Why is the 5th level feature of the Alchemist almost useless? Has this been amended/clarified?
Alchemical Savant: Whenever you cast a spell using your alchemist’s supplies as the spellcasting focus, you gain a bonus to one roll of the spell. That roll must restore hit points or be a damage roll that deals acid, fire, necrotic, or poison damage, and the bonus equals your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1).
The key words here are “using your alchemist’s supplies as the spellcasting focus.” As far as I am aware, you use your spellcasting focus on spells with material components that don’t have a specified cost. There are no healing spells that use a spellcasting focus, unless you want to include False life, which isn’t technically restoring hit points. In fact none of the four spells that satisfy the required material component and damage type are singular damage rolls. They all deal damage over multiple turns, but would only gain a bonus on the first turn as the feature triggers when casting the spell. Furthermore, there is nothing above a second level spell that works.
Without some kind of multiclass or feat supplementing your spell list, your only options to gain benefit are:
I would assume the intent here is that it works for any spell you cast from your Artificer list. Thus granting the bonus to your healing, and a much wider range of spells as the ones listed above are only two of the four listed damage types.
I’m fairly certain it’s not meant to work on every turn of damage after the initial casting. This ruling pops up often enough amongst other classes that it’s been clarified. The fact that all the spells deal additional damage on following turns is likely a coincidence that spells like this have material components as they are more complicated and get better value for your spell slot, thus requiring a balance that if the caster is separated from their material components they are unable to use them.
How does it work at your table? Would you allow it to work with spells learnt from other class lists?
I was about to say that the biggest problem is that you can't combine this with Enhanced Arcane Focus, but re-reading Enhanced Arcane Focus... it doesn't say that you need to use the infused item as the spellcasting focus, just that you have to be holding it while casting a spell. Although it does seem like a bit of a hassle juggling a Wand, Alchemist's Suplies, and potentially a shield or weapon.
I'm afraid you forgot one simple and extremely important detail of the Artificer spellcasting. You add a material component to ALL your Artificer spells, so you have to use a spellcasting focus all the time.
Tools Required
You produce your artificer spell effects through your tools. You must have a spellcasting focus-specifically thieves' tools or some kind of artisan's tool-in hand when you cast any spell with this Spellcasting feature (meaning the spell has an "M" component when you cast it). You must be proficient with the tool to use it in this way. See the equipment chapter in the Player's Handbook for descriptions of these tools.
After you gain the Infuse Item feature at 2nd level, you can also use any item bearing one of your infusions as a spellcasting focus.
It's honestly actually the best feature of the subclass and mostly for the healing spells since for damage spells it's worse than the Artillerist one that does the same but applies to more damage types and is infusable.
Took me a second read to see that. At first read it sounded like it was explaining what a material component is for your Artificer casting. But you are right, it’s changing the components of the whole list.
If I’m understanding this correctly, any sword or shield with an infusion on it allows you to ignore any somatic or material components that don’t have a cost. Usually you would take the Warcaster Feat to ignore somatic components will full hands, but if the spell has material components you aren’t able to cast that spell without putting down your weapon.
Effectively, Artificers spell casting is the best any class could hope for because you get to use your equipment as your focus. But how would that work if you only had infused armour and mundane weapons in both hands? Does the armour being worn allow you it also ignore material and somatic components even without a free hand?
Also take into consideration that the alchemist supplies are so ill defined and nebulous that you can (YRMV) define common weapons as part of it. Dagger this one is just a gimme (knife); sickle for ingredient gathering; club or mace = paddle for stirring in a cauldron or pestle in oversized mortal and pestle; light hammer for crushing gems or rocks before adding them to a elixir.
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Why is the 5th level feature of the Alchemist almost useless? Has this been amended/clarified?
Alchemical Savant: Whenever you cast a spell using your alchemist’s supplies as the spellcasting focus, you gain a bonus to one roll of the spell. That roll must restore hit points or be a damage roll that deals acid, fire, necrotic, or poison damage, and the bonus equals your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1).
The key words here are “using your alchemist’s supplies as the spellcasting focus.” As far as I am aware, you use your spellcasting focus on spells with material components that don’t have a specified cost. There are no healing spells that use a spellcasting focus, unless you want to include False life, which isn’t technically restoring hit points. In fact none of the four spells that satisfy the required material component and damage type are singular damage rolls. They all deal damage over multiple turns, but would only gain a bonus on the first turn as the feature triggers when casting the spell. Furthermore, there is nothing above a second level spell that works.
Without some kind of multiclass or feat supplementing your spell list, your only options to gain benefit are:
[1st] Tasha’s caustic brew
[2nd] Heat metal, Flaming sphere, Melf’s acid arrow
I would assume the intent here is that it works for any spell you cast from your Artificer list. Thus granting the bonus to your healing, and a much wider range of spells as the ones listed above are only two of the four listed damage types.
I’m fairly certain it’s not meant to work on every turn of damage after the initial casting. This ruling pops up often enough amongst other classes that it’s been clarified. The fact that all the spells deal additional damage on following turns is likely a coincidence that spells like this have material components as they are more complicated and get better value for your spell slot, thus requiring a balance that if the caster is separated from their material components they are unable to use them.
How does it work at your table?
Would you allow it to work with spells learnt from other class lists?
I was about to say that the biggest problem is that you can't combine this with Enhanced Arcane Focus, but re-reading Enhanced Arcane Focus... it doesn't say that you need to use the infused item as the spellcasting focus, just that you have to be holding it while casting a spell. Although it does seem like a bit of a hassle juggling a Wand, Alchemist's Suplies, and potentially a shield or weapon.
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Took me a second read to see that. At first read it sounded like it was explaining what a material component is for your Artificer casting. But you are right, it’s changing the components of the whole list.
Thanks for pointing it out.
I ran into a different thread talking about components which is somewhat related to Artificer spell components.
If a spell has a material component, you need to handle that component when you cast the spell. The same rule applies if you’re using a spellcasting focus as the material component. If a spell has a somatic component, you can use the hand that performs the somatic component to also handle the material component.
If I’m understanding this correctly, any sword or shield with an infusion on it allows you to ignore any somatic or material components that don’t have a cost. Usually you would take the Warcaster Feat to ignore somatic components will full hands, but if the spell has material components you aren’t able to cast that spell without putting down your weapon.
Effectively, Artificers spell casting is the best any class could hope for because you get to use your equipment as your focus. But how would that work if you only had infused armour and mundane weapons in both hands? Does the armour being worn allow you it also ignore material and somatic components even without a free hand?
Also take into consideration that the alchemist supplies are so ill defined and nebulous that you can (YRMV) define common weapons as part of it. Dagger this one is just a gimme (knife); sickle for ingredient gathering; club or mace = paddle for stirring in a cauldron or pestle in oversized mortal and pestle; light hammer for crushing gems or rocks before adding them to a elixir.