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Unearthed Arcana: The Artificer Class (5e)

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Unearthed Arcana: The Artificer Class (5e)

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Unearthed Arcana Update

Over the past few months, we’ve delivered a stream of new content via the Unearthed Arcana column. Some of that content will show up in future products. Other pieces, having been found lacking by the open playtest process, will drop from our development plans. A few things will follow a third path.

The subclasses we’ve created have fallen into two categories. Some have proven to have mechanics or story concepts that players have embraced. These subclasses have moved on to deeper design and editing passes and further playtesting. We’ll have news soon about where they might turn up next.

Other subclasses were not embraced. Some had mechanics that were dull or confusing. Others’ concepts were too niche, stepped on the toes of other classes, or just didn’t resonate. Our plan is to either redesign these subclasses from the ground up in a future design cycle or push them aside in favor of new concepts.

We have already rereleased a few subclasses for further comment. You’ll see a few more revised subclasses in the June installment of Unearthed Arcana.

We feel confident that the Unearthed Arcana process gives us the feedback needed to develop a subclass into something worthy of publication and official status. Complete new character classes are a different story.

We debuted two new classes via Unearthed Arcana, the mystic and the artificer. Both have received positive feedback, to the point that we are going to commit more time and energy to refining them for official publication. However, the process for completing a new class requires more resources than a subclass. Here is our plan for completing these classes.

Starting today, we are adding both the mystic and artificer to the DM’s Guild. They are both resources you can use to create your own material to share and sell on the Guild. We are also going to release additional surveys to delve deeper into the classes and identify headaches. Between watching the design work done on the DM’s Guild and monitoring feedback data, we’ll continue to revise these two classes.

Once the classes have robust sets of features and options that are hitting the approval levels we aim for, we will make those classes available for playtesting in the D&D Adventurers League. This step indicates that the new class is slated for official release as part of a D&D product. This step’s goal is to put the classes through the same rigorous testing and DM feedback that the core fifth edition classes received during their open playtests.

Once that step is complete, we’ll add these classes to a future D&D product. We can’t predict how long each step will take, so we don’t have dates to share. We remain committed to releasing material only when it is ready.

Thanks for taking part in the Unearthed Arcana playtests and helping us to make 5e the best game it can be. Your efforts have helped D&D reach heights of popularity and success it has not seen in decades. We’re committed to building on that success by including you in the game’s evolution. Thanks for coming along on this journey with us!

Unearthed Arcana: The Artificer Class

This version of the artificer character class was originally released as part of the Unearthed Arcana web series. This download is the latest version of the character class. The artificer is in playtest. It has been made available so that you can use it in your games and provide feedback on its design.

The artificer masters the ability to create magical trinkets and objects to deliver powerful effects. This class can also wield a limited selection of spells and produce an impressive masterwork, such as a powerful firearm or a satchel that can create alchemical items in the blink of an eye.

We (Wizards) recognize that some of the legacy content available on this website does not reflect the values of the Dungeons & Dragons franchise today. Some older content may reflect ethnic, racial, and gender prejudice that were commonplace in American society at that time. These depictions were wrong then and are wrong today. This content is presented as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as claiming these prejudices never existed. Dungeons & Dragons teaches that diversity is a strength, and we strive to make our D&D products as welcoming and inclusive as possible. This part of our work will never end.

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Reviews (24)

Discussions (42)

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دريم ? March 07, 2020 9:54 am UTC

I find that at low levels the alchemists abilities are lackluster as they aren't likely to hit, https://morjanah.com
they come into there own and become fairly useful, but late game they become lackluster again as while your likely to hit the items themselves just don't do a lot.

Christian L July 28, 2018 1:51 am UTC

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A separate subclass for a mechanical servant as well as a reworking of the shot types for the gunsmith and more options for potions for the alchemist I feel are needed. At are table we like to use this revision of the artificer, as it fills in a lot of dead levels and makes some of the subclasses more versatile. https://www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/comments/5phy6s/5e_ua_artificer_revised_and_mechanist_specialty/

Greg O June 03, 2018 3:21 am UTC

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I think constructs should largely go with a special subclass of Artificer: Clockwork Mage (originally seen in 2e Shi'ir Book) that gets to start off with a small construct and be able to upgrade mechanicals and eventually build automitons such as iron cobras and clockwork golems at high levels.

Another possibility for an artificer is a version the magewaver (also from the Shi'ir handbook). An artificer specializing in weaving enchantments into clothing, he begins with a Spellcoat (an enchanted robe) that he can place slots into such as AC, Damage Resistance, Deep-pockets (magical storage space), or stitched in low level spells (cast as a scroll but recharges after a long rest). Maximum of two of any type of upgrade to the coat. Wonderious items that he can produce are mostly clothing items such as Boots of the North (Resist vs Cold) or Cloak of the Manta (etc.). At later levels instead of a construct he can make a Wonderous Carpet (which is a flying carpet that he can command to turn into a rug...See more

Darek S April 02, 2018 8:11 pm UTC

I feel like a way to keep your mechanical servant relevant is the ability to upgrade him: giving him more armor, speed, damage etc. Making the a.o.e. attacks accessible earlier to give the player a slightly more varied gameplay. And some fine tuning here and there which other people before me have already said

Tom W February 06, 2018 6:33 am UTC

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Any news on an update for the class?

Adnan R October 11, 2017 4:40 am UTC

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Here is my breakdown of the basic class:

Magic Item Analysis - the ritual caster feat is stronger. You can gain the same two spells, but also have the option to add more to your book. The only way this is better is that you aren't required to read from said book.

Tool Expertise - seems just as strong as the rogue's expertise feature, yet is extremely subjective in its use, since the use of tools in general is ill defined.

Wondrous Invention (2nd) - compared to the second level features of other classes, the glory of getting a magic item does little to distract from the fact that the options are weak. The cap of water breathing and goggles of night are basically racial features. The driftglobe is only slightly better than the light cantrip. Sending Stones let one send 25 words 1/day. And though the Bag of Holding is one of the most iconic magic items, at the end of the day, its a cool way to increase carrying capacity. While other classes gain Action Surge, Wild Shape, Ki/Sorcery...See more points, and Invocations, artificer gains abilities easily replicated by first level spells.

Wondrous Invention (5th) - Again, only moderately useful items. The most egregious is the Robe of Useful Items, which has a limited number of consumable charges. Heward's Handy Hoversack is essentially a repeat of the bag of holding. The rest are very minor magic items, with many of the functions being easily replicable with lower level spells (or even rituals).

Wondrous Invention (10th-20th) - All the items generally provide some minor bonuses. It's not worth an analysis, as the class feature seems more to check the box of having artificer's create magic items, than actually be functional. Many of the items provide similar functions to items earlier in the list, and none are likely to have much of an impact on a game, barring extreme levels of player creativity.

Spellcasting- Good selection. My only problem is with Magic Weapon. Why can the artificer, creator of magic items, only get +2 to attack rolls and damage, and even that, only at level 19 by expending the only 4th level spell slot?

Infuse Magic - (I'm making the assumption that since the spell is cast from the infused item, no concentration is by the caster. If this is not the case, this ability is almost useless.) Infuse magic is a powerful ability. The ability to buff without worrying about concentration is probably the most powerful ability this class has. It transforms the artificer's lackluster spellcasting into a fun and useful ability. A cause for concern might be that since many buffs last for 1 hour, an artificer could infuse an item, have him/herself or a party member immediately activate the spell, burning through all the artificer's spell slots before a major fight. Also, many spell casters might be tempted to take only four levels in artificer, before multiclassing into a full spellcaster, just for the ability to buff with higher level spells/spell slots, and ignore concentration requirements. This ability is the first that makes the artificer feel like an actual artificer.

Superior Attunement - Solid ability. Considering attunement rules, it is exactly the type of ability the artificer should have.

Mechanical Servant - It's useful only for a short period of time, since there is no way advance it's defenses and health. Later on in the campaign, it might not be worth reviving. The requirement that it be large is quite limiting. Why not large or smaller, or large and medium? Also, if one makes a servant with the statistics of a beast that has flight, it could serve as a flying mount (at level 6!). With the Mounted Combatant feat, it would scale quite a bit better, and in my opinion, would be quite broken.

Soul of Artifice - A broken reward for taking 20 levels in a class that's either mediocre, or broken due to exploiting Infuse Magic and a flying Mechanical Servant. It takes the bounded accuracy of 5e and throws it out the window. One can gain up to +6 in all saving throws, because of Superior Attunement. Even though numerically, the bonus is equal to that of proficiency, it actually stacks with it! An artificer who has a 20 in an ability score, and is proficient with the corresponding saving throw gains +17 to their roll. That's ridiculous! It can be argued that artificer's might be hard pressed to gather more than the couple of items requiring attunement that can be gained from Wondrous Invention. However, that is up to DM discretion. If a DM hands out fewer magic items, than the ability will become more manageable, but why must a DM punish a player for leveling a class to 20? DMs never have to balance a barbarian's capstone, which is a similar numerical increase. The capstone's strength should not rely on DM fiat.

This class does not feel like the artificer. This feels like a designer brainstormed a list of abilities that would fit the artificer, and created a progression out of them. It feels like the designers were scared introducing a class that created magical items into the low-magic world of D&D5e, and so decided to castrate the list of magic items artificer's could create, and then attempted to compensate by allowing pseudo-magic item creation in the subclasses (which dragged the class even farther away from past incarnations). It feels like someone picked up the Eberron Campaign Setting from v3.5, and attempted to shoehorn those mechanics into 5e, rather than taking the time to understand what made an artificer so fun. While many appreciate the experiment that is the gunsmith, why could it not have been the old blastificer? Wondrous Inventions, and +6 to saves is nice, but why not a magic weapon? Forge Domain has magic equipment, and Bladelocks can now get their pact weapon up to +3. Why can't artificer? A subclass of rogue has use magic device, but no subclass of the artificer can even use a wizard's staff! I can understand that this class is in playtesting, and has not been polished to the mirror-like sheen of PHB classes. But why has my favorite class been gutted of all things that made it amazing? Why add a gun subclass, when groups that want guns already have the rules in the DM's Guide? Why give make an alchemist subclass, when most of the options for alchemy are the equivalent of first level spells, or deal a damage type that every monster and its pet chihuahua have resistance to? This attempt at the artificer is a betrayal to everyone who has been eagerly awaiting its release since the launch of 5e.

Carl M August 04, 2018 5:21 pm UTC

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Good breakdown!

Joseph C October 04, 2017 7:31 pm UTC

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Can't open PDF? Is this file broken? I could open Mystic just fine.

Jacob W September 29, 2017 5:45 pm UTC

I love the idea of an artificier in my campaign as I quite like magic items. However, I feel like it needs some work, for starters, the nearly unlimited ammo/vials would be way too overpowered, I think they should have to spend so much time and money per day to make their ammo, and that the alchemist should have a certain number of potions that they can prepare per day, but that it can be any mix. I also think Gunsmith should get an extra attack but that firearms should have the reload property of Matthew Mercer's Gunslinger subclass. The last note I have is just something I thought should be dealt with, that being that the artificier, as it is, would not be able to create a golem using the golem manuel. I thought that would be a missed opportunity as an artificier creating a golem just seems right to me.

Robert M September 14, 2017 2:56 am UTC

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File wont work on windows or google drive :/ Please fix

John B September 12, 2017 7:44 am UTC

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Cannot open the pdf file!

Brian S September 08, 2017 8:09 pm UTC

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I can't open the PDF with Acrobat, the included windows reader, or on Apple's included reader either. Could you update the file please?

Mitchel J August 18, 2017 3:52 pm UTC

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I find that at low levels the alchemists abilities are lackluster as they aren't likely to hit, midgame they come into there own and become fairly useful, but late game they become lackluster again as while your likely to hit the items themselves just don't do a lot.

Adam F October 12, 2017 12:23 am UTC

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"into there own"

*their

"while your likely"

*you're

Joe M August 17, 2017 3:13 pm UTC

I played a short campaign with the Artificer Alchemist, and have spent a good time thinking about it in the context of 5e (which I am in love with, and an avid consumer of).

Frankly, I think there are just too many independent archetypes for "the person that plays with chemicals and potions" in the world of fantasy to limit it to a subclass. There is the classic poisoner, dealing in damage and debuffs, the healer/apothecary, who could replace a cleric for greater variety, the (plague knight-esque) mad bomber, dishing out various forms of AOE, and the lead-to-gold transmutationist, with many roleplaying and support options, just to name a few that come to mind immediately. The tradition of the Alchemist is an interesting one on Western and Eastern fantasy, and it has evolved in many fun ways over time. Sadly, when I played the Artificer Alchemist, I didn't feel like I was a part of any of these traditions. I felt more like a subpar Felix the Cat, reaching into my limited bag of tricks to...See more

Nate S August 17, 2017 3:31 am UTC

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Any updates to this thing?

Daniel S August 16, 2017 9:44 pm UTC

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Whenever I attempt to download this document it is "not a PDF or corrupted" somehow?

Mitchell J August 03, 2017 8:16 pm UTC

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I think the Gunsmith's Thunder Cannon needs to be nerfed and replaced with more options as I feel that that path has very little options for combat

Tyler B August 10, 2017 6:46 pm UTC

Why? Would you nerf the he rogues sneak attack? It has 4 different attacks for combat plus spells and a mechanical creature. That's more then a fighter.

Adnan R October 10, 2017 11:20 pm UTC

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All of the options for the gunsmith are already very lackluster to begin with. For one, all the damage it deals is of the elemental type, yet is not through a spell, so the Elemental Adept feat does not apply. The specific types are thunder, force, lightning, and fire, with lightning and fire being acquired at level 14 and 17 respectively. At that level, many opponents will either have resistance to those rather common damage types innately, or could easily get it through spells, or even magic items. This hamartia frankly makes the gunsmith unplayable at higher levels. In fact, all of the 'options' are really just damage, damage, or more damage, with the exception of a weak knockback. There are very few of the interesting choices that other classes seem to have. Every turn, the action is used to fire, the bonus to reload, and the reaction to have the mechanical servant punish attackers. It's kind of ironic to find that the artificer is the 5e class that lacks variety.

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