D&D 5E Does the Artificer Suck?

[Paul Farquhar]

Its pretty standard for the fighter to expe t y have a magic weapon by level 5

Maybe they do. Maybe it's even of a kind the fighter prefers to use.

Then the artificer can make whatever other thing the party is lacking.

Also because thieves tools tend to be DeX, a medium armor caster with them is going to.... well I'm sure you see the problem...

DEX 14 and expertise + Guidance (artificer cantrip) is enough for most locks, and traps typically involve an INT (thieves' tools) check to disarm.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

Number of fights vary large amount is 6/long rest, sometimes 1/long rest.

If your playing support there's better classes eg various bards and clerics and they seem better at damage as well.

The artificer's niche tends to be sustained contribution throughout a full adventuring day. Their at-will damage through boosted cantrips + companion attack is very solid. The magic items they infuse for the party last all day. Spell storing item gives access to a lot of casts of a low-level spell and good concentration economy. They, like many other classes aren't so good at going nova for just a couple of fights a day.
If the party full-casters aren't being exerted to the point where they are having to use at-will attacks for a reasonable part of it, then it is very likely that they will be appearing to be much stronger than the other classes outside of the Paladin perhaps.

What other characters are in the party?

 

[Stoutstien]

Damage wise the battlesmith artificer comes in just behind the paladin, which is a pretty high bar, with the added advantage of being hard to shutdown (see any fight dealing with ranged combat with the paladin) while simultaneously having the ability to place there class features where they have the biggest impact.


Passing out infusions can have a huge impact on the the party's impact with little action economy costs which rare. Giving the SS fighter a +1 repeating heavy crossbow is a pretty big buff at any point. Every miss that that that infusion turns into a hit and all those little boosts of damage should be credited to the artificer.

Even if the artificer is going all in self buffing they can do a fairly good job at chipping away HP on top of the utility support they have. Being very SaD, they can grab the standard SS/GWM feats and leverage the higher attack bonuses they get.

In the end artificers may not be the strongest class in the game but I can't see the either of the other half casters soloing an ancient red dragon for laughs while pumping out a lv 1 spell scroll every time the party takes a long rest at the same time they are running a side hussle of selling ever lasting torches a rock bottom prices just because your tired of traveling on dark roads.

 

[Stoutstien]

Maybe they do. Maybe it's even of a kind the fighter prefers to use.

Then the artificer can make whatever other thing the party is lacking.

DEX 14 and expertise + Guidance (artificer cantrip) is enough for most locks, and traps typically involve an INT (thieves' tools) check to disarm.

Don't forget flash of genius and gloves of thievery if they really want to go alt rogue.

 

[tetrasodium]

Maybe they do. Maybe it's even of a kind the fighter prefers to use.

Then the artificer can make whatever other thing the party is lacking.

DEX 14 and expertise + Guidance (artificer cantrip) is enough for most locks, and traps typically involve an INT (thieves' tools) check to disarm.

Except due to an overly conservative list loaded with filler items and no ability to change infusions known in support of such a solution seeking a problem "whatever other thing the party is lacking" is probably not doable either. If the intent was to let them flexibly fill the needs of "whatever other thing the party is lacking" at a solid but not amazing level that would have been fine too but the limits on infusions are more the sort of limitations you would expect to see if they were limiting a list of very powerful top shelf tems at the levels that they were allowed

 

[Burnside]

They might have my favorite spell list in the game, and I love that they use cleric/druid/paladin style spell prep. But this is offset by the frustratingly low number of spell slots.

If you have an artificer and a bard in the same party, I have found that the bard generally outshines the artificer at doing the same sorts of things.

 

[Stoutstien]

They might have my favorite spell list in the game, and I love that they use cleric/druid/paladin style spell prep. But this is offset by the frustratingly low number of spell slots.

If you have an artificer and a bard in the same party, I have found that the bard generally outshines the artificer at doing the same sorts of things.

I think the design intent was for the artificer to excel at complementing rather than trying to be in direct competition with anyone.

I like playing half-casters due to the spell slot limitations. Full casters are playing on easy mode and martials can be very one dimensional. Half casters strike a good balance of options but at a cost so making decisions feel like they matter.

 

[Flamestrike]

If you have an artificer and a bard in the same party, I have found that the bard generally outshines the artificer at doing the same sorts of things.

Aside from 'at-will' damage, something Bards suck at (badly), and Artificers are generally top tier at (on par with the Warlock).

Bard 5's at will options include Vicious mockery for 2d4 damage (save for none) or a single subpar melee or weapon attack.

Battlesmith, Forge Adept and Armorer artificer get extra attack (twice as good already) with Int to hit and damage so nearly on par with most martials. Artillerists have access to firebolt for 2d10 plus an arcane firearm and turret of 3d8. All of them have access to SCAG cantrips as well.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Except due to an overly conservative list loaded with filler items and no ability to change infusions known in support of such a solution seeking a problem "whatever other thing the party is lacking" is probably not doable either. If the intent was to let them flexibly fill the needs of "whatever other thing the party is lacking" at a solid but not amazing level that would have been fine too but the limits on infusions are more the sort of limitations you would expect to see if they were limiting a list of very powerful top shelf tems at the levels that they were allowed

You can change infusions known at level up, and you have more known than you have slots anyway.

In my experience artificers can almost always supply what is needed.

Of course, in a monty haul campaign, when the party have more magic items than they know what to do with, the value is diminished.

 

[TwoSix]

I do know that KibbleTasty's Artificer class with its seven(?) subclasses most certainly does not suck.

Although it’s being renamed to “Inventor” in the Kickstarter. It’ll always be the real Artificer to me, though.