Quote Originally Posted by MaxWilson View Post
No, I said this:

<<At level 1 I have to rely on ranged Artificer cantrips and my Mobile feat to keep me alive despite my crummy AC 15ish (scale armor + shield), then if that feels insufficient I can immediately go Forge 1 to boost my AC to 19ish (enchanted chain mail + shield), otherwise I try to hit Artillerist 3 ASAP>>



Because I don't play in your campaign and I recognize the value of flexibility. If your DM uses lots of mobs, you want AC faster. Otherwise you might have more fun getting Artillerist ASAP. It doesn't really matter which one you do first--choose based on what's happening in-game. Either way you wind up in a good solid place with all of your core synergies in place by level 5-8ish.



This is factually incorrect. You can have three chances for knockback as early as level 5, and by level 11 (Artillerist 8/Hex 2/Forge 1) you can have four, although one of them is only the Artillerist ballista 5' knockback instead of a warlock 10' knockback.



Because THP turrets are fun, and Fabricate/Tiny Servant are fun, and flamethrowers are fun, and so is all the rest of the Artillerist kit--but none of it really cries out for maximizing Int.



You also appear to be someone who thinks Paladins must max Str (based on your comments about Aura of Protection and Charisma being a secondary stat), whereas I would leave Str at its initial 16ish value on a Paladin and just take Celestialock levels and/or Divine Soul levels to make Charisma my primary stat instead. Str 16ish is plenty for Paladin melee combat. So, chalk that up as yet another difference of opinion.
Apologies on the first part, I was thinking of your breakdown from earlier.

Or just don't have to dump Dex and have good AC from the start, Forge Cleric does just seem to exist to patch the AC.

This is the first time you've mentioned the Ballista, up until now you've just focused on the flamethrower and how it's half damage, so I assumed that's what you'd be using.

You're not using the 5th level feature at all though, instead preferring to spam Eldritch blast or cast non AC/Save spells. Making your turrets more likely to actually do damage/do more damage/give you more temp hp isn't an incentive?

No not at all, I prefer Dexadins personally. I said Cha was a secondary stat because it IS a secondary stat. They're martial halfcasters, they have no way to use Cha for their weapons so yes, it's a secondary stat. Multiclassing into a Sorcerer or Warlock doesn't change that fact for Paladins, you just end up playing a Sorcadin/Padlock with a focus on casting. Maxing your primary stat (or at least going +4) is just good advice in general (especially in an multiclassing optimisers thread), multiclassing to do something completely different than the core class is surely a thing, but I doubt what most people aim for looking at these guides. "Oh you're playing an Artillerist, what's your go to?" "Oh I mostly spam Eldritch Blast."