One thing that surprised me a bit when I first got into D&D was how many classes are spellcasters. Of the thirteen total WotC-published classes, eight of them (the Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, and Wizard) have the "Spellcasting" feature. Two subclasses for other classes - the Eldritch Knight Fighter and the Arcane Trickster Rogue, also gain this feature. Finally, Warlocks have Pact Magic, which functions differently, but still similarly - though we might have to look at them again as we consider the overall subject of this post.
Unlike other RPGs I've played, D&D's spells are often available to multiple classes. Whereas classes that can play similar roles in other games might have separate but functionally similar spells (like World of Warcraft's Holy Light for Paladins and Healing Wave for Shamans,) D&D's classes share spells (the equivalent probably being something like Cure Wounds).
There is a great advantage to this, of course: it's pretty efficient. Regardless of which class you're playing, most players will know what Cure Wounds does, with the only real distinction being whether you're adding your Wisdom or your Charisma modifier to the roll (or Intelligence if you're an Artificer). (Admittedly, this is a bad example because this spell did get changed with the 2024 PHB, but you get the idea - it changed for every class.)
The recent UA for the Artificer has led to some discussion about whether the class works well. On a flavor level, of course, there are some who complain about how its machine-based aesthetics clash with classic fantasy (I couldn't disagree more - not only because I hate genre purism but also because there are plenty of examples in the genre of wondrous clockwork devices, not to mention that the Alchemist at least has none of these issues). But I think the salient point is that the Artificer is built around making magic items in a system that seems really reluctant to allow players to craft magic items.
There are rules for crafting, of course, but for those of us hoping for a deeper, more robust system for crafting magic items in the 2024 rules, the books didn't really add much - instead primarily consolidating existing rules, and doing so with rules that still require a massive amount of downtime that many campaigns simply won't have.
Instead, it feels like the game really, really prefers for players to find magic items on adventures. And that leaves you with the problem of what, exactly, the Artificer is actually doing.
The UA plays with this - by changing Infusions to Replicate Magic Item (slightly confusing as that is a type of infusion for the existing Artificer) they are able to quickly (on a long rest) produce a magic item, but it's limited in the same way that the infusions are - an item that is semi-temporary.
There are aspects of this that could be fun (an Armorer Artificer getting free plate armor at level 3 by taking the Armor of Gleaming plan, swapping that for +1 armor when they hit level 6) but also some problems that arise (can you make a +1 Thunder Gauntlet for your Guardian mode suit, and will that transfer over if you swap your armor type to Infiltrator or Dreadnaught?)
Still, I think this area of discussion might be a distraction.
Is there some more interesting way that the Artificer could distinguish itself?
The only other "alternate spellcasting" systems I've seen aside from the Warlock's Pact Magic system were the 2014 Four Elements Monk and, arguably, the Psionic Sorcery of the Aberrant Mind (now simply Aberrant Sorcerer). The Four Elements Monk was maybe the lowest-rated subclass in the game (and the new Warrior of Elements is a massive step up - but it also removes anything resembling spellcasting). The Aberrant Mind effectively lets you cast certain spells with Sorcery Points, though you can sort of reverse engineer this to simply cast with your spell slots by then using a bonus action to convert the appropriate-level spell slot into sorcery points.
Still, another thing I've seen in other games is that spells are usually fueled by a single resource - often called "Mana." More powerful spells will cost more mana, but it's the same resource. That means you can choose between casting a lot of small spells or a few large spells.
Now, the 2014 DMG has "Spell Points" as an optional rule, which effectively convert your spell slots into a number of points equal to the total combined levels of your spell slots, with each spell of a certain level costing the spell's level's worth of spell points.
There are some issues that arise with this: a high-level character could cast several Wishes in a single day in this manner. And outside of combat, a healer could get far more efficient use out of Cure Wounds by just casting it at 1st level over and over.
And yet, to me, this kind of spellcasting resource would be kind of perfect for an Artificer - imagine if the Artificer, rather than having spell slots, had a "Power Source." Their power source would be a flavorful thing - some elemental gem, clockwork capacitor, chemical battery, or even a reserve of spell catalyst fluids - that would represent the Artificer's daily ability to create spell-like effects. The amount of this resource the Artificer had would be tailor-made for the Artificer's purposes.
I also think that Artificers, who are currently forced to cast spells using artisan's tools even if the spell doesn't require a material component, should also have some exemptions to compensate - like not requiring verbal components. After all, if my spell is really a device I've prepared for the day, why do I need to call out some magic word to get it to work?
Another problem, though, that arises here is that it messes with multiclassing. Warlocks, of course, while they can be great multiclass dips, are also kind of non-interactive with the Spellcasting feature. Now, this is one of several reasons I don't like multiclassing as a thing.
While I suspect D&D will remain my primary TTRPG indefinitely, I have been keeping a close watch on MCDM's Draw Steel, and while every class' resource works somewhat similarly (there tend to be abilities that cost 3, 5, and 7 - perhaps more at higher levels) they're still decidedly distinct. But with no multiclassing in that game, that doesn't become a problem for certain character builds.
In terms of the Artificer fantasy, I, personally, am drawn more to the fantasy of an adventurer who uses technology and inventions to fight monsters and save the day than to be someone who just "makes magic items." Even for the less "gears and pistons" aesthetic of the Alchemist, I'm more excited about the moment I pull a flask of some kind of caustic liquid from my coat and tell my party to hold their breath, because this one is going to smell real nasty, than I am about the hours I spend concocting the right alchemical treatment to produce a +1 set of Half Plate.
Many of the class' features do focus on this latter thing - the Artillerist's Eldritch Cannons, the Armorer's Magic Armor, etc. As cool as it certainly is to enhance those capabilities with bespoke magic items, I think that perhaps the best path forward for the class is to think about how the moment-to-moment gameplay can reflect this "inventor hero" archetype.
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