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.

 

[Chaosmancer]

You don't want to allow for 50 ball bearing.

Why not? Legitimately. Ball Bearings are cheap, light, easy to store. And artificer could easily get a bag of holding and buy 100 sets of them. That isn't really going to break anything. And if they use their action to make them, then their action to deploy them it isn't exactly efficient.

Still seems better than before.

Not sure that's really a limit.

Better than before isn't good. And it isn't a limit in terms of daily usage, because I don't see why it should be. How long is it good for an adventurer to have a shovel? For as long as they want to have a shovel.

Perhaps an item limit then? Same as the current effect limit.

I.e.
The maximum number of objects you can affect create with this feature at one time is equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one object). If you try to exceed your maximum, the oldest property item immediately ends, and then the new property applies item appears.
These items are obviously not normal and cannnot be sold.

I'd be good with that. I don't think the "Cannot be sold" is something I would follow, but I get you are worried about money exploits.

Agreed, mostly.
If you allow any extra common items, they will be combat items, even if it's a silvered weapon. Or just keep making pots of awakening.

But picking from a curated list of novelty items would just be fun.

Silvered weapons may be 90% useless. Pots of Awakening could be intense, but the VAST majority of common items are dumb and thematic. An arrow that cannot break, a cape the moves in unseen breezes, a helm that looks scary. I just don't see a reason to limit items like that.

 

[mellored]

Why not? Legitimately. Ball Bearings are cheap, light, easy to store. And artificer could easily get a bag of holding and buy 100 sets of them. That isn't really going to break anything.

Put them in a basket, along with ball bearing and oil, tied up with string, repeat with more baskets covering the whole area. Tie it to a Magic Mouth to set the thing off, who speaks slowly dropping a new layer of baskets every 6 seconds.

Fill a bag of holding with stuff, have the rogue sneak in and put it on someone, finish a long rest and make a new bag, filling the room with 64 cubic feet of oil.

And that's just off the top of my head.
Infinite anything is broken.

I'd be good with that.

Yea. Int items at a time sounds good to me.

Silvered weapons may be 90% useless. Pots of Awakening could be intense, but the VAST majority of common items are dumb and thematic. An arrow that cannot break, a cape the moves in unseen breezes, a helm that looks scary. I just don't see a reason to limit items like that.

I agree the majority are thematic and fun.
But I would still be careful about it.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Clearly, it makes no sense for the lightning launcher, but the rules are the rules, no matter how dumb.

Could always make it so that you are throwing globs or bolts of lightning. That's kind of neat.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Put them in a basket, along with ball bearing and oil, tied up with string, repeat with more baskets covering the whole area. Tie it to a Magic Mouth to set the thing off, who speaks slowly dropping a new layer of baskets every 6 seconds.

I have no idea what you are trying to make here. Like, I literally cannot even picture what you are talking about. It sounds like you have a room, and above that room you filled it with oil soaked baskets with metal balls in them, and then a mouth opens and drops them from one room to the other. This does literally nothing. And even if you caught it on fire, oil soaked objects burn, they do not explode.

Fill a bag of holding with stuff, have the rogue sneak in and put it on someone, finish a long rest and make a new bag, filling the room with 64 cubic feet of oil.

Okay? Firstly, making multiple bags of holding is very different than what we are talking about. And if the rogue is constantly sneaking up on an enemy, and secretly tying a bag to them, there are a lot of points of failure. And lets say you succeed and fill the entire room with oil after nearly 10,000 actions... what then? Burning oil, per RAW, doesn't stack. So you break the bag, cover everything in oil, set it alight... and deal and extra 5 damage to everything. Maybe you also seal the room so they are trapped... and take 10 damage as the oil only burns for two rounds.

Sure, realistically it should do more, but if someone is attempting to exploit the rules like this, then I'm perfectly happy to have let them spent hours setting up this elaborate death trap to deal 10 damage.

And that's just off the top of my head.
Infinite anything is broken.

shrug It can be. But the harder you have to try to find some way to break it, the less I care, because the more obvious it becomes that you are trying to break it instead of using it as intended.

Yea. Int items at a time sounds good to me.

I agree the majority are thematic and fun.
But I would still be careful about it.

Fair. I think I'm just frustrated that the one thing this class is supposed to be embodying, the idea of making magical items, is getting so constrained that the only items they are never going to make something off the wall. It will be a wand or weapon +1, bag of holding, sending stones, shield or armor +1, maybe they want to be a caster so they make a wand of [Insert spell] but that is already 5 items and gets them to level 14. So... that's game. That is what we will likely see EVERY time. Because those are the obvious improvements that you obviously need.

And it is just so frustratingly boring that that will be the entirety of a class whose concept is inspired by things like this

 

[Neonchameleon]

Fair. I think I'm just frustrated that the one thing this class is supposed to be embodying, the idea of making magical items, is getting so constrained that the only items they are never going to make something off the wall. It will be a wand or weapon +1, bag of holding, sending stones, shield or armor +1, maybe they want to be a caster so they make a wand of [Insert spell] but that is already 5 items and gets them to level 14. So... that's game. That is what we will likely see EVERY time. Because those are the obvious improvements that you obviously need.

If only. The current version is going to be making Enspelled Weapons and Enspelled Armour. Oh, and wands. Can't forget the wands.

I want a mad scientist subclass - wonderous item creator and leans hard into the new Quirk rules. And instead of plans have a "Doesn't repeat" rule.

 

[mellored]

Okay? Firstly, making multiple bags of holding is very different than what we are talking about.

Just 1 bag, filling it, and then making it again to dump the stuff.

But those where just 2 quick ideas.
What else can you make with infinite items?
Like making infinite trebuchets.
Or a castle made of crowbars.

shrug It can be. But the harder you have to try to find some way to break it, the less I care, because the more obvious it becomes that you are trying to break it instead of using it as intended.

What is the "intended use" of having infinite items, if not to cause infinite problems?

If it's just the occasional shovel, then you just need to use it occasionally.

So... that's game. That is what we will likely see EVERY time. Because those are the obvious improvements that you obviously need.

I agree. Just be careful about what you give out.
Probably tie it into the basic item pool.

I.e.
Level 1: make Int items from the list.
Level 3: can also make artisans or common magic item from this list.

Sidebar: DM may allow you to invent your own item, but it should not have any combat application.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Just 1 bag, filling it, and then making it again to dump the stuff.

But those where just 2 quick ideas.

Okay still not getting what the goal of this is. What do you DO with this?

What else can you make with infinite items?
Like making infinite trebuchets.

Trebuchet should cost more than 50 gold, so it would be outside of what I said.

Or a castle made of crowbars.

... IS this supposed to make me think this is a bad thing, or to convince me that this is freakin' awesome and should be totally something I have show up in a game?

What is the "intended use" of having infinite items, if not to cause infinite problems?

If it's just the occasional shovel, then you just need to use it occasionally.

To always have the right tool for the job. To make a rope to help a farmer tie their fence back up, then pull out a shovel to help them dig their wagon out of the mud. After that pull out two or three baskets to help them gather the eggs, and then make a fire starter to help make a bonfire and some sacks to help them carry some things to town.

To always the option of pulling out a mundane, simple item, that is useful in that moment. It isn't to make infinite shovels to fill a pit with, but maybe it is to make thirty shovels to equip a platoon who needs to shovel people out of a mudslide.

And you can't DO these sort of things, when you are limited to 3 to 5 items per day.

I agree. Just be careful about what you give out.
Probably tie it into the basic item pool.

I.e.
Level 1: make Int items from the list.
Level 3: can also make artisans or common magic item from this list.

Sidebar: DM may allow you to invent your own item, but it should not have any combat application.

I think that moves closer to the idea I have for what I WANT out of this class.

 

[mellored]

Trebuchet should cost more than 50 gold, so it would be outside of what I said

Trebuchet can be made from poles, block and tackle, and some rope.
Something an high Int artificer with woodcarving tools would have no issue creating.

... IS this supposed to make me think this is a bad thing, or to convince me that this is freakin' awesome and should be totally something I have show up in a game?

Feel free to use it.

To always the option of pulling out a mundane, simple item, that is useful in that moment.

That's very different from infinite permanent items. Walking down the hall dropping ball bearing every 12 seconds.


What about if you can make it permant by spending gold?

5 temporary shovels + 25 permanent ones at 2gp a price = 50 gold.
And you don't need to worry about them selling it.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Trebuchet can be made from poles, block and tackle, and some rope.
Something an high Int artificer with woodcarving tools would have no issue creating.

Okay. So let's take this seriously. You make infinite Trebuchets... and then what? You cannot fire infinite trebuchets without infinite people. You cannot move them. I'm just struggling to see the real issue. And, practically, if you are letting them use woodcarving tools and rope, then as long as they are near or in a forest, they have the capabilities to make an arbitrary number of trebuchet's anyways.

That's very different from infinite permanent items. Walking down the hall dropping ball bearing every 12 seconds.

But I'm removing the limitations to reach that point. There is no rules way to effectively have 100 uses of something at level 1. My goal isn't infinite, my goal is not having a limit that is going to rear up and interrupt some fun role-playing. Because I'm not seeing any real power in this.

Even your example of just dropping ball bearings behind you down any hall you walk, that will cause more harm than good. It isn't something that seems like it would be practical, let alone powerful, unless you orchestrated a very specific scenario for the purpose of making it work.

What about if you can make it permant by spending gold?

5 temporary shovels + 25 permanent ones at 2gp a price = 50 gold.
And you don't need to worry about them selling it.

That isn't something that bothers me, so sure if it would make you feel better about it. Again, as I mentioned, getting money is just not an issue I'm concerned about. Artificers already have two effectively infinite things to do to make arbitrary amounts of cash, a third isn't really going to change anything.

 

[Merlecory]

I feel like magical tinkering has lost some flavor here. Instead of working on some existing object to change it, the artificer simply conjures an object. It's just not the same.