Level Up (A5E) Basic artificer question

[Sillsoft]

I have question regarding how schematics work. So does having a schematic of a common magic items that I can both

• craft the magic item easier (has advantage and time is halved).
• infuse a mundane item with the properties of said magic item.

I'm not very familiar with the way crafting works so what's the advantage of infusing a mundane item vs just crafting it?

I'm especially interested in how potions would work, combined with the Alchemical Prodigy field discovery

 

[W'rkncacnter]

yes, that's how it works.

crafting an item takes time, money, a check and probably requires finding a bizarre component. infusing an item can be done as an action, is guaranteed, and doesn't require anything but the item you want to infuse.

 

[Jacob Vardy]

What W'rkncacnter said. In play, the difference is that infusions are free but you only get a few of them each day and they stop working after a day. Whereas crafting is expensive but you can have an unlimited number and they last - so you can sell them. My players have been crafting a lot of what are akin to spell scrolls, so their characters have a wide range of utility effects available. Such as every party member having emergency parachutes (feather fall).

 

[Selganor]

Also note that while an infusion is active it acts just like a normal magic item (including using it as a component to build another item)

Alchemical Prodigy gives you a headstart on schematics for potions. Also remember, an Artificer just needs to study a magic item for an hour to try to find out how it is made (i.e. create a schematic for it). This process doesn't use or damage the item, so if you find an item that might be useful in rare cases but you'd still like to make some gold from selling it the Artificer can have the cake (make a schematic) and eat it (sell the original item) and then just infuse something with the power of the item if really needed.

And if you discover that you really want this item all the time, the schematic helps craft it, too.

 

[Sillsoft]

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to be starting in a campaign shortly and wondering what would be a good suggestion for the 3 starting schematics should be. We're going to be playing in the eberron setting are we're basically an treasure/artifact hunter group. The rest of the party is a fighter, adept, and a wizard. We're starting at level 2.

 

[Jacob Vardy]

If your GM allows it, the best schematic is for a generic level 1 spell scroll. Them make consumable magic items for all the utility spells that are great in the moment but might only come up every ten sessions so you can't justify memorizing them each day. As mentioned above, emergency parachutes of feather fall. Spring heeled boots of jump. A tricorder for the detect spells. A bodysuit of disguise self. Be the perfect Batman caster, with a nifty device for every situation.

(As a GM i really like the party having single use feather falls, it makes it seam like i've upped the stakes when a monster throws a PC off a cliff and i've "forgotten" that the PC has an emergency parachute. It gives a nice spotlight for the artificer player).

 

[Selganor]

If your Narrator allows you a generic "Cantrip Wand" schematic (that infusions might need a nonconsumed spell scroll of the specific cantrip) you can also increase your "at-will" potential greatly. But this is an uncommon item, so you need level 3 to craft/infuse/... it.