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.

 

[bedir than]

An issue I find with artillerists is the 1 hr shelf life on a cannon. That means every short rest it's gone. Every hour outside of that first hour it's gone. Every time it takes enough damage (mending is only good outside of combat) and it's gone. Trying to maintain a cannon in an adventuring day is hard on spell slots in a way arcane armor or a steel defender are not, and even elixirs last all day until they're used -- alchemists don't have elixirs disappear after an hour.

Having the cannon as a lite-pet was part of what I love about my Tasha's Artillerist. Under this new rule I'd switch to having a wand-cannon rather than a mechanical lobster that serves spells via claw, tail and shell.

 

[Mistwell]

This...does not feel good enough. The core class is not strong enough, and the subclasses are not well balanced against each other. Needs work.

 

[TwoSix]

Hell, Artificers are more than capable of going into melee, no reason this character couldn't have done greataxes or greatswords if they wanted to.

That's what my artificer does. The DM has "flanking as advantage" as a house rule (terrible rule, but very common in my experience, especially with people who played a lot of 3e). So I took advantage with an Elven Accuracy GWM Battle Smith.

Pet for flanking, and now mostly used to reposition me, allies, or enemies with Spell Stored Vortex Warp. Add in haste, and that's 72 average DPR with 80-90% accuracy for most enemies.

The tank paladin and the fighter/rogue can out-nova me with crits, but I'm definitely the overall damage champion. (The other PCs are a creation bard and twilight cleric mostly doing support.) Not to mention I'm boosting AC for the rogue and giving the paladin a magic weapon that can blind people, and making it so the cleric pretty much never fails concentration checks.

I can understand the idea of the class being weak in terms of "not being best at any one job" (much like ranger), but I think there's a general underestimation of the utility in being able to do a little bit of everything.

 

[dave2008]

This...does not feel good enough. The core class is not strong enough, and the subclasses are not well balanced against each other. Needs work.

Then please give feedback when the survey comes out!

 

[Kurotowa]

Doing my Day 2 closer read and test character mock up, I noticed that not only does the Homunculus Servant not use up an Infusion/Replicated Item slot anymore, it also doesn't cost a Bonus Action to command. Which means that while it's a bit fragile and expensive, it can be used by any Artificer subclass to add a little extra damage and utility.

 

[Zaukrie]

Seems like acid should be one of the things in the list under magical tinkering......

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Honestly losing the ability to ignore magic item restrictions is a huge nope for me.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Hmmm...if I'm a level 5 cleric doing my best to use bonus actions for healing, I'm casting mass healing word and then healing word. So basically 4x (2d4 + Wis) (assuming we cure two people with mass healing word)

I object thrice over.

First why are you wasting a Mass Healing Word on just two people? Second the alchemist has a subclass but the cleric doesn't. If we want hardcore bonus action healing we clearly want a Life Cleric. Third healing word has a 60' range; giving someone a potion doesn't so you need to get there.

Life cleric, a big healing word not a piddly one, and one third level slots on a (non-cheesed) spirit guardians and things look very different.

 

[Neonchameleon]

artificer could have been a good test field for 2/3rd casters for 5E24
7 levels of spells
spell levels at class levels: 1,4,7,10,13,16,19

exactly what bards should have been.

Half casters are annoying enough! I'd sooner Pact magic for artificers.

 

[Remathilis]

I think it's important to remember that in comparison tests, artificer was considered an Expert class originally, in the family with Rogue, Bard, and Ranger. It's probably more fair to compare their DPS or magic to those classes rather than cleric or barbarian.