D&D 5E Artificer Fighter subclass? [+]

Undrave

Legend
So, one thing we have in 5e are subclass that act as a type of multiclass option on their own. The Eldritch Knight is a Fighter with a bit of Wizard in it, the Scout is a Rogue with a little Ranger, the College of Blades is a Bard with a bit of Fighter and so on. Some are even MC with classes that don’t exist (Psionic subclasses, the Battlemaster is part Warlord, the Shepperd Druid is part Shaman…).

I was thinking it would be cool to see a subclass that mixes the Artificer and the Fighter… Which I know sound a little like it would just play like a Rune Knight, but I think there’s way to make it different enough.

Basically, this thread is just a place to brainstorm some ideas.

I was thinking it could be cool to have this Artificer Fighter have infusion that only produce consumables, essentially one-use items this guy would then need to re-infuse later. Stuff essentially inspired by the magical whetstone and oils you could find in 4e, and maybe something similar to when a Rune Knight invokes the magic of their rune to get off a one-shot effect (but without the passive buffs of the rune). I thinking of a magic paper seal that you can break to trigger a spell-like effect. They would be able to infuse a limited number of those and, to make it different from a Rune Knight, be able to hand them out. Only issues with that mode is the idea that some of these would need GP. A magical whetstone would be re-infuse after use but like Oil? You’d need to buy another flask of oil to infuse, right? To make this consumable maker stand out from the Rune Knight, they could actually let other people use their stuff.

Another idea I had was to have this character build a special scabbard for his weapon that would have mechanical and magical enhancement that would let them apply a temporary bonus every time they draw the weapon. Or maybe combine the two ideas and you have a contraption that lets you apply one of your consumable without spending an action.

Or it could just focus on stacking mild effects onto a single weapon without the flexibility or explosive potential of the Rune Knight?

What do you guys think?
 

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I was thinking more along the lines of the fighter-blacksmith, who makes his own magical armor and weapons, rather than relying on finding them in a dungeon somewhere. Doing stuff like incorporating Protection from Fire into the armor to go fight a red dragon, stitching together some Boots of Springing and Striding, weaving a Cloak of Resistance, adjusting his sword scabbard so when he draws his blade it can be a Ice Blade or a Flames Tongue Blade and fashioning some Arrows of Slaying. That sort of thing.

Or a potion guzzler - with a bandolier stocked with self-made potions of healing, heroism, Enhance Ability and the like to let them take on more powerful foes or have options like Invisibility or Blink.
 

I was thinking more along the lines of the fighter-blacksmith, who makes his own magical armor and weapons, rather than relying on finding them in a dungeon somewhere. Doing stuff like incorporating Protection from Fire into the armor to go fight a red dragon, stitching together some Boots of Springing and Striding, weaving a Cloak of Resistance, adjusting his sword scabbard so when he draws his blade it can be a Ice Blade or a Flames Tongue Blade and fashioning some Arrows of Slaying. That sort of thing.
Mechanically it would end up with a spell-less Artificer, I don't think they would create a class where you need a fully stocked and equipped forge to work your class features.
Or a potion guzzler - with a bandolier stocked with self-made potions of healing, heroism, Enhance Ability and the like to let them take on more powerful foes or have options like Invisibility or Blink.
That was basically my idea with the consumable user, but trying to make more unique effects so they're not just the basic stuff.

Ideally you should be able to play Green Arrow with that subclass :p
 
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if i were doing this i think i'd do the following
3rd - spellcasting: pinch the eldritch knight's 1/3rd spellcasting progression and copy it here, adjust it to work off the artificer spell list and remove the bit about your spells needing to be abjuration or evocation.
- tool knowledge: proficiency with thieves tools and one kind of artisan's tools of your choice, you can use these as your spellcasting focus
7th - infusions: the fighter gains access to the artificer's infusions at half progression(rounded up so they start with 3 known/2 infused, reach 3 infused at 14th level) like artificer they can use any infused item as a casting focus.
10th - skill learning: gain proficiency in sleight of hand and arcana, gain expertise if you already have proficiency.
15th - magic item mastery: this is the artificer trait, pushed to a later level. (4 attunement slots)
18th - this is just me making up something improved concentration: the max duration of your concentration spells are increased 1min>10min>1hour>8hours>24hours.
 


There was a really cool PrC in Sword & Fist for 3.0 where the character could store spells in their weapons and release them with a successful hit. IIRC, it used a modified potion creation rule, so no spell above 3rd level.
 

if i were doing this i think i'd do the following
3rd - spellcasting: pinch the eldritch knight's 1/3rd spellcasting progression and copy it here, adjust it to work off the artificer spell list and remove the bit about your spells needing to be abjuration or evocation.
- tool knowledge: proficiency with thieves tools and one kind of artisan's tools of your choice, you can use these as your spellcasting focus
7th - infusions: the fighter gains access to the artificer's infusions at half progression(rounded up so they start with 3 known/2 infused, reach 3 infused at 14th level) like artificer they can use any infused item as a casting focus.
10th - skill learning: gain proficiency in sleight of hand and arcana, gain expertise if you already have proficiency.
15th - magic item mastery: this is the artificer trait, pushed to a later level. (4 attunement slots)
18th - this is just me making up something improved concentration: the max duration of your concentration spells are increased 1min>10min>1hour>8hours>24hours.
That wouldn't be a bad take on the Eldritch Knight, sure, but I was looking more for a tinker/alchemist Fighter than a spell caster Fighter. The Artificer has GREAT Cantrips for a Fighter subclass, though. I'd give up the spell slots to just do infusions at level 3.

I was thinking more along the lines of the fighter-blacksmith, who makes his own magical armor and weapons, rather than relying on finding them in a dungeon somewhere. Doing stuff like incorporating Protection from Fire into the armor to go fight a red dragon, stitching together some Boots of Springing and Striding, weaving a Cloak of Resistance, adjusting his sword scabbard so when he draws his blade it can be a Ice Blade or a Flames Tongue Blade and fashioning some Arrows of Slaying. That sort of thing.

Or a potion guzzler - with a bandolier stocked with self-made potions of healing, heroism, Enhance Ability and the like to let them take on more powerful foes or have options like Invisibility or Blink.

guns lots of guns is my suggestion

There was a really cool PrC in Sword & Fist for 3.0 where the character could store spells in their weapons and release them with a successful hit. IIRC, it used a modified potion creation rule, so no spell above 3rd level.
Ideally, I think a good structure would be a Battlemaster inspired one where the maneuvers are replaced by expendable magic effects that you need to spend time to recharge.

The Gun isn't a terrible idea if we go for like a cool Magic Gun and you infuse the bullets with magic during a short rest and that magic is also what propels them (no gunpowder needed). Then you add a few customizable options: more accuracy, longer range, more damage, etc as a higher level feature.
 



if i were doing this i think i'd do the following
3rd - spellcasting: pinch the eldritch knight's 1/3rd spellcasting progression and copy it here, adjust it to work off the artificer spell list and remove the bit about your spells needing to be abjuration or evocation.
- tool knowledge: proficiency with thieves tools and one kind of artisan's tools of your choice, you can use these as your spellcasting focus
7th - infusions: the fighter gains access to the artificer's infusions at half progression(rounded up so they start with 3 known/2 infused, reach 3 infused at 14th level) like artificer they can use any infused item as a casting focus.
10th - skill learning: gain proficiency in sleight of hand and arcana, gain expertise if you already have proficiency.
15th - magic item mastery: this is the artificer trait, pushed to a later level. (4 attunement slots)
18th - this is just me making up something improved concentration: the max duration of your concentration spells are increased 1min>10min>1hour>8hours>24hours.
My only edit would be to move the infusion upgrade to level 15 so you're not getting subclass features on a non-subclass level.
 

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