Analysing how good the variant artificer capstones are and whether you should allow them at your table
Keith Baker is the original creator of the Eberron setting, of which, the artificer is a key class. In his recently released revision of Exploring Eberron, updated for D&D 2024, he argued that the artificer’s 2024 capstone feature, soul of artifice, doesn’t properly capture the essence of the varied subclasses.
Instead, Baker proposes that, with the DM’s permission, players can use a variant capstone feature. Exploring Eberron provides individualised capstone features for each artificer subclass including the forge adept and maverick subclasses.
In this article, I’m going to dive into these variant capstones and whether they’re worth taking in place of soul of artifice and whether DMs should feel comfortable giving these options to their players.
How does soul of artifice work?
Soul of artifice gives 2 benefits:
- Cheat death: Disintegrate replicated magic items when knocked to 0HP for 20HP per magic item.
- Magical guidance: Regain expended uses of flash of genius on a short rest if attuned to at least 1 magic item.
While a good feature, I can certainly see what Baker means. This doesn’t feel like a hugely artificer-type feature. It’s more about resilience than invention and I’m not sure why magic items would make you last longer or why being attuned to an item would mean you have more flashes of genius. I also don’t like they idea of losing the buffs from your magic items to activate part of this.
All the variant artificer capstones
Alchemist: Perfected Elixirs
How it works
This grants the alchemist 2 additional elixirs each long rest. Panacea restores full hit points and removes all conditions or recovers them from death if they died in the last hour with 1HP. Vivacity grants the benefits of the resilience, boldness and flight elixirs for 8hrs with a 50ft fly speed.
Evaluation
These are both quite powerful elixirs and definitely feel more in keeping with the alchemist theme. I like the healing option better than what soul of artifice grants. Alchemists should be aiding allies and this allows that. It also removes all conditions which is very handy. All without losing magic items which felt like a frustrating nerf with soul of artifice. On its own, this is basically the equivalent of power word heal (a level 9 spell).
Vivacity is a fairly strong buff and 8hrs is most of the time you’ll likely spend adventuring in a day. Basically this makes someone more resilient and have flight. Great for avoiding danger.
Overall, perfected elixirs feels very strong with the equivalent of a level 9 spell plus another quite powerful effect. It’s perhaps a tad on the powerful side, but not enough to be broken. It certainly manages to be more thematic than soul of artifice.
5/5
Armorer: Overcharge
How it works
Blast a large line (100ft long, 15ft wide) of damaging energy that causes 30d6 damage (half on a successful saving throwing).
Evaluation
This is an average of 105 damage (or 53 on a successful save) with an AoE that will likely hit multiple enemies (especially because it’s quite wide and quite long) this is likely to do some huge damage.
As a comparison, at level 17, the warrior of the open hand deals an average of 65 damage against a single target with quivering palm. An upcast lightning bolt to level 9 deals an average of 49 damage per target with a wider line.
Theres no denying this is powerful and you only need a couple of enemies in your path to make this hugely effective. However, I’d argue it’s too potent. I like the idea of a huge laser blast from your armor, but I think the damage should be dropped to about 15-20d6, even for a level 20 feature.
6/5
Artillerist: Infused cannon
How it works
Once per long rest, you can cause your cannons to produce a more powerful effect using a magic action. A larger, more damaging flamethrower, an AoE blast or greater healing that’s more potent than the protector and cures some conditions.
Evaluation
In terms of potency, you’re kind of getting the equivalent of 2 level 3 spells at the same time. The damage from barrage is less than the level 3 spell fireball and the dragon flame is similar in size and damage to the level 3 spell conjure barrage. The healing is similar to mass cure wounds (a level 5 spell), but probably won’t affect as many creatures. It will heal from a handful of conditions though.
You get 2 of these effects. With 1 magic action, I’d argue that’s more potent than a level 5 spell which is supposedly the equivalent. I’d argue that’s quite good and definitely worth expending a level 5 spell slot on to get another use. It’s definitely more flavourful than soul of artifice.
4/5
Battle smith: Steel vanguard
How it works
For a minute, you enhance your steel defender with 4 attacks, limitless arcane jolt, 50 temporary hit points and flight.
Evaluation
There’s some decent extra resilience here. Flight is useful, but the best place for a steel defender is by your side so unless you also have flight, this may not be that useful. The extra damage is fairly high though. Quadruple for your steel defender just through the multiattack aspect, but limitless arcane jolt means you can have all your attacks and your steel defender’s attacks adding another 2d6 damage. That’s an extra 12d6 each turn if you go for the damage option or the same amount of healing.
All of this over an entire encounter translates into quite a lot of extra damage. You’ll just need to make sure your steel defender can last.
5/5
Cartographer: Travel anywhere
How it works
You can cast gate without a spell slot or material components and it can transport you anywhere on your current plane as well.
Evaluation
The idea that a level 20 cartographer should be able to get you anywhere makes complete sense. It’s definitely potent gaining access to an enhanced level 9 spell. However, the need to transport in that way can feel sometimes situational and at other times, like it bypasses carefully laid DM plans. If there’s a need to access another plane, for example, then a method will be available. Gate is almost certainly easier, but in some ways, it can just feel like you could have travelled by the means the DM provided for you instead.
3/5
Forge adept: Weapon of legend
How it works
Your aura of war is now always active, you can change the damage type with a bonus action, creatures take damage when starting their turn in your aura of war and you can enhance the damage of your aura of war a few times each long rest.
Evaluation
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). I’d argue that most forge adepts will be able to empower their aura for most major encounters each day making for some potentially serious extra damage.
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 workable, despite your more modest resilience.
5/5
Maverick: Improved genius
How it works
Once per long rest, you can cast any spell of level 8 or below as a magic action (replacing its usual casting time).
Evaluation
Gaining access to level 6-8 spells is already strong, but to have access to all of them gives you a huge amount of flexibility. Removing costly components and even longer casting times is also great and makes things like heroes’ feast and resurrection easily available. In fact, you can resurrect an ally mid-combat easily.
This is a seriously flexible capstone feature!
5/5
Summary
While I don’t necessarily hate soul of artifice, I do find myself agreeing with Keith Baker; it does lack the flavour of an artificer and perhaps the right kind of potency. I would also prefer to not be in a position where an artificer needs to basically debuff themself by losing their magic items (at least temporarily).
I think I prefer all of Baker’s alternative capstone features from a flavour point of view and generally like them mechanically. They certainly do err on the powerful side though. I think the armorer has an especially potent feature that I’d be tempted to reduce in power. I do also think the cartographer has a method for cheesing situations, especially with the added capabilities of gate, and yet it also feels less potent at the same time than all the other options.
Overall, I like the use of a level 20 artificer capstone being subclass specific, but just be aware of power creep there.
The Armorer: Overcharge ability is just a weaker and smaller area Meteor Swarm. I think its great flavor, design, ect. But I dont find it overpowered. I would 100% allow my players to use it.
That’s completely fine and it’s not necessarily game-breakingly broken (as you say, other things in the game are more powerful). My comparison though is against other capstone features. As far as I can tell, it’s more powerful than any other official capstone and even more powerful than the other variant capstones in Exploring Eberron (which already lean on the powerful side).
I guess what I want to highlight is the power disparity there between capstone features.