Hello! You experienced wizard players, would you say that it is best for a necromancer wizard to start off by taking a level of cleric, or a level of artificier?
Pro cleric: Will not delay spell slot progression
Pro artificier Prof. in con saves Access to int based faerie fire - should be quite helpful to get skeleton archers to hit more of their attacks
Will not delay spell slot progression Cool lvl 1 subclass features Access to medium armor with a shield and possibly heavy armor Bunch of useful cantrips like Guidance and some useful level 1 spells like Bless
Cleric Cons:
Need 13 WIS Lose level 20 Wizard capstone Spell progression delayed 1 level
Artificer Pros:
Will not delay spell slot progression (Artificers are special in that they are the only halfcaster whose spell slots round UP when determining spellslots) Prof. in CON saves Access to medium armor with a shield Bunch of useful cantrips like Guidance and some useful level 1 spells like Faerie Fire Does not need 13 WIS
Thank you! I had totally missed that artificer rounded up for determining spell slots in multiclassing. Saw it not in TCoE when I started to look for the rule.
You can get both Guidance and Bless from Artificer as well. Overall, I think both classes offers similar benefits. You can leverage great things from Twilight, Peace, Order and Knowledge domains, but in a vacuum I’d it’s a matter of taste.
Now talking specifically about Necromancer, you can improve the offense of your undead minions through the cantrip Magic Stone. It’s a bonus action cast, three pebbles, just hand them to your skeletons and enjoy killing things with rock-throwers undeads. It’s an interesting combination for Artificer.
You can get both Guidance and Bless from Artificer as well. Overall, I think both classes offers similar benefits. You can leverage great things from Twilight, Peace, Order and Knowledge domains, but in a vacuum I’d it’s a matter of taste.
Now talking specifically about Necromancer, you can improve the offense of your undead minions through the cantrip Magic Stone. It’s a bonus action cast, three pebbles, just hand them to your skeletons and enjoy killing things with rock-throwers undeads. It’s an interesting combination for Artificer.
Errr since when did Artificers get Bless? Unless you are talking about the potion effect from the Alchemist subclass which is totally unreliable and requires a 3 level dip.....
replicate magic item: bag of holding I plan to tell my army to get in the bag. then when combat starts dump them out. "If the bag is turned inside out, its contents spill forth, unharmed"
3 levels
Artillerist subclass "Protector Eldritch Cannon: The cannon emits a burst of positive energy that grants itself and each creature of your choice within 10 feet of it a number of temporary hit points equal to 1d8 + your Intelligence modifier (minimum of +1)."
turn 1: Action: dump out army Bonus Action: command army to kill
turn 2: Action: Summon Protector Eldritch Cannon Bonus Action: buff fighting army with 6-13 temp hp
That's a big investment. By level 5 when most classes get extra attack or 3rd level spells you will still be Artificer 3 Wizard 2 and be only casting 1st level spells and have no level 5 features.
Hello!
You experienced wizard players, would you say that it is best for a necromancer wizard to start off by taking a level of cleric, or a level of artificier?
Pro cleric:
Will not delay spell slot progression
Pro artificier
Prof. in con saves
Access to int based faerie fire - should be quite helpful to get skeleton archers to hit more of their attacks
Let me fix this up for you a bit.
Cleric Pros:
Will not delay spell slot progression
Cool lvl 1 subclass features
Access to medium armor with a shield and possibly heavy armor
Bunch of useful cantrips like Guidance and some useful level 1 spells like Bless
Cleric Cons:
Need 13 WIS
Lose level 20 Wizard capstone
Spell progression delayed 1 level
Artificer Pros:
Will not delay spell slot progression (Artificers are special in that they are the only halfcaster whose spell slots round UP when determining spellslots)
Prof. in CON saves
Access to medium armor with a shield
Bunch of useful cantrips like Guidance and some useful level 1 spells like Faerie Fire
Does not need 13 WIS
Artificer Cons:
Lose lvl 20 Wizard capstone
Spell progression delayed 1 level
Ultimately it comes down to what you think you will have the most fun with but I hope this helps make your decision easier.
Thank you! I had totally missed that artificer rounded up for determining spell slots in multiclassing. Saw it not in TCoE when I started to look for the rule.
You can get both Guidance and Bless from Artificer as well. Overall, I think both classes offers similar benefits. You can leverage great things from Twilight, Peace, Order and Knowledge domains, but in a vacuum I’d it’s a matter of taste.
Now talking specifically about Necromancer, you can improve the offense of your undead minions through the cantrip Magic Stone. It’s a bonus action cast, three pebbles, just hand them to your skeletons and enjoy killing things with rock-throwers undeads. It’s an interesting combination for Artificer.
Errr since when did Artificers get Bless? Unless you are talking about the potion effect from the Alchemist subclass which is totally unreliable and requires a 3 level dip.....
My bad... Artificers don’t get Bless at all. But they do get Sanctuary keying off INT which is amazing.
I'm thinking of going Artificer 2 or 3
turn 1: Action: dump out army Bonus Action: command army to kill
turn 2: Action: Summon Protector Eldritch Cannon Bonus Action: buff fighting army with 6-13 temp hp
That's a big investment. By level 5 when most classes get extra attack or 3rd level spells you will still be Artificer 3 Wizard 2 and be only casting 1st level spells and have no level 5 features.
I was planing 1 Artificer, then 6 wizard, 2 more Artificer and the rest in wizard
But I may shift artificer 2 a little depending on the party needs.