The party I'm DMing for just hit 3rd level, and one of the party members is an Artificer. I want to expand his spell list with the spells from the Starter Spells Unearthed Arcana and the Elemental Evil's Player's Companion, as I am letting every other caster pick from that list as well. As of now, I'm considering the following spells:
absorb elements (EE)
catapult (EE)
guiding hand
healing elixir
snare
sudden awakening
These seem to follow the flavour of the rest of the Artificer's spells, but does anything else make sense? Are there other spells I've missed that might work as well?
I would say that thematically, those all work pretty well. If I was DM I'd have my Artificer player tweak them (flavor-wise) to be more mechanical/steampunk inspired. Like Guiding Hand, I'd have them make it more of a clockwork automation, like a floating gyroscope or a mechanical hummingbird, instead of a spectral hand.
Artificer's do already have Cure Wounds, so I'm not sure if Healing Elixir is needed. Maybe as a replacement?
Oh, yeah, definitely. When I look at the spells of the artificer, I see spells they could easily be reflavoured as mechanical or alchemical contraptions, which 9s how I picked these (along with the description given in the actual UA).
Additionally, there's a fair difference between cure wound and healing elixir. The heal about the same on average (depending on the caster's modifier), but cure wounds scales with spell slot level. Additionally, healing elixirs can be carried by other members of the party and used at any point in the day, whereas cure wounds relies on him being nearby and conscious.
I get that they're different, sure. I just think that Artificer's are in a similar spellcasting realm as Wizards, and healing is generally not in a Wizard's wheelhouse. I know that Elixir is an Arcane spell, and it goes well with an Artificer's background (especially the Alchemist path), so for me it's a good substitute for Cure Wounds. That's just my opinion, of course, but if I was DM'ing I'd likely replace Cure Wound with Elixir on the Artificer's list.
True, but almost none of the spells the artificer can cast are offensive in nature, mostly just buffs and utility. The most offense magic they get is magic weapon, which makes me feel as though snare might not even fit.
The fact they don't get offensive spells (minus weapon buffs)? No, it's very deliberate; it says so right in their spellcasting description. They're very much about buffing and support magic.
The fact they don't get offensive spells (minus weapon buffs)? No, it's very deliberate; it says so right in their spellcasting description. They're very much about buffing and support magic.
Dear lord.
I didn't say that they did it on accident, I said that it was a mistake. Deliberate decisions are often mistakes.
As a player, the following spells are on my list that I think should be artificer spells, along with a thematic, or practical reason why I want the spell.
1) Locate object: Artificers specialize in finding and utilizing things around them; tinkering. Finding, silver wire, for instance. Also, as an artificer, one of my main class features is item based. If I lose my folding boat, I want to AT LEAST have the opportunity to find it again, if it's still close. It's mine. I BUILT IT for god's sake and detect magic just isn't enough.
2) Booming blade and green-flame blade. Totally useless to an artificer (or is it?) but embue a shiny bauble with it and your monk or barbarian has a little bonus damage. Exactly the sort of thing that I expect the class to do.
3) Feary Fire* Call it something else if you want. Tracing round. Aim. Whatever. Limit it to just the artificer(as opposed to the whole party). Spend an action to set up advantage. The artificer gets 1 attack per round, and almost no pluses to attack rolls or, even worse, a spell save. IMO this is a necessary change to make this class not feel situationally completely useless.
4) Fabricate: It's literally what we do.
5) Dispel Magic. It's also, literally, what we do.
As a player, the following spells are on my list that I think should be artificer spells, along with a thematic, or practical reason why I want the spell.
1) Locate object: Artificers specialize in finding and utilizing things around them; tinkering. Finding, silver wire, for instance. Also, as an artificer, one of my main class features is item based. If I lose my folding boat, I want to AT LEAST have the opportunity to find it again, if it's still close. It's mine. I BUILT IT for god's sake and detect magic just isn't enough.
2) Booming blade and green-flame blade. Totally useless to an artificer (or is it?) but embue a shiny bauble with it and your monk or barbarian has a little bonus damage. Exactly the sort of thing that I expect the class to do.
3) Feary Fire* Call it something else if you want. Tracing round. Aim. Whatever. Limit it to just the artificer(as opposed to the whole party). Spend an action to set up advantage. The artificer gets 1 attack per round, and almost no pluses to attack rolls or, even worse, a spell save. IMO this is a necessary change to make this class not feel situationally completely useless.
4) Fabricate: It's literally what we do.
5) Dispel Magic. It's also, literally, what we do.
I'd add to this, all the spells that temporarily enchant a weapon, and stuff like Lighting Arrow.
Also, some new spells, that do things like the 4e artificer powers. Like, "touch an ally's armor and infuse it with magic, and next time someone hits them the attacker takes XdY damage of Z damage type", and "touch a few pieces of ammunition and the next attack with that ammo deals 1d6 extra X damage", etc.
and the ability to burn spell slots to recharge magic items. Seriously, it's the most artificer thing ever.
Honestly, I think the class should have cantrips that boost other people's gear, on par with other cantrips. Animate rope, elemental weapons, etc.
Sleep could be a special machine that emits sleeping gas.
Lightning bolt could be an instrument of some sort that when activated, creates volts of electricity, though this could also be shocking grasp.
Burning hands could be a set of metal thimble-like objects that fit onto your fingertips connected by tubes to a fuel tank on your back to produce fire.
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Devious serpent folk devoid of compassion, yuan-ti manipulate other creatures by arousing their doubts, evoking their fears, and elevating and crushing their hopes. From remote temples in jungles, swamps, and deserts, the yuan-ti plot to supplant and dominate all other races and to make themselves gods.
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The party I'm DMing for just hit 3rd level, and one of the party members is an Artificer. I want to expand his spell list with the spells from the Starter Spells Unearthed Arcana and the Elemental Evil's Player's Companion, as I am letting every other caster pick from that list as well. As of now, I'm considering the following spells:
These seem to follow the flavour of the rest of the Artificer's spells, but does anything else make sense? Are there other spells I've missed that might work as well?
I would say that thematically, those all work pretty well. If I was DM I'd have my Artificer player tweak them (flavor-wise) to be more mechanical/steampunk inspired. Like Guiding Hand, I'd have them make it more of a clockwork automation, like a floating gyroscope or a mechanical hummingbird, instead of a spectral hand.
Artificer's do already have Cure Wounds, so I'm not sure if Healing Elixir is needed. Maybe as a replacement?
Oh, yeah, definitely. When I look at the spells of the artificer, I see spells they could easily be reflavoured as mechanical or alchemical contraptions, which 9s how I picked these (along with the description given in the actual UA).
Additionally, there's a fair difference between cure wound and healing elixir. The heal about the same on average (depending on the caster's modifier), but cure wounds scales with spell slot level. Additionally, healing elixirs can be carried by other members of the party and used at any point in the day, whereas cure wounds relies on him being nearby and conscious.
I get that they're different, sure. I just think that Artificer's are in a similar spellcasting realm as Wizards, and healing is generally not in a Wizard's wheelhouse. I know that Elixir is an Arcane spell, and it goes well with an Artificer's background (especially the Alchemist path), so for me it's a good substitute for Cure Wounds. That's just my opinion, of course, but if I was DM'ing I'd likely replace Cure Wound with Elixir on the Artificer's list.
I'd also consider Puppet. With the right fluff support it could easily fit with an artificer.
True, but almost none of the spells the artificer can cast are offensive in nature, mostly just buffs and utility. The most offense magic they get is magic weapon, which makes me feel as though snare might not even fit.
I could see the following spells being added to artificers, with a mechanical aspect to them:
Daylight (high intensity flare); Entangle (a sticky goo grenade); Fog cloud (smoke grenade); Grease (slime grenade); Stinking Cloud (chemical grenade)
I think that is a mistake on their part.
We do bones, motherf***ker!
We do bones, motherf***ker!
As a player, the following spells are on my list that I think should be artificer spells, along with a thematic, or practical reason why I want the spell.
1) Locate object: Artificers specialize in finding and utilizing things around them; tinkering. Finding, silver wire, for instance. Also, as an artificer, one of my main class features is item based. If I lose my folding boat, I want to AT LEAST have the opportunity to find it again, if it's still close. It's mine. I BUILT IT for god's sake and detect magic just isn't enough.
2) Booming blade and green-flame blade. Totally useless to an artificer (or is it?) but embue a shiny bauble with it and your monk or barbarian has a little bonus damage. Exactly the sort of thing that I expect the class to do.
3) Feary Fire* Call it something else if you want. Tracing round. Aim. Whatever. Limit it to just the artificer(as opposed to the whole party). Spend an action to set up advantage. The artificer gets 1 attack per round, and almost no pluses to attack rolls or, even worse, a spell save. IMO this is a necessary change to make this class not feel situationally completely useless.
4) Fabricate: It's literally what we do.
5) Dispel Magic. It's also, literally, what we do.
We do bones, motherf***ker!
Sleep could be a special machine that emits sleeping gas.
Lightning bolt could be an instrument of some sort that when activated, creates volts of electricity, though this could also be shocking grasp.
Burning hands could be a set of metal thimble-like objects that fit onto your fingertips connected by tubes to a fuel tank on your back to produce fire.
Devious serpent folk devoid of compassion, yuan-ti manipulate other creatures by arousing their doubts, evoking their fears, and elevating and crushing their hopes. From remote temples in jungles, swamps, and deserts, the yuan-ti plot to supplant and dominate all other races and to make themselves gods.