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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FormerlyHemlock" data-source="post: 7706848" data-attributes="member: 6787650">Haven't read this thread yet, so forgive me if I'm repeating points others have made, but I want to get my first impressions on record before being contaminated ;-) by the hive mind:This class is all right. I'd probably allow it at my table. It doesn't excite my powergamer instincts, but it's interesting and has a few tricks.(1) I like the way they did the companion. The whole "you're assumed to have been working on it in your spare time" shtick may not seem important, but it helps set expectations just in case the Artificer turns level 6 right after having all of his possessions confiscated by a crafty lawyer or stranded on a desert island after going through a dimensional portal, and the DM says, "You can't have that companion--it was left back at home with all the rest of your stuff." Having that assumption explicitly stated up front makes me much happier with the class.From a power perspective, it's too bad Giant Constrictor Snakes aren't eligible. I'd probably want a Giant Toad (for the restraining) or some kind of flying mount like a Giant Owl, but really anything could work well enough. Rhinoceros, polar bear, horse--whatever the player feels is cool.I also find the "repair from 0 HP" part reasonable.(2) Mechanically, the Artificer looks quite a bit like a Rogue/Bard hybrid. That is, he can deal Rogue-like sneak attack damage at either short range (Alchemist) or medium-long range (Gunsmith--although the Gunsmith is more MAD) while wearing medium armor (no shield, interestingly) and also heal or bestow buffs on other party members.(3) Infuse Magic is the Artificer's single most interesting class ability. It lets you break the concentration limit on Haste; let other PCs cast self-buffs like Disguise Self, Expeditious Retreat, Blur, and Blink on themselves; and easily set up contingencies like a Revivify object which is usable by anyone in the party (including reviving you if you die). It's a bit unfortunate that a bonus action spell like Magic Weapon or Expeditious Retreat turns into an action spell which infused, but oh well, it's still good to have options.(4) Goggles of Night are an extremely powerful item in the right circumstances (Underdark adventures in large-ish caverns). It prevents drow from exploiting their darkvision advantage against you, and allows you to similarly exploit your darkvision advantage against others. Probably best if you give it to the party Sharpshooter instead of using it yourself though. Ditto bracers of archery, though of course a Gunsmith might covet those too. Decanter of Endless Water is always fun, and Alchemy Jug has potential despite its limited uses; Hat of Disguise is awesome. Overall I like the fact that there's a curated list of items instead of some rarity-governed metric. Most of the items on that list are more fun than powerful, which is fine for adding character to the class.(5) The fact that Artificers know Fabricate makes me happy.(6) I foresee Dwarvish Artificers with Thundercannons becoming a thing at my table.</blockquote>

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