Right now I've been working on an Artificer subclass that focuses on "crafting" their weapon and upgrading it as you level up. I got a solid list I think but I'm lacking quite a few upgrade options and I'd love some feedback on what I already came up with. In this list here the first line displays base dmg, range and as well as other base stats, followed by possible upgrades. I want to provide at least 3 options per weapon. I did try to balance both the weapons and upgrades as best I can. Here's what I got so far:
Through endless hours of tinkering and experimenting, you manage to create something unique and outstanding something to combine your innate magic with craftsmanship and Science. during your next long rest, you can spend several hours and resources to build one of 8 chassis:
each of these turn into a +1 weapon at 5th-level, +2 at 10th-level and +3 at 15th-level.
Firearms still require ammunition. Your Magetec Weapon is considered magical for the purpose of calculating damage and overcoming resistances.
You also gain the following benefits while wielding your Arcane Weapon:
You can choose to ignore the heavy and Loading properties on your Arcane Weapon and an Arcane Weapon can magically reload ammunition sotred within your bag.
You can use your Arcane Weapon as a spell-casting focus for your artificer spells.
You cannot be disarmed of the Arcane Weapon against your will.
I'm also considering swapping the dual pistols out for a melee weapon but I am kinda out of creative juices.
A general rule of design is "Less is More". If you have 7 base options with 3 unique modifiers each, you end up with 28 new interlocking rulesets for a single class feature. That's a significant usability hurdle, and it makes balancing internally very difficult. A more practical option would be to pare it down to the essentials and make the upgrades as universal as possible.(Armorer has 2 armor models. Artillerist has 3 Eldritch Cannon options.) E.g. Base Models: (1)Melee, (2) Reach, (3) Range; Mod categories: (A) Melee, (B) Range, (C) Either. (Take a look at the rules for Magic Item Creation for 3.5e)
The other thing to consider is that the mechanics of weapons are very different from spells and magic items. Any of the options with non-standard features are going to be prone to abuse. Any of the options with an AOE ability is going to run into problems with class features that have rider effects. The Eldritch Cannon Flamethrower requires a bonus action to activate, and thus can only be triggered once per turn. A 20th level fighter with your "Rocket Launcher" could potentially fire it 8 times with an Action Surge. Assuming you class-lock the weapon, that is still a potential 6 uses per turn for an Artificer/Fighter multiclass. Total overkill. The Critical Role Gunslinger class has specific rules for how often a gun needs to be reloaded, and also has a misfire system for balance.
Overall, there is a lot of work to be done to make this viable. There are already two sub-classes (Gunslinger and Artillerist) that have approached this from different angles, and a third (Way of the Kensei) that runs parallel. Attempting to combine all of the unique elements of these sub-classes into one is going to require a lot more structure than any of them independently.
Edit: I would recommend looking at the Monk (Way of the Ascendant Dragon) for how to balance AOE weapons. Basically, they can replace a single attack with a breath attack. This would be like a rifle with a grenade launcher attachment (or a bow with charges that can be used to cast Dragon's Breath).
Right now I've been working on an Artificer subclass that focuses on "crafting" their weapon and upgrading it as you level up. I got a solid list I think but I'm lacking quite a few upgrade options and I'd love some feedback on what I already came up with. In this list here the first line displays base dmg, range and as well as other base stats, followed by possible upgrades. I want to provide at least 3 options per weapon. I did try to balance both the weapons and upgrades as best I can. Here's what I got so far:
Through endless hours of tinkering and experimenting, you manage to create something unique and outstanding something to combine your innate magic with craftsmanship and Science. during your next long rest, you can spend several hours and resources to build one of 8 chassis:
each of these turn into a +1 weapon at 5th-level, +2 at 10th-level and +3 at 15th-level.
Firearms still require ammunition. Your Magetec Weapon is considered magical for the purpose of calculating damage and overcoming resistances.
You also gain the following benefits while wielding your Arcane Weapon:
I'm also considering swapping the dual pistols out for a melee weapon but I am kinda out of creative juices.
A general rule of design is "Less is More". If you have 7 base options with 3 unique modifiers each, you end up with 28 new interlocking rulesets for a single class feature. That's a significant usability hurdle, and it makes balancing internally very difficult. A more practical option would be to pare it down to the essentials and make the upgrades as universal as possible.(Armorer has 2 armor models. Artillerist has 3 Eldritch Cannon options.) E.g. Base Models: (1)Melee, (2) Reach, (3) Range; Mod categories: (A) Melee, (B) Range, (C) Either. (Take a look at the rules for Magic Item Creation for 3.5e)
The other thing to consider is that the mechanics of weapons are very different from spells and magic items. Any of the options with non-standard features are going to be prone to abuse. Any of the options with an AOE ability is going to run into problems with class features that have rider effects. The Eldritch Cannon Flamethrower requires a bonus action to activate, and thus can only be triggered once per turn. A 20th level fighter with your "Rocket Launcher" could potentially fire it 8 times with an Action Surge. Assuming you class-lock the weapon, that is still a potential 6 uses per turn for an Artificer/Fighter multiclass. Total overkill. The Critical Role Gunslinger class has specific rules for how often a gun needs to be reloaded, and also has a misfire system for balance.
Overall, there is a lot of work to be done to make this viable. There are already two sub-classes (Gunslinger and Artillerist) that have approached this from different angles, and a third (Way of the Kensei) that runs parallel. Attempting to combine all of the unique elements of these sub-classes into one is going to require a lot more structure than any of them independently.
Edit: I would recommend looking at the Monk (Way of the Ascendant Dragon) for how to balance AOE weapons. Basically, they can replace a single attack with a breath attack. This would be like a rifle with a grenade launcher attachment (or a bow with charges that can be used to cast Dragon's Breath).