Cartographer Builds?

Quote from phantom_scribbler >>

With a Wand of Web.  I make that, give it to them, they cast it and hold concentration on it.  

 Alas, friend. Wand of Web requires attunement by a spellcaster, and your homunculus is not a spellcaster.

After a lot of thought, the way that Artificer 2025 is written, I ended up not choosing the Spell Refueling ring. When you get this plan, you now ALSO get Drain Magic Item... so now any plan is basically a secret Spell Refueling Ring. I make a Wand of Magic Missiles instead and when I run out of charges in it, I can turn it into that spell slot. Even better, the wand doesn't require attunement, and the Spell Refueling Ring does.

For a 2014 Artificer, it's still a great choice.

Artificer (at least in 2014) also had Booming Blade, so I'm assuming they still do as a legacy spell.  True Strike is largely better and more flexible.  Here is why I'm so focused on Booming Blade:

1. I'm looking for something to really make use of Cartographer mechanics.  They can teleport in, hit with Booming Blade, and teleport away without invoking opportunity attacks.  
2. Booming Blade does more damage than True Strike although, for the Cartographer, it's important to either have high strength or find a way to use your spellcasting modifier to for attack/damage.  
3. Booming Blade has a soft lockdown effect that True Strike doesn't have.
4. I do really hate having to use Magic Initiate: Druid for this.  But the only other way I see to do it and still use my Intelligence is to make an "All Purpose Tool" at level 10 which will allow me to cast any single cantrip from any class for 8 hours a day.

Quote from phantom_scribbler >>

Artificer (at least in 2014) also had Booming Blade, so I'm assuming they still do as a legacy spell.  True Strike is largely better and more flexible.  Here is why I'm so focused on Booming Blade:

1. I'm looking for something to really make use of Cartographer mechanics.  They can teleport in, hit with Booming Blade, and teleport away without invoking opportunity attacks.  
2. Booming Blade does more damage than True Strike although, for the Cartographer, it's important to either have high strength or find a way to use your spellcasting modifier to for attack/damage.  
3. Booming Blade has a soft lockdown effect that True Strike doesn't have.
4. I do really hate having to use Magic Initiate: Druid for this.  But the only other way I see to do it and still use my Intelligence is to make an "All Purpose Tool" at level 10 which will allow me to cast any single cantrip from any class for 8 hours a day.

This is...strange. Both True Strike and Booming Blade seem equally effective for point 1, and point 2 and 4 seem much more like points in favor of True Strike.

I was thinking of using the Spell Refueling Ring as getting TWO spell slots (although I assume the Thayan Tattoo would do the same).  I could cast a spell, refuel the spell slot with the Spell Storing Ring, transmute the Spell Storing Ring into something like a Wand of Magic Missiles and then turn the Wand of Magic Missiles into a spell slot as well.  

Ah ... alas.  I can't even give it to a fighter unless they multiclass.  Maybe a Warlock would like to concentrate on it.  I guess I'm just giving the Homunculus Servant a Wand of Magic Missiles, maybe. I wonder if I can give it proficiency in wind instruments so it could play the pipes of haunting.  Hmmm ....

If Booming Blade is fun for you, then go for it.

I play my Cartographer as primarily a mage, a mage with serious armor. This character's preferred attacks are ranged - either a ranged spell or firebolt - so often they use their teleport to bop out of melee before attacking. This character doesn't use True Strike even, but does have an All Purpose Tool that is usually attached to Chill Touch for times when melee is unavoidable. They are more support than DPR though they have their share of kills too.

At the tables I play at, I haven't been that excited by Booming Blade. A target rich environment means that enemies rarely need to move to hit me, so they don't take that extra damage. But it's all in what works for you and your play style.

The wording is awkward to read, but the real power of the teleport isn't the 10' jump (though nice as a last ditch for getting out of melee) - rather it's the jump to a mapholder. This gives you targets all over the battlefield, and potentially you end up with as much as 50' movement in a turn, depending on where exactly your friends are. If one of your mapholders is your homunculus, you can potentially control where that is so you can jump exactly where you like. But, it's also great for getting you to someone who needs your help from a touch spell in a hurry. In some battles, it doesn't matter, but for others it's absolutely magic, and difficult terrain, elevation, etc is not an obstacle.

I'm mostly planning (hoping) to teleport to mapholders.  The idea with Booming Blade would be teleport up to an ally at low health who is confronted by an enemy and can't escape.  Bonus action teleport them 30 feet away (using Spring Eladrin), hit the enemy with Booming Blade and then teleport back to my ally using the rest of my movement.  THEN the enemy has to decide if they want to take the extra damage to get to the ally.  

I had considered a playstyle very similar to what you're describing.  I'm just hoping to exploit that get in, get out thing the Cartographer can do.

My other plan is to, if the DM will let me, multiclass one level into Psion.  It gets me all kinds of functionality but, for the purposes of this discussion, give me Command, Dissonant Whispers and Shield, all of which I can cast without verbal, material or somatic components.  I know my spell slots are limited, but there you go.  Either that or Spellfire Flare.

Very cool idea to synergize with the Spring Eladrin! That seems like it would be very fun to play!