, or you die.

<Note Block> This feature normally only targets vehicles or your kinetic machine, however, the DM may also choose to allow certain mountable constructs, such as a Construct Spirit, to be targeted by this feature as well. The target must be friendly to you and willing to obey your commands. </Note Block> What about just allowing any mounts? (imagine a horse with a jetpack)

The target becomes magical, if it is not already, and is resistant to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from non-magical attacks and effects.

Once on each of your turns, you can command the target to move up to 30ft in a direction of your choice (no action required), provided you are within 100ft of it. This movement does not require the use of creatures, wind or oars to work, but it must be a form of movement appropriate for the target. For example, a typical wagon can move over land but cannot fly or swim, meanwhile a typical ship can move over the water but cannot fly or move over land, unless either of these vehicles can do so due to other sources.

Finally, when you imbue the target, you grant it one of the following additional benefits:

• All-Terrain. When you command the target to move, it can walk, climb or swim, even if it normally couldn't. In addition, if the target is a creature, it gains walking, climbing and swimming speeds equal to 30ft, if they are not already higher. (maybe a bit over the top, possibly OP?)

• Armored. The target provides half cover to any creatures onboard, or mounted on, it.

• Assault. If the target is capable of making attacks, these attacks become magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. (not great tbh)

• Hauler. The target can carry, push, drag, or lift twice as much weight.

• Speedster. You can command the target to move up to 60ft, rather than 30ft, on your turn. (Already has a lot of speed going on)