Build help 20 artificer

[Zakier]

My group will soon be starting what I presume to be an epic campaign.

We are off course starting low level (6) and with a boost to wbl naturally. 18000 to start it with.
Normally I would play a rogue and I feel I'm pretty good at it with a decent build.

However I've decided to play something else as a bit of fun.

I've decided on a warforged artificer.

House rules.

All published 3.5 content acceptable.

Some 3.0 and dragmag upon review

Starting level 6, 18000gp

La limit, no monster races. Otherwise go.

La buyoff as the srd variant

Flaws available no more than 3, gain 1 feat per flaw

Gain 1 extra creation Feat.

Crafting is allowed and subject to dm price adjustment. Otherwise, has to follow 3.5 crafting rules unless a better system is presented.


Ok so it our campaign will be going up to 20 and possibly into epic level. I believe I've chosen decently but I can't be sure as this will be my first artificer.


Flaws weak will -2 will saves
Non combatant -2 melee attack rolls

The idea behind my character is the magic item mastermind. Using all kinds of gadgets, wands, rods, staffs, magical weapons, traps and tactics to defeat his enemies.

Obviously I need the cost reductions

Extraordinary artisan, legendary artisan apprentice(craftsman), magical artisan currently applied to craft Wonderous item.

Took the tools of war from warforged artificer at level 4 and grabbed craft construct at level 6.

DM has approved using my composite playing as a magical armor and thus counts for item familiar. Should I choose to take it.


From here I've got no idea and in stuck on what craft skills to claim. What ones do you think I need to cover all the crafting for this type of character.

Mind you time is not an issue in crafting. He had house ruled it down to nearly negligent.

I need help on my last starting Feat and some ideas for the next 17 levels.

Heads up, neither I nor my dm really like the idea of dipping all over the place no then 3 base class no more than 2 prc

[Gildedragon]

Use the individualist flaw: you're making your own gear after all

[Tvtyrant]

Artificer 20 is probably the best artificer build, so you are good there. The biggest questions are if you are using action points, are you looking to be an archer, warrior or caster proxy, and if you have read the various handbooks?

I would look at the three (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=12661.0)major (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=5929.0)artificer (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=11474)handbooks, bunko's bargain basement (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=350.0), Shax's haversack (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?148101-3-x-Shax-s-Indispensible-Haversack-(Equipment-Handbook)), and the list of necessary magic items and effects (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187851-3-5-Lists-of-Necessary-Magic-Items). That will give you a pretty strong idea of what you should be making for different levels, and how much it will cost you to do so.

Also the mechonomicon (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=177.40).

[Zakier]

Knee about the bargain basement and have reviewed the artificer handbook and mechonomican. Good catch on shax sacks. Didn't know about that one. Useful info as I had been wondering items.

The play style I'm going for is unfortunately not covered the handbook.

I plan to be battle field control. Everything from buffing allies, creating zones of battle for our Telflammer to use. Environmental hazards against enemies and all around cluster**** enemy strategy.

Our battles turn into complicated games of chess and war. So building myself as field control And support is the style I still want to do damage. Just not focused on it.

I know I'll need higher spells than wands allow so I was thinking staffs. Quick swapping items in the fly as needed, terrain altering. Illusions, enchanting enemies.

It gets fun. So I'll need feats that perhaps increase my action economy, more actions in a round or some kind of speed boost, make DC's of my spells more difficult to resist, UMD out the ass of an elder deity.

And any other feats that may be useful.

Especially a useful Feat that can bf gained through a Wonderous item.

[Zakier]

Oh and action points at a no go

However the dm understand that makes my infusiont useless.

The compromise was a slot sacrifice system.

If I sacrifice a spell slot I get a number of points equal to what it cost to cast that spell in the unearthed Arcana spell point system. Those points can be used like action points but only regards to my infusiont.

[Waker]

How about Magic Device Attunement (Complete Mage)? It's nothing huge, but if you successfully Use Magic Device, you can then remove the need to use the skill with a particular item for 24 hours. Not great for stuff that you make yourself, but when dealing with items from the DM, it removes any lingering danger. Of course you can retrain it after you acquire Skill Mastery.

[Tvtyrant]

I suggest you look at this (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=11474)list. Control Artificers are based around scrolls, which also happens to be the strongest way to play them. You essentially become a better wizard that hemorrhages gold.

[Zakier]

Interesting, you know now that you mention it I dont remember the rules about activating something you have made yourself. Do I get an auto activate since I built it or what?

And if not then that feat becomes a God send for multiple actions a round being able to use an item over and over off one check

[Zakier]

Hmm I'm thinking,
Feat:
Jack of all trades so I have every single skill trained. (Since I believe you cannot use a craft skill untrained)

Items:
An eternal wand of divine insight cl 10 (if it's based on the wand level rather than your own caster level)

An etch schema of magecraft
And an etch schema of surge of fortune

The last uses its burst effect for a nat 20 skill check.

(Which my dm applies auto success and failure system to as he finds it more entertaining.)

I chose to go with wand and etch schema since I figured a use active unlimited version of any of those three would be way OP and subject to the ban hammer. Unless it was appropriately cost fiddled.

[thethird]

Hmm I'm thinking,
Feat:
Jack of all trades so I have every single skill trained. (Since I believe you cannot use a craft skill untrained)

Items:
An eternal wand of divine insight cl 10 (if it's based on the wand level rather than your own caster level)

An etch schema of magecraft
And an etch schema of surge of fortune

The last uses its burst effect for a nat 20 skill check.

(Which my dm applies auto success and failure system to as he finds it more entertaining.)

I chose to go with wand and etch schema since I figured a use active unlimited version of any of those three would be way OP and subject to the ban hammer. Unless it was appropriately cost fiddled.

Craft (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/craft.htm) can be used untrained.

As a warforged take the first and fourth substitution levels. The fourth is specially useful as it will allow you to double your craft reserve for some craft related purposes. The fifth is not worth it.

You probably would rather have guidance of the avatar (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010504a) instead of divine insight (you can have both and might be recommendable at higher level).

Eternal wands and schemas are similar but have ultimately different benefits. At level 6 eternal wands are better, if only because you can craft them yourself. Check the artificer errata (craft wand is gained at level 6). You cannot apply metamagic spell completion (which is bonkers) to wands but you can to schemas.

If you want to excel at battlefield control you most likely want to pick up sculpt spell, extend spell is generally a more useful metamagic feat (I normally don't bother with sculpt). And carry around several wands with battlefield control spells, the trick here is that you can pick some obscure ones or ones from cheesy lists, and that aren't greatly impeded by a low CL. For example wall of stone is a 3rd level spell for trapsmiths, wind wall is a 2nd level spell in the air domain, black tentacles is 3rd level for blackwater domain.

Take for example a wand of wall of stone. You are an artificer, so you make it to CL lower than normal. Instead of being CL 5 it is CL 3. So for price you go 375 x 3 x 3 = 3375, with that you get 50 castings of wall of stone (which is most likely one of the best BFC spells around). Cost per cast for wand 1 3375 / 50 = 67.5 gp

Now let's assume that you want to go and sculpt the wall of stone. You've got two options. First, like everyone else, you can craft a wand of sculpted wall of stone (SL 4, CL 6), price 375 x 4 x 6 = 9000, cost per cast for wand 1 180 gp. Or you can just use metamagic item to apply the feat on the fly (to wand 1 from the above paragraph) by using two charges instead of one. Spending two charges of wand 1 costs you 67.5 x 2 = 135 gp which is not only lower than 180 gp but also is something that you don't need to always do.

The same works with extend spell, an extended black tentacle (costing you 135 gp) will last for 6 rounds and keep most enemies busy.

Now you are an artificer you you are not be going to be paying the cost in full. There are cost reduction feats for that. For example take extraordinary artisan (25% gold reduction), you can't apply magical artisan (25% gold reduction, 25% xp reduction) to it, due to errata (but if errata is not in play, meaning you don't get craft wand yet, then... it's great).

Finally remember you are an artificer. So let me tell you about concurrent infusions and spell storing item. Concurrent infusions "When you cast this infusion, you can imbue the target object with the effects..."

Spell storing item "This infusion allows you to place a spell effect into an item to draw it forth later, at your command. The item becomes, in effect, a wand with a single charge, which only you can use."

If you go and read them both you will realize that at no point it says that you need to pay the cost of the infusions that you are gaining the effects from concurrent infusions. So you can get spell storing item without paying the XP cost. Now this won't work on combat because concurrent infusions has a 1 minute casting time but use this to access spells that you might need situationally along with buffing for yourself.

---

Advice specific to warforged:

Warforged platting make the best item familiars.

Wand bonding (city of stormreach) is an interesting feat if you are going to use wands a lot (at higher levels I prefer staves by far).

---

My normal buff routine at high level is:

0) minor schema (guidance of the avatar), minor schema (surge of fortune) to apply metamagic spell completion (persistent spell) to a minor schema of (ocular / reach metamagic item), by that point I infuse this minor schema with metamagic scroll (extend). Then use the last minor schema to apply any one metamagic feat to one of my staves (such as maximize or persistent spell). This means that my staves have a metamagic feat (changeable) for the cost of 3 schemas, and an infusion, for the duration of 48 hours. I normally alternate between two staves depending if it's for blasting (maiximize spell) or buffing (persistent spell).

1) Minor schema (unfettered heroism) to generate temporary action points + wand surge to get a temporary charge out of an action point. By that point cast unfettered heroism from the persisting staff (which has unfettered heroism there) so unfettered heroism is persisted.

2) Activate CL raising items (such as bead of karma), buff everyone out of the wazoo.

My favorite item at high level is the hat of many spells, which gives you temporary expensive spell components, which I like to use for optional/power spell components to buff the spells further.

[Zakier]

Nice, love the suggestions here. I already took the alternate class feature and grabbed item familiar at level 3.


Here's what I've got.

Flaws, non combatant, weak will, individualist

Feats 1 background feat, apprentice(craftsman)
3 flaw feats
Jack of all trades (because of the item posted below), legendary artisan , reach spell
1 normal Feat extraordinary artisan

Lvl 1 alternate class for infuse self.
Level 3 alt class for tools of war
Lvl 3 feat item familiar applied to warforged composite plating
Lvl 4 get craft construct
Lvl 6 magical artisan(Wondrous Items)

That it my selections so far. Ill be weak early game but I'd be able to start making plenty of magical wands and items easily enough and fairly cheaply.

Since it sounds like you have a good grasp on what I'm trying to do here. What do you suggest from here on?


I've also made an item to assist in that crafting endeavor that I'll be able to make at level 7



Artificer's Toolkit (CL 10)

This custom made toolkit is the pride of an artificer trade. When using this toolkit the artificer gains a +2 Circumstance to any craft check made with it just like a set of Masterwork Artisan tools.

These tools have been Enchanted to provide a +4 Bonus to Intelligence when actively being used to Craft.

Additionally these tools have a number of Spells that can be activated once per day each during the crafting process and can be activated at the same time for even greater effect.

*Divine Insight (CL 10) 1/day
*Magecraft (CL 1) 1/day
*Surge of Fortune (CL 9) 1/day

Requires:
Class must be Artificer,
Cannot be used on any craft skill that is untrained.

Moderate Transmutation, CL 10th, Craft Wonderous Item, Divine Insight, Magecraft, Surge of Fortune, Fox's Cunning
Price 56,015gp



Base item:
Masterwork Artisan Kit
+2 Circumstance Bonus to all Craft
55gp

Enhancement Bonus
+4²×1000=16,000(Greater)



Divine Insight (1/day)(cl 6)

(Complete Adventurer, p. 147)*

Divination*
Level:*Cleric 2,*Paladin 2,*
Components:*V,*S,*DF,*
Casting Time:*1 standard action
Range:*Personal
Target:*You
Duration:*1 hour/level or until discharged (D)

When you cast this spell, you invoke the power of your deity to guide your actions. Once during the spell's duration, you can choose to use its effect. This spell grants you an *insight*
bonus equal to 5 + your caster level (maximum bonus of +15) on any single skill check. Activating the effect requires an immediate action. You must choose to use*divine insight*before you make the check you want to modify. Once used, the spell ends.

You can't have more than one*divine insight*effect active on you at the same time.

Also appears in

Spell Compendium

Cost:
((2×10×1800)÷(5÷1))=7200gp




Magecraft (1/Day)(CL1)

(Eberron Campaign Setting, p. 113)*

Divination*
Level:*Sorcerer 1,*Wizard 1,*Magewright 1,*Spellthief 1,*
Components:*V,*AF,*
Casting Time:*1 round
Range:*Personal
Target:*You
Duration:*1 Day

You get a +5 competence bonus on one Craft check representing a day of work crafting an item. If you cast this spell every day for a week, you can make a Craft check representing the week's work and still gain the +5 competence bonus.

Focus:*The tools and other equipment normally required to use the Craft skill to which you apply the bonus.

Cost:
1×1×1800÷(5÷1)=360gp



*To be added to the item later.


Surge of Fortune(1/day)(cl9)

(Complete Champion, p. 128)*

Transmutation*
Level:*Cleric 5,*
Components:*V,*S,*DF,*
Casting Time:*1 standard action
Range:*Personal
Target:*You
Duration:*1 round/level or until discharged

The power of your deity flows through you, guiding your movements and honing your instincts.

Upon casting this spell, you gain a +2 luck bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, ability checks, and spell penetration checks, as well as to Armor Class.

At any point before the spell expires, you can channel some of its remaining power into a single instant of perfect fortune as an immediate action. The result of the next attack roll, saving throw, skill check, ability check, or spell penetration check you attempt is treated as a natural 20, as long as it occurs within 1 round of the time you invoked this power. (If you use it for an attack roll, you must still roll to confirm the critical hit normally). Using this option instantly ends the spell.

Cost:
((5×9×1800)÷(5×1))*2=32,400
(Multiplied it since multiple different ability says higher cost is multiplied by 2)


Final Modifiers and Cost:

Usable only by an artificer.


32400+16000+
7200+360+(base item 55)

Base cost: 56015g


Reductions.
Craft .50
Only usable by Artificer, .70
Mag art .75
Extr art .75
Appr .90
Craft skill restriction .90