Fixing the Artificer


Homebrew and House Rules


Adamant Entertainment's Tome of Secrets included an artificer class that was based on an interesting idea, but the implementation was a bit wonky and left a lot of unanswered questions. I've attempted to fix it here. I've tried to make the weird science (I renamed it "dweomercraft" because I found "weird science" a bit too steampunky for my taste) more balanced and workable and have thrown in some elements of the original Eberron class as well. I would love to know what people think of this version.


Urko wrote:
Adamant Entertainment's Tome of Secrets included an artificer class that was based on an interesting idea, but the implementation was a bit wonky and left a lot of unanswered questions. I've attempted to fix it here. I've tried to make the weird science (I renamed it "dweomercraft" because I found "weird science" a bit too steampunky for my taste) more balanced and workable and have thrown in some elements of the original Eberron class as well. I would love to know what people think of this version.

Perhaps it would end up balanced, but the first thing that hits me in the face is that dweomercraft items are going to take a really, really long time to create. At 4th level, if my items broke one day, it would be over a day of uninterrupted work before I could get new ones up to my allotment.

I understand that part of the advantage is that the items are reusable, but if you wanted to swap one spell-device for another on your list (what list are they using?), it is going to be very hard under a wide variety of adventuring circumstances. You'll need a mobile workspace of some sort, and absolutely no time limit on the adventure, so rescue-the-princess or recovering the relic before the stars align types of scenarios aren't going to feature an Artificer.

Only other thing that jumps out at me is that Salvage probably ought to have at least a slight premium for its luxury.

Still leaps and bounds over the source material.


Yes, the manufacture times can build up, but I think it's a necessary balancing factor. Because the artificer is so versatile (they use all spell lists; level of spell is lowest level it appears on ANY spell list - I'd better make that explicit), they would quickly supplant all spellcasters if it were too easy to reset devices. However, they do get to cut manufacture time in half at 17th level - if it seems to be a serious problem I suppose that ability could be gained earlier.

My gut says that Salvage isn't overpowered as is, but I suppose if playtesting shows it to be abusive, it could be reduced to recovering 75% of the gp value.

Thanks for the feedback!


If you want, I compiled a list of a ton of homebrew artificers. You could use that instead.

...I haven't read your take on it yet, although if it keeps Weird Science, even renamed, I doubt I'll like it.


Urko wrote:
...they use all spell lists; level of spell is lowest level it appears on ANY spell list - I'd better make that explicit), they would quickly supplant all spellcasters if it were too easy to reset devices...

I'm really confused about this design angle.

Do they include Domains, Mysteries, and other bonus spell lists for determining what level spells are? I've not checked, but if they can use a spell at any level they see it, that can be more of a problem than anything. Paladins, Rangers and Summoners are going to really monkey with your idea of what they can cast. Summoners the most, probably- at a glance, Haste becomes 2nd level, Banishment comes early, Black Tentacles comes early, some Wall spells come early, and they can get Summon Monster VIII with only a 6th level slot.

Even by making their devices take a long time to make, I don't think that really counters anything. Without the devices, they are kind of a souped-up Use Magic Device rogue without sneak attack or Talents. A great deal of common adventure types don't allow magic item crafting time, and with this model of Dweomercraft, it also means that when your devices break, get sundered, or are stripped from you, you are back to being a nerfed rogue. It seems like they will just alternate between being overpowered and underpowered, rather than actually strike a good balance with anything.

Out of curiosity, what would the approximate size and weight of a device be? It would be useful to know when they need to buy more bags of holding for their Dweomercraft, or if an Arcane Trickster can Mage Hand one away from them.


Cheapy: Yeah, I realize that it's a problematic ability and not to everyone's taste, but I wanted to see if I could make it workable. Your mileage may vary. Thanks for the link - lots of interesting stuff there!

Parka: Good points about the spell levels. My group is really only using core stuff, so I hadn't even considered the other base classes. It might be prudent limit it to the wizard, cleric, druid, and bard spell lists. In any case, however I resolve it, I would go by what's listed on the spell's description, which at least clears up the issue of domains and mysteries.

As far as creation time, I'm still not convinced it's a problem. I think it would be reasonable to allow them to come into play with all slots full - presumably they set them before the adventure. Losing items - well, you'd better be careful and take precautions. I don't think any character should be 100% safe from mishap. If a GM really doesn't allow any downtime (and how, exactly do other spellcasters regain their spells in such games?) then I agree that this class would be a poor choice for such a game. Please note (and maybe I didn't make this clear enough), that creating dweomercraft items is more akin to preparing spells than true magic item creation. Another thing to make explicit - I was operating under the assumption that they require no special equipment or labs; they are created from mundane materials the artificer is assumed to be carrying and the magical power comes from within.

That said, I have given a fair amount of thought to the physical attributes of the devices. I vacillate between handwaving it all as flavor, as above, or spelling something out. Getting specific opens a lot of questions: what's a fair weight, hardness, break DC, and size? Should it scale with spell level? Can devices be made from items of clothing? Is so, do they take up magic items slots (I would be against this, as I want to maximize device usability)?

Here's some baseline, off-the-cuff physical stats: Weight: 2 lbs/spell level, hardness: 4+spell level, HP: 8+(spell levelx2). One handed if weight< 8lbs, two-handed otherwise. Seem reasonable?


My tinkering style is to start writing in legalese, and lift/alter restrictions as I go along. I apologize if this comes off badly.

The main way other spellcasters prepare spells is 8 hours rest (during sleep, which is an ordinary necessity that can't easily be avoided) and then they only need 1 hour out of an adventuring day to "meditate/study/pray" for any number of spell levels. No matter the level of the spellcaster, they are ready to go after daily sleep and 1 hour of prep. If they prepare spells, and need to leave some options open for later, they only need 15 minutes to do so.

The artificer can't work in their sleep. As they get better, they go from being able to re-prepare in just about a full working day to needing over a week to use their main adventuring class ability at full strength. One hour isn't too much to ask while traveling to rescue a princess ASAP, especially when the entirety of your class abilities are refreshed by doing it. Four hours per spell level, during which you can do nothing else, is a really big deal.

I'd recommend either making it an hour per spell level, so they are likely to be able to actually swap an item or two a day, or making it an hour per device (regardless of spell level, with some premium for cantrips). That still really staggers them, but they are no longer required to prepare their spells for the whole adventure while Wizards prepare for just the segment they are on.

Also, is there any restriction on how many hands it takes to activate a Dweomercraft item- i.e. can they wield a weapon and "cast"? Also, is the action to activate the Dweomercraft item the same as casting the spell? That is another balancing factor, as well as a potentially cool flavor point. I can see an Artificer using something akin to a PK Meter from Ghostbusters to Identify an artifact over the whole ten minutes. But it is also pretty cool to think of an Artificer quickly setting dials on an orb of Summon Monster 6, then rolling it across the ground to its destination, where it spends the full-round casting time alone and surprises the enemy from behind!

(Ah, as I look, I see you say it follows all the rules of spellcasting. This kind of strikes me as odd, since I don't think of them as verbalizing words or reaching for components while using a device to cast their magic for them. I guess they could be adding fuel bits or tweaking the device with tools from a "Device Pouch," but the words are still weird, doubly so since the non-voice recognition types of device are harder to make, relying on the Silent Spell metamagic feat which ups the spell level.)


Parka - your feedback is very helpful. For one thing, it helps me pinpoint the assumptions that I was making but not spelling out. For example, when I said that using a device followed the rules of spell casting, I was thinking specifically of things like casting time, range, that sort of thing and not verbal, somatic, and material components. Clearly, another thing that needs to be clarified. I think the most sensible option is that wielding the device is basically the same as a somatic component, but no others are needed (but the idea of adding magical fuel is interesting). So, that gives them a little bonus - effectively all their devices have the Eschew Materials and Silent Spell feats. I don't think this is a terribly unbalancing advantage.

You've almost got me convinced about the preparation time. I still don't want to make it too easy to reset the devices, but perhaps a good middle road would be to have the Rapid Dweomer class ability come in earlier and improve every few levels - that way it would kind of scale with the artificer as he can make more and better devices. Perhaps a flat 4 hours/device at 1st level, 3 at 6th, 2 and 11th, and 1 at 17th.

Neat ideas about the flavor behind activating a device!


OK, I've updated this to include all the feedback so far.


Urko wrote:
OK, I've updated this to include all the feedback so far.

I like the compromise a great deal. It goes a long way to reflect the improving skill of an Artificer by level, and does allow them some "wiggle room" under time pressure while still keeping them from being anywhere close to the versatility of an actual spellcaster or even the Alchemist. It also means that it won't be forever and a day before they are prepared again if they get stripped naked (though it is still a far more traumatic for them than for virtually anyone else).

I am warming to this approach- clever resource management involves and element of time as well. Instead of looking at an adventure and treating it as a deadline or countdown, an artificer might look at it as a mixture of schedule and (potentially) spell slot. If they aren't strictly tied to a solar cycle with no expectation of "refesh," they can get a lot more invested in a heist-planning style of preparation (which a lot of my friends really enjoy).

(Thought: at high caster level, some "buffs" may end up lasting long enough that one could use the device to the breaking point renewing it, then construct another before it wears off to keep it "permanent." It might be worth it to add a corollary: a device slot is not considered free if the corresponding magical effect has not yet worn off.)

Minor notes:
The table reads "Arcane Science" as an ability at 1st level, though I do not see this elsewhere in the document. A legacy name for "Dweomercraft" perhaps?

Layered Dweomercraft probably ought to get a re-spec, since devices are all built at the same time now. Doubling or tripling the time ought to be fine. I might also recommend possibly requiring the additional spells being of a lower level than the primary, counting a Layered Device as multiple devices against their limit, or making a Layered Device one-use-only. In fact, all of these might not be uncalled for- the advantage is pretty big once you get it, and even with all of these in place, it's still a useful option.

One thing that might work well (and might help plug dead levels) is to have one of those "select-a-perk" abilities like Rogue Talents.

Some ideas (balance not guaranteed):

Spoiler:

Re-Purpose: You can rapidly alter a device into something you need at the moment. To Re-Purpose a device, you must cannibalize parts and magical essences from another functional one (effectively destroying it in the process), and the spell being emulated must be at least two levels lower than the target spell. If the spell of the Re-Purposed device shares a non-alignment descriptor or is same school as the target spell, it may be only one level lower than the target spell instead of two. If it is both, cut the time it takes to Re-Purpose in half. Re-Purposing normally takes 10 minutes, minus 2 minutes per level of Rapid Dweomer.

Thaumic Fuse (minimum Artificer level x): Your devices can be set with a rudimentary magical timer, to activate when away from you. A Burst, Cone, Line, Emanation, or Conjuration [Summoning] spell can be put in a device with a fuse. When you activate your device (a Standard action), you can set the time of the fuse for between one and ten rounds. The spell will begin casting at the beginning of the round the timer is set to (relevant for spells with Full-Round casting times). The device cannot be deactivated without destroying it once the fuse is "lit." The spell originates from the device, pointing in the direction it was aimed at by the Artificer or a random direction if it was not aimed. Conjuration [Summoning], Burst, and Emanation spells will center on the device if at all possible. Devices made with a Thaumic Fuse are not re-usable, but take as long to make as any other. All decisions about spells cast (such as summoning choices) are made upon activating the device.

Remote Activation (Prerequisite- Thaumic Fuse): Your devices can be activated from a distance and can even incorporate a delay. When you construct a device with a Thaumic Fuse, you may opt to activate it normally instead of using the fuse. You may also design a mechanism to be activated it at a distance- either a spoken command or a remote control device you carry. Activating the device at a distance requires a Standard action, and only works within 20' per Artificer class level (A voice-activated device needs to be spoken to audibly). It otherwise follows all the rules for a Fused Activation except that you may make choices about a spell when you command the activation. (adjusting dials on the remote or using special words during a voice command)

Miniaturization (evocative name idea: Lessons of the Toymaker): Your devices are smaller than usual. Regardless of spell level, your devices can be held and activated with one hand, and weigh half as much as usual. You may construct them larger if you wish, but they always function the same. The Concentration DC required to activate them when grappled, entangled or otherwise restricted in movement is reduced by 4.

Deceptive Facade (Prerequisite- Miniaturization): You can make Dweomercraft devices that look like other things. You can design a device to appear as an article of jewelry, a cane, a toy, or some other semi-decorative object roughly between Tiny and Diminutive size. Designing a Deceptive object takes four times as long as usual and costs at least 50 GP per spell level. You must make a Craft skill check to create the Deceptive device- the result is the device's effective Disguise check for passing as an otherwise normal item of its type. If the item is inspected and the Disguise DC beaten, the object is identified as being a cunningly disguised contraption of some sort, but is not necessarily identified with precision. Deceptive devices otherwise function as normal for Dweomercraft devices.

Bits and Bobs: You keep a pouch of small tools, keys and parts to adjust Devices as you use them, keeping them in better shape. Treat it as a Spell Component Pouch that never needs replenishment. As long as you activate your Devices as though you needed Material Components, if you fail a check to use a Dweomercraft device, there is a 50% chance it activates at half caster level.

Burnout (Prerequisite- Bits and Bobs, Artificer level X): You can push your Dweomercraft devices past their usual limits, with consequences. Once per day, you may force a Dweomercraft device to activate even when you fail an activation check, though it automatically breaks afterwards. If the Activation check was critically failed, after the device activates, it explodes, dealing you 1d6 (type) damage per spell level with no save possible.

Inspired Armorer (Prerequisite: Spellcraft 1 rank, either Craft Weaponsmithing 1 rank or Craft Armorsmithing 1 rank): Weapons and Armor you make are exceptionally easy to enchant. Any Masterwork weapon or armor you craft using a Craft skill is treated as though it cost 10% less than it actually does for the purpose of enchanting time (regardless of who is enchanting it). This does not actually affect the enchanting cost, only the required time.

Some of the abilities you regard as less important, or even some ideas from themes you aren't partial to, could get put in it as well.

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