Why did the bit about not being able to transmute creatures or magic items with this spell get removed? Now it makes it look like you can count a living creature as raw materials for this spell.

The original version read "Creatures and magic items can't be created or transmuted by this spell." I think the italicized bit needs to be added back in.

Now that tools list specific examples of what the tools can be used to craft you might run into some edge cases for attempting to craft adventuring gear with fabricate.

This spell specifically mentions Artisan's Tools and there are three non-artisan's tools that have crafting lists in their description:

Disguise Kit can craft: Costume.
Herbalism Kit can craft: Antitoxin, Candle, Healer's Kit, Potion of Healing.
Poisoner's Kit can craft: Basic Poison.

Costumes are clothing or possibly armor so they can be covered by Weaver's tools or Leatherworker's/Smith's tools respectively.
Potion of Healing is a magic item so it's automatically disqualified.

That leaves Antitoxin, Candle, Healer's Kit, and Basic Poison as gear that, rules as written, fall between the cracks.

DM reasoning can associate an artisan's tool to cover these cracks (probably Alchemist's Supplies) or just allow proficiency with the non-artisan tool to apply for this spell as well.

So why is this not an Artificer spell anymore? Sure the two classes that get this spell now can have some nice proficiencies but they are pigeonholed into a few. Whereas one of the classes that could use this spell most doesn't get it?

I agree

Artificer hasn't been reprinted in the 2024 rules yet so it isn't listed on the 2024 spells, Artificer would still use its spell list from 2014, just with the updated spells

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Quick question:  If a single object, say a 5'x5'x5' solid block of clay, is used by this spell to create many small objects, such as using Potter's Tools along with this spell to create many small flower vases, does that count as "destroying" the original object in favor of creating the new objects, or does it only count as "transmuting" it and all of the small objects would need to be destroyed in order for the original object to be considered "destroyed"?

Quote from AzraelDrakePhoenix >>

Quick question:  If a single object, say a 5'x5'x5' solid block of clay, is used by this spell to create many small objects, such as using Potter's Tools along with this spell to create many small flower vases, does that count as "destroying" the original object in favor of creating the new objects, or does it only count as "transmuting" it and all of the small objects would need to be destroyed in order for the original object to be considered "destroyed"?

 

Probably not, but I'm not sure why it would matter — there's nothing in the spell that says anything about anything special happening when the created object is destroyed.

Only exception for Herbalism Kit is potion of healing since it is a magic item.

Quote from wagnarokkr >>

Quote from AzraelDrakePhoenix >>

Quick question:  If a single object, say a 5'x5'x5' solid block of clay, is used by this spell to create many small objects, such as using Potter's Tools along with this spell to create many small flower vases, does that count as "destroying" the original object in favor of creating the new objects, or does it only count as "transmuting" it and all of the small objects would need to be destroyed in order for the original object to be considered "destroyed"?

 

Probably not, but I'm not sure why it would matter — there's nothing in the spell that says anything about anything special happening when the created object is destroyed.

 There's nothing in Fabricate itself, no, but True Polymorph does have such language, and the specific interpretation of this (either way) would affect what could be possible with True Polymorph's Creature into Object transformations.

The new version expects you to just understand that EVERYTHING that doesn't specify creatures and objects only works on ONE of the two. No damage from most spells onto objects, no morphing creatures in unsafe ways. It's complete garbage at random times (no eldritch blast box destroying for some reason) but makes sense here for once.

Quote from SussyBoyKisser27 >>

The new version expects you to just understand that EVERYTHING that doesn't specify creatures and objects only works on ONE of the two. No damage from most spells onto objects, no morphing creatures in unsafe ways. It's complete garbage at random times (no eldritch blast box destroying for some reason) but makes sense here for once.

It's always been the case that some spells can target objects, some can target creatures, and some can target both; that's not a new thing.

The 2024 version of Eldritch Blast can target objects; that was a very deliberate change.

Here is a cool idea. Caster with Herbalism Kit can walk into a park and convert the vegetation into a pile of medical potions, or with a poisoner kit can make 10 foot cube of poisonous mist, with a range of 120 ft.

Questions:

Most of the sentences are in plural. A few, referring to the limits of size of objects, are in singular. The 2014 version had the term 'hemp... and clothes from...' rather than 'or', suggesting the original spell did not limit quantity of items, and that change, along with the phrasing of the singular around object size, suggests that maybe it should be limited to one object per casting.

However that is still not clear. The first sentences of the first and second paragraphs each suggest you can just create objects from everything you see in 120ft that hasn't already been crafted into objects, as long as any individual finally produced item is Large or Medium depending on what material it is, and for complex items you have sufficient skill to craft this. 

Also:

There is no skill or tool proficiency in the game for crafting bridges. Nor boats. Nor houses. If you can create a bridge from a clump of trees, why not a small ship or house? Woodcarvers or carpenters tools do not allow you to do either, and as stated in this spell creating a bridge is definitely doable.

Is 'high degree of skill' limited to items for which there is a corresponding tool proficiency to craft? In which case rope also falls into that category (e.g. weavers tools). We know weapons and armour are in the hard camp aka requiring crafting skill, but nothing else is clear.  

My interpretation as a player is to always want to do more cool stuff with less resource cost, and if I want to make a suit of armour for all the party then spending 3 days doing that rather than 1 makes the story more boring. From a GM hat I don't want players creating an industrial factory for profit instead of adventuring, and I don't want them not adventuring because they want to finish making the items for things. Having a broader interpretation of 'turn natural resources into finished products in 120ft' has some nice story options like crafting a small boat from the trees along a canal to chase someone without fussing over whether a particular tool proficiency is there or not, or gifting a village both homespun garments and basic farming tools from a small copse of trees, rather than requiring two castings of the spell for that.