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.
Honestly when i get around to playing an Artificer. (my next character was already planned to be a mage of some kind). I am probably going to flavor it as taking as much of the magic out of it as possible. Meaning that nothing about how the character does what he's doing except for the final mechanical affect that matters is actually something that could easily be called magic. Tinkered devices, mechanical apparatus or oddly looking weapons that are used in conjunction with tool foci and the like to launch the effect of the spell out. Things like that. So healing is not going to look simply like going over and laying a hand on somebody and simply intoning a chant It's going to be something like taking two chemicals and quickly tossing them together and mixing them together with my artisan tool focus and then splashed over them. whichever Cantrip I choose to use is something that is going to be launched, or thrown, or belched out of something. Etc.
The way I figure it, Artificer spellcasting involves something the Artificer creates or something she does, and a lot of it focuses around the body's senses. So I came up with this list...
Steampunk Machinist
Food/Drink - (based on taste/texture) variant human artificer with chef's feat, makes magical food and drink -- alchemy.
Candymaker - The Candyman
Spicemaster
Brewmaster
Tattoos - uses reskinned calligrapher's supplies to make magical tattoos and manuf. magic tattoo needles
Painter (using runes, pictures, and diff't paints)
From my reading of Tasha's, the spellcasting remains a two-step process (preparation and activation).
Preparation: as an artificer you're prepared spells are potions (alchemist), gadgets (battle/armor smith), special ammo (artillerist). These are just "top of my head" examples.
Activation: then when you want to cast spell you use your artisan tools to activate your prepared object and thereby cast your spell.
Short version: artificers make doodads that require artisan tools to use in the moment.
Short version: artificers make doodads that require artisan tools to use in the moment.
Yes, my personal struggle came from how my particular character makes that happen for the RP.
Mechanically speaking, it is absolutely no different from any other spellcaster, but I feel like there is much more room for RP side, or the flavor, if you will.
Short version: artificers make doodads that require artisan tools to use in the moment.
Yes, my personal struggle came from how my particular character makes that happen for the RP.
Mechanically speaking, it is absolutely no different from any other spellcaster, but I feel like there is much more room for RP side, or the flavor, if you will.
Short version: artificers make doodads that require artisan tools to use in the moment.
Yes, my personal struggle came from how my particular character makes that happen for the RP.
Mechanically speaking, it is absolutely no different from any other spellcaster, but I feel like there is much more room for RP side, or the flavor, if you will.
I think that's the biggest part of it. Except for how they choose their spell lists. Mechanically speaking they are just other casters and it leaves the class kind of muddled in that aspect. Because up until we get to the mechanics that's not what the Artificer really sounds like and by the time we've read all the mechanics it can kind of overshadow the fluff and we're forced to reconcile the two of them since they almost seem to be a bit at odds. At least in my mind.
That's where a thread like this for ideas can really help in some ways I think.
"...by the time we've read all the mechanics it can kind of overshadow the fluff and we're forced to reconcile the two of them since they almost seem to be a bit at odds.
Exactly. It has a weird sense of duplicity to it, and I certainly had a bit of trouble with it.
That's where a thread like this for ideas can really help in some ways I think.
That was indeed the secondary goal of posting this, to possibly help others who were in the same spot I was in.
What little I have played with the character so far has been an absolute blast even with the finer details like this missing. Sure, I didn't even need to do any of this since the people I play with go very light on the RP (including myself), but I like the idea of having it stuff sorted out anyway. For peace of mind.
These are excellent ideas and great prompts. The calligraphy set particularly spoke to me and I would have not thought of it otherwise.
Pardon the references, but I though of it either as a Okami style writing-to-reality or a Naruto-ish pseudo-summoning from scrolls.
Definitely going to be used in a different setting in the future.
Look up the manga "Witch Hat Atelier" for more magic-by-drawing inspiration. It's a pretty underrated one with a good story and extremely good artstyle.
I have read the first couple of chapters and I completely agree. That system actually works really well for the Artificer. Thanks for the recommendation!
As an artillerist, all my blasting spells are channeled through various wands, full on dual weilding Harry Potter. My eldritch cannon is always flavored as a second wand, rather than some gun or spider turret, etc.
With regards to other spells, I tend to go with ordinary stuff becoming extraordinary. Things like, a small vial of oil smashing into the ground and suddenly expanding into a size of Grease pool that there was no way could fit in such a vial. Cure wounds: the one time i used it, a quick bandage wrap that suspiciously completely healed an arm wound. Disguise Self: A makeup brush, that, with application produces the fantastical effect of the spell.
I think the biggest problem everyone has with this is that spell preparation it Is something very few groups going to any real detail about. If anything it's an excuse for the DM to expound on what's been done, what needs to be done, or what the current expectations for the day are going to be. And even when it is commented on it's usually from the DM's point of view, giving players time to review their spell lists.
So maybe your RP is being the first awake to start a fire because you need to with up some potions, heat up mixtures for your Canon, or even just a little light to apply runes to your armor for use later. Maybe everyone in your party wakes up with a very clean ears because you needed to wax for something. Or that the wake up call for the party is when your experimental elixir explodes as part of the creation process.
I think it goes back to your subclass and how you envision your character's creations. Then you just have to remember to lean into the artistic side of your class and what an artist or an inventor needs to to make their creations. Because there are a lot more downtime activities the artificer would need compared to almost any other class.
It's important to remember that Artificer spellcasting while appearing like various machinations or similar need no preparation whatsoever. You don't have to sit for hours in the morning to actually craft your spells beforehand. It's just as fine to assemble whatever you are casting on the fly during the casting time. What you actually craft in the morning would be your infusions and whatever else you want to use your tool proficiencies for.
Yes. We have been discussing the appearance of the spellcasting. For me personally, the "on the fly" did not set well, so I wanted another way to explain it. I went with the "pre-made, quick draw" route. In the end, it is mechanically no different, just a satisfying way for me to RP it.
It's important to remember that Artificer spellcasting while appearing like various machinations or similar need no preparation whatsoever. You don't have to sit for hours in the morning to actually craft your spells beforehand. It's just as fine to assemble whatever you are casting on the fly during the casting time. What you actually craft in the morning would be your infusions and whatever else you want to use your tool proficiencies for.
Yes. We have been discussing the appearance of the spellcasting. For me personally, the "on the fly" did not set well, so I wanted another way to explain it. I went with the "pre-made, quick draw" route. In the end, it is mechanically no different, just a satisfying way for me to RP it.
Yeah but the user before me mentioned how people don't like the spell preparation stuff which is only a thing if you want it to be a thing. It's an entirely self created issue.
My apologies. I'll be honest, I scrolled too far and did not see their post.
I think the biggest problem everyone has with this is that spell preparation it Is something very few groups going to any real detail about. If anything it's an excuse for the DM to expound on what's been done, what needs to be done, or what the current expectations for the day are going to be. And even when it is commented on it's usually from the DM's point of view, giving players time to review their spell lists.
So maybe your RP is being the first awake to start a fire because you need to with up some potions, heat up mixtures for your Canon, or even just a little light to apply runes to your armor for use later. Maybe everyone in your party wakes up with a very clean ears because you needed to wax for something. Or that the wake up call for the party is when your experimental elixir explodes as part of the creation process.
I think it goes back to your subclass and how you envision your character's creations. Then you just have to remember to lean into the artistic side of your class and what an artist or an inventor needs to to make their creations. Because there are a lot more downtime activities the artificer would need compared to almost any other class.
I completely agree. Especially for my group that is more new players and still learning the game, RP is not at the forefront of what we are doing. I just wanted to have the detail set aside if it becomes a thing later.
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.
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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.
Honestly when i get around to playing an Artificer. (my next character was already planned to be a mage of some kind). I am probably going to flavor it as taking as much of the magic out of it as possible. Meaning that nothing about how the character does what he's doing except for the final mechanical affect that matters is actually something that could easily be called magic. Tinkered devices, mechanical apparatus or oddly looking weapons that are used in conjunction with tool foci and the like to launch the effect of the spell out. Things like that. So healing is not going to look simply like going over and laying a hand on somebody and simply intoning a chant It's going to be something like taking two chemicals and quickly tossing them together and mixing them together with my artisan tool focus and then splashed over them. whichever Cantrip I choose to use is something that is going to be launched, or thrown, or belched out of something. Etc.
The way I figure it, Artificer spellcasting involves something the Artificer creates or something she does, and a lot of it focuses around the body's senses. So I came up with this list...
perhaps if they are an alchemist than they throw potions instead of spells
These are excellent ideas and great prompts. The calligraphy set particularly spoke to me and I would have not thought of it otherwise.
Pardon the references, but I though of it either as a Okami style writing-to-reality or a Naruto-ish pseudo-summoning from scrolls.
Definitely going to be used in a different setting in the future.
Great! I'm currently developing a Tattooist artificer, and I'll be doing a Candy-maker artificer in the near future and see where I can go with that.
From my reading of Tasha's, the spellcasting remains a two-step process (preparation and activation).
Preparation: as an artificer you're prepared spells are potions (alchemist), gadgets (battle/armor smith), special ammo (artillerist). These are just "top of my head" examples.
Activation: then when you want to cast spell you use your artisan tools to activate your prepared object and thereby cast your spell.
Short version: artificers make doodads that require artisan tools to use in the moment.
Yes, my personal struggle came from how my particular character makes that happen for the RP.
Mechanically speaking, it is absolutely no different from any other spellcaster, but I feel like there is much more room for RP side, or the flavor, if you will.
I think that's the biggest part of it. Except for how they choose their spell lists. Mechanically speaking they are just other casters and it leaves the class kind of muddled in that aspect. Because up until we get to the mechanics that's not what the Artificer really sounds like and by the time we've read all the mechanics it can kind of overshadow the fluff and we're forced to reconcile the two of them since they almost seem to be a bit at odds. At least in my mind.
That's where a thread like this for ideas can really help in some ways I think.
Exactly. It has a weird sense of duplicity to it, and I certainly had a bit of trouble with it.
That was indeed the secondary goal of posting this, to possibly help others who were in the same spot I was in.
What little I have played with the character so far has been an absolute blast even with the finer details like this missing. Sure, I didn't even need to do any of this since the people I play with go very light on the RP (including myself), but I like the idea of having it stuff sorted out anyway. For peace of mind.
I have read the first couple of chapters and I completely agree. That system actually works really well for the Artificer. Thanks for the recommendation!
As an artillerist, all my blasting spells are channeled through various wands, full on dual weilding Harry Potter. My eldritch cannon is always flavored as a second wand, rather than some gun or spider turret, etc.
With regards to other spells, I tend to go with ordinary stuff becoming extraordinary. Things like, a small vial of oil smashing into the ground and suddenly expanding into a size of Grease pool that there was no way could fit in such a vial.
Cure wounds: the one time i used it, a quick bandage wrap that suspiciously completely healed an arm wound.
Disguise Self: A makeup brush, that, with application produces the fantastical effect of the spell.
I think the biggest problem everyone has with this is that spell preparation it Is something very few groups going to any real detail about. If anything it's an excuse for the DM to expound on what's been done, what needs to be done, or what the current expectations for the day are going to be. And even when it is commented on it's usually from the DM's point of view, giving players time to review their spell lists.
So maybe your RP is being the first awake to start a fire because you need to with up some potions, heat up mixtures for your Canon, or even just a little light to apply runes to your armor for use later. Maybe everyone in your party wakes up with a very clean ears because you needed to wax for something. Or that the wake up call for the party is when your experimental elixir explodes as part of the creation process.
I think it goes back to your subclass and how you envision your character's creations. Then you just have to remember to lean into the artistic side of your class and what an artist or an inventor needs to to make their creations. Because there are a lot more downtime activities the artificer would need compared to almost any other class.
Yes. We have been discussing the appearance of the spellcasting. For me personally, the "on the fly" did not set well, so I wanted another way to explain it. I went with the "pre-made, quick draw" route. In the end, it is mechanically no different, just a satisfying way for me to RP it.
My apologies. I'll be honest, I scrolled too far and did not see their post.
I completely agree. Especially for my group that is more new players and still learning the game, RP is not at the forefront of what we are doing. I just wanted to have the detail set aside if it becomes a thing later.
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.