Paul Farquhar
Legend
Played and elven toymaker, with a reputation for making dangerous toys. The trick to playing an artificer is refluffing spells and abilities to fit the character's theme.
D&D 5E Tell me about your Artificer
Stoutstien
lunk
Artificer is very involved regarding the rest of the party and progression . They have the highest number of individual decisions per day with spell prep, subclass feature timing, infusions, SSI, and crafting progress (if applicable). so mechanically they can feel extremely flat in one shots/ shorter games because you don't see all those moments where they get to plan ahead.
they shine most for those who hate doing the same thing lv 1-20 because you flip the script everyday however you don't have as much depth I exchange. If you are one who worry about falling behind because you deal a tad less damage or heal less often they won't appeal to you.
they shine most for those who hate doing the same thing lv 1-20 because you flip the script everyday however you don't have as much depth I exchange. If you are one who worry about falling behind because you deal a tad less damage or heal less often they won't appeal to you.
UngeheuerLich
Legend
Not my character, but thr gnome artificer/battlesmith in the Zeitgeist campaign uses his companion as a mecha suit. Which is kinda cool.
Starfox
Hero
In my Candlekeep Mysteries campaign, the PCs are members of Candlekeep, and the most scientifically minded one of them is a Battlesmith Artificer. A jack of all trades and master of none, the artificer is mainly a second line fighter with some pets. We're not playing up the gizmo aspect of the spells, this is more a theoretician than a mechanic. We now have three warriors, a fighter, a bladesinger/fighter, and this battlesmith. The fighter is all about tanking and the bladesinger is the damage-dealer. The artificer is somewhere in the middle.
My only Artificer PC died at level 3, so not a great experience.
I play with a player who always plays Artificers exclusively - Battle Smith, Armorer or the cannon one. He loves them. Usually he is getting a very high AC.
With an artificer you need to be able to either be a front line tank or a striker, because they don't have the volume of spells or spell selections to be a good controller or healer.
doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
I will say that the artificer has weird rough spots.
Like, it’s very conservative and restrained in places that it doesn’t need to be?
Idk. I’d probably put spell storing item at low level with a spell level limit (so a level 16 wizard can dip and get weird with it), and only a couple charges, and scale up from there.
And tbh it’s the perfect class to make wands of (spell you won’t otherwise get until high level even though it isnt that powerful) and “break” the Spellcasting paradigm a little.
And just like…more unique infusions. Armor of Tools was rad. Gauntlets that you can cast spells through with some kind of minor buff would be rad. So much potential.
Kinetic Ring- When you get hit, or you get a critical hit with a weapon, your ring captures part of the power of that impact and stores it as potential energy. At your command it can let that stored power out to empower a weapon or spell attack’s damage.
Like, it’s very conservative and restrained in places that it doesn’t need to be?
Idk. I’d probably put spell storing item at low level with a spell level limit (so a level 16 wizard can dip and get weird with it), and only a couple charges, and scale up from there.
And tbh it’s the perfect class to make wands of (spell you won’t otherwise get until high level even though it isnt that powerful) and “break” the Spellcasting paradigm a little.
And just like…more unique infusions. Armor of Tools was rad. Gauntlets that you can cast spells through with some kind of minor buff would be rad. So much potential.
Kinetic Ring- When you get hit, or you get a critical hit with a weapon, your ring captures part of the power of that impact and stores it as potential energy. At your command it can let that stored power out to empower a weapon or spell attack’s damage.
Ancalagon
Dusty Dragon
I'm having a lot of fun playing Mr Butters, who is an apothecary, the "fix" to the artificer the Dungeon Dudes did for drakkenheim.
Basically, it's a bit like an artificer (with "theories" instead of infusions) but spellcasting more like a warlock - high level slots but few of them, but they regenerate on a short rest.
Mr butters is a mutagenist, an apothecary subclass, who can use a spell slot to undergo a monstrous transformation, where he becomes large, his int and str switch, gains temp hp, speed, AC and damage based on the level of the slot used. He was an alchemist for a sort time but switched over (that was the plan all along, but the campaign started a bit before the playtest). It is very fun to play a cerebral character out of combat and a rampaging hulk during combat.
Basically, it's a bit like an artificer (with "theories" instead of infusions) but spellcasting more like a warlock - high level slots but few of them, but they regenerate on a short rest.
Mr butters is a mutagenist, an apothecary subclass, who can use a spell slot to undergo a monstrous transformation, where he becomes large, his int and str switch, gains temp hp, speed, AC and damage based on the level of the slot used. He was an alchemist for a sort time but switched over (that was the plan all along, but the campaign started a bit before the playtest). It is very fun to play a cerebral character out of combat and a rampaging hulk during combat.
Zardnaar
Legend
This. They take a bit to long to switch on. Except Battlesmith. My wives one was starting to "switch" on around level 9 everything was coming together.
doctorbadwolf
Heretic of The Seventh Circle
Yeah for me the easy solution is low level infusions that pack more punch, and bring some stuff down a few levels.
Maybe 1 more infusion active? Could go either way.
OTOH, I disagree that it doesn’t “switch on” until later levels. A level 3 Artillerist is great, level 5 even better. Level infusions always leave me wanting something else, but what ya gonna do?
Stoutstien
lunk
I've found that adding one of the lowest lv replicate common magic item infusions as a free pick is about perfect if you want to give them a small bump. gives them a way to round out whatever theme they are going for without just making them a better X because magic.
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