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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Storme" data-source="post: 4061531" data-attributes="member: 56172">Specifically, try an Artificer if you have Ebberon Campaign Setting.As everyone knows who recognizes me, I think very few things others think are "broken" are actually broken.  BUT, the Artificer is definately more powerful than the designers intended.First, an Artificer can do anything.An Artificer can "imitate" any spell that can be cast by any other class.  They "Infuse" the spell into an item and can cast it the next round, or hold it for (I think) 1 minute per level.  The limitation is that they can only cast spells at a caster level 4 (or is it 2) levels below their own.Second, an Artificer focused on Blasting can do more damage than any other entity including any published god.Wands.  Wands is the key.  Get wand mastery feat (to increase the CL), make an Empowered Scorching Wand, or Twinned Scorching Wand.  Then when you shoot, use metamagic infusion and apply a metamagic feat you know like Twin or that other feat that applies a second type of energy the name of which escapes me.  If you do just this you will do 60d6 damage, or 30d6 maximized.  If you want to utterly obliterate everything you encounter that's not immune to makic, take the prestige class called Cannith Wand Adept from Sharn: City of Towers.  These guys can shoot two wands in one round.  120d6 anyone?And speaking of metamagic...You have an infusion (I think it's level 3), that allows you to apply metamagic that you know to any item you touch.  This is in addition to any that you've crafted into it, or any that you apply via metamagic infusion.  Suddenly maximized, twinned, empowered, three thundered, energy addmixtured and quickened (so you can fire twice in a round), is certainly doable if you want to burn off all your 3rd level infusions for the day.  Whats that?  250 maximezed d6 (or 1500 damage)?  Hmm...Saint Cuthbert WHO?  Oh...by the way...when you imitate a spell by adding it to an item, why not add a metamagic feat or two to it.  Now you're really working out!Build Build BuildTake the crafting feats that decrease item creation cost and xp.  You'll be making items often, and ALL of your good abilities COST xp.  Purchase a Thought Bottle (from Complete Arcane) for 20,000g, and see if your DM will allow its use to avoid xp cost when crafting.  Mine doesn't but some I know do.  If your evil, use that sacrifice ability from Book of Vile Darkness that applies free gp cost when crafting items.  Make healing belts for everyone in your party.  Make Tombs of Worldy Knowledge to help with problem solving.  Add enchantments to all your friends gear.  Add Speed to your fighters boots, Intelligence to our wizard's head gear, Wisdom to your cleric's amulet, Greater Move Silently to your rogues armor...and of course wands of Hoard Gullet, Wands of Scorching Rays, Wands of...Wands of...Wands of...Build Build Build.  Its really what you are for.Etch Schema like its graffitiMagic of Ebberon has Craft schema feat, allowing you to craft schema.  Schema are "scrolls" that can be cast on almost any surface (Your wizards staff, your rogues, sword, the inside of your fighter's shield).  These work like scrolls that can be cast once a day.  First level schema can be etched in one day for a measly 200g and a teeny bit of xp.  Add True Casting schemas up and down your wizard buddies staff, or Divine (Something...the one that increase your damage by X d6 if you take a little damage) to your rogue and fighters weapons.  Also, craft schema of your infusions that have long casting times so you can pop them off quick when you need to.  Oh...and Eternal Wands (wands that can be used twice a day) can save you lots of money for emergency effects and spells like Remove Curse, Water Breathing, Detects, etc.Buff your friends.Artificers most fun ability is to Buff their friends, applying magical effects to their weapons, shields and armor.  Add +5 total bonues to your buddies sword, making it flaming, acid, bane, and flaming surge.  Add SR, Greater Move Silently, Greater Stamina, or other features to your buddies (or your) armor.  Bad news is these buffs take 1 full minute to cast, but there is a feat that allows it to be cast in one round once a day.  In any case, this is something you do when you can prepare.  At 15th level, they will last for over 2 hours, so its worth taking 5 minutes to buff the heck out of your party before entering combat.  Make schema out of these infusions to speed up casting time when needed.Absorb items and trapsArtificers can "destroy" magic items and convert it into XP for use for future items.  This will save you LOTS of xp cost since ALL of your abilites cost xp.  There's a magical trap ahead?  Have your rogue (or you since you have Trapfinding, Disable Device, Search, and Open Locks), bypass the trap.  When you guys leave the dungeon, take an hour and absorbe the xp from the trap.  Also absorb cheap unwanted gear, and cursed items.  Free xp for crafting.Homonculi are your friendArtificers get Craft Homonculous for free.  Make the crafting homonculous (can't recall its name) in Magic of Eberron.  This is the ultimate guy.  Make a bag of holding or an item that casts Hoard Gullet (from Dragon Magic or Draconomicon...don't remember which) if you prefer comedy, and have this crafting assistant live inside.  Start crafting the item you want to make and work on it for one hour.  Then swallow it (using hoard gullet) or drop it in your bag of holding or portable hole and your homonculous will finish it for you!!!  Saves alot of down time and keeps  your going.  You can still only make one item at a time this way.You can wear armorUnlike weenie arcane casters, you can wear medium armor.  And you aren't affected by arcane penalties.  Your magic isn't arcane.  Make yourself some UBER UBER armor with all the enchantments you'd want.You have 200,000g.  Ask your DM how much of that can you use to represent items you create.  That's the core function of your class anyway.  This way, you'll have as much as double that amount in equipment you've made (200,000g cost you only 100,000g, baring the xp cost which as you can see, there are several ways to cushion that).Scrolls are your friendSince you can create any item, scribe scrolls with any spell of any class that you feel you might need at a moments notice.  Write a BUNCH of them often.  Create for yourself an Infinite Scroll case that can hold 50 scrolls and shoot them out to you as a swift action (I think), and keep it full at all times.  Bad news (or good news if you're a DM), other classes cannot scribe scrolls into their spell books using your scrolls because they don't really translate.Make sure you have a VERY HIGH Use Magic Item skill.  Almost everything you do requires a successful roll in this skill.Effigies...WowTake Craft Effigy feat.  And...check with your DM's ruling on this...Create constructs, preferrably dragons or other creatues with multiple forms of movement suhc as fly, swim, burrow, and APPLY TEMPLATES.  There is no ruling stating you cannot, but you must check with your DM to see if he approves.  Most templates can't be applied to the creature you can make an effigy out of, but I've found all the ones you can use.  If so, make a Spellstitched, Feiry, Dire, Warbeast, Monster of Legend, and/or Wendigo bronze dragon, lion, giant eagle, etc.  Make a small army of creatues that have every form of movement as well as perfect flight of 120, and 40+ on his strength stat.  These will be your mounts and bodyguards.Why should only Wizards have simulacrumsMake an army of Simulacrums...or at least key ones.  Find a Solar or Planetar.  Any metalic dragon simulacrum can change self to a more portable and adaptable form.  Bronze, Silver and Gold dragon simulacrums (at your level you'll be able to make a sim of any level 26 creatue).  Make a ghost sim (if your DM will allow it), or the ultimate Simulacrum: An Ethereal Doppleganger.  Make just a few, and store them and your effigies, animated object servants, etc in a Mirror of Life Trapping (if you can afford it...you might be able to make it...I don't remember the CL...you can craft items 2 CL higher than your own...in your case, 17th level), or keep them in a portable hole if your DM is silly enough to rule that sims don't need to breath.  Pop them out when you need them.Beyond that, read other features of the class.  The coolest thing about them is that if they need a particular spell cast, if its within the Artificers spell level range (at level 15 I THINK that gets you level 7 spells and certainly up to level 6), he can cast it at a moments notice by spending a bit of xp (like everything else he does).Down side.  Not many.  The only real one is that you will consitently expend nearly as much xp as you earn by simply operating as intended by the writers.  Pretty stupid if you ask me, but the class can truely do just about anything so this is the writer's paltry way of balancing them.Side note:No matter what you end up creating, if you have access to Tomb of Battle, take Martial Stance feat and choose any Stance of up to (I think) 4th level, maybe 3rd for a 15th level non-initiator class (half your character level to determine manuvers available).  Stances are effects that remain on at all times until you choose to turn them off.  For example, Fiery Blessing stance adds 1d6 fire damage to all your attacks.  One allows you to hide and move and attack at the same time and remain hidden.  There are dozens to choose from.  If you have that book, browes through it.  You can improve any class you chose.  Assassins Stance adds +2d6 sneak attack to any class!  Hehe.  Just make sure you meet the prerequistites if there are any.The Artificer truely is the most powerful class in the d20 reality by FAR.  Very far.  It is so overpowered its not funny.  I don't know what the writers of Ebberon were thinking.  Playing an Artificer takes a certain type of person because your DM will apply On The Spot House Rules to you several times every game session, so you'll need to be prepared for that.  He will quickly tire of your seeming omnipotence and frequently will do something about it.  Still, at level 15, by the time you're House Ruled beyond all recognition, you'll have one shot killed several demon lords, arch devils, and Great Wyrms.</blockquote>

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