Zeroficers
A guide to making tier 0 Artificers
Artificer in a nut-shell[spoiler]
Base class from the Eberron Campaign setting themed around magical gadgets, wands and scrolls, and infusing items with magical effects. Able to enhance and build constructs. Throughout his progression he gains most of the core magic item creation feats and can meet any spell requirement for items by making a use magic device check. He does not cast spells but has infussions spontaniously picked from a small list, many of which mimmic spells. The ability to craft wands and scrolls from any spell list, then cast them gives the artificer ultimate versatility, then apply metamagic feats gives him ultimate power.
Medium Base Attack Bonus
Good will save
Medium armor and shields and the ability to cast in them
Fast progression to 3th level infusions, then slow to 6th.
Intelegence based spontanious casting from a list of spells that, like shape-change, simply open doors to other possibilities(any armor, any magic weapon ability, any spell). Most of his infussions are overshadowed by a few shining stars, and often have the drawback of needing minutes to cast, almost requiring preperation, without the eberron specific mechanic of Action points[/spoiler]
Is an Artificer right for me?[spoiler]
Tiers
[spoiler]If you've played Dungeons and dragons, you'll realize that creativity, versatility, and hard control are what win battles, not who has the most HP and biggest sword, or who has the most d6's and attacks, though they help.
Because of the power of spells, their quick rise to hard control, mass effect, and versatility, spellcasters quickly become the king of the mountain.
Those that are more versatile, not jack of all trades versatile, but able to change the tides of encounters with as few resources (gold,time,HP, rule breaking) as possible are more useful in any given scenario.
Some classes have ingrained versatility(Wizard, Factotum, Artificer to name a few) while others focus hard on one thing and must stretch to accomplish things outside thier expertise(rogue, bard, beguiller) and even others that are almost incompetant outside their 1 thing(big-sword fighter, barbarian, Walking cure light wounds)
Most classes, not builds, based on general ingrained capability have been placed in tiers based on thier capability to change the tides of encounters.
Teir 1 classes include
- Wizard: largest spell list, Metamagic options galore, his familiar able to make beguilers envious, and the most alternate class features this side of the moon
- Cleric: Complete access to entire spell list save those that contradict his alignment, divine metamagic(spend turning attempts in place of level adjustments on metamagic feats), and direct access to the best buff spells in the game.
- Druid: Medium BAB, full casting, Shape change into an ever growing list of monsters. Whenever developers come out with a new list of monsters that DMs can use to challange his players, the druid cherry picks and turns their power against them. Being able to spontaniously call on this list can solve encounters with just this class feature.
- Erudite with spell to power: An online variant to the Erudite(psionic caster that has unique casting/manefesting mechanic) that is able to learn arcane spells and translate them to psionic powers. As a psionic caster he can pick from any power he knows w/o needing to prepare it. This gives him the possibility to learn all arcane spells, albiet at a cost. Versatility at it's finest
- Archevist: The ability to learn any arcane or divine spell is the core class feature. I think you're getting the idea of what makes Tier 1. Versatility
- Artificer: The ability to spontaniously cast any 0-4th level spell(up to 1/2 level) with 1 infussion, spell storing item, combined with scribing a scroll of any spell at a full level faster than the wizard, cleric, and druid. Metamagic shenanigans with the ability to freely apply them to wands/staffs at no additional cost in resources, and the best item creation feats for free. The artificer can be build to be better than most classes, and can often replace them given some preperation.
Teir 2 classes include
- Sorcerer: While he has spontanious access to spells he learned, the wizard has no limit to the number of spells he can call upon given an hour of memorization. Fewer alternative class features means this guy is powerful, but not as game breaking as his smart brother
Tier 3 classes include
- Beguiler: Spontanious access to an intelegence based spell list, progressing as a sorcerer, with some dang good spells there too. Creativity is greatly awarded with clever usage of silent image and the like.
- Martial Adepts: While they may seem like the sword and board type only with a few clever effects, they can easily bestow hard control on the battlefield and maintain this power throughout the day, whereas his squishy spellcaster brothers have spent thier resources on the BBEG and are resorting to grease in the face of mobs
Tier 4 classes include
- Rogue: Being able to use magic device and 8+int skills/level make the rogue quite capable in many encounters, but must spend resources just to "fake" being a caster when she wants to impose hard control instead of d6's. Often a glass cannon and 1-hit wonder.
- Barbarian:
- Warlock: Baster and very limited spell list. Learnes how to do 1 thing over and over again. If it can't be solved with a 5d6 ranged touch attack, a bestow curse, or a mean intimidate, then he's like a fish out of water. Blasting is a very narrow and ineffective way of solving encounters
- Warmage: Blaster 2.0 with a small list focused on blasting. Encounters are solved with blast spells and more big blasts. "I hit it with a big ball of fire, right? What do you mean this diplomat must survive?"
Tier 5 classes include
- Fighter: "He gets tons of feats. That must say something for his versatility" you say. Once those feats are chosen he's locked in his 1 thing. No skill points to speak of, and not much to do past "I run up and hit it".
[/spoiler]
Why do tiers matter to me?[spoiler]
Because power divergence is difficult for a DM to deal with. If one player can solve every encounter single handedly, and has no valid threats among all the foes the DM puts on the board, then the DM will want to do something to make a challange.
The DM might make meaner monsters with higher saves, meaner spells, higher spell resistance, and more impenetrable defences so his druid and wizard have to pause to sit and think before casting baleful transposition. This new threat may pose too much for the rest of the party and could kill them without any hope should the monster make the save on the save-or-die spell cast at them.
If the entire party is reletivly close in power then the DM can simply go from normal to nightmare, or hell as the case might be.
An artificer is the most capable of evening out this difference in power by providing resources to his team mates through crafting wondrous items, magic weapons, persisted party buffs, and golems that take the brunt of the pain
An artificer is at least tier 1 from the sheer possibilities of all spells and magic items at his finger tips. How he uses these resources determines if he will make a power divergence or close the gap.[/spoiler]
What do I do when I have low tier players in my group or others don't play optimistically?[spoiler]
An artificer, especially this build, can be a buffificer of the best kind. Other players aren't going to spend hours, as you've done, pouring over spell lists, magic items, and combos so they can have just the right spell for any given scenario. All you can do is leave in their hands what they do and fill in the gaps so you don't step on their shoes. Let them shine in their chosen area of expertise. You have their spell list and can show them up (blast, gish, sneak, bewilder) but you should be a team player and praise them on what they've done, offering things that may boost thier capability(Metamagic Item(twin) the blaster's wand, provide the rogue with nice spells for infiltration, crafting for the fighter some mountain plate armor...)
While you can purchase warbeast animals which can easily be more effective in combat than the sword and board fighter, instead focus on Armor Enhancement(healing armor) and persisting bless and prayer for yourself. It's those little boosts that people like and don't realize you've just doubled the expected damage output of the team singlehandedly.[/spoiler]
Do I really need to know all these spells and metamagic crap to be an artificer?[spoiler]
Not really, you simply read this guide, pick the feats I told you, prepare/persist the spells I recommend and you'll do great, but be warned that one of the whole reasons of playing a zeroficer is versatility. This requires you to know what's at your fingertips.
There are plenty of spell lists out there for the wizard, cleric, and druid. The books that are key are PHB, the Complete Series, and spell comendium with a splattering of the Races of X series. There are a few jems in other books, but this list should serve you just fine. Check the class' handbook's spell section and read over the best spells what they do so. Write down the utility ones (I've done the majority of that work for you in the spell section) that can be used outside of combat. Remember that you can make scrolls and spell storing items of the rest of the combat spells. Use them well.
Metamagic feats are one of the things that makes the artificer so powerful. Most of the feats I've picked are metamagic feats. At 7th level you get metamagic Spell Trigger(see errata) letting you apply metamagic feats on the fly, giving you huge versitility and spammability of powerful spells. [/spoiler]
Why to play an artificer[spoiler]
If you want all spells at your fingertips and access to spells faster than the full casters themselves,
Never need to visit the store and see if they have that really cool thing you heard about, you just make it,
If you want to get 2-3 times more stuff that the Wealth By Level would dictate,
If you want the feel of the geeky gadgety MacGyver that has magic items clicking whizzing and otherwise humming about his person,
If you want to be able to claim any tier from the lowely tier 5 to the godly tier 0 where wizards and codzilla sit envious of your power,
If you want to be able to be a buffificer, meleeficer, golemficer... all in 1 build
Then the Zeroficer is the build for you.[/spoiler][/spoiler]
The build[spoiler]
Warforged Artificer 20
Feats: 1: Extend, F: Reach, F: Fell Drain or Fell Frighten, 3:Item Familiar, 4: Persist, 6: Leadership, 8: Twin, 9: Extraordinary Artisan, 12:Chain Spell, 12: Craft Construct, 15: Quicken, 16: Fell Frighten
Human Artificer 20
Feats: H: Extraordinary Artisan 1: Extend, F: Reach, F: Fell Drain or Fell Frighten, 3:Item Familiar, 4: Persist, 6: Leadership, 8: Twin, 9: Quicken, 12:Chain Spell, 12: Craft Construct, 15: Fell Frighten, 16: Etch Schema
Items: See level by level analysis[/spoiler]
Major Highlights of the class[spoiler]
The best Item creation feats(1st): makes you the go-to man for making the party's stuff, Get stuff earlier than usual
Scrolls(1st): a whole spell level faster than the wizard, druid, and cleric and access to PrC spell lists along with any spell in the game. Definition of Tier 1 classes: Versatility. I think this qualifies
Spell Storing item(1st): 1 class level behind other casters, but you get practically spontanious access to all spells up to 4th level on the fly, given a little prep time. Even then they last hours/level so you can use them in combat. Sad you only have a few daily castings of them. Still any spell on demand qualifies for tier 1 versatility again.
Best healing in the game(3rd): Crafting Healing belts, and giving the BSF a fresh +3 Healing armor enhancement each encounter equates to the best healing and action economy in the game. You can even cheese out with persisted lesser vigor at level 5.
Metamagic Item(5th): Freely apply metamagic feats to wands and spell storing item, purchase Minor Schema to further break the game
Metamagic Spell Completion(11th): Take scrolls to new level never before seen[/spoiler]
Major Drawbacks of the class[spoiler]
Heavy dependancy on income and easily run out of XP necessetating either XP regeneration cheese or riding the river of experience pulling your advanced spell list down a class level
Infusion spell list has 5 infusions you'll use throughout your career and you'll almost never touch the rest.
Your spell slots are not per day but per gp. Thankfully you make good usage of coins. You can break the WBL guidelines, but you also spend money like there's a hole in your pocket.
Early levels you need prep-time before combat for proper buffing, later levels it'll take you months to finish that +4 sword of awesomeness the fighter paid you to make when he needed it 3 weeks ago.
Sad thing about all these drawbacks is that you get them all at level 1, but you get 3/5 of your best infusions at level 1.
DM will easily and reasonably veto this class
A well placed dragonhead arrow could catch all your lovely scrolls on fire.[/spoiler]
Questions for your DM before making an artificer[spoiler]
Is there going to be enough downtime?
[spoiler]No? Is he willing to accept a crafting compentancy that increases with level? Have 1000 gp / day( = 100 gp/hr @ 10 hours crafting / day) be the standard at level 10, 100gp*CL^2 /day, minimum 1 hour .
This means that making a hand of the mage at level 3 takes 3 days, but boots of springing and striding takes a week.
Crafting a 0th level spell at level 1 takes 1 hour and 30 mins, a first level spell takes 3 hours. When you get to level 2 it takes half as much time.
Crafting a Clay Golem(40000 gp) at level 11 takes 3.3 days but at level 15 takes 2 days.
This method results in most things taking around a day to 3 days to make a level appropiate item.
Instead of getting a UMD check for each 1000 gp in the base price(meaning the more expensive it is the more likely you are to make it with the same bonus), you get 3 checks. Period. [/spoiler]
Is this a low magic/low gold game?
Can you make custom Skill boosting items? Cloak of the elvenkind is core. Cloak of Charismatic Fervor(+2 to Use Magic Device)
Do I need to make arcana checks to know of obscure spells? How do we determine spell obscurity(15+Spell level vs. 20+CL vs. 20+2*CL)?
Is Psionics = magic? Can I use UMD in place of UPD? Can I make scrolls of powers?
What level am I starting at? What level am I probably ending at?
See what level to start at under the Use Magic Device section
Does he allow Metamagic Item at all?
Is he willing to compensate, say only up to +2 metamagic feats? If this limitation is in place then reach, empower, and double rays are going to be important. Extend with persist would only be used with creeping cold and metamagic spell completion[/spoiler]
Being God[spoiler]
See http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=394.0 for definitions on the roles. I'll go over how you can accomplish the roles w/o losing your godhood
Face(The Fop) - Charm Person, Suggestion
Sneak(The Corpse) - Invisibilty, Summon Dead Celestial Monkey, Fly(move silently), Divination(scout), expeditious messenger
Healbot - Armor Enhancement, Healing Belt
Leader - Buff through armor enhancement, crafting cheap weapons, Metamagic item-ing persist on buff wands
Utility Caster - Spell Storing Item
BSF - Purchased animals, Barbarian Cohort, Summon monster, Iron Defender, Golem
Glass Cannon - Metamagic spell trigger + metamagic item
Waste of Space - Spend your money on cool stuff and too many utility scrolls and not invest in a good BSF you'll lose yourself
Diety - Spell Storing Item then Metamagic item(persist)+wands then metamagic Spell Completion(quicken/persist/heighten)+scrolls[/spoiler]