Artificer (Revised 1.5.1)

A gnome sits hunched over a workbench in room cluttered with every sort of tool, carefully drawing the final lines to an intricate rune. With a crackling hum of arcane energy, the completed rune flares with power, and she watches with a smile of pride as the golem comes to life and stands.

A troll growls in hunger as it looms over a dwarf, who slides a long, metal tube from a holster at his belt. With a thundering boom, a gout of energy erupts from the tube, and the troll's growls turn into shrieks of panic as it turns to flee.

With a thunderous crash of energy a figure lands in the middle of the battlefield. As the smoke clears, a towering presence stands amidst the war-torn battlefield clad in glowing mechanical platemail. The glowing visor swivels to inspect the wreckage. It raises a gauntlet, and lightning crackles forth.

Makers of magic-infused objects, artificers are defined by their inventive nature. Like wizards, they see magic as a complex system waiting to be decoded and controlled through a combination of thorough study and investigation.

Artificers, though, focus on creating marvellous new magical objects. Spells are often too ephemeral and temporary for their tastes. Instead, they seek to craft durable, useful items.

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor, medium armor
• Weapons: Simple weapons, hand crossbows, heavy crossbows.
• Tools: Thieves’ tools, one other tool 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 light crossbow and quiver of 20 bolts or (b) any two simple weapons.
• (a) scale mail, (b) leather armor, or (c) chain mail.
• thieves’ tools and a dungeoneer’s pack

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 three 1st-level spells of your choice from the artificer spell list (which appears at the end of this document).

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; your understanding of the theory behind magic allows you to wield these spells with superior skill. You use your Intelligence whenever an artificer spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an artificer spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.

Spellcasting Focus

You can use an arcane focus as a spellcasting focus for your artificer spells. See chapter 5, "Equipment" in the Player’s Handbook for various arcane focus options.

Artificers and Level of Magic

It is important to keep in mind that the balance of an Artificer is keenly tied to the availability of magic items in the world, either that can be forged by Artificer or found in the world.

Features like Superior Attunement and Wondrous Item Mastery represent a significant elements of the Artificers class design. While the Artificer can be an accomplished adventurer with no additional magic items, when setting out in a low magic setting with an Artificer, consult with your DM if some adjustments may be needed to the features!

In a lower magic setting, consider allowing the Artificer to create some items that they will be able to apply their class features to, and that might still be thematic to their character concept and the world setting in general.

Cannonsmith

A Cannonsmith is an Artificer who has crafted a spectacular and terrible device: a Thunder Cannon.

A weapon of unmatched destruction, an Artificer's reason for forging such a thing is varied. Some seek the power, some seek the discovery.

For some it is but a tool to accomplish their goal, for others it is the culmination of the work, for which all the pesky details of adventuring are dedicated to.

Given the destructive potential of a Thunder Cannon, many monsters and men may seek to seize the power for themselves upon witnessing its potential, but even if they were to succeed they would soon find that using one of these deadly tools is an art of equal mastery to forging one, something only the one who forged the device will ever truly master, for each Thunder Cannon is unique work, suited only to its creator.

Firearms In a Campaign Setting

A lot of campaign settings do not feature firearms, and in some of these the Cannonsmith variant of Artificer might not be the right choice, but consider that the Artificer is fundamentally someone that tinkers and explores magic as much as technology.

A Thunder Cannon need not be a gunpowder powered device, and in most cases is more an engineering marvel of magic than technology; it can by styled as anything from a crossbow to a thunder staff.

Autoloading Magazine Requires Integrated Magazine

Your Thunder Cannon now automatically chambers the next round, no longer requiring your bonus action to reload.

Silencer. Incompatible with Echoing Booms.

You upgrade your Thunder Cannon with a sound dampening module. Your Thunder Cannon loses the Loud property.

Airburst Mine.

You create a mechanical device capable of producing a devastating blast. You can use this device to cast shatter without expending a spell slot. Alternatively, you can set up the mine as an action to be triggered by your reaction within a 1 minute. Once used gadget cannot be used again until you complete a short or long rest.

Impact Gauntlet.

You create a magic weapon capable of amplifying the impact of your blows. You have proficiency in this weapon, and it has the Finesse, Light and Special properties. It deals 1d8 bludgeoning damage. At level 5, this weapon gains a +1 to attack and damage rolls; this increases to a +2 at level 14.

Special: When you make an attack roll, you can choose to forgo adding your Proficiency modifier to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you can add double your Proficiency modifier to the damage roll.

You can apply this upgrade up to 2 times, making a separate item each time.

Stopwatch Trinket. Prerequisite: 9th level Artificer.

You create a magical stopwatch that manipulates time magic. As an action, you can cast haste or slow using the stopwatch without expending a Spell Slot.

Once you use this ability, you cannot use it again until you complete a long rest.

Variant Golem Types

The default assumption of the Golemsmith is a humanoid golem. If your vision as takes you elsewhere, work with your DM on if this is merely a reflavoring, or if there are mechanical differences. Some examples might include:

Quadrupedal

You might make a more beast-like Golem, set on all fours. Such a golem would probably lose its ability to wield weapons and shields, but may have a higher natural attack (1d8), higher durability (6 hp per Artificer level), and faster movement (35 feet).

Mechanical Abomination

Maybe your vision skews more toward the 'mad' end of the spectrum, and is not easy to quantify. Maybe it has mechanical tentacles that can grapple at 10 feet. The golem gains reach 10 feet, but loses its ability to wield martial weapons, and its haphazard construction means movement is challenging (20 feet).

Golemsmith Upgrades

Heavy Armor Plating Prerequisite: 5th level Artificer.

You can incorporate a suit of Heavy Armor into your Warforged Golem. Your Warforged Golem's AC becomes the AC granted by the incorporated armor. While incorporated with your Warforged Golem in this way, the Warforged Golem has Proficiency with that armor.

While equipped with Heavy Armor, your Warforged Golem has disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

Infusionsmith's Proficiency

When you choose this specialization at 1st level, you gain proficiency with martial weapons, jeweler's tools and calligrapher's supplies.

Your knowledge of infusion magic gives you a natural affinity for scribing spell scrolls. Creating a magic spell scroll only takes you half the time and material cost it would normally take.

Infused Weapon

Starting at 1st level, you can infuse your weapon with a powerful magic. As a bonus action, you can infuse a weapon or piece of ammunition you are touching, causing it to burst into ethereal flames until the end of your next turn.

If the weapon or piece of ammunition strikes a target, it deals an additional 1d4 force damage, and the infusion ends.

This damage increases by 1d4 at 5th level Artificer (2d4), and again at 11th level (3d4) and 17th level (4d4).

When attacking with an infused weapon, you can use you Intelligence modifier in place of your strength or dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls.

Store Magic

Starting at 3rd level, you gain the ability to channel your artificer spells into a non-magical item for later use.

At the end of a short or long rest, pick a spell you know. You can infuse this spell into an item for later use. You must expend any components the spell requires, but this does not expend a spell slot. Subsequently, any creature holding the item with an Intelligence of 6 or higher that is aware there is magic infused in it can expend the stored magic and cast the spell.

The spell uses your spellcasting modifiers, but is in all other ways treated as if the creature holding it cast the spell. The magic infused in the item fades if you complete a short or long rest without expending the stored spell.

Animated Weapon

Starting at 5th level, you can animate a weapon to strike your enemies. At the end of a long rest, you can touch a melee weapon in your possession and infuse it with animating magic. You do not need to have proficiency with this weapon. During this time, when you take the attack action, once per turn you can mentally direct the animated weapon to attack a creature within 30 feet of you; this can be in addition to making an attack with a carried weapon as normal.

Additionally, whenever you cast magical weapon, elemental weapon, or holy weapon, your animated weapon also gains the benefits of the spell as long as you are concentrating on it.

The weapon returns to your side after every attack. If there is no path between you and the target of your attack, the attack fails, but the animated weapon otherwise ignores cover.

When attacking with an animated weapon you can use you Intelligence modifier in place of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls.

Infused Focus

Starting at 14th level, you can anchor a powerful spell into an item. When you cast a concentration spell, you can anchor it to an item, and do not need to maintain concentration. The spell lasts a number of rounds equal to your intelligence modifier, after which the spell ends.

Once you use this ability, you must complete a short or long rest before using it again.

Alter Time Infusion Prerequisite: 9th level Artificer

You learn a special infusion for manipulating the flow of time.

When you use your Store Magic feature, rather than picking a spell you know, you can cast haste or slow. Unless you know these spells from another source, you can only cast these spells using the Store Magic feature.

Triggered Infusion

When you use your Store Magic feature, you can set a trigger for the effect to occur. If the triggering event occurs, you can use your reaction to activate the stored spell. The trigger event can be a verbal key.

Alchemist's Proficiency

When you choose this specialization at 1st level, you gain proficiency with Blowguns, Alchemist’s supplies and Herbalism kit.

Your knowledge of alchemy gives you a natural affinity for brewing potions. Creating a potion through normal crafting takes you only half the time and cost it would normally take.

An alchemist with their proficiency will certainly have the edge in potion crafting, but these potions are not fundamental to the class.

Alchemical Reagents Pouch

At 1st level, you've acquired a pouch of useful basic reagents, much as a wizard might carry a component pouch. You've tucked away things that will come in handy, and can retrieve them as part of using an ability that might require them. As long as you have this pouch on, you can do alchemy. This pouch is considered as alchemy supplies for the purposes of crafting.

If you lose your reagent pouch, you can spend 50 gold pieces to reacquire the various stocks you need, or spend 1 full day gathering them from a natural environment without expense.

Instant Reactions

At 1st level, you know how to get instant reactions to occur without the niceties of grinding, simmering and brewing required for more refined concoctions.

Moreover, you know enough ways to do these that with just a few standards supplies, you can get these results out of a wide range of things you can gather in almost any locale and a pinch from your reagent pouch.

You know the following instant reactions.

Fortifying Fumes Reaction.

You formulate a new instant reaction, a powerful fortifying stimulate. Targeting a point within 15 feet, as an action, you cause fumes to erupt. Creatures within 10 feet of the target point can choose to hold their breath and not inhale, but creatures that inhale the fumes gain 1d4 temporary hit points, deal 1d4 additional damage on their next melee weapon attack made before the end of your next turn, and have advantage on their next Constitution saving throw before the end of your next turn.

The both the temporary hit points and damage bonus increase by 1d4 when you reach 5th level (2d4), 11th level (3d4), and 17th level (4d4).

Potent Reactions. Prerequisite: 9th level Artificer.

You refine your reactions increasing their potency. The die you roll to determine the damage or healing effect of your reactions is increased by one. A d4 becomes a d6, a d6 becomes a d8, a d8 becomes a d10, and a d10 becomes a d12.

Warsmith's Proficiency

At 1st level, you gain proficiency with heavy armor and smith's tools.

Mechplate Gauntlet

At 1st level, when you take this specialization, you construct a Mechplate Gauntlet. This is a specialized Wondrous Item that only you can attune to.

If you lose your mechplate gauntlet, you can remake it during a long rest with 25 gold worth of materials, or can scavenge for materials and forge it over two days of work (eight hours a day) without the material expense.

Mechplate

At 3rd level, you've attained the Forging skill, arcane knowledge, and mastery of tinkering to create a set of Mechplate from a standard, non-magical, set of heavy armor using resources you've gathered. This process takes 8 hours to complete, as well as a place to forge and incorporates your Mechplate Gauntlet (they do not require separate attunement).

You can create a new set of Mechplate by forging it from a set of Platemail, in a process takes 1000 gold pieces and eight hours.

You can create multiple sets of Mechplate, but you can only be attuned to one of them at a given time, and you can only change which one you are attuned to during a long rest. If you create a new set of Mechplate, you can apply a number of Upgrades equal to the value on the class table, applying each at the level you get it on the class table.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Accelerated Movement

You reduce the weight of your Mechplate’s bulk and increase the power to its joints. The Mechplates weight is reduced by 15 lbs. While wearing your Mechplate your speed increases by 10 feet. This applies to all movement speeds you have while wearing your armor. You can apply this upgrade up to 2 times.

Integrated Attack. Prerequisite: 9th level. Prerequisite Integrated Weapon.

When you activate your Integrated weapon, you can immediately make one attack with it. While it is active, you can make an attack with it using your bonus action.

Relocation Matrix Prerequisite: 11th level.

You install an arcane transmutation matrix that you can use to convert your magical power into dimensional warp. As an action, you can cast dimension door without expending a spell slot. Once you use this ability, you can not use it again until you complete a long rest.

Magical Wand.

You create a new Wand that you can infuse with a Spell of 1st level or higher that you have recorded in your Spellmanual. This wand does not require attunement, but can only be used by you. The Spell must be of a level that you can cast. This wand has three charges.

As an action, you can expend a charge to cast the selected spell at its base level. The wand regains all charges at the end of a long rest.

You can select this upgrade multiple times, selecting a different spell each time you take this upgrade.

Multiclassing

Should you want to multiclass into Artificer, the prerequisites and proficiencies are listed below:

• Prerequisite: 13 Intelligence.
• Proficiencies gained: Arcana skill.

For the purpose of multiclassing and spell slots, add half your Artificer levels rounded down when calculating your Spell Slots on the multiclassing spells slots table (like Paladin or Ranger).

Credits

Artificer as a class was created by Wizards of the Coast.

All images are randomly taken from the internet:

• Class image credit: theDURRRRIAN on deviantart.
• Magic Cube Thing credit: Wizards of the Coast.
• Belt potion thing credit: Wizards of the Coast.
• Library image: Wizards of the Coast.
• Workshop image: Wizards of the Coast.
• Potionsmith image credit: Pathfinder Alchemist.
• Cannonsmith image credit: Privateer Press.
• Gadgetsmith image credit: Wizards of the Coast.
• Mechplate image credit: theDURRRRIAN on deviantart.
• Wandsmith image credit Wizards of the Coast.
• Infusionsmith image credit: Paizo.
• 2nd Infusionsmith image credit: Paizo
• Golemsmith image credit: Wizards of the Coast.
• Warsmith image 1: theDURRIAN on deviantart.
• Warsmith image 2: Wizards of the Coast.

v1.1

• Rebalanced level of upgrades
• Changed upgrades to use class table.
• Updated Cannonsmith's Devestating Blasts to only deal half of Thundermonger damage, rather than half the attack's total damage.
• Misc. defunct features removed.
• Added Wondrous Item Proficiency, level 7th
• Added Wondrous Item Recharge, level 10
• Added Wondrous Item Mastery level 18

v1.2

v1.2.1

• Added Wandsmith, Gadgetsmith, work in progress will be finalized with the 1.3 version.

v1.3 - view document.

v1.4 - view document

Cannonsmith changes

• Harpoon no longer requires a strength check to remove, but deals an additional 1d6 damage when they remove it.
• Blast Shells; damage is now either all Thundermonger damage to one creature hit, or half Thudnermonger damage to all creatures hit, not both.
• Removed Turret Deployment upgrade, it is still a fine upgrade, but a little too complicated a niche.
• Added Thunder Jump upgrade.

Gadgetsmith changes

• The gadgetsmith's weapons gain +1 at level to attack and damage rolls, and +2 at level 14; this feature has been moved from Combat Gadgets (at level 14) to the weapons themselves.
• The gadgetsmith now receive on of the improved weapons at level 1 as free upgrade.
• The Boomerang of Hitting only hits 2 targets now, instead of 3.
• Repeating Crossbow has a new special; once per turn you can forgo advantage on an attack to make a single additional attack with it.
• Removed Antimagic Shackle upgrade; it is still a fine upgrade, but a little too complicated a niche.
• Gadgetsmiths now have the choice of their starting weapon, with shock generator just being one option.

Potionsmith changes

• Frostbloom's restrain effect on a creature ends at the end of their next turn now, so the effect does not cause disadvantage against the reapplication of the ability.
• Frostbloom only restrains a creature that fails and is entirely in the area of effect (making it less effective against large or larger creatures).
• Weapon coating no longer bypasses the saving throw for instant reactions for status effects. The damage is still applied automatically, but poisoned and restrained are still gated behind saving throws.
• Infusion Stone is "less than" not "greater than" the highest level spell slot you can cast.
• The duration of Alchemical Infusion for Concentration spells has been shortened to a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier, not Intelligence Modifier + Proficiency Modifier.
• Mana Potion has a 9th level requirement.
• Glassblower's tools has been switched for Herbalism kit. I liked the flavor for glassblower's tools, but it was pointed that WotC uses Herbalism kit for healing potions rather than Alchemist's supplies, so updated for consistency.

Warsmith changes

• The default strength granted by the armor is increased by +2 attribute score (to current and maximum), but you can now only take the Powered Limbs upgrade twice, and it has a minimum level required of 5. Essentially this alleviates the upgrade tax on Powered limbs. The minimum level is prevent someone with a standard array from hitting 20 strength at level 3.
• Power Fist upgrade gains a +1 at level 5, and +2 at level 14 (matching the gadgetsmith weapons)

Warsmith Changes

• Updated Power Fist to be a magical weapon with the light property, and allow it to be taken as an upgrade twice.
• Lowered the level required for Arcane Visor to 11th level.
• Lowered the level required for Relocation Matrix to 11th level.
• Removed the level requirement on Armor Class upgrade for the Mechplate.

Infusionsmith Changes

• Tweaked animated weapon wording.
• Granted Martial Weapon Proficiency to the subclass, removed proficiency wording from the Animated Weapon feature
• Limited Animated Weapon attacks to once per turn.
• Reduced Infused Weapon to 1d4, with 1d4 scaling (from 1d6).
• Removed Dancing Fires, added Dancing Weapons.
• Thunder Mine now requires the use of reaction for verbal detonation
• Thunder Mines must be placed at least 5 feet apart (no more 5 mines on the same object...)