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Artificer Class, Revised: Rip Me A New One
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<blockquote data-quote="RealAlHazred" data-source="post: 6749959" data-attributes="member: 25818"><p><strong>Originally posted by Tempest_Stormwind:</strong></p><p></p><p>That was my understanding as well; <a href="http://keith-baker.com/dragonmarks-jorascocare-and-the-mark-of-snails/" target="_blank">Keith's actually said as much</a>:</p><p></p><p> Marandahir, I'd highly suggest that article to you; it goes, in great detail, into the nature of healing and artificers, as well as the "crazy genius inventor" aspect of the class. Note that "Spell Storing Item" is split between my Infuse Arcane Device feature (which is sort of a hybrid between Spell Storing Item and old-school item creation; the permanent item creation bit is in Salvage Essence) and <em>prototype</em> (for the crazy, on-the-spot inventions, but also the single hardest ability to balance in the class).</p><p> </p><p>Keith also wrote <a href="http://keith-baker.com/extra-life-hacking-the-artificer/" target="_blank">this</a>, which I, in general, concur with and have been using as a benchmark for evaluating the project (see Goal 2). There's also the specific examples of artificers he uses - think Nikola Tesla and you've got it. My vision of the artificer aligns with Keith's, rather than the everyman that 4e tended to paint it as (though there's aspects of that in Eberron, certainly; artificers may be crazy awesome, but they're working class rather than scholars or clergy. There's aspects of that in mine as well - Guild Artisan being the default background and the one that gives the greatest flexibility to artificers - but the actual "everyman" artificer would be the magewright. Which I've personally been handling using an NPC archetype with an NPC-friendly version of Magecraft.)</p><p></p><p>Well, there's three things you've raised in two threads about artificers, and I actually think this provides them, to a point.</p><p> </p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Healing (everyone, not just constructs). From level 1, this artificer can create healing infusions in the form of Potions of Healing. Well, specifically, short-lived versions thereof (they last for a week instead of indefinitely; this prevents the artificer class from introducing a magic item economy to worlds where selling magic items is impossible. You can still create standard healing potions if you have the formula, which you can derive as soon as you hit level 3 and salvage a potion of healing.) The higher-level potions of healing are also useful here since they're more efficient than a maximum-strength Cure Wounds or Healing Word spell cast at the same level.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">An emphasis on specific schools of magic. Their normal spellcasting list does focus on those, actually - lots of transmutations, some conjurations, and a few abjurations, evocations, and divinations where appropriate. It's just narrowed to focus on the inanimate - for instance, no, artificers can't cast Stoneskin on someone, but they can Augment your armor to work similarly, or Harden Construction on your airship to make sure it endures anti-aircraft fire. And as for the others, well, you can craft arcane devices or prototypes of <em>any spell in the game</em>, so long as you have the schema. The delayed spell level access and spellbook are used to prevent this ability from spiralling out of control, and to let the object-specific spells and potions shine. Note that your <em>schema</em> are different from your <em>spells; </em>they both are limited by your maximum spell level, but they function differently. </li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">A feeling of being a professional rather than a dabbler. You have this as well - three of the subclasses are already professional engineers by training (Spellforgers' Guild members are like the 4e battlesmith, the Alchemists' Guild (directly inspired by the popular Pathfinder alchemist) eschews the less-predictable prototypes for powerful bombs and reliable potions, and the Golemists' Guild can go either way. Even the Magitechnicians fit that direction as well, although I do play up the "mad inventor" feel for them as a default fluff.) The only area this doesn't work, so far, is through the delayed spell access (you're learning 3rds one level after wizards learn 4ths, for instance), and I'm open to suggestions about this.</li> </ul><p> </p><p>Here's a question for you, then: what would you consider the "crux" of the 4e artificer, in terms of abilities? There's room to expand the standard spell list, and I'm not opposed to more dramatic changes as long as I'm able to test them. (One thing that's apparent from reading this thread is that I tinker around <em>a lot</em>. Usually in response to criticism. If you point out specific areas to improve, I'll work on improving them.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="RealAlHazred, post: 6749959, member: 25818"] [b]Originally posted by Tempest_Stormwind:[/b] That was my understanding as well; [URL=http://keith-baker.com/dragonmarks-jorascocare-and-the-mark-of-snails/]Keith's actually said as much[/URL]: Marandahir, I'd highly suggest that article to you; it goes, in great detail, into the nature of healing and artificers, as well as the "crazy genius inventor" aspect of the class. Note that "Spell Storing Item" is split between my Infuse Arcane Device feature (which is sort of a hybrid between Spell Storing Item and old-school item creation; the permanent item creation bit is in Salvage Essence) and [i]prototype[/i] (for the crazy, on-the-spot inventions, but also the single hardest ability to balance in the class). Keith also wrote [URL=http://keith-baker.com/extra-life-hacking-the-artificer/]this[/URL], which I, in general, concur with and have been using as a benchmark for evaluating the project (see Goal 2). There's also the specific examples of artificers he uses - think Nikola Tesla and you've got it. My vision of the artificer aligns with Keith's, rather than the everyman that 4e tended to paint it as (though there's aspects of that in Eberron, certainly; artificers may be crazy awesome, but they're working class rather than scholars or clergy. There's aspects of that in mine as well - Guild Artisan being the default background and the one that gives the greatest flexibility to artificers - but the actual "everyman" artificer would be the magewright. Which I've personally been handling using an NPC archetype with an NPC-friendly version of Magecraft.) Well, there's three things you've raised in two threads about artificers, and I actually think this provides them, to a point. [LIST][*]Healing (everyone, not just constructs). From level 1, this artificer can create healing infusions in the form of Potions of Healing. Well, specifically, short-lived versions thereof (they last for a week instead of indefinitely; this prevents the artificer class from introducing a magic item economy to worlds where selling magic items is impossible. You can still create standard healing potions if you have the formula, which you can derive as soon as you hit level 3 and salvage a potion of healing.) The higher-level potions of healing are also useful here since they're more efficient than a maximum-strength Cure Wounds or Healing Word spell cast at the same level. [*]An emphasis on specific schools of magic. Their normal spellcasting list does focus on those, actually - lots of transmutations, some conjurations, and a few abjurations, evocations, and divinations where appropriate. It's just narrowed to focus on the inanimate - for instance, no, artificers can't cast Stoneskin on someone, but they can Augment your armor to work similarly, or Harden Construction on your airship to make sure it endures anti-aircraft fire. And as for the others, well, you can craft arcane devices or prototypes of [i]any spell in the game[/i], so long as you have the schema. The delayed spell level access and spellbook are used to prevent this ability from spiralling out of control, and to let the object-specific spells and potions shine. Note that your [i]schema[/i] are different from your [i]spells; [/i]they both are limited by your maximum spell level, but they function differently. [*]A feeling of being a professional rather than a dabbler. You have this as well - three of the subclasses are already professional engineers by training (Spellforgers' Guild members are like the 4e battlesmith, the Alchemists' Guild (directly inspired by the popular Pathfinder alchemist) eschews the less-predictable prototypes for powerful bombs and reliable potions, and the Golemists' Guild can go either way. Even the Magitechnicians fit that direction as well, although I do play up the "mad inventor" feel for them as a default fluff.) The only area this doesn't work, so far, is through the delayed spell access (you're learning 3rds one level after wizards learn 4ths, for instance), and I'm open to suggestions about this. [/LIST] Here's a question for you, then: what would you consider the "crux" of the 4e artificer, in terms of abilities? There's room to expand the standard spell list, and I'm not opposed to more dramatic changes as long as I'm able to test them. (One thing that's apparent from reading this thread is that I tinker around [i]a lot[/i]. Usually in response to criticism. If you point out specific areas to improve, I'll work on improving them.) [/QUOTE]
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