I'm torn between taking the Magic Initiate feat or just taking a dip in one of the caster classes (leaning towards wizard) for my utility Artificer. I'm fairly new to multiclassing, so I'm not too sure which option would give me more options. Plz halp!
Part of the consideration of a level dip is what you're giving up through your main level. Most games don't go all the way to 20, but if yours will you should consider that the level 20 capstone for artificers is very, very good.
I would advise reading some of the information about multiclassing that you can find here.
The main things that I would think about is the value I would get by taking a single level dip into wizard and if it would justify being offset by 1 level for your primary class. If you only take one level in wizard, then you will always be offset by one level when it comes to your improvements to artificer, including your spell availability. You also don't get your subclass in wizard until level 2, so a lot of the unique stuff wizards give you doesn't happen at first level anyway. If the reason you want to take levels in wizard is for spells, the question you need to ask is how many spells do you want to get out of it? If there is only one wizard spell you want then take the Magic-initiate feat, but if you want the ability to learn all of the first level wizard spells and swap them out then taking a dip into Wizard would be what you want.
I didn't think about the Artificer level offset. I guess I'd have to determine whether getting to that 20th level of Art is a priority or not. If I do multiclass, I would probably want to do so for at least two levels to make it worth my while. What would you personally do?
It depends very heavily on my character concept, as both are totally viable options. I know that magic initiate is great for taking very specific spells at low levels (I'm thinking a rouge assassin that knows fog cloud, or a monk that knows shillelagh).
Honestly, do whatever seems the most interesting to you and interesting for your DM. Maybe you can have a whole arc biased around your learning wizardry? Who knows!
The main benefit of going for the feat instead of the 1 level dip is you're still advancing as an artificer... you're losing less from your artificer class, but you're not necessarily gaining a lot. You only get 2 more cantrips and 1 spell that you can only cast once per day. This can make a big difference depending on the spells you pick, but it might not be a huge difference.
Obviously, the single level dip gives you more. You get 3 more cantrips and two spell slots. But perhaps more importantly, you get the Wizard spell book. You're still limited to first level spells, but you start out with 6 spells written automatically and, assuming you have 20 in INT already, you can prepare all 6 spells to cast right away. You can also copy any 1st level wizard spell you find a scroll or book with into your own spellbook. If your DM is generous with scrolls, you could conceivably have access to almost any 1st level wizard spell, with the versatility to choose 6 to prepare each morning. In addition, you don't have to prepare Ritual spells to have access to them, and there's a lot of useful ritual spells even at first level. Oh, and you also recover a single first level spell slot on a short rest from Arcane Recovery.
That said.. I would actually recommend Ritual Caster over Magic Initiate. Sure, you don't get any more cantrips (and I know the artificer class sometimes feels starved for cantrips), but you don't lose any forward progression as an artificer, you gain the benefit of a lot of utility spells and the ability to transcribe them. Plus, Ritual Caster doesn't limit you to just 1st level spells for transcription. It adds a ton of utility to your character... it frees you from needing to prep any artificer spells with the ritual tag, and you can grab a lot of cool stuff that your character wouldn't normally get access to.
Ritual Caster is easy to ignore if you're already playing a class that gets access to ritual casting, so one of the benefits is a bit lost, but smart spell selection more than makes up for being a bit redundant.
Magic Initiate also only gives you that 1st level spell once per long rest. It does not give you the ability to use a spell slot to cast the level 1 spell you gained from the Feat (unless the Feat matches your class).
The other thing to consider is what you're giving up by taking the feat (assuming you go feat instead of multiclass). Are a couple more cantrips worth +2 to an ability score (or 2 +1's). ASI's are generally the least sexy option, but they are always a strong choice.
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I'm torn between taking the Magic Initiate feat or just taking a dip in one of the caster classes (leaning towards wizard) for my utility Artificer. I'm fairly new to multiclassing, so I'm not too sure which option would give me more options. Plz halp!
Part of the consideration of a level dip is what you're giving up through your main level. Most games don't go all the way to 20, but if yours will you should consider that the level 20 capstone for artificers is very, very good.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm
I would advise reading some of the information about multiclassing that you can find here.
The main things that I would think about is the value I would get by taking a single level dip into wizard and if it would justify being offset by 1 level for your primary class. If you only take one level in wizard, then you will always be offset by one level when it comes to your improvements to artificer, including your spell availability. You also don't get your subclass in wizard until level 2, so a lot of the unique stuff wizards give you doesn't happen at first level anyway. If the reason you want to take levels in wizard is for spells, the question you need to ask is how many spells do you want to get out of it? If there is only one wizard spell you want then take the Magic-initiate feat, but if you want the ability to learn all of the first level wizard spells and swap them out then taking a dip into Wizard would be what you want.
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I didn't think about the Artificer level offset. I guess I'd have to determine whether getting to that 20th level of Art is a priority or not. If I do multiclass, I would probably want to do so for at least two levels to make it worth my while. What would you personally do?
Side note, I'm taking the Alchemist subclass.
It depends very heavily on my character concept, as both are totally viable options. I know that magic initiate is great for taking very specific spells at low levels (I'm thinking a rouge assassin that knows fog cloud, or a monk that knows shillelagh).
Honestly, do whatever seems the most interesting to you and interesting for your DM. Maybe you can have a whole arc biased around your learning wizardry? Who knows!
Buyers Guide for D&D Beyond - Hardcover Books, D&D Beyond and You - How/What is Toggled Content?
Everything you need to know about Homebrew - Homebrew FAQ - Digital Book on D&D Beyond Vs Physical Books
Can't find the content you are supposed to have access to? Read this FAQ.
"Play the game however you want to play the game. After all, your fun doesn't threaten my fun."
The main benefit of going for the feat instead of the 1 level dip is you're still advancing as an artificer... you're losing less from your artificer class, but you're not necessarily gaining a lot. You only get 2 more cantrips and 1 spell that you can only cast once per day. This can make a big difference depending on the spells you pick, but it might not be a huge difference.
Obviously, the single level dip gives you more. You get 3 more cantrips and two spell slots. But perhaps more importantly, you get the Wizard spell book. You're still limited to first level spells, but you start out with 6 spells written automatically and, assuming you have 20 in INT already, you can prepare all 6 spells to cast right away. You can also copy any 1st level wizard spell you find a scroll or book with into your own spellbook. If your DM is generous with scrolls, you could conceivably have access to almost any 1st level wizard spell, with the versatility to choose 6 to prepare each morning. In addition, you don't have to prepare Ritual spells to have access to them, and there's a lot of useful ritual spells even at first level. Oh, and you also recover a single first level spell slot on a short rest from Arcane Recovery.
That said.. I would actually recommend Ritual Caster over Magic Initiate. Sure, you don't get any more cantrips (and I know the artificer class sometimes feels starved for cantrips), but you don't lose any forward progression as an artificer, you gain the benefit of a lot of utility spells and the ability to transcribe them. Plus, Ritual Caster doesn't limit you to just 1st level spells for transcription. It adds a ton of utility to your character... it frees you from needing to prep any artificer spells with the ritual tag, and you can grab a lot of cool stuff that your character wouldn't normally get access to.
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I'll have to look into Ritual Caster!
Ritual Caster is easy to ignore if you're already playing a class that gets access to ritual casting, so one of the benefits is a bit lost, but smart spell selection more than makes up for being a bit redundant.
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Magic Initiate also only gives you that 1st level spell once per long rest. It does not give you the ability to use a spell slot to cast the level 1 spell you gained from the Feat (unless the Feat matches your class).
The other thing to consider is what you're giving up by taking the feat (assuming you go feat instead of multiclass). Are a couple more cantrips worth +2 to an ability score (or 2 +1's). ASI's are generally the least sexy option, but they are always a strong choice.