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
armor proficiencies:
Light armor, medium armor, shields
weapon proficiencies:
Simple weapons
tools:
Thieves' tools, tinker's tools, one type of artisan's tools of your choice
saving throws:
Constitution, Intelligence
skills:
Choose two from Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Sleight of Hand
starting equipment:
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- any two simple weapons of your choice
- a light crossbow and 20 bolts
- your choice of studded leather armor or scale mail
- thieves’ tools and a dungeoneer’s pack
spellcasting:
You’ve studied the workings of magic and how to cast spells, channeling the magic through objects. To observers, you don’t appear to be casting spells in a conventional way; you appear to produce wonders from mundane items and outlandish inventions.
Tools Required
You produce your artificer spell effects through your tools. You must have a spellcasting focus—specifically thieves’ tools or some kind of artisan’s tool—in hand when you cast any spell with this Spellcasting feature (meaning the spell has an ‘M’ component when you cast it). You must be proficient with the tool to use it in this way. See chapter 5, “Equipment,” in the Player’s Handbook for descriptions of these tools.
After you gain the Infuse Item feature at 2nd level, you can also use any item bearing one of your infusions as a spellcasting focus.
Cantrips (0-Level Spells)
At 1st level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the artificer spell list. At higher levels, you learn additional artificer cantrips of your choice, as shown in the Cantrips Known column of the Artificer table.
When 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.
Preparing and Casting Spells
The Artificer table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your artificer spells. To cast one of your artificer spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a slot of the spell’s level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
You prepare the list of artificer spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the artificer spell list. When you do so, choose a number of artificer spells equal to your Intelligence modifier + half your artificer level, rounded down (minimum of one spell). The spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
For example, if you are a 5th-level artificer, you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level spell slots. With an Intelligence of 14, your list of prepared spells can include four spells of 1st or 2nd level, in any combination. If you prepare the 1st-level spell cure wounds, you can cast it using a 1st-level or a 2nd-level slot. Casting the spell doesn’t remove it from your list of prepared spells.
You can change your list of prepared spells when you finish a long rest. Preparing a new list of artificer spells requires time spent tinkering with your spellcasting focuses: at least 1 minute per spell level for each spell on your list.
The Magic Of Artifice
As an artificer, you use tools when you cast your spells. When describing your spellcasting, think about how you’re using a tool to perform the spell effect. If you cast cure wounds using alchemist’s supplies, you could be quickly producing a salve. If you cast it using tinker’s tools, you might have a miniature mechanical spider that binds wounds. When you cast poison spray, you could fling foul chemicals or use a wand that spits venom. The effect of the spell is the same as for a spellcaster of any other class, but your method of spellcasting is special.
The same principle applies when you prepare your spells. As an artificer, you don’t study a spellbook or pray to prepare your spells. Instead, you work with your tools and create the specialized items you’ll use to produce your effects. If you replace cure wounds with heat metal, you might be altering the device you use to heal—perhaps modifying a tool so that it channels heat instead of healing energy.
Such details don’t limit you in any way or provide you with any benefit beyond the spell’s effects. You don’t have to justify how you’re using tools to cast a spell. But describing your spellcasting creatively is a fun way to distinguish yourself from other spellcasters.
Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your artificer spells; your understanding of the theory behind magic allows you to wield these spells with superior skill. You use your Intelligence whenever an artificer 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.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Ritual Casting
You can cast an artificer spell as a ritual if that spell has the ritual tag and you have the spell prepared.
class features:
Magical Tinkering
At 1st level, you learn how to invest a spark of magic into mundane objects. To use this ability, you must have thieves’ tools or artisan’s tools in hand. You then touch a Tiny nonmagical object as an action and give it one of the following magical properties of your choice:
- The object sheds bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light for an additional 5 feet.
- Whenever tapped by a creature, the object emits a recorded message that can be heard up to 10 feet away. You utter the message when you bestow this property on the object, and the recording can be no more than 6 seconds long.
- The object continuously emits your choice of an odor or a nonverbal sound (wind, waves, chirping, or the like). The chosen phenomenon is perceivable up to 10 feet away.
- A static visual effect appears on one of the object’s surfaces. This effect can be a picture, up to 25 words of text, lines and shapes, or a mixture of these elements, as you like.
The chosen property lasts indefinitely. As an action, you can touch the object and end the property early.
You can bestow magic on multiple objects, touching one object each time you use this feature, though a single object can only bear one property at a time. The maximum number of objects you can affect with this feature at one time is equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of one object). If you try to exceed your maximum, the oldest property immediately ends, and then the new property applies.
Infuse Item
At 2nd level, you gain the ability to imbue mundane items with certain magical infusions. The magic items you create with this feature are effectively prototypes of permanent items.
Infusions Known
When you gain this feature, pick four artificer infusions to learn, choosing from the “Artificer Infusions” article. You learn additional infusions of your choice when you reach certain levels in this class, as shown in the Infusions Known column of the Artificer table.
Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the artificer infusions you learned with a new one.
Infusing an Item
Whenever you finish a long rest, you can touch a non-magical object and imbue it with one of your artificer infusions, turning it into a magic item. An infusion works on only certain kinds of objects, as specified in the infusion’s description. If the item requires attunement, you can attune yourself to it the instant you infuse the item. If you decide to attune to the item later, you must do so using the normal process for attunement (see “Attunement” in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
Your infusion remains in an item indefinitely, but when you die, the infusion vanishes after a number of days have passed equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1 day). The infusion also vanishes if you give up your knowledge of the infusion for another one.
You can infuse more than one nonmagical object at the end of a long rest; the maximum number of objects appears in the Infused Items column of the Artificer table. You must touch each of the objects, and each of your infusions can be in only one object at a time. Moreover, no object can bear more than one of your infusions at a time. If you try to exceed your maximum number of infusions, the oldest infusion immediately ends, and then the new infusion applies.
If an infusion ends on an item that contains other things, like a bag of holding, its contents harmlessly appear in and around its space.
Artificer Specialist
Artificers pursue many disciplines. Here are specialist options you can choose from at 3rd level.
The Right Tool for the Job
At 3rd level, you learn how to produce exactly the tool you need: with thieves’ tools or artisan’s tools, you can magically create one set of artisan’s tools in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you. This creation requires 1 hour of uninterrupted work, which can coincide with a short or long rest. Though the product of magic, the tools are nonmagical, and they vanish when you use this feature again.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can’t increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Tool Expertise
Starting at 6th level, your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses your proficiency with a tool.
Flash of Genius
Starting at 7th level, you gain the ability to come up with solutions under pressure. 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.
Magic Item Adept
When you reach 10th level, you achieve a profound understanding of how to use and make magic items:
- You can attune to up to four magic items at once.
- If you craft a magic item with a rarity of common or uncommon, it takes you a quarter of the normal time, and it costs you half as much of the usual gold.
Spell-Storing Item
At 11th level, you learn how to store a spell in an object. Whenever you finish a long rest, you can touch one simple or martial weapon or one item that you can use as a spellcasting focus, and you store a spell in it, choosing a 1st- or 2nd-level spell from the artificer spell list that requires 1 action to cast (you needn’t have it prepared).
While holding the object, a creature can take an action to produce the spell’s effect from it, using your spellcasting ability modifier. If the spell requires concentration, the creature must concentrate. The spell stays in the object until it’s been used a number of times equal to twice your Intelligence modifier (minimum of twice) or until you use this feature again to store a spell in an object.
Magic Item Savant
At 14th level, your skill with magic items deepens more:
- You can attune to up to five magic items at once.
- You ignore all class, race, spell, and level requirements on attuning to or using a magic item.
Magic Item Master
Starting at 18th level, you can attune to up to six magic items at once.
Soul of Artifice
At 20th level, you develop a mystical connection to your magic items, which you can draw on for protection:
- You gain a +1 bonus to all saving throws per magic item you are currently attuned to.
- If you’re reduced to 0 hit points but not killed out-right, you can use your reaction to end one of your artificer infusions, causing you to drop to 1 hit point instead of 0.
subclass options:
Artificers pursue many disciplines. Here are specialist options you can choose from at 3rd level.
An acoustician’s area of study focuses on sounds, vibrations and the magic held within their oscillations. Masters of speed and balance, master acousticians are said to feel the vibrations between planes and even other worlds.
An Alchemist is an expert at combining reagents to produce mystical effects. Alchemists use their creations to give life and to leech it away. Alchemy is the oldest of artificer traditions, and its versatility has long been valued during times of war and peace.
For centuries chroniclers have sought the best way to store vast amounts of information. Where most are satisfied with scrolls, Archivists strove for something greater. They have learned to store libraries worth of information in a single object, awakening the first Arcane Minds. Working in tandem with these wondrous Minds, Archivists wield the potentially limitless power of these artificial intelligences. How will you use your ability to create arcane intelligence?
An artificer who specializes as an Armorer modifies armor to function almost like a second skin. The armor is enhanced to hone the artificer’s magic, unleash potent attacks, and generate a formidable defense. The artificer bonds with this armor, becoming one with it even as they experiment with it and refine its magical capabilities.
An Artillerist specializes in using magic to hurl energy, projectiles, and explosions on a battlefield. This destructive power is valued by armies in the wars on many different worlds. And when war passes, some members of this specialization seek to build a more peaceful world by using their powers to fight the resurgence of strife. The world-hopping gnome artificer Vi has been especially vocal about making things right: “It’s about time we fixed things instead of blowing them all to hell.”
Armies require protection, and someone has to put things back together if defenses fail. A combination of protector and medic, a Battle Smith is an expert at defending others and repairing both material and personnel. To aid in their work, Battle Smiths are usually accompanied by a steel defender, a protective companion of their own creation. Many soldiers tell stories of nearly dying before being saved by a Battle Smith and a steel defender.
While most artificers are content with mechanical innovation, some see biology, the science of living things, as an area rife with potential. Biomancers are those who use their talents to supplement their own anatomy and create life. Combining necromancy and transmutation magic, Biomancers see all living things as prototypes that can be magically evolved.
A Defiler is a master of deadly substances both caustic and corruptive, using foul mixtures to create sickeningly permanent effects. Any battlefield a Defiler enters is hauntingly marked with cruel magic that scars the landscape and mutilates its victims. Valued for scorched-earth warfare, members of the specialization are summoned when morals and long-term consequences no longer matter.
As the name implies, firescrappers specialize in the use of pyromantic magic. They are quite unlike wizardly pyromancers, however, as they use this magic to become powerful front-line fighters rather than back-line mages.
While most artificers are primarily inventors that take up a life of adventure to test experiments in the field, those known as Forgewrights seek out battle for its own sake. Reveling in the thrill of combat, they combine their innovation with their skill as warriors to forge their signature Arcane Armament.
While some artificers spend their lives perfecting one solitary creation, Machinist artificer value quantity over quality. They are known for creating their signature Automatons, small clockwork men that are created for a single, but temporary purpose. Armed with their tools, and an army of strange and wondrous servants, Machinists are ready for any challenge.
The Miner is an artificer that excels at tunneling and excavation using a custom-made pick, and can also sense fine vibrations in the ground.
An Occultist is an artificer with a fascination for the undead and the afterlife. They may hold long stakeouts in graveyards and haunted sightings, or explore the ruins of an ancient tomb or burial site in order to learn more about the spirits of the afterlife. An adept Occultist is able to capture these spirits for use in their own inventions, and even commune with them.
An Operative is an artificer who uses their genius to infiltrate an organisation, steal information, and escape into the night. Operatives are often hired as spies or even assassins, selling their considerable talents to rival orders, wealthy merchants, and anyone else who can afford their price.
The world is full of treasure. Some find their heart’s desire in the dark dungeons, crumbling ruins, or the battlefield, others find use for discarded pieces of detritus, finding beauty and a practical use for every headless hammer and cracked teacup. These souls are Packrats.
A phytomancer has a keen interest and affinity with the Plants of the natural world. They know how to make things grow hale and healthy, and can even inspire a specially prepared Plant to animate and do their bidding for a short time. A phytomancer might be employed as a gardener to a wealthy patron, creating order from chaos, or prefer a life of solitude, delighting in the seasonal changes of the natural world.
The Powerline artificer specialises in harnessing the powers of electricity. This artificer can create bolts of lightning that can leap from person to person and even travel on electric currents.
The Programmer is an artificer that specializes in transcribing and changing the attributes of spells and objects using an esoteric, arcane language that is known to some and practiced by fewer. Using this language, they can make existing spells work in completely different ways and alter the way a weapon interacts when being used.
Though all artificers have their quirks, Puppeteers tend to be the strangest subset of arcane inventors. They dedicate their research and intellect towards mastery of manipulation and control of other creatures through the use of their Marionette Strings. Often found literally pulling the strings from behind the scenes, these strange artificers prefer to empower their allies rather than risk their own lives on the front lines.
The Refractor is an artificer that specialises in deflecting and redirecting attacks using a special type of shield called a Refraction Shield. This shield does so by changing the configuration of its various glass panes. While any blacksmith can create armour and shields to protect against conventional weapons, a Refractor combines the best of both defence and offensive, making them highly flexible in battle.
The greatest secrets yet hidden lie within mortal flesh. Through magic and artifice, skintwisters can reshape bodies like a smith shapes steel, striving to overcome the frailty and weakness inherent to the mortal form.
With the whir of machinery and a whif of steampunk magic, Sawblades employ cutting edge technology to create contraptions of unmatched ferociousness and brutality, capable of cutting through even the heaviest of armor.
Sawblades are often battle-hardened veterans that live for the thrill, rending bones and scales with hysterical fervour. Rev up your blades, and rip and tear until it is done!
The schism between dwarven and gnomish societies is great, backed by a grudge that has been tempered and honed over centuries. It is then curious how an invention such as an arcano-mechanical storm gauntlet, one born in the depths of gnomish workshops in the Arcane Expanse, found its way into dwarven workshops. I suppose some ideas are simply too masterful to hate and betray the interests they still share.
Tattoosionist
The name “tattoosionist” is initially misleading: it comes from their ability to create tattoos that shift and animate upon their skin, for example a snake slithering around an arm. But this is no illusion: there is a very real snake inside their arm, and it can do far more than slither around. Tattoosionists are psionic artificers that abandon their labors upon unliving items, instead using alchemical inks and their own body as their workshop, animating the images upon their skin and use them for anything they desire- as a third hand, moving heavy objects, pulling a wagon-cart, even self-defense.
The Toymaker is an artificer that specialises in making small, playful contraptions. Such objects can include capes that can billow on command, clothes that can change appearance on a whim, and face paints that change colour depending on moods.
However, a Toymaker is also capable of making much more elaborate contraptions out of everyday objects, turning them into complex devices that can help their party in a variety of tasks from reconnaissance to combat.
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