My artificer has the background of being an urchin, and she's a tinkerer, so instead of her having a living pet mouse, I gave her a mechanical mouse. When she casts Create Bonfire for example, she winds up the mouse, sends it across the floor to the point she wants the spell to go off, the mouse spins and shoots fire out of its mouth. Since it's not really clear what is included in Tinkering Tools, I decided she needed a sketch book to drafter her designs before she creates them. So when she casts Catapult she takes out the sketch book, and magically draws the equations in the air to aim the Catapult.
Similarly her ritual for detect magic has her taking out a ruler and measuring everything in the area and making notes on the measurements. For her Identify magic ritual she has made herself a table in her sketch book that only she understands. She takes a measurement, compares it against the table (which is sort of a mystical dewy decimal system), then draws a mystical reference book, looks up something there, finds another reference, and keeps drawing mystical references until she finds the one she's looking for. At the end all of the mystical reference books disappear. (You could probably do something similar with a bag of holding. As long as you and your DM agreed that these only existed for the ritual and couldn't be sold or shared it should be fine).
For infusions I often have her add something to the item she is infusing. For instance when making a +1 rapier for a party member, she spent a few minutes finding it's point of balance, then she wrapped a piece of wire around the hilt to "perfect" the balance of the weapon.
Honestly though, I also love the idea of an artificer who is more mystical and less a tinkerer. If I were to make another one, I might choose a weavers tools. She would carry a small hand loom and cast spells by altering the magic weave around her, or by quickly and magically crocheting items. Feather fall could be a parachute. Sword Burst could be giant Knitting Needles instead of swords. Skywrite could be her weaving the message and then it appearing in the clouds.
I think a lot of fun can be had by thinking about what kind of medium your artificer prefers to work in, and then figuring out how to make cloth, leather, clay etc create those effects.
Considering the way that Artificers change their spell lists. Something prepared is not out of theme for the overall flavor and fluff of the class even if the mechanics are different. That tinkering and cost to change them could be seen as altering or creating new little inventions to be using rather than something on the fly. So your perfectly suited to be doing something preprepared rather than something purely on the fly.
Short Version: How do others explain or flavor their spellcasting as an Artificer?
Long Version: I recently created an Artificer for a campaign and could not for the life of me come up with a way to explain the spellcasting in a way that was personally satisfying. So I put it on the backburner since the table I play at is very lenient with that sort of thing. That is until I had my "ah ha" moment while reading another thread here. This made me curious enough to want to ask the community if they had similar struggles or what their personal ideas where.
My W.I.P. solution: Inspired by Borderlands' digistruct technology. Basic working theory is that the focus/foci magically and temporarily "swaps" with the "item" used to cast the spell for use with material components, voice commands for the vocal, and moving to and from said device(s) for somatic. Lots of gaps and details missing, but, well, TBD. I got an idea to work from finally and I am happy with that for now.
Reflavouring all the spells is the thing I love MOST about playing the artificer. All my spell and potion colourings are flavoured green and yellow. I'll only go into Hjalmar's most commonly cast spells. He's an alchemist, but first and foremost he's a medic and disease specialist, with a history with botany and a love of trinkets/wondrous items
Acid Splash is a boring old vial of acid thrown.
Firebolt is a simple molotov cocktail.
Message is done by a little earring I gave to each person that I have inscribed the same runes as the cantrip's spell text. I've also got a few tiny mechanical bugs that fly to my target (if not a friendly).
Cure Wounds is a syringe (the first things I crafted playing the class).
Healing Word is a jolt of adrenaline through the same ear piece I use for Message.
Ray of Sickness is removing the lens on a containment canister of uranium, creating a concentrated column of radiation.
Blur is a bloom of harmless green gas or smoke that emanates from various valves all over my plague doctor's suit.
Darkvision is just adjusting the lenses on my Plague Doctor's mask to the infrared spectrum.
Enhance Ability is a dense protein bar, scientifically mixed to perfection or a hair comb with a gel on it for the charisma buff.
Flaming Sphere is a remote controlled mini brazier that burns big and hot.
Invisibility is a series of hovering mirrors and sconces that recreate the environment around them.
Acid Arrow is a simple hose attached to the uranium canister.
See Invisibility is, again, clicking my Plague Doctor mask's lenses over to heat vision.
Dispel Magic is a little spell sink, much like the Ghostbuster ghost trap (my DM in the past has let me study the spell post 'capturing' with a DC attached).
Haste is a small dose of a white powder poured onto a little spoon from it's own vial, often telling our Fighter: Brute to snuff it from the crook of my index and thumb ... heh heh
Revivify is two paddles zapping the chest, like a ye olde defibrillator.
Tiny Servant is my child hood toy, a stuffed owlbear, that was modified with a steel skeletal structure years ago and I accidentally captured the soul of my childhood dog in it. I don't know how I did it but I vowed never to dabble with those sorts of runes again. I couldn't bare to put 'my dog' down a second time, so instead I inscribed to the runes for the Sleep spell on it, so casting it is actually turning it off by twisting a rune and ruining its pattern. He get brought to life to hold my jeweller's hammer as my Spell Storing Item and he's pretty much constantly with us these days (you can see him here if you'd like).
Death Ward is a little spider-like clamp I affix to the recipient's chest that enacts when it detects no pulse.
That was fun! Thanks for the chance! I've got to voice some of those once or twice in my campaign.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Hjalmar Gunderson, Vuman Alchemist Plague Doctor in a HB Campaign, Post Netherese Invasion Cormyr (lvl20 retired) Godfrey, Autognome Butler in Ghosts of Saltmarsh into Spelljammer Grímr Skeggisson, Goliath Rune Knight in Rime of the Frostmaiden DM of two HB campaigns set in the same world.
I'm about to start a new campaign focusing on a group of evil characters. I'm going to play an artificer using a homebrew ratfolk class, and the character is modeled on a Warhammer Skaven Clan Skryre Warlock-Engineer.
Arcane Weapon-Poison on a pistol can somewhat emulate a Warplock Pistol.
The Artillerist's Eldritch Cannon (in tiny form) can emulate a one-man Warpfire Thrower or a Jezzail.
Spellcasting in general will try to go with the Skavens' whole magical psuedo-technology thing. I'm working on finding ways to emulate Skitterleap, Poisoned Wind Globes, etc.
If that is the way your table rules, it then all the easier. I just personally find it difficult to imagine on-the-fly preparing potions or cobbling something together in the moment to use for a spell. For me it's easier to imagine cobbling together you're "prepared" spells at the start of day and then pulling out a tool to activate the object later. It's kind of like the component bag, everything is there an more or less prepared so it's easy to just pull out and use. Of course wands and cannons have prepared uses so there's nothing to set up beforehand, but hopefully you see what I mean.
I think a lot of fun can be had by thinking about what kind of medium your artificer prefers to work in, and then figuring out how to make cloth, leather, clay etc create those effects.
Exactly! Seeing all the ideas being posted here are now making my original idea seem lame. haha.
Here as well, I'm not saying it's not possible or that it's bad. Just that it comes with a whole narrative baggage you have to think about how to explain because it's something not supported by the actual mechanics of the spellcasting feature. All it does is add a material component mechanically which gets replaced by the tools as spellcasting focus, period.
I do not disagree with this. It certainly adds to the complexity, but I personally find it easier to wrap my head around pre-made vs. fast build as far as the RP is concerned. In the end, it is up to the player(s) to self-police these sort of things, I think.
I'm about to start a new campaign focusing on a group of evil characters. I'm going to play an artificer using a homebrew ratfolk class, and the character is modeled on a Warhammer Skaven Clan Skryre Warlock-Engineer.
Arcane Weapon-Poison on a pistol can somewhat emulate a Warplock Pistol.
The Artillerist's Eldritch Cannon (in tiny form) can emulate a one-man Warpfire Thrower or a Jezzail.
Spellcasting in general will try to go with the Skavens' whole magical psuedo-technology thing. I'm working on finding ways to emulate Skitterleap, Poisoned Wind Globes, etc.
I did not understand a thing here, but I'll be damned if I am not interested.
Guidance is particularly suited to coming up with something on the fly. Unless you have pre-prepared a gizmo to aid every possible ability check. I suppose you could come up with it on the fly in session but mark it down and roleplay it as a permanent feature of your tool belt.
But the objecty flavor of the spells does confuse people who aren’t familiar with the artificer. For example I whipped up a voice modulator for the party face to Persuade a dragon by speaking at a more authoritative volume — and a minute later the cleric was asking me to offer it up as tribute to the wyrm. I had to explain (OOC) that it was a spell effect and not a permanent object — weird — and give up a magical tinkering instead.
In some ways it makes more sense to play it as assembling a device in a few rapid seconds, then filling it with magic that causes it to do its job and then fall apart. You can try to play everything as a consumable like a powder or a little pheromone — but then where does the vial “go” after the casting? Mechanically a spell is not an object that you could lose or someone else could use.
If you go with the on-the-fly approach, I would flavor the artificer as always collecting bits of raw materials and fiddling with modular parts that can be thrown together in different ways. Some materials get lost to the magic, but there’s no gp loss because whenever you pass through town you’re tinkering and trading this and that, so you break even. (If you actively spend your downtime running a business, that’s another matter.)
Incoming rule Nazi… paragraph four of the "preparing and casting spells" of the artificer class description states:
"You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish along rest. Preparing a new list of artificers spells requires time spent tinkering with your spellcasting focuses: at least one minute per spell level for each spell on your list."
Now that that's over…
In reality people are going to play the way they want to play. If it is easier at your table to go with the on-the-fly approach, then that is what you're going to do. If you really like the idea of RPing your invention making, then that is what you're going to do. Wrong or right is determined at the table and most likely by the DM. Both sides makes sense and both sides have their issues. But in the end all that matters is that we are all having fun.
PS… for an artificer the Guidance spell is very easy to flavor. You never have to worry about the situation because your spell is focused on the player and not what they're trying to do. A hot cup of Joe to focus the mind or an electrical jolt to clear away distractions…
Wait, "Tinkering with your thieve's/artisan's tools" isn't a building action? Then what is it? Druids and wizards are reading books or meditating. That's far from monkeying around with tools.
Speaking of the rules and after re-reading it, the book actually provides both examples, quoted below. Two sides of the same coin. Could use one, the other, or both.
At the end of the day, it is up to the player how they go about it.
"THE MAGIC OF ARTIFICE
As an artificer, you use tools when you cast your spells. When describing your spellcasting, think about how you’re using a tool. For example, if you cast cure wounds using alchemist’s supplies, you could be quickly producing a salve. If you cast it using tinker’s tools, you might have a miniature mechanical spider that binds wounds. The effect of the spell is the same either way.
Such details don’t limit you in any way or provide you with any benefit beyond the spell’s effects. You don’t have to justify how you’re using tools to cast a spell. But describing your spellcasting creatively is a fun way to distinguish yourself from other spellcasters."
I'm about to start a new campaign focusing on a group of evil characters. I'm going to play an artificer using a homebrew ratfolk class, and the character is modeled on a Warhammer Skaven Clan Skryre Warlock-Engineer.
Arcane Weapon-Poison on a pistol can somewhat emulate a Warplock Pistol.
The Artillerist's Eldritch Cannon (in tiny form) can emulate a one-man Warpfire Thrower or a Jezzail.
Spellcasting in general will try to go with the Skavens' whole magical psuedo-technology thing. I'm working on finding ways to emulate Skitterleap, Poisoned Wind Globes, etc.
I did not understand a thing here, but I'll be damned if I am not interested.
Warhammer Fantasy Battle was a tabletop wargame that has been around since around 1980, but they switched it to a totally different system with different system of naming a few years ago. The game went through a serious metamorphosis a few years ago, and it was renamed Age of Sigmar.
In the game, there is a race of ratfolk, corrupted by the power of chaos, who live in the sewers and caves under major cities and plot to overthrow pretty much everyone and worship The Horned Rat. They use weird magical technology stuff, like pistols that fire warp stone (kind of like a magical version of plutonium), have man portable flame throwers powered by that same warp stone, huge lightning throwing cannon-things, etc.
Warlock-engineers are the members of society who create and tend to these magi-tech objects. Below is an example of one of the miniatures used for this critter in the game for reference:
I didn't mean to say you can't do that. Just that if you don't like it there's no need to. So saying everyone has a big problem with the Artificer's spellcasting because of that kind of preparation makes no sense. If you do that, it's something you decided for yourself.
That being said, preparing your spells physically beforehand creates some potential narrative issues. Prepared physical objects can be stolen/taken away, given to others (where you then would have to explain why only you can use them for some reason) etc etc. At the end of the day Artificer spells are still spells, not magical items. That's what infusions are for. Not to mention that while the spell slot system is less flexible than the usual mana system, it's still flexible so you never know for sure how many of a given spell you are actually going to cast over the day, just how many you could cast at best if you don't cast any of the others. So if you have three level 1 spell slots do you prepare physical objects for two Grease and one Catapult? What if you happen to want to use Catapult twice because of an unexpected situation then? Or do you prepare three of each? Why can't you suddenly use the other items you build in the morning anymore after using any random three of those?
Here as well, I'm not saying it's not possible or that it's bad. Just that it comes with a whole narrative baggage you have to think about how to explain because it's something not supported by the actual mechanics of the spellcasting feature. All it does is add a material component mechanically which gets replaced by the tools as spellcasting focus, period.
the best way to deal with the spontinaity of casting a spell is more to have these objects as intangibles in a way. You may have flavor wise prepared some before hand. But the object doesn't actually manifest as what it is until you pull it to use it. So you don't pre plan that you only have two grease and a Catapult. But in your spare time or as morning prep your tinkering little devices together without clear explanation out of them. And then when you go to use them you already have them prepared for that Grease spell, or for Catapult, or for your Cure spell for the day by pulling them out of your bag, pocket, pouch, or whatever as actually part of you using the spell to make it work. Having them already prepared but indistinct overcomes that issue that some have with being a tinkerer but at the same time gives them the more spontaneous casting style that exists in 5e.
Recently, I considered something similar to “Plasmids” or “Vigors” from “Bioshock”...serums or injections that infuse the recipient with magical power, or changes them physically. It uses “Alchemist Kit” as the spellcasting focus.
It’s a fun character concept to explore...they have a particular fascination with sorcerers & bards...the classes with “innate” spellcasting. They want to see what makes them tick; how they’re able to just naturally use magic, and try to re-create this through their serums.
Originally, the “Alchemist” artificer was the closest fit for this concept...but recently I’ve taken a shine to the “Tasha’s Cauldron” feat for “Artificer Initiate” to give “Alchemist Tools” to a Wizard as a spellcasting focus.
Full spellcasting to 9th Level spells really “opens up” what they can do...and the Chronurgy Wizard even has the ability to “give” up to 4th Level spells to an ally...nothing is more amusing than watching an ally debate whether or not a “Lightning Bolt” is worth injecting an unknown concoction into your veins with a needle...
One thing to remember with artificer spellcasting is that it's still spellcasting.
The artificer uses their created devises, gadgets, and doohickuses to focus their magic and get the effect they want, but they still have to provide the power and arcanomotive force the spell requires. The object alone is nothing; a trifle useful as much to focus the artificer's mind as it is to direct arcane energies. That solves many of the issues with "why aren't artificer spells portable?" or "why does the artificer still have to use spell slots?" Because the artificer is casting the spell. They're simply doing it differently than other casters do.
I don't have a single, set, concrete 'style' for my artificer, mostly because I keep bubbling over with ideas and trying new things (and also because my table doesn't tend to like constantly getting bogged down in long-winded spell narration). But since Star is a limbsmith and automaton expert (Battlesmith with Homunculus infusion and a character who, in-world, has a side job crafting high-quality artistic artificial limbs for unfortunate rich people), I flavor many of her spells as being released with the aid of small, more disposable automatons.
Both Catapult and Faerie Fire come from little wind-up mechanical pixies - for each spell, Star gives them two winds and sends them flying. Faerie Fire is obvious, and for Catapult the pixie flies to the target object and soccer-kicks it where it needs to go. The same pixie might also do Heroism; Star sets it to hover near the target's head and yell encouragement through the duration of the spell - "Ganbatte, hero-san!" and the like. However, Star herself has to speak instructions that these automaton can understand (i.e. verbal spell components), and the act of winding them imbues them with the AMF they need to get their work done. She still casts spells, she just gives herself extra help doing so.
One of the cool things about artificers, though? If you do a good job fluffing your spells and amuse the table, your DM may let you get away with having items that are technically not in your inventory. Star, for example, casts Guidance through Alchemist's Supplies, via a vial described as "smelling salts steeped in absynth, menthol, and other even stronger-smelling chemicals and powders - take a hit of it and you may end up with a bit of a nosebleed, but you will also feel like you can do anything for a little bit." That vial's become an unofficial piece of Star's kit that she's used without Guidance being involved a few times now.
"Star pulls out the Guidance vial..." "Oh God." "Oh, no." DM nosebridge pinch "Okay, hit me."
I didn't mean to say you can't do that. Just that if you don't like it there's no need to. So saying everyone has a big problem with the Artificer's spellcasting because of that kind of preparation makes no sense. If you do that, it's something you decided for yourself.
That being said, preparing your spells physically beforehand creates some potential narrative issues. Prepared physical objects can be stolen/taken away, given to others (where you then would have to explain why only you can use them for some reason) etc etc. At the end of the day Artificer spells are still spells, not magical items. That's what infusions are for. Not to mention that while the spell slot system is less flexible than the usual mana system, it's still flexible so you never know for sure how many of a given spell you are actually going to cast over the day, just how many you could cast at best if you don't cast any of the others. So if you have three level 1 spell slots do you prepare physical objects for two Grease and one Catapult? What if you happen to want to use Catapult twice because of an unexpected situation then? Or do you prepare three of each? Why can't you suddenly use the other items you build in the morning anymore after using any random three of those?
Here as well, I'm not saying it's not possible or that it's bad. Just that it comes with a whole narrative baggage you have to think about how to explain because it's something not supported by the actual mechanics of the spellcasting feature. All it does is add a material component mechanically which gets replaced by the tools as spellcasting focus, period.
the best way to deal with the spontinaity of casting a spell is more to have these objects as intangibles in a way. You may have flavor wise prepared some before hand. But the object doesn't actually manifest as what it is until you pull it to use it. So you don't pre plan that you only have two grease and a Catapult. But in your spare time or as morning prep your tinkering little devices together without clear explanation out of them. And then when you go to use them you already have them prepared for that Grease spell, or for Catapult, or for your Cure spell for the day by pulling them out of your bag, pocket, pouch, or whatever as actually part of you using the spell to make it work. Having them already prepared but indistinct overcomes that issue that some have with being a tinkerer but at the same time gives them the more spontaneous casting style that exists in 5e.
That's basically the same as doing it on the fly just with the added step of physical preparation though? It also still leaves the issue with it being a physical object that can be stolen, lost, given to others etc etc. Fact is, no matter how you do it it always requires some suspension of disbelief one way or another. So this solution of building stuff beforehand is not a solution at all, just a different way of doing things with its own set of additional problems.
Keep in mind that other spellcaster's items can still be stolen, lost, given, etc. I am under the impression that those items would simply not work for anyone else and generally only done to "disarm" them. Deciphering a wizard's shorthand? Stealing someone else's faith? Might as well become a warlock yourself. Why should the Artificer be treated differently?
Recently, I considered something similar to “Plasmids” or “Vigors” from “Bioshock”...serums or injections that infuse the recipient with magical power, or changes them physically. It uses “Alchemist Kit” as the spellcasting focus.
It’s a fun character concept to explore...they have a particular fascination with sorcerers & bards...the classes with “innate” spellcasting. They want to see what makes them tick; how they’re able to just naturally use magic, and try to re-create this through their serums.
Originally, the “Alchemist” artificer was the closest fit for this concept...but recently I’ve taken a shine to the “Tasha’s Cauldron” feat for “Artificer Initiate” to give “Alchemist Tools” to a Wizard as a spellcasting focus.
Full spellcasting to 9th Level spells really “opens up” what they can do...and the Chronurgy Wizard even has the ability to “give” up to 4th Level spells to an ally...nothing is more amusing than watching an ally debate whether or not a “Lightning Bolt” is worth injecting an unknown concoction into your veins with a needle...
Ooh. I really like like this. I have not played the Bioshock franchise personally, but I roughly understand.
I actually went the opposite. Drow with their innate spellcasting and the Wizard Initiate Feat. Going for a "talent combined with tech" vibe.
One thing to remember with artificer spellcasting is that it's still spellcasting.
The artificer uses their created devises, gadgets, and doohickuses to focus their magic and get the effect they want, but they still have to provide the power and arcanomotive force the spell requires. The object alone is nothing; a trifle useful as much to focus the artificer's mind as it is to direct arcane energies. That solves many of the issues with "why aren't artificer spells portable?" or "why does the artificer still have to use spell slots?" Because the artificer is casting the spell. They're simply doing it differently than other casters do.
I don't have a single, set, concrete 'style' for my artificer, mostly because I keep bubbling over with ideas and trying new things (and also because my table doesn't tend to like constantly getting bogged down in long-winded spell narration). But since Star is a limbsmith and automaton expert (Battlesmith with Homunculus infusion and a character who, in-world, has a side job crafting high-quality artistic artificial limbs for unfortunate rich people), I flavor many of her spells as being released with the aid of small, more disposable automatons.
Both Catapult and Faerie Fire come from little wind-up mechanical pixies - for each spell, Star gives them two winds and sends them flying. Faerie Fire is obvious, and for Catapult the pixie flies to the target object and soccer-kicks it where it needs to go. The same pixie might also do Heroism; Star sets it to hover near the target's head and yell encouragement through the duration of the spell - "Ganbatte, hero-san!" and the like. However, Star herself has to speak instructions that these automaton can understand (i.e. verbal spell components), and the act of winding them imbues them with the AMF they need to get their work done. She still casts spells, she just gives herself extra help doing so.
One of the cool things about artificers, though? If you do a good job fluffing your spells and amuse the table, your DM may let you get away with having items that are technically not in your inventory. Star, for example, casts Guidance through Alchemist's Supplies, via a vial described as "smelling salts steeped in absynth, menthol, and other even stronger-smelling chemicals and powders - take a hit of it and you may end up with a bit of a nosebleed, but you will also feel like you can do anything for a little bit." That vial's become an unofficial piece of Star's kit that she's used without Guidance being involved a few times now.
"Star pulls out the Guidance vial..." "Oh God." "Oh, no." DM nosebridge pinch "Okay, hit me."
Exactly. I managed to get the DM to allow me to retrieve pearls from a Robe of Useful Items to use with Identify and the Create Homunculus Infusion. Could I have had those already since my character holds a somewhat similar profession and is not hurting for money? Absolutely, but it was more amusing that way, I think.
My artificer has the background of being an urchin, and she's a tinkerer, so instead of her having a living pet mouse, I gave her a mechanical mouse. When she casts Create Bonfire for example, she winds up the mouse, sends it across the floor to the point she wants the spell to go off, the mouse spins and shoots fire out of its mouth. Since it's not really clear what is included in Tinkering Tools, I decided she needed a sketch book to drafter her designs before she creates them. So when she casts Catapult she takes out the sketch book, and magically draws the equations in the air to aim the Catapult.
Similarly her ritual for detect magic has her taking out a ruler and measuring everything in the area and making notes on the measurements. For her Identify magic ritual she has made herself a table in her sketch book that only she understands. She takes a measurement, compares it against the table (which is sort of a mystical dewy decimal system), then draws a mystical reference book, looks up something there, finds another reference, and keeps drawing mystical references until she finds the one she's looking for. At the end all of the mystical reference books disappear. (You could probably do something similar with a bag of holding. As long as you and your DM agreed that these only existed for the ritual and couldn't be sold or shared it should be fine).
For infusions I often have her add something to the item she is infusing. For instance when making a +1 rapier for a party member, she spent a few minutes finding it's point of balance, then she wrapped a piece of wire around the hilt to "perfect" the balance of the weapon.
Honestly though, I also love the idea of an artificer who is more mystical and less a tinkerer. If I were to make another one, I might choose a weavers tools. She would carry a small hand loom and cast spells by altering the magic weave around her, or by quickly and magically crocheting items. Feather fall could be a parachute. Sword Burst could be giant Knitting Needles instead of swords. Skywrite could be her weaving the message and then it appearing in the clouds.
I think a lot of fun can be had by thinking about what kind of medium your artificer prefers to work in, and then figuring out how to make cloth, leather, clay etc create those effects.
Considering the way that Artificers change their spell lists. Something prepared is not out of theme for the overall flavor and fluff of the class even if the mechanics are different. That tinkering and cost to change them could be seen as altering or creating new little inventions to be using rather than something on the fly. So your perfectly suited to be doing something preprepared rather than something purely on the fly.
Reflavouring all the spells is the thing I love MOST about playing the artificer. All my spell and potion colourings are flavoured green and yellow. I'll only go into Hjalmar's most commonly cast spells. He's an alchemist, but first and foremost he's a medic and disease specialist, with a history with botany and a love of trinkets/wondrous items
Acid Splash is a boring old vial of acid thrown.
Firebolt is a simple molotov cocktail.
Message is done by a little earring I gave to each person that I have inscribed the same runes as the cantrip's spell text. I've also got a few tiny mechanical bugs that fly to my target (if not a friendly).
Cure Wounds is a syringe (the first things I crafted playing the class).
Healing Word is a jolt of adrenaline through the same ear piece I use for Message.
Ray of Sickness is removing the lens on a containment canister of uranium, creating a concentrated column of radiation.
Blur is a bloom of harmless green gas or smoke that emanates from various valves all over my plague doctor's suit.
Darkvision is just adjusting the lenses on my Plague Doctor's mask to the infrared spectrum.
Enhance Ability is a dense protein bar, scientifically mixed to perfection or a hair comb with a gel on it for the charisma buff.
Flaming Sphere is a remote controlled mini brazier that burns big and hot.
Invisibility is a series of hovering mirrors and sconces that recreate the environment around them.
Acid Arrow is a simple hose attached to the uranium canister.
See Invisibility is, again, clicking my Plague Doctor mask's lenses over to heat vision.
Dispel Magic is a little spell sink, much like the Ghostbuster ghost trap (my DM in the past has let me study the spell post 'capturing' with a DC attached).
Haste is a small dose of a white powder poured onto a little spoon from it's own vial, often telling our Fighter: Brute to snuff it from the crook of my index and thumb ... heh heh
Revivify is two paddles zapping the chest, like a ye olde defibrillator.
Tiny Servant is my child hood toy, a stuffed owlbear, that was modified with a steel skeletal structure years ago and I accidentally captured the soul of my childhood dog in it. I don't know how I did it but I vowed never to dabble with those sorts of runes again. I couldn't bare to put 'my dog' down a second time, so instead I inscribed to the runes for the Sleep spell on it, so casting it is actually turning it off by twisting a rune and ruining its pattern. He get brought to life to hold my jeweller's hammer as my Spell Storing Item and he's pretty much constantly with us these days (you can see him here if you'd like).
Death Ward is a little spider-like clamp I affix to the recipient's chest that enacts when it detects no pulse.
That was fun! Thanks for the chance! I've got to voice some of those once or twice in my campaign.
Hjalmar Gunderson, Vuman Alchemist Plague Doctor in a HB Campaign, Post Netherese Invasion Cormyr (lvl20 retired)
Godfrey, Autognome Butler in Ghosts of Saltmarsh into Spelljammer
Grímr Skeggisson, Goliath Rune Knight in Rime of the Frostmaiden
DM of two HB campaigns set in the same world.
I'm about to start a new campaign focusing on a group of evil characters. I'm going to play an artificer using a homebrew ratfolk class, and the character is modeled on a Warhammer Skaven Clan Skryre Warlock-Engineer.
Arcane Weapon-Poison on a pistol can somewhat emulate a Warplock Pistol.
The Artillerist's Eldritch Cannon (in tiny form) can emulate a one-man Warpfire Thrower or a Jezzail.
Spellcasting in general will try to go with the Skavens' whole magical psuedo-technology thing. I'm working on finding ways to emulate Skitterleap, Poisoned Wind Globes, etc.
This was exactly how I have been imagining it.
Exactly! Seeing all the ideas being posted here are now making my original idea seem lame. haha.
I do not disagree with this. It certainly adds to the complexity, but I personally find it easier to wrap my head around pre-made vs. fast build as far as the RP is concerned. In the end, it is up to the player(s) to self-police these sort of things, I think.
No, thank you for taking the time to share your ideas!
I did not understand a thing here, but I'll be damned if I am not interested.
Guidance is particularly suited to coming up with something on the fly. Unless you have pre-prepared a gizmo to aid every possible ability check. I suppose you could come up with it on the fly in session but mark it down and roleplay it as a permanent feature of your tool belt.
But the objecty flavor of the spells does confuse people who aren’t familiar with the artificer. For example I whipped up a voice modulator for the party face to Persuade a dragon by speaking at a more authoritative volume — and a minute later the cleric was asking me to offer it up as tribute to the wyrm. I had to explain (OOC) that it was a spell effect and not a permanent object — weird — and give up a magical tinkering instead.
In some ways it makes more sense to play it as assembling a device in a few rapid seconds, then filling it with magic that causes it to do its job and then fall apart. You can try to play everything as a consumable like a powder or a little pheromone — but then where does the vial “go” after the casting? Mechanically a spell is not an object that you could lose or someone else could use.
If you go with the on-the-fly approach, I would flavor the artificer as always collecting bits of raw materials and fiddling with modular parts that can be thrown together in different ways. Some materials get lost to the magic, but there’s no gp loss because whenever you pass through town you’re tinkering and trading this and that, so you break even. (If you actively spend your downtime running a business, that’s another matter.)
Incoming rule Nazi… paragraph four of the "preparing and casting spells" of the artificer class description states:
"You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish along rest. Preparing a new list of artificers spells requires time spent tinkering with your spellcasting focuses: at least one minute per spell level for each spell on your list."
Now that that's over…
In reality people are going to play the way they want to play. If it is easier at your table to go with the on-the-fly approach, then that is what you're going to do. If you really like the idea of RPing your invention making, then that is what you're going to do. Wrong or right is determined at the table and most likely by the DM. Both sides makes sense and both sides have their issues. But in the end all that matters is that we are all having fun.
PS… for an artificer the Guidance spell is very easy to flavor. You never have to worry about the situation because your spell is focused on the player and not what they're trying to do. A hot cup of Joe to focus the mind or an electrical jolt to clear away distractions…
Wait, "Tinkering with your thieve's/artisan's tools" isn't a building action? Then what is it? Druids and wizards are reading books or meditating. That's far from monkeying around with tools.
Speaking of the rules and after re-reading it, the book actually provides both examples, quoted below. Two sides of the same coin. Could use one, the other, or both.
At the end of the day, it is up to the player how they go about it.
"THE MAGIC OF ARTIFICE
As an artificer, you use tools when you cast your spells. When describing your spellcasting, think about how you’re using a tool. For example, if you cast cure wounds using alchemist’s supplies, you could be quickly producing a salve. If you cast it using tinker’s tools, you might have a miniature mechanical spider that binds wounds. The effect of the spell is the same either way.
Such details don’t limit you in any way or provide you with any benefit beyond the spell’s effects. You don’t have to justify how you’re using tools to cast a spell. But describing your spellcasting creatively is a fun way to distinguish yourself from other spellcasters."
Warhammer Fantasy Battle was a tabletop wargame that has been around since around 1980, but they switched it to a totally different system with different system of naming a few years ago. The game went through a serious metamorphosis a few years ago, and it was renamed Age of Sigmar.
In the game, there is a race of ratfolk, corrupted by the power of chaos, who live in the sewers and caves under major cities and plot to overthrow pretty much everyone and worship The Horned Rat. They use weird magical technology stuff, like pistols that fire warp stone (kind of like a magical version of plutonium), have man portable flame throwers powered by that same warp stone, huge lightning throwing cannon-things, etc.
Warlock-engineers are the members of society who create and tend to these magi-tech objects. Below is an example of one of the miniatures used for this critter in the game for reference:
Thank you for taking the time to explain. That will be a badass character once all the homebrew is out of the way.
the best way to deal with the spontinaity of casting a spell is more to have these objects as intangibles in a way. You may have flavor wise prepared some before hand. But the object doesn't actually manifest as what it is until you pull it to use it. So you don't pre plan that you only have two grease and a Catapult. But in your spare time or as morning prep your tinkering little devices together without clear explanation out of them. And then when you go to use them you already have them prepared for that Grease spell, or for Catapult, or for your Cure spell for the day by pulling them out of your bag, pocket, pouch, or whatever as actually part of you using the spell to make it work. Having them already prepared but indistinct overcomes that issue that some have with being a tinkerer but at the same time gives them the more spontaneous casting style that exists in 5e.
Recently, I considered something similar to “Plasmids” or “Vigors” from “Bioshock”...serums or injections that infuse the recipient with magical power, or changes them physically. It uses “Alchemist Kit” as the spellcasting focus.
It’s a fun character concept to explore...they have a particular fascination with sorcerers & bards...the classes with “innate” spellcasting. They want to see what makes them tick; how they’re able to just naturally use magic, and try to re-create this through their serums.
Originally, the “Alchemist” artificer was the closest fit for this concept...but recently I’ve taken a shine to the “Tasha’s Cauldron” feat for “Artificer Initiate” to give “Alchemist Tools” to a Wizard as a spellcasting focus.
Full spellcasting to 9th Level spells really “opens up” what they can do...and the Chronurgy Wizard even has the ability to “give” up to 4th Level spells to an ally...nothing is more amusing than watching an ally debate whether or not a “Lightning Bolt” is worth injecting an unknown concoction into your veins with a needle...
One thing to remember with artificer spellcasting is that it's still spellcasting.
The artificer uses their created devises, gadgets, and doohickuses to focus their magic and get the effect they want, but they still have to provide the power and arcanomotive force the spell requires. The object alone is nothing; a trifle useful as much to focus the artificer's mind as it is to direct arcane energies. That solves many of the issues with "why aren't artificer spells portable?" or "why does the artificer still have to use spell slots?" Because the artificer is casting the spell. They're simply doing it differently than other casters do.
I don't have a single, set, concrete 'style' for my artificer, mostly because I keep bubbling over with ideas and trying new things (and also because my table doesn't tend to like constantly getting bogged down in long-winded spell narration). But since Star is a limbsmith and automaton expert (Battlesmith with Homunculus infusion and a character who, in-world, has a side job crafting high-quality artistic artificial limbs for unfortunate rich people), I flavor many of her spells as being released with the aid of small, more disposable automatons.
Both Catapult and Faerie Fire come from little wind-up mechanical pixies - for each spell, Star gives them two winds and sends them flying. Faerie Fire is obvious, and for Catapult the pixie flies to the target object and soccer-kicks it where it needs to go. The same pixie might also do Heroism; Star sets it to hover near the target's head and yell encouragement through the duration of the spell - "Ganbatte, hero-san!" and the like. However, Star herself has to speak instructions that these automaton can understand (i.e. verbal spell components), and the act of winding them imbues them with the AMF they need to get their work done. She still casts spells, she just gives herself extra help doing so.
One of the cool things about artificers, though? If you do a good job fluffing your spells and amuse the table, your DM may let you get away with having items that are technically not in your inventory. Star, for example, casts Guidance through Alchemist's Supplies, via a vial described as "smelling salts steeped in absynth, menthol, and other even stronger-smelling chemicals and powders - take a hit of it and you may end up with a bit of a nosebleed, but you will also feel like you can do anything for a little bit." That vial's become an unofficial piece of Star's kit that she's used without Guidance being involved a few times now.
"Star pulls out the Guidance vial..."
"Oh God."
"Oh, no."
DM nosebridge pinch "Okay, hit me."
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Keep in mind that other spellcaster's items can still be stolen, lost, given, etc. I am under the impression that those items would simply not work for anyone else and generally only done to "disarm" them. Deciphering a wizard's shorthand? Stealing someone else's faith? Might as well become a warlock yourself. Why should the Artificer be treated differently?
Ooh. I really like like this. I have not played the Bioshock franchise personally, but I roughly understand.
I actually went the opposite. Drow with their innate spellcasting and the Wizard Initiate Feat. Going for a "talent combined with tech" vibe.
Exactly. I managed to get the DM to allow me to retrieve pearls from a Robe of Useful Items to use with Identify and the Create Homunculus Infusion. Could I have had those already since my character holds a somewhat similar profession and is not hurting for money? Absolutely, but it was more amusing that way, I think.