Artificer UA to be released in February

I don't think there is a bunker strong enough to endure the fanbase exploding over this.

 

[Leatherhead]

Ok.... I don't understand what this new alchemist is supposed to be doing in combat.

The old alchemist could thrown potion bombs all day long, and had other alchemical combat utility things (healing, smoke etc). Plus at level 6 he had the construct (wich I didn't like, but hey, it could fight).

Now... I don't know? What is this guy supposed to do in a fight? He could attack twice in a round at level 5, but that's probably going to be pretty underwhelming as there is nothing else to make them a good combatant (no fighting styles, rage, sneak attack...) He could use his magic, being a half caster, but that's still pretty weak compared to a full caster. The other two half casters (ranger, paladin) are powerful combatants in their own right. The Homunculus could attack, but unless I'm missing something it's not very powerful...

What am I missing here?

They aren't a DPR murder machine, but it's not like they can't apply themselves in combat functionally.

They have two half hearted basic combat patterns.

The "free" one you get just for leveling up:
Cantrip attack (+ Int Bonus to damage), then use your bonus action for a pet attack (which does scale with level). Which is surprisingly viable when compared to the at-will offerings of full casters.

Or the MAD (at least until level 12) and resource intensive weapon route:
Pick up the Enhanced Weapon Infusion, and the Arcane Weapon spell. Then attack twice for W+ dex/str mod + 1 (or 2) for infusion + 1d6 for the spell. And use a bonus action for the pet on top of that. At level 12 you can pick up an item to bolster the stat you have been slacking on (which should be STR, because STR is the only stat you will be able to boost to 21+ thanks to your items)

The real pain with that route is that it takes so long to come online, and the Artificer's weapon selection is incredibly lacking (crossbows just do not work into their action economy!)

Really though, they need more cantrips. The Blade cantrips would be perfect for them, and some kind of bow/Crossbow ranged variant would be keen as well. Then they can scrap the pseudo-extra-attack feature in favor of something like Divine Smite.

 

[Seramus]

I suppose the new alchemist is more like an Alchemical Knight.

+2 Weapon, +2 Shield, +2 Armor, Ready Action (Attack after Homunculus Helps).
Elven Artificer could be quite the crit fisher with elven accuracy.

 

[Parmandur]

It still don't see how it's not a significant nerf from the first version of the alchemist, which wasn't a huge dps dealer to begin with....

It might be a nerf, if the original was OP. This seems very competitive to me (+ Ability mod to Cantrip damage is one of the main reasons people are gaga for Eldritch Blast), and accomplishes the potion flinging flavor with systematic elegance.

 

[Bacon Bits]

It might be a nerf, if the original was OP. This seems very competitive to me (+ Ability mod to Cantrip damage is one of the main reasons people are gaga for Eldritch Blast), and accomplishes the potion flinging flavor with systematic elegance.

Ability mod to cantrip damage only makes people go gaga for Eldritch Blast because of the ruling that you get the damage bonus for every bolt of Eldritch Blast, so it goes from 1d10+mod to 2d10+2*mod, etc. If you rule that only one bolt gets the bonus, it's far less appealing.

 

[Parmandur]

Ability mod to cantrip damage only makes people go gaga for Eldritch Blast because of the ruling that you get the damage bonus for every bolt of Eldritch Blast, so it goes from 1d10+mod to 2d10+2*mod, etc. If you rule that only one bolt gets the bonus, it's far less appealing.

Why on Earth wouldn't the damage apply to each bolt, that's how attribute boni work in 5E...?

The Alchemist bonus applies to Acid Splash, so it would also affect multiple targets.

 

[Staffan]

Ability mod to cantrip damage only makes people go gaga for Eldritch Blast because of the ruling that you get the damage bonus for every bolt of Eldritch Blast, so it goes from 1d10+mod to 2d10+2*mod, etc. If you rule that only one bolt gets the bonus, it's far less appealing.

And that still only brings it up to be about equal to a martial character's at-will damage, but without fighting styles or similar abilities to push it a little bit more.

Warlocks fill a gap between martial types and more pure casters. Martials have great sustained damage, but generally can't push it when needed. Casters, on the other hand, have fairly weak sustained damage (via cantrips) but can do some pretty awesome things with their limited-use spells. Warlocks are in-between: they have sustained damage that comes near the martials', and can cast a more limited amount of spells.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

It still don't see how it's not a significant nerf from the first version of the alchemist, which wasn't a huge dps dealer to begin with....

I don't think that the artificer class is meant to be a huge dps dealer. With its range of buff spells and pet actions, plus respectable, but not primary-tier damage, I think that you should be looking more at overall contribution to the party as you would a Bard or Cleric - just with less nova and more sustainability.

 

[Ancalagon]

I suppose the new alchemist is more like an Alchemical Knight.

+2 Weapon, +2 Shield, +2 Armor, Ready Action (Attack after Homunculus Helps).
Elven Artificer could be quite the crit fisher with elven accuracy.

I'm not sure that's viable because of the MAD - now you need a good stat for your spells (int) *and* a good attacking stat (str or dex) And don't forget you are limited to simple weapons.

 

[Parmandur]

I'm not sure that's viable because of the MAD - now you need a good stat for your spells (int) *and* a good attacking stat (str or dex) And don't forget you are limited to simple weapons.

That's not very MAD, that's just two stats (Dex needn't be high with Medium Armor). A +2 magical great club is not shabby, and a Dwarf, High Elf or Githyanki Alchemist has even better options with Martial weapon proficiencies.

 

[Psyzhran2357]

That's not very MAD, that's just two stats (Dex needn't be high with Medium Armor). A +2 magical great club is not shabby, and a Dwarf, High Elf or Githyanki Alchemist has even better options with Martial weapon proficiencies.

I tried making a High Elf Artillerist gish build focused around using the Force Ballista for shortsword Booming Blade cheese and then using a longbow when the turret is down or when I want to double down on ranged spam. Stat spreads I made were:
- 11 14 14 16 10 10
- 8 16 14 16 10 10
- 10 16 14 16 10 8

Is 14 Dex really enough? It maxes out the medium armor bonus, but for a build that relies on my weapons I'm a little worried. But if I pump Dex to 16 I have to dump something and i don't want to dump Wis so its either Str or Cha. But if I dump Str I can't use longswords or most simple weapons effectively until Level 12 when I can craft the Ogre Gauntlets...