Looking for some help building an Artificer for 3.5e

[TomaLevine]

I'm going to be making an artificer for a 3.5 Eberron campaign. I've read a bunch of stuff, and have some ideas, but I'm not quite sure how to put it all together into a working character. I'm not looking to make something really cheesy, just something solid and dependable. If you do give a suggestion, please explain why it's a good choice.

We're starting at level 3. For our group, we've got a Druid who wants to be both a healer and damage dealer (we'll see how that works out), a wizard, a sorcerer/monk, and some kind of melee character (he hasn't decided yet). I'm making a Kobold (I know it's not optimal, but it's what I want to play) artificer who's starting role is going to be kind of a secondary healer (though depending how things go with the druid it might become a full healer) who buffs the party at the start of combat and does damage when healing isn't needed. He's going to be a member of House Cannith (not a blood member obviously, just someone who works for the house).

I've got access to a lot 3/3.5 books (one of my friends collected a lot of them), so I probably have access to whatever, and the DM will probably accept anything as long as it doesn't seem overpowered. I can't think of anything else to tell you at the moment. Thank you for your time and effort.

[BaronDoctor]

http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=2829.0

Big goals: High UMD, crafting cost reduction feats, Dedicated Wright to automate crafting, some means of not being useless in personal combat (i'm fond of the at-will Magic Missile 'zappy gun' with CL=HD magic item for being relatively cheap and pretty reliable while also letting you ignore most of the actual combat stuff).

[TomaLevine]

Thanks for the input. Could you elaborate a bit more about the "Magic Missile 'zappy gun' with CL=HD magic item"? I assume it's a wand of magic missiles, but I'm confused about the CL=HD part.

[BaronDoctor]

It's a custom item you create to cast magic missile at (the highest caster level you can make) once per round. With cost reduction feats it's pretty easy to be able to continue to gradually upgrade the object as you gain levels, which lets you basically act like an archer with a better effects budget.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

For infusions, Spell Storing Item (1st level) gives you incredible flexibility at the cost of some XP, letting you replicate any 4th level or lower spell in the game. Depending on the level you're starting, Concurrent Infusions (4th level) combined with that is the basis of the "no crafting artificer", letting you cast 3 first level infusions in a single action, including Spell Storing Item without paying the XP cost*.


* In theory, at least. To be honest, I'm not completely convinced that's how it works, but that appears to be the consensus online.

[BaronDoctor]

For infusions, Spell Storing Item (1st level) gives you incredible flexibility at the cost of some XP, letting you replicate any 4th level or lower spell in the game. Depending on the level you're starting, Concurrent Infusions (4th level) combined with that is the basis of the "no crafting artificer", letting you cast 3 first level infusions in a single action, including Spell Storing Item without paying the XP cost*.

* In theory, at least. To be honest, I'm not completely convinced that's how it works, but that appears to be the consensus online.

And don't forget: Artificers can go bargain bin hunting (http://bg-archive.minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=12661.0) for spells at lower-than-traditional spell levels to cut costs and get quicker access. Some standouts include: Haste at first level (Trapsmith), Air Walk at second level (Telflammar Shadowlord), Break Enchantment at third level (Trapsmith again), Dominate Person at third level (Thayan Slaver), and Summon Giants at 4th level.

Also available are traditionally-class-exclusive spells like Glibness (Bard).

Throw in Wand Mastery so you get more bang for your buck on wands you craft (getting 3 rounds of haste out of a spell level 1 caster level 1 wand of Trapsmith's Haste is absurdly cheap for the effect) and you've got a complete encounter ender for something on the order of 200 gp (~150ish for summon giants and ~25ish for haste, unless I missed my calculations with cost reduction feats), which is way less than the treasure value of a level-appropriate encounter. "Spend 200 gp to win 1000 gp? Don't mind if I do."

[TomaLevine]

Ok, so let me see if I have this right (I've never tried making a custom magic item before). The Zappy Gun would be a Wondrous Item instead of a Wand (since you mention upgrading it as you level), with a Command Word. So that's Spell Level 1 x Caster Level 3 x 1,800 gp = 5,400 gp ÷ 2 = 2,700 gp and 216 xp to craft (reduced by any feats I take). Can you use Require Specific Class or Alignment to further reduce the cost by 30% (In my reading I've seen some say yes, and some say no, so I don't know)?

Thanks for the link to the bargain bin spells. I've seen it referenced in a few of the things I've read, but all those links were to a dead site. Spell Storing looks really useful, I won't get Concurrent Infusions for a while, but it's nice to know for when I do get to it.

[BaronDoctor]

That's the idea. 2 * (1d4+1) damage (roughly 7?) going out to a little over 100 feet is about on par with a halfway decent archer (d8+applicable bonuses) except you don't miss. It's a wondrous item that you craft (and recraft) as you level, giving you a viable combat tool that keeps you off the frontlines while still contributing if you don't have something immediately on hand. Think of it like the default pistol in an FPS game. You may have a better tool for absurdly-far sniping (Acid Arrow's Long range comes to mind), you may have a better tool for groups (Fireball), you may have a better tool for hostage situations (Great Thunderclap is pretty much a flashbang)...but if you don't have any of those handy, your basic default "I shoot it with Magic Missile".

Bonus points if it comes in silly colors. I flavor mine as "adding another barrel to a pepperbox-style pistol", but there's no wrong way to have fun as long as everybody else is having fun too.

Your group doesn't seem to have a traps-and-doors guy, so here's my two bits: either a wand or a Spell-Storing-Infusion of Knock (and/or Shatter). Cast shatter on the door's hinge and it's suddenly a very poorly built wall. Shatter on the trap's trigger mechanism and there's no trap. No need for Disable Device or Open Lock if you've got Shatter. For bonus points, make a 1/day item to cast Silent Portal (or Silence, if your DM doesn't like the idea of a "door muffler") and you can even do it _stealthily_.

Far as crafting cost reductions, "authorized user limitations" are an "Ask Your GM" thing. Some GMs are very firmly attached to certain ideas about how they think balance should work; some GMs are very firmly attached to the rules being a certain way.

[Gavinfoxx]

I wouldn't go for a zappy gun. I really don't like that idea.

Instead I'd go for a great crossbow and make sure I've got an intelligent item version of a collar of perpetual attendance to reload it for you so you can fire every round.

[TomaLevine]

Ok, cool. I'm glad I got it right, thank you for confirming that for me. :) I like the flashy color ideas, I think I'll go with a nice purple. ^_^ You're right, we don't have anyone for traps or doors. I was going to take some search for finding traps, but had no idea about what to do with them after that other than try to avoid tripping them, so I love your shatter idea!

I did ask my DM about the user limitations. He's about as unsure as I am, but he's agreed to let me use them for now and if it seems unbalanced we'll nix it later.

Don't worry Gavinfoxx, it's not going to actually look like a gun, I've just been calling it the zappy gun since that's what BaronDoctor called it originally and I wanted him to know what I was talking about since i was asking questions about it.

[Gavinfoxx]

It's not about it looking like a gun or not, it's about it being a horrendously inefficient waste of crafting resources when you have better things to make.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

And don't forget: Artificers can go bargain bin hunting (http://bg-archive.minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=12661.0) for spells at lower-than-traditional spell levels to cut costs and get quicker access. Some standouts include: Haste at first level (Trapsmith), Air Walk at second level (Telflammar Shadowlord), Break Enchantment at third level (Trapsmith again), Dominate Person at third level (Thayan Slaver), and Summon Giants at 4th level.

Also available are traditionally-class-exclusive spells like Glibness (Bard).

Throw in Wand Mastery so you get more bang for your buck on wands you craft (getting 3 rounds of haste out of a spell level 1 caster level 1 wand of Trapsmith's Haste is absurdly cheap for the effect) and you've got a complete encounter ender for something on the order of 200 gp (~150ish for summon giants and ~25ish for haste, unless I missed my calculations with cost reduction feats), which is way less than the treasure value of a level-appropriate encounter. "Spend 200 gp to win 1000 gp? Don't mind if I do."

I'd be careful with the bargain bin spell levels. That's getting into high-op territory, which may be no good for the table depending on the rest of the party's optimization level.

[TomaLevine]

I'll admit I'm not quite sure what to do with the bargain bin spells. Do I use them with spell storing (to be able to store what should be higher level spells), do I use them when crafting items (for example to make a level 1 cure moderate wounds wand), or am I missing something completely?

Sorry Gavinfoxx, I somehow missed your second line when I read your post, so I thought you were objecting to guns in a D&D game. ^_^* I don't think the collar would really work though. I mean unseen servant can exert 20 pounds of force, even a light crossbow would take well over 100 pounds of force to pull back the string and a heavy crossbow would take over 1,000 pounds of force.

Yeah PoeticallyPsyco, I'll keep an eye on it, I don't want to be too powerful, I want everyone to be able to contribute and have fun.

[Gavinfoxx]

I'm assuming the Great Crossbow has a windlass system, so there's that. It's not a Light Crossbow that you just yank back or a heavy crossbow with a foot stirrup!

But there's other things too that you'd want to be spending your money on making.

A combined Travel Cloak / Cloak of Resistance / Cloak of Elemental Protection / Shadow Cloak, for example.

Or a combined Gloves of Endless Javelins / Gloves of Object Reading / Gloves of the Master Strategist (I'd use this at your primary weapon system, IMO, especially if your GM rules regarding the various plausible benefits of weapons of pure force that still require an attack roll).

Or a combined Amber Amulet of Vermin: Giant Wasp / Amulet of Tears / Amulet of Health / Collar of Perpetual Attendance / Brooch of Stability (or probably some lesser mix of those).

Or things like combined Anklets of Translocation / Boots of Agile Leaping.

Or one offs like a Belt of Healing, a Wand of Lesser Vigor, a Handy Haversack, etc.

Or BUYING an Enveloping Pit for your base (you won't have the means to construct it, you'll have to purchase it on the open market, presumably looted from a warren of appropriately faithful kobolds), as well as all the stuff to turn said enveloping pit into a mobile base, and a flying mount to carry you and your base around. Same with having to buy a Ring of the Darkhidden (you're likely too low level to make rings).

Stuff like that.

[TomaLevine]

Thank you, that's a great list of magic items to work towards. :D

I've managed to get it done and ready to play. Thanks again to everyone for your help.