Artificer – D&D 5e Class Optimisation Guide (2014)

Become one of D&D’s tinkerers and magical inventors with this unique half-caster class

At a glance

Tactics

One of the challenges for an artificer is their varied roles which can change dramatically with their subclass. This is in contrast to most classes where something like a paladin will always be a tank and a cleric will also be your healer spellcaster. But artificers, while always half-casters, might take on the role of a ranged damage dealer, a halfway tank, a melee warrior, a buffer/debuffer or even a stealth specialist depending on the subclass you take.

As tricky as this can be, it does make it easy to fashion your artificer after the character you want them to be.

Below I’ve outlined some tactics you can use when playing an artificer:

• Infused with power – Artificers get to infuse items with enhancements. Make sure you use all the infusions you can. If you feel especially nice, you could infused some items for your allies, just remember that these infusions are part of what make an artificer powerful so for the most part, you will want to keep these for yourself. These infusions can grant fairly basic benefits like a small bonus to AC or attack and damage rolls to more complicated enhancements like propulsion armor or a homunculus servant.
• Ability and saving throw expert – Artificers are great to have around as they can use their reaction (through flash of genius) to grant a bonus to some ability checks and saving throws. This should be the case anyway, but make sure your intelligence is as high as possible to increase the bonus you grant. You’ll also want to preserve this for important or critical rolls.
• Tool and crafting expert – There’s no class better with tools and crafting than an artificer. Not only do you get proficiency with more tools, but you also get expertise with any tool you’re proficient with. Who needs a rogue to open doors when you have an artificer! You can also craft magic items in a quarter of the time and at half the cost.
• Storing spells – When you reach level 11, you can store a level 1 or 2 spell in an item letting it be used by anyone that can use a magic item to cast spells several times before it needs replenishing. You can easily hand this to a companion like a familiar, homunculus servant or another party member with a less precious action. Or you can keep it for yourself for extra spells slots. Some good spells for this item include things like faerie fire, aid, invisibility, lesser restoration, web and vortex warp.
• Accumulating magic items – Artificers can attune more magic items than most characters, gaining up to 6 attunements (instead of the usual 3). Not only does more magic items mean more power, but this works with your level 20 feature, soul of artifice. At this point, each attuned magic item will give you +1 to your savings throws (so up to a +6). That’s some serious resilience, so collect those magic items!
• Stay safe – While some artificer subclasses are quite combat-focused, they still lack the durability of typical martials. AC can be strong, but hit points will typically be on the lower end (d8). You can protect yourself by using a shield, building around AC and doing things like fighting alongside allies or taking something like the mobile feat for hit and run tactics.
• The right spells for the job – Artificers are considered 2/3 casters. They lack the spellcasting prowess of classes like wizards and sorcerers, but have a little more spellcasting at their fingertips than rangers and paladins. Choosing the right spells is crucial for making sure your artificer is an effective party member. You can check out my artificer spell guide for an idea of what spells to take.

Optimising an artificer

Artificers are built for both spellcasting, buffing and whatever role their subclass provides which can be fairly varied. Below I’ve pulled apart your various options to help you build a highly optimised artificer.

Ability scores

Recommended options

• Intelligence: Your most important ability score by far. This will determine the potency of your spellcasting, your flash of genius feature and even your attacks depending on which subclass you pick.
• Dexterity: The armor you take will determine how much you invest in dexterity. Light armor will require high investment, for medium armor you’ll want to take it to 14 and for heavy armor (if you’re an armoured), you can avoid investing in it altogether.
• Constitution: It’s not just your AC that determines your resilience. You’ll want more hit points too. Constitution will help with this and make your concentration harder to break.

Options to avoid

• Strength: You have no need for this. Even melee artificers can use intelligence instead of strength for weapon attacks.
• Wisdom: You have little need for this.
• Charisma: You’re not built for face skills, leave this for bards, paladins and other charisma-centric classes.

Ability score	Point Buy	Standard Array
Strength	8	8
Dexterity	15	14
Constitution	15	13
Intelligence	15	15
Wisdom	8	12
Charisma	8	10

Skills

Recommended options

• Arcana: Solid knowledge skill and as a rare, intelligence based class, one of the best options for specialising in this.
• History: Another decent knowledge skills to take advantage of your intelligence.
• Investigation: Investigating things will often come up and it’s also an intelligence based skill.
• Nature: Decent enough knowledge skill and uses intelligence which you’ll be strong in.
• Perception: Not a great ability score for an artificer, but perception is useful for everyone in the party.
• Sleight of hand: You should have a decent dexterity and with thieves’ tools proficiency, you can make a strong burglar option when the party is absent of a rogue.

Options to avoid

• Medicine: Just grab a healing potion or something like magic initiate to get healing word.

Race

I’d consider a race that enhances the following kinds of features for an artificer:

• Resilience: Artificers are naturally well-armored but not that tough. They are also often used in melee combat. This means making your artificer more resilient will only help them survive on the front lines. Consider races that can improve hit points, provide resistances or other durability traits. Safety features like flight and teleportation can also be useful to improve your survivability.
• Spellcasting: As natural spellcasters, any kind of spellcasting enhancements or innate spells are only going to help round out your spellcasting capabilities and give you more options.
• Intelligence-based: Some races will specify certain ability scores you increase. If that’s the case, you’ll want to prioritise an intelligence increase followed by dexterity and constitution.
• Heightened damage: Ultimately, most artificer subclasses lean into being damage dealers. Enhancing this can be useful if you can through your race.

Recommended races

The races of D&D 5e have gone through various iterations. Below I’ve recommended races that work well with an artificer using the most recently published version from D&D 5e (2014).

• Aasimar – Temporary flight for the duration of most combats that adds extra damage to attacks and spells is great for an artificer trying to stay out of the way of the fray (and there are no restrictions on armor). Healing hands is great for a utility caster and resistance to necrotic and radiant damage is handy too.
• Astral Elf – Teleport as a bonus action is great for artificers who often need to dodge out of danger. Proficiency in perception is useful and sacred flame ensures you always have a damage dealing cantrip.
• Autognome – 2 extra tool proficiencies, easy healing outside of combat, resistance to poison, immunity to disease, advantage against paralyzed and built for success stacks nicely with flash of genius. Autognomes feel almost built for artificers (literally) and their abilities work nicely together.
• Eladrin – Fey step is very handy for teleporting away from danger while (and you get extra benefits when you use this too) trance gives you a couple of extra proficiencies which you can change according to the needs of the party, all very handy for an artificer.
• High Elf – +2 to dexterity and +1 to intelligence suit an artificer quite nicely. Proficiency in perception is always useful and a free cantrip from the wizard’s spell list is very useful as you get minimal spell options.
• Goblin – Nimble escape is great for keeping an artificer safe with disengage or hide as a bonus action (you’ll also get advantage on an attack roll). Fury of the small is also great as you get extra damage on attacks or spells when attacking something of a size larger than yourself (which most creatures are).
• Goliath – The main appeal here is stone’s endurance as you can reduce damage you receive as a reaction by d12 + your constitution modifier. Goliath’s are a particularly strong option for front-line artificers like the battle smith and some armorers as you only get d8 hit points.
• Shadar-Kai – Blessing of the Raven Queen lets you teleport out of trouble and gives you resistance to all damage for a turn. Great for getting out of trouble and even better for getting into trouble (if you’re a battle smith). Proficiency in perception and a different weapon or tool proficiency each day are handy too.
• Shifter – A great one for battle smiths and armorers. Choose Beasthide for your shifting form and get lots of extra temporary hit points and an increase to your AC which will be very helpful to complement your low hit points for a melee class.
• Warforged – +1 AC is very helpful for battle smiths and armorers (but still good for all artificers). You also get a free skill and tool proficiency and a few nice resistances. +2 to constitution and +1 to any ability score (which you’ll want to chuck at intelligence) are great for an artificer too.
• Yuan-Ti Pureblood – Magic resistance is always excellent, as is poison resilience for making you tougher. A couple of decent innate spells in poison spray and suggestion too.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds are great for adding a bit of flavour to a character and providing some small skill perks, gear and minor abilities. Generally for an artificer, you’ll want to focus on intelligence based skills and extra tool proficiencies (as the tool king).

With that in mind, below are some of the better background options for an artificer:

• Acolyte – Decent skill proficiencies in insight and religion, 2 languages and perks at temples (like free healing).
• Clan Crafter – History and insight are good skill options for an artificer. You’ll also get proficiency in a type of artisan’s tools and you get an extra language. Plus it’s very thematically appropriate.
• Faction Agent – Insight and the choice of another skill make a great choice of proficiencies. You also get 2 languages and affiliation with a powerful organisation.
• Far Traveler – Insight, perception and a language are decent for an artificer, though you’ll likely rarely use persuasion as artificers are rarely the best option for a party spokesman. You get proficiency in an instrument too for what it’s worth.
• Sage – Arcana and history are good skill proficiencies for an artificer and you get 2 languages too.

Choosing your subclass

Artificers have less subclass options than any other class in 5e, but they also drastically change how you play the class too. To help you choose, I’ve summarised each subclass below and you can check out my guides on each one for more details:

Feats

When taking an ability score increase or using a variant Human, you can gain access to feats, taking one instead of the ability score increase. Some DMs will also give you a feat when you create your character for added flavour. Just check with your DM that they allow feats.

I’d suggest the following options for an artificer:

• Chef – Gain 1 constitution, get some healing powers and temporary hit points. Pretty good for a utility class.
• Fey Touched – Increase your intelligence by +1 and get misty step and a 1st level spell with a free use every long rest. Misty step is a great spell for artificers to get out of danger (and isn’t on the artificer spell list). You can grab something like hex for extra damage output too.
• Fighting Initiate – Gain a fighting style to add to your weapon capabilities. Works nicely for melee and ranged artificers that aren’t relying so much on spells for their damage output.
• Healer – Stabilise creatures and give them 1 hit point lets them get back into action without using a healing spell, plus you can sometimes heal them with more hit points too.
• Lucky – Making 3 rerolls a day is powerful for any class!
• Magic Initiate – Get 2 cantrips and a 1st level spell from any spell list. Great for getting top spells from other classes like eldritch blast or booming blade.
• Metamagic Adept – Enhance your spells with the metamagic ability from the sorcerer class.
• Medium Armor Master – +1 AC if you have at least 16 dexterity (when wearing medium armor) and no disadvantage on stealth checks when in medium armor. A great option for a class that relies heavily on medium armor to make sure they’re not too vulnerable.
• Shadow touched – Not quite as good as fey touched as you can get invisibility through your class list, but a couple of extra prepared spells and free castings remains useful for an artificer.
• Skill Expert – Better at even more skills is great.
• Skilled – 3 more skills to be proficient in is also great.
• Spell Sniper – Double spell range for attack spells, can ignore cover when casting attack spells and an extra cantrip. All very handy for an artificer that might rely on spells for damage dealing and wants to stay out of danger.
• War Caster – Use spells for attacks of opportunity and get advantage on concentration checks. Great for melee artificers who may well be making more concentration checks than most or gaining more attacks of opportunity (cantrips and levelled spells will often outperform a single weapon attack, especially as you reach mid to high levels).

Weapons

Some artificers will rely heavily on weapon attacks like battle smiths and armorers. Others will find they outperform their cantrips at lower levels, but may want to switch to cantrips at later levels. It’s also worth mentioning that with infusions, you can easily enhance your weapons further making them potentially more powerful.

I’d recommend the following weapons:

• Hand Crossbow – Great if you use the repeating shot infusion which will allow you to wield a shield and a hand crossbow (as you can reload without having a hand spare). Great for ranged combat with extra AC.
• Light Crossbow – Up until 5th level, this will do more damage than your cantrips so if you want to go heavy on damage, this is a strong ranged option but you will need to make sure you have strong dexterity.
• Musket – If your DM allows firearms, this is your most powerful option. d12 is a lot of damage for a ranged weapon (the best damage actually) but it does need loading so if you have an extra attack, you may want the repeating shot infusion.
• Pistol – If you want to go more defensively minded, you can have a pistol, a shield and use the repeating shot infusion. At d10 damage, pistols still pack a punch and are probably your best option for an artificer if firearms are allowed by your DM.

Battle smiths may want to consider slightly different weapons than those of most artificers due to their martial weapon training and extra attack. If you’re running into melee combat, then you’ll likely want to take a shield as your hit points aren’t particularly high. You can take a longsword with it for d8 damage. Otherwise, a longbow is probably your best option for ranged combat (other than firearms if you’re using the repeating shot infusion).

Armorers also have built in weapons into their armor which will usually be the best option for their weapons.

Armor

As you have proficiency in medium armor, and you probably won’t want to invest so heavily in dexterity that light armor is worthwhile, you’ll likely want to use medium armor. I’d start with scale mail and upgrade to half plate once you’re able to. If you do want to be good at stealth, then grab a breastplate instead at the sacrifice of 1 AC.

Artificers don’t have that many hit points, but can often get stuck in the fray so having a shield (even if it occupies one of your hands) is often worthwhile at the sacrifice of a little damage output.

Of course, if you’re an armorer, you may want to go all the way with some full plate as you can handle heavy armor. This will completely negate the need for investing in dexterity.

Artificer builds

You can go for a variety of roles as an artificer. As such, I’ve given some build ideas you can use depending on the role you want your character to fill.

Other class guides

Not sure an artificer is for you. Why not check out one of our other class guides for more inspiration.