Artificers Overpowered?

[Saeviomagy]

That's what I don't like. It's cool a concept for making items; it sucks if the concept leads to a character who knows all existing magic in the world.

He doesn't. The artificer is working on a level BELOW that. Stop thinking of spells as pre-written unbreakable formulas - in game terms a spell is a collection of stats, nothing else. The artificer manipulates the raw stuff of magic, and ends up with an item that produces something that is very much similar to a spell. It's not necessarily the same - in fact, it can't be, because otherwise he could just cast it, instead of needing to make an item to cast it...

 

[Saeviomagy]

This is admittingly nitpicking, but an artificer won't be able to emulate etherealness until Lv5, since etherealness costs 49k and Armor Enhancement allows 35k. Plus it only lasts 10 minutes/level, so it won't be lasting all day, and when the person wearing it returns to the material he can't access it again. For 100gp though, it's still very nice.

There's nothing to say that once a caster stops existing then so do his spells.

Likewise there's nothing that says that once a magic item becomes non magic, all the effects it produced cease. Hence armour of etherealness can only be used to make you ethereal during the 10minutes/level, but the etherealness itself lasts all day.

 

[Eloi]

Any Artificer who spends two or three combat rounds hiding around a corner casting spells on his wand had better have the Thieves in the party very fond of him, willing to keep an eye on him. Some wandering Thief might just take the opportunity to turn a distracted Artificer into a crumpled heap.

It gets worse if they paralyze or K.O. him and carry him off. Parties don't like fighting foes whose weapons are (main tank race)- Baned.

Oh, and what happens when the Artificer finally steps around the corner with his wand ready, and gets Charmed?

 

[Anax]

There's nothing to say that once a caster stops existing then so do his spells.

Likewise there's nothing that says that once a magic item becomes non magic, all the effects it produced cease. Hence armour of etherealness can only be used to make you ethereal during the 10minutes/level, but the etherealness itself lasts all day.

Oh jeez. That's messed up. I hadn't looked at the description of that, and was wondering what you were thinking. But by the same logic, you would want to buy cheap leather armor of etherealness along-side your normal armor, so that you could pass it around to everyone in the party to turn on at the start of the day. And that makes no sense, either.

I'd be inclined to house rule, in *either* case, that you cease to be under the influence of etherealness from armor if either you remove the armor or if the armor ceases becoming armor of etherealness.

 

[Targos]

At about 10th level Artificers outpace the damage on any other class.

Twind, Maximized, Quickened, Repeating Scorching Ray. Uses 1 charge from a standard wand.

Does 4d6 + 4d6 (Twin) x 2 (Quickened, so twice in a round) x 2 (Repeating) for about 190ish dmg in a 2 round period with one charge from a wand.

I don't follow how this is possible.

Same Effect with Differing Results(PH pg172): "The same spell can sometimes produce varying effects if applied to the same recipient more than once. For example, a series of polymorph spells might turn a creature into a mouse, a lion, and then a snail. In this case, the last spell in the series trumps the others. None of the previous spells are actually removed or dispelled, but their effects become irrelevant while the final spell in the series is in effect."

I realize it discusses spells and not infusions, but infusions aren't core. It wouldn't be a stretch and say this rule would apply to anything whether its a spell, infusion, or psionic power. Only one infusion per item whether its a weapon, armor, or wand. I run my game that way in any event. When rules are overlooked things get out of hand, much like the psion who spends more PP than his manifester level.

 

[ForceUser]

Does 4d6 + 4d6 (Twin) x 2 (Quickened, so twice in a round) x 2 (Repeating) for about 190ish dmg in a 2 round period with one charge from a wand.

My 28-point buy 12th-level fighter does way more damage than that. When an artificer can top 200 damage in a single round, get back to me.

 

[Testament]

I don't follow how this is possible.

Same Effect with Differing Results(PH pg172): "The same spell can sometimes produce varying effects if applied to the same recipient more than once. For example, a series of polymorph spells might turn a creature into a mouse, a lion, and then a snail. In this case, the last spell in the series trumps the others. None of the previous spells are actually removed or dispelled, but their effects become irrelevant while the final spell in the series is in effect."

I realize it discusses spells and not infusions, but infusions aren't core. It wouldn't be a stretch and say this rule would apply to anything whether its a spell, infusion, or psionic power. Only one infusion per item whether its a weapon, armor, or wand. I run my game that way in any event. When rules are overlooked things get out of hand, much like the psion who spends more PP than his manifester level.

By your logic, then you can't multibuff a person. I don't follow how you arrive at this conclusion. These aren't the same effect.

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

By your logic, then you can't multibuff a person.

Well, sometimes, you can't. Can you explain what you mean by that, though?

 

[Targos]

By your logic, then you can't multibuff a person. I don't follow how you arrive at this conclusion. These aren't the same effect.

Using Metamagic Item several times is the same effect with different results just like the example polymorph. I assume you're referring to casting bullstrength & bears endurance on the same recipient. Those are not the same effect. I should clarify and say you can cast different infusions on an item, but not the same one repeatedly and expect to get a stacking effect. Would you allow a few artificers to cast weapon augmentation countless times on a single weapon to get a anarchic, axiomatic, disruption, flaming burst, icy burst, holy, shocking burst, unholy, wounding weapon of speed? (Thats equivalent to a +21 weapon.) Or allow somebody to cast mirror image several times getting extra images each time?

 

[Testament]

Using Metamagic Item several times is the same effect with different results just like the example polymorph.

As far as I'm concerned, its not. In the polymorph example, its because the results are mutually exclusive.

I assume you're referring to casting bullstrength & bears endurance on the same recipient. Those are not the same effect. I should clarify and say you can cast different infusions on an item, but not the same one repeatedly and expect to get a stacking effect. Would you allow a few artificers to cast weapon augmentation countless times on a single weapon to get a anarchic, axiomatic, disruption, flaming burst, icy burst, holy, shocking burst, unholy, wounding weapon of speed? (Thats equivalent to a +21 weapon.) Or allow somebody to cast mirror image several times getting extra images each time?

From what I can tell, RAW, that's a valid use of the infusion, you're imbuing a different property each time, and most importantly, a weapon can have multiple properties. In the case of mirror image, you're producing the same effect, so it doesn't stack.