Chronologist
First Post
This version of the Artificer is somewhere between the original, the Tinker from the World of Warcraft book, and an Alchemist. It is more balanced, trading early access to spells for 6th level Weird Science Inventions. They lose feats early on, but gain more customization options, making them more like a unique class than “just a fighting Wizard with crappy casting”. They also gain a signature energy type that they use, and can resist more easily than others.
Weird Science creations are also called Inventions, for short.
Artificer (My version)
HD: d8
Skill points: 4 + Int per level
Skills: Same
Alignment: Any
Proficiencies: Light and Medium armor, Simple weapons, non-Tower shields
Level Bab Fort Ref Will Special
1 0 0 2 2 Arcane Attunement, Master Craftsman +2
2 1 0 3 3 Schema
3 2 1 3 3 Favored Energy, Energy Resistance 5
4 3 1 4 4 Schema
5 3 1 4 4 Salvage
6 4 2 5 5 Schema
7 5 2 5 5 Energy Resistance 10
8 6 2 6 6 Schema
9 6 3 6 6 Master Craftsman +4
10 7 3 7 7 Schema
11 8 3 7 7 Energy Resistance 15
12 9 4 8 8 Schema
13 9 4 8 8 Living Battery
14 10 4 9 9 Schema
15 11 5 9 9 Energy Resistance 20
16 12 5 10 10 Schema
17 12 5 10 10 Master Craftsman +6
18 13 6 11 11 Schema
19 14 6 11 11 Energy Immunity
20 15 6 12 12 Schema
Arcane Attunement: Artificers know a smattering of magic, enough to do some minor tricks with equipment. An artificer learns 3+Int cantrips at 1st level, which can be used at will like normal cantrips. Treat Artificer level as caster level.
Master Craftsman: An Artificer is extremely gifted when it comes to creating any sort of item. At 1st level she receives a +2 bonus to all Craft checks. At 9th and 17th level this bonus increases by 2. In addition, an Artificer is considered a Wizard for determining her ability to learn item creation feats, and she can make any magical item involving a spell that a Wizard of her effective level could know.
Favored Energy: At 3rd level an Artificer selects a kind of energy type (fire, cold, acid electricity, sonic). Whenever a Weird Science device the Artificer builds would emulate a spell that does energy damage, an Artificer can make it do this type of damage instead. If the Artificer chooses sonic damage as her favored energy, reduce the damage die type of all converted spells by one step.
Energy Resistance: An Artificer knows how to work with her favored energy, and is used to the effects. At 3rd level she receives 5 points of energy resistance against her favored energy type. At 7th, 11th, and 15th level this resistance increases by 5. At 19th level the Artificer becomes immune to that form of energy damage.
Salvage: At 5th level, an Artificer can take the GP value of the item and put it towards the value of creating another magical item. The Artificer takes ½ the current GP value of any item in her possession, destroys it, then adds that value towards the cost of any magical item she immediately begins to create.
Living Battery: At 13th level an Artificer can turned energy damage she absorbs into energy to fuel her Weird Science inventions. Once per day per 4 Artificer levels, she can convert damage absorbed with her natural Artificer energy resistance/immunity into her Weird Science. Every 5 points of damage absorbed recharges a single level 1 Invention; it takes 10 damage to recharge a level 2 invention, 15 points to recharge a level 3 invention, and so forth. Any combination of Inventions can be recharged this way as long as you have absorbed enough energy. Spells like Resist Energy conflict with this ability; energy absorbed by them do not count towards this total. This ability only works when the energy damage is being inflicted by enemies of the Artificer (ex. An attacking Dragon’s fiery breath), or by completely natural phenomena (an Electricity Artificer being struck by completely natural lightning)
Schema: Over time an Artificer learns how to craft various kinds of items, how to augment spells, and how to modify her Weird Science inventions on the fly. An Artificer learns one Schema at 2nd level and every 2 levels after that.
Item Creation: An Artificer who chooses this Schema learns an item creation feat. She must still meet the prerequisites for the feat (such as Caster Level 5 for the Craft Wand feat). An Artificer may take this Schema multiple times, each time she may choose another item creation feat to learn.
Metamagic: An Artificer who chooses this Schema learns a metamagic feat. Metamagic feats can be applied to Weird Science inventions upon their creation. An Artificer can take this Schema multiple times, each time she may choose another metamagic feat to learn.
Magical Aptitude: An Artificer gains one of the following feats: Skill Focus (Craft), Skill Focus (Use Magic Device), Magical Aptitude, Spell Focus, Improved Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, Improved Spell Penetration. Spell Focus and Penetration apply to the Artificer’s Weird Science inventions. Substitute Artificer level for Caster level. The Artificer must still meet any other prerequisites for the feat.
Overload: An Artificer with this Schema can cause an Invention to overload and explode with deadly force. The Invention can be rigged to explode and then thrown up to 30 feet as a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity. The Invention explodes upon impact, dealing 1d6 damage per 2 Artificer levels (rounded down) in a 10 foot radius. The damage type is the same as the Artificer’s Favored Energy. The Invention is destroyed upon impact. An Artificer must be at least 4th level in order to take this Schema.
Improved Overload: Prerequisites: Overload Schema. An Artificer with this Schema can design his inventions with more powerful detonators. For each Invention level the Weird Science device has, it does an additional 1d6 damage. An Artificer must be at least 8th level in order to take this Schema.
Exceed Safe Levels: An Artificer with this Schema can increase the potency of her Weird Science devices by pushing them beyond their normal limits. 3+ Int modifier times per day, as a swift action the Artificer’s effective caster level increases by 1 for any Invention she uses that round. For every 6 levels past 6, an Artificer may take this Schema again; its effects stack. An Artificer must be at least 6th level in order to choose this Schema.
Ovechannel: An Artificer with this Schema can make his Weird Science devices harder to resist. 3 + Int modifier times per day, as a swift action the save DC of any Weird Science item she uses increases 1 for any Invention she uses that round. For every 6 levels past 6, an Artificer may take this Schema again; its effects stack. An Artificer must be at least 6th level in order to choose this Schema.
Surge of Metamagic: An Artificer with this Schema can send a surge of magic into any held magical item (but not Weird Science device). He can apply any Metamagic feat to a wand or staff by expending an additional number of charges from the wand or staff equal to the spell level adjustment of the Metamagic feat. An Artificer must be at least 6th level in order to choose this Schema.
Life Force Transfer: An Artificer with this Schema can recharge his body with his Weird Science… or the other way around. A number of times per day equal to 3 + the Artificer’s Intelligence modifier, he may choose to either recharge or drain a Weird Science device. Recharging a device drains a number of hit points equal to (2 x spell level x maximum charges); the device then recovers all lost charges as though it had not been used that day. This damage cannot be healed by any means other than draining a device or resting for 8 hours. Draining a device heals the Artificer a number of hit points equal to (2 x spell level x total remaining charges). Both uses of this ability require a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity. An Artificer must be at least 8th level in order to select this Schema.
Improved Life Force Transfer. Prerequisite: Life Force Transfer Schema. An Artificer with this Schema can use Life Force Transfer to drain or recharge wands, staves, and other magical items. This ability functions exactly like Life Force Transfer, only use (5 x spell level x charges) for both recharging and draining. Recharging only lasts until the Artificer next rests, and magical items are permanently drained. Magical items without charges (such as a Headband of Intellect) cannot be recharged or drained. An Artificer must be at least 12th level to select this Schema.
Other Schema currently in the works, they should all be about as useful as an Alchemist’s Discoveries.
Weird Science Inventions*
Level 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 3 1
5 4 2
6 4 3
7 4 3 1
8 4 4 2
9 4 4 3
10 4 4 3 1
11 4 4 4 2
12 4 4 4 3
13 4 4 4 3 1
14 4 4 4 4 2
15 4 4 4 4 3
16 4 4 4 4 3 1
17 4 4 4 4 4 2
18 4 4 4 4 4 3
19 4 4 4 4 4 3
20 4 4 4 4 4 4
The above table shows the number of Weird Science inventions that can be had at any given time. An Artificer must have an intelligence score of 10 + the Invention’s level in order to create it. Inventions take 4 hours per level to prepare, and emulate a Cleric or Wizard spell of the same level. The save DC is always 10 + ½ artificer level + Intelligence modifier, regardless or apparent spell level. Artificers are considered to know ALL Cleric and Wizard spells when creating their Inventions. Metamagic feats can be applied to the spells in an Invention, increasing the overall Invention level.
Each Invention can be used a number of times per day equal to ½ your artificer level.
*You may prepare additional inventions each day depending on your Intelligence score, as shown below.
Bonus Inventions By Intelligence
Intelligence 1 2 3 4 5 6
11 or less / / / / / /
12-13 1 / / / / /
14-15 1 1 / / / /
16-17 1 1 1 / / /
18-19 1 1 1 1 / /
20-21 2 1 1 1 1 /
22-23 2 2 1 1 1 1
24-25 2 2 2 1 1 1
26-27 3 2 2 2 1 1
28-29 3 3 2 2 2 1
30-31 3 3 3 2 2 2
Weird Science creations are also called Inventions, for short.
Artificer (My version)
HD: d8
Skill points: 4 + Int per level
Skills: Same
Alignment: Any
Proficiencies: Light and Medium armor, Simple weapons, non-Tower shields
Level Bab Fort Ref Will Special
1 0 0 2 2 Arcane Attunement, Master Craftsman +2
2 1 0 3 3 Schema
3 2 1 3 3 Favored Energy, Energy Resistance 5
4 3 1 4 4 Schema
5 3 1 4 4 Salvage
6 4 2 5 5 Schema
7 5 2 5 5 Energy Resistance 10
8 6 2 6 6 Schema
9 6 3 6 6 Master Craftsman +4
10 7 3 7 7 Schema
11 8 3 7 7 Energy Resistance 15
12 9 4 8 8 Schema
13 9 4 8 8 Living Battery
14 10 4 9 9 Schema
15 11 5 9 9 Energy Resistance 20
16 12 5 10 10 Schema
17 12 5 10 10 Master Craftsman +6
18 13 6 11 11 Schema
19 14 6 11 11 Energy Immunity
20 15 6 12 12 Schema
Arcane Attunement: Artificers know a smattering of magic, enough to do some minor tricks with equipment. An artificer learns 3+Int cantrips at 1st level, which can be used at will like normal cantrips. Treat Artificer level as caster level.
Master Craftsman: An Artificer is extremely gifted when it comes to creating any sort of item. At 1st level she receives a +2 bonus to all Craft checks. At 9th and 17th level this bonus increases by 2. In addition, an Artificer is considered a Wizard for determining her ability to learn item creation feats, and she can make any magical item involving a spell that a Wizard of her effective level could know.
Favored Energy: At 3rd level an Artificer selects a kind of energy type (fire, cold, acid electricity, sonic). Whenever a Weird Science device the Artificer builds would emulate a spell that does energy damage, an Artificer can make it do this type of damage instead. If the Artificer chooses sonic damage as her favored energy, reduce the damage die type of all converted spells by one step.
Energy Resistance: An Artificer knows how to work with her favored energy, and is used to the effects. At 3rd level she receives 5 points of energy resistance against her favored energy type. At 7th, 11th, and 15th level this resistance increases by 5. At 19th level the Artificer becomes immune to that form of energy damage.
Salvage: At 5th level, an Artificer can take the GP value of the item and put it towards the value of creating another magical item. The Artificer takes ½ the current GP value of any item in her possession, destroys it, then adds that value towards the cost of any magical item she immediately begins to create.
Living Battery: At 13th level an Artificer can turned energy damage she absorbs into energy to fuel her Weird Science inventions. Once per day per 4 Artificer levels, she can convert damage absorbed with her natural Artificer energy resistance/immunity into her Weird Science. Every 5 points of damage absorbed recharges a single level 1 Invention; it takes 10 damage to recharge a level 2 invention, 15 points to recharge a level 3 invention, and so forth. Any combination of Inventions can be recharged this way as long as you have absorbed enough energy. Spells like Resist Energy conflict with this ability; energy absorbed by them do not count towards this total. This ability only works when the energy damage is being inflicted by enemies of the Artificer (ex. An attacking Dragon’s fiery breath), or by completely natural phenomena (an Electricity Artificer being struck by completely natural lightning)
Schema: Over time an Artificer learns how to craft various kinds of items, how to augment spells, and how to modify her Weird Science inventions on the fly. An Artificer learns one Schema at 2nd level and every 2 levels after that.
Item Creation: An Artificer who chooses this Schema learns an item creation feat. She must still meet the prerequisites for the feat (such as Caster Level 5 for the Craft Wand feat). An Artificer may take this Schema multiple times, each time she may choose another item creation feat to learn.
Metamagic: An Artificer who chooses this Schema learns a metamagic feat. Metamagic feats can be applied to Weird Science inventions upon their creation. An Artificer can take this Schema multiple times, each time she may choose another metamagic feat to learn.
Magical Aptitude: An Artificer gains one of the following feats: Skill Focus (Craft), Skill Focus (Use Magic Device), Magical Aptitude, Spell Focus, Improved Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, Improved Spell Penetration. Spell Focus and Penetration apply to the Artificer’s Weird Science inventions. Substitute Artificer level for Caster level. The Artificer must still meet any other prerequisites for the feat.
Overload: An Artificer with this Schema can cause an Invention to overload and explode with deadly force. The Invention can be rigged to explode and then thrown up to 30 feet as a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity. The Invention explodes upon impact, dealing 1d6 damage per 2 Artificer levels (rounded down) in a 10 foot radius. The damage type is the same as the Artificer’s Favored Energy. The Invention is destroyed upon impact. An Artificer must be at least 4th level in order to take this Schema.
Improved Overload: Prerequisites: Overload Schema. An Artificer with this Schema can design his inventions with more powerful detonators. For each Invention level the Weird Science device has, it does an additional 1d6 damage. An Artificer must be at least 8th level in order to take this Schema.
Exceed Safe Levels: An Artificer with this Schema can increase the potency of her Weird Science devices by pushing them beyond their normal limits. 3+ Int modifier times per day, as a swift action the Artificer’s effective caster level increases by 1 for any Invention she uses that round. For every 6 levels past 6, an Artificer may take this Schema again; its effects stack. An Artificer must be at least 6th level in order to choose this Schema.
Ovechannel: An Artificer with this Schema can make his Weird Science devices harder to resist. 3 + Int modifier times per day, as a swift action the save DC of any Weird Science item she uses increases 1 for any Invention she uses that round. For every 6 levels past 6, an Artificer may take this Schema again; its effects stack. An Artificer must be at least 6th level in order to choose this Schema.
Surge of Metamagic: An Artificer with this Schema can send a surge of magic into any held magical item (but not Weird Science device). He can apply any Metamagic feat to a wand or staff by expending an additional number of charges from the wand or staff equal to the spell level adjustment of the Metamagic feat. An Artificer must be at least 6th level in order to choose this Schema.
Life Force Transfer: An Artificer with this Schema can recharge his body with his Weird Science… or the other way around. A number of times per day equal to 3 + the Artificer’s Intelligence modifier, he may choose to either recharge or drain a Weird Science device. Recharging a device drains a number of hit points equal to (2 x spell level x maximum charges); the device then recovers all lost charges as though it had not been used that day. This damage cannot be healed by any means other than draining a device or resting for 8 hours. Draining a device heals the Artificer a number of hit points equal to (2 x spell level x total remaining charges). Both uses of this ability require a full-round action that provokes an attack of opportunity. An Artificer must be at least 8th level in order to select this Schema.
Improved Life Force Transfer. Prerequisite: Life Force Transfer Schema. An Artificer with this Schema can use Life Force Transfer to drain or recharge wands, staves, and other magical items. This ability functions exactly like Life Force Transfer, only use (5 x spell level x charges) for both recharging and draining. Recharging only lasts until the Artificer next rests, and magical items are permanently drained. Magical items without charges (such as a Headband of Intellect) cannot be recharged or drained. An Artificer must be at least 12th level to select this Schema.
Other Schema currently in the works, they should all be about as useful as an Alchemist’s Discoveries.
Weird Science Inventions*
Level 1 2 3 4 5 6
1 1
2 2
3 3
4 3 1
5 4 2
6 4 3
7 4 3 1
8 4 4 2
9 4 4 3
10 4 4 3 1
11 4 4 4 2
12 4 4 4 3
13 4 4 4 3 1
14 4 4 4 4 2
15 4 4 4 4 3
16 4 4 4 4 3 1
17 4 4 4 4 4 2
18 4 4 4 4 4 3
19 4 4 4 4 4 3
20 4 4 4 4 4 4
The above table shows the number of Weird Science inventions that can be had at any given time. An Artificer must have an intelligence score of 10 + the Invention’s level in order to create it. Inventions take 4 hours per level to prepare, and emulate a Cleric or Wizard spell of the same level. The save DC is always 10 + ½ artificer level + Intelligence modifier, regardless or apparent spell level. Artificers are considered to know ALL Cleric and Wizard spells when creating their Inventions. Metamagic feats can be applied to the spells in an Invention, increasing the overall Invention level.
Each Invention can be used a number of times per day equal to ½ your artificer level.
*You may prepare additional inventions each day depending on your Intelligence score, as shown below.
Bonus Inventions By Intelligence
Intelligence 1 2 3 4 5 6
11 or less / / / / / /
12-13 1 / / / / /
14-15 1 1 / / / /
16-17 1 1 1 / / /
18-19 1 1 1 1 / /
20-21 2 1 1 1 1 /
22-23 2 2 1 1 1 1
24-25 2 2 2 1 1 1
26-27 3 2 2 2 1 1
28-29 3 3 2 2 2 1
30-31 3 3 3 2 2 2
