D&D Releases Playtest for Updated Artificer

Wizards of the Coast has dropped a new Unearthed Arcana Playtest for the Artificer, bringing the often neglected 13th Dungeons & Dragons 5E class into alignment with the 2024 rules update. The playtest was released via D&D Beyond today, with feedback launching on December 24th.

The Artificer gains several new abilities, many of which are designed with an eye to making the class more versatile. For instance, players can now craft low-cost items quickly with a revamped Magical Tinkering ability, while Infuse Item ha been changed to Replicate Magic Item and allows players to replicate magic items of certain rarities and item type. Players can also use the Magic Item Tinker ability to convert a Replicated magic item into a spell slot. The capstone Soul of Artifice ability has also received a buff, with the Artificer no needing a Reaction in order to utilize its ability to skip death saving throws and restoring more health as well.

The subclasses were also updated. For example, the Alchemist's Experimental Elixir producing more elixirs and Chemical Mastery getting a big boost with extra damage, resistance, and the ability to cast Tasha's Bubbling Cauldron. The Armorer has a new Dreadnought option and Armor Modifications was replaced with a new ability called Armor Replication. The Artillerist's Eldritch Cannon can switch between various options instead of being set to one option and the Explosive Cannon ability does more damage and only requires a Reaction to use. Finally, the Battle Smith has received minor adjustments to its Steel Defender construct.

Compared to many other class updates in the 2024 Player's Handbook, the Artificer's changes are much less drastic. There are some obvious updates that bring the class in line with the design updates to other classes, but it didn't receive a major rework like several other classes.

 

[Minigiant]

The thread about best and worst 1-10 classes you're participating in has a pretty wide gamut of opinions.

That's because People aren't using the same assumption of play.

If you go with a mixture of combat, exploration, and social interaction with combat being heaviest and at least 15 rounds of combat per long rest and magic items as treasure according to the DMG.

This UA artificer looks weak. Like the 2014 one

Unless you abuse magic items in conjunction with subclass features. Like the 2014 one.

 

[Distracted DM]

So what I'm hearing is that the class isn't great as a single-class, but it's fantastic for dipping multiclass.

It's everything I dislike about 5e multiclassing :')

 

[Minigiant]

So what I'm hearing is that the class isn't great as a single-class, but it's fantastic for dipping multiclass.

It's everything I dislike about 5e multiclassing :')

Nah

It's looks

Bad if you play straight.
Great if you powergame singleclass
Fantastic if you powergame multiclass
Banworthy of you optimize

 

[Chaltab]

I'm certainly not in a rush to have the Alchemist in my game update. If it were Arty or Armorer maybe.

 

[Hussar]

I guess I’m the only one who finds artificers overpowered. I’ve had two now in long running games and they were both top tier characters. Highest damage overall by far. Then versatility on top.

If this is making artificers even better I’ll be opting out thanks.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I guess I’m the only one who finds artificers overpowered. I’ve had two now in long running games and they were both top tier characters. Highest damage overall by far. Then versatility on top.

I mean, I believe that happened, but I would say to the rest of your party "What the hell guys?", because unless the rest of the party was like, and astounding selection of anti-optimized worst-case choices, and/or played in truly impressively suboptimal ways, it shouldn't happen. I mean, highest damage by far? There's no mechanism for them to do that! They don't get good damage adds, they don't get a lot of attacks, and they're half-casters! It basically has to be the rest of the party failing to do much. I mean, just out of interest, what does the party look like class/subclass-wise if you don't mind?

Mechanically, Artificers just aren't overpowered. They're not even powered!

What you're seeing is 100% going to be down to some combination of players, character builds, and possibly unusual house rules or specific adventure choices.

 

[DessieDoyle]

Can't you just recreate that item easily afterwards?

You can recreate the item after your next long rest. So, you lose a magic item for the rest of the day, one that you've specifically chosen to replicate as you find it useful, in order to get one spell slot back. The magic item itself is probably a lot more useful to you than the spell slot would be, except in very specific circumstances, and you need to have the right spell prepared for that circumstance too.

Tools in 2014 5e weren't all that useful, they were very specific with few use case examples and often overlooked or forgotten. Tools in 2024 5e got a decent overhaul and are much more fleshed out, much more useful. They make Tools better, and then remove the ability to get Expertise in those Tools from the one class that should be using the majority of Tools.

I'd much rather have Tool Expertise and keep the magic Items that I specifically chosen to replicate than get a single low level spell slot back in exchange for the magic item. Even if they changed it to "break a Rare item to get a 3rd Level Slot", it still wouldn't be worth the magic item and loss of Expertise, IMO.

 

[Gradine]

Every time I see a reference to 3.X and "class tiers" my eye twitches, and I'm pretty sure a devil gains its wings

 

[Vaalingrade]

...why would you do this to us

Needs to be done. They had their chance trying to make subclasses suffice and they completely blew it moving everything to level 3.

 

[Remathilis]

I guess I’m the only one who finds artificers overpowered. I’ve had two now in long running games and they were both top tier characters. Highest damage overall by far. Then versatility on top.

If this is making artificers even better I’ll be opting out thanks.

The artificer in my game is strong, but not overpowered. But he's flanked by a Bloodhunter and a Twilight Cleric, along with a necromancer and lore bard.