So, in my class and subclass review posts, I tried to look at the revamped Artificer class with fresh eyes. The class did get a fair number of changes. My initial reading is that I think the base class at least has actually lost some cool features that I'm sort of sad/frustrated to see go.
But it seems like the best approach is to just go level-by-level and see what has changed.
I'm going to skip features that are not changed, but even if there's a fairly equivalent feature, we'll compare the two. I'm going to leave subclasses alone.
Starting Equipment:
Yeah, we're actually starting before we even get to the proper level class features. Artificers now only start with Studded Leather armor, and don't have the option for Scale Mail (that I'd assume everyone took). Now, we can easily make ourselves a set of half-plate right when we hit level 2, but I think that's kind of notable.
Level 1:
Here, Tinker's Magic replaces Magical Tinkering. The latter was a kind of pseudo-Prestidigitation effect. The new thing lets you conjure up various pieces of adventuring gear. Both are opportunities to think outside the box, which I like, and I don't know you could for sure call one better than the other.
Spellcasting works the same way, with one big buff: you can swap out a cantrip on a long rest.
However, our spell list, which in Tasha's included a lot of spells found in that book and Xanathar's Guide to Everything, has changed a bit, and lost those supplementary spells. This means losing awesome defensive spells like Absorb Elements and Intellect Fortress, among others. We of course benefit from spells that made it into the 2024 PHB (Summon Construct is here, obviously). The new True Strike will also be a pretty solid cantrip option for the now-three non-martial Artificers (the old version didn't get the old True Strike, but that spell sucked, so who cares?)
Level 2:
The huge thing here is that Infuse Item has been replaced with Replicate Magic Item.
The really strong bonus you get with the new version is that you no longer need to have the base item to create your new item. That means that you can easily get your hands on Half Plate (or Plate if you're an armorer) armor and expensive weapons like firearms without spending a copper penny.
It would take me far too long to go into every change in what items you can replicate compared to the old infusions, though notably most of the Artificer-specific options have been turned into broader magic item categories that you can still make. Notable omissions, though, are Arcane Propulsion Armor and Armor of Magical Strength.
Despite this, I think, probably, that this is a buff. Not only losing the need to actually get expensive items to infuse, but the fact that there are options for just, like "an uncommon wondrous item" gives you tons of possibilities and also future-proofs the design because you'll be able to play with magic items printed in later books.
Level 3:
The Right Tool for the Job is, sadly, just gone. This allowed us to create a set of temporary artisan's tools with an hour of work. While we can make or find a Manifold Tool to get similar functionality, the class feature is gone.
Level 6:
Tool Expertise is gone. I do think that the 2014 rules were always a little unclear on how one used tools (though maybe they actually spelled it out in Xanathar's?) But the way I've been running it with the Artificer in my Ravnica game, we just treat it as getting expertise when a tool proficiency would come into play - like, if you were making a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check using Thieves' Tools, you'd start with your Dex, then add double your proficiency because you're proficient with Thieves' Tools, but you'd also get advantage because you have both the skill and tool proficiencies.
I don't love that Artificers now don't get Expertise in anything - I know they abandoned the Warrior/Priest/Mage/Expert concept for classes early in the "One D&D" playtest, but I still feel like it was a good theme, even if not an explicit mechanical identity.
All this said, we now get a new feature in Magic Item Tinker. And this does have a ton of potential. The biggest, I think, is using lower-level spell slots to fuel charges that cast higher-level spells. However, because we're limited to items we've replicated, the number of items that work for this is actually somewhat low (Necklace of Fireballs is the main one I'm thinking of). Still, there's some nice versatility here, and it is, arguably, a better feature than Tool Expertise. We can charge up our replicated magic items, regain a spell slot by absorbing replicated magic item (once a day), and swap out replicated magic items once a day as well.
Level 7:
Flash of Genius is nearly the same, but now, like a lot of other similar features, you get to know if the test failed before you use the feature. (I'd recommend DMs treat a d20 test with multiple degrees of success as a "failure" to trigger this if they don't get the best possible result).
Level 10:
Magic Item Adept used to halve the crafting time and cost of common and uncommon magic items. Similar functionality has been added to each subclass at level 3, though for a narrower category of item to be crafted (and I think no gold discount). The extra attunement slot is the same.
Level 11:
Spell-Storing Item has been mostly buffed, as it can now store 3rd level spells as well (Artillerists can now put Fireball in it, and Armorers Lightning Bolt). However, there's one very subtle nerf, which may have been intended with the original version: You can't put a spell in it that has a consumed material component (it's ok if there's a priced one, just as long as it's not consumed). The old version had no such restriction, and I believe that if you're casting a spell through an item, you don't have to provide such material components.
Neither will let you have 10 uses of Revivify at the ready, though.
Level 14:
Magic Item Savant has been replaced with Advanced Artifice. Both grant a fifth attunement slot, but the old version also let you use magic items regardless of class, race (er, species) or level requirements to attune to an item. I think class was the far more common version of this, but I will say that this hurts a lot - not only did the freedom to attune to any magic item give Artificers access to really powerful items that might give them spells they'd not normally be able to have access to, but it also future-proofed the class, so that they don't have to go through each magic item and list whether it can be attuned by an artificer.
In recompense, Advanced Artificer gives us a single use of Flash of Genius back on a short rest.
That's... fine, but I do think this must count as a nerf, as we have to say goodbye to Staff of the Magi and Staff of Power, or Robe of the Archmagi, Necklace of Prayer Beads, Staff of Healing, etc. Honestly, that hurts.
Level 20:
And here's the other thing that hurts:
Soul of Artifice has the same name in both versions, but the new one is, I'd say, less powerful.
The old version gave you a bonus to all saving throws equal to the number of magic items to which you were attuned. This was one of the best 20th-level capstones because it was very likely to give you a +6 to all saves (as you can attune to six items at once, and even if your DM somehow hadn't given you enough of them by that point, you could just make your own).
The new version retains the old version's ability to end one of your artificer infusions (or in this case, absorb one of your replicated magic items) to avoid dropping to 0 HP, and this element of it got a buff, where you can now absorb multiple items, getting 20 HP per item absorbed.
In fairness, the new capstone also now refreshes all of your Flash of Genius charges on a short rest, which is good (even if I think the Advanced Artificer thing could have come with the base feature, and we could have gotten this at level 14).
So, yeah.
It's a mixed bag, for sure. The really big disappointments come at higher levels, so if you're expecting to do a campaign that ends before or in early tier 3, the new version has a lot to recommend it.
I will say, though, that even if level 20 is a mere dream to most players (though not for my players! My campaign plan requires them to not only hit 20, but do a fair amount of stuff there) I'm really bummed out by the loss of the saving throw bonus. It's an absurdity, of course, but it was just so good, and level 20 capstone features should feel like they're overpowered. Neither feature in the new version is terribly exciting.
I feel similarly about the loss of universal magic item use, both from a design perspective and from a "they took away a cool toy" perspective. And while it's still somewhat rare, level 14 is far more conceivable as a level people will actually get to than 20.
My last big caveat here is that there are two very big lists that I have not gone over with a fine-tooth comb, which is the full spell list and the full Replicate Magic Item list. I think probably the new spell list is smaller, but I haven't checked to see what they get, rather than lose. However, I'd guess that the total potential for Replicate Magic Item is probably a little better (other than those two armor options I mentioned earlier). At level 2, we can make any common magic item that isn't a potion, a scroll, or cursed, and then we get uncommon wondrous items that aren't cursed at level 10, and then rare ones at 14. This is in addition to the bespoke lists we get at each level that include things like +1 Armor, +2 Wands of the War Mage, or Dazzling Weapons (which I think is just the new name for Radiant Weapons).
Where does this all land, then, on a power level? I think it's open to interpretation. If you were hoping the Artificer would get an unambiguous buff, I don't think we can say that. But it's something interesting to play around with.
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