Battle Smith

Battle Smith is an Archetype of the Artificer Class available to players during Character Creation. It is the second rarest type of Artificer in The Old World and is almost unheard-of outside of Latia Major. Battle Smiths are skilled warriors who use magic to empower their comrades and animate mechanical constructs to fight at their side (see https://www.dndwiki.io/subclasses/battle-smith).

Battle Smiths are equally proficient at magic, science, and hand-to-hand Combat, and are well-equipped to join Fighters and Paladins on the front lines of battle. Their signature creation, the "steel defender," is a formidable combatant as well and is fully capable of fighting without any assistance from its creator. Unlike Artillerists, however, Battle Smiths typically fill a defensive role, using their magic to keep allies in the fight while holding the line alongside their constructs.

Most Battle Smiths are trained by the Church of Pholtus at the seminaries of Vodacce. The Church developed the tradition of Battle Smithing during the Age of Reckoning, adapting the techniques of Eisen's Armorers to better support the faithful during that era's many religious wars. Pholtist Battle Smiths are unusual among Artificers in that they are often commoners, recruited as children and educated by the Church in return for their service. Their steel defenders are crafted to resemble avenging angels and cut a truly terrifying figure on the battlefield.

Battle Smith Artificers are subject to the following variant rule:
A Battle Smith may use Intelligence as their associated ability for Smithing checks.