Artificer Infusions you should ALWAYS take

[@TheRobversion1]

Here's my own take and insights on some infusions you might not have seen the use for: 1. armor of magical strength- this is specifically for grapplers. 2. boots of the winding path- screams "booming blade with me fernando." 3. helm of awareness- i think you underrated this one. winning initiative is always good for action economy. definitely something to pick up once you have spare infusion slots. 4. spell-refueling ring- you're right here RAW and RAI. JC has already clarified that pact slots and spell slots are interchangeable in his font of sorcery tweets. this is excellent for warlocks indeed. 5. bag of holding- this is not only great for the bag of holding bomb combo but for the "superhero changing room" wherein you create a bunch of glyphs of wardings and store them inside the bag of holding then step in and trigger all those buffs and step out a superhero when you're in dire straits. with that said, this spell is another commonly banned spell by most DMs that i encounter. A couple of other inputs on the replicate magic item: 1. The developers have mentioned in a podcast that the intent on replicate magic item is really to exclude on potions (alchemist) and scrolls (scribe) as they didn't want to step on the design space of those 2 subclasses. 2. The developers have also clarified that consumable/1-use items are intended as they have pointed out specifically the consumable/1-use items in Xanathar to be eligible (both in the podcast and the actual ability text) such as the bead of nourishment, pot of awakening, bead of refreshment, etc. 3. There wont be any incoming errata as they have clarified as this is intended and people are simply drawing the wrong conclusions. Here's my own top 10 spellwrought tattoo picks: 1. find familiar 2. bless 3. fog cloud 4. heroism 5. hex 6. shield of faith 7. goodberry 8. cure wounds 9. sleep (tier 1 only) 10. silvery barbs (if allowed at the table) Here's also my own top 5 common replicate magic item picks: 1. spellwrought tattoo 2. clockwork amulet 3. pot of awakening 4. hat of vermin 5. dark shard amulet/hat of wizardry/ruby of the war mage

[@ConstructedChaos]

Fair points as always! I'm stoked that Spellwrought is here to stay! And I did think I might be underrating the helm of awareness a bit. It's especially viable in the hands of something like a gloomstalker but I didn't want to oversell it with so many other extremely viable options. Also, I am very very big on the perfume of bewitching. I feel like there's a lot to be said about charming NPCs for information, better deals, etc. without them knowing they were charmed!

[@TheRobversion1]

@@ConstructedChaos yeah i think spellwrought tattoo diversifies the artificer a bit since it's a support class at it's base much like a bard. it's like their own poor man's magical secrets. given that artificer is a fave of the DM's ban/nerf hammer then people complain that they're weak, having versatility is good for the class. agreed on perfume of bewitching. it's actually better than charm person imo. it can be even great for infiltration with an artificer lets say picking up eldritch adept: mask of many faces.

[@leodouskyron5671]

Thanks for saying this. Saved me a lot though I disagree on your spell and item picks - that is just standard operating procedure right? ((FYI what players really need is two lists in the book- one for the attunment infusions by level and one for the non-attunment by level.))

[@garyco766]

@@leodouskyron5671 The obvious question then is what would your item/spell picks be?

[@TheRobversion1]

@@leodouskyron5671 agreed on a better listing of the possible infusions.

[@faceless6709]

To anyone who says the Eldritch cannon can't be held by the homunculus Servant, just remember that both spiders and cats are both tiny, just because they're the same size category doesn't make them the same size.

[@ConstructedChaos]

That's a great illustration of this rule!

[@ThespianDevil]

Finally, someone touched on this.I don’t get how some people don’t realize that the size catergories, are in groups like Tiny is

[@toxicalyss]

The eldritch cannon can be tiny and the homonculus servant is small. Therefore you get a cannon drone that flys and always shoots at advantage if the servant picks it up or combines with it since how your servant's shape is up to you. No one ever said about recoil from those cannons so we can ignore it.

[@chrisjones6002]

@@toxicalyss Makes sense to me and I plan on doing that with mine as long as the DM is ok with it, I'm sure he will be. Why would the cannon have advantage in that situation?

[@toxicalyss]

@@chrisjones6002 Granting advantage or disadvantage based on the environment is encouraged but the decision again rests with the DM. Eventually you just have to trust a DM to make you feel cool. Flying is elevated ground.

[@weaselwolf]

Headband of Intellect infusion really changed the game for my current campaign. The party's melee DPS got taken over by an intellect devourer. After they got his body back and rezzed him the artificer slapped the headband on him as a psychic hardhat. The item locks your int at 19, which means not only do you get half decent int saves it also makes you immune to the int damage and subsequent takeover. As long as you're attuned your int is 19, period. It also completely changed the character from being the good natured himbo to the burgeoning strategist and leader. The player started using his abilities in more clever ways, started layong out plans and traps, directing his comrades, etc. The artificer actually stopped having to be the party dad and started acting more like a bruiser, happy yo be free of the defacto leadership role. Completely flipped the party dynamic. That said, it's all roleplay and unless you're going against mind flayers it's probably pretty useless. But still, it made things fun.

[@ConstructedChaos]

This is exactly what I had in mind! Nice use case there and I bet that was super memorable for all of you!

[@TheThreeHeadedDragon]

The cloak of protection also gives a plus one to all of your saving throws and that alone makes it worth it.

[@ConstructedChaos]

For sure!!

[@Creepyslandofdreams]

2:28 Armor of magical strength has a hilariously special place in my heart. I was playing a tortle Artificer, and another party member (A bugbear) had the idea of throwing me like a weapon while I was in my shell. Okay, So I put armor of magical strength on my shell, our DM agreed with my explanation that since the armor made the wearer stronger, it should also make me harder to slow down midair, and thus deal more damage. In the end, I got chucked at enemy's for the entire campaign. I was a living beyblade, and it was perfect.

[@ConstructedChaos]

OMG Let it rip!!! Hahahah

[@afrosamurai3847]

While a funny happen stance nothing really supports the idea. And RAW you couldn't even infuse your shell as that isn't armor. So while I'm glad the dm made the experience fun it's leaning into that precedent of I rolled a nat 20 so I kill God at level 3 that I don't really like in the game at large. When you push too far outside the scope of the game and rules why are you even playing the game in the first place when you could just be entirely free to make up anything roleplaying without any restrictions.

[@jacksonmoen5230]

@@afrosamurai3847 well it doesnt really matter to anyone else whether or not you like it, and you don't get to question other peoples play-styles, what you're doing is sorta like gatekeeping

[@afrosamurai3847]

@@jacksonmoen5230 I'm strictly speaking of RAW that situation wouldn't have went down. But you are correct if people want to fully go nonsensical with it for the sake of rp then that's fine but they are going outside the realm of dnd at that point as the whole point of playing DND or the like is to put rules in place for structure as well as mechanics to use otherwise you're just roleplaying. Nothing wrong with it but just the fact of the matter.

[@victorcoom5450]

@@afrosamurai3847 DnD is a tabletop ROLEPLAY game. Idk if you just got rid of that word in your mind but rp is very important in dnd and arguably more important than the rules

[@136jab]

You can actually have 8 if you are an Armorer, you get 2 extra active infusions at level 9 as long as they are both on your armor.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Yep! You're absolutely correct!

[@googloocraft12]

Can you do this with a magic armor like armor of invicibility?

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@googloocraft12 You can use magical armor for the armorer's other abilities but you can't put infusions on it as per this one, sadly. Infusions themselves require that the target item be non-magical to start!

[@googloocraft12]

@@ConstructedChaos do the level 9 of artificer armorer that make the armor count a separate pieces could make possible to put infusion? Because it says the chest now count for the armor and you have boots, helmet, and armor’s special weapon.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@googloocraft12 I'd leave that up to the DM but I believe that ROI says "no" to that as well. The armor itself is magical, meaning that, presumably, every piece of it--even if separated--would be considered magical and not viable for infusions.

[@danidas]

Here is a fun option, play as a Harengon Artificer and get the following infusions - Feather Token, Boots of Striding and Springing, Ring of Jumping, and Armor of Magical Strength. Then combine all of them at lvl 10 over 2 turns to grapple a enemy and rabbit hop 90 feet(half of your 180foot jump height) into the air with them before letting go. At which point since your going to fall more then 20 feet the Feather token will automatically activate to give you feather fall. However your target won't be that lucky and will face 9d6 of fall damage for a max of 54 damage.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Oh I love this hahahaha! Way to make use of those infusions! 😂

[@The_Yukki]

Max 54 damage sounds kinda sad at lvl 10 for a price of 3magic items. Cool idea but it's big investment for little result.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@The_Yukki sometimes half the fun is the creativity of the solution and not just the efficiency of it!

[@The_Yukki]

@@ConstructedChaos I guess so, I'd rather just give a +1 (or probably +2 at that level) weapon to my martial and watch them have fun with the only thing they can do. Effective and teamwork.

[@OrangeLiqueur]

Sadly, this doesn’t work, because jumping uses your movement.

[@WolfCry791]

Resistant Armor is actually great if you're a tank in a party with a blaster that loves fireball. With it, I took 3 fireballs to the face and didn't drop...at level 6. It's worth it in some cases

[@ConstructedChaos]

You’re not wrong! Of all the infusions that give resistance to damage, it’s the front runner.

[@joshuatran6526]

I dm for an artificer at level 9, resistant armor is fairly tricky to pull off. You have to both know what you are fighting and that they will be mostly using one type, neither of which are certain

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@joshuatran6526 exactly my point!

[@princephantom1294]

Or your wizard could just learn to place their fireballs better, or cast literally any other spell. Hypnotic pattern, slow, fear, heck even lightning bolt would probably be easier to avoid hitting teammates with if they are committed to damage dealing

[@jeffreyallen2542]

Or early on if you got a barbarian path of the bear totem, give em psychic resistance armor and boom, they're resistant to every damage type while they rage

[@lord6617]

Returning weapon is just enhanced weapon with benefits. Few characters of the lower tiers actually use all of their attunements. If you are playing an artificer and know what you want ahead of time, most backgrounds offer a language/instrument option. Just take wind instruments and you are set for Pipes of Haunting. They are AoE concentrationless fear with a good mid-game DC of 15. One of the more powerful and underrated magic items because of those qualities. I have played a couple clerics who got these and they were a godsend - letting me mix in other useful actions while concentrating on bless, etc. I feel like anyone who thinks a ring of free action is meh has never faced a challenging DM. Either for you or your fighter, paralysis, grappling, movement speed reduction - are crippling, and not uncommon.

[@danidas]

Returning weapon is perfect for a Spear especially when paired with the Polearm Master feat. As you turn it into an amazing all around weapon that you can stab something with, then throw at something else, and lastly you can use a bonus action to whack something with the other end of it. Lastly as a cherry on top any creature that gets near you provokes a opportunity attack from you and if paired with the War Caster feat that opportunity attack can become any fast casting spell that targets only that creature.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I can definitely see your point on the Pipes of Haunting but I never said Ring of Free action was bad. But, getting it at level 14 and requiring attunement as well makes it a rough pick in my book!

[@ConstructedChaos]

Returning weapon doesn’t give you a +2 at level 10 and it’s effect isn’t as good as the radiant weapon in my opinion. Now, it doesn’t require attunement so that’s a plus. But for what else you’re giving up for it, I think it’s not really worth it unless you’re making a character that specializes in thrown weapons.

[@TheRobversion1]

agreed on the pipes of haunting for tier 1 play.

[@chesster415]

@@ConstructedChaos Returning Weapon is strictly better than Enhanced Weapon for any weapon with the thrown property until 10th level. Since Artificers can swap out infusions when they level up it's hard to sell taking Enhanced Weapon over Returning Weapon for the first two tiers of play, (e.g. most of the game) unless you really want to enhance a weapon that absolutely cannot be thrown. Radiant Weapon can be good between level 6-10, if you have no other source of magical light, which you definitely do as an Artificer, or the wielder of your weapon doesn't have any better use of bonus actions or reactions, which might be the case around those levels, but it's highly situational. Giving a melee martial a reliable ranged option, is admittedly also situational but in my experience it comes up a lot more often. Especially if your martial character has a Polearm Master, Sentinel or War Caster feat or the _shield_ spell.

[@MrSpeakerCone]

I'd absolutely allow spellwrought tattoos as infusions. A single casting of a level 1 spell once per day per PC is hardly game-breaking. Plus, we get to see a magic tattoo artist, which is its own kind of awesome.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I agree 100%!!

[@Smilley85]

Unless Spellwrought Tattoos have been errata'd, they are one use and done. Sure, Artificers can create more after they have been used up. This makes for some broken combos like creating Familiars for the entire party - the spell is finished after conjuring the familiar, so the tattoo disappears, but the effect is permanent. Or even better: Find Steed. Get an Int 6 warhorse or mastiff that can understand you, that you can command telepathically and that can fight alongside you. RAW does not even specify you need to know the spell yourself when creating the tattoo - though that is an easy way for the DM to cut down on shenanigans.

[@MrSpeakerCone]

@@Smilley85 Artificer infusions can only create up to lvl-1 spells in the tattoos they make (common rarity), so there's no risk of using it for Find Steed. Find Familiar is a strong choice but hardly game-breaking, even if every PC gets one. But on a more philosophical level, are we really AGAINST shenanigans? At my table, shenanigans are half the reason we're playing!

[@chesster415]

@@Smilley85 Unless Spellwrought Tattoos have been errata'd, they can be used infinite times until the spell ends. For instantaneous spells like Find Familiar or Find Steed that's one and done, (though for a permanent effect). For spells like Aid, Armor of Agathys, Cordon of Arrows, Glyph of Warding or Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound that's an hour or more of free spammable spells. Though due to the common rarity limitation only 1st level spells can be in artificer infusions, and for the strict RAW DMs who want to prevent the abuse of this without banning TCoE stuff, nerfing Spellwrought Tattoos by adding a casting limit or nerfing artificer infusions to disallow consumables, you can point out that RAW does not even specify you can decide what the spell is when creating the tattoo. Nowhere in the Infuse Item ability or the Spellwrought Tattoo description does it indicate who chooses which spell the tattoo contains. We've seen by precedent that ambiguous spells and abilities like that default to DM chooses, which cuts down on shenanigans without adding restricting, but by not letting players assume that any ambiguity works in whatever way they prefer.

[@Living_Life242]

@@Smilley85 I also like the idea of using Spellwrought Tattoos (or the lesser known Lesser Wish Stones which I believe are canon (they were in a supplemental pack for Beyond the Witchlight)) to cast Ceremony during downtime when everyone already has a Familiar. That way you can also stock up on some free Holy Water or marry people or whatever. I kinda like the idea of the party fighting a vampire and the Artificer pulls out a bandolier of vials of Holy Water like, “I’ve been preparing for this moment for a long time”.

[@bgdragon99]

As a guardian armorer focusing on high AC & survivability, my favorite infusions are: *Homunculus Servant - It gives you a use for you Bonus action at lower levels and at level 11, it can start using your spell storing item. Shatter (or heat metal for non armorers) and Aid are a couple of my favorite spells to have stored. *Enhanced Defense (Repulsion Shield is strictly better from LVLs 6 to 9) - I carry a shield, so this is a +3 (+4 at 10th level) to my AC. A no-brainer when AC boosts are so hard to come by in dnd. *Enhanced Weapon (Radiant Weapon is strictly better from LVLs 6 to 9) - This lets me use my gauntlets with a bonus. This will probably be your bread and butter, but if somehow you get an artifact weapon at later levels, it might be worth it to replace this with a Belt of Hill Giant Strength or Gauntlets of Ogre Power to use the STR-based weapon. Battle Smiths are lucky that they get to use their INT for ANY magic weapon. *Replicate Magic Item (Winged Boots)- LVL 10 - No-action, no-concentration fly speed up to 4 hours a day... yes! Your wizard will be jealous. *Replicate Magic Item (Cloak of Protection/Ring of Protection) - LVL 10/14 - A static +1 to AC and Saving throws, and they stack. *Resistant Armor - You get to pick the resistance type when you infuse the item each day, so if you know what you're fighting, you can save spell slots by not having to cast Absorb Elements. *Amulet of Health - depending on what your starting stats were, you might have to invest a lot of ASI's to get your CON (and hitpoints) up. Or infuse the amulet and use your ASI to get the tough feat to make sure you have even more HP to survive the front lines. *Honorable mentions: *Spell-storing Ring - Extra spells good. *Helm of Awareness - LVL 10 - Going first good. *Replicate Magic Item (Gem of Seeing) - LVL 14 - True sight good.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Great suggestions here! Gem of seeing in particular is one I like a lot but didn't think much about when making this video! True sight good, indeed!

[@Kiljaedenas]

You missed a critical feature of Repeating Shot @ 7:50, it also generates ammo for you. You can fire all day, every day, and never run out.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Ah yes! Forgive me, I typically ignore ammunition in my games outside of the loading property itself.

[@Kiljaedenas]

@@ConstructedChaos ...that's surprising. Shot count and the weight/space requirements of the ammo are quite important to track.

[@uberrod]

This also means you can use hand crossbows with shields and still get the benefits from Crossbow Expert (bonus action shot).

[@New2DM2]

Homunculus Servant handling Cure Wounds or getting in range when the PC can't is pretty great. Overlooked mechanic opportunity.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Without a doubt!!

[@kamilkudzia9839]

Also, giving your Homunculus a weapon (or a tool) that you made into a Spell-Storing Item (11th level Artificer Feature) Suddenly, you have multiple uses of a single 1st or 2nd level spell as a Bonus Action, since you can use that to command your Homunculus to use the item! I have a Dagger with 10 uses of Vortex Warp that I give to my Homunculus, and I can rule the battlefield with it, teleporting myself, my allies or my enemies wherever I want them!

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@kamilkudzia9839 Yep!! The build I’m working on currently does this to great effect! And this is definitely a great way to get the most out of your action economy!

[@jordanholt9170]

If you want to go down a more support role, picking up the Healer feat and giving your Homunculus a med kit does something similar and can be online as early as level 4.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@jordanholt9170 I did consider this for my build but I think it'd be largely DM dependent. Case in point, YOU have the healer feat (not the homunculus) and you wouldn't be casting a spell through it. You'd be giving it a command. RAW I don't think this works but I'd probably let it happen as the DM for that much of an investment.

[@DracoSuave]

Homunculus Servant is amazing Action Economy! Any item that you can use as an action can be ordered to be used by the Homunculus (or Guardian if a battlesmith) as a minor action so this can be used to 'launder' actions and get the most use out of your turn!

[@ConstructedChaos]

Yes it is!! I don't think I've ever built an artificer without using homunculus servant for at least some of the build!

[@DracoSuave]

@@ConstructedChaos If nothing else you can dump your minor action into a ranged attack and players will toss an entire ASI into a feat for that benefit.

[@TheRobversion1]

i think in general artificers are very strong action economy wise and an optimized one typically walks around with a menagerie: 1. familiar 2. awakened shrub 3. homunculus/steel defender 4. tiny servant 5. maybe even a summon construct basically WOTC created the pokemon class.

[@torez1561]

Unfortunately my dm won't let me use that, it's such a headache for him when instead of one character he has to deal with an entire army. I'm already quite a problematic character in this regard, having a mount, a ballista and a familiar with me. Even so, it seems to me that the homunculus servant is equal to the familiar in terms of capabilities, if there is access to one (with the permission of the dm, you can get it through a spellwrought tattoo), it makes little sense to spend an infusion on a homunculus

[@LarsaXL]

I have never heard anyone say that Humonculus Servant is a worse version of Find Familiar, I do hear the opposite a lot though, that it is like Find Familiar but better.

[@ConstructedChaos]

You see, that makes plenty of sense and I agree. I’ve always heard people say that and I’ve never understood why haha

[@TheRobversion1]

@@ConstructedChaos i'm one of those people haha. Here were my reasons: 1. when you also have find familiar as an artificer, it becomes a question of action economy. familiars can do everything else aside from an attack as a free action. homunculus consumes a bonus action. 2. to add to the above, if you have stuff that consistently consumes your bonus action to make an attack such as a steel defender, pam/cbe, etc the familiar is simply the better option to have. 3. homunculus will consume an infusions used slot. find familiar wont. with that said, i haven't said there's no point to taking the homunculus as it's always advantageous to have more bodies on the field so in fact once you have more infusions used slots free in the build, i'd recommend taking it.

[@ruga-ventoj]

@@TheRobversion1 why not be a Battlesmith with a Homunculus and a Familiar lol. The battlesmith and the homunculus would technically clog up the BA but you don't need to command both to do something good with them. A steel defender doesn't need to attack every turn as it's most important festure is its' Reaction: Force Deflection to force a Disadvantage on attacks. And the Homunculus's most important feature is it Reaction: Share Spell. Drop a Cure Wounds here or there or even a shocking grasp to stop a reaction Counterspell. Even when a Familiar is on the field, you can have them help or share spells on different targets. If you are spicy and got a the Twin Meta magic, then you can twin and share a spell two different far party members. Also outside of combat. Having three extra bodies doing a Perception check, all with dark vision, is a DM headache waiting to happen lol. Also add in spell sharing Guidance and Tinker Torches to expand darkvison range is to make sure you are always a useful team support.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@ruga-ventoj i think you didn't read my last paragraph. lol. i did say to take it. my comment was just addressing which is better not whether homunculus was worth taking or not. more bodies on the field is always good. agreed on all your points.

[@ruga-ventoj]

@@TheRobversion1 I did read it but I guess I just wanted to point out how ridiculous how many bodies one class can permanently put on the field. Just imagine, a party of two can keep up with a slightly bigger party of 4 or 5

[@mixplit9071]

I think you likely undervalued the Cloak & Ring of Protection. You didn't even mention that both add +1 to all saving throws in addition to the AC bonus. The save bonus is actually probably more valuable that the AC bonus.

[@garyco766]

He also forgot to mention that the helm of awareness means you can't be surprised. That's HUGE in any campaigns.

[@binolombardi]

@@garyco766 yea I agree with the helm of awareness. An artificer might not have a strong wisdom score, and there is plenty of reason to pick skill/tool proficiencies instead of perception. Negating surprise can make a substantial difference when taking into account how much surprise and initiative can impact any combats difficulty.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I probably could’ve leaned into it more, yes! But I definitely didn’t mean to undersell the cloak/ring of protection! I display the listings of the items so that I don’t have to go over aaaaaalll of it. The video was already at 35min so I cut some bits out haha!

[@TheRobversion1]

yeah the bonus to saves is the reason to take those items and not the bonus to ac. your ac being targeted is just dmg. easily mitigated. your saves being targeted means conditions and all sorts of nasty stuff. not easily mitigated. artificers don't have counterspell either.

[@salimufari]

Necklace of Adaptation combined with pass through stone. Meaning you can stay inside the wall or stone long after you would have suffocated normally. This would also allow you to spend time in the elemental plane of stone & not die instantly.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Certainly a use that I hadn’t considered for it!!

[@TheThreeHeadedDragon]

Also, being able to breathe inside any environment means they'd be able to breathe underwater and inside of a Bag of Holding indefinitely. They essentially become a Warforged with that item.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@TheThreeHeadedDragon You're not wrong there! It definitely has some niche use cases!

[@NRMRKL]

If you start playing at level 2 or above and play an elf or another race who similarly has a long life span, you can grab Potter's Tools proficiency and the Replicate Magic Item: Pot of Awakening infusion. You can then claim to have spent the last 60 years of your long life crafting pots and planting shrubs in the pot of awakening which will give you an army of 730 Awakened Shrubs!

[@TheRobversion1]

pot of awakening is one of the best infusions though i bet most DMs ban/nerf the "army" approach. like my DM limits us to 1 awakened shrub per player.

[@Dmaster2k]

As far as replicate magic item goes, there's one common item that people tend to forget about. The moontouched blade is a common magic weapon that is good early game for bypassing damage resistances.

[@ConstructedChaos]

You’re not wrong!! But in the case of infusions, the Enhanced Weapon gets you there anyway and does more than the moontouched blade would, really. However, if we’re talking crafting, the moontouched blade becomes very viable!

[@TheRobversion1]

this is another trap. enhanced weapon is right there as Chaos said. Radiant weapon is there too. Same with returning weapon and repeating weapon. moontouched blade is a waste of an infusion slot.

[@oniminikui]

Hat of Disguise with the changeling is a really good combination. The hat is good for clothes disguise. I play a warlock changeling (with the mask of many forms invocation) a lot.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Yes, that's a very important distinction for changelings! A lot of people just assume that you can change your clothes/gear as well but you would need some form of a disguise for that RAW!

[@shogunbirds6589]

Actually, the spell-refueling ring description says "The recovered slot can be of 3rd level or lower" not JUST 3rd level spell slots

[@ConstructedChaos]

Right! The problem comes in wherein a warlock may have only 4th levels slots. So, then does the warlock recover a 3rd level slot? Or can they not get anything? That’s what I was referring to.

[@shogunbirds6589]

@@ConstructedChaos Ohhhhhhhhhh ok, I understand now! Thank you for the clarification!

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@shogunbirds6589 no problem! I probably could have clarified a bit better in the video!

[@belegur8108]

@@ConstructedChaos jup, that happened in the campaign i am playing a warlock... when we hit lvl 7 our druid got my "Pearl of Power" as a free gift, because it was of no use to me any more. Not that much of a deal for me, because i am a celestial Warlock with Pact of the Tome and Book of Ancient Secrets invocation ( at lvl 9 now well stocked with useful rituals ) i have 8 cantrips to use. Out of combat i am the swiss army knife of the group, aside from the Bonus Action healing in combat. Still, only 2 Spellslots is still a bummer ;o)

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@belegur8108 Book of Ancient Secrets is probably the best help a warlock can get in saving those slots outside of outright multiclassing!

[@eduardopereiradossantosmel7403]

Hold person/monster, web, entangle, slow and similar are such strong spells that there are youtube channels out there made entirely to worship them. Ring of free action makes you immune to them and gives a free pass on dificult terrain as a treat. I would put that a little above than just a niche pick.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Sound points but how worried do you need to be about those things at level 14 when you get access? Is it worth an infusion AND an attunement slot? I don’t think it is but it’s fine if we disagree!

[@TheRobversion1]

@@ConstructedChaos i think he's attributing player spells to dm effects. those are all indeed great spells but used mostly by players, not DMs. ring of free action's value depends on what the DM does, not what the player does. with that said, i'd also consider it strongly should the DM set a precedent of using those effects often.

[@eduardopereiradossantosmel7403]

​@@ConstructedChaos I was assuming a full lv 20, as the higher you go on CR, more and more creatures have disable abilities, instead of just being a slap race to zero hp. But from CR 1/4 to 28, a good chunk of monster have a way to cause the paralyzed, or restrained condition ( 178 monster to be more precise, not counting the ones that can do that through magic ways that are not specifically spells, as the filter I used would be a pain to configure), both conditions that can be a combat finisher (granted, the paralyzed is way more dooming than just being restrained, but usually restrained comes with extra gimmicks that depends on the restrained condition first), and this one item makes you immune to that. Do I consider a must have item on a normal, 3 attunement slot character? No (but is still a good option if you can tailor the other 2 items and doesn't need much to excel at combat, like a ranged fighter, ranged rogue or ranged warlock). Do I consider a must have on an artificer with 6 to 8 infused items and 6 attunements? Yes, you have the space to kill. One attunement, destroys a really annoying enemy ability (and sometimes the main danger of creatures that restrain/paralyzes then bite/swallow/petrify/deal auto damage/etc). Should you pick right at lv 14 when you get access to it? Honestly depends. Have you picked all the lower level infusions that you wanted? Because as your video says: Amulet of health and belt of strenght are something you might not have a use for as everyone should have enough of those atrributes or not use those attributes at all. Arcane propulsion arm, boots of levitation, horn of blasting, and ring of the ram are either plain silly or a gimmick that came way too late to be useful. Boots of speed are outmatched by Winged boots, unless you already fly without concentration (which is not that common in most parties), and then, when you fly, rare are the moments that increasing your flight speed would matter. Cloak of the bat seems great, but honestly, waiting to level 14 to give someone advantage in stealth or the ability to fly only in dark places seems one of the worst ideias ever. By this level, anyone reliant on stealth should have a way or two to reliably succeed on stealth (expertise and reliable talent comes to mind). Dimensional Shackles is completely dependent on DM fiat. Is it a manacles but magical? So it has hitpoints like a normal manacles and can be destroyed! Is it more magic than manacle? Then a Freedom of Movement cast should do the trick! And what exactly a manacles do? It "binds" the creature, that's not a game specific condition! Gem of Seeing is cool, truesight 3 times a day for 3 minutes is cool. But is rarely useful. Aside from seeing through magical darkness (that you can almost always have it dispelled for cheaper), you can see invisible creatures for cheaper and the same can be said about passing illusions. Which leaves us with Ring of protection and Arcane Propulsion Armor. Arcane Propulsion Armor is a full body Arcane Propulsion Arm, but worse, given you can put better infusions on your armor or just use a magic one. Then, Ring of Protection. Now, if you trully believe a single +1 to Save and AC is better than being immune to 2 (3 if we count the several instances of slow that I did not put on the monster list back at the top) really annoying conditions (and a immunity to dificulty terrain as a treat), then by all means pick it. Otherwise, I see no reason to not pick this ring at level 14 (unless you doing a INT10 dpr tank build, in which case, you might need the attribute buff items).

[@OrnTalliskar]

@@eduardopereiradossantosmel7403 absolutely! the ring of free action is an amazing item and i will almost always pick it up if i have the chance. Between my current monk that stuns everything till eternity and my previous barbarian that was essentially unkillable i seem to tend to force my dm to exclude me from the fight another way, typically via some variety of paralyze (hold person) or by being planeshifted. blocking at least one of those with a ring of free action is just way to good to pass up.

[@bdp4]

​@eduardopereiradossantosmel7403 and most petrifing skills have to restrain you first, so you are also made immune to that condition!

[@gormold4163]

Remember that as an artificer you do get extra attunement slots and eventually a bonus for how much you attune to.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Oh, for sure! I haven't forgotten at all! But I still want to be choosey about what I attune to since so many of the best infusions are going to eat that up!

[@stormcaller7155]

One thing to note about the elemental resistance infusion: You will know more attunements than you can use at any one time, and I don't think this is a bad one to have in your back pocket. You aren't locking in the damage type, so if you know tomorrows quest is going to face a certain element, say hunting a red dragon, you can get the resistance to fire just for that day.

[@TheThreeHeadedDragon]

You should look up the Armorer Artificer from Tasha's, provided that you are infusing different pieces of the armor you can put multiple infusions on your armor. They can also have more infused items than other Artificers as long as those extra infusions are put on their armor. Since Artificers can also attune to more items than any other class, this works very well.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Oh I'm well aware of the armorer! Thanks for pointing that out, though! I as speaking generally in the video but, of course, there is that special case where you can have more infusions at a given time!

[@FarothFuin]

Tattoo of spell lv1: find familiar You can make this item once per day, but once casted by one creature/character, the familiar remains for that creature, so all party can have familiars, and if destroyed, well, needles are really cheap, so...

[@ConstructedChaos]

Nice! I do love this combo! Thanks for sharing!

[@willykevinsuarezphellan3925]

Actually, with a DM friend of mine (I am the artificer) we reached some homerule to limit that posibility (for his own good and mine for not baning the item in his campaign): - Once the item is used it disappears and can be crafted again in the long rest, you may also change to another infusion without losing the familiar. (So can one day use the tatoo and the next day have improved defense and improved weapon while keeping the familiar, awesome!!) - If you lose the familiar you need to reactivate the infusion to cast the tatoo again. (So if familiar dies and don't have the infusion prepared, you need to wait the long rest to get it back) - You can have only ONE familiar activated by the infusion, if someone else tries to use it, the current familiar change its owner BUT it can still change its stat block as if the spell was casted again (hawk, octopus, bat, owl). I found that homerule fair to be honest. To not have like 10 creatures in map at the same time, nor needing a fireball every battle to get rid of all those hp1 give-advantage things.

[@SeekerPsycho1]

Glad to hear Homunculus getting the attention it deserves. It's a must. When you give it the Artificer's spell storing item, or manage to get a ring of spell storing, you're essentially turning your bonus action into a second spell casting, and you can effectively hold two concentration spells at the same time. Take that, Metamagic Quickened Spell.

[@ConstructedChaos]

BINGO! And it gets even better when you’re an artillerist and can have it hold your cannon in the air for you!

[@SeekerPsycho1]

@@ConstructedChaos Yes! Its versatility is only as limited as your imagination, really. I've given mine the Gauntlets of Ogre Power to increase its carrying capacity and carry ME around. And since he's the one in control of moving us around, (grey area, DM's discretion, but) I've benefited from the Dodge action he automatically takes if I use my Bonus Action to do something else, and his Evasion ability. The best jetpack.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@SeekerPsycho1 hahaha that’s a pretty rad setup!

[@TheRobversion1]

wouldn't consider it a must but it's a good pickup for artificers who want to run tons of concentration spells via spellwrought tattoo. more bodies is always good. with that said, artificers can technically run 13 concentration spells running all at the same time then 14 if you picked up the homunculus. 10 tiny servants-10 uses of spell storing item (won't consume your bonus action or infusion slot but will consume spell slots). run 10 flaming spheres, 10 levitates, etc. can attack after casting. 1 familiar-1 spellwrought tattoo concentration spell like bless. won't consume your bonus action, infusion slot or spell slots. can fly then help after casting. 1 awakened shrub- 1 spellwrought tattoo concentration spell like heroism, shield of faith, etc. won't consume your bonus action, infusion slot or spell slots. can attack after casting. the main advantage of a homunculus over those other options is it can fly and can attack with a good attack bonus once it's done casting (at the cost of your bonus action). the way to give your tiny servants and awakened shrub a good attack bonus is to cast magic stone and have them throw magic stones from the safety of your backpack/satchel.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@TheRobversion1 good god 😂😂😂

[@UltimateMustacheX]

I wasn't aware you could make the various table items without an infusion (I thought that was more for the common items). That definitely makes me feel better about having only 6 active infusions by the end of the game. It didn't seem fair that you'd have so few slots, even if some items you made didn't require attunement or were handed off to another party member. I'll have to look into the rules for this crafting, but it seems like that will be exactly what I would want to balance out the lack of infusion slots. It's odd that this is even an issue for artificers, since infusions are their core deal. I would expect around 10 active infusions, with the extra 4 being non-attunement or passing them to another person (assuming you attune to the other 6).

[@crazy36069]

I'm probably gonna play a Mephistopheles Bloodline Tiefling Mastermaker Artificer named Zake. They got their arm chopped off by an accident, and they made a robo arm that concentrates their hellish magic and allows them to channel it into spells, and to power their fist. Their Battlefist will have the Thrown with Returning Weapon (I may flavor it as either magic, or magnets repelling and attracting the fist). Most of his spells will be flavored as flame, or as dark arcana (depends on the spell).

[@ConstructedChaos]

That sounds absolutely badass! I can tell you've been brewing this one for a while because it's super flavorful!

[@suddenenigma]

The repeating shot infusion is great for fighters using a crossbow, since it allows for them to use their extra attacks with it, due to the magically loaded piece of ammo that doesn't require the user to do anything at all. A DM could, however, be mean and make it so the crossbow is always loaded and has a chance to go off out of combat. I doubt any would, but if your DM's a troll, beware.

[@TheRobversion1]

the repeating shot infusion is also great for allowing a character to have a one-handed ranged weapon + shield setup with hand crossbows/slings/pistols.

[@KevinLeeBuchan]

Thank you! I thought this was a huge benefit that was missed in the review.

[@RK9th]

@@TheRobversion1 precisely what I was thinking of, Repeating Shot is criminally underrated. The Battlesmith makes really good use of this one

[@DracoSuave]

@@TheRobversion1 Repeating Shot especially if your DM brings in firearms and especially especially if you have to pay for ammo for those firearms.

[@HelicopterShark]

Been playing an alchemist in a long running campaign (with a very strict dm that changed things so that I don't get RMI but can study an item to replicate or buy blueprints for them but these are bonus infusions that don't count to infusions known. So it's a time/gold sink. Added this as it definitely could have made this unique for me.) As we have gotten lvl 8 and onwards there's become more and more limit on viable infusion targets for the big ticket infusions because of real magic items found either filling up attunement slots on you and your team as well as limiting the number of non-magical equipment pieces that you can effectively only wear one of (pairs of boots and cloaks are the most common) Starts to make it so higher level infusions are mostly t1 or t2 utility items.

[@ConstructedChaos]

That's certainly an interesting system! Does it feel like that's made Artificer more challenging to play? And have y'all discussed if any of this will conflict with the crafting portion of the Artificer's level 10 ability? Because, RAW, pretty much any character can craft magic items with the right ingredients, gold, and time.

[@HelicopterShark]

@@ConstructedChaos DM of that game is very into realisim and characters arn't the heroes and magic/magic items are heavily controlled. Big problem has been I'm an alchemist and most of my magic crafting has been just churning out healing potions and potions of growth for the melee front liner only now being around 14 am I starting to get time to study/build. Our mission arcs often take weeks in game and our sessions are mostly weekly and will incorporated anywhere from 3 in game hours to 3 days so getting decent downtime is few and far between. I basically do a skill roll every 3 adventuring days or 1 down time day and that's considered 1 work days work. (slightly off but still) Anything simple I never fail just may need to spend some more pot mats. Found I was purely pumping out heal pots till I got the time/cost reduction then able to do growths (we find/buy mats) Worth mentioning there's no reviving through normal means so heals are key. Having a Life cleric AND an alchemist has helped a lot. Healing words are like min ~10hp but pots are ba for self and needed a lot.

[@HelicopterShark]

@@ConstructedChaos just reminded of this post and thought I'd throw in an update. Am sitting at lvl 12 with a +4 int mod (rolled poorly and have been using a Headband of intellect up to I just asi'd to 18) Now my issue has mostly been spell prep versatility as a lot of my damage and healing has fallen off so I'm moving more for different control spells now. But being a half caster does hurt how many times I can do something as well as my prepared range of options. So I've actually moved away from potion crafting and have been crafting lvl 1-2 spell scrolls for myself. With the lvl 10 crafting modifier I can churn these out. (another rule from my strict gm scrolls are only usable at all by that class/stream of magic, but I do get to use my DC for scrolls I craft and use myself instead of the standard scroll DC's) mostly been doing the non concentration buffs so that I can protect myself and keep up with the party who can mostly travel 20ft faster than me (monk, scout, animal etc) mostly I need to be able to cast that spell at that exact moment and my priority is keeping myself safe but available. In a more raw world scrolls would be an amazing thing to craft and give out. Like less reliable, more versatile but more expensive spell storing objects.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@HelicopterShark Sounds like you're making it along pretty well despite some less-than-ideal rolls!

[@Surgenium]

1. Arcane Propulsion Armor: This may be up to a DM, but I found that pairing it with the Armorer's Guardian Armor might be useful if you interpret the rules a certain way. Combining this with the Guardian Armor, your attacks should be able to apply the Thunder Gauntlet's 1d8+Int Thunder Damage and application of disadvantage from range, while adding Arcane Propulsion Armor's 1d8 force damage. You'll also have the +5 movement bonus. This, however, means that you can't apply an infusion to the gauntlets, as Arcane Propulsion Armor makes the gauntlets magical. As part of the Armorer's Armor Modifications feature providing you 2 extra infusions on yourself, this could be a worthy infusion to consider. 2. Armor of Magical Strength: I've seen it mentioned how this is a grappler's infusion and would like to submit an example. Have proficiency in Athletics. Achieve 14th level in the class to Infuse a Belt of Hill Giant Strength, Apply Armor of Magical Strength, and use the Artificer feature Spell Storing Item to store Enlarge/Reduce. With an Int of 20, you can now cast Enlarge/Reduce without a spell slot up to 10 times per day. You have a Strength mod of +5 thanks to your belt, and when you grapple, 6 times per day you can apply your Int bonus on top of that. Should you be unsatisfied with the roll or want to guarantee success, spend your reaction on Flash of Genius to add your Int Mod again. At 14th level with 20 Int and sized larger than your target, your grapple's athletic checks are at advantage with +20 to the roll.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Nice contributions here! Thanks for weighing in!

[@lukefranklin5]

Never been a big fan of the artificer, but maybe I should give it a try

[@ConstructedChaos]

You definitely should!! It's steadily become one of my favorite classes in the game and I love using atypical flavor to make my artificer builds really unique!

[@yubeluchiha]

How you never been a big fan of a class that can mix&match and create busted gear and weapons and items that can question the dm choices of having you exist lol then you do really amazing you may get banned at the table because you to OP

[@lukefranklin5]

@@yubeluchiha because I don’t usually create a character to be broken/OP, I do it to tell a good story. That’s why I have trouble making artificer characters, because it’s hard to create an artificer that’s not a stereotypical inventor, at least for me. I feel like the flavor is limited. I don’t doubt that you can create characters outside if the image of what an artificer is supposed to be but it’s certainly not as straightforward as some, or even all of the other classes

[@PredatorH2O]

@@lukefranklin5 Flavor is more like un"limited" .

[@WolfHreda]

My favorite part of Repeating Shot is putting it on a Hand Crossbow and then pairing it with Crossbow Expert to still be able to get that Bonus Action attack, while also holding a shield. Make a little room for Sharpshooter, and you've just taken a very meta build and bumped it even higher. Definitely recommend this with the Battle Smith for that sweet, sweet SADness we all strive for. Flavor it as calculating odds for the best damage you can deal with your current strategy.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hell yeah!! I have a battle smith that I was playing that utilized a similar strategy. He was modeled after gippetto and his companion was a puppet haha.

[@uberrod]

This is exactly what I did. I had good stat rolls and at level 4 was able to bump my INT to 20. Interesting to use my INT for my attacks/damage. I was awesome. Until the dick of a DM got rid of my character.

[@Zion374]

I have a character at Level 10 who has 25 AC. Stats were done through Standard Array. Artificer Mastermaker is quite strong. The character will probably end up with a 26 or 27 AC by Level 14.

[@C0SMICP0TAT0]

Armorer artificer / scout rogue has been some of the most fun mechanically I’ve had in 5e. Seafaring campaign where firearms are outlawed, but still reasonably common. Bro is rocking heavy plate armor with no stealth penalty and a rifle I no longer have to reload.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Sounds like a really interesting blend!! I wouldn’t have thought of that combination but I love it!!

[@vijay-c]

As well as all of these, I really would suggest talking to your DM to allow other items that are flavourful to your character or allowing you to flavour item effects from the list to your character. Eg. One of my players is an artificer chef, and has taken goggles of the night, but in-game it manifests as him feeding a recipe to the character who'd otherwise wear them. I'm also playing a tattoo artist in a different game, so with DM permission, they've given me access to the other tattoos in the game as I level up in addition to the normal artificer list.

[@ConstructedChaos]

That's a great DM! And a great suggestion!

[@joshuatran6526]

My ruling for the spellwrought tattoo is that you have to at least know the spell, but don’t need to have it prepped. This gives you some flexibility with the artificer list and might give benefit to taking a level of cleric or druid. It doesn’t quite make sense how a base artificer is able to make an item holding a spell like bless or goodberry without being able to cast the spell to begin with. That said, it’s still very useful.

[@ConstructedChaos]

The homebrew makes sense! But I would argue that you could creatively solve any flavor issues that come from using spells like goodberry or bless. Maybe goodberry could be some sort of chemical paste in a tube that they concocted and bless could take the form of a mind/body supplement or maybe a power level scanner a la DBZ haha

[@diegopulido2528]

Just a quick question on a pistol or hand crossbow and you have the infusion repeating shot do you still need a free hand to “load” the would be ammunition like cocking the crossbow or pistol before shooting or can you wield them with a shield on the other hand for example

[@ConstructedChaos]

As I understand it, weapons with the "loading" property would be treated as not having that property so you wouldn't need a free hand to load it.

[@torunsmok5890]

The gauntlets of ogre power and belt of giant strength may be useless normally... however... If your barbarian finds a certain magical weapon, they might weep with joy to learn you can make those items! The hammer of thunderbolts requires you to be wearing both of those items in order to use it's full power!

[@ConstructedChaos]

That's a really cool observation that I actually wasn't aware of!

[@iskiebae]

Bracers of Archery only work with the Longbow and Shortbow, RAW. That makes them much less useful in general and useless for Crossbows and Firearms in particular.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Ahhh you aren’t wrong! I just saw “ranged attacks” and thought we were good to go haha!

[@Oddthebard]

I would rule the bracers of archery to work for firearms and crossbows. Another excellent video

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@Oddthebard I almost said the same but I could see it becoming a bit problematic with the damage of firearms being what they are already. Not a big deal but definitely more potent than other options.

[@oniminikui]

Periapt of Wound Closure is beautiful with the feat, Remarkable Recovery

[@ConstructedChaos]

Too true. The CR material isn't really known for being balanced haha!

[@MisterDiceGuy]

Favorite class. Far too few videos on this topic. I never thought to use the servant for artillerist though. Looking forward to that video. Also 100% pronounced it correctly.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hahah thanks!! Glad you enjoyed it!! 😊

[@heysianpopnley5198]

@@ConstructedChaos you actually didn't tho

[@trikk9964]

... you are the Master of All-Things-Artificer. Much respect...!

[@ConstructedChaos]

Haha thank you so much!

[@task_failer8223]

Armorer: It’s 8 actually

[@ConstructedChaos]

Absolutely!

[@heathmorris6100]

Thank you so much for actually pronouncing the class name correctly

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hahaha you’re very welcome! Don’t cross me or I’ll switch back 😂😜

[@tygum7966]

I've been having a lot of fun giving a variety of infusions to my allies. I'm only keeping 1 on myself for some bonus action economy (repeating weapon). It has been turning into a really cool support character where I buff my allies while replenishing their healing potions. I also have been poisoning enemies when I think it will be tactically worth the gold investment.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Awesome!! I truly believe that this was largely the way artificer was intended to be played and it shines as a result!

[@antmac6158]

I'm running a stout halfling that's a ranger (beast master) and articifer...by the looks of it I'm going to be having alot of fun with this one! Oh and its also my First campaign too

[@ConstructedChaos]

Now that's a combination I don't see often! Props to you for making such a unique character for you first time playing and welcome to the hobby!!

[@antmac6158]

@@ConstructedChaos thank you. I'm loving it so far.

[@ThirtytwoJ]

I had a level 2 halfling drunken master that got a headband of int. He would only take it off when drunk and started learning wild magic. Few levels later he just cant be hit and can spend 2 rounds buffing up. Highly recommend and opens up your level ups for other skills if INT based.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I think it’s just a matter of not being able to max out your INT if you rely on it so much. Typically, it’s just wizards and artificers that really care about that score in the first place.

[@CaptainWobbs]

I had an idea to infuse a net with Returning Weapon, but its usefulness depends on how Returning Weapon actually works, since I don’t think it’s specified. If it makes the item teleport back to your hand, it’s useless because the net will immediately unrestrain whoever it lands on. If it flies back to your hand though, it would actually be pretty cool because it would drag the now restrained target back to you, probably making them fall prone in the process.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Haha sounds like a thing for your DM to decide but I'd probably let that happen because it sounds cool and flavorful AF!

[@loganfrandrup6590]

I am glad I watched this. I leveled up my Artificer just last session, and I nearly slept on the Cloak of the Manta Ray for the Cap of Waterbreathing

[@ConstructedChaos]

Glad I could be of assistance!! And I don't blame you since the Cap of Waterbreathing has it in the name!

[@Dragon---]

You could use both the enhanced defence, because it can go to armor, and the repolson shield, can only go on a shield, but you could take both with enhanced defence on armor and repolson shield, for a toddle of +3 without braking rules as written

[@ConstructedChaos]

Absolutely you can! And if you're going for a physically defensive build, I think they'd be a great boon. However, I was mostly weighing each option on their own merit here

[@uberrod]

I like Battle Smith with Crossbow Expert with hand crossbow with repeating shot. This lets you get the bonus action shot while using a shield. At level 5 that's 3 shots with the hand crossbow each adding your INT bonus to attack and damage. Combined with heavy armor and you are one safe artillery. Going further with sharpshooter and look out. So yeah, Armor boost infusion, Repeating shot, Repulsive Shield. Rest would be replicate magic items. Bag of Holding, etc.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Totally viable point! I probably put too much emphasis on the very slight overlap between repeating shot and crossbow expert.

[@TheReapingKnight]

I believe a good thing to be aware of is Artificer's also get to atune to more than 3 items at higher tiers up to 6 at level 18.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Definitely something to keep in mind, for sure! Still, those attunement slots are a hot commodity. Even if their value tends to shift depending on how many other magic items your DM allows you to come across.

[@sonicnick5192]

6:15 and one more thing, because it uses a 100 gp pearl, you could cast identify through them as well!

[@ShugoAWay]

1 thing you missed with the resistance armor fire or cold can save a character in hot or cold campaigns like icewind dale as it makes the weather a nonfactor

[@ConstructedChaos]

Totally a fair point! I did touch on it with the boots of the winterlands I think!

[@CaedenV]

We will see how things go as I actually get to play my artificer build, but the way I am looking at it is how to get those weird niche situational buffs. As mentioned, If I get a week of down time and have some gold then I can make my own permanent items on the cheap if the DM hasn't given them to me in a loot drop already. So the really 'good' items we will generally want to purchase or create the real thing. But if we are approaching a dragon, or some place with an environmental hazard like cliffs, lava, or water that we don't deal with on a regular basis, then it may be worth using a few infusion slots to get related gear without a major investment. And while a lot of items are worse versions of eachother, you can only cast a single effect on a sinlge item. Ya can't just wake up one morning an infuse 4 cloaks of the manta ray to give the party water breathing and a swim speed, so one will get the cloak, another gets the helmet, and another gets boots of water walking.

[@ConstructedChaos]

YES! And your party will love you for empowering them so aptly!

[@madcat1865]

I had resistant armor (fire) knowing we were going to encounter some flameskulls. 3 fireballs, 3 successful saves. I took 8 damage total. And actually right before that we were going up a mountain and I had it set to cold resistance to avoid any exhaustion.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Beautifully executed!

[@laharlkent]

My thoughts as running a sniper Quiver of Ehlonna: It has three different pockets and will never weigh more than 2 pounds perfect for holding a backup longbow for silent attacks holding both arrows and bolas for attacks/binding and bullets or sling rounds for working with someone like a halfling or gnome for extra rounds (Also ball bearing for monsters rushing at party) Repeating Shot: Should I say anything more? good for one and done attacks, as soon as you fire everyone is coming for you so a second or maybe even third shot is lovely at that point. Or put it on a crossbow for when the melee is in full for attacking to disrupt casters or minions like crows or goblins, Noone is reloading as their turn unless it is their main attack mode prob. Ruby of the war mage: My gun/longbow/crossbow becomes my spellcast focus, Nice!, since I'm not gonna be far from it especially if it is in my Quiver I always have easy access to spells and can still threaten foes without looking away to find something in an emergency also when I get spell storing it is my weapon and spell gun at the same time. Alchemy Jug: Hear me out. If your going into the I must stay in this area to find out something like, who is going in and out of this dungeon/prison/bar for more than a day unlimited water is crucial, same for the desert or mountain areas, you have acid for anyone who needs it like a goblin or halfling who uses it or to melt door locks or traps, and you have beer/wine for between missions or if you have to 'grease the wheel' for paying a beggar for info since he is 'super thirsty.' , then oil when you need to slip out of tight ropes or make the floor unassailable for monsters without flying. you can also change the jug every morning to any of the liquids it can produce for free. (when I say unlimited water I meant most humanoids don't need more than 8 gallons a day to survive.) Goggles of night/Eyes of the eagle: double darkvision if I have it or longsight for warfare? both are for me. It depends if we are in a war setting or cave scouting and then I can choose what I am building (Again what is the DM's campain) the sight with eagle is crazy "Where is the enemy general?" inside the red tent can I hit him? maybe maybe not but I know where he is during the fight and if he runs our team/general know instantly Boots of elven kind: No brainier here silent movement with a stealth bonus for a sniper? mix with the cloak for good one and done in places like bandit strongholds for assassinations or scouting, I could use movement boots but if the fight has broken out I want to be at range so focus on taking out spellcasters before the fight even starts. Bracers of archery: again no brainier here, my first thought is either snipe from outside range or longbow for starting a fight, fifteen goblins patrolling? I hit the back one with longbow in the neck, If I get lucky he goes down without anyone noticing so I can take more shots, a gun? instantly we are fighting fourteen goblins and maybe the troll sleeping in the cave we didn't see. Ring of mind shielding: Do I need to explain? mind protection with an invisible ring with the ability to carry my soul if I die to a temple or till the fight is over if we have a high level cleric in the group, also I can still talk to whoever puts on the ring while dead while I'm in the ring? useful if I have high knowledge, barbarian can wear me and I can give him info without anyone being able to stop me or if I have high merchant skills he doesn't get overcharged for any sales to save to revive me and I can leave for the afterlife any time I want. This is all for early level games before the party goes Apesh!t crazy with gear and levels

[@TheRobversion1]

some good points here. i'll share my input on some: 1. ruby of the war mage is better on allies as if you're already using repeating weapon (or any sort of infusion) on yourself, that's already a spellcasting focus for artificers. 2. these aren't all early level. bracers of archery for example is for 10th level+ artificers so this is more of mid-end game already for most tables. pretty much only the level 2 infusions are early game. anything you named at 6+ is mid-game already.

[@laharlkent]

@@TheRobversion1 your point is valid, I see level 1-4 as a tutorial and might see better drops from the dm. once 6-12 starts is where I see myself starting to ‘craft’ my character. And I have had some DMs who start their campaign around level 4 or 5 so not looking at level 15 infusions or anything crazy.

[@laharlkent]

A so didn’t know about my infusions counting as a focus, mostly run cleric or pathfinder bard. Watching this video cause next campaign will start running artificer.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@laharlkent agreed on how you see the levels. this is why our table never plays tier 1 anymore. its boring to us already. we typically play from 6-16 and usually start at 6-10. due to this i theorycraft my builds to be online/done by level 10 at the latest. like you i don't look at any high level stuff until they start to come into play. when theorycrafting i only look at level 10 abilities/spells or lower. feel free to check my pinned comment on the infusions vid. 😉

[@bestboi6038]

returning weapon is actually great, it doesn't require attunement and adds a plus one to attack and damage, with the benefit of returning the weapon to your hand. this is great for a rogue in your party as it allows them more versatility with daggers if that's what their going for. the only reason to pick enhanced weapon instead of this is if you think you're going up to or past 10th level which a lot of games don't, I definitely think radiant weapon is better for anyone as this is kinda rogue specific, but you get this at level 2 instead of 6 so it's a very good choice

[@ConstructedChaos]

Oh it's absolutely fantastic for what it is and I really enjoy the visual flavor of it but I wouldn't classify it as a "must have" for every build.

[@TheRobversion1]

Just thought i'd share here something i learned recently about the bag of holding bomb that i can't believe i missed before. i always assumed you need 2 artificers for the daily bag of holding bomb. apparently it can be done solo now by any level 5 artificer. step 1: have a 5 ft rope or shorter in your inventory. step 2: 1st infusion bag of holding. 2nd infusion: spellwrought tattoo: find familiar or homunculus. give your familiar or homunculus the bag of holding. step 3: cast ROPE TRICK beside the enemies you want sucked into your black hole. step 4: move away. step 5: command your familiar to climb the rope and go inside with the bag of holding. step 6: profit. now you have a once per day auto-kill without needing to beg your wizard friend to dip artificer for 2 levels. then just resummon that familiar/homunculus. ;)

[@markdavis8262]

Zomg! So glad I decided not to comment on the pronunciation until I saw this video. But... I only say that to help vindicate you, my friend! As it turns out, your initial pronunciation was correct, and the first preference, by Mirriam-Webster. So, hold your head high my friend. While most of us say it differently (mainly because it pronounces the same as "artifice" that way) you were NOT wrong! 🎉

[@ConstructedChaos]

Haha I appreciate the support! It’s really just a fun joke I have with the community now (like the one about how much they hate CON saves). But, I was fine to switch to a more widely accepted pronunciation even if I wasn’t actually wrong before haha.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@ConstructedChaos Yup! i never target con saves. haha.

[@derekcampbell2686]

I want to say this little bit about high AC. Dex save. Int save. Wis save. Charisma Save. Give psychic resistant armor to your local barbarian. What is the most common type of damage anyways? Fire? Poison? Acid? You’re 25 AC Artificer could gain fire resistance. Or I suppose you could take 6 levels of forge cleric to gain an extra +2 AC and fire resistance, then grab thunder or cold resistant armor as the infusion.

[@ConstructedChaos]

You make some fine points! But many of those items to also give a bonus to your saving throws (even though I failed to mention that out loud). The Resistance Armor isn't a terrible pick it's just not something I'd take to save myself from an instance of damage over the course of several sessions at most. If you often have a pretty good idea about what you're up against, it becomes more useful but the use case you pose here for barbarian might not be worth an infusion in the long run. For most combats, the barbarian isn't going to be targeted with psychic damage anyway as a vast majority of enemies are incapable of dishing it out.

[@derekcampbell2686]

@@ConstructedChaos You’re right I am a big fan of both the ring and the cloak of protection. I wasn’t discouraging attempting to achieve Max AC, I was merely pointing out the soft spots that are still left exposed. I agree that the single type damage resistant armor is lacking. I would like a slightly better option. (maybe something like three damage types or total immunity with that one type.) My only active character (level 7 great old one pact of the chain Warlock) currently utilizes a periapt of wound closure and a cloak of protection.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@derekcampbell2686 Totally fair!! Sorry if I misunderstood your original comment!

[@derekcampbell2686]

@@ConstructedChaos Your all good. No worries.

[@TheRobversion1]

Based on the numbers, the most common elemental dmg dealt is poison then necrotic then fire. with that said, i wont waste an infusion on poison resistance. i'd play a dwarf/stout halfling or cast protection from poison if i wanted that. you're on the right track though of wanting to plug psychic resistance on the barb as acid and psychic round out the top 5 of most common elemental dmg types dealt by monsters. radiant is the least needed as that's the one monsters deal the least.

[@Dingusron]

you can literally pick the spell wrought tattoo as a 1st ,level or cantrip through the artificer infusions on the dnd beyond app. I am pretty sure they are included and its just up to your Dm whether or not they allow the tattoo.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Yep!! Someone else mentioned that JC also directly addressed that it is both RAW and RAI so we’re good to go!!

[@The_Yukki]

No idea why they are allowed, given all other consumables aren't, but it is allowed

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@The_Yukki according to what I’ve heard, they only disallowed potions and scrolls so as not to step on the toes of the alchemist artificer and scribes wizard.

[@The_Yukki]

@@ConstructedChaos All artificers are just as good with potions as long as they get alchemy tools prof from somewhere, but I guess that's Alchemist's flavour. As for Scribes wizards, iirc they work mostly around their spellbook instead of scrolls + all casters can create spellscrolls of the spells they have as long as they have arcana prof. Also scribes came out after artificer so idk. Seems like oversight that WoTC said 'ehh fuck it' to, same way I think crossbow expert working with hand crossbow was.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@The_Yukki I’m inclined to agree but there’s no way to know for sure haha. I’m just the messenger in this case!

[@spacewizardpip1111]

I’ve wanted to try this class for a while and you’ve got a really solid video on it. Can’t wait to try a full campaign as an Artifacty boy.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I'm glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful! Artificer has slowly but surely become one of my top 3 favorite classes!

[@spacewizardpip1111]

@@ConstructedChaos i’m super new to DnD and was very confused on reading everything up on Artificer so I picked Wizard for my 1st class. Hopefully if I can have the same play group in the future I feel more confident to be a player as an Artificer now I appreciate the help!!

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@spacewizardpip1111 Wizard is a ton of fun too! Realistically, I've found there's plenty of enjoyment to be had no matter what you pick when you play with the right group!

[@spacewizardpip1111]

@@ConstructedChaos I’m loving wizard a ton

[@TheRobversion1]

@@ConstructedChaos which are the other 2?

[@deantitus9734]

Hey Alex, when you were talking about the Helm Of Awareness infusion, did you mean that it pretty much resembles the Barbarian feature called Feral Instinct in terms of advantage on initiative rolls? The Alert feat gives a +5 boost to initiative rolls, not advantage!!

[@ConstructedChaos]

You are correct that the alert fear gives +5 and not advantage! That’s why I said it does “more or less the same thing”. Statistically, advantage averages out to be roughly the same as a +5 to a roll.

[@djinnidungeneering]

I was quite fond of when I was allowed to equip my humunculus with my other infusions that give interesting abiliys, and better stats. Was it helpful.... No not really, but it was fun to make my focase decking out my primary creation like I'm upgrading it

[@TheRobversion1]

i think you were on the right track with the concept. i did the same thing it with my steel defender and it was really helpful. i posted that optimized battlesmith build in Chaos's artillerist vid's comments if you're interested for some ideas.

[@ConstructedChaos]

This kind of thing is exactly what I like about the artificer. There are a lot of under-explored mechanics that interact with each other in ways that other classes have never really been able to replicate!

[@matthewconlon2388]

As an aside: since you cannot duplicate infusions or infused items (example you cannot use infusions to make 2 repelling shields) some of the “same item” but worse examples you list might be worth taking if you want more of the same option. Helm of Telepathy and Medallion of thoughts would be such a combo.

[@ConstructedChaos]

How would having medallion of thoughts be beneficial if you have the helm of telepathy? They do the exact same thing except the medallion of thoughts has charges and lacks the extra bits that the helm has.

[@AllThingsFascinate]

@@ConstructedChaos maybe if different party members both need/want some of that ability?

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@AllThingsFascinate I did think about that but I’m hard pressed to come up with many situations where more than one person at a time would need to read minds and such. Seems like one person could do it and just share what they learn.

[@AllThingsFascinate]

@@ConstructedChaos fair. First thing that comes to mind for me is just the saving throw. Maybe a split party, but that's rare.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@AllThingsFascinate aaahhh so maybe hedging your bets then? Still, seems like a big investment of two infusions for that.

[@michaelnielson3978]

Just a fyi you missed the reason the ring of protection is absolutely amazing. It also adds plus one to ALL saves. And a plus one to ac. It is way better than a +2 armor

[@ConstructedChaos]

You're 100% right on this. I completely missed that detail when I recorded this and the ring of protection is certainly a must have!

[@billbetz8101]

Headband of intellect, I had that on a thief rogue, gave me +14 to investigate...I was finding all the good loot and every trap. And slippers of spider climb don't have the time limit the winged boots have, put some on your barbarian and see how many enemies are suddenly no longer out of range.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Great points here! I'd still prefer the winged boots over spider climb slippers since not every location will have a perfect structure for climbing but it's definitely not a bad item!

[@billbetz8101]

@@ConstructedChaos that is a good point.

[@leonardohenriquecarvalhoes4746]

Great video dude!! Thx for the breakdown, it is great and gave me a new look over some of the infusions. I'd just like to add 2 things: Ring of water walking is preferable over cap of water breathing when you're playing in a freezing place, where getting wet might get you killed because of the cold damage, such as Icewind Dale. Also, Pipes of haunting can wreck encounters, especially at 6th level, for me it has an effect that is similar to a 3rd level spell, such as slow.

[@TheRobversion1]

ring of water walking is a trap. artificers can cast the ritual version which is miles better. pretty much you just need it if you have water adventures before an artificer can cast water walk at level 9 and nobody else on the team can cast water walk. pipes of haunting is indeed good. the issue with it it doesn't scale so it gets power creeped very quickly. it definitely falls off at tier 3/late tier 2.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Thanks so much for the accolades and added context for some of these infusions! I agree with Rob on all counts here--and you by extension on the pipes of haunting. Someone else pointed out how strong they can be earlier on in campaigns. I just still take issue with going out of your way for an instrument proficiency that you may only use for part of a campaign. Either way, definitely worth taking in niche scenarios/builds!

[@DracoSuave]

Something to consider with wind instrument requiring items. With the Pipes of the Sewer for example, you make a contested Charisma roll. Because you're using a tool, and you're proficient in it, you'll get your proficiency bonus to the roll. Because you're using a tool and are an artificer, your Tool Expertise also kicks in. So, you're looking at a +8 on your roll plus any charisma you have to charming the swarm of sewer creatures you're making. Niche, but not exactly terrible if you happen to have the proficiency from a background or training.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I do actually forget often that musical instruments are classified as tools. You make a good point here!

[@drissddourden606]

okay i may have missed the point, but i think you got something wrong here... no stacking the same effects? well, you can infuse your armor AND your shield with AC+ (enhance defense) because they are not the same item but two specific ones and the infusion says you can infuse both types. The rule says you CAN pick 4 infusion, but it is NOT stated that they have to be different ones. So taking 2x enhance defense (once for your shield and once for your armor) is not againced the rule. You CAN'T use a single infusion on multiple items at the same time, way they be worn by you and/ your comps, neither can you infuse a item with two effects. so basicly in my understanding you cant infuse-up a magical item to make it even stronger eigher.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I like the way you think here but that's explicitly spelled out in the rules that read as follows: "You must touch each of the objects, and *each of your infusions can be in only one object at a time*. Moreover, no object can bear more than one of your infusions at a time."

[@jacobc246]

Pot of awakening is another good common magic item that is consumable. Potentially infinite awakened shrub followers to assist during downtime or during fighting if you're willing to waste a months infusions on an extra meatsheild of 4 hp and fire vulnerability.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Absolutely great additions here!

[@BobHerzog1962]

I think you are seriously underestimateing the Pipes of Haunting. They are not great long term. But at the time they are intorduced. A large AOE Fear Effekt that will not hit friendlies! Fear is a crippleing effect. It can flip whole encounters. And given that it works on it's own charges and has a DC good / decent for level 6 it also saves the Half Caster valueable resources. Oh also concentration free fear effect! Repulsion Shield can also be combined with enchanced Defence. Esspecially on level 6 when you don't have that many attunement stuff yet. I have and Artificer in Icewind Dale so the Boots of the Winterlands are very good for me. Resistant armor competes with +2 AC on the Armor. The Ring of Free Action niche? Not worth it? Someone has extremly nice DMs that do not use stuff like Hold Person on them. Ever recived auto crits by heavy hitters? If the answer is yes you will seriously consider this Ring to be a potential life saver! In particular when you do not have Wisdom saveing throw prof. and oh wait Artificers do not have that one.

[@ConstructedChaos]

A few others pointed out the pipes of haunting as a better option than I realized and I couldn't agree more for early game! The rest I'll stand firm on but you bring up some solid points about how well certain items work together and how useful some can be depending on the kinds of tactics the enemy employs.

[@leodouskyron5671]

*couple of infusion points* Armorers get 2 more infusions (total 8) and you can put more infusions on the parts of your armor. So if you like to lean into this go into part of the Artificer then the armor is all you - Ironman and Captain America Falcon hooo. (Your attunments go up at level 10 so plan for that). On what to take consider the following major points- who will use it and how many can you have infused right now. You start with three attunment a but you will find things as well. Consider your party will likely have 1 slot you can add too. Also, remember that when you infuse an item you can use it as a spell focus. So that spiffy infusion you put on your boots can be how you cast. So you can attack people with the River dance or doing the College stomp (reply if you know what I am referencing ). On the Tattoos - ask your DM is he cares what spells are in the tattoo. They are going to have to make a ruling. It will be any first level spell, any spell you know or any artificer spell. If they choose the first, then it is any first level or a spell you know - it is familiars for the entire party! (And you will have a very happy party most times) If you are a Battle Smith avoid the humongous. I disagree about the artificer because it is so much better to put you little guy on the back of the fighter. (In that case the cannon gets to gain cover from the party member ;) ).

[@ConstructedChaos]

Well said on all points! I agree and appreciate you contributing to the conversation!

[@TheRobversion1]

personally, i rule that they can pick any 1st level spell or cantrip (RAW) but i houserule that spellwrought tattoo: find familiar only works on the artificer to prevent abuse.

[@cicciograna]

Very enjoyable video for a class that would deserve much more love and expansion. Off topic: the soundtrack to the video is lovely, would you be able to provide the titles and authors of the songs?

[@kthatsit391]

when I was making my artificer, I asked my own team what they think they would need among my infusions. If you can't decide what to infuse, ask your team what they may need or want you to use.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Absolutely! Artificers are one of the best support classes in the game for this reason!

[@wikiwing348]

Returning weapon works well with light hammer and smasher feat. Great for control

[@ConstructedChaos]

Definitely can if that's what you're looking to do!

[@wikiwing348]

Its fun pretending to be thor and moving enemies around

[@raymondape]

The repeating infusion also allows you to weild a shield with a hand crossbow.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Right, because it doesn't need to be loaded!

[@joncooper7302]

love artificers so was pumped to see this video

[@ConstructedChaos]

Haha I do too! Expect more artificer content soon!

[@theFunkyThumb]

Arcane propulsion infusion is for the battlesmiths that wish they had taken armorer. Artificer is my favorite class, even though i rarely take full levels. I always end up getting off at 3 or 5 for wizard or sorcerer because spell slots

[@ConstructedChaos]

Yea, for me it’s usually just level 3, 5, or 11 before I multiclass out. Actually just did an interesting build that multiclassed into cleric. Planning to make a video on that one soon!

[@theFunkyThumb]

@@ConstructedChaos i love it. Im currently playing an artillerist/scribes multiclass with a tempest dip so i can nuke things first round and then hang back with my turret

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@theFunkyThumb that’s a cool one too! Mine was a complete support build with some clever Homunculus shenanigans!

[@theFunkyThumb]

@@ConstructedChaos cant wait to catch the video on that one

[@TheRobversion1]

@@ConstructedChaos oh man. i wonder if we have the same build. haha. is it a peace cleric?

[@raguru1032]

Currently playing a Hill Dwarf Battlesmith who uses a Returning Light Hammer and Shield, why you may ask? I’m the only spellcaster, the only person who can frontline, and our entire party up until 3 sessions ago was Melee, needed the ability to switch hit, well needed the ability to do everything apparently.

[@whinemax]

New to DND, but my friend is about to start up a campaign I'll be a part of. I've settled on making an Artificer - Armorer, so I'm considering which books I should buy for such a character? Cauldron of Everything to my understanding, but is there more required?

[@ConstructedChaos]

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything should supply you with everything you need but you could also consider picking up the DMG just for the magic items in there or maybe a deck with all the base game magic items?

[@alzathoth]

IMO, infusions should be stored in an 'infusion book'. it should work like a wizard spell book. IMO i also believe that an Artificer should not be limited to how many infusions that the Artificer has in their infusion book, also like a wizard. they can swap out an infusion after a long rest. IMO collecting infusions or building your own custom infusions would be a lot of fun. :)

[@ConstructedChaos]

That's not at all a bad idea depending on how readily available new infusions would be for an artificer to add to their book! I don't think swapping infusions at will would be all that game-breaking anyway

[@TempestShroom]

I say use return weapon on javelin of lightning. If you throw it 120 feet away from you you can just pull it back immediately.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Sadly I don't think you'd be able to add an infusion to a magical item! At least, not RAW.

[@TrollOfReason]

Armor of Strength is fantastic for STR Armorer Artificers! Or Artificers at level 2 since that's when you'll be squaring off against wolves, panthers, & kobold traps & mot necessarily have the spells/features needed to otherwise elegantly avoid the prone condition.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I can totally see where your coming from with potential use case! I just feel like the armor is only going to work on a small number of artificer builds and the prone mechanic-while pretty nice-isn’t going to come up more than once or maybe twice per combat at the very most.

[@TrollOfReason]

@@ConstructedChaos That's fair, but prone can be a killer. With that said? It's best to not plan to fail; increasing AC so the wolves can't hit you, & being careful in Kobold caves. Plus, the Infusion becomes totally redundant even for STR Armorers who like to grapple once level 7 hits, being outclassed in sheer utility by Flash of Genius. And out of combat, Guidance is a cantrip.

[@andrewhazlewood4569]

You buried the lead on repeating shot. Not only does it cover the loading property it also covers the ammunition property. This means that you don’t have to keep a hand free to load ammo. Thus you can wield a hand crossbow and a shield. (This is not possible with hand crossbows normally even though they are one handed weapons. Crossbow expert does NOT allow this either). Thus repeating shot gives +2 AC (with a standard shield) +1 to hit and +1 damage for a hand crossbow wielding artificer 2.

[@ConstructedChaos]

That's a totally fair point! Thanks for chiming in!

[@googloocraft12]

spellwrought tattoo is really strong for given to all your ally a familiar. Really strong for this single reason.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Well, I think it's really strong for other reasons as well. There are a ton of really great level one spells! I use it for silvery barbs quite often too!

[@googloocraft12]

The best part of using it for familiar is you now have a permanent buff from your infusion that don’t take your active infusions slot.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@googloocraft12 Some DMs definitely rule that differently but I agree that's probably the most powerful use. I just wanted to point out that it wasn't really strong for "only" that reason.

[@robotdude2206]

Excited to watch this, as this is my favorite class.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I’m excited for you! 😊

[@TheKensin1]

I love the alchemy jug it's a free 48 gold a day if you buy two vials and then sell 2 vials of acid. That's a 17,520 gold per year at lvl.2. You usually don't have 10,000 gold until lvl 8 or later depending on your DM and encounters. If you average two jugs for 8 years that would be 280,320 gp by time your lvl 10 if you lvl 1 lvl per year.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Very very true! But I do find things like that to be a bit table dependent. Some DMs just aren't going to let you take advantage of the economy like that haha.

[@TheKensin1]

@@ConstructedChaos Very true! I just always say if it's in the rules and you can figure out how to use it then more power to you. Plus you don't need to let them spend it on magic items or anything game breaking. Make those things quest dependent. Instead let them start their own city or something to get them more involved with the world.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@TheKensin1 I'd say that's a fine approach as well!

[@RK9th]

Battlesmith with a Repeating Shot Hand Crossbow and Crossbow Expert + a Shield can do some solid damage by level 5 with a ridiculously high AC, as long as they've infused most of their equipment.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Crossbow Expert and repeating shot is a bit redundant is it not? But, yeah I totally agree with you! I just started in a new campaign where I’ll be building a battle smith with a crossbow!

[@RK9th]

@@ConstructedChaos it is to a minor degree, but being able to fight within melee range AND being able to weaponize your bonus action without expending any spell slots makes it worth it imo. All Repeating Shot would do for you in this case is let you boost your AC with a shield(which you can also infuse separately from your armor) and it lets you forgo XBow expert for later levels if you wish. With 14 dex and Scale Mail, which is one of the options for starting equipment, you can reach 17 AC with the Enhanced Defense infusion. Get a shield for +2, and If your DM lets you infuse it with Enhanced Defense as well, then you'll get an easy peasy 20 AC by level 2. If they don't let you double down on the same infusion, just use Repulsion Shield at 6th level, 19 AC between the levels 2-6 are still fantastic. Edit: Personally, I'd take a Pistol over a Hand Crossbow as Artificer, that way you're still only using one hand and I'm a sucker for firearms in high fantasy

[@TheRobversion1]

@@RK9th While i'd use a pistol as well if it's allowed, Chaos is right here. you did say battlesmith. if you said alchemist or armorer there would be more of a use for it. crossbow expert is almost irrelevant here. as a battlesmith you already can weaponize your bonus action with the steel defender. as an artificer, weaponizing your bonus action is the last thing you should worry about as you have the homunculus and magic stone (spam every turn on your tiny servants, awakened shrub, etc). numbers wise, your steel defender deals more dmg than any cbe shot without SS. magic stone will beat even a SS boosted cbe shot dealing 3d6 + 15 dmg from your bonus action slot every turn.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@ConstructedChaos it is redundant! when's the vid coming out? you've been teasing this for a while already. haha.

[@RK9th]

@@TheRobversion1 ahh, my bad. I didn't realize it took the Battlesmith's bonus action to control the Steel Defender. In that case, yeah it's completely redundant to stack the infusion with the feat.

[@handyman83wray98]

Respectfully, In regards to the "Quiver of Ehlonna". I challenge any and all to: 1: Convince your DM to allow you to use the bag of holding as your quiver/extra weapons holder and use it in combat as such without some kind of logical penalty. Like taking a full action to grab your next javelin or arrow. Or draw/swap between your staff or long bow. 2: Convince the party that the bag of holding with all of the groups stuff in it should belong to you so that you can carry all your arows or bolts in it insted of your quiver. Maby I have only ever gamed with jerks (though I doubt it) but nobody i have ever played with would have allowed that as a DM without penalty, and NO player would have been down with that unless it was MY bag and not the groups bag 😂😂

[@ConstructedChaos]

I literally just had a player rip out a desk drawer that had an expanded compartment and turn it into a backpack. Nothing is off the table for my group.... except the desk drawer--which is coincidentally no longer part of the table.

[@handyman83wray98]

@@ConstructedChaos 😂 i love it 😂

[@handyman83wray98]

@@ConstructedChaos i guess waht i left out was that in my opinion for a ranged build that quiver would be perfict with what it holds and the fact that there is no penalty for shaping weapons and no weight issues when carrying all of it. . Love the creativeness of your player by the way. 👍👍

[@patrickmcathey7081]

The liquid ring can be used on lava and acid and poison very useful if fighting black, red or green dragons,

[@patrickmcathey7081]

Also the alchemy jug is super good if you have down time generating 50 gold a day for you.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Walking on lava doesn’t remove damage from being near lava, I believe! 😅

[@patrickmcathey7081]

@@ConstructedChaos being near lava is only 1d6 submerged is 18d10 and wading in it is 10d10. thats sizeable reduction I don't mind taking 1d6 to run accross lava for a magic item, easer access to attacking a boss, maybe an escape ect its more minor inconvnece then save or die fire damage.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@patrickmcathey7081 that’s a fair assessment based on RAW. Although, I’d probably rule it more like 2d10 since you’d be physically making contact with the lava. Either way, it’s a viable use for the ring. But does it constitute taking it as an infusion?

[@patrickmcathey7081]

@@ConstructedChaos likely not, unless I knew I was going to be against a black, red or green dragon or similar enviroment.

[@OnionJuiceEnjoyer]

Armor of magical strength depends on how you play and can be a gamechanger earlygame, I always go for it as my early game pick as an Armorer for example. My playstyle with artificer is party filler since I play online dnd and the parties are usually randomized. If the party lacks frontline control to protect the backline (which is now often as more people realize frontliners are the first to go down), I go for the armor of magical strength 100% to buy as much time for the backline. Usually when I play artificer I go low on strength, so with an 8 I'm not going to be succeding most grapple or strength checks. However if I can add my int modifier to these checks as well as later down the line adding another bonus via flash of genius and a medal of muscle via common replicate magic item infusion, it can make the grapples more potent without requiring permanent heavy investment. I wouldn't base my build off grappling, just as a earlygame option when resources are limited, HP management is important and the backline doesn't have versatile resources. I think by raw you can make grapples do more, though if anyone reads this comment please feel free to correct me Jumping rules phb p182 "You can extend your arms half your height above yourself during the jump. Thus, you can reach above you a distance equal to the height of the jump plus 1½ times your height." When you make a high jump, you leap into the air a number of feet equal to 3 + your Strength modifier (minimum of 0 feet) if you move at least 10 feet on foot immediately before the jump. When you make a standing high jump, you can jump only half that distance."If you are 6ft, extending your arms above your height reaches 9ft Doing a standing high jump with a strength of 8 is about a 1ft increase.The idea is you grapple an enemy as a main action, and upon success you hold them up above your height and do a standing high jump so that they're above the fall damage threshold (but you aren't), then you say you let the creature fall down (but still hold onto them), unless they have hover they can't control their fall with 0ft movespeed and fall down into prone, taking 1d6 fall damage and being prone. Though I guess the problem is that the DM might argue your arm can't reach that far down I guess you can say that you're holding them by the neck and their body torso down is on the floor. With this you force the early game enemies to attack you since they can't get up with 0 movespeed and you then combine this with armorer's defensive field or a racial ability such as MPMM shadar-kai and goliath. You can also use the grapple tactics to force enemies into Web which is another artificer staple, but then you'd need a high con save or mind sharpener. This ultimately however is just an option made more possible by armor of magical strength, you can then completely drop it as you transition to mid-game or the party already has a dedicated party role for that area or you're transitioning to equipping your party with medal infusions. Artificers are a class I now main and suffer the mono class syndrome. It does kind of suck, underwhelming and does not meet the optimal DPS levels (early/mid), but the patience and versatility in the playstyle rewards proficiency in playing the class to the point it can make or break encounters with wise decisions. I used to main bard beforehand, the support and versatility it offered was limited in comparison despite being a full caster and most of the time didn't involve much thought since you just give people a numbers bonus. I am finding it increasingly difficult to go to the other classes, even more so now with the recent discovery from the comments in this video regarding the spellwrought tattoos. I hope you all don't fall into the same bottomless hole trap I now find myself in.

[@TheRobversion1]

what recent discovery about spellwrought tattoos? what bottomless hole? anyway lots of good points. i'll address some 1. what you mentioned about holding enemies above your head (making them 10ft off the ground) then throwing them down for a few points of falling dmg without letting them go is called a suplex/powerbomb. you'll see versions of this concept (just not artificers from what i recall) around optimizer forums. typically goliaths as the race for more height (so you can grapple->jump->suplex an enemy from 20 ft in the air->athlete stand up->do it again until you run out of movement). those builds like to pump move speed too. yes it works RAW. 2. yes artificers are typically either a shallow dip 1-2 (for proficiencies a couple of infusions) or going pure class until level 11 for spell storing item. there's no middle ground if you want to be optimal. 3. artificers only don't hold up dps wise early game if the DM bans bag of holding. most dms do (or at least theres an understanding between the dm and the artificer that they wont do the bag of holding bomb). however, if the DM is ok to allow everything RAW, the bag of holding bomb is the best dps (at least for 1 fight) because you don't worry about dmg. you execute it and combat is over for everyone in a 10 ft radius. aside from sorcs, there's no one else at tier 1 who has this level of killing power.

[@OnionJuiceEnjoyer]

​@@TheRobversion1 1. Oh damn it didn't even occur to me that you could just keep doing that, the beauty of learning more. Wouldn't this mean that if my standing high jump costing only 1ft, 2ft total due to grappling another creature of same size and base movespeed of 30ft, I could do this a total of 15 times if I hadn't moved from my spot? That'd be an average of 52 damage without save or contested checks other than the initial grapple. Though I probably won't go goliath and do it more than 10ft, wasn't there the raw ruling for taking fall damage even if it was within your controlled means? At least RAW wise. 2. Oh I actually consider going all the way to 14 for the superior "Use Magic Device". From then on I decide if I want to pure class or consider levels of echo knight and monk for the below. 3. Understandably even I wouldn't do the bag of holding or the Tiny Servants /w magic items for the DM's sanity. The reason why I don't particularly leave end game out of the picture is because of the potential of having Hand of Vecna/Gloves of Soul Catching/Bloodfury tattoo/Eldritch Claw Tattoo/Demon armor combo, taking inspiration from Blaine Simple's One punch man build. With armorer/battle smith and 3 levels of Echo Knight and monk for flurry, you'll get five attacks with an average of 305 damage and 125 of it heals assuming all hits land. This can easily be countered with heal denying mechanics like chill touch or homebrew monster passives but just that was an example of how endgame is if magical items are plentiful, artificer can get pretty spicy. It also has access to all spells via spell scrolls (with the demerit of low DCs) and if it feels like playing like a base wizard for a day, it can choose to equip the archmagi items or use the staves with their stored charge spells. I think the true potential lies in how versatile the artificer can choose to perform at endgame to fill roles or problems that other classes can't, and that level of versatility can keep the DM on their toes. However that potential is past 14 and the only options I've considered to contribute meaningful levels of some damage to the party is through summon items like stone of controlling earth elementals/bag of tricks and charge items which don't require attunement but can frontload damage like javelin of lightning (Have two in hand on battle start and throw both of them, 31 damage if both hit and enemy fails both) or wand of magic missile for around 28 damage. Until then it's just spamming web, unless the DM allowed for the GGR or SCC backgrounds. The MPMM race update with Shadar-Kai at endgame is spicy too if armorer's defensive field can grant up to 20 temp hp six times, and shadar-kai can apply all-resistance six times, you'd further make use out of those temp hp to act like 40 hp. Saving against a fire dragon breath and reducing 90 to 45 on a save, then 22 after resistance (or absorb elements from no bonus action leeway), down to 2 fire damage taken, or 25 on a fail. Though MPMM goliath is the true winner if you can get your hands on a supply of potions of invulnerability, at which point the damage reduction works with resistance and temp hp. I guess artificer really feeds off the environment of play and even then there's still many things to learn to improve its performance, even though the class feels like its not as robust as the others. I'd definitely consider going back to bard or wizard if magic items weren't as plentiful or guaranteed or if the game won't last til that tier, both are likely to happen.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@OnionJuiceEnjoyer 1. actually the reason why it gained popularity back then (and why i mentioned goliath) was it became 1 of the few ways to do infinite dmg in 1 turn in 5e. and of course, no sane DM wouldn't ban or nerf this so the jumping/flying versions were created so that a cap was created as to how much dmg it does. though tbh, i don't understand the ban when a simple banishment/polymorph does the same thing without size restrictions: removes an enemy from combat after failing an initial check/save. anyway the original version would have players trying to be as tall as possible race wise so they can raise grappled enemies 10 ft of the ground then slam them down without breaking the grapple over and over for 1d6 fall dmg until the enemy dies (think what hulk did to loki in avengers). raising a grappled enemy over your head then slamming them back down to the ground didn't require an action, bonus action and wasn;'t an attack. you're just basically swinging your arms up and down (much like drawing a weapon or somatic gestures for a spell which are technically free actions). you weren't consuming any movement either as you weren't jumping or dragging, simply staying in place. the jumping and flying versions of these were then created to give a limit as to how many times you could do this in a turn (more dmg per sequence but limited by movement). some DMs i've played with have allowed the standing version but nerfed it to doing it a maximum of 6x per turn (1 instance per second). i think you're referring to the 20d6 falling dmg cap. that applies to 1 instance. the reason why doing this is broken for grapplers is you arent doing 1 instance of falling dmg. you are doing many. 3. not doing the bag of holding bomb is fair as that's broken. the tiny servant + spell storing item though is fair game as that's not broken. that on punch man combo requires a lot of specific magic items not all DMs may award/make accessible and requires setup rounds (which i'm not a fan of as i prefer build combos to be executable on the 1st turn or turn 2 at the latest). so not a fan of that build. the versatility and power of the artificer is dependent on what magic items the DMs make accessible/award as well as if they allow magic item crafting. personally when i theorycraft my own builds i dont account for getting specific magic items that are very rare+. i think requesting common/uncommon/rare is fair for a player to expect and ask dependent on tiers.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@OnionJuiceEnjoyer Awesome thread here, y'all! Really cool ideas and an obviously deep understanding of the game's mechanics. I probably wouldn't let the "suplex" combo run at my table due to the implications of infinite damage at level 1 but it's really fun to think about! I'd even say that it's different from banishment/polymorph because it isn't "defeating" an enemy. Creatures subjected to those spells could easily come back later after the minute is up for banishment or after taking damage with polymorph. Still, there's no denying that both spells can be a thorn in my side as a DM at times haha.

[@TheRobversion1]

@@ConstructedChaos i wouldnt allow it either. Or at least i'd rule that suplexing is an action or since you didnt let the enemy go they arent "falling" and wont take the 1d6 fall dmg. As for banishment, if you target someone not native to your plane and maintain concen for 1 min, they are as good as dead as they wont come back. As for polymorph, if you maintain concen for the whole combat, its quite easy to kill the enemy post combat by either burying them alive, dropping them in lava, trapping them in a bag of holding, etc.

[@blazingshadow2669]

resist cold or fire are good for survival campaigns and you are in the middle of Californian or Canadian weather

[@ConstructedChaos]

You’re definitely not wrong there haha!

[@nickpossum3607]

In my personal opinion, the only thing more broken then a Artificer is a Artificer that can make full magic items that is outside their infusions slots. But that can also be said for all magic casters, the only real difference would be Artificers could do it cheeper and faster. The hang up should/would/could be infusions are more or less on the field jarry rigging and then adjusting to you (attunement) while you travel. However Making permanent magical items needs a base/lab and time to hone it so it works flawlessly. Nothing else then eat, sleep, and craft, untill the item comes online. Thanks for the list of stuff, it helps by breaking down what you actually played with that makes it easier to see what could be good at the moment over a long running campaign.

[@ConstructedChaos]

I definitely agree! And I wish the crafting mechanic was used more often in games. I feel it falls by the wayside far too often!

[@TheRobversion1]

@@ConstructedChaos yeah. it s not used at my table either as our DM likes to control how many magic items the party and each player can have for balance reasons. if a party is able to craft stuff, that bogs down plot progression (crafting requires downtime) and allows the party to exceed the number of magic items our DM thinks they're supposed to have. he doesn't like the idea of a player turning into Jarlaxle. to be fair however, he does allow us to buy rare or below magic items in shops or have an npc craft it for us or we could quest for it. the only things we can really craft are like poisons and healing potions assuming we have the requisite proficiencies. personally, i dont mind allowing crafting as i think it rounds out a character but i do agree with my DMs concern for balance and bookkeeping. so if i do allow crafting i'd set a limit of how many magic items a player is allowed to own/use scaling with level regardless if its consumable or not with also the base limits of attunement.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@TheRobversion1 I limit crafting by the materials I make available to my players. Aside from gold and time, ingredients are still necessary! As for bogging down a session, I often try to run both shopping and crafting via text or discord outside of our typical sessions when they’d have downtime for it!

[@TheRobversion1]

@@ConstructedChaos i guess thats another way to look at it. I'm thinking our DM never thought about that because if he made ingredients limited, the 1st thing we'd do and think as players is how can we make those ingredients sustainable. haha. for example, if purple wyrm poison was needed, we wouldn't think of hunting purple wyrms. we'd think of how can we capture 1, store them at our base and continuously harvest the poison without killing the monster. running those stuff outside the session personally i'd have no problems with. a couple of players at my table though might as they have kids and busy work lives but still a good idea to suggest to minimize fluff gametime at the table. thanks!

[@lattekahvi1298]

my favourite is replicate magic item - cast away armor, your paladin or fighter will love you once you gift them a full plate at level 2

[@ConstructedChaos]

Sadly, I don’t believe that this removes the need to purchase the armor in the first place. You’d only be adding that effect to an existing suit of armor!

[@davidcantrell2568]

I’m in a One Piece D&D game and I and several other people on my crew have devil fruits. So if they fall into the ocean they’re dead. Except my cyborg and our fishman. So I’m definitely using my rogue/artificer to make a cap of water breathing immediately. Gotta look out for the crew.

[@ConstructedChaos]

Hell yeah!! I’m a huge one piece fan so I love what you’ve got going on here!

[@davidcantrell2568]

@@ConstructedChaos Thanks bro, love your content.

[@ConstructedChaos]

@@davidcantrell2568 appreciate you appreciating me! ❤️ haha

[@Mario.1997]

I recently made a fighter 18 Artificer 2 for the returning weapon that way the typical down sides of thrown weapons no longer applies

[@ConstructedChaos]

Sounds like a blast! This is more or less what I was referring to!

[@TheRobversion1]

nice! did you go with darts or one of those melee thrown weapons?

[@Mario.1997]

@@TheRobversion1 actually tended to use it on a short sword.. lol