Artificer (Revised)

A class made by KibblesTasty | version 2.0.1 Gadgetsmith | Golemsmith | Infusionsmith | Potionsmith | Thundersmith | Warsmith | Fleshsmith

A gnome sits hunched
over a workbench in a 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 plate mail. 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 marvelous new magical objects. Spells are often too ephemeral and temporary for their tastes. Instead, they seek to craft durable, useful items.

Cunning Inventors
Every artificer is defined by a specific craft. Artificers see mastering the basic methods of a craft as the first step to true progress, the invention of new methods and approaches. Artificers are arcane engineers, students of invention and warfare who craft deadly firearms, ingenious gadgets, magical armor, and mechanical beings that they can augment with magic. All artificers are united by their curious and inventive nature. To an artificer, magic is an evolving art with a leading edge of discovery and mastery that pushes further ahead with each passing year. Artificers value novelty and discovery. This penchant pushes them to seek a life of adventure. A hidden ruin might hold a forgotten magic item or a beautifully crafted mirror perfect for magical enhancement. Artificers win respect and renown among their kind by uncovering new lore or inventing new methods of creation.

Intense Rivalries
The artificers’ drive to invent and expand their knowledge creates an intense drive to uncover new magic discoveries. An artificer who hears news of a newly discovered magic item must act fast to get it before any rivals do. Good-aligned artificers recover items on adventures or offer gold or wondrous items to those who possess items they are keen to own. Evil ones have no problem committing crimes to claim what they want. Almost every artificer has at least one rival, someone whom they seek to outdo at every turn. By the same token, artificers with similar philosophies and theories band together into loose guilds. They share their discoveries and work together to verify their theories and keep ahead of their rivals.

Creating an Artificer
When creating an artificer character, think about your character's background and drive for adventure. Does the character have a rival? What drove your character down the path of being an artificer? Is it about curiosity and invention, or about the power their inventions bring? Did you character learn from another artificer, or receive a vision or flash of inspiration to learn their craft? Consider how your character interacts with the world, and what they represent. Consult with your DM regarding guilds or societies your character might belong to.

Quick Build
You can make an artificer quickly by following these suggestions. For the Gadgetsmith or Thundersmith paths, make your highest attribute Dexterity, followed by Intelligence. For Golemsmith, Infusionsmith, or Potionsmith, Intelligence followed by Constitution or Dexterity, and for Warsmith or Fleshsmith, choose either Strength or Intelligence, with Constitution as your second highest attribute. 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, 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

Artificer Specialization
At 1st level, you focus your craft on a particular specialization: Gadgetsmith, Golemsmith, Infusionsmith, Potionsmith, Thundersmith, Warsmith or Fleshsmith, each of which are detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 1st level and again at 3rd, 5th, and 14th level.

Magic Item Analysis
Starting at 1st level, your understanding of magic items allows you to analyze and understand their secrets. You know the artificer spells detect magic and identify, and you can cast them as rituals without material components.

Tool Expertise
Starting at 2nd level, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses any of the tool proficiencies you gain from this class.

Spellcasting
As part of your study of magic, you gain the ability to cast spells at 2nd level. 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 artificer spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of your Artificer 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. The Spells Known column of the Artificer table shows when you learn more Artificer spells of your choice. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 5th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level. Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the Artificer spells you know and replace it with another spell from the Artificer spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.

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. {| class="article-table"

Artificer's Spell Casting
An Artificer is fundamentally someone that understands and regularly interacts with magic, leading to the ability to apply this knowledge as spell casters, but how you want to approach your Artificer's spell casting is up to you.

While the Focuses listed in Chapter 5 "Equipment" are certainly functional options, feel free to explore other approaches in coordination with your DM. From a functional standpoint, the only requirement would be that you have a defined material or focus for the spell.

Consider for some spells that perhaps your Artisan's Tools are your focus, or perhaps a specific item you've made is your material component for a spell. Perhaps instead of a "Component Pouch" that simply contains all the material components you could need for your spells, you have an "Artificer's Tool Belt" that contains the various spellcasting assistance contraptions you've made to cast your spells. For the purposes of mechanics, the only thing that matters is that if functions the same way, and is used consistently.
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Specialization Upgrade
Your expert craftsmanship allows you to improve, modify, or add to your specialization's features.

Starting at 3rd level, choose an upgrade from the list at the end of your specialization, and gain the benefits listed in the description of the Upgrade.

You select an additional Upgrade at 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th level. You cannot select an Upgrade more than once, unless the Upgrade's description says otherwise. Whenever you level up, you can exchange one of your existing upgrades for another upgrade of the same level requirement as the replaced upgrade.

In any case that a specialization allows an Upgrade to be swapped out, Upgrades must always be selected as if the Artificer is the level they were when they got that Upgrade slot. For example, if you replace your Stormforged Weapon and reselect all of your upgrades as a 5th level Artificer, you could select one 3rd level upgrade and one 5th level upgrade, or two 3rd level upgrades, but you would not be able to select two 5th level upgrades. {| class="article-table"

Customizing Artificer Upgrades
The upgrades for each Artificer Specialization are presented in a list at the end of the Specialization, but invariably there will always be ideas for upgrades not included in that list. At the heart of an Artificer beats an unrelenting drive for creativity, after all! Feel free to consult your DM for potential custom upgrades.

Consult the Expanded Toolbox more ideas and playtesting content.
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Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th, 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 can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Arcane Reconstruction
At 6th level, you have mastered the knowledge of using magic to repair things. You learn the mending cantrip, and can cast it at will. Additionally, you learn the cure wounds spell. If you already know cure wounds you can select another spell from the Artificer spell list. When you cast cure wounds, it can heal constructs in addition to normally valid targets.

Cross Disciplinary Knowledge
At 6th level, you can expand on your knowledge across fields. You can craft one of the following: a Thundersmith's Stormforged Weapon, an Infusionsmith's Animated Weapon, Blasting Rod, or Infused Weapon, a Potionsmith's Alchemical Reagent Pouch and Alchemical Fire or Alchemical Acid, or an Unrestricted Gadgetsmith Upgrade.

If you select a Stormforged Weapon, you gain proficiency with that weapon and knowledge of how to make ammunition for it (if required). You cannot apply Infused Weapon to another weapon granted by this class.

If this selection is lost or destroyed, you can remake it following the rules for remaking the select item in subclass.

Wondrous Items Proficiency
At 7th level, your familiarity with the workings of magical items means that you can ignore class based restrictions on attuning to magical items. Additionally, you can now attune to 4 magical items at once.

Improved Magical Crafting
At 10th level, your experience in creating your own wondrous invention makes you more adept at crafting a magic item than a normal spellcaster. Creating a magic item takes you half the time it would normally take.

Additionally, you can make 1 hour of progress toward crafting a magic item, scroll, or potion during a long rest.

Wondrous Item Recharge
Starting at 10th level, you can recharge a magic item that has charges or per rest uses, as long as those charges or uses can only be used to cast spells. To restore charges or uses, you perform a ritual that takes one minute and expends a spell slot of equal or higher level than a spell slot level of a spell cast by the item.

The number of charges or uses restored to the item is equal to the number of charges or uses required to cast that spell using the item once.

Study of Magic
At 11th level, your proficiency in the workings of magic has become so great you can cast detect magic and identify at will without expending a spell slot.

Additionally, you have advantage on all Intelligence (Arcana) checks to understand the workings of magical traps, effects, or runes.

Wondrous Item Mastery
Starting at 18th level you can activate a magic item that would normally take an action as a bonus action instead.

Additionally, you can attune to 5 magical items at a time.

Peerless Inventor
At 20th level, your mind is always thinking of new options and clever solutions. You can select and create temporary version of an Upgrade from your subclass you are qualified to take but do not have with a level requirement of 11th level or lower as an action. You have this upgrade until you complete a short rest. You cannot select another temporary Upgrade in this fashion until you complete a short or long rest. {| class="article-table"

Magical or Mechanical?
One of the core debates that arises around an Artificer is if they are a "Magical Engineer" or what a magical engineer would even mean. Do they tinker with mechanics and gears or with magic and runes? The answer is, of course, whatever suits your world, game, and the vision of the player.
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