Unearthed Arcana Unearthed Arcana: The Artificer Is Here! & UA Schedule Changes

Not liking the shape of this. It's certainly powerful in a batman-utility sort of way, but I didn't expect the Artificer to become a "Must Have Pet" class. My potion thrower is gone, and the party Beastmaster is giving me side-eye.

Unless you can put Returning Weapon on the potions you throw.

 

[Ash Mantle]

Dragon+: Jeremy Crawford on the Artificer, 3/6/19

Jeremy Crawford explains the reasoning behind the direction they've taken with the artificer, the focus on its background as a staple of Eberron and also its intention to be used in other settings, and there'll be more subclasses for the artificer in coming UAs.

Don't forget to fill out the UA survey that'll also be out soon.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Have you thought about an artificer in Dark Sun. Maybe a psionic version, but I am thinking about something like biopunk (life-shape) tech.

 

[Savevsdeath]

I love literally everything about this new Artificer and i absolutely, sincerely hope this is pretty much what we're getting in Wayfinder's. I can actually make my Final Fantasy 14 Machinist, complete with magitek turrets and firearms, in D&D. That is exciting and so very cool that i could not be happier. WoTC nailed this one as far as i'm concerned.

Now...i know some people are all 'get your darn vidja games out of my D&D!' but please....don't dismiss what you personally dislike, even at your table as a GM. D&D needs to grow and evolve, gain new players and incorporate new ideas into its version of fantasy. Let's embrace rather than deny, because if we don't the number of people who love 'your' fantasy will begin to dwindle over time as your vision diverges from what newer generations of gamers grew up with. Adapt, embrace, incorporate - don't cross your arms, turn up your nose and poo-poo the new.

 

[NaturalZero]

I was watching the video and thinking about how JC was saying that the artificer will be able to use firearms but that they won't necessarily be baked into the class. I think i could be as cool with this as anything as long as we get a stand-alone module with gun rules that work a little better than the DMG ones. At the least, there needs to be an official feat to address reload issues.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

I've been thinking about this recently, and at first I felt the same way (still do to some extent) but I started looking at it through another lense.

They're free at first, with additional uses of them costing a 1st level spell, so I started comparing them to 1st level spells and full stop I would 100% be fine with that cost. They're far better than 1st level spells, both of them probably being more along the lines of a strong 2nd level spell or a weaker 3rd level spell. So with that in mind, I'm fine with them not scaling. I still wish they did, but I don't think it's strictly necessary with all the benefit you're getting from them for relatively low cost.

I wouldn't have made the pets baseline, but have them as options that come out of the Artificer's infusion budget. I would still expect them to be baseline and/or receive bonuses in a subclass based around one or more constructed pets though.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

I was watching the video and thinking about how JC was saying that the artificer will be able to use firearms but that they won't necessarily be baked into the class. I think i could be as cool with this as anything as long as we get a stand-alone module with gun rules that work a little better than the DMG ones. At the least, there needs to be an official feat to address reload issues.

Reload issues?

How do the gun rules in the DMG not work?

 

[Terran5891]

I love literally everything about this new Artificer and i absolutely, sincerely hope this is pretty much what we're getting in Wayfinder's. I can actually make my Final Fantasy 14 Machinist, complete with magitek turrets and firearms, in D&D. That is exciting and so very cool that i could not be happier. WoTC nailed this one as far as i'm concerned.

Now...i know some people are all 'get your darn vidja games out of my D&D!' but please....don't dismiss what you personally dislike, even at your table as a GM. D&D needs to grow and evolve, gain new players and incorporate new ideas into its version of fantasy. Let's embrace rather than deny, because if we don't the number of people who love 'your' fantasy will begin to dwindle over time as your vision diverges from what newer generations of gamers grew up with. Adapt, embrace, incorporate - don't cross your arms, turn up your nose and poo-poo the new.

I agree. The only thing I can see them doing to improve the class would be letting us expend spell slots to supercharge the turret or allow the homunculus to do something special. Just so they have the sense of scaling at higher levels even if they really stay the same.

 

[Azzy]

Reload issues?

How do the gun rules in the DMG not work?

The Renaissance guns in the DMG have the loading property—like crossbows. I'm presuming the "reloading issues" is that loading and multiple attacks don't play nice with each other.

 

[NaturalZero]

Reload issues?

How do the gun rules in the DMG not work?

The artificer gets Extra Attack but can't actually use it with firearms, unless you're using the OP modern weapons. Crossbow only gets a pass because there's a feat.

 

[cbwjm]

The artificer gets Extra Attack but can't actually use it with firearms, unless you're using the OP modern weapons. Crossbow only gets a pass because there's a feat.

Then make a firearm mastery feat for firearms?