Artificer as a multi-class

[Brandigan]

We're soon to be starting a Eberron campaign. The first adventure we played was a pretty generic dungeon crawl so we are going to just slide into Eberron from there so there won't be many adjustments anyways. I like the artificer class and want to add at least one level to my level 3 human mage char (when he gets enough exp for lvl 4 of course). But he only has a charisma of 9, which can be bumped to 10 when he levels, plus I took the magical appitude feat +2 to spellcraft and use magic device checks.
My question is would this character be wasting the exp for multi-classing to a artificer with his cha stat? Thanks in advance.

 

[Zephyrus]

We're soon to be starting a Eberron campaign. The first adventure we played was a pretty generic dungeon crawl so we are going to just slide into Eberron from there so there won't be many adjustments anyways. I like the artificer class and want to add at least one level to my level 3 human mage char (when he gets enough exp for lvl 4 of course). But he only has a charisma of 9, which can be bumped to 10 when he levels, plus I took the magical appitude feat +2 to spellcraft and use magic device checks.
My question is would this character be wasting the exp for multi-classing to a artificer with his cha stat? Thanks in advance.

Yes and No I think...

Technically.. Artificers use Int for their infusions but its secondary to the truely Key ability of Artificers is all the stuff they do with 'Use Magic Device' which is an Cha based Skill. Its not so much the Cha but the Skill and Cha together. the better your Use Magic Device skill (including Cha Bonus) the better an artificer is at being able to make items since they use that skill for almost everything.

However, I think theirs little point in being a multi-class Artificer/<other casting class> as both classes will suffer instead of realy gaining. Artificer Caster levels <as far as I can tell> dont stack with other caster levels... so a Wizard3/Artificer1 still could only scribe 2nd level spell scrolls (either as a Wizard3 or as a Artificer1. In which cast its actually best to scribe it as a wizard since you'll get the wizard's true caster level of 3rd instead of the artificer 1st level caster (even though it can make items, paying GP & XP as if was CL+2, the actual caster level is equal to the artificers).

On the flip side, if it was Wizard1/Artificer3 You'd be still sevearly limited in the your wizard spells, the only advantages would be the ability to use spell trigger items w/o UMD but your Wizard Caster level would be only 1 for your caster level checks to read scrolls of higher levels. So even though you could make scrolls with 3rd level spells from your Artificer levels, you'd have to either make the caster level check to activate them using your wizard level or a UMD check <Artificer Class skill>.

On the other hand Artificers and Rogues/Bards/Fighters would prolly make benefit the most as Mutli-class characters (expecially Rogues or Bards since they get UMD as a Class Skill and can keep getting ranks in it). Fighter types gaining limited Magic item creation/usage out of Artificer levels <cosmopolitian w/ UMD being a great feat choice!>

In general though I Think a Artificer is best never multi-classed as it has more to loose than gain in most (Not all) cases.