D&D Releases Playtest for Updated Artificer

Wizards of the Coast has dropped a new Unearthed Arcana Playtest for the Artificer, bringing the often neglected 13th Dungeons & Dragons 5E class into alignment with the 2024 rules update. The playtest was released via D&D Beyond today, with feedback launching on December 24th.

The Artificer gains several new abilities, many of which are designed with an eye to making the class more versatile. For instance, players can now craft low-cost items quickly with a revamped Magical Tinkering ability, while Infuse Item ha been changed to Replicate Magic Item and allows players to replicate magic items of certain rarities and item type. Players can also use the Magic Item Tinker ability to convert a Replicated magic item into a spell slot. The capstone Soul of Artifice ability has also received a buff, with the Artificer no needing a Reaction in order to utilize its ability to skip death saving throws and restoring more health as well.

The subclasses were also updated. For example, the Alchemist's Experimental Elixir producing more elixirs and Chemical Mastery getting a big boost with extra damage, resistance, and the ability to cast Tasha's Bubbling Cauldron. The Armorer has a new Dreadnought option and Armor Modifications was replaced with a new ability called Armor Replication. The Artillerist's Eldritch Cannon can switch between various options instead of being set to one option and the Explosive Cannon ability does more damage and only requires a Reaction to use. Finally, the Battle Smith has received minor adjustments to its Steel Defender construct.

Compared to many other class updates in the 2024 Player's Handbook, the Artificer's changes are much less drastic. There are some obvious updates that bring the class in line with the design updates to other classes, but it didn't receive a major rework like several other classes.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Well, the Pet artificer has 3 attacks per round by 5th level, dealing d12's with the heavy crossbow and d8's with the pet that grants a bucket full of bonus HP to the encounter.

This mostly tracks. Not sure how they were getting d12's with the heavy crossbow, but even dropping that to d10's, an Extra Attack and a bonus action to make the pet attack and clever use of spells, I buy it.

When I talk about Artificers rewarding system mastery, this is the kind of thing I mean. Knowing how to get the most out of your action gives you a huge edge when, on paper, none of this looks all that impressive.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

I think the 2024 books opened the pistols and muskets to be more accessible, and the artillerist needs pistol/musket proficiency and should be able to use them as focuses. At least let the Artillerist choose between wands and pistols if they can't have both.

The only reason they used wands before is because guns weren't as prevalent. But we're seeing monsters and heroes with pistols more often, and the Artillerist literally has a cannon.

But I'm biased. My wife's artillerist uses True Strike with a pistol in one hand, and her Bonus Action cannon in her other hand. She doesn't use wands in combat.

 

[abirdcall]

Oh... oh my. See I don't have the 2024 DMG. This is not an item I was familiar with. yeah if this item is available for Infusions/Replications that will be busted as all nine hells.

Yeah an enspelled weapon, staff, or armour is uncommon with a 1st level spell and has 6 charges.

An uncommon item costs 400gp to buy or 200gp to craft.

So with open buying and crafting it is easy for a party of 5th+ level characters to have enough shield spells for the day and any other 1st level spells they want.

So the DM should put limits on it to avoid this (and also a world where there are countless magic items everywhere) but it is a bigger problem if this is the ability of a class.

The norms of play is that the DM has control over what shops have and what ingredients they can purchase to craft items but not over how a class uses their abilities.

 

[Mirrorrorrim]

Wait, it looks like they removed language saying the Tiny version of the Cannon can be wielded in your hand... My wife likes the choice of using it as a hand cannon that she can carry with her, or as a mobile turret if the situation warrants it/

If it has to be a turret, it is worthless in a running fight, as it only moves 15 feet with your bonus action.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

I feel an Artillerist Artificer can do quite a lot of damage in one round, especially a 15th level one. It might not be 20th level Battlemaster Fighter using Action Surge. But I feel it could be quite a lot with a 5th level spell and 2 cannon attacks at 3d8 each.

 

[abirdcall]

Makes me think of this.

 

[I'm A Banana]

If you're using your bonus action to heal then, before level 9, you're basically equivalent to a cleric casting a damaging cantrip and casting Healing Word (or Shield of Faith). Even here you don't exactly compare well to the cleric when the cleric does what you do.

Hmmm...if I'm a level 5 cleric doing my best to use bonus actions for healing, I'm casting mass healing word and then healing word. So basically 4x (2d4 + Wis) (assuming we cure two people with mass healing word) for healing. So 20 base, plus 4x Wis. Let's say +4 wis, so another 16, total of 36 hp. healed on average rolls.

If I'm a level 5 alchemist doing the same, I'm using three spell slots on my Experimental Elixirs for healing, three times, for 3x (2d8 + Int). Gives me 27 + 3x Int. Let's say +4 Int, so another 12, total of 39 hp healed on average rolls. I'd have to prepare these in advance, but it'd be worth it.

Yeah, that seems roughly competitive. Cleric has a bit of an edge (healing word is ranged, and mass healing word can do 2 at once), but it's kind of circumstantial.

So if healing is a bit of a wash, how's damage?

Cleric's big boom cantrip is Sacred Flame, and with an alchemist we'd probably say poison spray for raw damage potential (even a spellcast-y artificer is more than capable in melee). 2d8 vs. 2d12 + INT is not much of a contest. Even if we up the cleric to level 8 and give them 2d8 + WIS, and assume the artificer is facing something poison-resistant so they need to go with fire bolt for 2d10 + INT, artificer has the edge.

The cleric's really suffering from that leveled spell limit, since they're leaving some good slotted damage on the table to be the best they can be at bonus-action healing. Alchemist isn't limited in the same way, so could still dip into spike healing with Cure Light Wounds if they needed a bit more.

 

[Zaukrie]

I don't think many tables dip into one class, and I doubt WotC worries about it much. But I could be wrong

 

[Chaosmancer]

Just read through it and I'm left... kind of cold.

Magical Tinkering could be interesting... but not as written. Let us say I use it to make a lamp... I then need to use it again to make oil. I get three to four uses per day and I've... made a working lamp with half of them. Some of the useful items are on here on second look, Rope, Ball Bearings, Caltrops... but this stuff feels less magical than being able to make a music box with an illusory dancer, and is rarely going to be impactful. (I tend to play characters who hoard gear for a chance to use it... and rarely does that ever actually happen)

And other than that, the big change is no longer needing an initial item to use your infusions, plus some of your best infusions are not just standard loot other people can make or get? The changes to Flash of Genius are nice, but that's about it that is actually going to impact anything. And they swapped a potential +6 to all saves for a +1d6 on skills late game? Nothing here is popping.

The Dreadnaught is cool for the Armorer, gives them a 3rd option, and the change to protective field is interesting, but that is basically it.

Artillerist got a small buff with being able to use all three cannon options with a single summon (not all at once) but that's the only change.

Battle Smith didn't even get that much. Little less health and less ability to heal the Steel Defender in exchange for a little more damage. Meh.

And Alchemist... alchemist still sucks. I've been saying this ever since it was printed, in terms of efficiency in healing? The Artillerist blows the Alchemist out of the water without trying. 1d8+Mod every turn, as a bonus action to every ally within 10 ft. At +4 that is an average of 8 temp hp to every ally including itself. So, let's say two characters and the cannon. That is 24 temp hp every turn, for an hour, as a bonus action. The Alchemist can use the healing elixir, if they happen to roll two of them for their free slots, to heal a MAXIMUM of 42 hp at the same level. I generate more temp hp on average than their maximum possible healing in two bonus actions... the same number of bonus actions it takes them to heal!

If we assume that I can get two combats in one hour, and each combat takes three turns, then a single Protector turret can grant around 144 temp hp pretty easily. Without a spell slot. And on damage? The Artillerist is better at damage too.

The Alchemist desperately needs SOMETHING, and this wasn't it.

 

[Chaosmancer]

Just read through it and I'm left... kind of cold.

Magical Tinkering could be interesting... but not as written. Let us say I use it to make a lamp... I then need to use it again to make oil. I get three to four uses per day and I've... made a working lamp with half of them. Some of the useful items are on here on second look, Rope, Ball Bearings, Caltrops... but this stuff feels less magical than being able to make a music box with an illusory dancer, and is rarely going to be impactful. (I tend to play characters who hoard gear for a chance to use it... and rarely does that ever actually happen)

And other than that, the big change is no longer needing an initial item to use your infusions, plus some of your best infusions are not just standard loot other people can make or get? The changes to Flash of Genius are nice, but that's about it that is actually going to impact anything. And they swapped a potential +6 to all saves for a +1d6 on skills late game? Nothing here is popping.

The Dreadnaught is cool for the Armorer, gives them a 3rd option, and the change to protective field is interesting, but that is basically it.

Artillerist got a small buff with being able to use all three cannon options with a single summon (not all at once) but that's the only change.

Battle Smith didn't even get that much. Little less health and less ability to heal the Steel Defender in exchange for a little more damage. Meh.

And Alchemist... alchemist still sucks. I've been saying this ever since it was printed, in terms of efficiency in healing? The Artillerist blows the Alchemist out of the water without trying. 1d8+Mod every turn, as a bonus action to every ally within 10 ft. At +4 that is an average of 8 temp hp to every ally including itself. So, let's say two characters and the cannon. That is 24 temp hp every turn, for an hour, as a bonus action. The Alchemist can use the healing elixir, if they happen to roll two of them for their free slots, to heal a MAXIMUM of 42 hp at the same level. I generate more temp hp on average than their maximum possible healing in two bonus actions... the same number of bonus actions it takes them to heal!

If we assume that I can get two combats in one hour, and each combat takes three turns, then a single Protector turret can grant around 144 temp hp pretty easily. Without a spell slot. And on damage? The Artillerist is better at damage too.

The Alchemist desperately needs SOMETHING, and this wasn't it.