Masters of invention, artificers use ingenuity and magic to unlock extraordinary capabilities in objects. They see magic as a complex system waiting to be decoded and then harnessed in their spells and inventions. You can find everything you need to play one of these inventors in the next few sections. Artificers use a variety of tools to channel their arcane power. To cast a spell, an artificer might use alchemist’s supplies to create a potent elixir, calligrapher’s supplies to inscribe a sigil of power, or tinker’s tools to craft a temporary charm. The magic of artificers is tied to their tools and their talents, and few other characters can produce the right tool for a job as well as an artificer.
Throughout the D&D multiverse, artificers create inventions and magic items of peace and war. Many lives have been brightened or saved because of the work of kind artificers, but countless lives have also been lost because of the mass destruction unleashed by certain artificers’ creations.
In the Forgotten Realms, the island of Lantan is home to many artificers, and in the world of Dragonlance, tinker gnomes are often members of this class. The strange technologies in the Barrier Peaks of the world of Greyhawk have inspired some folk to walk the path of the artificer, and in Mystara, various nations employ artificers to keep airships and other wondrous devices operational.
Artificers in the City of Sigil share discoveries from throughout the multiverse, and from there, the gnome artificer Vi runs a cosmos-spanning business that hires adventurers to fix problems that others deem unfixable. In Vi’s home world, Eberron, magic is harnessed as a form of science and deployed throughout society, largely as a result of the wondrous ingenuity of artificers.
To create an artificer, consult the subsections which give you hit points, proficiencies, and starting equipment. Then look at the Artificer table to see which features you get at each level. The descriptions of those features appear below.
“Artificers invent cutting-edge problems, then try to solve them-loudly and often with collateral damage.”
Tasha
Masters of unlocking magic in everyday objects, artificers are supreme inventors. They see magic as a complex system waiting to be decoded and controlled. Artificers use tools to channel arcane power, crafting magical objects. To cast a spell, an artificer could use alchemist’s supplies to create a potent elixir, calligrapher’s supplies to inscribe a sigil of power on an ally’s armor, or tinker’s tools to craft a temporary charm. The magic of artificers is tied to their tools and their talents.
In the world of Eberron, arcane magic has been harnessed as a form of science and deployed throughout society. Artificers reflect this development. Their knowledge of magical devices, and their ability to infuse mundane items with magic, allows Eberron’s most miraculous projects to continue.
During the Last War, artificers were marshaled on a massive scale. Many lives were saved because of the inventions of brave artificers, but countless lives were also lost because of the mass destruction unleashed by their creations.
Nothing excites an artificer quite like uncovering a new metal or discovering a source of elemental energy. In artificer circles, new inventions and strange discoveries create the most excitement. Artificers who wish to make their mark must innovate, creating something fresh, rather than iterating on familiar designs.
This drive for novelty pushes artificers to become adventurers. Eberron’s main travel routes and populated regions have long since been explored. Thus, artificers seek the frontiers of civilization in hopes of making the next great discovery in arcane research.
