Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer Creatures
Frozen Sick
D&D Beyond Basic Rules
Basic Rules (2014)
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Monstrous Compendium Vol. 1: Spelljammer CreaturesFrozen SickD&D Beyond Basic RulesBasic Rules (2014)Sign in to view your library & saved favorites.
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I am starting a campaign with a third lvl battlesmith artificer and was wanting to play it more ranged than melee… what would the playstyle for a ranged battlesmith… also planning on having one of my plans being a repeating weapon and also what are some good can trips and spell selections?
Not currently playing this character, but I had thought of a goblin "tailor" battlesmith that would switch back and forth. Initially, I thought (as you) to use a repeating crossbow. But a returning javelin (a giant needle) might serve me better and allow melee as well as range. Thorn whip, Jump, and Web would be some of my standby spells (both good and fit the theme).
Hmm didn’t think about the returning weapon idea… I’ll have to look into that, was also thinking a repeating pistol and a shield…. And isn’t there a fear that makes it that you can use ranged weapons in melee range and don’t take disadvantage (wait sharpshooter does just that)
I use repeating shot pistol and shield and it's good, I do think at later levels I may switch to a thrown build. I think the damage is better from the pistol, but thematically throwing light hammers makes a bunch of sense to me. I think your weapon damage is going to be secondary to how you use your critters, and magical items. Pistol doesn't have the best range, but it works for your other abilities, which generally are in a range of 30-60', so it's really up to you how you want to play a 2nd liner. Also your Homunculus and Steel Defender are both pretty squishy, but mobile, having them operate in a similar range is what I've found to be the most effective.
That’s kinda what I was thinking for the most part… my problem is picking spells the cantrips I chose at lvl 3 are guidance and true strike…. Are those good choices was debating on switching guidance for either shocking grasp or ray of frost or firebolt…. For first lvl spells would spells like farie fire and grease be good or bad choices
(Assuming 2024 build here.)
True Strike isn't the greatest choice for a Battle Smith - you already get to use INT for your attacks, and because it takes an action to cast, you can't use it with your Extra Attack at level 5. The main benefit is the switch to Radiant damage. (On the other hand, True Strike is nearly essential for an Artillerist, who doesn't get either of those features natively.)
Good news is, you can change a cantrip every long rest.
Have a plan for melee. Is it a weapon or is it a cantrip? Shocking Grasp is a good melee cantrip. Note that you need a magic weapon to use INT, so you might want your other replicated item to be a melee weapon if you do not have a magic weapon from another source.
Guidance is always good. Fire Bolt is nice to have in conjunction with a Pistol because of its much longer range and different damage type. Also consider utility cantrips like Prestidigitation, Message, and Mage Hand.
As for your first level spells, it can depend a little on your table what will work well. Faerie Fire can be good but it lights up your allies too, so you have to hope for a clump of clumsy enemies. I tend to take Cure Wounds, Catapult, Absorb Elements, Detect Magic, and sometimes Identify or Sanctuary or Feather Fall situationally.
When you get 2nd level spells, Aid is great as a remote healing spell if things are going Really Bad, and Vortex Warp is delightful, plus you'll want to take Homunculus Servant.
Thanks all this feedback has been helpful. My next question is about overlapping spells, another party member has farie fire and guidance since they do should I not take that cantrip or spell…. Also if it helps I can share my sheet if people would like to see it?
(And yes is using 2024)
I think that levels 1 & 2 True Strike is great, because you can start with INT and it's before you get extra attack. Personally I used it until level 5 Artificer, when it was penalized from Extra Attack. Guidance I think is good on anyone who can get it, depending on how Exploration (typical use case) goes at your table, you can have multiple party members buffing each other for skill checks, which can make things go a little bit better if your DM imposes turn limits on some of these activities. I think Message is a really good cantrip, you technically have to point at the recepient, but it gives you a means to talk to other party members you can see in negotiation zone. Also mending, prestidigitation, shocking grasp are all good options. I tend to rely on as much utility as I can possibly get from free casts, which brings me to levels 1 & 2.
Level 1 I think that Faerie Fire is a great spell to have and aids with the roleplay of a support orientated Battlesmith. Identify and Detect Magic are both great because you can cast them as rituals and especially at low levels not using a spell slot is really nice. If it's allowed at your table Absorb elements can be really nice. Jump, Longstrider, Feather Fall all have utility, I would take at least one of them. In my experience you're going to want to save a bunch of your spell slots for shield at early levels, just negating an attack is pretty nice. Sanctuary is also a solid spell especially when your team has low HP, if you can time it with a character who goes right before you in the turn order, you can cast sanctuary on them, they get the protection for the whole round then they attack or support your allies on their turn, great spell to cast on a support character or someone who is engaged in a puzzle or similar during combat.
Level 2 I think Homunculus Servant and Aid are pretty mandatory. It's a pet class so Aid is amazing and HS is a standout artificer feature. Web is a solid level 2 spell. Invisibility, Enlarge/Reduce, and Enhanced Ability are all great utility depend on scenarios.
Generally with spells I geared my character towards being a skill monkey/tinkerer and support character. The goal with the potential for 3 pets (HS, Steel Defender and Flying Wonder) with magic items from Replicate feature is to be able to give them a bit more buff with my spells and have a few defensive options to help me sustain them or myself in combat.
I think, take what you want. Adjust as you see what your party needs. You can change spells after a long rest. It's not really wrong to have multiple people able to cast the same spell - Guidance for example you can only concentrate on one person at a time, and the other character with Faerie Fire might need to concentrate on something else instead, might not be able to access the same spot, might not have the same battlefield in terms of initiative as you do.
I've played games with multiple artificers in the party and we all have plenty to do, there's no problem.
If you're a table with a lot of skill checks, having multiple people able to cast Guidance can be huge. If your table mostly does dice rolls in combat, less so.
Clever use of non-combat spells can prevent a combat entirely.
I think the magic of Artificer is the ability to refocus the build even without a levelup by changing out spells and replicated items. Get to know all the spells on your list, even the ones you rarely use, and keep them in the back of your head as new challenges appear. If you've got a spell prepared that you don't use often, consider if there's something else that might be more useful for your specific party and the challenges the DM tosses at you.
My battle smith uses a pistol, and I took the sharpshooter feat so I can not only snipe from a distance, but also get up close and tank whatever needs to be tanked. At 13 he has 23 AC before shield spell so he’s kinda a better tank than the Paladin or barbarian in our group. Most of my cantrips are support or RP, like guidance and prestidigitation. Conjure barrage is what’s stored in my spell-storing item, and I pack a lot of support spells. Vortex warp is a must, though.
My next question is do you use your weapon as a weapon often or just use ranged cantrips…. Cause I thought of the pistol to shoot the pistol but fire bolt has greater range and about the same damage???? Cause I thought of the idea of a returning javelin can I could refluff into a long handled crowfoot wrench so I’d have melee and ranged?
I use my weapon often since I get two attacks with it. Pistol hits pretty hard too so the damage is great. My DM gave me an All-Purpose Tool too so if there’s a cantrip I need in a specific situation then I can just pick one based on the magic items description. I also have a spare warhammer that I use in melee if I need to smite something or use booming blade, but other than that, I use my pistol+sharpshooter feat for most normal attacks.
You can do the math, but once you hit level 5 the weapon damage is usually better than the cantrip damage when you remember that the weapon allows for two attacks for your Battle Smith, especially if you take Repeating Shot or a +1 melee. The weapon also has a better minimum damage. You can potentially also target two separate enemies. Fire Bolt has a longer range, so that's still nice to have in your options.
To illustrate at 5th level, let's assume your INT is + 4:
Repeating shot pistol with extra attack: +INT + PB + 1 to attack for 1d10 + INT + 1 damage -> +8 attack for avg 5.5 + 4 + 1 = 10.5 damage, x2 (if you hit). Min damage per attack 5, Max damage 15 (crit max 25) ~ Avg DPR is 21. Better INT increases damage.
Fire Bolt: +INT + PB to attack for 2d10 damage -> +7 attack for avg 5.5 x 2 = 11 damage (if you hit). Min damage 2, Max damage 20 (crit max 40 but avg 21). ~ Avg DPR is 11. INT improves your attack but not your damage.
Fire Bolt is still excellent if the enemy is far away or would benefit from fire damage.
The All-Purpose Tool is a delight for artificers. +1 to spell attacks and spell save DC, plus a free cantrip - ANY cantrip from ANY list - that can change daily. This is an incredible boon for puzzles and unusual challenges.
Ok all this has been really helpful…. Because I was like yay I can use a gun but then was like wait will I ever use it as a gun of just a spellcasting focus… and with the extra attack at 5 lvl as explained tells me yes I will… my next question is for my 4th lvl feat should I take war caster which would get my int to a 18 or should I take sharpshooter so I can use my pistol in melee?
Either take Sharpshooter, and bump up int 4 levels later, or take a feat to bump it up, but just don’t take WC for it IMO. You can craft items to help you keep up concentration, plus you have proficiency in con saves. Take a feat you can’t already replicate in some form. I took Fey-Touched after Sharpshooter, chose Compelled Duel as the free spell. After that I took Mounted Combatant, and replicated a Saddle of the Cavalier so my small Warforged can ride his defender :D
Hmmm never thought of riding my defender…. But thanks for all the feedback it has been really helpful and helped me get a better idea how to build out my Artie… only other slightly off the main topic question with your magical plans do you ever get to replace old plans with new ones?…. For example I have a plan for sending stones but later I want to switch it out for say gleaming half plate (sorry just all I could think of) or are what plans u choose stay and are unchangable?
No problem! You can swap out one magic item plan every time you level up.