Up to the specific story, and the specific needs, of your artificer.
Two levels of Forge cleric grants proficiency in heavy armor, a small number of cleric spells, and the Artisan's Blessing Channel Divinity for magical creation of metal bits. You also gain the ability to generate a temporary pseudo-Infusion via Blessing of the Forge. This is compared against losing two levels of progression in your Infusion capacity, artificer spell level, and additional attunements via Magic Item Adept/Savant/Master.
Personally? One level of Forge cleric gets you most everything you want from the class. Heavy armor, Blessing of the Forge fake infusion, additional cantrips, access to first-level cleric spells the artificer doesn't have access to. The second level of Forge cleric does nothing for you except get you the Channel Divinity, and given that your Wisdom (and thus your cleric save DC) is likely to be lower than a 'proper' cleric's, that seems an acceptable write-off. Especially since, and I speak from direct experience here, any delay in all the Sweet Shit artificers get at higher levels is painful. Even with just one wizard level - and even though that wizard level has proven enormously useful thus far - my gal feels horribly behind every time I snag a new level and realize what I would've had if I'd only just coped with the spell shortage. Heh, Star was supposed to end up with two levels of wizard, but I honestly don't know if the second level will ever come.
Try it with one level of Forge cleric, if your artificer is particularly devout and has a reason to gain the favor of the gods. Can always take the second level later if you start feeling that pinch.
I have played a L5 Forge Domain Cleric/L8 UA Battlesmith Artificer in an Eberron-based Tomb of Annihilation campaign. I would have stopped at 2nd level Cleric, but I was the only cleric in the group, so I went 5th level for Lesser Restoration and Spirit Guardians. The main reasons I went Forge Domain were to get a magic weapon at level 1 and the Channel Divinity at L2.
I have more recently started a new character in a Theros-based campaign who is much the same, though in this case I will most likely be leveling mostly as a cleric of Porphoros.
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Watch your back, conserve your ammo, and NEVER cut a deal with a dragon!
Forge Cleric 5/Battlesmith 8 is a 13th-level character, a 9th-level caster(5 levels of Cleric, [8/2=4] levels of Artificer, total 9) with access to third-level Clerical magic and second-level Artifice magic. A Smith 12/Cleric 1 - i.e. the same 13th-level character - loses:
>Second and third level Cleric magic >One Cleric cantrip >The 'Destroy Undead (1/2CR)' enhancement for Channel Divinity >Two caster levels (1 Cleric, [12/2=6] Artificer, total 7); i.e. two 4th and one 5th-level slots.
The character gains:
>Third-level Artificer magic >One artificer cantrip >9th-level Artificer Specialty ability (Restorative Reagents, Armor Modifications, Explosive Cannon, Arcane Jolt), all of which are very good. >Two additional Known infusions, one additional Active infusion. >Access to 10th level Infusions >Spell-Storing Item (which can be used to store up to ten possible casts of Cure Wounds, and which somebody else can pick up off your unconscious body and use on you if needed.) >The ability to attune to a fourth attunement-required magical item.
That seems like quite the lopsided trade to me, if one desires to be primarily an artificer. I know I wouldn't give up those four artificer levels for extra clericing, even if there was no cleric in the group. The artificer is actually quite good at dubbing in for a cleric if that's what the team requires at the time.
I'm actually adding the 2 levels, and I think it's totally worth it. Artisans blessing is great, and most of the cleric spells won't actually be super dependent on your wisdom. You get better spell slot progression, and if you take mending as a cleric cantrip, it frees up another artificer cantrip. If you go any more than 2 levels, you have a max of 5 infusions instead of 6, and you lose magic item master. If you only want to take one level, though, it's still pretty good. Really just deciding whether you want Artisan's blessing or another ASI.
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Just curious, does anyone think this is worth adding at least 2 levels to an artificer?
Up to the specific story, and the specific needs, of your artificer.
Two levels of Forge cleric grants proficiency in heavy armor, a small number of cleric spells, and the Artisan's Blessing Channel Divinity for magical creation of metal bits. You also gain the ability to generate a temporary pseudo-Infusion via Blessing of the Forge. This is compared against losing two levels of progression in your Infusion capacity, artificer spell level, and additional attunements via Magic Item Adept/Savant/Master.
Personally? One level of Forge cleric gets you most everything you want from the class. Heavy armor, Blessing of the Forge fake infusion, additional cantrips, access to first-level cleric spells the artificer doesn't have access to. The second level of Forge cleric does nothing for you except get you the Channel Divinity, and given that your Wisdom (and thus your cleric save DC) is likely to be lower than a 'proper' cleric's, that seems an acceptable write-off. Especially since, and I speak from direct experience here, any delay in all the Sweet Shit artificers get at higher levels is painful. Even with just one wizard level - and even though that wizard level has proven enormously useful thus far - my gal feels horribly behind every time I snag a new level and realize what I would've had if I'd only just coped with the spell shortage. Heh, Star was supposed to end up with two levels of wizard, but I honestly don't know if the second level will ever come.
Try it with one level of Forge cleric, if your artificer is particularly devout and has a reason to gain the favor of the gods. Can always take the second level later if you start feeling that pinch.
Please do not contact or message me.
I have played a L5 Forge Domain Cleric/L8 UA Battlesmith Artificer in an Eberron-based Tomb of Annihilation campaign. I would have stopped at 2nd level Cleric, but I was the only cleric in the group, so I went 5th level for Lesser Restoration and Spirit Guardians. The main reasons I went Forge Domain were to get a magic weapon at level 1 and the Channel Divinity at L2.
I have more recently started a new character in a Theros-based campaign who is much the same, though in this case I will most likely be leveling mostly as a cleric of Porphoros.
Watch your back, conserve your ammo,
and NEVER cut a deal with a dragon!
Worth noting:
Forge Cleric 5/Battlesmith 8 is a 13th-level character, a 9th-level caster(5 levels of Cleric, [8/2=4] levels of Artificer, total 9) with access to third-level Clerical magic and second-level Artifice magic. A Smith 12/Cleric 1 - i.e. the same 13th-level character - loses:
>Second and third level Cleric magic
>One Cleric cantrip
>The 'Destroy Undead (1/2CR)' enhancement for Channel Divinity
>Two caster levels (1 Cleric, [12/2=6] Artificer, total 7); i.e. two 4th and one 5th-level slots.
The character gains:
>Third-level Artificer magic
>One artificer cantrip
>9th-level Artificer Specialty ability (Restorative Reagents, Armor Modifications, Explosive Cannon, Arcane Jolt), all of which are very good.
>Two additional Known infusions, one additional Active infusion.
>Access to 10th level Infusions
>Spell-Storing Item (which can be used to store up to ten possible casts of Cure Wounds, and which somebody else can pick up off your unconscious body and use on you if needed.)
>The ability to attune to a fourth attunement-required magical item.
That seems like quite the lopsided trade to me, if one desires to be primarily an artificer. I know I wouldn't give up those four artificer levels for extra clericing, even if there was no cleric in the group. The artificer is actually quite good at dubbing in for a cleric if that's what the team requires at the time.
Please do not contact or message me.
Would be awesome if you could use Vedalken for your Race.... the Racial features are Amazing.
I'm actually adding the 2 levels, and I think it's totally worth it. Artisans blessing is great, and most of the cleric spells won't actually be super dependent on your wisdom. You get better spell slot progression, and if you take mending as a cleric cantrip, it frees up another artificer cantrip. If you go any more than 2 levels, you have a max of 5 infusions instead of 6, and you lose magic item master. If you only want to take one level, though, it's still pretty good. Really just deciding whether you want Artisan's blessing or another ASI.