Battle Smith – D&D 5e Artificer Subclass Guide (2014)

Combat crafters, battle smiths wield weapons and command a companion construct to become a capable martial artificer.

At a glance

Battle smith features

Tool proficiency – Lv3

You gain proficiency with smith tools, which, among other things, will let you fix or rebuild your steel defender.

Battle smith spells – Lv3

How it works

You gain the following as prepared spells at the relevant levels:

Artificer Level	Battle Smith Spells
3rd	Heroism, Shield
5th	Branding Smite, Warding Bond
9th	Aura of Vitality, Conjure Barrage
13th	Aura of Purity, Fire Shield
17th	Banishing Smite, Mass Cure Wounds

Tactics

• Some spells on this list are a little challenging to practically use for a battle smith. For example, branding smite requires a bonus action, dealing similar damage to your steel defender and tackling invisibility in a way that is difficult to succeed at. This is only really an option when your steel defender is out of action.
• Similarly, aura of vitality requires a bonus action each time you activate it for a small amount of healing, which again, is likely to be competing with your steel defender regularly on turns (and the healing capabilities of arcane jolt).
• Banishing smite is more powerful, and worth using instead of your steel defender. But once you get this at level 17, the threshold to actually banish a creature is so low on hit points that anything affected has likely received considerable wounds or wasn’t that tough to start with.
• Warding bond can be a good way to spread damage, but I’m not sure that you, as a martial subclass lacking in the resilience department, should be the one absorbing that damage.
• Thankfully other spells fare batter. Shield is excellent for greater resistance and isn’t a drain on your action economy. Heroism is a great source of continuous resilience, conjure barrage is a large AoE spell giving you an option for tackling crowds and fire shield can either put enemies off attacking you, or damage them if they do.
• This spell list is perhaps the only weak spot on the battle smith. However, battle smiths aren’t primarily a spellcasting subclass. Most battle smiths should expect to use their action economy in combat for attacks and commanding their steel defender rather than regularly casting spells.

Battle ready – Lv3

How it works

You gain proficiency with martial weapons and you can use your intelligence modifier for attack and damage rolls when wielding a magic weapon.

Tactics

• You’re an artificer so magic weapons are easy to come by. Just infuse a standard weapon to make it magical and ensure you wield it.
• Obviously the impetus here becomes on ensuring you have a high intelligence score. It also means you can easily dump strength and maintain dexterity at about 14 for your medium armor use. Martial weapon training unlocks single handed, d8 damage weapons that you can use with a shield. Alternatively, you can also get two handed weapons you can wield for maximum damage but less defence. Your steel defender should usually occupy your bonus action making dual wielding a waste.
• I’d tend to favour a shield as durability will be the battle smith’s biggest weakness. You can do other things to bolster survivability though, like employing hit and run tactics by using something like the mobile feat.

Steel defender – Lv3

How it works

You now have a construct as a companion that follows your commands. It can be commanded using a bonus action, including to attack in combat.

Tactics

• This construct is essentially a regular source of bonus action damage. It becomes the equivalent of a better bonus action attack than dual wielding would provide. It will tend to be a better use of your bonus action than most other options will provide (depending on the circumstances).
• It’s also another source of hit points, able to absorb a few enemy attacks.
• Even if you don’t use it to attack, it will still use the dodge action and can take reactions to invoke disadvantage on attack rolls. I’d recommend using this every round you can to reduce damage from enemies a little.
• Repairing a downed steel defender isn’t too hard, but takes a minute so is an outside of combat activity. However, you can take the mending spell to heal it in combat and bring it back online. This happens to be one of the few reliable uses of the mending spell and I’d suggest taking it for a battle smith.
• You can use your steel defender to aid and protect you, but it can be used to help allies too if you’d rather hang out of harm’s way.

Extra attack – Lv5

How it works

You gain an extra attack when you take the attack action.

Tactics

• This elevates your damage output considerably and means weapon attacks should usually be your go to form of damage.
• It will also mean that weapon damage easily outperforms cantrips damage. This is especially the case when you factor in infusions and intelligence-based attacks.

Arcane jolt – Lv9

How it works

Once per turn, when you hit with a magic weapon or your steel defender hits an enemy, you can either deal an extra 2d6 damage, or heal someone nearby by 2d6.

Tactics

• With 3 attacks made per turn, you should reliably be able to do this every turn (while you still have uses).
• The action economy here is even better than something like healing word with it occurring as part of an attack, rather than requiring it’s own bonus action to use. This can make you a good source for recovering allies that have fallen to 0HP.
• It obviously also enhances your potential damage output.
• This also becomes another reason to invest heavily in intelligence for more uses of this.

Improved defender – Lv15

How it works

Your arcane jolt now deals 4d6 damage or healing, your steel defender gains +2 AC and deflect attack causes a small amount of damage to the attacker.

Tactics

• There’s not necessarily a tactical shift required here, but you simply become more powerful at this point.

How good is the battle smith subclass?

The battle smith is a surprisingly capable warrior with a damage output that’s up there with other martials. It lacks a little natural resilience, but makes up for this with things like the shield and fire shield spells, its steel defender and the ability to bear a shield.

On top of all of this is the artificer’s natural spellcasting, including some rudimentary healing, infusions and some decent battlefield control and this is a strong subclass. In particular, the ability to use intelligence for weapon attacks enables the battle smith to become quite proficient in weapon attacks.

The only small blight on the battle smith are several prepared spells that are of little practical use. However, considering the focus of the subclass is generally around weapon attacks and its steel defender, this is probably more about balance than a particular issue for a spell-lite artificer subclass.

5/5

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Optimising a battle smith

If you want to play a battle smith, you’ll want to build into their combat prowess. Enhanced damage dealing and resilience are good areas to focus on. As a part caster, they can also benefit from enhanced spellcasting.

Below, I’ll take you through the various character options to help you build and optimise your battle smith.

Ability scores

Recommended options

• Intelligence: Your most important ability score by far. It’s not only crucial for your spellcasting, but also your weapon attacks too. It will also determine things like your uses of arcane jolt and how easily your steel defender can hit.
• Dexterity: You won’t have access to heavy armor so you’ll want this to be at least 14 to take full advantage of medium armor. You won’t need this for weapon attacks fortunately, but keeping your AC as high as possible will be important for durability.
• Constitution: Great for maintaining concentration on spells and increasing your hit points. While intelligence is the priority, this will go a long way to ensuring you can survive a long time in battle.

Options to avoid

• Strength: You have no need for this.
• 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	14	14
Constitution	15	13
Intelligence	15	15
Wisdom	10	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, cure wounds or something like magic initiate to get healing word.

Races

I’d consider a race that enhances the following kinds of features for a battle smith:

• Durability: As a martial subclass with just a d8 hit die, battle smiths are less durable than most martials. Anything your race can do to enhance this will be beneficial, whether that be increased AC, resistances or more hit points. Survival features can help too like the ability to teleport or fly when needed.
• Spellcasting: Spellcasting is less important to battle smiths than other artificers, but that doesn’t mean it’s unimportant. Knowing more spells and having free castings will remain useful.
• 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, your main job is to deal lots of damage as a battle smith. Increasing this in any way possible will always be helpful.

Recommended options

• Astral Elf – Teleport as a bonus action is great for battle smiths who often need to get 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 enhance resilience and accuracy which works nicely for a battle smith.
• Eladrin – Fey step is very handy for teleporting away from danger (or into it) while trance gives you a couple of extra proficiencies which you can change according to the needs of the party, all very handy for an battle smith.
• High Elf – +2 to dexterity and +1 to intelligence suit a battle smith 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 a battle smith safe with disengage or hide as a bonus action. This makes hit and run tactics viable. 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). It also doesn’t conflict with arcane jolt, allowing both to be used simultaneously.
• Goliath – The main appeal here is stone’s endurance as you can reduce damage you receive as a reaction by d12 + your constitution modifier. And battle smiths need extra endurance!
• 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. Proficiency in perception and a different weapon or tool proficiency each day are handy too.
• Shifter – 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 relatively low hit points for a martial subclass.
• Warforged – +1 AC is very helpful for battle smiths. 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 decent for a battle smith too.
• Yuan-Ti Pureblood – Magic resistance is always excellent, as is poison resilience for making you tougher. Poison spray likely won’t outperform your weapon attacks once you hit level 3, but suggestion is decent.

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 a battle smith, 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 insights 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 battle smiths 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 a battle smith and you get 2 languages too.

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 that your DM allow feats.

Feats can add powerful options to a character, but it’s important you pick feats that will complement an battle smith’s skillset nicely. Below are some options I’d recommend:

• Fey Touched – Increase your intelligence by +1 and get misty step and another 1st level spell with a free use every long rest. Misty step is a great spell for battle smiths to get out of danger (and isn’t on the artificer spell list).
• Fighting Initiate – Gain a fighting style to add to your weapon capabilities. Especially useful for a battle smith.
• 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 cantrips from other classes.
• Metamagic Adept – Enhance your spells with the metamagic ability from the sorceror 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.
• War caster – If you intend on using plenty of concentration spells, you may want this available. It will also help to cast spells with full hands and making opportunity attacks with spells.

Weapons

With weapon attacks using your intelligence modifier, once you hit level 3, these become the obvious option for a battle smith. You’ll work best fighting alongside your steel defender which means getting stuck into melee combat. However, your steel defender can protect other party members meaning a ranged build is viable.

Below are a few approaches you could take:

• Sword and shield: Battle smiths aren’t as resilient as most martials. If you plan on diving into melee combat, then I’d recommend going with a shield for that extra durability. A longsword is a good option for your weapon.
• Two-handed weapon: If you’d rather maximise damage output, then you can forego a shield and take a great sword (your highest damage option). I still think a shield build is better, but this is a perfectly decent option, if a little more reckless.
• Ranged weapons: You could also go with a ranged build, letting your steel defender fight alongside allies instead. In this case, a pistol or musket are your best options. You’ll want to use the repeating shot infusion to make the most of your extra attack here.
• Booming blade/green flame blade: you could also go for a sword and shield build that primarily uses one of these cantrips. It means wasting your extra attack but with a higher damage potential through the extra damage from the spell. I do think this is less reliable as the extra damage from booming blade depends on the enemy’s actions and green flame blade relies on certain circumstances. It also means being reliant on a single attack hitting. However, if you do hit (and other conditions are met), these spells will average about 22 damage per use vs 17 damage at level 5 with a longsword when extra attack kicks in.

I would steer away from dual wielding. It uses up your bonus action which is occupied with commanding your steel defender. Your steel defender will outperform an offhand weapon attack so isn’t worth bothering with for a battle smith.

Armor

As you have proficiency in medium armor, and you won’t want to invest so heavily in dexterity that light armor is worthwhile, you’ll likely want to go with medium armor. I’d start with scale mail and upgrade to half plate once you’re able to.

With your relative lack of hit points compared to other martials, I’d also suggest grabbing a shield. It’ll mean a little less damage, but the +2 AC is probably more valuable.

Other class guides

Not sure a battle smith is for you. Why not check out one of our other class guides for more inspiration.