D&D General Full Caster Artificer +

[Zardnaar]

Wow, I did not know that! I just looked it up! Player options: Spells & Magic. I'm pretty sure I have that book, but never made the connection.

I have skill focus: obscure D&D lore.

 

[WanderingMystic]

I have skill focus: obscure D&D lore.

See i would consider the Alchemist in Dragon magazine 2 for original d&d to be the first artificer in spirit if not in name.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

When I was looking at homebrewing Artificer, I basically made them full wizard spell progression with a very limited spell list, but the ability to invest spell slots to create items that remained as long as the spell slot remained invested.

This actually led to a more "traditional Vancian" playstyle where spell slots were not available to power any spell at the point of casting, but were chosen and invested into an effect before the adventuring day even started.

Some artificer flavour is just pure flavour that any caster can use: There is no mechanical difference in casting a fireball directly, creating a temporary scroll, or imbuing it into a crossbow bolt or wand at the point of casting. This appears the intended flavour of the current artificer spellcasting, but most casters could use that flavour.

What matters is the mechanics when the creation of items isn't so simple: creating effects due to magic items rather than spells, that might be passed to other members of the party for example.

 

[mellored]

I will clarify...

The idea is to give the artificer a limited form of full casting, much like the warlock but rather than having very few spell slots the artificer has multiple features that can be fueled by spell slots, and does not get the ability to burn class features to gain spell slots.

So.. full regular slots, but instead of prepared spells they get prepared items?

Prepared Items
At the end of a long rest you can select X of the following items. Use your Int for attacks and saves with the items.

Auto-Canon: Fire homing darts.
At-Will: Deal 1d4 damage to a target in range, increasing by 1d4 every 2 artificer levels.
Rapid Fire: expend a spell slot to attack each creature it into a cone or a line. The size depends on the slot spent.

Grenade
At-will: toss the grenade to cause an explosion for 2d6 force damage in a 10' burst with a Dex save for half. The grenade remains inactive until you (and only you) spend a bonus action to rearm it. The damage increases by 1d6 per 2 artificer levels.
Inferno Grenade: expend a spell slot when you toss the grenade, and it creates a zone of fire for 1 minute. Any creature that ends it's turn in the zone takes 1d6 fire damage times the spell level spent.


You'd need to write a lot of those, but no more than warlock invocations.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

So.. full regular slots, but instead of prepared spells they get prepared items?

My preference is to have both prepared spells and items, and spell slots can fuel both. Because there is no reason to create an item to cast absorb elements when you can just cast absorb elements.

Prepared Items
At the end of a long rest you can select X of the following items. Use your Int for attacks and saves with the items.

Auto-Canon: Fire homing darts.
At-Will: Deal 1d4 damage to a target in range, increasing by 1d4 every 2 artificer levels.
Rapid Fire: expend a spell slot to attack each creature it into a cone or a line. The size depends on the slot spent.

Grenade
At-will: toss the grenade to cause an explosion for 2d6 force damage in a 10' burst with a Dex save for half. The grenade remains inactive until you (and only you) spend a bonus action to rearm it. The damage increases by 1d6 per 2 artificer levels.
Inferno Grenade: expend a spell slot when you toss the grenade, and it creates a zone of fire for 1 minute. Any creature that ends it's turn in the zone takes 1d6 fire damage times the spell level spent.


You'd need to write a lot of those, but no more than warlock invocations.

Way more than warlock invocations, if you want to replace spells with it rather than adding them on top of spells.

 

[mellored]

My preference is to have both prepared spells and items, and spell slots can fuel both. Because there is no reason to create an item to cast absorb elements when you can just cast absorb elements.

Then what would items do that spells wouldn't?

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Then what would items do that spells wouldn't?

that will largely be where the bulk of any new mechanics and effects live, as well as stuff that makes sense to be passively permanent, and 'meta' effects that change how spells and oyher features work.

The concept is that artificers can store, transfer, and transform, magical energy, and apply that ability to magitech engineering to create devices. Their spells are either conjurations, tramsmutstions, abjurations, or evocations, and will be either very simple or directly involve an item in the fiction of the spell.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I've replaced flash of genius with Helpful Mastery

When you help another character with a task such as crafting that benefits from multiple participants, your help counts as if you were two people.
When an ally fails a d20 test while within 20ft of you [this will scale later on down the road to 30ft at level 9, and then 60ft at level 15], you can use the Help Action as a Reaction to allow that ally to reroll the d20 test.
You can do so a number of times equal to your Intelligence Modifier (minimum 1), and regain all uses when you complete a short or long rest. You can also regain a single use of this ability by spending a spell slot.

At level 11 you gain another ability that lets you add your Int mod to a check that you Help an ally with.

This will be the only base class feature that isn't a spell that is oriented to support, and should be all the class needs for support.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I also intend to add an ability at some level that lets you burn a spell slot to temporarily charge an Invention, going past your normal limit on them. These temporarily charged inventions only last for 1 hour per spell slot level, rather than being permanent unless deactivated.

Combined with being able to swap between inventions during a short or long rest, and the ability to learn new inventions during play, this will be a very very versatile class.

As such, I may reduce the number of spell slots of level 1-5, or even change it to a short rest spell slot model, but for now I will finish designing it as full caster 1-5 with Masterwork Inventions to cast singular spells above that.


for an idea of the shape of things

At level 1 you get spellcasting with the same number of spells and slots as a wizard, and 1 invention.

 

[Horwath]

I've replaced flash of genius with Helpful Mastery

When you help another character with a task such as crafting that benefits from multiple participants, your help counts as if you were two people.
When an ally fails a d20 test while within 20ft of you [this will scale later on down the road to 30ft at level 9, and then 60ft at level 15], you can use the Help Action as a Reaction to allow that ally to reroll the d20 test.
You can do so a number of times equal to your Intelligence Modifier (minimum 1), and regain all uses when you complete a short or long rest. You can also regain a single use of this ability by spending a spell slot.

At level 11 you gain another ability that lets you add your Int mod to a check that you Help an ally with.

This will be the only base class feature that isn't a spell that is oriented to support, and should be all the class needs for support.

seems like a good idea,but please no.
If I never see re-roll mechanic in 5E it will be too soon.

I will replace EVERY re-roll with flat +/- 5 to the roll.