Forge Adept Artificer: D&D 2024 Optimisation Guide

Forge legendary weapons with Keith Baker’s forge adept subclass, updated for D&D 2024.

Forge adepts are those artificers that possess the ancient and mystical traditions of weapon and armor smithing passed down from the daashor artificers of the Dhakaani empire. The Dhakaani are an empire of goblinoids that possessed the finest weaponsmiths of Khorvaire.

These secrets of artifice involve the imbuing of one’s soul into a creation to enhance it. Most forge adepts will be goblinoids of the Dhakaani empire, but other species can obtain this knowledge by studying under a master, training themself in these arts or even stealing this knowledge.

Keith Baker, the legendary creator of the Eberron setting, has released a revised version of his 3rd party book, Exploring Eberron. It’s been updated for D&D 2024 and adds extra lore and character options for the Eberron setting and is available on D&D Beyond now. In this article, I’ll take you through the updated forge adept artificer subclass including tactics, optimisations, how good the subclass is and what’s changed.

At a glance

Half caster with lots of utility
Can create magic items to enhance themselves and allies
Martial subclass with a powerful weapon
Can enhance damage of allies too

4/5 – The forge adept is a really good subclass built for melee and thrown weapon combat, but let down by a single issue. Unfortunately, it’s quite a big issue. Without a good spell for spell storing item, they become significantly weaker than some of the other subclasses possessing the likes of fireball and conjure barrage that they can hand to a pet for extra casting capabilities. Before this point, the forge adept is a great option, especially for a melee artificer.

How has the forge adept changed?

The forge adept was a strong and well designed subclass in the 2014 rules. However, it does get a decent number of small tweaks. Mostly, these make small improvements to the subclass that bring it in line with 2024 design philosophy, but some of its attack boosts come at slightly later levels now. Unfortunately, one additional update would have really helped this subclass keep up at higher levels but more on that later.

The changes to the forge adept include:

Quicker weapon crafting: Crafting weapons now takes half the time.
Weapons as a spellcasting focus: You can now use a weapon you’re proficient in as a spellcasting focus.
Ghaal’Shaarat changes: Is no longer an infusion and simply an enhancement to a weapon. It only requires an action to imbue a weapon instead of a long rest. Increases in the attack and damage rolls from the weapon are now part of other features. This means that they kick in a little later with +2 moving from level 8 to level 9 and +3 moving from level 13 to level 15. The weapon is granted the thrown property no matter what weapon you choose and returns to your hand when thrown. The thrown range is also the most of any thrown weapon.
Runes of war enhances unarmed strikes: Runes of war now provides a damage boost to unarmed strikes as well as weapon attacks.
Perfect weapon changes: You no longer need to choose a benefit, these are just always in effect from level 15. The damage type from elemental weapon is determined every time you hit rather than after a long rest making your damage type more adaptable. In addition, you can choose to make all the damage from your weapon attack to be of the chosen damage type or it’s normal damage type.
Weapon of legend optional capstone feature: Like other artificer subclasses, the forge adept gets an optional level 20 feature to replace the usual soul of artifice feature.

Forge adept features

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Tools proficiency (Lv3) – 2/5

Smith’s tool proficiency and half time crafting weapons is fine but just a ribbon feature.

Forge adept spells (Lv3) – 2/5

The forge adept doesn’t have the best spell list if I’m honest. The level 1 spells are strong though. Shield of faith can go a long way to making you more durable (which is needed) and armor of Agathys is pretty good. The level 2 spells are less good with spiritual weapon being OK but consuming your concentration while warding bond seems like a bad idea for a mostly melee subclass that isn’t that resilient (meaning you’re just getting hit more).

Unfortunately, it’s the level 3 spells that are the biggest let down. Neither are particularly good. This is a big problem for a 2024 artificer as spell storing item now let’s you store level 3 spells. Neither of these are better than the options you have with the core artificer class which weren’t great for a spell storing item already. This will create a big power gulf with other artificer subclasses at higher levels as some of them have much better spells for spell storing item.

The level 4 and 5 spells are at least better, but with this revision, the forge adept could really have done with at least one improved level 3 spell.

Battle ready (Lv3) – 4/5

Intelligence attacks and martial weapon proficiency make you much more viable as a martial option. You can easily dump strength and limit dexterity to 14 on an optimal build and still make strong attacks. This makes it much easier to focus on your all important intelligence and then constitution (or feats).

Using your weapon as a spellcasting focus gives you options for combining weapon attacks and spellcasting.

Ghaal’Shaarat (Lv3) – 5/5

Granting +1 to attack and damage rolls on a weapon is something an artificer can already do through replicate magic item. However, this allows you to focus your replicate magic item options on other gear which is handy.

You can also throw any weapon imbued with this power and have it return to you. This means you can take a two handed sword and hurl it at your enemies allowing you to have perhaps the most powerful ranged weapon in the game purely through class features. In fact, a thrown weapon warrior is probably the most logical and effective forge adept build because of this and their relative lack of resilience for a martial subclass.

Up until level 5, you can also combine this with true strike for even more damage.

Extra attack (Lv5) – 5/5

Attacking twice instead of once is a big damage buff. This is especially the case for a forge adept who should have some of the strongest and most accurate attacks in the game due to their Ghaal’Shaarat and choice of two handed weapons that also return to your hand allowing you to attack in this way twice per turn.

Runes of war (Lv9) – 5/5

Improving your Ghaal’Shaarat to +2 is a good damage boost and it kicks in a level earlier than you would have had this through replicate magic item.

The extra aura damage can easily be worth the action cost with a larger party with plenty of martials, especially if they make lots of attacks. If you have monks in the group, this can be especially effective. You can easily adapt the damage type to your enemies and should have enough uses to use this for most combat encounters. That is assuming you’ve invested heavily in intelligence, which you have no reason not to and should have this quite high by this level.

Perfect weapon (Lv15) – 5/5

+3 weapon is better than you can get through replicate magic item and is a strong damage boost. If you want to dive into melee, then you can easily transfer this damage boost to AC instead which is a handy option.

On top of this, all your hits will land more damage and you can change your attacks between 5 additional damage types. This means resistances should almost never be an issue for you.

Pshychic damage isn’t particularly common so not the best resilience, but still welcome. Charmed and frightened are common and immunity to these is great.

Weapon of legend – optional (lv20) – 5/5

An always on aura of war is strong on its own, but now you can change the damage type, increase the damage for most combats and cause additional damage to creatures in your aura (which will often be 2d6 + 1d4 each round). This does push the forge adept into more of an all out melee subclass more than the thrown subclass it might have been before (so you can keep enemies closer), but this is certainly manageable.

Remember, this feature is an optional replacement for soul of artifice and must be agreed on by your DM.

How good is the forge adept subclass?

When I rated the original forge adept built for 5e 2014, I gave it a 5/5 as a high damage option with damage dealing buffs for allies too. Largely, the 2024 version is the same but mostly better designed.

However, there’s an important issue with the forge adept. The 2024 artificer is heavily reliant on spell storing item from level 11+ to really up it’s power levels. It’s also reliant on it’s subclasses to have good options for this. Battle smiths get conjure barrage, artillerists get fireball and armorers get lightning bolt. All of this make great spell storing item fodder. Unfortunately for the forge adept, it gets beacon of hope and remove curse. Neither of these are great spells and they’re certainly not the kinds of spells you hand to a homunculus servant to repeat cast 10 times per adventuring day.

Sadly, this means that the forge adept becomes quite underpowered from level 11 despite a load of strong features elsewhere. If you plan on only playing to level 10 anyway, then this remains a strong subclass. Beyond this though, you may feel underpowered.

It still remains a mostly good subclass with one blemish and it’s a shame that one of those level 3 spells wasn’t updated. In every other way, I really like this subclass.

4/5

Building an optimised forge adept

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Forge adepts are most similar to battle smiths as another melee based artificer. This means building for melee and spellcasting. That’s not too difficult with intelligence shared between spellcasting and weapon attacks duties.

To help you out, I’ve gone into detail on how you can build an optimised forge adept.

Ability scores

Recommended options

Intelligence: Your spellcasting ability and the one you’ll use for a lot of your best features like flash of genius and spell storing item as well as for attack rolls and your number of uses for runes of war.
Dexterity: You’ll want this at least to 14 to maximise on the defence from medium armor.
Constitution: All classes benefit from more resilience and forge adepts even more so than most as they need this to survive in melee combat. It’ll also help with any concentration spells you’re maintaining.

Options to avoid

Strength: Dump, you’ve got no use for strength.
Wisdom: Only useful for some skills and saving throws, otherwise, not worth investing in.
Charisma: This is mostly for face skills and these don’t come naturally to an artificer so I wouldn’t invest much here either.

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: Common knowledge skill and you have the intelligence to back it up.
History: Another common intelligence skill.
Investigation: Investigation comes up a fair bit and as one of the few intelligence based classes, you’re in a good place to help here.
Nature: This feels like the domain of rangers and druids, but as an intelligence skill, this is another that an artificer is well placed to focus on.
Perception: Perception is always useful, especially if you’ll be filling in for a rogue.
Sleight of hand: Great option if you don’t already have a rogue with this.

Stealth isn’t on the artificer list of skills, but I’d consider it for a forge adept if you don’t have another more natural rogue. You can grab this through your background or from something like the skilled feat or Human species.

Species/race

I’d look for species with the following qualities:

Resilience: Make yourself tougher or more evasive through things like more hit points, resistances or flight. As a relatively vulnerable martial subclass, you’ll need as much resilience as you can get.
Innate spellcasting: The more spells you possess the better. And as a utility caster, an expanded range will benefit you a fair bit.
Damage dealing: Primarily, forge adepts are there to deal damage. Traits that can enhance this are a great option for a forge adept.

Recommended options

Aasimar (2024): Damage resistances as well as some light healing for recovering allies are solid. Temporary flight will be good for when you’re a bit more battered and need to get off the front lines and to relative safety.
Dragonborn (2024): A resistance for better defence and the breath weapon works well with extra attack for another AoE option. Temporary flight is great like it is for an Aasimar.
Gnome (2024): Extra magic resilience is great as you’ll undoubtedly be the target of some spells. Minor illusion and speak with animals are better options than what the Rock Gnome gives.
Goliath (2024): Lots of great options that can either help you enhance damage, defence or movement, all of which are useful for a battle smith.
Human (2024): If you need to boost your skill proficiencies to take full advantage of all those knowledge skills or add in stealth proficiency, then Human’s a good option. The consistent supply of heroic inspiration is handy too. However, the extra origin feat is probably the trait you want most, especially if you want to grab something like the tough origin feat, which is normally only available with backgrounds that don’t work for the artificer.
Shifter (2024): Temporary hit points and a choice of benefits. Beasthide for the extra AC, wildhunt for some better resilience and swiftstride for the faster movement and the extra safety. Longtooth doesn’t really work on forge adepts who rely on intelligence for attacks so the unarmed attack will be relatively weak due to a low strength. The skills aren’t the best for an artificer, but everything else works well.
Warforged (2024): More AC, poison resilience, a skill and tool proficiency and a few other buffs all work really well for a forge adept that wants to be tougher and have more skills at their fingertips.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds are much more important now in D&D 2024 with ability score increases, origin feats and skills all now linked to your background.

For a forge adept, I’d prioritise intelligence and then one of dexterity or constitution with the below being your best options:

Name	Ability scores	Origin feat	Skill proficiencies	Tool proficiency
Criminal	Dexterity, constitution, intelligence	Alert	Sleight of hand, stealth	Thieves’ tools
Merchant	Constitution, intelligence, charisma	Lucky	Animal handling, persuasion	Navigator’s tools
Sage	Constitution, intelligence, wisdom	Magic initiate (wizard)	Arcana, history	Calligrapher’s tools
Scribe	Dexterity, intelligence, wisdom	Skilled	Investigation, perception	Calligrapher’s tools

I’d go with criminal for a stealth build or sage if you want more knowledge skills and spellcasting.

Feats

Origin feats

I’d say the below are your best origin feats for an artificer. Ironically, crafter is a poor option for an artificer who can do the things the crafter feat suggests in better ways usually:

Lucky: Advantage on d20 tests and disadvantage on your aggressors is universally useful. Especially as avoiding getting hit is one of the best ways to not lose concentration.
Magic initiate: Grab some extra spells known from another spell list. A good way to make yourself even more flexible with spellcasting.
Musician: A generally excellent origin feat for helping your allies out with some heroic inspiration (kind of like a slightly better lucky, you give to your friends).
Skilled: If the party needs a bit more proficiency in knowledge skills or you need to fill in for a rogue, then this works well for you. This can bump up your number of skill proficiencies a decent bit.
Tough: Really valuable extra hit points for a class on the lower end of these and a subclass that needs some resilience.

General feats

At level 4, you can start picking up general feats. These are some of the better options for a battle smith:

Fey touched: Misty step and another spell with free castings is pretty good and misty step makes a decent safety spell.
Genie magic: Another spell to cast and there’s plenty of utility here as you can simply choose any that’s on the sorcerer spell list.
Mage slayer: Great for disrupting spellcasters and gives you something similar to legendary resistance.
Medium armor master: If you can afford to get your dexterity up to 16, then this is worth +1AC for you which is decent. That extra dexterity will be helpful for a lot of skills, but not for weapon attacks which rely on intelligence.
Ritual caster: If you feel like you’re struggling to have enough of the spells you want available to you, then this is the best way to boost your utility with more spells gained through this feat than any other. You can check out my full guide to ritual casting for more tips.
Shadow touched: Invisibility and an illusion spell are great for a caster class. Especially one built for stealth.
Shield master: A free push or prone attempt when you make attacks and forge adepts can definitely benefit from a shield for that extra resilience. It also makes you better against dexterity saving throws, which is especially useful for nasty AoE spells, but it works better with a higher dexterity.
Speedy: A good option for martial artificers that want to use hit and run tactics.
War caster: Better concentration and easier spellcasting between items is the advantage here.
Weapon master: Grab a weapon mastery property which can then enhance your attacks further.

Weapons

Forge adepts want to be using their Ghaal’Shaarat weapon as much as possible. This means a few options don’t really make sense. Ranged weapons won’t work well here (though you can use thrown weapons, in fact your Ghaal’Shaarat is always a thrown weapon). Dual wielding also doesn’t make much sense.

This leaves you with two handed weapons or a sword and shield build. You can even throw those two handed weapons so you can attack from a reasonably safe distance. If you need to last longer (perhaps because you’ll be doing less throwing and more hacking) then go for a sword and shield build. Longswords and battleaxes can be a great option here. If you want to deal more damage (whether by throwing or melee attacks) then go with a two-handed weapon. A greatsword is the highest damage of these but the greataxe comes a close second, and the idea of cleaving while throwing a greataxe is incredibly fun!

Armor

Go for medium armor and at least 14 dexterity. Half plate for maximum protection, breast plate if you want to be using stealth. A shield is a good option for some extra defence, just be aware of some potential item juggling for casting spells.