I'm truly at a loss as to why they changed Magic Tinkering to this. At least they fixed the one hour bedroll. Just glad my current DM feels the same way and is letting me keep the old Magic Tinkering ability.
I agree - the 2014 magical tinkering is very cool and interesting and creates a lot of creative opportunity. The UA one is not really interesting at all.
I agree - the 2014 magical tinkering is very cool and interesting and creates a lot of creative opportunity. The UA one is not really interesting at all.
It's not just UA anymore. The final published version has become available in some stores and it's essentially the same as the version from the second UA (from February 2025) but with a few more items added to the list. It's very disappointing.
I agree - the 2014 magical tinkering is very cool and interesting and creates a lot of creative opportunity. The UA one is not really interesting at all.
It's not just UA anymore. The final published version has become available in some stores and it's essentially the same as the version from the second UA (from February 2025) but with a few more items added to the list. It's very disappointing.
The article on the Artificer changes says "Reduced crafting time/cost benefit enveloped into Tinker's Magic feature." Is this true at all?
I agree - the 2014 magical tinkering is very cool and interesting and creates a lot of creative opportunity. The UA one is not really interesting at all.
It's not just UA anymore. The final published version has become available in some stores and it's essentially the same as the version from the second UA (from February 2025) but with a few more items added to the list. It's very disappointing.
The article on the Artificer changes says "Reduced crafting time/cost benefit enveloped into Tinker's Magic feature." Is this true at all?
I’m not really sure what that’s referring to. The final Tinker’s Magic feature is mechanically the same as the one from the second UA (the “Eberron Updates” one). The only difference I see is that there are several more items added to the list of things that can be created with it.
It seems the reduced crafting time is tied to the subclass:
Alchemist - Potion Crafting. When you brew a potion using the crafting rules in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, the amount of time required to craft it is halved.
Armorer - Armor Crafting. When you craft nonmagical or magic armor, the amount of time required to craft it is halved
Artillerist - Wand Crafting. When you craft a magic Wand, the amount of time required to craft it is halved.
Battlesmith - Weapon Crafting. When you craft a nonmagical or magic weapon, the amount of time required to craft it is halved.
Cartographer - Scroll Crafting. When you scribe a Spell Scroll using the crafting rules in the Player’s Handbook, the amount of time required to craft it is halved.
The new tinkers magic has an extremely boring list. At least they could let an artificer make ANY mundane item that costs less than some amount of gold.
It would also increase the shenanigans opportunities if you could dismiss the items at will instead of them just poofing at the end of a long rest. If I can make a rope, get it in place somewhere, and then poof it at will, it's way more fun. Small change, big opportunity.
It would also increase the shenanigans opportunities if you could dismiss the items at will instead of them just poofing at the end of a long rest. If I can make a rope, get it in place somewhere, and then poof it at will, it's way more fun. Small change, big opportunity.
I kinda liked the way the old version worked in this regard, where they lasted forever unless you tried to create one over the limit, and then the oldest one went away. One of my groups once used this to send an instant and silent signal over a long distance.
It would also increase the shenanigans opportunities if you could dismiss the items at will instead of them just poofing at the end of a long rest. If I can make a rope, get it in place somewhere, and then poof it at will, it's way more fun. Small change, big opportunity.
I kinda liked the way the old version worked in this regard, where they lasted forever unless you tried to create one over the limit, and then the oldest one went away. One of my groups once used this to send an instant and silent signal over a long distance.
Agree, this was an extremely useful and interesting strategy that was very fun. I've used it by making a ball bearing glow, handing it off, and then having extra ball bearings in my pocket that can be made glowy.
It would also increase the shenanigans opportunities if you could dismiss the items at will instead of them just poofing at the end of a long rest. If I can make a rope, get it in place somewhere, and then poof it at will, it's way more fun. Small change, big opportunity.
I kinda liked the way the old version worked in this regard, where they lasted forever unless you tried to create one over the limit, and then the oldest one went away. One of my groups once used this to send an instant and silent signal over a long distance.
This is why we'll be keeping the old version plus the free Mending cantrip.
In the 2024 tinkers magic, the most expensive item in the enumerated list is a hunting trap that sells for 5gp.
If tinkers magic was rewritten to allow creation of any nonmagical object that costs less than 5gp, that would include any simple melee weapon, pike, trident, war pick, and whip from martial melee weapons, plus quite a few items from this list:
In the 2024 tinkers magic, the most expensive item in the enumerated list is a hunting trap that sells for 5gp.
If tinkers magic was rewritten to allow creation of any nonmagical object that costs less than 5gp, that would include any simple melee weapon, pike, trident, war pick, and whip from martial melee weapons, plus quite a few items from this list:
I skimmed the adventure gear table and didnt see anything that would make tinkers magic op if an artificer couls produce any item worth 5gp or less.
Anyone see anything that make this over powered if tinkers magic were changed to create any mundane object 5gp or less?
That would still be Tinker's Magic not producing magical effects. Magical Tinkering not only has a superior name grammatically but every aspect of it was magical. The only drawback of Magical Tinkering was that its utility was not overtly apparent. I saw a page somewhere that had how to use multiple objects to create magical relays and such. I can't find it right now. I understand the desire to make the class ability simpler, but this is just a garbage ability that will be forgotten about after a level or 2.
It is a level 1 feature. I dont know if it was intended to create magical relays and such.
It was also quite vague. And vague in dnd causes problems. See Prestidigitation. Players try to use prestidigitation light effect to blind an opponent, or use the sound effect to deafen, but blinding or deafening a creature is covered by specific leveled spells.
"The chosen property lasts indefinitely. As an action, you can touch the object and end the property early."
Most magical features that create objects, will create objects that last for a finite time. The 5th level spell "Creation" can create plant matter that last 24 hours. FIFTH level. But magical tinkering, a level 1 feature, creates objects that can last indefinitely?
Creation had a casting time of one minute. Magical tinkering took a single action.
"If you try to exceed your maximum, the oldest property immediately ends, and then the new property applies"
Yeah, thats spooky action at a distance. You could put together all sorts of bomb-type devices, and use magical tinkering to create the trigger. Then plane shift back home, and a year later, create enough magical tinkering devices to cause the trigger device to disappear, causing the bomb to detonate.
Being able to affect something at any distance, even on another plane, at any time, even months or years after you set up the thing, with a tiimng accuracy of a single action, is way more powerful than what one would normally expect from a level 1 feature.
Tinkers magic items only last until you finish a long rest, which still spans the planes, but it also means its not some weird "communicate across the planes for years" sort of thing. And also means the new timing is going to be vague, somewhere near the end of your long rest, to me, is maybe an hour long window, versus magical tinkering that is directly controlled in one action. Magical tinkering is remote controlled detonation of a bomb or claymore mine timed to go off exactly when the npc walks into the ambush zone. Tinkers magic long rest is more of a 16 hour fuse, plus or minus an hour or so.
Magical tinkering describes powers and capabilities that sound on par with true polymorph or other high, high level spells.
Old: "If you try to exceed your maximum, the oldest property immediately ends, and then the new property applies"
New:"You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest."
Magical Tinkering came with infinite charges. Only the last few could remain in existence, but you could literally bop things into existence all day long.
Tinkers magic limits this and says you can bop a thing into existence ten times (assuming int of 20) per long rest.
The feature was definitely de-powered from the old rules. But the old rules describe functionality that can be used to do things on par with very high level spells. And i dont think they intended magical tinkering to do what players ended up doijg with it.
One issue with the new tinkers magic is that any item that has some DC to escape (hunters trap, manacles), that dc is fixed and does not scale with level.
Manacles with a dc 15 dex/sleight of hand/lock picking tools is fine at level 1. But at level 15, any high level rogue you run into is going to render those manacles useless.
Maybe add the artificers proficiency bonus to any DC value.
"The chosen property lasts indefinitely. As an action, you can touch the object and end the property early."
Most magical features that create objects, will create objects that last for a finite time. The 5th level spell "Creation" can create plant matter that last 24 hours. FIFTH level. But magical tinkering, a level 1 feature, creates objects that can last indefinitely?
Magical Tinkering doesn't create objects so the comparison is inaccurate. You don't create a torch that gives off a small amount of light. You touch an existing torch and for an indefinite amount of time, it gives off light (much less than a lit torch). Infuse Item involved touching an object and making the object magical indefinitely, so Magical Tinkering was very much in line with as lesser version of their level 2 class feature.
Yeah, thats spooky action at a distance. You could put together all sorts of bomb-type devices, and use magical tinkering to create the trigger. Then plane shift back home, and a year later, create enough magical tinkering devices to cause the trigger device to disappear, causing the bomb to detonate.
No, not really. If you could create a bomb (provide the rules for that) that was triggered (again, no rules for this) by a light, image, sound, or odor ceasing, the issue would be with the bomb rules that don't exist in any currently publish official WotC book. It's not a valid argument to say that it is OP in combination with rules that don't exist.
You have the right idea though as you can invest a new item with magic to end an effect on an object to send a signal to a companion. What the signal means has to be determined ahead of time as the signal is either sent or not. You can use it to leave secret messages, telling your companions ahead of time to tap on a certain object hidden in a predetermined location to retrieve it. Perhaps even spreading a message across two or three objects that must be tapped in sequence to get the full message (giving you 75 words instead of 25). The versatility of it was very thematic for the pulp setting of Eberron but was useful in many others.
Magical Tinkering came with infinite charges. Only the last few could remain in existence, but you could literally bop things into existence all day long.
One issue with the new tinkers magic is that any item that has some DC to escape (hunters trap, manacles), that dc is fixed and does not scale with level.
"that was triggered (again, no rules for this by a light, image, sound, or odor ceasing"
So, you get your homunculus servant, make a bag of holding infusion, put as many bombs in it as will fit. Give it a Magical Tinkering object that emits light. And another magical tinkering object that creates fire. You plant the homunculus in the location you want to bomb, or you have it flyitself there, (homunculus can fly and has a cargo capacity enough to carry a bag of holding) and it waits. Homunculus is immune to exhaustion so it just stays awake 24/7, waiting for the signal.
The artificer, positions themselves far away, maybe in a big public area to have an alibi, and when the time comes they creates enough magical tinkering objects that the light emitting object with the homunculus dissappears instantly. The homunculus takes that as the signal. It dumps 500 pounds of gunpowder bombs on the target, and it uses the fire producing item to light them.
The homunculus, bag of holding and magical tinkering objects are easily replaced by the artificer. They just need to get more gunpowder, and do it all again next week.
The new rules get rid of using the "light emitting object no longer emits light" as the signal. But the latest homunculus has telepathy with the artificer out to a mile.
I'm truly at a loss as to why they changed Magic Tinkering to this. At least they fixed the one hour bedroll. Just glad my current DM feels the same way and is letting me keep the old Magic Tinkering ability.
I agree - the 2014 magical tinkering is very cool and interesting and creates a lot of creative opportunity. The UA one is not really interesting at all.
It's not just UA anymore. The final published version has become available in some stores and it's essentially the same as the version from the second UA (from February 2025) but with a few more items added to the list. It's very disappointing.
pronouns: he/she/they
The article on the Artificer changes says "Reduced crafting time/cost benefit enveloped into Tinker's Magic feature." Is this true at all?
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
I’m not really sure what that’s referring to. The final Tinker’s Magic feature is mechanically the same as the one from the second UA (the “Eberron Updates” one). The only difference I see is that there are several more items added to the list of things that can be created with it.
pronouns: he/she/they
It seems the reduced crafting time is tied to the subclass:
Alchemist - Potion Crafting. When you brew a potion using the crafting rules in the Dungeon Master’s Guide, the amount of time required to craft it is halved.
Armorer - Armor Crafting. When you craft nonmagical or magic armor, the amount of time required to craft it is halved
Artillerist - Wand Crafting. When you craft a magic Wand, the amount of time required to craft it is halved.
Battlesmith - Weapon Crafting. When you craft a nonmagical or magic weapon, the amount of time required to craft it is halved.
Cartographer - Scroll Crafting. When you scribe a Spell Scroll using the crafting rules in the Player’s Handbook, the amount of time required to craft it is halved.
That's how it was in Unearthed Arcana but that's not folding it into Tinker's Magic. Thanks for confirming though.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
The new tinkers magic has an extremely boring list. At least they could let an artificer make ANY mundane item that costs less than some amount of gold.
It would also increase the shenanigans opportunities if you could dismiss the items at will instead of them just poofing at the end of a long rest. If I can make a rope, get it in place somewhere, and then poof it at will, it's way more fun. Small change, big opportunity.
I kinda liked the way the old version worked in this regard, where they lasted forever unless you tried to create one over the limit, and then the oldest one went away. One of my groups once used this to send an instant and silent signal over a long distance.
pronouns: he/she/they
Agree, this was an extremely useful and interesting strategy that was very fun. I've used it by making a ball bearing glow, handing it off, and then having extra ball bearings in my pocket that can be made glowy.
This is why we'll be keeping the old version plus the free Mending cantrip.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
Yeah, the free Mending is the only thing I like about the new version of that feature.
pronouns: he/she/they
In the 2024 tinkers magic, the most expensive item in the enumerated list is a hunting trap that sells for 5gp.
If tinkers magic was rewritten to allow creation of any nonmagical object that costs less than 5gp, that would include any simple melee weapon, pike, trident, war pick, and whip from martial melee weapons, plus quite a few items from this list:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/phb-2024/equipment#AdventuringGearTable
I skimmed the adventure gear table and didnt see anything that would make tinkers magic op if an artificer couls produce any item worth 5gp or less.
Anyone see anything that make this over powered if tinkers magic were changed to create any mundane object 5gp or less?
That would still be Tinker's Magic not producing magical effects. Magical Tinkering not only has a superior name grammatically but every aspect of it was magical. The only drawback of Magical Tinkering was that its utility was not overtly apparent. I saw a page somewhere that had how to use multiple objects to create magical relays and such. I can't find it right now. I understand the desire to make the class ability simpler, but this is just a garbage ability that will be forgotten about after a level or 2.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
It is a level 1 feature. I dont know if it was intended to create magical relays and such.
It was also quite vague. And vague in dnd causes problems. See Prestidigitation. Players try to use prestidigitation light effect to blind an opponent, or use the sound effect to deafen, but blinding or deafening a creature is covered by specific leveled spells.
"The chosen property lasts indefinitely. As an action, you can touch the object and end the property early."
Most magical features that create objects, will create objects that last for a finite time. The 5th level spell "Creation" can create plant matter that last 24 hours. FIFTH level. But magical tinkering, a level 1 feature, creates objects that can last indefinitely?
Creation had a casting time of one minute. Magical tinkering took a single action.
"If you try to exceed your maximum, the oldest property immediately ends, and then the new property applies"
Yeah, thats spooky action at a distance. You could put together all sorts of bomb-type devices, and use magical tinkering to create the trigger. Then plane shift back home, and a year later, create enough magical tinkering devices to cause the trigger device to disappear, causing the bomb to detonate.
Being able to affect something at any distance, even on another plane, at any time, even months or years after you set up the thing, with a tiimng accuracy of a single action, is way more powerful than what one would normally expect from a level 1 feature.
Tinkers magic items only last until you finish a long rest, which still spans the planes, but it also means its not some weird "communicate across the planes for years" sort of thing. And also means the new timing is going to be vague, somewhere near the end of your long rest, to me, is maybe an hour long window, versus magical tinkering that is directly controlled in one action. Magical tinkering is remote controlled detonation of a bomb or claymore mine timed to go off exactly when the npc walks into the ambush zone. Tinkers magic long rest is more of a 16 hour fuse, plus or minus an hour or so.
Magical tinkering describes powers and capabilities that sound on par with true polymorph or other high, high level spells.
Old: "If you try to exceed your maximum, the oldest property immediately ends, and then the new property applies"
New:"You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest."
Magical Tinkering came with infinite charges. Only the last few could remain in existence, but you could literally bop things into existence all day long.
Tinkers magic limits this and says you can bop a thing into existence ten times (assuming int of 20) per long rest.
The feature was definitely de-powered from the old rules. But the old rules describe functionality that can be used to do things on par with very high level spells. And i dont think they intended magical tinkering to do what players ended up doijg with it.
One issue with the new tinkers magic is that any item that has some DC to escape (hunters trap, manacles), that dc is fixed and does not scale with level.
Manacles with a dc 15 dex/sleight of hand/lock picking tools is fine at level 1. But at level 15, any high level rogue you run into is going to render those manacles useless.
Maybe add the artificers proficiency bonus to any DC value.
Magical Tinkering doesn't create objects so the comparison is inaccurate. You don't create a torch that gives off a small amount of light. You touch an existing torch and for an indefinite amount of time, it gives off light (much less than a lit torch). Infuse Item involved touching an object and making the object magical indefinitely, so Magical Tinkering was very much in line with as lesser version of their level 2 class feature.
No, not really. If you could create a bomb (provide the rules for that) that was triggered (again, no rules for this) by a light, image, sound, or odor ceasing, the issue would be with the bomb rules that don't exist in any currently publish official WotC book. It's not a valid argument to say that it is OP in combination with rules that don't exist.
You have the right idea though as you can invest a new item with magic to end an effect on an object to send a signal to a companion. What the signal means has to be determined ahead of time as the signal is either sent or not. You can use it to leave secret messages, telling your companions ahead of time to tap on a certain object hidden in a predetermined location to retrieve it. Perhaps even spreading a message across two or three objects that must be tapped in sequence to get the full message (giving you 75 words instead of 25). The versatility of it was very thematic for the pulp setting of Eberron but was useful in many others.
The effects themselves were weak versions of Light, Prestidigitation, and Minor Illusion, Cantrips, which you can bop all day long.
Nothing about it scales with level.
How to add Tooltips.
My houserulings.
"If you could create a bomb (provide the rules for that)"
Bombs are listed equipment in the 2024 dmg
https://www.dndbeyond.com/equipment/546-bomb
https://www.dndbeyond.com/equipment/551-gunpowder-keg
"that was triggered (again, no rules for this by a light, image, sound, or odor ceasing"
So, you get your homunculus servant, make a bag of holding infusion, put as many bombs in it as will fit. Give it a Magical Tinkering object that emits light. And another magical tinkering object that creates fire. You plant the homunculus in the location you want to bomb, or you have it flyitself there, (homunculus can fly and has a cargo capacity enough to carry a bag of holding) and it waits. Homunculus is immune to exhaustion so it just stays awake 24/7, waiting for the signal.
The artificer, positions themselves far away, maybe in a big public area to have an alibi, and when the time comes they creates enough magical tinkering objects that the light emitting object with the homunculus dissappears instantly. The homunculus takes that as the signal. It dumps 500 pounds of gunpowder bombs on the target, and it uses the fire producing item to light them.
The homunculus, bag of holding and magical tinkering objects are easily replaced by the artificer. They just need to get more gunpowder, and do it all again next week.
The new rules get rid of using the "light emitting object no longer emits light" as the signal. But the latest homunculus has telepathy with the artificer out to a mile.
"Nothing about it scales with level."
Thats an odd way to say we vehemently agree...
Oh. Infuse sending stones to talk to the homunculus beyond a mile.