The site sometimes doesn't work for me if I make a post big enough, so I have to split it out. I am sorry for the confusion. I just feel underwhelmed by this alchemist. The other two subclasses I really, really like. I would have been fine if they kept the homunculus as a feature. I thought it was weird, but I did not hate it. But instead of working to make a feature replacement that actually would have worked in terms of power, they threw the homunculus in the trash and just made something that they thought was balanced, instead of something that was actually useful. To anyone wondering why almost every UA is overpowered, this is why they don't purposely shoot low for designing.
1. Man, I'm gonna miss Wand Prototype. The ability to store a couple extra cantrips was great, especially now that Right Cantrip for the Job is gone.
2. In the leaks that's been happening, has the leveling chart been shown? Number of known cantrips, spell slots, etc? Kinda feel like without RCfrJ, sorcerer initiate feat might become necessary.
RcFTJ was so horrible at its level, but I can't help but feel that changing all artificer cantrips on a long rest should have been a part of the spellcasting section, to give them some way to stand out mechanically.
1. Man, I'm gonna miss Wand Prototype. The ability to store a couple extra cantrips was great, especially now that Right Cantrip for the Job is gone.
2. In the leaks that's been happening, has the leveling chart been shown? Number of known cantrips, spell slots, etc? Kinda feel like without RCfrJ, sorcerer initiate feat might become necessary.
Right cantrip for the job is gone? I was really looking forward to that on my battlesmith. I feel like right now it's pretty underwhelming and that would have at least added to the utility of the class instead of just feeling like I was somewhere between being a weak fighter and a weak wizard.
I'm hoping the new UA document is a sign of things to come, and that RCftJ has just been baked into the artificer's base spellcasting ability. I mean, you'd figure they have to throw us a bone at least once amidst the round of heavy nerfs here; Flash of Genius is cool but it's not so cool it carries the entire class.
It added some needed diversity to the artificer. As it stands, with weapon proficiencies removed, alchemist and artillerist play like full casters without a full casters spell list. Only the battlesmith has the tools to actually be a proper hybrid.
Right cantrip for the job was cool, but it came at too high a level. By the point where it is, being able to switch out cantrips is much less useful, especially considering how low the amount of cantrips the artificer gets is.
I hope that artificer gets some super special unique cantrip, so that alchemist can work. Like
Arcane Arrow:
A bolt of energy flies at a creature within range in the shape of an arrow. On a hit, this arrow deals 1d12 damage. When you cast this spell, you can whether or not this arrow deals fire, cold, lightning, acid, poison, thunder, necrotic, or radiant damage. This damage increases to 2d12 at 5th level, 3d12 at 11th level, and 4d12 at 17th level.
Well, once these changes happen I wonder if artificer will even be that great. It almost sounds like it's taken a lot of pretty hard nerds. I haven't figured out how to do much more than chip away health in combat with cantrips because I feel like it's not a front line fighter, but it sounds like it might not even be that great of a back line fighter and instead just be solely support (and not that great at it). Maybe it'll be good outside of combat situations at least.
Access to Booming/Green Flame Blade would allow non-Battlesmiths to pretend to be good at weapon combat, though they'd still need to invest in something resembling a combat stat to make that work long-term. A ranged weapon version of the same sorts of spells could be fun but I doubt we'll see it, especially given the existence of rogues.
Battle Smith and Artillerist seem good, but alchemist has a lot of problems. The high level features of alchemist are ok, but the low level features are so bad that the entire subclass suffers because of this.
Oh wait, wait! If alchemist uses green flame blade, they can add their INT modifier to damage done with it! not a terrible strategy i think? with boots of the winding path you can have an alchemist run in, do a hit, then get out of attack of opportunity range. Still not ideal. If you had +2 DEX and +3 INT at level 5, and attacked with a rapier, you could deal an average of 14 damage on a hit, 19 if they are next to each other. If you had them maxxed out at level 20, it would be an average of 28 damage on a hit, or 47 if they are next to each other.
At this point, I feel like artillerist is entirely dependent on cantrip spam, and completely propped up by the Cannon. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but some versatility in available spells would be very welcome.
Artillerist is not dependent on cantrip spam. Yes, casting cantrips as one is an ok strategy, but they also have what are essentially upcasting on all of their damaging artificer spells with levels. When an artillerist casts thunderwave, they add 1d8 to damage, which is effectively casting it as a 2nd level spell. They have the best granted spell list by far. (also with spell storing item they can get shatter 10 times per long rest for free).
That's my point though. They dont have a wizard's spell slots, and even with Spell Storing Item, again, they're locked into single spell spam followed by Cannon blasts. Again, this isn't necessarily bad, but some variation in what they can do would've been great.
Yes but heres the thing. An eldritch cannon is a powerful 1st level spell, that can be activated every round, for an hour, AS A BONUS ACTION. And during and after, they have some phenomenal spells to be able to use in their sleeve during combat.
Nobody ever seems to complain (much) when a martial character (especially archers) has the variation in their actions of "I narrate my Attack action a little differently". If an archer can go for a years-long campaign with "I shoot it with my bow" as their big thing, I think Artillerists with their half-casting and their 2d8/3d8 bonus action Turbo Pistol will be okay.
Artificers are super versatile. Yes they have less spell slots, but they have a ridiculous amount of utility spells, and can change all of them on a long rest. They also have infusions, which they can change on a long rest, and with Replicate Magic Item, can have pretty much any magic item they want that does not break the game by existing.
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The site sometimes doesn't work for me if I make a post big enough, so I have to split it out. I am sorry for the confusion. I just feel underwhelmed by this alchemist. The other two subclasses I really, really like. I would have been fine if they kept the homunculus as a feature. I thought it was weird, but I did not hate it. But instead of working to make a feature replacement that actually would have worked in terms of power, they threw the homunculus in the trash and just made something that they thought was balanced, instead of something that was actually useful. To anyone wondering why almost every UA is overpowered, this is why they don't purposely shoot low for designing.
2 things.
1. Man, I'm gonna miss Wand Prototype. The ability to store a couple extra cantrips was great, especially now that Right Cantrip for the Job is gone.
2. In the leaks that's been happening, has the leveling chart been shown? Number of known cantrips, spell slots, etc? Kinda feel like without RCfrJ, sorcerer initiate feat might become necessary.
RcFTJ was so horrible at its level, but I can't help but feel that changing all artificer cantrips on a long rest should have been a part of the spellcasting section, to give them some way to stand out mechanically.
Right cantrip for the job is gone? I was really looking forward to that on my battlesmith. I feel like right now it's pretty underwhelming and that would have at least added to the utility of the class instead of just feeling like I was somewhere between being a weak fighter and a weak wizard.
I'm hoping the new UA document is a sign of things to come, and that RCftJ has just been baked into the artificer's base spellcasting ability. I mean, you'd figure they have to throw us a bone at least once amidst the round of heavy nerfs here; Flash of Genius is cool but it's not so cool it carries the entire class.
Please do not contact or message me.
It added some needed diversity to the artificer. As it stands, with weapon proficiencies removed, alchemist and artillerist play like full casters without a full casters spell list. Only the battlesmith has the tools to actually be a proper hybrid.
Right cantrip for the job was cool, but it came at too high a level. By the point where it is, being able to switch out cantrips is much less useful, especially considering how low the amount of cantrips the artificer gets is.
I hope that artificer gets some super special unique cantrip, so that alchemist can work. Like
Arcane Arrow:
A bolt of energy flies at a creature within range in the shape of an arrow. On a hit, this arrow deals 1d12 damage. When you cast this spell, you can whether or not this arrow deals fire, cold, lightning, acid, poison, thunder, necrotic, or radiant damage. This damage increases to 2d12 at 5th level, 3d12 at 11th level, and 4d12 at 17th level.
Well, once these changes happen I wonder if artificer will even be that great. It almost sounds like it's taken a lot of pretty hard nerds. I haven't figured out how to do much more than chip away health in combat with cantrips because I feel like it's not a front line fighter, but it sounds like it might not even be that great of a back line fighter and instead just be solely support (and not that great at it). Maybe it'll be good outside of combat situations at least.
Access to Booming/Green Flame Blade would allow non-Battlesmiths to pretend to be good at weapon combat, though they'd still need to invest in something resembling a combat stat to make that work long-term. A ranged weapon version of the same sorts of spells could be fun but I doubt we'll see it, especially given the existence of rogues.
Please do not contact or message me.
Battle Smith and Artillerist seem good, but alchemist has a lot of problems. The high level features of alchemist are ok, but the low level features are so bad that the entire subclass suffers because of this.
Oh wait, wait! If alchemist uses green flame blade, they can add their INT modifier to damage done with it! not a terrible strategy i think? with boots of the winding path you can have an alchemist run in, do a hit, then get out of attack of opportunity range. Still not ideal. If you had +2 DEX and +3 INT at level 5, and attacked with a rapier, you could deal an average of 14 damage on a hit, 19 if they are next to each other. If you had them maxxed out at level 20, it would be an average of 28 damage on a hit, or 47 if they are next to each other.
At this point, I feel like artillerist is entirely dependent on cantrip spam, and completely propped up by the Cannon. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but some versatility in available spells would be very welcome.
Artillerist is not dependent on cantrip spam. Yes, casting cantrips as one is an ok strategy, but they also have what are essentially upcasting on all of their damaging artificer spells with levels. When an artillerist casts thunderwave, they add 1d8 to damage, which is effectively casting it as a 2nd level spell. They have the best granted spell list by far. (also with spell storing item they can get shatter 10 times per long rest for free).
The cannon "props up" the artillerist like spells "prop up" a wizard.
That's my point though. They dont have a wizard's spell slots, and even with Spell Storing Item, again, they're locked into single spell spam followed by Cannon blasts. Again, this isn't necessarily bad, but some variation in what they can do would've been great.
Yes but heres the thing. An eldritch cannon is a powerful 1st level spell, that can be activated every round, for an hour, AS A BONUS ACTION. And during and after, they have some phenomenal spells to be able to use in their sleeve during combat.
Again, I'm not arguing that point. My point is a severe lack of versatility that the UA version had with RCftJ and Wand Prototype.
Just as a note.
Nobody ever seems to complain (much) when a martial character (especially archers) has the variation in their actions of "I narrate my Attack action a little differently". If an archer can go for a years-long campaign with "I shoot it with my bow" as their big thing, I think Artillerists with their half-casting and their 2d8/3d8 bonus action Turbo Pistol will be okay.
Please do not contact or message me.
Artificers are super versatile. Yes they have less spell slots, but they have a ridiculous amount of utility spells, and can change all of them on a long rest. They also have infusions, which they can change on a long rest, and with Replicate Magic Item, can have pretty much any magic item they want that does not break the game by existing.