D&D 5E (2024) Artificer: Cartographer Tier 1 Playtest Report. Mr Popular

[mellored]

maybe, but I would rather have free casting of Shield or other 1st level spell that does not require concentration and somewhat scales later on.
Or just make it simply ignore Concentration.
or just improve Portal jump that it works within 150ft and that as a Bonus action can teleport a holder of map to your location.
And that everyone can use that.

Or +40 to AC
Or + 200 HP.
Or paralyze every enemy.
...

having free casting of a nonconcetration spell us usually a lot better than a concentration spell, unless you are not a spellcaster so that is you only spell to cast.

Having free casting of concentration spell is a lot better than having no spells to cast.

Its not like that's their only feature. No one else has at-will teleport, which doesn't even take your bonus action. Monks and rogues can't disengage that easily.
And your giving potential +12.5 to initiative.
And you can cast Healing Word though walls or while blinded.

Farie Fire would be a ribbon for any other subclass. Except it's much more useful than Armorer being able to do and doff their armor as an action.


Level 5 is a dud, since you hardly have any damage spells on that list, but this is a support subclass.

 

[Zardnaar]

Or +40 to AC
Or + 200 HP.
Or paralyze every enemy.
...

Having free casting of concentration spell is a lot better than having no spells to cast.

Its not like that's their only feature. No one else has at-will teleport, which doesn't even take your bonus action. Monks and rogues can't disengage that easily.
And your giving potential +12.5 to initiative.
And you can cast Healing Word though walls or while blinded.

Farie Fire would be a ribbon for any other subclass. Except it's much more useful than Armorer being able to do and doff their armor as an action.


Level 5 is a dud, since you hardly have any damage spells on that list, but this is a support subclass.

+12.5 to initiative how?

 

[Mephista]

Having free casting of concentration spell is a lot better than having no spells to cast.

The problem is that, as you level, you relatively quickly reach the point where you always have a better spell to cast, even if its from a scroll or wand.

The main advantage of an artificer is having a bunch of low level spells via magic item generation. Its relatively easy to make an Uncommon Enspelled Weapon or Enspelled Staff with Guiding Bolt on a Cartographer, for instance, which gives you about 5 castings of that spell a day. This is the equivalent of getting your Fighter a +1 weapon, something which happens relatively early in most games.

If we assume an average of 12 combat rounds/day, we're looking having enough spell slots to fill up your combat turns by level 5 with this one item. This does not include any of the scrolls that a Cartographer should have been scribing as well, or the ability to make / find any of the various Wands.

Its not like that's their only feature. No one else has at-will teleport, which doesn't even take your bonus action. Monks and rogues can't disengage that easily.
And your giving potential +12.5 to initiative.
And you can cast Healing Word though walls or while blinded.

While the teleport can be fun... the Cartographer actually doesn't have any real Bonus Actions they want to use either, so the teleport not using BA isn't that big of a deal. In truth, making it a BA would actually be more useful, since it'd be a net increase to your movement speed.

+12.5 to initiative how?

Either mellored added an extra number there by mistake, or decided to add the four instances of +2.5 initiative together.

 

[mellored]

+12.5 to initiative how?

5 int * 1d4 = 12.5
Spread out, but that's the total.

Getting weapon of warning at 6 seems like the go to as well.

Kind of tempted to go dance bard 6 as well.
For 1d4+1d8+ advantage on initiative for the party. With Alert as well. Be really good at moving people.

If we assume an average of 12 combat rounds/day, we're looking having enough spell slots to fill up your combat turns by level 5 with this one item. This does not include any of the scrolls that a Cartographer should have been scribing as well, or the ability to make / find any of the various Wands.

True.

Which is why I consider it Faire Fire a ribbon. You can safely ignore it past the first few levels and it won't affect anything.

While the teleport can be fun... the Cartographer actually doesn't have any real Bonus Actions they want to use either, so the teleport not using BA isn't that big of a deal. In truth, making it a BA would actually be more useful, since it'd be a net increase to your movement speed.

I'd rather take Telekinetic.

 

[Zardnaar]

5 int * 1d4 = 12.5
Spread out, but that's the total.

Getting weapon of warning at 6 seems like the go to as well.

Kind of tempted to go dance bard 6 as well.
For 1d4+1d8+ advantage on initiative for the party. With Alert as well. Be really good at moving people.

True.

Which is why I consider it Faire Fire a ribbon. You can safely ignore it past the first few levels and it won't affect anything.

I'd rather take Telekinetic.

Weapon of warnings a no brainer imho and I would take pipes of haunting.

Because you're not roleplaying as a warrior or iron man you have more freedom to pick other stuff. Ironman probably wants +1 armor and sailed, steel guardian a weapon possibly armor or shield.

Crafting scrolls is also a lot faster than everything else.

Lbl 11 they're weaker but easily fixed.