Design Note

This class uses the optional Crafting a Magic Item rules from Dungeon Master's Guide (p. 128-129). For simplicity's sake, the price for all magic items use its minimum. On the DM's discretion, some or all magic items may require additional cost for the purpose of crafting, aside from normal restrictions.

Quick Build

You can make an artificer quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Intelligence, followed by Constitution or Dexterity. Second, choose the guild artisan background.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d8 per artificer level
• Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per artificer level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons
• Tools: Three artisan's tools of your choice

• Saving Throws: Constitution, Intelligence
• Skills: Choose three from Arcana, Deception, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Religion, Sleight of Hand

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) a handaxe and a light hammer or (b) one simple weapon
• (a) A light crossbow and 20 bolts or (b) one simple weapon
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• Leather armor and two tools of your choice

Artificer Specialist

At 1st level, you choose the type of Artificer Specialist you are: Alchemist Gunsmith, Effigy Master, or Hextech Knight. Each Specialist options are detailed at the end of the class description.

Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level.

Magic Item Analysis

Starting at 1st level, your understanding of magic items allows you to analyze and understand their secrets.

You know the detect magic and identify spells and can cast them as rituals. You do not need to provide a material component when casting identify with this class feature.

Alchemical Initiate

Also starting at 1st level, you have an Alchemist's Satchel, a bag of reagents that you use to create a variety of concoctions.

When you first acquire your Alchemist's Satchel, the satchel has uses equal to half your artificer level plus your Intelligence modifier, rounded down (minimum of one use). You can recharge one use of your Alchemist's Satchel by filling it with rare alchemical ingredients and containers for the concoction over the course of 2 minutes for each use, which can be performed over the course of short rest or long rest.

As an action, you can expend one use of your Alchemist's Satchel to reach into the satchel and pull out an Alchemical Formula option of your choice. The bag and its contents are both magical, and this magic allows you to pull out exactly the right materials you need for your Alchemical Formula options.

If you lose this satchel, you can create a new one over the course of three days of work (eight hours each day) by expending 100 gp worth of leather, glass, and other raw materials.

Spellcasting

When you reach 2nd level, you gain the ability to cast spells as a part of your study of magic. The spells you learn are limited in scope, primarily concerned with modifying creatures and objects or creating items.

Spell Slots. The Artificer table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher. You know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the artificer spell list.

The Spells Known column of the Artificer table shows when you learn more artificer spells of your choice from this feature. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots on the Artificer table.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the artificer spells you know from this feature and replace it with another spell from the artificer spell list. The new spell must also be of a level for which you have spell slots on the Artificer table.

Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your artificer spells. You use your Intelligence modifier whenever a artificer spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a artificer spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Tool Expertise

Also starting at 2nd level, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses any of the tool proficiencies you gained from this class.

Infuse Magic

When you reach 3rd level, you gain the ability to channel your artificer spells into objects for later use. When you cast an artificer spell with a casting time of 1 action, you can increase its casting time to 1 minute. If you do so and hold a nonmagical item throughout the casting, you expend a spell slot, but none of the spell's effects occur. Instead, the spell transfers into that item for later use if the item doesn’t already contain a spell from this feature.

Any creature holding the item thereafter can use an action to activate the spell if the creature has an Intelligence score of at least 6. The spell is cast using your spellcasting ability, targeting the creature that activates the item. If the spell targets more than one creature, the creature that activates the item selects the additional targets. If the spell has an area of effect, it is centered on the item. If the spell’s range is self, it targets the creature that activates the item.

When you infuse a spell in this way, it must be used within 8 hours. After that time, its magic fades and is wasted.

You can have a limited number of infused spells at the same time. The number equals your Intelligence modifier.

Wondrous Invention

Your intellectual inspiration grants you to craft a blueprint that allows you to craft specific magic items at reduced costs and efforts.

At 3rd level, you know two blueprints of magic items of your choice: One of common magic item and one of uncommon magic item. At higher levels, you gain additional blueprints of magic items of your choice: One of rare or lower rarity at 6th level, one of very rare or lower rarity at 11th level, and one of legendary or lower rarity at 17th level.

When you craft a magic item for which you have a blueprint, the time and cost for you to craft it is halved.

When you find a magic item on your adventure, you can analyze it and craft a blueprint for it. Crafting a blueprint takes half the amount of time and cost for you to craft it as normal. The cost includes the rare ink and paper for the blueprint.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you cannot increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Superior Attunement

At 5th level, your superior understanding of magic items allows you to master their use. You can now attune to up to four, rather than three, magic items at a time.

At 15th level, this limit increases to five magic items.

Alchemist

An Achemist is an expert at combining exotic reagents to produce a variety of materials. While alchemy is one of the most common field of stdy an artificer practices, the Alchemist takes it to further degrees, concocting the most outstanding and powerful formulae.

Gunsmith

A Gunsmith is a master of engineering and technological warfare. Your magnum opus is a Thunder Cannon, a unique weapon that represents your research in combining magic and science.

Effigy

Starting at 1st level when you choose this specialization, you craft an effigy, a mechanical construct that resembles a beast and imbued with magic to imitate life at full capacity.

When you craft an effigy, you choose a beast you have seen that is no larger than Medium and that has a challenge rate of 1/4 or lower to base your effigy's exterior appearance.

After 8 hours of work, your effigy is fully functional and is magically bonded with you. Your effigy gains all the benefits of the Effigy Gimmicks feature, as described below. You can have only one effigy at a time.

If your effigy is "killed," it can be returned to life via normal means, such as with the revivify spell, or you can repair it over the course of a long rest if you have access to its body. If you repair your killed effigy, it returns to life with 1 hit point at the end of the rest. If your effigy is destroyed beyond repair, you can craft a new one by spending 8 hours and 250 gp worth of raw materials.

Effigy Gimmicks

Your effigy is magically linked to you, and gains a variety of benefits from your link and its constructed nature.

The effigy loses its Multiattack action, if it has one.

Your effigy is a construct instead of a beast. It understands any language you can speak, but it cannot speak on its own. It is immune to poison damage, and it cannot be charmed, frightened, or poisoned.

The effigy obeys your commands as best it can. It rolls for initiative like any other creature, but you determine its actions, decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are incapacitated or absent, your companion acts on its own.

Your effigy has abilities and game statistics determined in part of your level. Your companion uses your proficiency bonus rather than its own. In addition to the areas where it normally uses its proficiency bonus, your companion also adds its proficiency bonus to its AC and to its damage rolls.

For each artificer level you gain after 1st, your effigy gains an additional Hit Die and increases its hit points accordingly.

Whenever you gain the Ability Score Improvement class feature, your effigy's abilities improve. Your effigy can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, your effigy cannot increase an ability score above 20 this way, unless its description specifies otherwise.

Your effigy's alignment is any lawful alignment of your choice. Your effigy shares your ideal, and its bond is always, "Prime Directive: Protect and serve the creator at all costs."

Effigy Upgrades

Your effigy is your creation, and as your creation, you can upgrade its capacity for your adventures.

At 1st level, you know two upgrades from the following lists, which are already implemented to your effigy upon creation. You gain one additional upgrade when you reach 6th level, and again at 10th and 14th level.

Implementing a new upgrade to your effigy takes 1 hour of maintenance and 25 gp worth of raw materials. This task can be performed over the course of a short rest or long rest.

Some of the effigy's gimmicks are powered by Hextech Core, which can be produced from your Alchemist's Satchel like your Alchemical Formula options. You can use an action to load one Hextech Core to your effigy, as a part of the same action you produced it. Your effigy can hold only one Hextech Core at a time. The Hextech Core loses its magical properties after 1 minute if it is not loaded into your effigy.

Boombox. You install a small magical gadget to your effigy's throat that can amplify its voice to tremendous degree. Your effigy can expend one Hextech Core as an action to let out a deafening sound in an area of 30-foot cone. Each creature in the area must make a Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 2d6 thunder damage and is deafened for 1 minute. On a successful save, the creature takes half as much damage and is not deafened.

This option's damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (3d6), 11th level (4d6), and 17th level (5d6).

Chatbox. You install a small magical gadget to your effigy's throat that enables your effigy to synthesize voices. Your effigy can speak any language you can speak, with a metallic voice that is easily distinguishable from natural voice.

Additionally, while your effigy is within 100 feet of you, you can use your magical link to speak through your effigy in your own voice.

Flaming Breath. You install a nozzle and a container of magical concoction inside your effigy's throat. Your effigy can expend one Hextech Core as an action to exhale the concoction, which ignites into a line of fire 30 feet long and 5 feet wide. Each creature in the line must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 2d8 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

This option's damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (3d8), 11th level (4d8), and 17th level (5d8).

Combat Effigy

Starting at 6th level, your effigy's attacks count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Synthesized Defense

At 10th level, when your effigy can see you, it has advantage on all saving throws.

Synthesized Combo

When you reach 14th level, when you use an action to take the Attack action or throw one of your Alchemical Formula options, if your effigy can see you, it can use its reaction to make a melee attack.

Additionally, whenever an attacker within 5 feet of your effigy can see hits you with an attack, your effigy can use its reaction to make one melee attack against the attacker.

Empowered Effigy

By 18th level, you can produce a Hextech Core without expending a use of your Alchemist's Satchel, and your effigy can hold up to three Hextech Cores.

Additionally, your effigy gains a +1 bonus to Armor Class and all ability checks, attack rolls, damage rolls, and saving throws for each Hextech Core it holds.

Hextech Knight

A Hextech Knight is a triumph of magical and technological research, as well as humanoid factors and ergonomics. Clad in handmade armor, powered by magical power, a Hextech Knight roams the battlefield as the world trembles beneath their feet.

1st Level

• alarm
• cure wounds
• disguise self
• expeditious retreat
• false life
• jump
• longstrider
• sanctuary

2nd Level

• alter self
• arcane lock
• blur
• continual flame
• darkvision
• enhance ability
• enlarge/reduce
• invisibility
• lesser restoration
• levitate
• magic weapon
• protection from poison
• rope trick
• see invisibility
• spider climb

3rd Level

• blink
• fly
• gaseous form
• glyph of warding
• haste
• protection from energy
• revivify
• water breathing
• water walk

4th Level

• arcane eye
• death ward
• fabricate
• freedom of movement
• Leomund's secret chest
• Mordenkainen's private sanctum
• Otiluke's resilient sphere
• stone shape
• stoneskin

5th Level

• animate objects
• antilife shell
• Bigby's Hand
• contact other plane
• creation
• passwall
• teleportation circle
• wall of force

Prerequisites

To qualify for an artificer class, you must meet the ability score proficiencies for the artificer class, as shown in the table below.

Proficiency Bonus

When you multiclass into the artificer class, you gain the following proficiencies as shown in the table.

Class Feature: Spellcasting

When you multiclass into the artificer class and gain the Spellcasting feature from both the artificer class and other classes, you add half your levels (rounded down) in the artificer class when you determine your available spell slots.