Help me build my Artificer!

[magicalmagicman]

Since I am new to artificers, there's a very good chance I overlooked something or otherwise did something illegal, so please proofread my build and give me suggestions to improve my build. This will probably be a very long thread.

Currently my artificer is built only upto level 6.

The main goal of this build is to be a construct master. One who creates robotic monstrosities that annihilate all those who threaten him.

Class: Artificer 20

Race: Human

Ability Score:
25 Point Buy
9 STR
14 DEX
14 CON
14 INT
8 WIS
14 CHA

Skills:
???
Probably will figure this one out last, once I have a plan of constructs I intend to build.

Feats:
1 *Scribe Scroll, Skill Focus:Use Magic Device, Magical Aptitude
2 *Brew Potion
3 *Craft Wondrous Item, Extraordinary Artisan
4 *Craft Homunculus, Legendary Artisan
5 *Craft Magical Arms and Armor
6 *Craft Wand, Exceptional Artisan
8 Craft Construct
9 *Craft Rod, Wand Mastery
12 *Craft Staff, Heighten Spell, ???
14 *Forge Ring
16 ???
18 ???
20 ???

Use Magic Device Boost
14 Charisma +2
Skill Focus:Use Magic Device +3
Magical Aptitude +2
Eagle's Splendor +2
Masterwork Tools: UMD +2
= +11 to UMD checks.

Circlet of Persuasion +3 is questionable since it is very expensive.

Game Plan
Level 1-5
Buy as many Amber Amulet of Vermin: Large Monstrous Scorpion as you can and be a summoner. (MIC p. 68)
Market Price: 700gp
Construction: CL 10, Craft Wondrous Item, Giant Vermin
Bodyslot: Necklace
Effect: 1/day, Summons a Large monstrous scorpion for 1minute as if my summon nature's ally.

This item is awesome. Large monstrous scorpions are CR 3, has 3 attacks, +6 to hit, 1d6+4 damage, and is expendable unlike Iron Defenders. Unfortunately due to the high CL I cannot craft it, but still, I think just spamming Large monstrous scorpions in combat is more than enough contribution until level 6.

I mean seriously. Compare with an Iron Defender with 3hd and improved homunculus feat. I can buy 3 amulets for the price of 1 defender, and the scorpion has more hp, damage, and special attacks than the defender on top of being completely expendable.Even if you give the Iron Defender both the +10hp and the +2 Str the large monstrous scorpion still comes out ahead. Am I missing something here?

I plan on buying 4-6, one for each encounter, and a few spares in the event one dies. I don't think I can have more than 1 scorpion out at a time due to the fact I need to be wearing the amulet to activate it.

I might buy Giant Stag Beetles instead. They cost almost twice as much, but they deal almost twice as much damage too. So maybe... 2 Large Scorpions because they're cheap and 4 Giant Stag Beetles?

Other Equipment:
Light Crossbow
???

I have no experience with artificers so I don't know what to do until I save enough for a decent amount of Amber of Vermins (4, one for each encounter). Some advice would be nice. All I know is "use bane-infused light crossbow".

Level 6
Super important level. This is when my shtick comes online.

Super Important Item
Eternal Wand of Lesser Geas (Bard 3)
Level 3 eternal wand with CL 5 costs 10,900gp. Level 3 eternal wand with CL 7 (minimum CL for bards) is 15,220gp according to the reverse engineered formula using the item creation rules in the DMG.

Spell level * Caster level * 1800 (command word) * 2 / 5 ( 2 charges per day) + 100 (for the crystal rod).

There is SOME RAW debate here. Some people say eternal wands bypass normal item crafting rules and that I can stick a CL 5 lesser geas in there, and some people say no you can't. In anycase, there is no rule saying I can't stick a bard's arcane lesser geas in there so... everything here is legal. The only variable here between DMs is the cost. Your opinion on the matter is appreciated.

Cost to create with Artisan Feat reductions:
CL5: 4087.5gp, 327xp, 9 days. UMD DC:23
CL7: 5707.5gp, 456.6xp, 12 days. UMD DC:23

Important Scrolls
Magic Circle Against Evil:
Cost to Create:CL5 140.625gp, 11.25xp, 1day. UMD DC:23

Lesser Planar Binding (Nar Demonbinder. Spell level 4, CL 8, the normal CL without any shenanigans. No demonologist for the higher save dc.)
Cost to Create: CL8 300gp, 24xp, 1day, UMD DC:24

The Plan:
1. Craft the 3 items mentioned above.
2. Bind a Ravid. If I have the time I can create a cage that is a part of some colossal object so the Ravid can't animate his cage and I can save on magic circle scrolls.
3. Spam Lesser Geas on the Ravid until it fails its will save. It will "serve me as my faithful loyal servant forever (6days)"
4. Cast a new Lesser Geas on the Ravid everyday. It has to purposefully fail the will save because a faithful loyal servant would accept a geas that would prevent it from turning on its master.
5. Have the Ravid assist you in constructing a Gargantuan Quadrupedal Object.
6. Have the Ravid perpetually animate the Gargantuan Quadrupedal Object.
7. Congratulations! I now have an expendable construct forever and ever that can be replaced for free, until the end of time. Or until the ravid dies or breaks free.
Optional: Bind a Rejkar for at-will fabricate to help you construct the mundane colossal cage and the Gargantuan Quadrupedal Object.

Expendable minions that can be replaced for free overcomes all the weaknesses of a minion based Artificer, who usually can't afford to replace his dead constructs and as a result becomes a useless party supporter.

Backup Plan:
Spam Lesser Geas on 7hd or weaker creatures for minions until the ravid binding succeeds.

Level 7+
Basic idea of the plan here is to ride on the coattails of my gargantuan animated object(s) until I can save enough money for a proper construct. I hear shadesteel golems are awesome. I also hear Hydra Effigies are awesome too. Runic Guardians with Simulacrum is broken for sure. Iron Golem is a classic, so is a Stone Golem. Any suggestions here would be appreciated.

Some Stuff I'm interested in:
1. Eternal Wand of Magic Circle and Lesser Planar Binding (Demonologist 3)
2. Astral Seed + Mind Switch into something immortal. Maybe a construct if I can find one that can speak.
3. Construct Grafts if psionics is not available.

Things I need help with summed up
1. Feat Selection
2. Level 1-5 strategy
3. Equipment and Wealth usage so I can save up for my level 6 plan and not die or be useless.
4. Iron Defender Homunculi v.s. Amber Amulet of Vermins
5. Eternal Wands CL5 lesser geas or CL7 lesser geas.
6. Level 7+ strategy, like which constructs are must-builds.
7. Any errors

[RoboEmperor]

I now see why Artificers are considered the most powerful class in the game. It puzzled me why a class so dependent on wealth could possibly outperform spellcasters, but here you have it.

The earliest I could grab lesser planar binding no matter how hard I tried was level 8 with Nar Demonbinder, and here you have an artificer who accomplishes it at level 6! 6!!! That's 3 levels faster than wizards! That +2 to CL for crafting is hugely OP and I now see why, it allows access to high level shenanigans 2 levels faster, sometimes even earlier if the spells have lower level counterparts in other classes.

I don't play artificers so i can't really help you but...
4. I would definitely choose the amber amulets over the iron defenders, and I would definitely get the stag beetle over the scorpion. Looking at wealth by level 2 scorps into 4 stags seems reasonable, and you can sell them all at 6 to get your ravid.
5. I'd rule CL7 lesser geas.
6. I can't give you a construct name, but I can tell you the ravid will serve you well all the way to level 11 so you can save up some serious dough for an extremely powerful construct to take its place in combat. Not to mention there's nothing stopping you from having MULTIPLE ravids.

As for your astral seed + mindswitch combo, any construct that doesn't explicitly say it cannot speak CAN speak. Most Golems however explicitly say they cannot speak, but I found one in MMIII doesn't have that clause, the gloom golem.

edit: Whaddaya know, Shadesteel Golems can speak! And you get to keep its perma haste, magic immunity, and fast healing if you mind switch into it. I think I just found your best construct body to swap into.

CL17 though, so you need to be level 15 to create it.

edit2: a good feat choice would be heighten spell so you can get a 9th level shadow evocation continual flame on it. It seems you you can apply heighten spell using your Metamagic Spell Completion class feature which could save you some gp.

I'm so excited! I might play your artificer in a game!

[magicalmagicman]

I'm so excited! I might play your artificer in a game!

Go right ahead! The Ravid thing is something i copied from one of your posts. I fell in love with it so now I use it in every game I'm in.

I'm inclined to agree that shadesteel golems can speak therefore switching bodies with them won't stop my infusions. Love it.

So I guess shadesteel golems are my level 15+ construct. Ravids will carry me until level 11. So i need construct for levels 12-14, and some cheap equipment that will boost my survivability. Nightmare mount for at-will etherealness sounds nice but nightmares are considered OP and is usually disallowed in games...

Probably a 12 headed hydra effigy maybe? Greater Stone Golem is attractive too. The hydra is actually cheap enough that I could probably grab both.

[RoboEmperor]

Don't forget, you can install spell turrets on your animated object to keep it relevant. Level 1 turrets are like 1k each and they can fire a lesser orb every 5 rounds. So with 50 that'd be 50d6 damage on your first round.

[magicalmagicman]

Ok so... by the lack of posts, I guess everything in my build is completely legal, no errors, and perfectly viable in a game?

[Mike Miller]

Ok so... by the lack of posts, I guess everything in my build is completely legal, no errors, and perfectly viable in a game?

An equally acceptable assumption is that no one looked at it in depth with artificer experience/knowledge or simply the ones who did didn't respond.

I don't have experience with artificers, so I can't really comment. The best answer is to run it past your DM, because you should always be on the same page.