4E Artificer

[mikeejimbo]

So they've pre-released the Artificer.

http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/drfe/20080702

It looks neat. I haven't looked at it in-depth, but it's all cool. Except one thing that bothers me.

It's an Arcane Leader. I know, you'd probably say "Well gee mikee, what the heck did you expect it to be?" I dunno... Arcane Controller maybe? Leader with an entirely new power source. I just didn't want it to be an Arcane Leader.

"What's wrong with an Arcane Leader?" You ask next, patiently. I light up a pipe, and finish smoking it before answering.

"Nothing. It makes sense that we should have a martial, divine, AND arcane leader."

"Then what's wrong?"

I pause, for dramatic effect.

"Where does that leave the Bard?"

[Townopolis]

We have two martial strikers...

[RTGoodman]

There was a thread on this yesterday/two days ago, but that said, I'm not that worried. I mean, where does it say there can be only one class for each Power Source-Role combination? We've already got two Martial Strikers (Rogue and Ranger), and I'd be willing to be that eventually there'll be others of the other combinations.

I actually kinda like the Artificer - it's got some neat abilities and, really, seems a lot cooler than the 3.5 "Hey, I use Item Creation Feats a lot!" version.

[mikeejimbo]

Oh yeah, there is precedent for having two of the same power/role combinations. I had forgotten about that.

And I too like the look of the Artificer - I just want the Bard more. I hope that if they do make a bard, they can make it different enough from the current leaders.

[RTGoodman]

Well, the Artificer is definitely not coming out officially until, what, Fall 2009? The Bard is sort of a D&D cornerstone - I haven't been playing that long, but it was even around during 1st Edition, right, when you had to have some ridiculous stats and basically be a Fighting Man/Thief/Magic User to even start getting in? (Which I think is also why the Fochluchan Lyrist has such weird requirements - it was supposed to be an homage to the 1st Edition Bard.)

The 4E PHB 2 is supposed to come out sometime next Spring and I think says something about Arcane, Primal, and Elemental classes. I assume Bard will makes its glorious return there (though that has caused some people to start guessing that Bard might become a Primal Leader). I really doubt that, since the magic always seemed like an integral part of Bard (unless you were trying to make a warleader type fella, and in that case Warlord is your answer).

[mikeejimbo]

Well good, I hope it does. You've certainly cheered me up about the fate of the Bard.

[Skyserpent]

Well, the Artificer is definitely not coming out officially until, what, Fall 2009? The Bard is sort of a D&D cornerstone - I haven't been playing that long, but it was even around during 1st Edition, right, when you had to have some ridiculous stats and basically be a Fighting Man/Thief/Magic User to even start getting in? (Which I think is also why the Fochluchan Lyrist has such weird requirements - it was supposed to be an homage to the 1st Edition Bard.)

The 4E PHB 2 is supposed to come out sometime next Spring and I think says something about Arcane, Primal, and Elemental classes. I assume Bard will makes its glorious return there (though that has caused some people to start guessing that Bard might become a Primal Leader). I really doubt that, since the magic always seemed like an integral part of Bard (unless you were trying to make a warleader type fella, and in that case Warlord is your answer).

True, the classic D&D Bard has been very arcane, but that was just for his everyman feel. I mean, I'd be completely fine with him being Arcane, but I was thinking that Primal might be cool if we really dive into the "Musician" Aspect of the Bard... I mean, if Bard is the catchall term for the everyman adventurer, yeah, Arcanist would be a neat place to start considering how important Magic is to D&D, but If we make him more music focused, I could totally see Primal working for him...

[Vortling]

This preview makes me very worried for the fate of the necromancer and any other class that controls things outside itself.

[Eldmor]

I notice that there are only two Lv1 At-Will Spells. Human Artificers got jacked for the prelaunch; I hope they take this into consideration for further class playtests. For now, I think them stealing an at-will from another class with the same power source is acceptable.

EDIT: I also safely assume that Repair Object does not affect Warforged. Otherwise, more love to them. Which is always good.

[DiscipleofBob]

Well, I assume that the lack of powers is because the class is still in playtesting.

[TheOOB]

Well, the artificer only has one build option, while each class normally gets two. That means the class they presented only has about half it's powers right now, and the other half the powers are going to take the class in a different direction(and most likely use different stats).

[LoopyZebra]

Yeah, they note in the article that only part of the class' powers are shown. A full artificer will have more powers.

As for the earlier discussion about PHB2, it's "Arcane, Divine, and Primal Heroes". There's also a list around the boards somewhere giving the first letters of each of the eight classes in the book; two of the entries are Bs, strongly suggesting Bard and Barbarian. The cover also hints at a Goliath, whose axe hints at barbarian.

The rest of the products for 2009, from January to May, are also up on their site.

[Eldmor]

I am aware it's only a portion and one specialization, just playtesting a Human Artificer became not-complete since that extra At-Will is the what-what of being Human.

[Caduceus]

Then don't be a human artificer. Be an eladrin, or a half-elf, or a dwarf. God forbid you play anything other than HUMAN.

As an aside, I much prefer the final page's artwork to the piece they put up on the site. Just seems more like a real artificer to me.

[The Glyphstone]

What's the stupid little trick for authenticating "log-in" again for people without an account?

[LoopyZebra]

Glyphstone: &authentic=true , add it to the end of the address for the site.

Though, since the accounts still free, it doesn't hurt to make one. On the other hand, it's quicker to "authenticate" than to log in.

[Kyeudo]

Other than a few powers that just don't seem to work quite right, the 4th ed artificer fits a nice Leader/Controller role. Should be interesting to see it when it's done.

[Devin]

As an aside, I much prefer the final page's artwork to the piece they put up on the site. Just seems more like a real artificer to me.

The last picture reminds me of an Al Bhed from Final Fantasy X. I like the Dragonborn Artificer, he just looks like a cool guy.

[mikeejimbo]

There's also a list around the boards somewhere giving the first letters of each of the eight classes in the book; two of the entries are Bs, strongly suggesting Bard and Barbarian. The cover also hints at a Goliath, whose axe hints at barbarian.

Is that on the Wizards of the Coast boards? I don't frequent them, sadly. I think I tried to once but decided that you guys were nicer.

[Starsinger]

I am aware it's only a portion and one specialization, just playtesting a Human Artificer became not-complete since that extra At-Will is the what-what of being Human.

As a temporary solution I'm letting human artificers have Magic Missile.

[Project_Mayhem]

Glyphstone: &authentic=true , add it to the end of the address for the site.

Though, since the accounts still free, it doesn't hurt to make one. On the other hand, it's quicker to "authenticate" than to log in.

Thats quite the loophole isnt it. Reckon they'll tighten security when you have to pay?

[Mewtarthio]

Probably. They'll likely also fix the "Printer Friendly" bug while they're at it (viewing the "Printer Friendly" version of a page bypasses the login).

[CockroachTeaParty]

I'm liking the look of the Artificer so far. They seem far more Indiana Jones than bookish this time around. Spending more time in dungeons fiddling with items and artifacts on the fly seems much more exciting than spending a month making a luckstone while the rest of the party sits twiddling their thumbs. Although the days of the portable hole/dedicated wright factory seem to be over... Oh well!

I like the pencil tucked behind the ear of the artificer elf chick on the last page. She just looks so hardcore! Like "Yeah, shoot those magic missiles at me. This is me not caring." Yay fantasy trench coats.

[SadisticFishing]

Haha, the human at-will thing sucks pretty hard for human clerics, too, paladins, fey warlocks, yeah. Not just artificers.

Artificers are cool though. ARCANE SPRINGBOARD! BOIYING!

[JaxGaret]

After taking a quick glance at it, the Artificer seems a bit weak to me, compared to the Warlord and Cleric.

Does anyone else get that as a first impression, or thinks that after a more thorough reading of the class?

[BurnHavoc]

I highly suggust people get Gleemax forum accounts and post complaints and issues with the class there, they released this to get feedback and it's one of the best ways to get the kinks you see with the class out before release.

[LoopyZebra]

Gleemax hasn't been working recently from what I heard, but sending feedback to WotC through email is still a good idea.

[disorder]

After taking a quick glance at it, the Artificer seems a bit weak to me, compared to the Warlord and Cleric.

Does anyone else get that as a first impression, or thinks that after a more thorough reading of the class?

They definitely seem to be about versatility and support, more than raw power...a good fifth character once you've got all the basic roles covered by specialists. Maybe slightly underpowered if you don't play creatively, but with enough crazy capabilities to make them a real force to be reckoned with, in the hands of a player who thinks on their feet.

All in all, they look like great fun to play. I can't wait to see the complete version!

I like the pencil tucked behind the ear of the artificer elf chick on the last page. She just looks so hardcore! Like "Yeah, shoot those magic missiles at me. This is me not caring." Yay fantasy trench coats.

Yeah, that's a great picture. "Amateurs. I've got a pencil."