So, as anyone who has been reading this blog in the last few years, I've found myself fascinated by the apparently-ubiquitous references to Alchemy within all manner of fantasy fiction. Its symbolism and model for how the world works is profoundly compelling, despite or, I think more likely, because it was the irrational tradition out of which the great rational tradition of modern science was born. Likewise, its resonance within the field of psychology makes it a really powerful point of reference for all manner of fiction.
I've never loved the Alchemist subclass for the Artificer, which is a shame because I think that, thematically, it ought to be a slam dunk (it's also the one artificer subclass that requires zero aesthetic re-skinning to put it into a perfectly standard medieval fantasy world).
But I also think that, given some if its features, the Transmuter Wizard might actually better represent a Alchemist. Part of that might just be that Artificers maybe should have been full casters (though I don't mind that they're half-casters on any of the other subclasses).
Anyway, let's take a look at this and see how it works. Again, rather than comparing every little change from its 2014 version and its previous UA version, I'm going to take this on its own merits.
Level 3:
Transmutation Savant:
This works like all the other Savant abilities as they were updated in 2024.
Transmuter's Stone:
When you finish a long rest, you can create a magic stone that lasts until you use the feature again. The stone is a tiny object, which you can use as a spellcasting focus for wizard spells. A creature that has the stone on their person has proficiency in Constitution saving throws and gains one of the following benefits, which you choose when you create the stone. You can also swap the benefit when you cast a Transmutation spell using a spell slot:
Darkvision out to 60 feet, or if you already have it, increasing your Darkvision range by 60 feet.
Increases your Speed by 10 feet.
Grants resistance to your choice (when you create the stone or swap the benefit) Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, Poison, or Thunder damage.
Ok, while I'm not here to compare this with the older version, it's clear that this does fix one of the old one's issues, which is by making the proficiency in Con saves universal. Wizards don't get Con save proficiency without a feat (or starting off as a different class,) and so this was always the by-far most obvious choice for the stone's function. Now, you always get it, and the other three, all situationally useful, are a little more balanced with one another.
Wondrous Alteration:
You always have the Alter Self spell prepared and can cast it once per long rest without expending a spell slot. While under the effects of the spell, you gain additional benefits for each of its options:
Aquatic Adaptation now also allows you to Dash as a bonus action while underwater.
Change Appearance now also grants you Advantage on Charisma (Deception) checks.
Natural Weapons increases the damage of the new growth to 2d6 (up from 1d6 - remember that the baseline one also allows you to attack with your spellcasting modifier).
This is all fine, though I guess my issue with "giving you advantage on Deception checks while disguised" is my usual problem with features that seem to give you a bonus that I, as a DM, would be giving you anyway. To be fair, you could be lying about something other than your identity when under this effect, so maybe it's good to explicitly spell it out. But a generous DM like me might de-value a feature like this unintentionally. That said, it's one element of one of three 3rd level features, so maybe that's not such a big deal.
Level 6:
Empowered Transmutation:
When you cast a Transmutation spell that doesn't deal damage, such as Fly or Magical Weapon, using a spell slot, you can treat the spell as if it were cast one level higher. You can use this feature Int times per Long rest.
This looks, on the surface, like a kind of "limited Twinned Spell for Transmutation spells," except as the example of Magic Weapon (wait, is it "Magical?" Was that a change? After checking the PHB, no, that's a typo in the UA) shows, it might alter the spell in different ways to upcast it. I'm not fully convinced we need this limiter on uses, but I also don't think it'll be too much of a burden.
Level 10:
Potent Stone:
Now, when you create your Transmuter's Stone, you choose up to two benefits. You can only choose each benefit once, except for the damage resistance one, which you can choose twice as long as you choose different damage types (though given that resistance doesn't stack, you'd want to anyway). You can change either or both benefits when you cast a Transmutation spell with a spell slot.
Additionally, you have new benefits to choose from:
Mighty Build gives the bearer advantage on Strength saving throws and doubles their carrying capacity.
Tremorsense grants 30 feet of tremorsense.
So, I think this is a pretty well-designed upgrade to the feature: new benefits to choose from to go along with more power by being able to choose more options. Once again, the benefits here are mostly situational utility.
Shapechanger:
You always have Polymorph prepared and can cast it once per long rest without a spell slot. Additionally, when you target yourself with the spell, you can modify the spell to gain additional benefits once per long rest:
Game Statistics: You retain your personality, memories, and ability to speak, as well as your Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores, class features, and feats.
Transmute Spells: you can cast transmutation spells while shape-shifted, except any with a Material component that has a cost or is consumed.
I really like this: Polymorph is a fantastic spell, and it makes sense that a Transmuter would be able to treat it a little more like a Druid's Wild Shape (though getting forms that are more powerful than even a Moon Druid will ever be able to use with that feature). On my Wizard, I often use Polymorph as a protective measure - if a party member is close to going down, I give them a fully-healthy temporary form with a boatload of hit points to keep them in the fight. It's interesting that it says you retain your class features but then specifies you can cast Transmutation spells - I assume this is meant to clarify that your beast-form cannot cast other spells, despite the fact that you can still speak (I can understand perhaps saying that most forms can't perform Somatic components, but surely a Giant Ape with a Wizard's intelligence could pull that off?) A free 4th level spell once per day is also pretty nice, even if it comes three levels after you first got the spell (I have to imagine that any Transmutation Wizard would have picked that up before level 10).
Level 14:
Master Transmuter:
While you carry your Transmuter's Stone, you can take a Magic action to consume the transmutation magic within it and choose one of the following benefits. After using the stone this way, it crumbles into dust (you can make a new one after a long rest). You can, however, prevent the stone from crumbling by expending a spell slot of 5th level or higher. The benefits:
Major Transformation: You can transmute one non-magical object, no longer than a 10-foot cube or eight connected 5-foot cubes, into another nonmagical object of similar size and mass of equal or lesser value. You spend 10 minutes handling the object to shape it.
Panacea: You touch a creature as part of this Magic action and restore half their maximum hit points (rounded down) and cure all magical contagions, curses, and attunement to a cursed item. This will also clear the Poisoned and Petrified conditions.
Restore Life: You cast Raise Dead using the stone in place of the normal material component, without expending a spell slot.
Restore Youth: You touch a creature and decrease their Exhaustion level to 0 and permanently make them appear 3d10 years younger, to a minimum of young adulthood.
I think the big difference here from the old version is that you can retain the stone if you spend the spell slot. Another way of thinking of about that is that each of these effects can be thought of as a 5th level spell. Raise Dead, obviously, is a 5th level spell. But I think if you look at the effects of Panacea and Restore Youth, they're comparable to Greater Restoration, another 5th level spell, only they're better: Greater Restoration doesn't do any healing and it also only reduces a single level of Exhaustion. Major Transmutation is, I suppose, comparable to the 4th level spell Fabricate.
The point is, if we were to frame this as "you always have Raise Dead and Greater Restoration prepared, and you can cast one of those spells once per day without expending a spell slot," that would probably be a pretty decent feature, and this is better.
Overall Thoughts:
This is certainly more of a utility subclass than a flashy one with crazy damage, but Wizards are already kind of the best utility class, and Transmutation is a school of magic that leans very heavily into utility. I think it's a very solid subclass, and one that I think any party would be happy to have.
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