D&D 5E (2024) What's New with the Artificer in Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

[pukunui]

I like the idea of the Battle Smith, but I don’t like pets. I wish you could have the pet be optional.

 

[Zaukrie]

I like the idea of the Battle Smith, but I don’t like pets. I wish you could have the pet be optional.

Agreed

 

[pukunui]

Agreed

Don’t get me wrong! I love pets in real life. I have two cats I adore. I just don’t like pets in D&D, and I don’t like it when they’re baked into the class mechanics.

Something like the beast master ranger makes sense - it’s in the very name! (And I get why such classes exist - because some people do like pets in D&D, and this seems to be the best way to make them viable.)

Nothing about “Battle Smith” says “pet” to me. Then again, “Battle Smith” doesn’t really say “combat medic” either. But anyway, I want a Battle Smith artificer who doesn’t have a pet. Since that doesn’t exist, if I were to play an artificer, I’d go with artillerist. At least their cannons don’t have to be autonomous.

 

[WanderingMystic]

I like the idea of the Battle Smith, but I don’t like pets. I wish you could have the pet be optional.

Hopefully we will eventually get a weapon Smith style sub class.

The homunculus you can at least have attached to your ranged weapon or sitting on your shoulder and just remember that it takes air damage.

 

[pukunui]

Hopefully we will eventually get a weapon Smith style sub class.

The homunculus you can at least have attached to your ranged weapon or sitting on your shoulder and just remember that it takes air damage.

Yes. Exactly! I’m cool with the familiar-like homunculus, either as an infusion or a spell. It’s optional. You don’t have to have one.

A pet-less Battle Smith would fall into the same category as a spell-less ranger. It requires new mechanics to replace the pet.

 

[WanderingMystic]

Yup. They were a bad half caster, bad warrior and a bad expert. And bad at support. Still seems like the worst class.

Original one did get better around level 10ish.

They are standardly out damaging a ranger by level 5 and keep up with a paladin. The free 1d6+2 attack every round goes a long way to help them. The flash of genius helps compeat with the aura of a paladin. Don't forget that you can get a free wand of magic missiles every day which 2 rounds of level 3 magical missile that can be used by your homunculus. You can then replace it with something else and /or get a 2nd level spell slot back

I am by no way saying that they are top tier but I think they are better than rangers and on par with rogues. Lagging behind paladins by a little bit paladins are a little op

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Most other classes don't get tool proficiency at all.
Artificers get 2 at level 1, and 1 from their subclass. (Also thieves tools, but that doesn't help for magic items).

That does not negate the issue in any way. all PCs can have at least 1. Art having 2 more is nothing. An art smiths no better than a fighter with smiths tools.

Sure. I have used the old one creativity several times. But I expect i will use the new one far more. If nothing else than to just drop Caltrops at the doorways before I rest.

I doubt that i will ever use the new one.

Mundane items got buffed in 2024.

So i still think it counts as a tiny buff. But i don't think you'll break anything by having both.

Or turning the old one into a cantrip.

I will probably do that and add back in the attunement feature as well.

Did they update that tome for 2024? Because the majority of item had those requirements removed. Tome of the Dragon for instance, doesn't have any.

Which is why I expect they got rid of the feature. It wasn't doing much anymore.

Not updated, no. I dont think many of the Tasha's class specific items have been.

The old level 1 feature is basically the Rock Gnome racial ability now. So, if they made the old level 1 feature into a cantrip or something, they render the entire Rock Gnome redundant, and they didn't want to do that.

You owe the word 'basically' some overtime pay for making it do so much more work than it is made for, here.

The rock gnome can't do evrything the original artificer could and their toys only last 8 hours. It is not the same, not even 'basically'. It's similar, nothing more.

Even more notably, they're also taking some pains to avoid any overlap with the Crafter feat as well. So, anyone that wanted to really go heavy into being a craftsperson bits, they could go Rock Gnome / Artisan / Artificer, and none of the features overlap in the slightest.

On the flip side, that also means that the level 1 feature is locked under a species choice, which is... odd.

A less potent similar feature.

 

[Mephista]

I like the idea of the Battle Smith, but I don’t like pets. I wish you could have the pet be optional.

There's a trio of subclasses by Kevin Baker floating around, one of which is effectively Battle Smith minus the pet. They're from 2014's Exploring Eberron book (available on DM Guild), but should be workable with the new class.

Though, to be honest? I'd rather look into redoing all the subclasses with an eye towards SSI and the Level 6 abilities. If these are the new defining features of the class, I kinda want subclasses to take them in mind.

 

[pukunui]

There's a trio of subclasses by Kevin Baker floating around, one of which is effectively Battle Smith minus the pet. They're from 2014's Exploring Eberron book (available on DM Guild), but should be workable with the new class.

I've got Exploring Eberron, but I've never looked closely at the subclasses because I'd read they weren't well balanced. I guess I'll have to take another look.

 

[Mephista]

I've got Exploring Eberron, but I've never looked closely at the subclasses because I'd read they weren't well balanced. I guess I'll have to take another look.

I mean, they're probably not as good as Battlemaster or Artilerist, but I'd definitely put them above Cartographer!