¶ Creating an Artificer
When creating an artificer it’s important to determine what drives them. Is there some specific goal they’re working towards, or are they gaining knowledge and skill for its own sake? Their work is dangerous (doubly so when adventuring) so why do they take these risks? Is there a mentor they want to make proud or a rival that they must outdo? Is there a pinnacle of their field that they’re working towards?
What about the dangers that lie outside their laboratory? Are they wide-eyed and optimistic about their upcoming adventures, or are utterly unconcerned and focused solely on their research? Is there some personal objective or great good they hope their study will fulfill? Or are they solely concerned with the money or power that could come with it?
Table: Artificer
| Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features | Field Discoveries |
Infusion Limit |
Cantrips Known |
Spells Prepared |
Maximum Spell Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | +2 | Artificial Spellcasting, Craftsman, Tactical Chemistry | — | — | 2 | 2 | 1st |
| 2nd | +2 | Field Discoveries, Schematics | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1st |
| 3rd | +2 | Artificer Archetype | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1st |
| 4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement, Omnitools | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1st |
| 5th | +3 | Archetype Feature | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2nd |
| 6th | +3 | Battlefield Smithing | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2nd |
| 7th | +3 | Intellectual Caliber | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2nd |
| 8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2nd |
| 9th | +4 | Archetype Feature, Advanced Tactical Chemistry | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3rd |
| 10th | +4 | Technological Attunement, Trinket Master | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3rd |
| 11th | +4 | Reliable Spell Inventions | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3rd |
| 12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3rd |
| 13th | +5 | Marvel of Innovation | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4th |
| 14th | +5 | Techno-Archanical Attunement | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4th |
| 15th | +5 | Archetype Feature | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4th |
| 16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 4th |
| 17th | +6 | Hotfixer | 6 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5th |
| 18th | +6 | Infusion Recharge | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 5th |
| 19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 7 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 5th |
| 20th | +6 | Laboratory of the Master | 7 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 5th |
Multiclassing Prerequisites: Intelligence 13
Multiclassing Proficiencies: Engineer, tinker’s tools
For the purposes of the Vigilante feat, 3 artificer levels can be taken in place of either the adept or ranger level prerequisites.
¶ CLASS FEATURES
As an artificer, you gain the following class features.
¶ HIT POINTS
Hit Dice: 1d8 per artificer level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per artificer level after 1st
¶ PROFICIENCIES
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: Simple weapons, darts, geared slingshots, hand crossbows, heavy crossbows, light crossbows, light hammers, throwing daggers
Tools: Thieves' tools, tinker's tools, one type of artisan's tools or smith’s tools
Saving Throws: Constitution, Intelligence
Skills: Engineering, and choose three from Arcana, Culture, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Sleight of Hand
Equipment
You begin the game with 180 gold which you can spend on your character’s starting weapons, armor, and adventuring gear. You can select your own gear or choose one of the following equipment packages. Also consult the Suggested Equipment section of your chosen background.
- Blacksmith’s Package (cost 158 gold): Mace, scale mail, heavy shield, acid (vial), chain (10 feet), dungeoneer’s pack, portable ram, sledgehammer, smith’s tools, whetstone.
- Locksmith’s Package (cost 160 gold): Dagger, 2 throwing daggers, leather brigandine, acid (vial), burglar’s pack, caltrops (bag of 20), lock, steel mirror, thieves’ tools, tinker’s tools.
- Scientist’s Package (cost 173 gold): Light crossbow and quiver with 20 bolts, 2 light hammers, leather brigandine, abacus, alchemist’s supplies, ball bearings (bag of 1,000), 10 pieces of chalk, common clothes, healer’s satchel, lantern (standard), merchant’s scale, oil flask, scholar’s pack.
¶ ARTIFICIAL SPELLCASTING
With ingenuity and knowhow, artificers are able to harness magic through technology. See Chapter 11: Spellcasting in the Adventurer’s Guide for the general rules of spellcasting and the Spells Listing for the Artificer spell list.
¶ Spell Inventions
Whenever you prepare an artificer spell, you create a spell invention for that spell using your tools of artifice and whatever materials you have on hand.
A spell invention is a unique experimental device that is esoteric and useless to other creatures, but in your hands can be used to cast the spell it was prepared for. You prepare a number of spells with a spell level no higher than your maximum spell level (both as shown on the Artificer table) chosen from the artificer spell list.
You can change your list of prepared spells and replace or create new spell inventions whenever you finish a long rest by spending at least 10 minutes tinkering and experimenting with 1 gold worth of materials per new spell invention (in addition to any material components the spell requires). Any spell inventions you’ve prepared previously are taken apart and integrated into the new ones, or fall apart due to a lack of maintenance. You can only have a maximum of 1 spell invention per spell you have prepared.
You do not have spell slots, and instead utilize your spell inventions to cast spells. Whenever you cast a prepared artificer spell using a spell invention, you may cast it at a spell slot level up to your maximum spell level as shown on the Artificer table.
You may freely draw a spell invention from your inventory as part of the same action used to cast a spell through it, and you may also freely stow any spell inventions you were already wielding using that same action.
Using a spell invention does not remove its spell from your list of prepared spells.
You can determine the exact form a spell invention takes but it weighs 1 pound per spell level, is no longer than 1 foot in any dimension, and it must be wielded in at least one hand to be used (treat cantrips as 1st-level spells). A spell invention has an AC equal to 10 + your Intelligence modifier, and a number of hit points equal to your artificer level × 2. You can fully repair your spell inventions whenever you finish a long rest, so long as you have access to your tools of artifice.
Fizzle Die. After you cast a spell using a spell invention, you must roll a fizzle die, a 1d4. If the result is less than or equal to the spell slot level used to cast the spell, your spell invention burns out, runs out of power, or otherwise malfunctions and cannot be used again until repaired. Your fizzle die improves by one step at 10th level (from 1d4 to 1d6) and again at 20th level (from 1d6 to 1d8), and it improves by one step when using a spell invention gained from your artificer archetype (maximum 1d10).
¶ Cantrips
At 1st level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the artificer spell list and construct a spell invention for each. Unlike your other spell inventions, using these does not require rolling a fizzle die. You learn additional artificer cantrips of your choice at higher levels and construct spell inventions for them, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Artificer table. Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the artificer cantrips you know with another cantrip from the artificer spell list.
¶ SPELLCASTING ABILITY
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your artificer spells. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an artificer spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one, and for setting the saving throw DC of an artificer feature.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
¶ SCIENTIFIC RITUAL CASTING
You can cast an artificer spell as a ritual using a spell invention if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared. When using a spell invention in this way, you do not have to roll the fizzle die.
¶ TOOLS OF ARTIFICE
You produce your spell inventions and infuse items using your tools which act as your spellcasting focus. These tools can be a sewing kit, smith’s tools, thieves’ tools, or any sort of artisan’s tools. After you gain the ability to infuse items at 2nd level, you can also use any item bearing one of your infusions as tools of artifice. You must be proficient with the tools you use in this way.
¶ CRAFTSMAN
Artificers often start out in creative or artistic trades. You gain an expertise die on Engineering checks, and on artisan's tools checks and smith’s tools checks made to create items or make repairs.
¶ TACTICAL CHEMISTRY
At 1st level, you know how to quickly turn inert chemicals into something violently reactive or useful in the moment. As a bonus action, you can create one of the following items:
- acid (vial)
- alchemist’s fire
- black powder charge
- ether (flask)
- flash bomb
- oil (1 pint flask)
- paint pot
- poison (basic)
- smoke bomb
- tanglefoot bag
- torch
- torch (alchemical)
Items you make in this way are extremely unstable and must be used immediately. If an item you created in this way is not used (activated, lit, thrown, or applied as appropriate to the item) by the end of your next turn it dissolves into useless sludge.
You can use this feature to create a number of items equal to your proficiency bonus. You regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest . You cannot regain expended uses in this way if you don’t have access to tools of artifice.
¶ Schematics
Starting at 2nd level, you can build all manner of things with the right tools, materials, and most importantly the schematics of what you’re trying to make.
¶ Schematic Book
At 2nd level you gain schematics for two common rarity magic items of your choice (see Chapter 8: Enchanted Gear in Trials & Treasures). A schematic is a collection of notes and diagrams that explains in detail how to create a specific magic item. These form your schematic book, and any future schematics you gain are added to it.
¶ Designing New Schematics
Starting at 3rd level, whenever you gain an artificer level you gain a new magic item schematic of your choice and add it to your schematic book. The maximum rarity of schematics you gain in this way is determined by your artificer level, as shown on the following table:
Table: New Schematic Table
| Artificer Level |
Maximum Magic Item Rarity |
|---|---|
| 1st to 5th | Common |
| 6th to 10th | Uncommon |
| 11th to 15th | Rare |
| 16th to 20th | Very Rare |
¶ Crafting With Schematics
When you have the schematics for a magic item, you gain advantage on crafting checks to make it and the time required for crafting it is halved. Crafting a magic item using a schematic does not use up the schematic in any way, and the schematic remains usable. In addition, while using a schematic the quality of a mundane item required to make a magic item is reduced by one step.
¶ Copying Schematics From Magic Items
You can attempt to create and add a new schematic to your schematic book by spending 1 hour studying a magic item and gold equal to 1/10th of that item’s cost in experiments and material tests. At the end of the hour make an Engineering check (DC equal to item’s crafting DC). On a success you create a new schematic of that magic item and add it to your schematic book, and on a failure the time and materials are wasted.
Alternatively, if you find a schematic for a magic item you can add it to your schematic book.
To create a schematic from a magic item, you must meet the minimum level requirements as if you were crafting the item (as shown on the Crafting and Minimum Player Level table on page 349 in Trials & Treasures).
¶ Replacing Your Schematic Book
The knowledge in your schematic book is too complex to keep entirely memorized, and if it is destroyed or lost you can’t reproduce it. For this reason most artificers fiercely protect their schematic books and many write copies. You can copy a schematic from your own schematic book into another book.
This is just like creating a new schematic only significantly faster and easier since you already understand your own notations. You need only spend 10 minutes and 1 gold for each of your own schematics you copy into another book, or to create new schematics for a magic item you currently have infused.
¶ Infusion
Once you have sufficiently studied a magic item you can reproduce and temporarily infuse its magical properties into items through arcano-technical ingenuity.
If you have the schematic for a magic item, you can use an action to infuse it, turning a mundane item into the magic item from your schematic.
An infusion only works on mundane items specific to the type of magic item. For example, an infusion using a schematic for a magic longsword can only be used on a nonmagical longsword, and an infusion using a schematic for a suit of light armor can only be used on a nonmagical suit of padded cloth or padded leather. Many magic items take the form of small trinkets, baubles, and gems that can often be interchangeable, but the infused item needs to only be similar to the magic item’s description. The Narrator determines whether or not an item is suitable for an infusion.
You can infuse a number of items as shown on the Infusion Limit column of the Artificer table. You regain all expended infusion uses whenever you finish a long rest. If an infused item requires attunement, you can attune yourself or another willing creature to it when you infuse the item. If you or another creature decide to attune to the item later, you must do so using the normal process for attunement.
Any infusions you imbue vanish after you finish a long rest, but they can remain imbued indefinitely if you commit to regular upkeep. Whenever you finish a long rest you can maintain any infused items you have access to by expending one infusion use for each. Any infusions you fail to maintain vanish and revert to mundane items.
¶ FIELD DISCOVERIES
Experimentation is the key to scientific progress, and through your experiences and findings in the field you’ve discovered new skills and data. At 2nd level you gain one field discovery of your choice. Field discoveries are detailed at the end of the class description. The Field Discoveries column of the Artificer table shows when you learn more field discoveries. Unless otherwise noted, you can gain each field discovery only once.
The full list of Field Discoveries can be found here.
¶ Field Discoveries
- A Better Mousetrap
- Accomplished Scrivener
- Alchemical Prodigy
- Arcane Painter
- Bespoke Tailor
- Deft Mason
- Gifted Furrier
- Golden Ratio
- Grand Glazier
- Master Chef
- Modern Comforts
- Orienteering
- Peerless Carpenter
- Reengineering Nature
- Retraced Development
- Rope and Pulley Master
- Sly Lapidary
- Strategic Dismantling
- Tinker Toys
- Trade Route Connections
¶ ARTIFICER ARCHETYPE
At 3rd level, you choose a field of study and technological specialty. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 5th, 9th, and 15th level.
¶ ABILITY SCORE IMPROVEMENT
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or increase two ability scores of your choice 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
¶ OMNITOOLS
With a bit of arcane power and a lot of overengineering, your tools fold and flip into whatever you need them to be. Also at 4th level, you can use your tools of artifice as if they were any kind of artisan’s tools or miscellaneous tool kits. This ability does not grant you proficiency in those tool sets but you can make tool checks as if you had those tools.
¶ ARCHETYPE FEATURE
At 5th level you gain another archetype feature.
¶ BATTLEFIELD SMITHING
At 6th level, as a veteran combat-tinkerer you specialize in certain aspects of warfare. Choose one of the following.
¶ ARMOR SMITHING
You have advantage on checks made to maintain and repair armor, and you are always considered to have access to a forge when repairing armor.
In addition, during a short rest you can spend 25 gold in materials to permanently add one of the following modifications to a suit of nonmagical armor or change an additional modification: camouflaged, flamboyant, spiked, stealthy, storage. A suit of armor can only have one additional modification.
¶ CARAVAN SMITHING
You have advantage on checks made to repair vehicles, and you are always considered to have access to a forge when repairing a vehicle.
In addition, during a short rest you can either repair any malfunction a vehicle is suffering or restore up to 50 of the vehicle’s hit points at the cost of 25 gold in materials.
¶ WEAPON SMITHING
You have advantage on checks made to maintain and repair weapons, and you are always considered to have access to a forge when repairing a weapon.
In addition, during a short rest you can spend 25 gold in materials to permanently add one of the following modifications to a nonmagical weapon or change an additional modification: flamboyant, quickdraw, rebounding (thrown weapons only), stealthy, storage. A weapon can only have one additional modification.
¶ INTELLECTUAL CALIBRE
At 7th level, your attitudes and academic manners have cemented how you and your intellect are perceived by your peers. Choose one of the following.
¶ KOOKY ECCENTRIC
Your excitement for your work is infectious and most find your quirky methodology inescapably endearing. You gain proficiency in Persuasion, or if you are already proficient in Persuasion you gain an expertise die instead. In addition, you can always choose to use Intelligence when making a Persuasion check.
¶ SPORADIC GENIUS
You’re known for sudden bursts of insight and people listen to your fervorous insights. When you or another creature you can see within 30 feet of you makes an ability check or a saving throw , you can use your reaction to add your Intelligence modifier to the roll.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest .
¶ STERN PROCTOR
Your demand for perfection extends past your own work, and with only a discerning glare and a few choice words you can make the confident seem foolish. You gain proficiency in Intimidation, or if you are already proficient in Intimidation you gain an expertise die instead. In addition, you can always choose to use Intelligence when making an Intimidation check.
¶ ADVANCED TACTICAL CHEMISTRY
At 9th level you’ve mastered and branched out from basic chemistry, discovering a new science to integrate into your tactics. You may add your Intelligence modifier to the saving throw DC of any item you create using Tactical Chemistry. In addition, choose one of the following:
¶ Humanoid Biochemistry
You’ve learned a great deal of biochemistry and what chemicals you can apply to alleviate many ailments. You can create the following additional items using your Tactical Chemistry feature:
- antitoxin
- healing potion (greater)
- laudanum
¶ Toxin Synthesis
You’ve learned the subtleties of toxins and can now rapidly produce foul and deadly substances. You can create the following additional items using your Tactical Chemistry feature:
- curare (vial)
- poison, potent (vial)
¶ ARCHETYPE FEATURE
Also at 9th level you gain another archetype feature.
¶ TRINKET MASTER
At 10th level you’ve mastered the simpler enchantments and technological principles. What once was careful trial and error has been replaced with factory-like efficiency and speed. Whenever you craft a magic item that has a gold cost of 50 or less, the crafting time is reduced to a long rest (this time cannot be further reduced by any features or traits).
¶ RELIABLE SPELL INVENTIONS
At 11th level your practice has finally smoothed out the early faults of your spell inventions, so long as you keep the arcane power within acceptable parameters. Whenever you roll a 1 on the fizzle die, you may reroll it, if you do you must use the new result.
In addition, your spell inventions have become streamlined enough that other creatures can make sense of them. A creature holding one of your spell inventions can use an action to make an Engineering check (DC equal to your spell save DC). On a success the spell is cast at its lowest possible spell level, or on a failure the spell fizzles out and fails to cast. Whenever a creature attempts to cast a spell using one of your spell inventions in this way, roll the fizzle die as normal.
¶ MARVEL OF INNOVATION
At 13th level you’ve managed to truly improve on something or create something new altogether, taking a solid step forward in the technological development of the world. When you first gain this feature, choose a type of artisan’s tools you are proficient with and a newly invented foodstuff, object, or trade good that could conceivably be crafted using those tools. For example, using brewer’s supplies you could invent carbonated sodas, using glassblower’s tools you could invent glowing iridium glassware, or using jeweler’s tools you could invent a fine mechanism for better performing pocket watches.
Whenever you use your chosen tools to create trade goods, you can instead create your new invention as a trade good. Your new invention has a value equal to 5 times the value of normal trade goods created using those tools as shown on the Artisan’s Tools and Profession Checks table on page 338 of the Adventurer’s Guide.
Any other uses your invention may have are at the Narrator’s discretion, but its utility shouldn’t exceed that of other mundane adventuring gear.
In addition, your notoriety as a great inventor spreads along with your invention. While you are in a region you’ve sold your invention in, you have advantage on prestige checks.
¶ TECHNO-ARCANICAL ATTUNEMENT
At 14th level you’ve managed to bypass many of the arcane roadblocks regarding magic item attunement through the clever use of technology.
- You can attune to up to 5 magic items at once.
- You ignore all heritage, culture, class, level, and alignment requirements when attuning to or using a magic item.
¶ ARCHETYPE FEATURE
At 15th level you gain another archetype feature.
¶ HOTFIXER
At 17th level you’ve mastered the art of rerouting power, quick welds, and improvising on the spot to keep your spell inventions functional. When rolling the fizzle die would burn out one of your spell inventions, you can use your reaction to fix it and restore it to full working order. Once you repair a spell invention in this way you cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
¶ INFUSION RECHARGE
At 18th level you’ve learned what makes magic items tick and how to charge them up on your own. While you are attuned to a magic item that uses charges, you can use a bonus action to expend one infusion use and restore up to 1d6 of that item’s spent charges.
¶ MYTHIC CRAFTSMAN
At 20th level, you have reached the pinnacle of artifice, a master of craft responsible for mythical artifacts and wonders beyond comprehension. Whenever you infuse an item, you can imbue that item with 2 lesser artifact benefits of your choice or a single greater artifact benefit of your choice (see Chapter 8: Enchanted Gear in Trials & Treasures). You can choose to imbue items with 2 additional lesser artifact benefits or 1 additional greater artifact benefit of your choice by spending an additional infusion use. You can have a maximum of one item infused in this way at a time, and any items you’ve infused with artifact benefits lose them when you infuse another item with artifact benefits.
In addition, whenever you craft a magic item from a schematic with a rarity of very rare or higher, you can add up to 2 lesser artifact benefits or 1 greater artifact benefit to the effects of that magic item.
In any case where the narrator would make a selection for benefits granted by this feature, you may make those selections instead.