Dungeons & Dragons: How To Build An Artillerist Artificer

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• Artillerist Artificer Features

• Best Species For An Artillerist Artificer

• Best Ability Scores For An Artillerist Artificer

• Best Starting Equipment For An Artillerist Artificer

• Best Artillerist Artificer Spells

Explosions are typical of Dungeons & Dragons' artificer class, but none more than the Artillerist. As this artificer subclass, you specialize in all things that go boom, creating a magical cannon and learning direct damage spells that torch, burn, incinerate, and otherwise remove enemies from the board.

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The key to the Artillerist is the Eldritch Cannon, a device that will become the center of your world and your damage output. You'll learn to love the cannon, and if you treat it right, it'll learn to love you back. If you're the kind of person to put names on artillery shells, then the Artillerist is the right subclass for you.

Artillerist Artificer Features

Being an Artillerist is all about hurling damaging magic and creating massive explosions among your enemies. At level three, you start to learn a collection of Artillerist spells detailed in the table below. You also gain proficiency in woodcarver's tools and create your new best friend: the Eldritch Cannon.

The Eldritch Cannon comes in three different forms. Flamethrower deals 2d8 fire damage to creatures that fail their Dexterity save within a 15-foot cone. Force Ballista deals 2d8 force damage out to 120 feet and pushes creatures five feet away. Protector doesn't deal damage but instead provides 1d8 plus your Intelligence modifier in temporary hitpoints to each creature within 10 feet.

Activating the Eldritch Cannon takes your bonus action, so expect that activation to monopolize your bonus actions from level three onward.

Your Eldritch Cannon has limited hit points and can be destroyed, but it can also be healed with the Mending spell. It can also move 15 feet per turn if you make it large enough to have legs, or you can make a teeny-tiny cannon that you can carry in the palm of your hand.

At level five, Arcane Firearm lets you turn any wand, staff, or rod into your spellcasting focus and adds 1d8 to the damage roll of any spell cast using it.

At level nine, Explosive Cannon adds another 1d8 to your Eldritch Cannon's damage rolls and gives you the option of detonating the cannon to deal 3d8 force damage to every creature within 20 feet.

Finally, at level 15, Fortified Position provides your allies with half cover if they're within 10 feet of an Eldritch Cannon and lets you create two Eldritch Cannons at once. You can also fire both cannons using the same bonus action, essentially doubling your Cannon's damage output.

Artificer Level

Spell

Third Level

• Shield
• Thunderwave

Fifth Level

• Scorching Ray
• Shatter

Ninth Level

• Fireball
• Wind Wall

13th Level

• Ice Storm
• Wall of Fire

17th Level

• Cone of Cold
• Wall of Force

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Best Species For An Artillerist Artificer

Anyone can make things go boom, but there are a few species that lend themselves to the artificer lifestyle. Here are a few suggestions for your Artillerist character.

Autognome

You'll eventually be able to do better with medium armor than Armored Casing, but Built for Success is extremely good and Healing Machine lets you heal yourself with Mending (a cantrip you should definitely have to heal your Eldritch Cannon). Mechanical Nature provides useful resistances, and not needing to sleep is cool too.

Centaur

Equine Build lets you place your Eldritch Cannon on a cart and carry it around with you as fast as your 40-foot movement speed can take you. You won't get much use out of your Hooves, but Natural Affinity provides a useful skill proficiency.

Elf

Take the high elf subspecies and start with an extra cantrip. Or go drow and get a few extra spells, most notably Mage Hand. Either way, perception proficiency, charm resistance, and Darkvision are all nice bonuses.

Half-Elf

If you go high half-elf or drow half-elf, you're mostly getting the same benefits as just going elf. Standard half-elf gets two skill proficiencies if you don't care about having extra magic.

Human

Variant human can start with a free feat, which should probably be Magic Initiate for extra cantrips. Otherwise, a bunch of ability score increases and a skill proficiency is nice too.

Goblin

Fury of the Small adds to your damage. Your Eldritch Cannon is likely to be your first option for your bonus actions, but Nimble Escape is there for when large explosions aren't the right play. Charm resistance and Darkvision are also nice to have too.

Kobold

Draconic Cry isn't likely to be of much use, but Draconic Sorcery gives you an extra cantrip, and Darkvision is always good to have.

Owlin

You can't fly with medium armor, but you can still rain death from above in light armor. Darkvision and stealth proficiency provide sneaky options.

Thri-Kreen

If you make a tiny Eldritch Cannon, you can hold it in your Secondary Arms and keep your main arms free to hold your Arcane Firearm. Chameleon Carapace provides some advantages to stealth checks, and telepathy is a powerful way to remain inconspicuous, although your cannon sort of precludes that.

Tiefling

Unlike owlin, variant tiefling lets you fly with medium armor. That might be good enough on its own, but if not, there are a number of other tieflings that provide tons of spell options. You also get Darkvision and an elemental resistance.

Warforged

Add +1 AC, a skill and tool proficiency, and never need to worry aboutpoison, disease, eating, or sleeping again. Pretty good for an artificer.

Best Ability Scores For An Artillerist Artificer

The most important ability score for an Artillerist artificer is Intelligence. All your spells are based on your Intelligence modifier, and your Arcane Firearm only improves your spell damage, so casting spells should be your main focus.

If your campaign allows firearms, you could boost Dexterity and rely more on a combination of your gun and your Eldritch Cannon, but then you'd lose a lot of your spell's efficacy. If your campaign doesn't allow firearms, then there's no reason to use anything but magic.

Constitution is your second most important ability score as it helps improve your hit point total and lets you keep concentrating on certain spells. Dexterity can help with your armor class and saving throws, but that's about it.

Strength, Wisdom, and Charisma can all be safely ignored.

If you're using D&D's point buy system, a good starting ability score spread might look something like this:

Strength

Dexterity

Constitution

Intelligence

Wisdom

Charisma

8(0)

14(+2)

16(+3)

16(+3)

10(0)

10(0)

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Best Starting Equipment For An Artillerist Artificer

You can start with two simple weapons of your choice and a light crossbow with 20 bolts. Technically, the light crossbow will out-damage a cantrip like Fire Bolt, so feel free to use it for a while, but you're not likely to get much value out of the two simple weapons since you're going to want to stay far away from enemies.

Studded leather or scale mail is your choice of armor. If you have 16 Dexterity, pick the studded leather. Otherwise, pick the scale mail.

Thieve's tools get you started with your tinkering, and a dungeoneer's pack provides you with everything you need to start adventuring.

Best Artillerist Artificer Spells

Besides your Eldritch Cannon, your spells are your most important features as an artificer. You get a few damage-dealing spells as part of your subclass, but you get to learn a few more on your own. Here are a few suggested spells to learn as you level up.

Cantrips

• Fire Bolt
• Mending
• Guidance
• Message

First-Level Spells

• Cure Wounds
• Detect Magic
• Grease
• Absorb Elements

Second-Level Spells

• Heat Metal
• Invisibility
• Lesser Restoration

Third-Level Spells

• Dispel Magic
• Haste
• Revivify

Fourth-Level Spells

• Arcane Eye
• Fabricate
• Stone Shape

Fifth-Level Spells

• Creation
• Greater Restoration
• Wall of Stone

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