Mandatory Artificer Items

[Cardea]

I've been playing Artificers for a while now, them being my favorite class and all, but I always wind up making each one different. I suspect its the same for others. But each time I make one, there are always a few items I make sure I make ASAP, because I consider them standard. Not because they're broken, but because they're useful at the levels I make them, and for some time onward. When you play an Artificer, what items do you make sure you build/consider standard for yourself, and why?

[Necroticplague]

1.You're probably gonna do a lot of crafting. Your craft reserve is only so large, and can only extend so far. So, unless you get a ton of worthless loot you can cannibalize for X, or are up your eyeballs in dark craft XP, ambrosia, liquid pain, or souls as a substitue, a thought bottle is practically required.

2.Healing is pretty useful. Wands of lesser vigor give you the most bang for your buck (assuming you don't have fast healing permanently).

3.There are some grafts that give inherent boni, just like the manuals and tomes. Its only +2, and they don't stack with the tomes, but Undead grafts can give your party a +2str for much cheaper than a +2 tome/manual to tide you over. Plus, bonus natural attack. Zombie arms grants +4, but also reduces dex by 2.

4. Wand of Guidance of the Avatar are good. As an Artificer, one infusion you have lets you swap out the type of bonus it gives, so you can stack it multiple times to ridiculous effect on a skill check (like say, K:religion for sacraficing to get Dark Craft XP). Low enough level that if you really need to, you can make an Eternal wand of it.

5. Pick up Sanctum Spell.It allows you to either make things cheaper by making it a lower level version, or allows you to cram a higher level spell into a wand.

6.Wands are pretty awesome overall, potions are less so.

[aleucard]

If non-combat healing is a truly massive concern and you're allowed access to custom magic items, a couple Permanent items of Lesser Vigor will tide everyone over, with zero action economy wasted on fumbling with a wand on the odd occasion that you get double-tapped by mobs. If I remember correctly, it'd cost 2k gp for the cheapest version, which is still functionally a Fast Healing 1 that doesn't work in AMF.

I'm amazed that I'm the first to mention expanded-space items like the Haversack or, more importantly, the Portable Hole. That second one can actually have a Dedicated Wright stuffed into it so it can do your crafting for you while you're busy adventuring. The benefits of that just can't be underestimated.

[Rubik]

Dedicated wright, of course, to do your crafting for you.

Enveloping pit, for a lab-slash-encampment-slash-trap.

An eternal dorje of Quintessence.

Artificer's monocle, to identify items.

Aurorum spell storing dye arrows, to buff party members from afar as an attack action.

An eternal wand of Unseen Crafter, for more crafting, of course.

Items of +Int, +Con, and +Cha.

Items of +UMD.

[Cardea]

I'm amazed that I'm the first to mention expanded-space items like the Haversack or, more importantly, the Portable Hole. That second one can actually have a Dedicated Wright stuffed into it so it can do your crafting for you while you're busy adventuring. The benefits of that just can't be underestimated.
I've never actually considered that. Thanks. I always leave him behind somewhere, and have him report to me via Telepathy from Improved Homunculus if something tries to bother him.

Aurorum spell storing dye arrows, to buff party members from afar as an attack action.
Can you point me towards dye arrows? Don't have a source for it.

[Rubik]

Can you point me towards dye arrows? Don't have a source for it.http://www.d20pfsrd.com/equipment---final/weapons/weapon-descriptions/ammunition/ammunition-bow-arrow-dye

Make them Returning arrows so you don't have to manually collect all the pieces.

[Optimator]

+1 on the Quintessence if you can swing it. Great way to use that one infusion that puts a metamagic feat on a wand. Keep the wands in the quintessence and that 1 round/level duration becomes weeks!

I was also going to recommend the Artificer's Monocle. Orbs of Mental Renewal and Rods of Bodily Restoration are favorites of mine. Wands of Lesser Vigor and CLW are a staple. A wand of Scorching Ray and Enervation to be metamagic'd (and the Orbs too once you can afford them). Enveloping Pits are good once you can fool the alignment with a UMD check (or don't need to in the first place). A wand of Grease can be handy even at high levels.

[Rubik]

A dorje of Soul Crystal. Then you could UPD it to give yourself access to any psionic power in existence (including arcane spells turned into powers via StP erudite or divine spells turned into arcane spells turned into psionic powers via wyrm wizard or a Child of Eberron archetype dragon and StP erudite).

[Zombulian]

Rod of Ropes
Rod of Ropes
Rod of Ropes
Rod of Ropes
Rod of Ropes


Rod of Ropes

[Jeff the Green]

Dedicated wright, of couse, to do your crafting for you.

In the same vein, a Quill of Scribing. Same basic idea, but cheaper and only scrolls. And it won't prevent you/your wright from crafting something else.

Also, it's not technically an item, but one thing that's really nice when you're playing an artificer is a companion spirit (DMGII), specifically one of Storage. Once per day a member of your party can cast a low-ish level spell (or infusion, since they work like spells) into it, and then each member can use it as if they were using a wand. It's very nice for personal weapon augmentation.