I'm building a UA 2024 Artificer and I'm kind of curious about what people think would be a good build. I am building a Battlesmith to test it out. I have some thoughts about the new changes but hey, let's give it a shot.
Species
I like Dwarves and Dwarven Toughness is useful for a half caster.
Rock Gnome would be good to get Mending and Prestidigitation cantrips so I can get more cantrips. It would also compensate the change made to Magical Tinkering and give me more flexibility to play the crazy tinkerer.
Halfling with Luck can be useful but since I plan on playing Battlesmith, the Hide action might not be used much.
Ability Scores: Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence. Feat:Alert I think that it's a decent choice and can help in some fights but I'm not sure it's a game changer for me. Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of Hand and Stealth. With battlesmith in mind and maybe a scale armor, Stealth might not be useful much
Ability Scores: Constitution, Intelligence, Charisma Feat:Lucky is an easy choice and can be helpful Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling and Persuasion. Persuasion is always helpful but I don't really see myself using Animal Handling much
Ability Scores: Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom Feat:Magic Initiate (Wizard) can compensate the lack of cantrips we have Skill Proficiencies: Arcana and History are not the most interesting
For the purposes of testing it (rather than optimizing, say), I'd not use Rock Gnome, just so you get a sense of what the class limitations are like.
When I'm building an Artificer, I dump charisma so I wouldn't pick Merchant. But, there's no reason you have to dump charisma and if you like playing a charismatic character, the idea of a Merchant does fit with an artisan. I am always a little side-eye that they gave Merchant Animal Handling. I suppose for the horses? But I think of a merchant as mostly having a store rather than a caravan.
Having a proficiency in stealth isn't a bad thing maybe especially if you're bad at it with heavy armor. Stealth often decides whether there will be a battle at all and if you have heavy armor you need all the help you can get with that roll. Proficiency can help make up for the disadvantage.
Arcana is useful on an Artificer - it's good for crafting and if you have high int it can be a consistent source of strength.
I would be inclined to go with the dwarf, skip all those backgrounds for scribe, and not worry so much about more cantrips when you can rely on weapon attacks.
INT and DEX work for ability scores, investigation and perception for skills, calligrapher supplies help craft spell scrolls, and skilled adds any combination of 3 skills or tool proficiencies.
If you use skilled for arcana and tool proficiencies it helps with crafting if you get into that. For example arcana and herbalism kit plus calligrapher tools already makes for cheap scrolls and potions that can be crafted fairly quickly, smith tools allows for crafting weapons and armor if you get into it, the base class adds tinker tools for wondrous items, the base class adds another tool, and skilled still offers 1 more skill or tool proficiency.
This leans into the crafting concept more.
You don't need cantrips so much if you're using weapon attacks.
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I'm building a UA 2024 Artificer and I'm kind of curious about what people think would be a good build.
I am building a Battlesmith to test it out. I have some thoughts about the new changes but hey, let's give it a shot.
Species
I like Dwarves and Dwarven Toughness is useful for a half caster.
Rock Gnome would be good to get Mending and Prestidigitation cantrips so I can get more cantrips. It would also compensate the change made to Magical Tinkering and give me more flexibility to play the crazy tinkerer.
Halfling with Luck can be useful but since I plan on playing Battlesmith, the Hide action might not be used much.
Human Resourceful is also nice.
Backgrounds
Criminal
Ability Scores: Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence.
Feat: Alert I think that it's a decent choice and can help in some fights but I'm not sure it's a game changer for me.
Skill Proficiencies: Sleight of Hand and Stealth. With battlesmith in mind and maybe a scale armor, Stealth might not be useful much
Merchant:
Ability Scores: Constitution, Intelligence, Charisma
Feat: Lucky is an easy choice and can be helpful
Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling and Persuasion. Persuasion is always helpful but I don't really see myself using Animal Handling much
Sage:
Ability Scores: Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom
Feat: Magic Initiate (Wizard) can compensate the lack of cantrips we have
Skill Proficiencies: Arcana and History are not the most interesting
What are your thoughts?
For the purposes of testing it (rather than optimizing, say), I'd not use Rock Gnome, just so you get a sense of what the class limitations are like.
When I'm building an Artificer, I dump charisma so I wouldn't pick Merchant. But, there's no reason you have to dump charisma and if you like playing a charismatic character, the idea of a Merchant does fit with an artisan. I am always a little side-eye that they gave Merchant Animal Handling. I suppose for the horses? But I think of a merchant as mostly having a store rather than a caravan.
Having a proficiency in stealth isn't a bad thing maybe especially if you're bad at it with heavy armor. Stealth often decides whether there will be a battle at all and if you have heavy armor you need all the help you can get with that roll. Proficiency can help make up for the disadvantage.
Arcana is useful on an Artificer - it's good for crafting and if you have high int it can be a consistent source of strength.
I would be inclined to go with the dwarf, skip all those backgrounds for scribe, and not worry so much about more cantrips when you can rely on weapon attacks.
INT and DEX work for ability scores, investigation and perception for skills, calligrapher supplies help craft spell scrolls, and skilled adds any combination of 3 skills or tool proficiencies.
If you use skilled for arcana and tool proficiencies it helps with crafting if you get into that. For example arcana and herbalism kit plus calligrapher tools already makes for cheap scrolls and potions that can be crafted fairly quickly, smith tools allows for crafting weapons and armor if you get into it, the base class adds tinker tools for wondrous items, the base class adds another tool, and skilled still offers 1 more skill or tool proficiency.
This leans into the crafting concept more.
You don't need cantrips so much if you're using weapon attacks.