I recently got converted to PF through playing Master of the Fallen Fortress during Free RPG Day. I converted my Scarred Lands game to the PF system and went about getting my first adventure in the new campaign ready. Our game had fallen apart due to a disastrous Total Party Kill and I found it necessary to lull my players out of their sulk.
In so doing, I had to agree to one of my players being a gnomish artificer. I don't know much about Eberron but I have flipped through the books and it looked okay, at least for the low levels.
Anyway, I looked at the archives and there was so much information that I thought I'd just be lazy and start a new thread. I was wondering if there was any advice or pointers anyone out there could offer or if there were any particular pratfalls that need to be avoided. What I'd really like is a link to the perfect artificer conversion, but that might be asking a lot.
Thanks in advance for any help!
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I recently got converted to PF through playing Master of the Fallen Fortress during Free RPG Day. I converted my Scarred Lands game to the PF system and went about getting my first adventure in the new campaign ready. Our game had fallen apart due to a disastrous Total Party Kill and I found it necessary to lull my players out of their sulk.
In so doing, I had to agree to one of my players being a gnomish artificer. I don't know much about Eberron but I have flipped through the books and it looked okay, at least for the low levels.
Anyway, I looked at the archives and there was so much information that I thought I'd just be lazy and start a new thread. I was wondering if there was any advice or pointers anyone out there could offer or if there were any particular pratfalls that need to be avoided. What I'd really like is a link to the perfect artificer conversion, but that might be asking a lot.
Thanks in advance for any help!
This is even lazier but I am just going to link to an updated, tweaked, pathfinderized version of the artificer. It is from one of the most highly held 3PP's but you may have to babysit the weird science creations, they can get a little out of hand.
ArtificerIt is definatley a little bit of a twist on it but, as this sits it fits really well with the system. The lose some of your prior buffing power but you get a LOT more utility for the tradeoff. If you want to stick with the 3.5 artificer that is fine too but keep in mind that the item creation rules have changed quite a bit.
I recently got converted to PF through playing Master of the Fallen Fortress during Free RPG Day. I converted my Scarred Lands game to the PF system and went about getting my first adventure in the new campaign ready. Our game had fallen apart due to a disastrous Total Party Kill and I found it necessary to lull my players out of their sulk.
In so doing, I had to agree to one of my players being a gnomish artificer. I don't know much about Eberron but I have flipped through the books and it looked okay, at least for the low levels.
Anyway, I looked at the archives and there was so much information that I thought I'd just be lazy and start a new thread. I was wondering if there was any advice or pointers anyone out there could offer or if there were any particular pratfalls that need to be avoided. What I'd really like is a link to the perfect artificer conversion, but that might be asking a lot.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Maybe this could be that thread.
The artificer takes more work than the other classes because crafting got a big overhaul.Just skimming the class I'd let artificer knowledge work like identify seeing as how any wizard or sorc casts detect magic at will now artificer knowledge is just stupid and useless.
Make craft reserve give gp rather than xp for crafting purposes only. Maybe increase the amount. Double it perhaps. The XP was more precious in 3.5
Retain essence is tougher. Maybe 1/2 or 3/4 of the cost can be recovered
(basically breaking the magic item down into useful components and later using those parts in the construction of new items)
Action points are necessary in the game if you allow the artificer. Or some other method where the artificer can make some of his infusions not take 10 rounds to cast.
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I recently got converted to PF through playing Master of the Fallen Fortress during Free RPG Day. I converted my Scarred Lands game to the PF system and went about getting my first adventure in the new campaign ready. Our game had fallen apart due to a disastrous Total Party Kill and I found it necessary to lull my players out of their sulk.
In so doing, I had to agree to one of my players being a gnomish artificer. I don't know much about Eberron but I have flipped through the books and it looked okay, at least for the low levels.
Anyway, I looked at the archives and there was so much information that I thought I'd just be lazy and start a new thread. I was wondering if there was any advice or pointers anyone out there could offer or if there were any particular pratfalls that need to be avoided. What I'd really like is a link to the perfect artificer conversion, but that might be asking a lot.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Maybe this could be that thread.
The artificer takes more work than the other classes because crafting got a big overhaul.
we always house ruled artificer points in games without action points. let the artificer blow one to cast like they used the action point.trick,Just skimming the class I'd let artificer knowledge work like identify seeing as how any wizard or sorc casts detect magic at will now artificer knowledge is just stupid and useless.
Make craft reserve give gp rather than xp for crafting purposes only. Maybe increase the amount. Double it perhaps. The XP was more precious in 3.5
Retain essence is tougher. Maybe 1/2 or 3/4 of the cost can be recovered
(basically breaking the magic item down into useful components and later using those parts in the construction of new items)Action points are necessary in the game if you allow the artificer. Or some other method where the artificer can make some of his infusions not take 10 rounds to cast.
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When my player came to me with the same class, the eberron artificer, I said "convert it!"
Many iterations later, and somewhat tweaked for a less uber-magic setting than Eberron, this is the result of his conversion.
Even if this class is not perfect for you, it does call attention to the potential pitfalls the Eberron Artificer has in store.
Have a look, I hope you find it useful. In our party, he's been very balanced — but the party is playing Rise of the Runelords, a notoriously treasue-light AP, and the party is actually considerably wealthier than the WBL tables say they should be. This could be for any number of other variables I've tweaked (they're slow XP track as well), but be warned, an artificer increases the availability of tailor-made items for the party. Be prepared.
There is a quick & dirty conversion, if you plan on sticking with Eberron. Convert the skills. Convert the Craft Bonus of XP into a virtual GP value, usually x5. Scrolls made by Artificers CAN NOT be used by wizards to add to spell books, by RAW. If your game doesn't use Action Points, then give the Artificer something similar to Rage uses, like 3 + Cha Modifier + 1/2 class level (rounded down) uses per day of the ability to speed up 'casting' of Infusions, because most of them have LONG casting times.
I have my own conversion that goes a little further in depth. I mainly removed the bonus feats & free feats. I then gave the class a fighter like bonus feat progression. This is for artificer feats, metamagic, and crafting feats.
Scrolls made by Artificers CAN NOT be used by wizards to add to spell books, by RAW.
Is that so? That is good to know. Otherwise it would be pretty crazy. Where does it state this?
Scrolls made by Artificers CAN NOT be used by wizards to add to spell books, by RAW.Is that so? That is good to know. Otherwise it would be pretty crazy. Where does it state this?
In the class description it was stated that the spells on the scrolls are not arcane or divine, therefore are not usable for copying to spell books. It is stated in the Eberron errata PDF also. The game designers covered that on the messageboards at WotC many times also.
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In the class description it was stated that the spells on the scrolls are not arcane or divine, therefore are not usable for copying to spell books. It is stated in the Eberron errata PDF also. The game designers covered that on the messageboards at WotC many times also.Scrolls made by Artificers CAN NOT be used by wizards to add to spell books, by RAW.Is that so? That is good to know. Otherwise it would be pretty crazy. Where does it state this?
yup
the kicker is technically no one could use artificer spell since they were lacking arcane or divine designation. they could only be activated by a UMD check. so no archivist or wizard cheese allowed by default
What WOTC did in the old days in an Eberron FAQ was to define Artificer made scrolls as Artificer scrolls which mimiced the spells from other classes but was unreadable by anyone save another artificer who made the spellcraft check. Wizards just found the text a jumble of gibberish. The scrolls in question could theorectically be fired via UMD, but could not be used as additions to a wizard's spellbook. Problem solved.
They can craft scrolls of nearly any spell by using UMD. That plays fine in Eberron where magic is highly avaliable, but if you don't want the wizard in the party to have a completely optimal spell list, you need to limit that, so we gave him a spellbook.
Well Eberron artificers still can replicate spell effect without even knowing the spell, which to my mind is pretty crazy, which is why our conversion went with a spell- AHEM, I mean Schema book. (That's the other thing, Eberron had "schema" as part of the artificer flavor text and never really capitalized on it) If you stick an artificer with having a spellbook, I think you remove the need to make their scrolls "artificer only". Its no worse than if you had two wizards in the party, and the decided to share their spell research.
Edit - Oh, the other thing I wanted to mention. This goes for any class good at crafting. Gold Pieces are the major way you keep tabs on a crafter. The DCs to craft magic items, even without prereqs are not that bad, but its the materials that are often the biggest pain to acquire. Keep an eye on your artificer's change purse, don't be afraid to say that "eye of newt" is all sold out at the town the players are in. Conversely, remember that crafting is this classes primary function. If you are too stingy the player is going to wonder why he bothered with the class.
Above is an Artificer conversion I posted a few months ago... had to delve into the dusty archives to find it! :)
I'm running Age of Worms in Eberron, and needed to update the class to PFRPG for the party. I figured it would be an easy skill-swap kind of thing, but as I dug in, it became more complex!! My post in the thread discusses a bit of my (il-)logic. :)
It has been working well in the campaign so far... hopefully its something you can use, or gives you some ideas for your own conversion.
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What WOTC did in the old days in an Eberron FAQ was to define Artificer made scrolls as Artificer scrolls which mimiced the spells from other classes but was unreadable by anyone save another artificer who made the spellcraft check. Wizards just found the text a jumble of gibberish. The scrolls in question could theorectically be fired via UMD, but could not be used as additions to a wizard's spellbook. Problem solved.
They can craft scrolls of nearly any spell by using UMD. That plays fine in Eberron where magic is highly avaliable, but if you don't want the wizard in the party to have a completely optimal spell list, you need to limit that, so we gave him a spellbook. Well Eberron artificers still can replicate spell effect without even knowing the spell, which to my mind is pretty crazy, which is why our conversion went with a spell- AHEM, I mean Schema book. (That's the other thing, Eberron had "schema" as part of the artificer flavor text and never really capitalized on it) If you stick an artificer with having a spellbook, I think you remove the need to make their scrolls "artificer only". Its no worse than if you had two wizards in the party, and the decided to share their spell research.
Edit - Oh, the other thing I wanted to mention. This goes for any class good at crafting. Gold Pieces are the major way you keep tabs on a crafter. The DCs to craft magic items, even without prereqs are not that bad, but its the materials that are often the biggest pain to acquire. Keep an eye on your artificer's change purse, don't be afraid to say that "eye of newt" is all sold out at the town the players are in. Conversely, remember that crafting is this classes primary function. If you are too stingy the player is going to wonder why he bothered with the class.
actually ebberon did do stuff with the schema's in later books. even had a feat to craft them. they were basically eternal scrolls that any caster could use
Thanks to everyone who's written in! I've been too busy statting over Chardun-slain and figuring out how a cleric of Sethris has a monstrous scorpion animal companion to post. I'm using the Master of the Fallen Fortress in Durrover and decided to change the troglodytes into spider-goblins! It should be great fun!
Anyway, I've jerry-rigged a 1st-level PF artificer, but the whole advancement chart is still up in the air. Let you know how it works out.
Thanks again!
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Here is my Artificer. I assume you are using the Eberron Campaign Guide with this. He uses the Bard spell progression, except no cantrips. He also gets a craft reserve that is equal to the old XP values x 5 in GP. The Supreme Crafter thing is an attempt at a capstone, but I have really developed it yet.
Artificer
Masters of the Aether
Sages sometimes debate the very nature of magic that inhabits the world. Many have espoused theories, but only the Artificer (so they themselves claim) knows the beautiful truth. Magic is propagated throughout the universe by the medium known as Aether. Without the medium of Aether, magic will not flow. This is the cause of so called ‘Dead Magic Zones.’ Aether has somehow been purged from the zone. Aether is the medium through which wizards draw their spells; clerics and druids channel their prayers; bards shape their spell songs. It is the direct manipulation of this medium that allows the Artificer to work his magic.
The manipulation of Aether is a science to the artificer. Arcane mathematics and geometry is used to affect the nature of the Aether medium. Through this manipulation, the artificer is able to infuse magic into items. He is not always able to cast these effects as fast as other users of magic, but he is the master of magic item crafting. Artificers make up for the lack of spells through the use of magic items. He is something of a mechanic, since the study of the sciences tends to lend itself well to mechanical tinkering.
Alignment: Any.
Hit Die: d8.
Good Will, Poor Fort & Ref
Medium BAB
1. Artificer Knowledge, artisan bonus, trapfinding, item creation, Scribe scroll
2. Bonus Feat
3. Frugal Crafter
4. Craft Homunculus, Bonus Feat
5. Retain Essence
6. Bonus Feat
7. Metamagic spell trigger
8. Bonus Feat
9. Improved Frugal Crafter
10. Bonus Feat
11. Metamagic spell completion
12. Bonus Feat
13. Skill Mastery
14. Bonus Feat
15. Greater Frugal Crafter
16. Bonus Feat
17.
18. Bonus Feat
19.
20. Supreme Crafter, Bonus Feat
CLASS FEATURES
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Artificers are proficient with all simple weapons, with light and medium armor, and with shields (except tower shields).
Infusions: An artificer is not a spellcaster, but he does have the ability to imbue items with magical infusions. Infusions are neither arcane nor divine; they are drawn from the artificer infusion list. They function just like spells and follow all the rules for spells. For example, an infusion can be dispelled, it will not function in an antimagic area, and an artificer must make a Concentration check if injured while imbuing an item with an infusion.
An artificer can imbue an item with any infusion from the list without preparing the infusion ahead of time. Unlike a sorcerer or bard, he does not select a subset of the available infusions as his known infusions; he has access to every infusion on the list that is of a level he can use. It is possible for an artificer to learn infusions that are not on the normal artificer infusion list. These might include ancient infusions he finds in the ruins of Xen’drik or secret infusions known only to the members of certain guilds or organizations. When he encounters such an infusion, an artificer can attempt to learn it by making a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + infusion level). If this check succeeds, he adds the infusion to his list. If not, he can try again when he gains another rank in Spellcraft, assuming he still has access to the new infusion.
To imbue an item with an infusion, an artificer must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the infusion level (Int 11 for 1st-level infusions, Int 12 for 2nd-level infusions, and so forth). His save DCs are Intelligence-based.
Like spellcasters, an artificer can use only a certain number of infusions of a particular level per day. His base daily infusion allotment is given on the accompanying table. In addition, he receives extra infusions per day if he has a sufficiently high intelligence score.
An artificer’s infusions can only be imbued into an item or a construct (including warforged). He cannot, for example, simply imbue an ally with bull’s strength. He must instead imbue that ability into an item his ally is wearing. The item then functions as a belt of giant strength for the duration of the infusion. He can, however, imbue bull’s strength directly on a construct or a character with the living construct subtype, and infusions such as repair light damage and iron construct function only when imbued on such characters. Some infusions, like blade barrier, require the artificer to imbue the infusion into an object that is then hurled into the desired location (typically something worthless like a copper coin).
Many infusions have long casting times, often 1minute or more. An artificer can spend 1 action point to imbue any infusion in 1 round (like a spell that takes 1 round to cast).
Like a spellcaster, an artificer can apply metamagic feats to his infusions. Like a sorcerer as an artificer applies metamagic spontaneously this requires extra time. A metamagiced infusion with a casting time of 1 action is increased to a full round action, an infusion with its casting time measured in rounds has the casting time increase by 1 round.
An artificer cannot automatically use a spell trigger or spell completion item if the equivalent spell appears on his infusion list. For example, an artificer must still employ the Use Magic Device skill to use a wand of light, even though light appears on his infusion list. Each day, an artificer must focus his mind on his infusions. He needs 8 hours of rest, after which he spends 15 minutes concentrating. During this period, the artificer readies his mind to hold his daily allotment of infusions. Without such a period of time to refresh him, the character does not regain the infusion slots he used up the day before. Any infusions used within the last 8 hours count against the artificer’s daily limit.
Craft Reserve: An artificer receives a pool of points he can spend instead of gold pieces when crafting a magic item. Each time the artificer gains a new level, he receives a new craft reserve; leftover points from the previous level do not carry over. If the points are not spent, they are lost. An artificer can also use his craft reserve to supplement the GP cost of the item he is making, taking a portion of the cost from his craft reserve and a portion from his own GP.
Artificer Knowledge: An artificer may use the Detect Magic spell at will.
Artisan Bonus: An artificer gains a +2 bonus on Use Magic Device checks to activate an item of a kind for which he has the prerequisite item creation feat. For example, an artificer who has the Craft Wand feat gains a +2 bonus on checks to use a spell from a wand.
Item Creation (Ex): An artificer can create a magic item even if he does not have access to the spells that are prerequisites for the item. The artificer must make a successful Use Magic Device check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell normally required to create the item. Thus, to make a 1st-level wand of magic missile, an artificer would need a Use Magic Device check result of 21 or higher. To create a bottle of air (caster level 7th), he would need a check result of 27 or higher to emulate the water breathing prerequisite. The artificer must make a successful check for each prerequisite for each item he makes. If he fails a check, he can try again each day until the item is complete (see Creating Magic Items, page 282 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
If he comes to the end of the crafting time and he has still not successfully emulated one of the powers, he can make one final check—his last-ditch effort, even if he has already made a check that day. If that check also fails, then the creation process fails and the time, money, and XP expended to craft the item are lost.
For purposes of meeting item prerequisites, an artificer’s effective caster level equals his artificer level +2. If the item duplicates a spell effect, however, it uses the artificer’s actual level as its caster level. Costs are always determined using the item’s minimum caster level or the artificer’s actual level (if it is higher). Thus, a 3rd-level artificer can make a scroll of fireball, since the minimum caster level for fireball is 5th. He pays the normal cost for making such a scroll with a caster level of 5th: 5 × 3 × 12.5 = 187 gp and 5 sp, plus 15 XP. But the scroll’s actual caster level is only 3rd, and it produces a weak fireball that deals only 3d6 points of damage.
An artificer can also make Use Magic Device checks to emulate nonspell requirements, including alignment and race, using the normal DCs for the skill. He cannot emulate skill or feat requirements, however, including item creation feat prerequisites. He must meet the caster level prerequisite, including the minimum level to cast a spell he stores in a potion, wand, or scroll.
An artificer’s infusions do not meet spell prerequisites for creating magic items. For example, an artificer must still employ the Use Magic Device skill to emulate the light spell to create a wand of light, even though light appears on his infusion list.
Items made by an artificer are divine or arcane dependent on the class spell list he chooses to emulate when creating them.
Scrolls scribed by an artificer cannot be copied by wizards into spellbooks or spellshards. The artificer's use of magical notations are an incomplete shorthand, fundamentally different a wizard's. A wizard can still cast the spell from a scroll scribed by and artificer, just like any other caster, he just cannot copy them.
When relevant an item made by an Artificer is arcane or divine depending on the class list he uses to emulate the requirements.
Bonus Feat: He gets Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat at 1st level. For each of these bonus feats, the artificer must choose a metamagic feat, craft item feat, or a feat from the following list: Arcane Strike, Attune Magic Weapon, Craft Construct (see the Pathfinder Bestiary), Exceptional Artisan, Extra Rings, Extraordinary Artisan, Legendary Artisan, Rapid Infusion, Wand Mastery.
Frugal Crafter: At 3rd level the artificer is able to craft and create magic items at 5% less cost. At 9th level this increases to 10%. At 15th level this ability increases to 15%.
Craft Homunculus (Ex): At 4th level, an artificer can create a homunculus as if he had the Craft Construct feat. He must emulate the spell requirements (arcane eye, mending, and mirror image) as normal for making a magic item, and he must pay all the usual gold and XP costs (though he can spend points from his craft reserve). An artificer can also upgrade an existing homunculus that he owns, adding 1 Hit Die at a cost of 2,000 gp and 160 XP. If an artificer gives his homunculus more than 6 Hit Dice, it becomes a Small creature and advances as described in the Monster Manual (+4 Str, –2 Dex, damage increases to 1d6). The homunculus also gains 10 extra hit points for being a Small construct.
An artificer’s homunculus can have as many Hit Dice as its master’s Hit Dice minus 2. No matter how many Hit Dice it has, a homunculus never grows larger than Small.
Retain Essence (Su): At 5th level, an artificer gains the ability to salvage the GP value from a magic item and use those points to create another magic item. The artificer must spend a day with the item, and he must also have the appropriate item creation feat for the item he is salvaging. After one day, the item is destroyed and the artificer adds the GP it took to create the item to his craft reserve. These points are lost if the artificer does not use them before gaining his next level.
Metamagic Spell Trigger (Su): At 7th level, an artificer gains the ability to apply a metamagic feat he knows to a spell trigger item (generally a wand). He must have the appropriate item creation feat for the spell trigger item he is using. Using this ability expends additional charges from the item equal to the number of effective spell levels the metamagic feat would add to a spell.
For example, an artificer can quicken a spell cast from a wand by spending 5 charges (4 additional charges), empower the spell by spending 3 charges, or trigger it silently by spending 2 charges. The Still Spell feat confers no benefit when applied to a spell trigger item.
An artificer cannot use this ability when using a spell trigger item that does not have charges, such as prayer beads.
Metamagic Spell Completion (Su): At 11th level, an artificer gains the ability to apply a metamagic feat he knows to a spell completion item (generally a scroll). He must have the appropriate item creation feat for the spell completion item he is using. The DC for the Use Magic Device check is equal to 20 + (3 × the modified level of the spell). For example, applying the Empower Spell feat to a scroll of cone of cold, creating a 7th-level effect, has a DC of 20 + (3 × 7), or 41. An artificer can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Int modifier.
Skill Mastery: At 13th level, an artificer can take 10 when making a Spellcraft or Use Magic Device check, even if stress and distractions would normally prevent him from doing so. This ability circumvents the normal rule that a character may not take 10 on a Use Magic Device check.
Above is an Artificer conversion I posted a few months ago... had to delve into the dusty archives to find it! :)
I'm running Age of Worms in Eberron, and needed to update the class to PFRPG for the party. I figured it would be an easy skill-swap kind of thing, but as I dug in, it became more complex!! My post in the thread discusses a bit of my (il-)logic. :)
It has been working well in the campaign so far... hopefully its something you can use, or gives you some ideas for your own conversion.
In the end, I basically ended up going with this. Thank you so much!