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

Zardnaar

Legend
So I have beenrunning an artificer and picked the weakest onee. The cartographer seems to have a bad reputation. Isuspect this is because of the lvl 11 ability. Generally I like artificers mechanically.

Level 11 is a long way away however. Going in there was no real way I gould figure out how to do lots of damage. So I didnt bother. I decided to focus on suppot.

No particular min max build. I chose gnome race and the sage background. I chose shield spell in hindsight should have picked find familiar. I wasnt on the front line much, high AC, not many spell slots. And I dont care that much about getting hit. That's what hit dice are for.


Spells.
Level 1. I picked true strike and guidance. Lvl 1 I picked cure, jump. Added healing word, guiding bolt and faerie fire via leveling.

Level two you can create magic items. 4 plans i picked glamer armor, alchemist jug, spellwrought tattoo and +1 shield. Generally always picked garnered armor for half or full plate. AC 19 for myself or 20 for sword and board type. Alchemist jug was for poison or acid. Best use of poison was 3d4 damage boss fight at 4 on the barbarian using cleave and hew. If I went support I gifted armorcand a +1 shield to the front liners. AC 20 or 21 lvl 2.

Level 3. Subclass abilities. Crafting scrolls. Actually used this for cure and bless at level 4. The MVP ability is the maps. Letting 4 or 5 PCs teleport around. Every combat lead with faerie fire. We ran out of combats before I ran out of bonus faerie fire. Opportunity cost is low so may as well spam faerie fire
An extra d4 to initiative was also appreciated.

Level 4. I took fae touched. Misty step and bless. Crafted a scroll of bless and gifted it to the cleric.

Playstyle. Support. This class was Mr Popular. Boosted ACs to 17-21 range. Boosted accuracy via faerie fire which lead to feeding vex. Boosted initiate and a PC rogue had alert. He liked letting me go first and then he would sneak attack anything failing a save. Most of the party got to teleport 10-30 feet without using bonus action. Clutch healing word and cure as well.

Future Plans.
Level 6 plan. Weapon of warning (advantage to initiative. Pipes of Haunting

Downsides. Anemic damage (truestrike crosssbow) , lack of AoE.
 

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So I have beenrunning an artificer and picked the weakest onee. The cartographer seems to have a bad reputation. Isuspect this is because of the lvl 11 ability. Generally I like artificers mechanically.
No, the main problem with Cartographer is the reliance on Faerie Fire, a Concentration spell that doesn't level great. Very few people want to still be using it, or spamming Guiding Bolt, when your character is level 6-8.

Cartographer is a great subclass at level 3 and 4. The problem is that it levels badly after that.

Level 3. Subclass abilities. Crafting scrolls. Actually used this for cure and bless at level 4. The MVP ability is the maps. Letting 4 or 5 PCs teleport around. Every combat lead with faerie fire. We ran out of combats before I ran out of bonus faerie fire. Opportunity cost is low so may as well spam faerie fire
An extra d4 to initiative was also appreciated.
The party can't teleport around, only you can.

Also, you seem to be doing a lot with Bless and Faerie Fire. Are you using both, because it sounds like you want to, but both are Concentration spells. You can only have one or the other active at any time.
 

No, the main problem with Cartographer is the reliance on Faerie Fire, a Concentration spell that doesn't level great. Very few people want to still be using it, or spamming Guiding Bolt, when your character is level 6-8.

Cartographer is a great subclass at level 3 and 4. The problem is that it levels badly after that.


The party can't teleport around, only you can.

Also, you seem to be doing a lot with Bless and Faerie Fire. Are you using both, because it sounds like you want to, but both are Concentration spells. You can only have one or the other active at any time.

I used faerie fire and crafted a couple of bless scrolls.
 



No, the main problem with Cartographer is the reliance on Faerie Fire, a Concentration spell that doesn't level great. Very few people want to still be using it, or spamming Guiding Bolt, when your character is level 6-8.
adding "free" usages of spells that have concentration tag without utility of removing concentration from that spell is a bad design by default.

Atleast this is a subclass and not whole class locked behind a not so good spell.
Cartographer is a great subclass at level 3 and 4. The problem is that it levels badly after that.
As long as you only have 1st level spells competing for that concentration slot, it works great.
The party can't teleport around, only you can.
might be good to add that. to give some utility to the subclass
Also, you seem to be doing a lot with Bless and Faerie Fire. Are you using both, because it sounds like you want to, but both are Concentration spells. You can only have one or the other active at any time.
maybe new circle casting?
 

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