D&D 5E (2024) Which spells should level 11+ Artificers spam all the time?

[Cap'n Kobold]

Am I correct in reading that that ability allows anyone to use the spell storing item, not just the artificer?

Yep. No attunement, requirement to speak a command word etc. and it runs off your Intellegence, not the wielder's.

 

[Clint_L]

Yep. No attunement, requirement to speak a command word etc. and it runs off your Intellegence, not the wielder's.

I mean...wow. That's a REALLY powerful ability.

We're starting a new campaign, 11-20, and my spouse is playing a goblin artificer (battlesmith). I'm playing a monk. So they could effectively give my monk boots of haste. Though probably more fun to just cast haste on my monk as needed, and sit back and spam hail of thorns like someone gave a goblin a machine gun. That's going to be awesome. Those Red Wizards are in trouble.

 

[Cap'n Kobold]

I mean...wow. That's a REALLY powerful ability.

We're starting a new campaign, 11-20, and my spouse is playing a goblin artificer (battlesmith). I'm playing a monk. So they could effectively give my monk boots of haste. Though probably more fun to just cast haste on my monk as needed, and sit back and spam hail of thorns like someone gave a goblin a machine gun. That's going to be awesome. Those Red Wizards are in trouble.

There is still concentration as a limiting factor, but it is the person using the item who has to maintain the spell. So you can spread around the same spell to different people more easily.

Yes, its powerful. But compared to 4th and 5th level spell access? Particularly since the Artificer spell list is not good and doesn't contain many applicable spells.
So the Battle Smith gets to indeed spam a very good spell. Alchemist, not so much.

 

[Zardnaar]

There is still concentration as a limiting factor, but it is the person using the item who has to maintain the spell. So you can spread around the same spell to different people more easily.

Yes, its powerful. But compared to 4th and 5th level spell access? Particularly since the Artificer spell list is not good and doesn't contain many applicable spells.
So the Battle Smith gets to indeed spam a very good spell. Alchemist, not so much.

3 of them have good spammable spells.

Alchemist and Cartographer not so much.

Ill let them upcast I think. Guiding bolt lvl 3 and Cure aren't awful.

 

[Clint_L]

My spouse did take arcane barrage for their battlesmith's spell storing item...and gave it to their steel defender, since anyone can use it. Then they asked me if they can also cast arcane barrage on the same turn and I think...yes? Is that right?

 

[BenjaminPey]

My spouse did take arcane barrage for their battlesmith's spell storing item...and gave it to their steel defender, since anyone can use it. Then they asked me if they can also cast arcane barrage on the same turn and I think...yes? Is that right?

Conjure Barrage, I guess?
Yes, the Steel Defender can cast it on the same turn the Artificer does, provided that the Artificer uses their Bonus Action to give this order to the Steel Defender. (Otherwise, the Defender can only take the Dodge Action, not the Magic Action.)

 

[Ancalagon]

In my opinion, Conjure Barrage is borderline OP, and thus is the best pick.

In 5.0, conjure barrage had pretty poor damage but it was balanced by the fact the area of effect was huge and it didn't hit allies. 5.5 boosted the damage from 3d8 to 5d8 - still a d8 short of fireball damage, but more respectable. This means you can "sweep" the entire battlefield and damage every foe without hurting your allies.

I'm not sure that it is OP because at the level you get this (11), 5d8 isn't that much damage. It's often been said that good spellcasters should start a battle with a "decisive" spell - incapacitate a key foe with a spell, cut the battlefield in half (divide and conquer) with a wall, summon a powerful creature right besides the enemy spellcaster. That way on round 1 you have created a significant advantage for your party right form the start.

If you do 5d8 damage to everyone, you might kill a few minions... and even then! 5d8 won't even reliably kill gnolls (average is 22.5, gnoll warrior has 27 hp...). So all you've done is "soften up" the foes a little bit, but you haven't hindered them in any real way. It would take three rounds to kill an ogre (4 to be sure).

So it certainly helps, but it's not decisive. However, if you engineer a situation where a familiar or other "not PC-level powered" is using the item while the battlesmith is doing other things... it's preeeety good.

 

[Clint_L]

In my opinion, Conjure Barrage is borderline OP, and thus is the best pick.

In 5.0, conjure barrage had pretty poor damage but it was balanced by the fact the area of effect was huge and it didn't hit allies. 5.5 boosted the damage from 3d8 to 5d8 - still a d8 short of fireball damage, but more respectable. This means you can "sweep" the entire battlefield and damage every foe without hurting your allies.

I'm not sure that it is OP because at the level you get this (11), 5d8 isn't that much damage. It's often been said that good spellcasters should start a battle with a "decisive" spell - incapacitate a key foe with a spell, cut the battlefield in half (divide and conquer) with a wall, summon a powerful creature right besides the enemy spellcaster. That way on round 1 you have created a significant advantage for your party right form the start.

If you do 5d8 damage to everyone, you might kill a few minions... and even then! 5d8 won't even reliably kill gnolls (average is 22.5, gnoll warrior has 27 hp...). So all you've done is "soften up" the foes a little bit, but you haven't hindered them in any real way. It would take three rounds to kill an ogre (4 to be sure).

So it certainly helps, but it's not decisive. However, if you engineer a situation where a familiar or other "not PC-level powered" is using the item while the battlesmith is doing other things... it's preeeety good.

That’s what I’m thinking. And a level 11 artificer can’t really do those other options. Certainly any minions the Red Wizards bring to the party are in for a world of hurt…

 

[Zardnaar]

In my opinion, Conjure Barrage is borderline OP, and thus is the best pick.

In 5.0, conjure barrage had pretty poor damage but it was balanced by the fact the area of effect was huge and it didn't hit allies. 5.5 boosted the damage from 3d8 to 5d8 - still a d8 short of fireball damage, but more respectable. This means you can "sweep" the entire battlefield and damage every foe without hurting your allies.

I'm not sure that it is OP because at the level you get this (11), 5d8 isn't that much damage. It's often been said that good spellcasters should start a battle with a "decisive" spell - incapacitate a key foe with a spell, cut the battlefield in half (divide and conquer) with a wall, summon a powerful creature right besides the enemy spellcaster. That way on round 1 you have created a significant advantage for your party right form the start.

If you do 5d8 damage to everyone, you might kill a few minions... and even then! 5d8 won't even reliably kill gnolls (average is 22.5, gnoll warrior has 27 hp...). So all you've done is "soften up" the foes a little bit, but you haven't hindered them in any real way. It would take three rounds to kill an ogre (4 to be sure).

So it certainly helps, but it's not decisive. However, if you engineer a situation where a familiar or other "not PC-level powered" is using the item while the battlesmith is doing other things... it's preeeety good.

Only one subclass gets that spell.