D&D 5E (2024) What's New with the Artificer in Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

[pukunui]

I like the idea of the Battle Smith, but I don’t like pets. I wish you could have the pet be optional.

 

[Zaukrie]

I like the idea of the Battle Smith, but I don’t like pets. I wish you could have the pet be optional.

Agreed

 

[pukunui]

Agreed

Don’t get me wrong! I love pets in real life. I have two cats I adore. I just don’t like pets in D&D, and I don’t like it when they’re baked into the class mechanics.

Something like the beast master ranger makes sense - it’s in the very name! (And I get why such classes exist - because some people do like pets in D&D, and this seems to be the best way to make them viable.)

Nothing about “Battle Smith” says “pet” to me. Then again, “Battle Smith” doesn’t really say “combat medic” either. But anyway, I want a Battle Smith artificer who doesn’t have a pet. Since that doesn’t exist, if I were to play an artificer, I’d go with artillerist. At least their cannons don’t have to be autonomous.

 

[WanderingMystic]

I like the idea of the Battle Smith, but I don’t like pets. I wish you could have the pet be optional.

Hopefully we will eventually get a weapon Smith style sub class.

The homunculus you can at least have attached to your ranged weapon or sitting on your shoulder and just remember that it takes air damage.

 

[pukunui]

Hopefully we will eventually get a weapon Smith style sub class.

The homunculus you can at least have attached to your ranged weapon or sitting on your shoulder and just remember that it takes air damage.

Yes. Exactly! I’m cool with the familiar-like homunculus, either as an infusion or a spell. It’s optional. You don’t have to have one.

A pet-less Battle Smith would fall into the same category as a spell-less ranger. It requires new mechanics to replace the pet.

 

[WanderingMystic]

Yup. They were a bad half caster, bad warrior and a bad expert. And bad at support. Still seems like the worst class.

Original one did get better around level 10ish.

They are standardly out damaging a ranger by level 5 and keep up with a paladin. The free 1d6+2 attack every round goes a long way to help them. The flash of genius helps compeat with the aura of a paladin. Don't forget that you can get a free wand of magic missiles every day which 2 rounds of level 3 magical missile that can be used by your homunculus. You can then replace it with something else and /or get a 2nd level spell slot back

I am by no way saying that they are top tier but I think they are better than rangers and on par with rogues. Lagging behind paladins by a little bit paladins are a little op