Each new arcane subclass in Secrets of the Tome is exemplified by an accompanying NPC. We recently met Chilblain, the lich librarian who showcases the Undying Wizard subclass. This time, let's take a look at Professor Omega: Purveyor of Patent Medicines who is the iconic Huckster Artificer.
Secrets of the Tome is a hardcover book of player options, spells, archetypes, and more for all full spellcaster classes--plus a whole new character class: the pactweaver.
Professor Omega: Purveyor of Patent Medicines
“There’s a sucker born every minute, but you don’t have to be one of them. Not if you buy my Mind Power Serum, sure to turn you into a modern-day wonder of worldly wisdom, a shining star of cynicism, able to spot the tricks and traps of mendacious mountebanks! Only ten gold pieces per bottle and cheap at half the price!”
A seller of strange devices and patent medicines, Professor Omega has produced an astonishing number of gadgets, inventions, and discoveries. His method? Quick iteration. He truly lives his motto, “Move fast and break things.” After he breaks things, he has to move fast to stay ahead of an angry mob.
Once upon a time, Professor Omega’s tonics and charms were famous worldwide. However, after the rather explosive demonstration of one of his cure-alls, he took to the Wasteland “until all this blows over.” He didn’t realize it’s easier to enter the Wasteland than it is to leave!
Finding Professor Omega: Professor Omega keeps on the move, trying never to visit the same town twice (with the turnover in the Wasteland, this isn’t too difficult). Most of the time, he can be found in the Core, though he sometimes camps out in the Secret Forest when things get too hot for him.
Dealing with Professor Omega: Besides an escape from the Wasteland, what Professor Omega wants most is good publicity. He’ll trade one of his rare spells—or even his magnum opus, Professor Omega’s Book of Marvelous Inventions (Chapter 5)—to any adventurer who signs an endorsement deal with him, promising to credit their triumphs to Professor Omega’s Super Serum or a similar product.
Professor Omega
Medium humanoid (human) 1,100 XP | Challenge 4
AC 15 (+1 padded cloth)
HP 85 (10d8 + 40; bloodied 42)
Speed 30 ft.
Initiative Dex +3 (13), Insight +0 (10), Perception +0 (10)
STR 10 (+0) DEX 16 (+3) CON 18 (+4) INT 19 (+4) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 19 (+4)
Proficiency +2; Maneuver DC 13
Saving Throws Str +0, Dex +3, Con +6, Int +6, Wis +0, Cha +4
Skills Deception +6, Engineering +6 (+1d4), Medicine +2, Sleight of Hand +5
Senses passive Perception 10
Items +1 dagger, +1 padded cloth armor, cape of the mountebank
Languages Common
Infusion. Professor Omega’s +1 padded cloth armor and +1 dagger lose their magic if he doesn’t infuse magic into them each time he finishes a long rest.
Patent Medicine. Three times per short or long rest, Professor Omega can use a bonus action to prepare a patent medicine. A patent medicine retains its effectiveness for 1 hour. A creature can use an action to consume a patent medicine. Professor Omega can prepare the following patent medicines, and he usually has one of each prepared:
Astonishing Transformation: The creature is affected as if by the disguise self spell (if the creature isn’t a humanoid, the patent medicine has no effect and is wasted). Professor Omega chooses the appearance of the disguise when he creates the potion.
Heal All Ills, New and Improved Formula: The creature regains 5d6 + 5 hit points.
Miracle Cure: The creature is affected as if by a lesser restoration spell.
Spellcasting. Professor Omega is a 10th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 14, +6 to hit with spell attacks). After casting a spell of level 1 or higher, roll a d6. If the result is equal to or less than the level of the spell slot used to cast the spell, he can’t cast the spell again until he finishes a long rest.
He knows the following artificer spells:
Cantrips (at will): acid splash, mage hand, mending, minor illusion
3rd-level (3 slots): Professor Omega’s backfiring burning hands, Professor Omega’s friend-winning charm person, Professor Omega’s rocket-powered expeditious retreat
ACTIONS
+1 Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 feet, one target. Hit: 6 (1d4 + 4) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) poison damage.
Acid Splash (Cantrip; V, S). Up to two creatures within 5 feet of each other and within 60 feet of Professor Omega must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) acid damage.
Professor Omega’s Backfiring Burning Hands (1st-Level; V, S). Flame shoots from Professor Omega in a 25-foot cone. Each creature in the area makes a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw, taking 17 (5d6) fire damage on a failure or half damage on a success. Professor Omega takes 5 fire damage.
Artificer Archetype: Huckster
Many artificers are driven by a desire to advance the sum of knowledge or unlock the secrets of the universe. That and a copper piece will buy you a candle. You got into the artificer business for the money. Along the way, you sold a lot of patent medicines, get-rich-quick schemes, and marvelous inventions without caring very much whether they worked as advertised.
These days you’ve turned over a new leaf. Now that you’re an adventurer, of course your first priority is saving the world. After all, no world means no customers! But just because you’ve learned some new tricks doesn’t mean you’ve forgotten your old ones: you still know quite a few methods for separating a fool from their gold.
Extra Long-Lasting Formula
Starting at 3rd level, when you make an item with Tactical Chemistry, the item retains its properties for 1 hour before dissolving into sludge.
Huckster Spells
Also at 3rd level, when you prepare your artificer spells you can prepare certain spells and create spell inventions for them in addition to your normal number of prepared spells. These spells count as artificer spells for you, even if they aren’t on the artificer spell list.
Level 3: charm person, expeditious retreat
Level 5: calm emotions, enthrall
Level 9: haste, hypnotic pattern
Level 13: freedom of movement, greater invisibility
Level 17: mass cure wounds, seeming
Patent Medicine
At 3rd level, you learn to make a special potion, Patent Medicine, which you can create using your Tactical Chemistry class feature.
When you make a Patent Medicine, roll a d4 and consult the Patent Medicine table to determine the result. You know the Patent Medicine’s effects when you create it.
The die you roll on this table increases to a d6 at level 5, a d8 at level 10, and a d10 at level 20.
Patent Medicine Table
1) Moonshine: The creature makes a Wisdom saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier). On a failed save, the creature is poisoned for 10 minutes. While poisoned in this way, the creature becomes charmed by the first creature it hears speaks after it drinks the patent medicine. The medicine’s effects end early if the creature takes damage or a creature takes a hostile action against it.
2) Astonishing Transformation: The creature is affected as if by the disguise self spell (if the creature isn’t a humanoid, the patent medicine has no effect and is wasted). You choose the appearance when you create the potion.
3) Heal All Ills: The creature regains 2d6 + 2 hit points.
4) Miracle Cure: The creature is affected as if by the lesser restoration spell.
5) Super Serum: The creature gains 15 temporary hit points for 10 minutes. Until these temporary hit points are expended, the creature’s Strength increases to 18 if it is lower than 18.
6) Heal All Ills, New and Improved Formula: The creature regains 5d6 + 5 hit points.
7) Fire Eater: For 1 minute, the creature can use a bonus action on each of its turns to breathe fire in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier), taking 4d6 fire damage on a failed save or half as much damage on a successful one. The creature can breathe fire a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus.
8) Mind Power Serum: For 1 hour, the creature’s Intelligence increases to 18 if it is lower than 18, and the creature can speak and understand all languages.
9) Guaranteed 100% Accurate Divine Revelation: The creature is affected as if by the commune spell. Provided you are on the same plane of existence as the creature, you telepathically hear the creature’s questions but not the divine being’s answers. You can telepathically answer one of the questions yourself instead of letting the divine being answer it; your telepathic answer is indistinguishable from the answer of a divine being.
10) Cure-All: The creature regains 6d6 + 6 hit points and is affected as if by the greater restoration spell.
Sales Patter
Also at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in your choice of the Deception, Insight, or Persuasion skill. When you make an ability check using the chosen skill, you can use Intelligence as the ability.
World Famous Patent Medicine
Starting at 5th level, when you roll a die to make your Patent Medicine, you can choose any result less than your roll.
Exotic Ingredients
Starting at 9th level, you can spend 1 minute to harvest one exotic ingredient from the corpse of any creature with the beast, dragon, monstrosity, or plant type and a CR of 9 or higher. When you use your Tactical Chemistry feature, you can expend one exotic ingredient instead of expending a use of Tactical Chemistry. There’s no limit to the number of exotic ingredients you can harvest, but all your exotic ingredients spoil and become useless when you finish a long rest.
Mass Production
Also starting at 9th level, when you use an infusion to create a magic item with charges, a magic weapon, or magic armor, you can infuse a second, identical copy of the item. The second item doesn’t count toward your infusion limit. In order to infuse two items at once in this way, you need to cut a few corners. The following properties apply to both items.
If the item is a magic weapon, it loses its infusion if a creature rolls a natural 1 on an attack roll using the weapon.
If the item is magic armor, it loses its infusion when a creature attacks the wearer and rolls a natural 20 on the attack roll.
If the item has charges, each time its user activates an effect that expends at least 1 charge, roll your fizzle die. On a roll of 1, the item loses its infusion before the effect is resolved.
Experimental Chemist
Starting at 15th level, you can use a bonus action to mix any two different potions or patent medicines together in any combination. You end up with two mixtures that each have both effects. Mixing in a third potion or patent medicine, or feeding one of these mixtures to a creature that is already under the effect of a third potion or patent medicine, causes an explosion in a 20-foot radius. Each creature in the area makes a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw, taking 6d6 fire damage on a successful save or half damage on a failure. If the mixture occurs inside a creature, the creature automatically fails its saving throw, and no creatures or objects outside the creature are affected.
You can take an action to throw an explosive mixture at a point you can see within 30 feet of you. The mixture explodes upon impact.