Lately, my partner and I have been playing in a campaign running the Level-Up! Advanced 5th Edition ruleset. Myself as the surprisingly scrappy detective Half-Horned Kal, and her as the rage filled mechanical marvel and engineer, Ali. Over the course of our game, it's become increasingly clear what a sub-par option the Artificer class is, as written. It yo-yos dramatically in strength from day to day based on the luck of the dice, and also from level to level in comparison to traditional spell-casters. I'm gonna talk a bit about the math we've done to show the issues, and propose a relatively simple tweak, that, we feel, can be a big improvement to game balance, as well as making the class more fun to play and better at fulfilling the fantasy of being a cool genius tinker with a trick up their sleeve for every occasion.
If you want to skip the justifications and reasonings and design notes and get straight to the meat, go to The Rules.
Design Ramble
What is the point of an artificer? What roll should it fill, and what fantasy does it evoke? I feel that the artificer is essentially the mad scientist, ported to a fantasy setting. They've got a variety of strange and alien inventions, and a new trick up every sleeve. Their gadgets will break down, but that's half the fun, because that means it's time to pull out another wacky whatchamacallit. How does the artificer class fulfill this as written? Well, not that well, honestly. Starting out, you have two spell gadgets per day, and they're going to fizzle out pretty quickly most of the time. Up until 6th level, they're stuck at a mere two prepared spells. If they prepare only 1st level spells, that limits them to, on average, 8 spell casts per day, which can feel pretty good at first level, but very quickly falls behind the other spellcasting classes, and feels stagnant, watching other characters get cool abilities, while you're stuck with the same two 'gotta have' spells you took at first level. An artificer needs more spell variety, but because of the way they implemented them, they can't do that without giving them way more spells per day than other classes, on average. And what's more, that average doesn't feel correct, because, while, with a d4 fizzle die, and a 1st level spell, your average number of casts per day is 4, your typical number of casts per day is going to be two or three. So most days, at 5th level, you're going to get 4 to 6 1st level spells per day, while the wizard is over there getting to sling fireballs, and having a reliable supply of 1st level spells.
I get why they did this. An artificer, as written, can get lots of casts from each gadget each day, if they're lucky. The upper limit is technically unbounded. Limiting spells prepared, under this design is prudent, and necessary in order to keep the class from being completely overpowered on lucky days. The original author may have seen this as a feature, but we see it as a bug. It makes the classes design constrained by statistical anomalies that interfere with it being able to fulfill the core fantasy of being a whacktastical fantasy inventor. The thing is, I like the role of luck, but I believe it ought to be tempered to allow more room for versatility. Thus, we introduce Heat. Essentially, the idea was, if spell inventions get more likely to fail the more you use them over the day, and eventually will fail no matter what, then there is an upper limit on the uses you can get out of any given invention, and far more room for progression and versatility.
The Rules
| Level | Cantrips | Gadgets Prepared | Fizzle Die | Maximum Spell Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | 1 | 1d4 | 1st |
| 2nd | 2 | 1 | 1d4 | 1st |
| 3rd | 2 | 2 | 1d4 | 1st |
| 4th | 3 | 2 | 1d4 | 1st |
| 5th | 3 | 3 | 1d6 | 2nd |
| 6th | 3 | 3 | 1d6 | 2nd |
| 7th | 3 | 4 | 1d6 | 2nd |
| 8th | 3 | 4 | 1d6 | 2nd |
| 9th | 3 | 5 | 1d8 | 3rd |
| 10th | 4 | 5 | 1d8 | 3rd |
| 11th | 4 | 6 | 1d8 | 3rd |
| 12th | 4 | 6 | 1d8 | 3rd |
| 13th | 4 | 7 | 1d10 | 4th |
| 14th | 4 | 7 | 1d10 | 4th |
| 15th | 4 | 8 | 1d10 | 4th |
| 16th | 4 | 8 | 1d10 | 4th |
| 17th | 4 | 9 | 1d12 | 5th |
| 18th | 4 | 9 | 1d12 | 5th |
| 19th | 4 | 10 | 1d12 | 5th |
| 20th | 4 | 10 | 1d12 | 5th |
Spell Gadgets
Whenever you take a long rest, you spend a bit of time maintaining and repairing your spell gadgets, preparing them for the day. The number of spell gadgets you can prepare is half your Intellience Modifier, rounded down (minimum 0), plus the number indicated on Table 1. Any inventions you don't choose to prepare, can not be used that day, but can be saved to be prepared another day.
A spell gadget is a unique device that only you can operate in order to create the effect of the spell it was prepared for. The spell gadgets you prepare are drawn from the Artificer spell list, and can be of any spell level up to the maximum noted on Table 1.
A spell gadget weighs 1 lb per spell level, has a total volume of less than 1 cubic foot, and requires at least one hand to activate, but beyond that, it's exact form and function is up to you, and we encourage you to have fun with it. A spell gadget has AC 10, and hit points equal to your artificer level × 2. If it reaches 0 hp, it breaks and can not be used until prepared again.
Using Spell Gadgets
In place of typical spellcasting, an Artificer uses their Spell Gadgets. Using a spell gadget uses the same time and actions as casting a spell normally would, and can be cast up to your maximum spell level. When you use a spell gadget, it accumulates
Note that, since you aren't casting the spell yourself, you do not have to maintain concentration on concentration effects. However, the gadget itself does! If the gadget fizzles, or takes enough damage to break, any ongoing concentration effects immediately end.
You may freely draw a spell gadget, and stow it away, as part of the action to activate it.
If the spell gadget's spell has the ritual tag, you may cast it as a ritual. You can do this whether or not you have the gadget prepared, so long as you have the gadget with you, and the gadget does not accumulate heat, nor require a roll of the Fizzle die when used in this way.
Inventing New Spell Gadgets
Whenever you unlock an additional prepared spell per day, you may devise a new spell gadget of your choosing for free, representing ongoing work and tinkering you've been doing with your materials on hand. You may also choose to spend downtime inventing additional gadgets. This doesn't let you prepare more gadgets, but it does let you have a more versatile backlog of inventions, akin to a wizard's spellbook. You can not create or use a spell gadget of a spell higher level than your maximum spell level, as indicated on Table 1.
Each week of work (or day of work, for 1st level gadgets), requires spending the amount indicated on raw materials (plus the cost of any spell components), and allows an attempt at a check against Engineering or any Tools of Artifice. The number of successful checks required is indicated on Table 2.
| Spell Level | DC | Cost | Successful Checks Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 10 | 10 | 1* |
| 2nd | 12 | 40 | 1 |
| 3rd | 15 | 80 | 2 |
| 4th | 18 | 120 | 3 |
| 5th | 22 | 200 | 4 |
* creating a 1st level spell gadget require only one successful Engineering check, and takes a single day per attempt.
Cantrips
At 1st level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the artificer spell list, and have constructed a spell gadget for each of them. As you level up, you learn additional cantrips and can construct spell inventions for them without cost as part of your ongoing tinkering.
Unlike other spell gadgets, your cantrip gadgets are reliable. They don't accumulate heat or have to roll the Fizzle die, but they can still be broken by taking damage.
Whenever you gain a level in Artificer, or spend a week of downtime working at it, you may reconstruct one of your cantrip spell gadgets into a different cantrip spell gadget from the artificer spell list. This doesn't require any material costs or checks.
Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your artificer spell gadgets. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for an artificer spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one, and for setting the saving throw DC of an artificer feature.
Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier