Help choosing feat with hombrew crafting rules

My artillerist artificer's background is basically a magical shop teacher/professor. So, I'd like him to be able to craft magical items during non-combat times. They'd be sold for gold or used by me and my companions. My DM has okayed this, but with some home-brew crafting rules. To create an item i would need the following:

1. Plans, blueprints, or other knowledge of how to make a particular item
2. a "keystone" material needed to make that item (would vary depending on the item and how powerful it is. These materials would be found during our adventures)
3. Circumstances to make the item (a special lab or workshop, phenomena like a thunderstorm, etc. Again, depending on how powerful the item is)

To make the item I'd need an Arcana and tool check as well, tied to number of days spend on the item. More time spent would be a lower DC.

So with that in mind, as I weigh which level 4 feat to choose, what would help me most with crafting and succeeding on that skill check? I'm tempted by raw ASI to give me +2 to INT, boosting me to 18 INT and +6 arcana (plus higher spell DC, +4 modifier and +7 spell attack with my +1 wand). But I'm also tempted by Skill Expert to give me expertise in Arcana (cranking it to 7) but lower modifier (3), spell attack (6), and int-based saves(+5) compared to the raw INT ASI. And of course all those other nice int-based feats like fey touched, shadow touched, telekinetic, telepathic that give nice free spells and other benefits! Even Lucky would be nice sometimes. 

During combat, my character prefers ranged and control/support. What do y'all think?

More INT is brilliant on an artificer, because they use it for everything. Getting to 18 is hugely beneficial. It shows up in your attack, your damage, your spell save DC and all the things. When you get to Flash of Genius at level 7, you'll be wanting each one of those INT points.

(Use the 2024 True Strike cantrip for all your Repeating Shot attacks, in case you haven't found that, so that your modifier is INT instead of DEX.)

I do also love Telekinetic on an Artificer - Artificer is light on cantrips so getting free (and invisible) mage hand is quite nice, and the Shove is good for helping yourself or allies out of tight spots without provoking opportunity attacks. It's a fun feature to have and especially if it meshes with other things your character does. However, the Shove uses your bonus action, and you will want that every turn for the cannon. (Fey Touched/Misty Step has the same problem, but if you need to get away giving up a turn with the cannon may still be worth it.)

If you haven't already done Magic Initiate that is also a way to get two cantrips and a free first level spell. My artillerist has Magic Missile. 

For combat, consider what you have as a melee/touch option. You PLAN to be at range but your enemies don't have to respect that. If enemies surround you, you're pretty much down to the dagger or you are attacking with disadvantage. Having at least one option there is nice.

And... the first thing you should craft or buy, if your DM allows, is an All-Purpose Tool: +1 to your attacks and saves, plus a free cantrip every day.

Those are some good takes, thanks! I do plan to use true strike a lot with a crossbow. I have Shocking Grasp for melee so I have the chance to stun and run away. 

I didn't know the all-purpose tool grants a free cantrip! Definitely gonna have to see if I can get my hands on one

Heliana's Monster Hunting Guide.     Even if you don't use the crafting rules verbatim, theres a lot of stuff in there you can steal for bespoke crafting and harvesting rules.  There are 4 entry level crafting and harvesting related feat/feat lines.  Three of high interest are Jack of All Tools, Expert Forger and Expert Enchanter. To explain this, a basic idea of crafting in that book defines the processes of Manufacturing, Enchanting, and Forging.  Manufacturing is making Mundane items, and are typically the basic items which you enchant later to make magical.  Enchanting is the process of taking a mundane item and making it magical, and is exclusive to spell casters.   Forging is a hybrid process to allow non-spell casters to make magical items, where they have to do both steps using only raw materials, and time is based on whichever process (Manufacturing or Enchanting) is longer.  

Jack of All Tools speeds up your Manufacturing (mundane) cutting the time in half, 3 tool proficiencies, and half proficiency on any check involving tools you're not proficient in. 

Expert Forger also cuts the time in half, doubles tool proficiency bonus for manufacturing mundane items, and a perk for adjusting quirks (N/A to you).

Expert Enchanter cuts enchanting time in half, doubles proficiency bonus for skill checks when enchanting items, and the perk to adjust quirks (again N/A).

Depending on what other specific rules are imposed on the crafting process, Expert Enchanter is the most Generic, and allows you to take pre-made mundane items and convert them into a magic item.   If you're always expected to also construct the base item, than Expert Forger or Jack of all Tools enhance your ability to use tools/tool bonuses in the crafting process.  

Also at lvl 7 you get Flash of Genius, which you can apply to skill checks and saves, which should apply to the way you guys are doing it.  And as artillerist, you have a baseline crafting speed bonus to making Wands, dropping the effective crafting time to 1/4th for Wands specifically. You can work with the DM to make custom wands, to offload certain spells that don't have an existing magic item.  This option should not be slept on, as it can address a lot of fringe cases.  

I would also recommend suggesting changing the rules for item crafting/harvesting to avoid it being exclusively Arcana based, and instead make the relevant skill check based on Keystone material source or source type.  Nature for Plants, Survival for Beasts/Dragons, Religion for Fiends/Celestials, Medicine for Humanoids/Undead, Elemental/Fey/Aberration are Arcana, Constructs Investigation, etc.  It complicates things slightly, but it encourages your allies to assist with their own areas of knowledge by letting you substitute their skill bonus on a check, and then add your tool proficiency to the check total.    

Based on experiences from my current group (and the year long process of convincing the DM to stop using his vibes based rules, and switch to a cut down version of Heliana's), you have to make sure the DM understands that there are two paths that have to kept in mind at almost all times.   Magic items you select for, and then gather what you need.  And then materials you can obtain by random opportunity (usually via harvesting after encounters), and then figure out what to make with it later.  In short... Opportunities the DM can give you based an existing project, and then random opportunities by way of circumstance. In the latter case, you encounter a monster, you harvest it for something significant, then later figure out what you can make from it. This way you can always have something to work on, and give yourself a resource minigame.  

I built the majority of my Artificer on unattuned, uncommon magic items, and am only just now shifting to Rare magic items since we're level 8.  I have the most magic items by count (a dozen common and uncommon, and 2 rares now), but the highest I have is a rare.  I took the Expert Enchanter so I can quickly create and distribute low tier consumables items as contingency (swim speed tokens, medallions, that pebble that lets you breath underwater for an hour, since sea travel is frequently a thing right now).  I also focus heavily on utility magic items.  But since our group is big, and the DM wants to feel like we're being challenged; I self impose a rule that I can only make 1 instance of permanent magic items, so the DM won't overcompensate thinking we shut down his obstacle.  The current group size is 8 (PCs and story NPCs), and we're heading to the a cold biome... So we have 2 pairs of the Winter boots (bought from a shop), and I made a Camper's Respite, a Thermal Cube, and a bear skin blanket (mundane).  So the puzzle is how do we distribute these across 8 people, 2 carts, and 2 Horses, so no one freezes while we travel or are at camp.  So the DM gets to feel like we're not on easy mode, I get to feel like I addressed a problem, and the other players get to decide who has to risk the cold to stand watch.  

Quote from FoolishMortal18588 >>

More INT is brilliant on an artificer, because they use it for everything. Getting to 18 is hugely beneficial. It shows up in your attack, your damage, your spell save DC and all the things. When you get to Flash of Genius at level 7, you'll be wanting each one of those INT points.

(Use the 2024 True Strike cantrip for all your Repeating Shot attacks, in case you haven't found that, so that your modifier is INT instead of DEX.)

I do also love Telekinetic on an Artificer - Artificer is light on cantrips so getting free (and invisible) mage hand is quite nice, and the Shove is good for helping yourself or allies out of tight spots without provoking opportunity attacks. It's a fun feature to have and especially if it meshes with other things your character does. However, the Shove uses your bonus action, and you will want that every turn for the cannon. (Fey Touched/Misty Step has the same problem, but if you need to get away giving up a turn with the cannon may still be worth it.)

If you haven't already done Magic Initiate that is also a way to get two cantrips and a free first level spell. My artillerist has Magic Missile. 

For combat, consider what you have as a melee/touch option. You PLAN to be at range but your enemies don't have to respect that. If enemies surround you, you're pretty much down to the dagger or you are attacking with disadvantage. Having at least one option there is nice.

And... the first thing you should craft or buy, if your DM allows, is an All-Purpose Tool: +1 to your attacks and saves, plus a free cantrip every day.

Vortex Warp and Vine Whip are great for helping reposition allies, and doesn't and leaves your BA open for the Cannon to keep doing Cannon things.  Craft/Buy a Wind Fan to deal with things getting too close.  Or prepare the Grease Spell or an Oil of Slipperiness (which you can pour to make replicate the Grease spell). Saves you having to spend a Feat on Telekinetic.

And if someone has the Obajima book, Stick Hand is like 15ft of mage hand.