i haven’t read all of it but it is looking good. Please let us artificers eat well soon.
(edit) holy moly we have lost so much but gain just as much. We lost some features like expertise but gained access to rare and below magic items. The spell storing item is even stronger. The spell revivify now counts so at level 11 the artificer can cast revivify ten times a day for free. The spellwrought tattoo can now cast up to level five spells at level 14. The armorer gets a new armor that can grow to gargantuan with just an enlarge spell at level 15 and fly. The alchemist can make five of any potion common or uncommon once a day. So much can be done now. Let’s hope the changes stick.
I don't see the Ability to use infusions as focus transferred to the replicated items. Am I missing something?
I don't think they've kept that, no.
Artillerists can still use their Arcane Firearm as a focus, and Armorers can still use their armor, and Alchemists are still pretty tied to their Alchemist's Supplies...so mostly this means that Battlesmiths are a little less gishy.
Okay, so it appears that the 2024 revised UA Artificer has dropped proficiency in firearms. This makes it so only the Battle Smith can use them. Now I imagine the Steel Defender going to lunge at an enemy while the Smith takes aim with his Repeating Shot Pistol. While that is a cool image, I would've been fine with the Artillerist also having proficiency in firearms or the ability to turn one into their Arcane Firearm.
Other big things. Artificers may be the most effective crafters in the game. Giving them the Crafting feat and using the Craft Magic Item system from the DMG 2024 is tantamount to having a single character campaign. Each subclass gives a simple time reduction for making items related to them. And even some of the more beloved Infusions of yesteryear have been made into straight up magic items that the artificer can create of that the DM can give out as treasure.
I am surprisingly looking forward to it. I really dig the new artillerist. I think some things need to be tweaked. Id like to see weapon masteries for the armorer and artillerists. The artiliarist could have one based on the type of focus they use, albeit the tools, a wand, rod or staff, and give each one a different mastery that applies to attack spells. Like when they use a wand their attack spells inflict vex, a rod inflicts sap and the staff push. I think it would work well added to the Arcane Firearm feature at level 6. Removing the 24 hour limit on items created with magical tinkering but leaving the count limit would make that ability a lot more interesting. Also making Cheat Death on Soul of Artifice so it was like 5 or 6 times your INT mod, or your artificer level time 2 or even 3 would make it feel a lot more like a top tier capstone. Also everyone remember it's a playtest. A lot of the initial 2024 stuff was ass when it was dropped but got a lot better. I am excited though at the direction and I have reasonably high hopes of they being a solid class overall to match the 2024 rules.
how are people updating their characters in the builder to playtest the changes?
D&D Beyond's character builder doesn't support UA content anymore. Possibly some of it could be built with homebrew, but probably not the major changes to the class features (like replacing infusions with Replicate Magic Item).
Weird thing about the rework of the Homunculus: The Spell consumes the gem now and you don't get it back. The whole rework of this is a bit weird, now that it's a spell you could resummon it faster, but it'll cost you 100g each time. It also makes it so that you don't really want to risk it in most combats or stealth missions. Freeing up an infusion slot is great, but losing 100g each time it gets clapped is harsh... I would hope they change ist so it either drops the gem again or it doesn't consume the gem.
I tried a form of play-test which was re-running the last combat my Battle Smith Artificer did. I played it online so I have a blow-by-blow transcript I could follow.
Casting Haste worked out alright. With object interaction you can pull out the tools to cast the spell, then with the bonus attack action you get to put them away again freeing your hand for a 2-handed weapon. It would not work for a sword and shield style but for 2-handed weapon this works
Could not cast Shield spell. This spell seems almost unusable on the Battle Smith as written in the UA - there is no situation where you would put yourself in the position of needing to cast it where you reasonably have tools in one of your hands instead of a weapon or shield. Nor could I manage enough object juggling to pull it off - I think this only possibly works with a versatile weapon where you can still use it one-handed but you intend to use it 2-handed so don't use a shield. This relegates Battle Smith to a very poor quality role with limited defences (no shield) and limited damage output (due to restricted weapon choices) if they are actually to use their subclass spells.
But more than the above it breaks the key thematic part of this that I loved which is an artificer who actually uses their weapon to do their magic. Its a very strong theme and was unique to artificer that they actually used their weapon as their focus so they could manifest all of their spells (due to always needing a material component) through their weapons.
All the same issues apply to now having True Strike - you can't cast it with sword and shield or with a 2-handed weapon like a crossbow. Its limited to 1-handed weapons like rapiers and hand crossbows. No other class has this problem.
Battle Smiths need to be able to use their weapons as their spell focus. They can in the Tashas rules if it is an infusion (which it nearly always will be) and they need that ability. This UA really leaves very little room for a workable Battle Smith
i just saw the unearthed arcana and it is shit, they took away double your profisancy for tools sets (Tool Expertise), for one extra spell slot that costs you an infusion. If this how its going to be i'm sticking with tasha's cauldren. and to make matter worse they took away how many infusions we can know. what the hell was they thinking, that is what makes this class great being a wild card.
Tool Proficiency: Can craft potions in half the time. Very nice, but I'd like this to extend to anything crafted with Alchemist's Supplies whether magical or nonmagical. Being able to craft Alchemist's Fire in less than 5 days would be super! And it'd be nice to be able to craft Sovereign Glue or Universal Solvent without having to dedicate a character's entire life to the task.
Alchemist Spells: Blight replaced with Vitriolic Sphere. Hells to the yes. A much better and far more thematic spell. I had a suspicion they might do this since they added Vitriolic Sphere to the PHB but I'm super glad they did. Nothing against Blight, but no spell screams "Chemical Explosion" louder than Vitriolic Sphere.
Experimental Elixir: A vial now automatically appears when the elixir does and vanishes when its drunk. This is neat I guess. I think most folks didn't bother tracking vials for experimental elixir regardless.
Huge action economy improvement! Elixirs are now a Bonus Action to use or administer and no mention of a creature being Incapacitated meaning you can Administer an Elixir to one of your conscious allies. Considering they made all Potions a Bonus Action to drink/administer in 2024 this change was to be expected.
More elixirs after a long rest is better, and it scales better than before. Having more rolls means a slightly higher chance of getting the elixir you want. Unless the elixir you want was the Transformation Elixir... I get that it's a more situational elixir but it was also my favorite, and it was a means of casting Alter Self on other creatures. Technically you can do the same with the Spell Storing Item... It's just that Alchemists get so few things they can uniquely do that I'm reluctant to give up even a single one. I'd rather lose the "roll a 6 and you get to choose" option than lose the Transformation Elixir. Conversely I'd have had zero qualms about losing Swiftness which I feel is the least unique elixir the Alchemist gets. It is equivalent to Longstrider in nearly every way.
The feature retains it's randomness but now randomly offers you choice instead of randomness. I can't even. What is the direction they want this feature to go? I'm not sure WoTC even knows anymore.
It seems like they want it to meet that mad scientist trope but mad scientist tropes are all about experiments going wrong, but these experiments at worst go beneficially sideways. That's not mad science at all. That's unpredictable support. If they want mad science they need a bigger table with positive and negative outcomes. Basically it would need to be wild magic junior at least. I might not prefer that method but it would at least feel like a direction!
The way I'd much prefer this to go is for the experimentation to have a clear purpose. The most general purpose of experimentation is to learn something. But there's nothing you can learn from having the same 6 5 results happen over and over regardless of how you tweak things. A good way to model experimentation based learning is to have a set of elixirs you know how to make with the ability to experiment and learn a new recipes, expanding or replacing elixirs from your list of known recipes. That experimentation could be rolling a die on a table of elixirs and adding the new elixir to your list/replacing one of your entries. In other words how the Replicate Magic Item feature works but for potions, and rolling for new/replaced recipes instead of choosing them directly. I'll be suggesting this in feedback.
Alchemical Savant: On the plus side Vitriolic Sphere gives you a really good AOE spell to spread that bonus to Acid damage to every creature damaged by the spell. Also since Dragon's Breath has been added to the Artificer spell list you now have access to a 2nd level spell that lets you select between Acid, Fire, and Poison damage as the situation requires.
On the minus side, with the removal of Blight from the Alchemist Spells you do not have ANY spells that deal Necrotic damage making its inclusion in the feature kinda pointless. Technically you could get necrotic spells from multiclassing/feats etc, but by default you don't have the means to cast non-Artificer spells with Alchemist's supplies. So to make use of that you'd need a DM to just allow it or to jump through a bunch of RAW hoops including the Artificer Initiate feat.
I still feel it's a net upgrade.
Restorative Reagents: Fortify - The THP gained is now your INT modifier + your artificer level. This is higher, more stable, and scales better than 2d6 + INT.
Restore - An indirect benefit of 2024 updates is that Lesser Restoration is now a Bonus Action to cast, further being able to cast this spell without a spell slot lets you cast a leveled spell with your action due to the One Spell Slot Per Turn rule.
A side note is this feature does NOT grant Lesser Restoration as "Always Prepared" meaning you CANNOT use spell slots to cast Lesser Restoration unless you actually prepare it after a Long Rest, meaning it would take up space as a prepared spell.
I think a better wording/design for this would be "While you have Alchemists Supplies on your person you have the Lesser Restoration spell always prepared and can cast it without a spell slots a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once)." This would be more in keeping with similar features of this type and also allow the alchemist to cast Lesser Restoration with spell slots should they run out of free casts. It would also then benefit features that ride on a spell being prepared such as scribing spell scrolls. I'll suggest this change in feedback.
Chemical Mastery: Alchemical Eruption - Unexpected boost. Also weird that it's Force damage? Not unheard of or anything. And I'm a fan of a damage boost to Alchemist spells but... I think the bizarre thing about this is how it feels like it's intended to be an upgrade to Alchemical Savant... yet it operates on different requirements and has a different execution.
AS: Alchemist Supplies as focus required, boosts 1 roll of a spell (healing/damage types), occurs per spell cast. You can spread the bonus to multiple targets with an AOE spell but you cannot repeat the bonus on subsequent rolls. AE: Artificer spell required, damage type requirement, bonus damage (Force) against a single target, occurs once per (your) turn. You cannot spread the damage to multiple targets but you can (maybe?) repeat this damage to a target on multiple turns with a spell that causes damage over time.
It's just... having two completely differing sets of requirements/technicalities is needlessly complicated. It's like they intentionally made the Alchemist hard to understand for new players and I don't like that!
Chemical Resistance - They removed immunity to the Poisoned condition. I don't like this. That was one of the better parts of this feature.
Conjured Cauldron - Swapped out Heal and replaced with Tasha's Bubbling Cauldron. I had a feeling they would do this and it's certainly nice... and much more versatile than Heal. But it also comes late. Wizards and Warlocks get access to this at level 11, Alchemists get it at level 15. Granted maybe being able to craft potions at double speed is enough compensation for earlier levels.
Overall: It is much better now! Even Experimental Elixir is better! However, I continue to be unsatisfied with Experimental Elixir. Not in terms of power, I think the feature is appropriately powerful now. It just... I would move it in a different direction and feel increasingly like WoTC is never going to go that way, which sucks but we'll see how they respond to feedback.
Edit: Just realized that Conjured Cauldron also replaces the free 1/day free cast of Greater Restoration. That one is an actual loss I don't think Tasha's Cauldron makes up for.
1 hour of a very mundane item instead of an indefinite creative item from Magical Tinkering, and the mundane items are all just as easy to get at a shop as permanent items and put in a bag of holding, for the same play effect
Still no free Mending cantrip
Items you infuse/make are no longer spell foci (a problem if you're a battle master and fighting with a weapon instead of a cantrip)
Mending no longer mentioned for the Steel Defender
Homunculus moves to level 5, gem consumed when you make it, but as a spell doesn't take up an infusion/item slot
On the plus side
Appreciate more focus on items
Appreciate being able to change cantrips after a long rest
Surprised to see Battle Smith getting access to Shining Smite, the best Paladin Smite, while also giving them the worst Smite (Banishing Smite), is wild.
Okay, so it sounds like one of the initial points is that it appears two subclasses got substantial and potentially positive changes while the others either didn't get much or effectively got a nerf. The lack of the tool expertise seems more like a gripe, until we take into account the new 2024 rules on tool proficiency and crafting. My guess is the subclass specific time reduction is meant to be a variant expression of that expertise.
So some initial feedback notes to put in the upcoming survey will have to address these points. Battle Smiths should have a reasonable expectation to use their weapon as a spell focus, especially since it never had that to begin with unless you made a weapon with that property. If there is an insistence on only giving the Artificer two skill proficiency choices at level one and expect tools to make up the difference, then Tool Expertise should be considered for the next round of playtesting. Firearms proficiency should just be a general consideration in recognition of the previous iteration.
On the Alchemist, the buff to the Experimental Elixirs was nice but not enough. I think an addition to the capstone could be that you have the number of elixirs you get back with a spell slot scale a little bit more. Maybe up to 3 for the spell slot. Just a thought.
Armorer could have some better damage scaling for the modes at higher level. Juggernaut going from 1d10 to 2d6 seems a bit awkward. Or at least go with the rules that have existed before with size changing effects to add an extra die to the damage when you make your armor grow.
Only note to make regarding the Artillerist is that I think the Guardian Temp HP should have some scaling or a buff on the capstone.
As for the reduction of plans in place of the old infusions, I agree that it seems like a big nerf. But the list of options doesn't really seem all that big until we hit the level 10 and level 14 options. That's when we start going absolutely nutty with the Rare and lower magic items. And again, the subclasses and new crafting rules might be intended to offset quite a bit of that. We can make more permanent magic items under the right circumstances, which is important.
Mending no longer mentioned for the Steel Defender
I guess I can see why they did this; The Steel Defender has multiple sources of healing already (d8 Hit dice, the Repair ability), and all the 2024 healing spells seem to work on Constructs. I guess they wanted to dissuade the "Spend three minutes after every battle topping up your Steel Defender" playstyle?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
🎵I'm on top of the world, looking down on creation, wreaking death and devastation with my mind.
As the power that I've found erupts freely from the ground, I will cackle from the top of the world.🎵
I don't like it. This seems like a really disappointing first draft at reworking the class.
Magical Tinkering: Basically anyone with a few gold and a backpack can have all of these, permananly instead of for 3-5 per day for only an hour at a time (you cant even use the bedroll for a long rest?). Before it wasn't great or anything but at least they lasted indefinitly, had magical effects with niech uses that couldn't just be bought by anyone for a few gold.
Spellcasting now allows the Artificer to change one cantrip after each Long Rest: Cool, useful, but it's a problem that was already solved by having the multi-tool from Tasha's
Replicate Magic Item This isn't good from 1-9, and that is the level range most games are played. The only good thing I see from level 6 is if you are a battlesmith that makes an enspelled staff with a smite as the spell.
If I'm understandign this correctly this is probably going to be a problem. Getting 6 smites per long rest is extremly strong, nothing else comes even close that I can find. Keep in mind you can make multiple staffs with differnt smite spells, and swap them out when one is out of charges. And when it's used up you can still drain it and regain a 2nd level slot. That's a level 6 with 12 smite charges, not using any of thier class spell slots. This just doens't seem well thought out.
Homunculous changes: This an overall nerf. -100gp that gets consumed and an hour cast time is harsh. -Not getting it until level 5 is a major downgrade for armorer and alchemist. -You free up an infusion but loose a spell prepped/spell slot to cast it - All of the language for "combat" is limiting now compared to the original, especially the ommision of "some other action"
Losing tool expertise is potenially a really big deal First off this encouraged players to lean into finding ways to use their tool prof, which are largely ignored. On a mechanical level, this was actaully really good as long as you use Tasha's and Xanathar's (which I feel like most tables allow) XGtE has a list of things you can use tool proficnicy for that actually makes them worth having. If you get a Multi-tool from Tasha's then you have expertise on the whole section.
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/ua/the-artificer
i haven’t read all of it but it is looking good. Please let us artificers eat well soon.
(edit) holy moly we have lost so much but gain just as much. We lost some features like expertise but gained access to rare and below magic items. The spell storing item is even stronger. The spell revivify now counts so at level 11 the artificer can cast revivify ten times a day for free. The spellwrought tattoo can now cast up to level five spells at level 14. The armorer gets a new armor that can grow to gargantuan with just an enlarge spell at level 15 and fly. The alchemist can make five of any potion common or uncommon once a day. So much can be done now. Let’s hope the changes stick.
I don't see the Ability to use infusions as focus transferred to the replicated items.
Am I missing something?
Itinerant Deputy Shire-reave Tomas Burrfoot - world walker, Raft-captain, speaker to his dead
Toddy Shelfungus- Rider of the Order of Ill Luck, Speaker to Friends of Friends, and Horribly big nosed
Jarl Archi of Jenisis Glade Fee- Noble Knight of the Dragonborn Goldcrest Clan, Sorcerer of the Noble Investigator;y; Knightly order of the Wolfhound
I don't think they've kept that, no.
Artillerists can still use their Arcane Firearm as a focus, and Armorers can still use their armor, and Alchemists are still pretty tied to their Alchemist's Supplies...so mostly this means that Battlesmiths are a little less gishy.
My Artificer player's reaction can be summed up as "meh - I'll play it if I have to."
I don't plan on making him use this version, even if it becomes official, and it certainly wouldn't sway me to buy a book.
Check out my books on Amazon - Jon R. Osborne
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-YXqOMcVirc
still feel the Battlesmith Iron Defender should scale differently and I was expecting at least 1 weapon mastery.
Okay, so it appears that the 2024 revised UA Artificer has dropped proficiency in firearms. This makes it so only the Battle Smith can use them. Now I imagine the Steel Defender going to lunge at an enemy while the Smith takes aim with his Repeating Shot Pistol. While that is a cool image, I would've been fine with the Artillerist also having proficiency in firearms or the ability to turn one into their Arcane Firearm.
Other big things. Artificers may be the most effective crafters in the game. Giving them the Crafting feat and using the Craft Magic Item system from the DMG 2024 is tantamount to having a single character campaign. Each subclass gives a simple time reduction for making items related to them. And even some of the more beloved Infusions of yesteryear have been made into straight up magic items that the artificer can create of that the DM can give out as treasure.
how are people updating their characters in the builder to playtest the changes?
I am surprisingly looking forward to it. I really dig the new artillerist. I think some things need to be tweaked. Id like to see weapon masteries for the armorer and artillerists. The artiliarist could have one based on the type of focus they use, albeit the tools, a wand, rod or staff, and give each one a different mastery that applies to attack spells. Like when they use a wand their attack spells inflict vex, a rod inflicts sap and the staff push. I think it would work well added to the Arcane Firearm feature at level 6. Removing the 24 hour limit on items created with magical tinkering but leaving the count limit would make that ability a lot more interesting. Also making Cheat Death on Soul of Artifice so it was like 5 or 6 times your INT mod, or your artificer level time 2 or even 3 would make it feel a lot more like a top tier capstone. Also everyone remember it's a playtest. A lot of the initial 2024 stuff was ass when it was dropped but got a lot better. I am excited though at the direction and I have reasonably high hopes of they being a solid class overall to match the 2024 rules.
D&D Beyond's character builder doesn't support UA content anymore. Possibly some of it could be built with homebrew, but probably not the major changes to the class features (like replacing infusions with Replicate Magic Item).
pronouns: he/she/they
Weird thing about the rework of the Homunculus: The Spell consumes the gem now and you don't get it back. The whole rework of this is a bit weird, now that it's a spell you could resummon it faster, but it'll cost you 100g each time. It also makes it so that you don't really want to risk it in most combats or stealth missions. Freeing up an infusion slot is great, but losing 100g each time it gets clapped is harsh...
I would hope they change ist so it either drops the gem again or it doesn't consume the gem.
I tried a form of play-test which was re-running the last combat my Battle Smith Artificer did. I played it online so I have a blow-by-blow transcript I could follow.
Casting Haste worked out alright. With object interaction you can pull out the tools to cast the spell, then with the bonus attack action you get to put them away again freeing your hand for a 2-handed weapon. It would not work for a sword and shield style but for 2-handed weapon this works
Could not cast Shield spell. This spell seems almost unusable on the Battle Smith as written in the UA - there is no situation where you would put yourself in the position of needing to cast it where you reasonably have tools in one of your hands instead of a weapon or shield. Nor could I manage enough object juggling to pull it off - I think this only possibly works with a versatile weapon where you can still use it one-handed but you intend to use it 2-handed so don't use a shield. This relegates Battle Smith to a very poor quality role with limited defences (no shield) and limited damage output (due to restricted weapon choices) if they are actually to use their subclass spells.
But more than the above it breaks the key thematic part of this that I loved which is an artificer who actually uses their weapon to do their magic. Its a very strong theme and was unique to artificer that they actually used their weapon as their focus so they could manifest all of their spells (due to always needing a material component) through their weapons.
All the same issues apply to now having True Strike - you can't cast it with sword and shield or with a 2-handed weapon like a crossbow. Its limited to 1-handed weapons like rapiers and hand crossbows. No other class has this problem.
Battle Smiths need to be able to use their weapons as their spell focus. They can in the Tashas rules if it is an infusion (which it nearly always will be) and they need that ability. This UA really leaves very little room for a workable Battle Smith
I didn't
For my first run through I just re-ran a previous combat I have the transcript for and applied the new rules to the character.
It didn't go well. Character would have been smashed around pretty badly due to inability to use Shield spell while fighting.
i just saw the unearthed arcana and it is shit, they took away double your profisancy for tools sets (Tool Expertise), for one extra spell slot that costs you an infusion. If this how its going to be i'm sticking with tasha's cauldren. and to make matter worse they took away how many infusions we can know. what the hell was they thinking, that is what makes this class great being a wild card.
Okay, unpacking the Alchemist again.
Tool Proficiency:
Can craft potions in half the time. Very nice, but I'd like this to extend to anything crafted with Alchemist's Supplies whether magical or nonmagical. Being able to craft Alchemist's Fire in less than 5 days would be super! And it'd be nice to be able to craft Sovereign Glue or Universal Solvent without having to dedicate a character's entire life to the task.
Alchemist Spells:
Blight replaced with Vitriolic Sphere. Hells to the yes. A much better and far more thematic spell. I had a suspicion they might do this since they added Vitriolic Sphere to the PHB but I'm super glad they did. Nothing against Blight, but no spell screams "Chemical Explosion" louder than Vitriolic Sphere.
Experimental Elixir:
A vial now automatically appears when the elixir does and vanishes when its drunk. This is neat I guess. I think most folks didn't bother tracking vials for experimental elixir regardless.
Huge action economy improvement! Elixirs are now a Bonus Action to use or administer and no mention of a creature being Incapacitated meaning you can Administer an Elixir to one of your conscious allies. Considering they made all Potions a Bonus Action to drink/administer in 2024 this change was to be expected.
More elixirs after a long rest is better, and it scales better than before. Having more rolls means a slightly higher chance of getting the elixir you want. Unless the elixir you want was the Transformation Elixir... I get that it's a more situational elixir but it was also my favorite, and it was a means of casting Alter Self on other creatures. Technically you can do the same with the Spell Storing Item... It's just that Alchemists get so few things they can uniquely do that I'm reluctant to give up even a single one. I'd rather lose the "roll a 6 and you get to choose" option than lose the Transformation Elixir. Conversely I'd have had zero qualms about losing Swiftness which I feel is the least unique elixir the Alchemist gets. It is equivalent to Longstrider in nearly every way.
The feature retains it's randomness but now randomly offers you choice instead of randomness. I can't even. What is the direction they want this feature to go? I'm not sure WoTC even knows anymore.
It seems like they want it to meet that mad scientist trope but mad scientist tropes are all about experiments going wrong, but these experiments at worst go beneficially sideways. That's not mad science at all. That's unpredictable support. If they want mad science they need a bigger table with positive and negative outcomes. Basically it would need to be wild magic junior at least. I might not prefer that method but it would at least feel like a direction!
The way I'd much prefer this to go is for the experimentation to have a clear purpose. The most general purpose of experimentation is to learn something. But there's nothing you can learn from having the same
65 results happen over and over regardless of how you tweak things. A good way to model experimentation based learning is to have a set of elixirs you know how to make with the ability to experiment and learn a new recipes, expanding or replacing elixirs from your list of known recipes. That experimentation could be rolling a die on a table of elixirs and adding the new elixir to your list/replacing one of your entries. In other words how the Replicate Magic Item feature works but for potions, and rolling for new/replaced recipes instead of choosing them directly. I'll be suggesting this in feedback.Alchemical Savant:
On the plus side Vitriolic Sphere gives you a really good AOE spell to spread that bonus to Acid damage to every creature damaged by the spell. Also since Dragon's Breath has been added to the Artificer spell list you now have access to a 2nd level spell that lets you select between Acid, Fire, and Poison damage as the situation requires.
On the minus side, with the removal of Blight from the Alchemist Spells you do not have ANY spells that deal Necrotic damage making its inclusion in the feature kinda pointless. Technically you could get necrotic spells from multiclassing/feats etc, but by default you don't have the means to cast non-Artificer spells with Alchemist's supplies. So to make use of that you'd need a DM to just allow it or to jump through a bunch of RAW hoops including the Artificer Initiate feat.
I still feel it's a net upgrade.
Restorative Reagents:
Fortify - The THP gained is now your INT modifier + your artificer level. This is higher, more stable, and scales better than 2d6 + INT.
Restore - An indirect benefit of 2024 updates is that Lesser Restoration is now a Bonus Action to cast, further being able to cast this spell without a spell slot lets you cast a leveled spell with your action due to the One Spell Slot Per Turn rule.
A side note is this feature does NOT grant Lesser Restoration as "Always Prepared" meaning you CANNOT use spell slots to cast Lesser Restoration unless you actually prepare it after a Long Rest, meaning it would take up space as a prepared spell.
I think a better wording/design for this would be "While you have Alchemists Supplies on your person you have the Lesser Restoration spell always prepared and can cast it without a spell slots a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once)." This would be more in keeping with similar features of this type and also allow the alchemist to cast Lesser Restoration with spell slots should they run out of free casts. It would also then benefit features that ride on a spell being prepared such as scribing spell scrolls. I'll suggest this change in feedback.
Chemical Mastery:
Alchemical Eruption - Unexpected boost. Also weird that it's Force damage? Not unheard of or anything. And I'm a fan of a damage boost to Alchemist spells but... I think the bizarre thing about this is how it feels like it's intended to be an upgrade to Alchemical Savant... yet it operates on different requirements and has a different execution.
AS: Alchemist Supplies as focus required, boosts 1 roll of a spell (healing/damage types), occurs per spell cast. You can spread the bonus to multiple targets with an AOE spell but you cannot repeat the bonus on subsequent rolls.
AE: Artificer spell required, damage type requirement, bonus damage (Force) against a single target, occurs once per (your) turn. You cannot spread the damage to multiple targets but you can (maybe?) repeat this damage to a target on multiple turns with a spell that causes damage over time.
It's just... having two completely differing sets of requirements/technicalities is needlessly complicated. It's like they intentionally made the Alchemist hard to understand for new players and I don't like that!
Chemical Resistance - They removed immunity to the Poisoned condition. I don't like this. That was one of the better parts of this feature.
Conjured Cauldron - Swapped out Heal and replaced with Tasha's Bubbling Cauldron. I had a feeling they would do this and it's certainly nice... and much more versatile than Heal. But it also comes late. Wizards and Warlocks get access to this at level 11, Alchemists get it at level 15. Granted maybe being able to craft potions at double speed is enough compensation for earlier levels.
Overall:
It is much better now! Even Experimental Elixir is better! However, I continue to be unsatisfied with Experimental Elixir. Not in terms of power, I think the feature is appropriately powerful now. It just... I would move it in a different direction and feel increasingly like WoTC is never going to go that way, which sucks but we'll see how they respond to feedback.
Edit: Just realized that Conjured Cauldron also replaces the free 1/day free cast of Greater Restoration. That one is an actual loss I don't think Tasha's Cauldron makes up for.
Thread also going in the UA section here: https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/dungeons-dragons-discussion/unearthed-arcana/212594-artificer
On the plus side
Surprised to see Battle Smith getting access to Shining Smite, the best Paladin Smite, while also giving them the worst Smite (Banishing Smite), is wild.
Okay, so it sounds like one of the initial points is that it appears two subclasses got substantial and potentially positive changes while the others either didn't get much or effectively got a nerf. The lack of the tool expertise seems more like a gripe, until we take into account the new 2024 rules on tool proficiency and crafting. My guess is the subclass specific time reduction is meant to be a variant expression of that expertise.
So some initial feedback notes to put in the upcoming survey will have to address these points. Battle Smiths should have a reasonable expectation to use their weapon as a spell focus, especially since it never had that to begin with unless you made a weapon with that property. If there is an insistence on only giving the Artificer two skill proficiency choices at level one and expect tools to make up the difference, then Tool Expertise should be considered for the next round of playtesting. Firearms proficiency should just be a general consideration in recognition of the previous iteration.
On the Alchemist, the buff to the Experimental Elixirs was nice but not enough. I think an addition to the capstone could be that you have the number of elixirs you get back with a spell slot scale a little bit more. Maybe up to 3 for the spell slot. Just a thought.
Armorer could have some better damage scaling for the modes at higher level. Juggernaut going from 1d10 to 2d6 seems a bit awkward. Or at least go with the rules that have existed before with size changing effects to add an extra die to the damage when you make your armor grow.
Only note to make regarding the Artillerist is that I think the Guardian Temp HP should have some scaling or a buff on the capstone.
As for the reduction of plans in place of the old infusions, I agree that it seems like a big nerf. But the list of options doesn't really seem all that big until we hit the level 10 and level 14 options. That's when we start going absolutely nutty with the Rare and lower magic items. And again, the subclasses and new crafting rules might be intended to offset quite a bit of that. We can make more permanent magic items under the right circumstances, which is important.
I guess I can see why they did this; The Steel Defender has multiple sources of healing already (d8 Hit dice, the Repair ability), and all the 2024 healing spells seem to work on Constructs. I guess they wanted to dissuade the "Spend three minutes after every battle topping up your Steel Defender" playstyle?
🎵I'm on top of the world, looking down on creation, wreaking death and devastation with my mind.
As the power that I've found erupts freely from the ground, I will cackle from the top of the world.🎵
Charisma Saving Throw: DC 18, Failure: 20d6 Psychic Damage, Success: Half damage
I don't like it. This seems like a really disappointing first draft at reworking the class.
Magical Tinkering:
Basically anyone with a few gold and a backpack can have all of these, permananly instead of for 3-5 per day for only an hour at a time (you cant even use the bedroll for a long rest?).
Before it wasn't great or anything but at least they lasted indefinitly, had magical effects with niech uses that couldn't just be bought by anyone for a few gold.
Spellcasting now allows the Artificer to change one cantrip after each Long Rest:
Cool, useful, but it's a problem that was already solved by having the multi-tool from Tasha's
Replicate Magic Item
This isn't good from 1-9, and that is the level range most games are played.
The only good thing I see from level 6 is if you are a battlesmith that makes an enspelled staff with a smite as the spell.
If I'm understandign this correctly this is probably going to be a problem. Getting 6 smites per long rest is extremly strong, nothing else comes even close that I can find. Keep in mind you can make multiple staffs with differnt smite spells, and swap them out when one is out of charges. And when it's used up you can still drain it and regain a 2nd level slot. That's a level 6 with 12 smite charges, not using any of thier class spell slots. This just doens't seem well thought out.
Homunculous changes:
This an overall nerf.
-100gp that gets consumed and an hour cast time is harsh.
-Not getting it until level 5 is a major downgrade for armorer and alchemist.
-You free up an infusion but loose a spell prepped/spell slot to cast it
- All of the language for "combat" is limiting now compared to the original, especially the ommision of "some other action"
Losing tool expertise is potenially a really big deal
First off this encouraged players to lean into finding ways to use their tool prof, which are largely ignored.
On a mechanical level, this was actaully really good as long as you use Tasha's and Xanathar's (which I feel like most tables allow)
XGtE has a list of things you can use tool proficnicy for that actually makes them worth having. If you get a Multi-tool from Tasha's then you have expertise on the whole section.
Little Giant feature from Goliath + Armorer Dreadnought feature + Enlarge/Reduce spell (Enlarge) = Big Artificer.
Roll for Initiative: [roll]1d20+7[/roll]
Proud member of the EVIL JEFF CULT! PRAISE JEFF!
Homebrew Races: HERE Homebrew Spells: HERE Homebrew Monsters: HERE
MORE OF ME! (And platypodes/platypi/platypuses) (Extended signature)