The problem with that is that it would then allow the artificer to take 500 canes a day and turn them into 500 mundane steel swords each day - clearly broken. If the infusion is the magic holding the mundane wooden cane in the form of a mundane steel sword and still present as long as the sword is present then you can’t because infusing a second cane would cancel the first causing the sword to revert to the original mundane cane. The real magic is not the transition from mundane cane to “veterans cane” but rather the transmutation of the wood of the cane into the steel of the sword. It’s not a permanent effect with infusions it’s a temporary one powered by the infusion. If the infusion is pulled the transmutation ends and the sword returns to being a mundane cane with no infusion. You are holding/powering the infusion with a part of your life magic. You can have 2-6 active infusions (depending on your level) because you are putting your life magic into them that is why th infusions fade away when you die. They are indefinite in time as long as you are alive. Keep in mind that the “magic” you are intending with veterans cane (or a tattoo, awakening pot or other item - especially a consumable) is not the transition of mundane cane into wooden cane capable of becoming a steel sword, it is the transition of a piece of (relatively harmless) wood into a steel sword where and when you want the transition to occur.
notice that this allows for some potentially powerful uses as well - artificer/assassin infuses cane then walks into meeting with with target as a “weaponless” person, transforms the cane into a sword attacking and killing the target then pulls the infusion returning the sword to mundane, no magic detectable cane and walks out again “weaponless”. He can then later put the infusion back into the cane for another similar mission if he wants to.
Like Phishing attacks online - if it looks too good to be true it is and your reading it wrong.
The problem with that is that it would then allow the artificer to take 500 canes a day and turn them into 500 mundane steel swords each day - clearly broken.
An artificer can only infuse items at the end of a long rest not at any time throughout the day if they are at lower than their max count.
While there's no indication on how long it takes you to infuse your items, there's also no indication that you can infuse one item, take a bonus action to activate it, and then infuse another item. Mechanically speaking it's pretty clear the game expects you put all your chosen infusions into your items at the end of a long of a long rest with no interruption in between applying infusions.
A strict reading of the rules would be that you can infuse items "at the end of a long rest" not "one bonus action after the end of a long rest."
And like I stated earlier infusions likely weren't designed to work with consumable magic items like the veteran's cane in mind.
I’m with you on the long rest, but a number of the posters here somehow have ignored it in their fantasies which I was paraphrasing there. I’m also with you on the consumables things like the cane, tattoos etc shouldn’t have been included and hopefully will eventually retconned out.
on the other hand there is no clear requirement that you have to do your infusions immediately after finishing the long rest. Further if you have 6 infusions are still “at full power” after you’ve completed say 3 of them? If all I’m doing is walking for a few minutes is that too much before doing the next infusion? Is activating an infusion enough to cancel being able to do the other 3 infusions until after the next long rest? All of this is effectively up to DM fiat since RAW doesn’t make any of it clear. It doesn’t even make it clear if you have to reinfuse things each day or if you can do 6 new infusions each day even if the 6 you did yesterday are still functioning. Vagueness in these rules opens up the floodgates for power gaming by failing to give DMs (and players) clear guidance on what WOtC thinks proper play balance should be. As a DM I can veer from RAW anytime I want too but knowing more about what their playtesting has shown them about balance is very helpful guidance that they really aren’t giving. I’m not necessarily arguing for any of this just that it’s unclear where lines are intended to be drawn. In my own world artificers are not magic factories and they can only infuse new items if they have an open infusion - example: they have 3 items infused but can have 4, so after a long rest they can actually only do 1 infusion without shutting down one of their earlier ones.
Whenever you finish a long rest, you can touch a non-magical object and imbue it with one of your artificer infusions
This specifies when you do your infusions. This is not "after" a long rest, but at the completion of your long rest.
You can infuse more than one nonmagical object at the end of a long rest; the maximum number of objects appears in the Infused Items column of Artificer table
This specifies the number of items that can be infused at the end a long rest. This also further defines when infusions are completed.
Your infusion remains in an item indefinitely, but when you die, the infusion vanishes after a number of days have passed equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1 day).
This specifies that you do not need to reinfuse things each day and you fully have the ability to infuse your full maximum number of infusible items at the end of a long rest, however :
If you try to exceed your maximum number of infusions, the oldest infusion immediately ends, and then the new infusion applies.
As you can never infuse more items per long rest than the maximum number of infused items you are able to have at any given time, which is never the maximum number of infusion you actually know, should you choose to use your maximum infusion slots at the end of a long rest on all new items, then any previously existing infusion would immediately end.
they have 3 items infused but can have 4, so after a long rest they can actually only do 1 infusion without shutting down one of their earlier ones.
Now go back with your power gamer cap on 😁 , I have 3 unused infusions and so I use the first “at the completion of my long rest” having used one I’m clearly no longer “at the completion of my long rest” yet I should still be able to do the the 2 infusions so when is the latest that you can do those 2 infusions?
mind you, I’m not arguing for that but I try to see the thinking so I can explain why it’s wrong.
doing infusions is like a wizard prepping his spells - the ones he wants to keep just stay in memory but he has to memorize the new ones for the day if he is changing any and it’s also done “at the completion of a long rest”
the fact that the max number is not listed right next to the fact that they can do them at the completion of a long rest has had a number of folks thinking they can do essentially unlimited infusions over time : 2-6 today, a new 2-6 tomorrow without losing the ones from today etc. I agree that this is forbidden by RAW, if you go back I’m not actually arguing for anything not RAW but rather trying to explain why power game/broken interpretations aren’t RAW. That and perhaps how to view below the RAW to understand why the broken/power game reads don’t work.
Now go back with your power gamer cap on 😁 , I have 3 unused infusions and so I use the first “at the completion of my long rest” having used one I’m clearly no longer “at the completion of my long rest” yet I should still be able to do the the 2 infusions so when is the latest that you can do those 2 infusions?
Based on the letter of the rules: either immediately as part of this "end of your long rest" or as part of the end of your next long rest (or subsequent long rests). Nothing really prevents a player from choosing to not infuse an item at rest's end, there's just no mechanical reason or benefit to doing so.
In my opinion, however you want to flavor the infusion process occurring (including breaks between infusions) is fair game so long as that narrative isn't exploited for benefits that the rules don't allow.
I would allow this, but there would definitely be a few drawbacks if the players were to abuse it. (I.e. they might end up getting a soft ban on the infusion or they might have to suddenly attune to the cane before hand and disappears is released by the person who activates it)
The problem with that is that it would then allow the artificer to take 500 canes a day and turn them into 500 mundane steel swords each day - clearly broken. If the infusion is the magic holding the mundane wooden cane in the form of a mundane steel sword and still present as long as the sword is present then you can’t because infusing a second cane would cancel the first causing the sword to revert to the original mundane cane. The real magic is not the transition from mundane cane to “veterans cane” but rather the transmutation of the wood of the cane into the steel of the sword. It’s not a permanent effect with infusions it’s a temporary one powered by the infusion. If the infusion is pulled the transmutation ends and the sword returns to being a mundane cane with no infusion. You are holding/powering the infusion with a part of your life magic. You can have 2-6 active infusions (depending on your level) because you are putting your life magic into them that is why th infusions fade away when you die. They are indefinite in time as long as you are alive. Keep in mind that the “magic” you are intending with veterans cane (or a tattoo, awakening pot or other item - especially a consumable) is not the transition of mundane cane into wooden cane capable of becoming a steel sword, it is the transition of a piece of (relatively harmless) wood into a steel sword where and when you want the transition to occur.
notice that this allows for some potentially powerful uses as well - artificer/assassin infuses cane then walks into meeting with with target as a “weaponless” person, transforms the cane into a sword attacking and killing the target then pulls the infusion returning the sword to mundane, no magic detectable cane and walks out again “weaponless”. He can then later put the infusion back into the cane for another similar mission if he wants to.
Like Phishing attacks online - if it looks too good to be true it is and your reading it wrong.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
An artificer can only infuse items at the end of a long rest not at any time throughout the day if they are at lower than their max count.
While there's no indication on how long it takes you to infuse your items, there's also no indication that you can infuse one item, take a bonus action to activate it, and then infuse another item. Mechanically speaking it's pretty clear the game expects you put all your chosen infusions into your items at the end of a long of a long rest with no interruption in between applying infusions.
A strict reading of the rules would be that you can infuse items "at the end of a long rest" not "one bonus action after the end of a long rest."
And like I stated earlier infusions likely weren't designed to work with consumable magic items like the veteran's cane in mind.
I’m with you on the long rest, but a number of the posters here somehow have ignored it in their fantasies which I was paraphrasing there. I’m also with you on the consumables things like the cane, tattoos etc shouldn’t have been included and hopefully will eventually retconned out.
on the other hand there is no clear requirement that you have to do your infusions immediately after finishing the long rest. Further if you have 6 infusions are still “at full power” after you’ve completed say 3 of them? If all I’m doing is walking for a few minutes is that too much before doing the next infusion? Is activating an infusion enough to cancel being able to do the other 3 infusions until after the next long rest?
All of this is effectively up to DM fiat since RAW doesn’t make any of it clear. It doesn’t even make it clear if you have to reinfuse things each day or if you can do 6 new infusions each day even if the 6 you did yesterday are still functioning. Vagueness in these rules opens up the floodgates for power gaming by failing to give DMs (and players) clear guidance on what WOtC thinks proper play balance should be. As a DM I can veer from RAW anytime I want too but knowing more about what their playtesting has shown them about balance is very helpful guidance that they really aren’t giving. I’m not necessarily arguing for any of this just that it’s unclear where lines are intended to be drawn. In my own world artificers are not magic factories and they can only infuse new items if they have an open infusion - example: they have 3 items infused but can have 4, so after a long rest they can actually only do 1 infusion without shutting down one of their earlier ones.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
RAW:
This specifies when you do your infusions. This is not "after" a long rest, but at the completion of your long rest.
This specifies the number of items that can be infused at the end a long rest. This also further defines when infusions are completed.
This specifies that you do not need to reinfuse things each day and you fully have the ability to infuse your full maximum number of infusible items at the end of a long rest, however :
As you can never infuse more items per long rest than the maximum number of infused items you are able to have at any given time, which is never the maximum number of infusion you actually know, should you choose to use your maximum infusion slots at the end of a long rest on all new items, then any previously existing infusion would immediately end.
This is 100% RAW, as described above.
Now go back with your power gamer cap on 😁 , I have 3 unused infusions and so I use the first “at the completion of my long rest” having used one I’m clearly no longer “at the completion of my long rest” yet I should still be able to do the the 2 infusions so when is the latest that you can do those 2 infusions?
mind you, I’m not arguing for that but I try to see the thinking so I can explain why it’s wrong.
doing infusions is like a wizard prepping his spells - the ones he wants to keep just stay in memory but he has to memorize the new ones for the day if he is changing any and it’s also done “at the completion of a long rest”
the fact that the max number is not listed right next to the fact that they can do them at the completion of a long rest has had a number of folks thinking they can do essentially unlimited infusions over time : 2-6 today, a new 2-6 tomorrow without losing the ones from today etc. I agree that this is forbidden by RAW, if you go back I’m not actually arguing for anything not RAW but rather trying to explain why power game/broken interpretations aren’t RAW. That and perhaps how to view below the RAW to understand why the broken/power game reads don’t work.
Wisea$$ DM and Player since 1979.
Based on the letter of the rules: either immediately as part of this "end of your long rest" or as part of the end of your next long rest (or subsequent long rests).
Nothing really prevents a player from choosing to not infuse an item at rest's end, there's just no mechanical reason or benefit to doing so.
In my opinion, however you want to flavor the infusion process occurring (including breaks between infusions) is fair game so long as that narrative isn't exploited for benefits that the rules don't allow.
I would allow this, but there would definitely be a few drawbacks if the players were to abuse it. (I.e. they might end up getting a soft ban on the infusion or they might have to suddenly attune to the cane before hand and disappears is released by the person who activates it)