Arcforge Chief
Small or Medium • Humanoid (Artificer) • Any Alignment
Armor Class 17
Hit Points 229 (27d8 + 108)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +7 (17)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 (+4) | 14 (+2) | 18 (+4) | 20 (+5) | 15 (+2) | 12 (+1) |
Saving Throws Con +8, Int +10, Wis +7
Skills Arcana +10, Investigation +15, Perception +7, Sleight of Hands +7
Damage Resistances lightning
Gear half plate, tinkerer’s tools
Senses passive Perception 17
Languages Common plus two other languages
CR 13 (XP 10,000; PB +5)
Magnetic Aura. Attacks with metallic objects, such as swords or arrows, have disadvantage against the arcforge chief.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The arcforge chief makes two Clockwork Arm attacks and uses its Arc Cannon once. It can replace its Arc Cannon for a use of Spellcasting.
Clockwork Arm. Melee Weapon Attack: +9, reach 10 ft. Hit: 20 (3d10 + 4) bludgeoning damage.
Arc Cannon. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 18 (with disadvantage if target wears metallic armor or is made out of metal), each creature in a 100-foot-long and 5-foot-wide line. Failure: 22 (5d8) lightning damage. Success: Half damage.
Spellcasting. The arcforge chief casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 18):
At will: guidance, mage hand, resistance
1/day: arcane hand, arcane eye, dispel magic, haste, resilient sphere, slow, telekinesis
BONUS ACTIONS
Summon Construct (4/Day). The arcforge chief magically creates a single Small or Medium-sized animated object, as if by the animate objects spell. The summoned creature appears in an unoccupied space within 10 feet of the arcforge chief and follows the arcforge chief’s verbal commands (no action required). It remains for 10 minutes, until it or its summoner dies, or until its summoner dismisses it as a bonus action.
REACTIONS
Construct Defense. Trigger: The arcforge chief takes damage from an attack or spell while one of its creatures from its Summon Construct action is within 10 feet of it. Response: All damage is transferred to that creature.
Arcforge Chief
Small or Medium • Humanoid (Artificer) • Any Alignment
Armor Class 16
Hit Points 172 (23d8 + 69)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +5 (15)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 (+3) | 12 (+1) | 16 (+3) | 18 (+4) | 13 (+1) | 10 (+0) |
Saving Throws Con +6, Int +8, Wis +5
Skills Arcana +8, Investigation +12, Perception +5, Sleight of Hands +5
Damage Resistances lightning
Gear half plate, tinkerer’s tools
Senses passive Perception 15
Languages Common plus two other languages
CR 10 (XP 5,900; PB +4)
Magnetic Aura. Attacks with metallic objects, such as swords or arrows, have disadvantage against the arcforge chief.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The arcforge chief makes two Clockwork Arm attacks and uses its Arc Cannon once. It can replace its Arc Cannon for a use of Spellcasting.
Clockwork Arm. Melee Weapon Attack: +7, reach 10 ft. Hit: 14 (2d10 + 3) bludgeoning damage.
Arc Cannon. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 16 (with disadvantage if target wears metallic armor or is made out of metal), each creature in a 80-foot-long and 5-foot-wide line. Failure: 18 (4d8) lightning damage. Success: Half damage.
Spellcasting. The arcforge chief casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 16):
At will: guidance, mage hand, resistance
1/day: arcane hand, arcane eye, dispel magic, haste, resilient sphere, slow, telekinesis
BONUS ACTIONS
Summon Construct (3/Day). The arcforge chief magically creates a single Small or Medium-sized animated object, as if by the animate objects spell. The summoned creature appears in an unoccupied space within 10 feet of the arcforge chief and follows the arcforge chief’s verbal commands (no action required). It remains for 10 minutes, until it or its summoner dies, or until its summoner dismisses it as a bonus action.
REACTIONS
Construct Defense. Trigger: The arcforge chief takes damage from an attack or spell while one of its creatures from its Summon Construct action is within 10 feet of it. Response: All damage is transferred to that creature.
Arcforge Chief
Small or Medium • Humanoid (Artificer) • Any Alignment
Armor Class 18
Hit Points 262 (25d10 + 125)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative +8 (18)
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 (+5) | 16 (+3) | 20 (+5) | 22 (+6) | 17 (+3) | 14 (+2) |
Saving Throws Con +9, Int +11, Wis +8
Skills Arcana +11, Investigation +16, Perception +8, Sleight of Hands +8
Damage Immunities lightning
Gear half plate, tinkerer’s tools
Senses passive Perception 18
Languages Common plus two other languages
CR 16 (XP 15,000; PB +5)
Magnetic Aura. Attacks with metallic objects, such as swords or arrows, have disadvantage against the arcforge chief.
ACTIONS
Multiattack. The arcforge chief makes two Clockwork Arm attacks and uses its Arc Cannon once. It can replace its Arc Cannon for a use of Spellcasting.
Clockwork Arm. Melee Weapon Attack: +10, reach 10 ft. Hit: 27 (4d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage.
Arc Cannon. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 19 (with disadvantage if target wears metallic armor or is made out of metal), each creature in a 120-foot-long and 5-foot-wide line. Failure: 28 (6d8) lightning damage. Success: Half damage.
Spellcasting. The arcforge chief casts one of the following spells, using Intelligence as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 19):
At will: guidance, mage hand, resistance
2/day: arcane hand, arcane eye, dispel magic, haste, resilient sphere, slow, telekinesis
BONUS ACTIONS
Summon Construct (5/Day). The arcforge chief magically creates a single Small or Medium-sized animated object, as if by the animate objects spell. The summoned creature appears in an unoccupied space within 10 feet of the arcforge chief and follows the arcforge chief’s verbal commands (no action required). It remains for 10 minutes, until it or its summoner dies, or until its summoner dismisses it as a bonus action.
REACTIONS
Construct Defense. Trigger: The arcforge chief takes damage from an attack or spell while one of its creatures from its Summon Construct action is within 10 feet of it. Response: All damage is transferred to that creature.
QUICK REFERENCE
USING MONSTER VARIANTS
Monster variants allow the GM to adjust encounters to better match the party’s strength, narrative needs, or world-building logic. A weaker variant may represent a juvenile, wounded, or lesser specimen, while a stronger variant can serve as a leader, champion, ancient creature, or apex predator.
Variants can be used to fine-tune difficulty without changing the core identity of the monster, making them ideal for scaling encounters, reinforcing hierarchy within a faction, or creating memorable boss-style enemies. You can even use the same stat block but different variants in the same encounter if you want.
Design Note. Each monster is primarily balanced around its normal version. Weaker and stronger variants are derived adjustments and may not always preserve every tactical nuance or “feel” of the original creature. GMs are encouraged to review variants carefully and adjust abilities or tactics as needed to best suit their table.