Inaccurate?

Artificer

(Eberron Campaign Setting variant, p. 29)

Artificers are perhaps the ultimate magical dabblers.

Hit die

d6

Alignment

Any

Starting gold

5d4 x 10gp

Skill points

4 + Int

Class Features

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Artificers are proficient with all simple weapons, with light and medium armor, and with shields (except tower shields).

Infusions: An artificer is not a spellcaster, but he does have the ability to imbue items with magical infusions. Infusions are neither arcane nor divine; they are drawn from the artificer infusion list (see Chapter 5: Magic). They function just like spells and follow all the rules for spells. For example, an infusion can be dispelled, it will not function in an antimagic area, and an artificer must make a Concentration check if injured while imbuing an item with an infusion.

An artificer can imbue an item with any infusion from the list without preparing the infusion ahead of time. Unlike a sorcerer or bard, he does not select a subset of the available infusions as his known infusions; he has access to every infusion on the list that is of a level he can use.

It is possible for an artificer to learn infusions that are not on the normal artificer infusion list. These might include ancient infusions he finds in the ruins of Xen'drik or secret infusions known only to the members of certain guilds or organizations. When he encounters such an infusion, an artificer can attempt to learn it by making a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + spell level). If this check succeeds, he adds the infusion to his list. If not, he can try again when he gains another rank in Spellcraft, assuming he still has access to the new infusion.

To imbue an item with an infusion, an artificer must have an Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the infusion level (Int 11 for 1st-level infusions, Int 12 for 2nd-level infusions, and so forth). The save DC is Intelligence-based.

Like spellcasters, an artificer can use only a certain number of infusions of a particular level per day. His base daily infusion allotment is given on the accompanying table. In addition, he receives extra infusions per day if he has a sufficiently high Intelligence score (see Table 1—1: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells, page 8 of the Player's Handbook).

An artificer's infusions can only be imbued into an item or a construct (including warforged). He cannot, for example, simply imbue an ally with bull's strength. He must instead imbue that ability into an item his ally is wearing. The item then functions as a belt of giant strength for the duration of the infusion. He can, however, imbue bull's strength directly on a construct or a character with the living construct subtype, and infusions such as repair light damage and iron construct function only when imbued on such characters.

Many infusions have long casting times, often 1 minute or more. An artificer can spend 1 action point to imbue any infusion in 1 round (like a spell that takes 1 round to cast).

Like a spellcaster, an artificer can apply metamagic feats he knows to his infusions. Like a sorcerer, an artificer can apply a metamagic feat to an infusion spontaneously, but doing this requires extra time. An artificer can craft alchemical items as though he were a spellcaster.

An artificer cannot automatically use a spell trigger or spell completion item if the equivalent spell appears on his infusion list. For example, an artificer must still employ the Use Magic Device skill to use a wand of light, even though light appears on his infusion list.

Each day, an artificer must focus his mind on his infusions. He needs 8 hours of rest, after which he spends 15 minutes concentrating. During this period, the artificer readies his mind to hold his daily allotment of infusions. Without such a period of time to refresh himself, the character does not regain the infusion slots he used up the day before. Any infusions used within the last 8 hours count against the artificer's daily limit.

An artificer never requires a divine focus to imbue an item with an infusion. In cases where an infusion duplicates a spell that requires either a material component or a divine focus, or requires either an arcane focus or a divine focus, the artificer uses the arcane material component or arcane focus.

Craft Reserve: An artificer receives a pool of points he can spend instead of experience points when crafting a magic item. Each time the artificer gains a new level, he receives a new craft reserve; leftover points from the previous level do not carry over. If the points are not spent, they are lost. An artificer can also use his craft reserve to supplement the XP cost of the item he is making, taking a portion of the cost from his craft reserve and a portion from his own XP.

Artificer Knowledge: An artificer can make a special artificer knowledge check with a bonus equal to his artificer level + his Int modifier to detect whether a specific item has a magical aura.

The artificer must hold and examine the object for 1 minute. A successful check against DC 15 determines that the object has magical qualities, but does not reveal the specific powers of the item.

An artificer cannot take 10 or take 20 on this check. A particular item can only be examined in this fashion one time; if the check fails, the artificer can learn no more about that object.

Artisan Bonus: An artificer gains a +2 bonus on Use Magic Device checks to activate an item of a kind for which he has the prerequisite item creation feat. For example, an artificer who has the Craft Wand feat gains a +2 bonus on checks to use a spell from a wand.

Disable Trap: An artificer can use the Search skill to locate traps when the task has a Difficulty Class higher than 20. Finding a nonmagical trap has a DC of at least 20, or higher if it is well hidden. Finding a magic trap has a DC of 25 + the level of the spell used to create the trap.

An artificer can use the "Disable Device"skills/disable-device/ skill to disarm magic traps. Usually the DC is 25 + the level of the spell used to create the trap.

An artificer who beats a trap's DC by 10 or more with a Disable Device check can study a trap, figure out how it works, and bypass it (with his party) without disarming it.

Item Creation (Ex): An artificer can create a magic item even if he does not have access to the spells that are prerequisites for the item. The artificer must make a successful Use Magic Device check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell normally required to create the item. Thus, to make a 1st-level wand of magic missile, an artificer would need a Use Magic Device check result of 21 or higher.' To create a bottle of air (caster level 7th), he would need a check result of 27 or higher to emulate the water breathing prerequisite.

The artificer must make a successful check for each prerequisite for each item he makes. If he fails a check, he can try again each day until the item is complete (see Creating Magic Items, page 282 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). If he comes to the end of the crafting time and he has still not successfully emulated one of the powers, he can make one final check—his last-ditch effort, even if he has already made a check that day. If that check also fails, then the creation process fails and the time, money, and XP expended to craft the item are lost.

For purposes of meeting item prerequisites, an artificer's effective caster level equals his artificer level +2. If the item duplicates a spell effect, however, it uses the artificer's actual level as its caster level. Costs are always determined using the item's minimum caster level or the artificer's actual level (if it is higher). Thus, a 3rd-level artificer can make a scroll of fireball, since the minimum caster level for fireball is 5th. He pays the normal cost for making such a scroll with a caster level of 5th: 5 X 3 X 12.5 = 187 gp and 5 sp, plus 15 XP. But the scroll's actual caster level is only 3rd, and it produces a weak fireball that deals only 3d6 points of damage.

An artificer can also make Use Magic Device checks to emulate nonspell requirements, including alignment and race, using the normal DCs for the skill. He cannot emulate skill or feat requirements, however, including item creation feat prerequisites. He must meet the caster level prerequisite, including the minimum level to cast a spell he stores in a potion, wand, or scroll.

An artificer's infusions do not meet spell prerequisites for creating magic items. For example, an artificer must still employ the Use Magic Device skill to emulate the light spell to create a wand of light, even though light appears on his infusion list.

Magic items created by an artificer are considered neither arcane nor divine.

Bonus Feat: An artificer gains every item creation feat as a bonus feat at or near the level at which it becomes available to spellcasters. He gets Scribe Scroll as a bonus feat at 1st level, Brew Potion at 2nd level, Craft Wondrous Item at 3rd level, Craft Magic Arms and Armor at 5th level, Craft Wand at 6th level, Craft Rod at 9th level, Craft Staff at 12th level, and Forge Ring at 14th level.

In addition, an artificer gains a bonus feat at 4th level and every four levels thereafter (8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th). For each of these bonus feats, the artificer must choose a metamagic feat or a feat from the following list: Attune Magical Weapon, Craft Construct (see the Monster Manual, page 303), Exceptional Artisan, Extra Rings, Extraordinary Artisan, Legendary Artisan, Wand Mastery.

Craft Homunculus (Ex): At 4th level, an artificer can create a homunculus as if he had the Craft Construct feat. He must emulate the spell requirements (arcane eye, mending, and mirror image) as normal for making a magic item, and he must pay all the usual gold and XP costs (though he can spend points from his craft reserve). An artificer can also upgrade an existing homunculus that he owns, adding 1 Hit Die at a cost of 2,000 gp and 160 XP.

If an artificer gives his homunculus more than 6 Hit Dice, it becomes a Small creature and advances as described in the Monster Manual (+4 Str, —2 Dex, damage increases to Id6). The homunculus also gains 10 extra hit points for being a Small construct.

An artificer's homunculus can have as many Hit Dice as its master's Hit Dice minus 2. No matter how many Hit Dice it has, a homunculus never grows larger than Small.

Retain Essence (Su): At 5th level, an artificer gains the ability to salvage the XP from a magic item and use those points to create another magic item. The artificer must spend a day with the item, and he must also have the appropriate item creation feat for the item he is salvaging. After one day, the item is destroyed and the artificer adds the XP it took to create the item to his craft reserve. These points are lost if the artificer does not use them before gaining his next level.

For example, an artificer wants to retain the essence of a wand of summon monster IV that has 20 charges. Originally created (like all wands) with 50 charges, it required 840 XP when initially made, or 16.8 XP (840 – 50) per charge. The artificer is able to recover the XP from the remaining charges. He puts 336 XP (16.8 X 20) into his craft reserve.

Metamagic Spell Trigger (Su): At 7th level, an artificer gains the ability to apply a metamagic feat he knows to a spell trigger item (generally a wand). He must have the appropriate item creation feat for the spell trigger item he is using. Using this ability expends additional charges from the item equal to the number of effective spell levels the metamagic feat would add to a spell.

For example, an artificer can quicken a spell cast from a wand by spending 5 charges (4 additional charges), empower the spell by spending 3 charges, or trigger it silently by spending 2 charges. The Still Spell feat confers no benefit when applied to a spell trigger item.

An artificer cannot use this ability when using a spell trigger item that does not have charges, such as prayer beads.

Metamagic Spell Completion (Su): At 11th level, an artificer gains the ability to apply a metamagic feat he knows to a spell completion item (generally a scroll). He must have the appropriate item creation feat for the spell completion item he is using. The DC for the Use Magic Device check is equal to 20 + (3 X the modified level of the spell). For example, applying the Empower Spell feat to a scroll of cone of cold, creating a 7th-level effect, has a DC of 20 + (3 X 7), or 41. An artificer can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + his Int modifier.

Skill Mastery: At 13th level, an artificer can take 10 when making a Spellcraft or Use Magic Device check, even if stress and distractions would normally prevent him from doing so. This ability circumvents the normal rule that a character may not take 10 on a Use Magic Device check.

Artificer Options: A number of the additional options in this book make good choices for an artificer. Feats: Attune Magic Weapon, Bind Elemental, Exceptional Artisan, Extra Rings, Extraordinary Artisan, Legendary Artisan, Wand Mastery.

Advancement

Infusions per Day
Level BAB Fort Ref Will Special Craft Reserve 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
1st +0 +0 +0 +2 Artificer knowledge, artisan bonus, disable trap, item creation, Scribe Scroll 20 2
2nd +1 +0 +0 +3 Brew Potion 40 3
3rd +2 +1 +1 +3 Craft Wondrous Item 60 3 1
4th +3 +1 +1 +4 Craft homunculus, bonus feat 80 3 2
5th +3 +1 +1 +4 Craft Magic Arms and Armor, retain essence 100 3 3 1
6th +4 +2 +2 +5 Craft Wand 150 3 3 2
7th +5 +2 +2 +5 Metamagic spell trigger 200 3 3 2
8th +6/+1 +2 +2 +6 Bonus feat 250 3 3 3 1
9th +6/+1 +3 +3 +6 Craft Rod 300 3 3 3 2
10th +7/+2 +3 +3 +7 400 3 3 3 2
11th +8/+3 +3 +3 +7 Metamagic spell completion 500 3 3 3 2 1
12th +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 Craft Staff, bonus feat 700 3 3 3 2 2
13th +9/+4 +4 +4 +8 Skill mastery 900 3 3 3 3 2
14th +10/+5 +4 +4 +9 Forge Ring 1,200 4 3 3 3 3 1
15th +11/+6/+1 +5 +5 +9 1,500 4 4 3 3 3 2
16th +12/+7/+2 +5 +5 +10 Bonus feat 2,000 4 4 4 3 3 2
17th +12/+7/+2 +5 +5 +10 2,500 4 4 4 4 3 3
18th +13/+8/+3 +6 +6 +11 3,000 4 4 4 4 4 3
19th +14/+9/+4 +6 +6 +11 4,000 4 4 4 4 4 4
20th +15/+10/+5 +6 +6 +12 Bonus feat 5,000 4 4 4 4 4 4

Class skills

Skill name Key ability Trained only Armor check penalty
Appraise INT no no
Concentration CON no no
Craft INT no no
Disable Device INT yes no
Knowledge (arcana) INT yes no
Knowledge (architecture and engineering) INT yes no
Knowledge (the planes) INT yes no
Open Lock DEX yes no
Profession WIS yes no
Search INT no no
Spellcraft INT yes no
Use Magic Device CHA yes no

Spells for Artificer