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One of the newest classes to hitDungeons & Dragons, the Artificer deals in arcane contraptions, infusing their magical energies into mechanical devices to create living constructs, alchemical reagents, or deadly new weaponry. The Battle Smith Artificer leans more into the latter camp, using their knowledge of the arcane to enhance their martial abilities.
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Creating a Battle Smith Artificer isn’t for the faint of heart. You’ll need to make important decisions at the earliest levels in order to maximize your potential later on. Fortunately, this guide is here to teach you how best to play the Battle Smith Artificer.
A Weapon-Wielding Magic Class
Although the Battle Smith is a martial class, often found wielding magical swords and shields in the thick of battle, the Battle Smith ideallydoesn’t derive its damage from Strength or Dexterity.
At level three, the Battle Smith receives theBattle Readyfeature, whichallows the Battle Smith to use their Intelligence modifierinstead of Strength or Dexterity modifier when making attack or damage rolls with magical weapons. As such, it’s best tomaximize your character’s Intelligenceas it will not only help your attack damage but also your spells as well.
Because Battle Ready doesn’t arrive until level three, the Battle Smith Artificermight feel a little underwhelming at levels one and two. We’ll have some advice on how to deal with those early levels later on.
The Best Species For Battle Smith Artificer
Intelligence,Constitution, andDexterityare the Battle Smith Artificer’smost important ability scores. If you’re using D&D’s legacy rules for species, then you’ll likely want to play as aGnome,Human, orDwarf. If you’re playing with the new character creation rules outlined in Tasha’s Cauldron Of Everything, then you’ve got a lot more options.
Whichever you choose, it’s generally recommended toincrease Intelligence by two and Constitution or Dexterity by onefor each of them.
Here are a number ofadvantageous species, but feel free to pick whichever species feels right to you.
Giff
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As mentioned in the previous section, Battle Smith Artificers will want to prioritizeIntelligence first,Constitution second, andDexterity thirdwhen choosing their ability scores. Either Strength or Charisma can be largely ignored, while a modicum of Wisdom is often helpful for perception checks.
Adecent starting ability score spreadfor the Battle Smith Artificer might look something like this:
10 (0)
14 (+2)
16 (+3)
8 (-1)
As the Artificer can wear medium armor,a few points into Dexteritywill help maximize your armor class.Intelligence helps maximize the potencyof your attacks and spells, whileConstitution will provide hit pointsand better saving throws for concentration checks.
Best Starting Background For Battle Smith Artificer
Backgrounds are largely for flavor, but if you’re looking to maximize your skill scores,pick one that offers a few Intelligence-based skills.
TheCloistered Scholarprovides both History and either Arcana, Nature, or Religion, theSageprovides both Arcana and History, and theIzzet Engineer(for those with the Guildmasters' Guide to Ravinca sourcebook) provides both Arcana and Investigation skills.
However, you may want to play your Artificer witha more balanced array of skills. In which case, you could chooseSoldierfor both military rank and proficiency in Athletics and Intimidation. Or you could pickNoblefor proficiency in Persuasion.
Best Starting Equipment For Battle Smith Artificer
All Artificers start with theequipment granted by their backgroundas well as the following:
Since you can’t start with a shield, you could go withdual hand axesat first level, although this would remove your ability to cast spells easily. Ajavelin,mace,quarterstaff, orspearare good choices to maximize your damage potential.
Pick whichever armor maximizes your armor class. If you have a lot of dexterity, choose studded leather. Otherwise, scale mail.
Once you’re able to choose the Battle Smith subclassat level three,you’ll gain proficiency with martial weapons. At that point, you’ll want to look into upgrading your gear chosen at first level.
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Best Spells For Battle Smith Artificer
Artificers get fewer spell slotsthan most spellcasting classes in D&D 5E, so you’ll want to pick spells that have the most impact.
For cantrips,Mendingis almost a required spell as it will help you heal your Steel Defender. Your other cantrip can be either utility-based likeGuidance,Message, orLight, or it could be a damage-dealing cantrip like Firebolt orShocking Grasp.
With maximum Intelligence at level one,Fireboltwill generally be your mostreliable ranged attack, while yourlight crossbowwill be slightly morereliable at dealing damage.
Artificers can replace one cantrip every time they level up, so don’t feel like you’re stuck with these cantrips for the rest of the game. If you chooseFireboltas your damage-dealing cantrip, you’ll certainly want to replace it at level three as your martial weapons will be far more efficient at dealing damage.
Like Wizards, Artificer spells must be prepared each day, but unlike Wizards, Artificers have a very limited number of spell slots. Artificers don’t learn a second-level spell slot until level five, soyou’ll want to have the most impactful spells prepared.
Cure WoundsandDetect Magicare probably the most impactful spells at level one.Absorb Elementscan be helpful to provide your Artificer with a reaction.Faerie Fireis another useful combat trick, whileExpeditious Retreatprovides you with a bonus action spell that could come in handy early on.
At later levels, the Artificer’s lack of spell power becomes more apparent, so it makes the most sense to stick with utility spells.Lesser Restoration,Invisibility,Dispel Magic,Haste,Greater Restoration, andRevivifyare all good spells to have on hand.
Feats For Battle Smith Artificer
Battle Smith Artificers willgenerally want to take ability score increasesfor the first several levels until you’ve maximized your Intelligence score. After that, however, you may want to consider some of these feats depending on your preferred playstyle.
Playing The Battle Smith Artificer
At level two, the Artificer gains theInfuse Itemfeature, giving you access to two magical items of your choice. One of those Infusions should certainly be eitherEnhanced Weapon, which makes your weapon magical and gives it +1 to both attack and damage rolls, orRepeating Shot, which does the same for ranged weapons but also ignores the loading property.
Once you hit level three, you’ll be able totake the Battle Smith subclassand receive itsBattle Readyfeature. This gives you proficiency with martial weapons and lets you add your Intelligence score modifier to your weapon attacks.
Your focusfrom hereshould be on obtaining a powerful magical weaponto allow you to use other Infusions.
Your Steel Defender is a very helpful pet, providing both additional damage through the use of your bonus action and imposing disadvantage on enemy attacks. It also has darkvision, allowing it to guide you through dark locations without the need for light.
At level 10, theEnhanced Weapon Infusion provides +2 to attack and damagerolls, out-pacing Repeating Shot for dealing ranged damage.Enhanced Defenseis another Infusion that can also provide +2 to your armor class.
