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Message: <blockquote data-quote="I'm A Banana" data-source="post: 9536153" data-attributes="member: 2067">I mean, neat, but not really necessary. The difference between "a bomb of acid you can throw" and "I cast acid splash" is pretty academic. The alchemist I played was flavored as "bronze age doctor at the beginnings of medicine" and I could easily fluff most spells I cast into using some weird poisonous creature to cause a magical effect. Much like a bard, some of the roleplaying fun of an artificer is imagining how you cast your spells using your inventions. Which is broadly to say that I agree with WotC's goals of revision, not revolution, here. I think it's smart to try smaller changes. The raw numbers, by and large, are OK.Like, comparing half-casters....Level 1Paladin: Lay on Hands (and the divine smite spell, which I think is worth mentioning)Ranger: Hunter's MarkArtificer: Magical TinkeringArtificer is the clear loser there. Magical Tinkering is a fun utility, but it doesn't Make Number Go Up. You don't have a special Level 1 Spell that can add quick damage, unlike paladins and rangers. And you're wielding simple weapons and wearing medium armor. You're going to feel weak here.One power-neutral option might be to add such a 1st level spell that artificers can always have prepared. I could imagine, for instance, a Reaction spell that adds 1d6 damage from a particular list of types when an ally hits - or is hit. An energy-flexible smite that can be applied to offense or defense, that doesn't need to be remembered long-term. Or maybe a shield spell that increases the AC by less but provides some other benefit (damage resistance, energy damage, a buff to attacks or AC or damage...). There's probably a few options we could consider here, and I think it'd really help "feel" like a boost in power without actually changing the numbers much. As it is, Artificers don't have a clear "winner" in their 1st level spell line up like the other half-casters do. Cure Wounds probably comes closest, but that feels like small potatoes compared to the Paladin's Lay on Hands pool, and isn't cast for free (and doesn't represent EVERY artificer out there). Level 2: Paladin: Divine Smite, Fighting StyleRanger: Expertise, Fighting StyleArtificer: Replicate Magic ItemThis is kind of competitive, because a +1 weapon or a +1 shield or a +1 wand of the war mage are pretty nice options.  There's a bit of an issue with the "hey go look at this list" part of the design that could be streamlined. Still, I could see a case for giving the Artificer a little limited Expertise on Int checks related to magic items or something. Something ribbon-y that speaks to their archetype a bit. Because Replicate Magic Item has such a broad list of options, there's not a 2nd level ability that speaks to something unique about your artificer. Level 3Paladin: Channel Divinity, Subclass Ranger: Subclass Artificer: Right Tool for the Job, SubclassAgain, pretty competitive. The artificer subclasses all give a "main invention," some expanded spells, and some tool and crafting boosts as a ribbon. Each main invention is probably about worth a Channel Divinity or a 2nd level spell. Level 4Everybuddy gets feats. Artificer fares no worse there.Level 5Paladin: Extra AttackRanger: Extra AttackArtificer: Subclass Feature - Extra Attack OR a ~ 4-5 point damage buff. The subclasses getting the damage buff feel pretty bad here. It's definitely not as transformational as Extra Attack, and it's hard to buy the argument that it's as powerful - Extra Attack with a martial weapon is worth about 10 points of damage or so. A 1d8 or a +INT mod isn't doing the same work. One thing to note is that the subclasses that get Extra Attack either get martial weapons or get an equivalent to a martial weapon in their invention (such as the Armorer's armaments on their arcane armor). This might be a bit that's missing for our less martial Artificer subclasses. Like, give them the damage buff and ALSO give them something equivalent to extra attacks / a 3rd-level spell. This seems in design very close to the cleric's Blessed Strikes / Potent Spellcasting option, but applied to a half-caster, we're not getting our power from our spell slots. I'd think that if we redesigned the Artillerist and Artificer to have an equivalent to "martial weapons with Extra Attack," we might be getting at the heart of a lot of people's dissatisfaction with the numbers.</blockquote>

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