A campaign I'm running that is about to reach level 14, so I've looked over the features they're unlocking, and I have no idea how to deal with Magic Item Savant ("You ignore all class, race, spell and level requirements on attuning to or using a magic item"). It is by no means an overpowered ability - the wizard can blast a 64 damage AoE and the druid is straight up resistant to physical damage - but it just breaks so much stuff, and makes zero sense in game; a semi-sentient sword created by a sun god that allows only the most devout of paladins to use it? well, he's 'really good at magic items', so I guess that works. This ability simply ignores so much possible nuance and lore, I've given my druid a cloak that gives him another use of wildshape, what would it even mean for the artificer to attune to it? My wizard has a staff that gives her another 5th level spell slot, and hippity hoppity the artificer has 5th level spell slots 3 levels too early (not that this is a problem since artificer spells are mostly trash anyway, but that is beside the point). I just have no idea what to do beside just removing the ability, and that is very obviously not something I want to do.
A campaign I'm running that is about to reach level 14, so I've looked over the features they're unlocking, and I have no idea how to deal with Magic Item Savant ("You ignore all class, race, spell and level requirements on attuning to or using a magic item"). It is by no means an overpowered ability - the wizard can blast a 64 damage AoE and the druid is straight up resistant to physical damage - but it just breaks so much stuff, and makes zero sense in game; a semi-sentient sword created by a sun god that allows only the most devout of paladins to use it? well, he's 'really good at magic items', so I guess that works. This ability simply ignores so much possible nuance and lore, I've given my druid a cloak that gives him another use of wildshape, what would it even mean for the artificer to attune to it? My wizard has a staff that gives her another 5th level spell slot, and hippity hoppity the artificer has 5th level spell slots 3 levels too early (not that this is a problem since artificer spells are mostly trash anyway, but that is beside the point). I just have no idea what to do beside just removing the ability, and that is very obviously not something I want to do.
Remember it's only "class, race, spell, and level requirements" if there are additional requirements then Magic Item Savant on its own does not bypass them.
A semi-sentient sword that only allows the most devout of paladins to use it? Strictly speaking Magic Item Savant only crosses out the word "paladin" from that sentence. So I think it would still be up to the Artificer then to convince the sword that they are the "most devout."
A cloak that grants an additional wildshape? Then RAW it's an item that has a benefit that doesn't work on the Artificer as they don't have the ability to Wildshape. Even bypassing requirements doesn't mean that every magic item will be a perfect fit for the Artificer. If you'd rather have it work at least partially an easy way to do it would be to give the attuned Artificer the ability to cast Polymorph once per dawn. Not quite the same as Wildshape but then again the Artificer isn't quite the same as a Druid.
Staff that gives another 5th level spell slot? One way to consider this is to consider how would the item would work for a Wizard that doesn't yet have 5th level spell slots? If the item wouldn't give such a Wizard an extra spell slot then it wouldn't give one to the Artificer. (Unless you argue that that's a "level" requirement) So the Artificer wouldn't gain that benefit until they reach level 17 or otherwise have a 5th level spell slot. Granted though, I agree it wouldn't really be a problem just letting the Artificer gain a 5th level slot from the item regardless.
The way I always imagined the Thief Rogue's ability to ignore attunement requirements working was by deceiving the item itself that the Thief meets the requirements.
For Artificer's it's kind of like that only on a more physical level. As experts in magic items with the ability to create some magic items even they would have insight into how magic items work, how sentient magic items think, and the techniques necessary to tweak and brainwash those items into accepting the Artificer as an acceptable if not ideal wielder. You could look at it the way how speedrunners take advantage of glitches in video games to do things and bypass barriers the game doesn't ordinarily allow. In short, Artificers are magic item exploiters. Or hackers. They jailbroke their gun so they could play MP3s on it.
A campaign I'm running that is about to reach level 14, so I've looked over the features they're unlocking, and I have no idea how to deal with Magic Item Savant ("You ignore all class, race, spell and level requirements on attuning to or using a magic item"). It is by no means an overpowered ability - the wizard can blast a 64 damage AoE and the druid is straight up resistant to physical damage - but it just breaks so much stuff, and makes zero sense in game; a semi-sentient sword created by a sun god that allows only the most devout of paladins to use it? well, he's 'really good at magic items', so I guess that works. This ability simply ignores so much possible nuance and lore, I've given my druid a cloak that gives him another use of wildshape, what would it even mean for the artificer to attune to it? My wizard has a staff that gives her another 5th level spell slot, and hippity hoppity the artificer has 5th level spell slots 3 levels too early (not that this is a problem since artificer spells are mostly trash anyway, but that is beside the point). I just have no idea what to do beside just removing the ability, and that is very obviously not something I want to do.
It makes sense when you consider D&D history. D&D 3.x had the Use Magic Device skill. With the Use Magic Device skill, you could bypass restrictions preventing you from using magic items. Anyone could learn it, but if I recall correctly, Artificers, Bards, and Rogues were best (it was a class skill) were best at it. For other classes, it was a cross class skill (In 2024 this would be like taking a skill not on your class list would result in your proficiency bonus being halved).
Artificers in particular got lots of bonuses to the check, but they needed to make Use Magic Device checks to craft items that required spells. In addition, they needed to make checks to use scrolls, wands, and staves, even if a spell appeared on their Infusion List (their Spell List). Also, back then, instead of Spells and 2024 Infusions, they had Infusions and a Craft Reserve. Their 3.5 Infusions were Spells that could only target objects and constructs (including Warforged). This got translated into the Tools Required feature, where instead of targeting objects, the spell is reskinned to create an object that produces the spell effect. The Craft Reserve was a pool of XP given by their class levels or by breaking down magic items that they could use to offset the XP cost of creating a magic item (back then, magic items cost XP to create in addition to gold), after which it was a permanent magic item.
That's why Artificers have that ability, it was from their original design and it was something other characters lost across editions.
A campaign I'm running that is about to reach level 14, so I've looked over the features they're unlocking, and I have no idea how to deal with Magic Item Savant ("You ignore all class, race, spell and level requirements on attuning to or using a magic item"). It is by no means an overpowered ability - the wizard can blast a 64 damage AoE and the druid is straight up resistant to physical damage - but it just breaks so much stuff, and makes zero sense in game; a semi-sentient sword created by a sun god that allows only the most devout of paladins to use it? well, he's 'really good at magic items', so I guess that works. This ability simply ignores so much possible nuance and lore, I've given my druid a cloak that gives him another use of wildshape, what would it even mean for the artificer to attune to it? My wizard has a staff that gives her another 5th level spell slot, and hippity hoppity the artificer has 5th level spell slots 3 levels too early (not that this is a problem since artificer spells are mostly trash anyway, but that is beside the point). I just have no idea what to do beside just removing the ability, and that is very obviously not something I want to do.
It is basically the same as the Rogue (Thief), 13th level ability in 2014. Which was made more powerful in 2024.
I've never DM'd for a high level thief before so I guess I've never noticed, but how is this supposed to help?
Remember it's only "class, race, spell, and level requirements" if there are additional requirements then Magic Item Savant on its own does not bypass them.
A semi-sentient sword that only allows the most devout of paladins to use it? Strictly speaking Magic Item Savant only crosses out the word "paladin" from that sentence. So I think it would still be up to the Artificer then to convince the sword that they are the "most devout."
A cloak that grants an additional wildshape? Then RAW it's an item that has a benefit that doesn't work on the Artificer as they don't have the ability to Wildshape. Even bypassing requirements doesn't mean that every magic item will be a perfect fit for the Artificer. If you'd rather have it work at least partially an easy way to do it would be to give the attuned Artificer the ability to cast Polymorph once per dawn. Not quite the same as Wildshape but then again the Artificer isn't quite the same as a Druid.
Staff that gives another 5th level spell slot? One way to consider this is to consider how would the item would work for a Wizard that doesn't yet have 5th level spell slots? If the item wouldn't give such a Wizard an extra spell slot then it wouldn't give one to the Artificer. (Unless you argue that that's a "level" requirement) So the Artificer wouldn't gain that benefit until they reach level 17 or otherwise have a 5th level spell slot. Granted though, I agree it wouldn't really be a problem just letting the Artificer gain a 5th level slot from the item regardless.
The way I always imagined the Thief Rogue's ability to ignore attunement requirements working was by deceiving the item itself that the Thief meets the requirements.
For Artificer's it's kind of like that only on a more physical level. As experts in magic items with the ability to create some magic items even they would have insight into how magic items work, how sentient magic items think, and the techniques necessary to tweak and brainwash those items into accepting the Artificer as an acceptable if not ideal wielder. You could look at it the way how speedrunners take advantage of glitches in video games to do things and bypass barriers the game doesn't ordinarily allow. In short, Artificers are magic item exploiters. Or hackers. They jailbroke their gun so they could play MP3s on it.
It makes sense when you consider D&D history. D&D 3.x had the Use Magic Device skill. With the Use Magic Device skill, you could bypass restrictions preventing you from using magic items. Anyone could learn it, but if I recall correctly, Artificers, Bards, and Rogues were best (it was a class skill) were best at it. For other classes, it was a cross class skill (In 2024 this would be like taking a skill not on your class list would result in your proficiency bonus being halved).
Artificers in particular got lots of bonuses to the check, but they needed to make Use Magic Device checks to craft items that required spells. In addition, they needed to make checks to use scrolls, wands, and staves, even if a spell appeared on their Infusion List (their Spell List). Also, back then, instead of Spells and 2024 Infusions, they had Infusions and a Craft Reserve. Their 3.5 Infusions were Spells that could only target objects and constructs (including Warforged). This got translated into the Tools Required feature, where instead of targeting objects, the spell is reskinned to create an object that produces the spell effect. The Craft Reserve was a pool of XP given by their class levels or by breaking down magic items that they could use to offset the XP cost of creating a magic item (back then, magic items cost XP to create in addition to gold), after which it was a permanent magic item.
That's why Artificers have that ability, it was from their original design and it was something other characters lost across editions.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.