Artificer (3.5e Prestige Class)

Artificer

“	The forges are my home, the fiery heat, my ally, and the steel, my slave.	”
—Melissa Travoris, Grey Elf Artificer, The Massacre of 12 Pillows

The Artificer is a master of the arts of magic and creation, able to craft from the most worn out metal a magical item of power. They wield these constructive energies with a masterful grace and their art is one that has been passed down through many years of creation.

Becoming an Artificer

The Artificer is any spellcaster that wants to become a superior crafter. It fully focuses on the creation of items and reducing the time and cost of creation. In order for you to become an artificer, you must take 1 level in a spellcasting class.

Entry Requirements

Skills:	Knowledge(Arcana) 5 ranks, Knowledge(Architecture and Engineering) 5 ranks, Spellcraft 5 ranks, Craft(Any) 5 ranks.
Feats:	Craft Wondrous Item.
Spellcasting:	Can cast 2nd level spells or possesses imbue item class feature

Table: The Artificer

Hit Die: d4

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spellcasting
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Bonus Feat, Disenchant, Item Creation	+1 level of existing class
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Efficient Progress 10%	+1 level of existing class
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Bonus Feat, Magical Crafting +1	+1 level of existing class
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Efficient Progress 20%	+1 level of existing class
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bonus Feat	+1 level of existing class
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Efficient Progress 30%, Magical Crafting +2	+1 level of existing class
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Bonus Feat, Superior Disenchant	+1 level of existing class
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Efficient Progress 40%	+1 level of existing class
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Bonus Feat, Magical Crafting +3	+1 level of existing class
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Efficient Progress 50%	+1 level of existing class
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level) Appraise(Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), Use Magic Device (Cha) .

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Artificer.

Spellcasting: At each level after first, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming an Artificer, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

Bonus Feats: An Artificer may take any Craft feat as a bonus feat at first level, even if he doesn't meets the prerequisites for the feat. He also gains a bonus feat every two levels thereafter.

Disenchant (Su): At 1st level, the Artificer is capable of using the essences of other magic items to fuel his own work. He gains the ability to 'disenchant' magical items, turning them back into lesser components. A disenchanted magic item loses all of its magical properties and the Artificer gains magical essence that can be used for other crafting. This essence is equal to 25% of the original experience value on the disenchanted item. (same formula still works when the artificer disenchants items that are worth experience or have gem values) Magic Essence takes the form of dimly glowing crystals that weight 1 pound each. If an item has charges, the essence gained is divided by the amount of expended charges. Since there are so many items in the game, when an artificer disenchants an item, the essences that are given to him will be rolled for with a percentage die. (once again, the DM ultimately chooses what items to give the artificer.
Example: An artificer disenchants an item that is worth 200 exp. He gains an essence, worth 50 exp. He also gets items but only 25% of the original items value.

Item Creation (Ex): An artificer can create a magic item even if he does not have access to the spells that are prerequisites for the item. The artificer must make a successful Use Magic Device check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell normally required to create the item. Thus, to make a 1st-level wand of magic missile, an artificer would need a Use Magic Device check result of 21 or higher. To create a bottle of air (caster level 7th), he would need a check result of 27 or higher to emulate the water breathing prerequisite. The artificer must make a successful check for each prerequisite for each item he makes. If he fails a check, he can try again each day until the item is complete (see Creating Magic Items, page 282 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). If he comes to the end of the crafting time and he has still not successfully emulated one of the powers, he can make one final check—his last-ditch effort, even if he has already made a check that day. If that check also fails, then the creation process fails and the time, money, and XP expended to craft the item are lost. For purposes of meeting item prerequisites, an artificer's effective caster level equals his caster level +2. If the item duplicates a spell effect, however, it uses the artificer's actual caster level Costs are always determined using the item's minimum caster level or the artificer's actual level (if it is higher). An artificer can also make Use Magic Device checks to emulate nonspell requirements, including alignment and race, using the normal DCs for the skill. He cannot emulate skill or feat requirements, however, including item creation feat prerequisites. He must meet the caster level prerequisite, including the minimum level to cast a spell he stores in a potion, wand, or scroll.

Efficient Progress (Ex): The Artificer is adept at the crafting of magical items. At every even level, the Artificer is able to reduce the amount of time, gold and xp expended on the creation of a magic item by the indicated number (Increments of 10%)

Magical Crafting (Ex): The Artificer is a master of the energies he commands in order to imbue his items. Starting at level 3, whenever creating an item, treat the Artificer's caster level as 1 higher. This increases by +1 every 3 levels.

Superior Disenchant: At 7th level, the Artificer's understanding of magic allows him to draw even more power from magical items. Whenever he disenchants an item, he gains a Greater Magical Essence, which holds 50% of the original experience rather than 25%.

Playing an Artificer

Combat: An Artificer is a primary spellcaster, they gain the full spell level of their base class and they can use that to their full advantage, especially when combining with their own magical creations to cause widespread destruction. Artificers are also proficient with all base weapons but cannot EVER use martial weapons.

Advancement: After fully becoming one with the constructive powers of the Artificer, they usually go back to their normal spellcasting class or pursue another class that will complement their creation abilities.

Resources: The Artificer can create and sell all kinds of various gadgets and doodads. This can often get them recogized by various trading companies and supplied with the necessary raw material.

Artificers in the World

“	She used such weird devices, they had no idea what hit them... Literally.	”
—Tim the Cowardly Monk, Elf Monk

The Artificer is a creator, bringing forth magical and wondrous items. They are the backbone of magical item selling, creating various items for the shops and their own party.

NPC Reactions: Normal people may be quite surprised by the variety of items that an Artificer may carry, various magical doodads and exotic items with special properties. But, some are known to be suppliers for various magic shops.

Artificer Lore

Characters with ranks in Knowledge (Arcana) can research Artificer to learn more about them. When a character makes a skill check, read or paraphrase the following, including information from lower DCs.

Knowledge (Arcana)

DC	Result
11	Artificers make magic items with their own magic abilities.
16	Using his own magical powers, the Artificer can imbue mundane items cheaply by using extreme proficiency.
21	The Artificer gains the power to even draw the magical essences from items, using the essence for other items.
26	An Artificer's power draws directly from his own magic and his soul, creating powerful items without the need to complicate things with unnecessary methods.

Artificers in the Game

An Artificer can be anywhere where there is magic; creating items for adventurers or teaching their art at magical colleges. They could easily exist, simply mistaken as wizards or clerics in any society, with a range of strange gadgets.

Adaptation: Any caster could possibly be an Artificer, so slotting them in is easy.

Sample Encounter: While taking an ale in the 12 Pillows Inn, a fight suddenly kicks up; a band of five adventuers have provoked some low-lives and the party has been roped into the fight. One of the band is a female with a variety of peculiar gadgets...

EL 13: Melissa Travoris

Melissa Travoris

CR 13

	Wizard 5 / Artificer 8
	Neutral Good Medium Humanoid (Elf)
Init/Senses	+7/Listen +0, Spot +0
Languages	Common, Elven, Auran, Ignan, Abyssal, Terran, Aquan
AC	17, touch 17, flat-footed 10 (+7 Dex)
hp	71 (13d4 HD)
Fort/Ref/Will	+6/+10/+10
Speed	30ft
Base Atk/Grp	+13/+13
Combat Gear	Serpent's Staff, Ruin's Armguards
Abilities	Str 8, Dex 24, Con 16, Int 29, Wis 10, Cha 10
SQ	Efficient Progress 40%, Magical Crafting +2, Disenchant, Familiar
Feats	Collegiated Wizard, Scribe Scroll, Faerie's Mysteriy Initiate (Passions), Extraordinary Artisan, Still Spell, Maximize Spell,Craft Wondrous Item, Legendary Artisan, Legendary Artisan
Skills	Craft (Leatherworking) +24, Knowledge (Arcana) +24, Knowledge (Architecture and Engineering) +24, Knowledge (The Planes) +13, Spellcraft +24
Advancement	by character class (Wizard)
Possessions	combat gear plus Dragon's Eyes, Spider's Feet, Vurcar's Wings, Stalker's Cloak, Headband of Intellect +6, Amulet of Health +6, Gloves of Dexterity +6

Melissa Travoris is one of the five adventurers that comprise a famous adventuring band. She is the spellcaster of the group and the most intelligent of them. As a gray elf, she's a very pale skinned female and quite slender in her body type. She's about five and a half feet tall, with all her gear on. Her hair is short and auburn, well kempt most probably via use of magic; her hair bringing out the brightness of her sheer emerald eyes. Although they are oft covered by a pair of glasses with a variety of different and shifting lenses. She has a wirely jawline and thin lips, that are slightly tinted redder than normal. Her ears are pointed at the end, but otherwise very little is different from normal ears.

Melissa wears soft clothing, tailored together finely by elven fingers. A delicate green shirt over her torso with short sleeves and just long enough to be tucked into a pair of black trousers, loosely fitted with a black belt with a silver winged buckle.

Serpent's Staff: This five foot long staff is made of a very fine wood and has a variety of strange wiring inlaid throughout it. A small power-source is positioned as a crystal in the middle of the staff and two leather grips are positioned strategically on the length of the staff to aid grip. The head opens into a bulb-like that opens when two hands are positioned specifically on the grips. When activated by specific hand movements, the staff fires out a bolt of energy through the opened end.

As a standard action, the Serpent's Staff allows the user to fire an orb of force (CL 10) at a single target. This can be used at will.

Ruin's Armguards: A pair of armguards made from leather and a signel gem in the middle of each, with a variety of wires that appear to have energy pulsing through them. They are activated by a mental command word and a thrust of the arm, firing a beam of pure destructive energy. Each gem requires a day to collect enough energy for it to recharge.

Twice per day, as a standard action, the Ruin's Armguards allows the user to use disintegrate 2/day (CL 11).

Dragon's Eyes: A pair of goggles that appear to be slightly irregular. They have a variety of different lenses that switch randomly between each other. Otherwise, they have the appearance of regular glasses. The lenses appear to have different shades on them, for different modes of viewing.

Continuously, the wearer of the Dragon's Eyes has the dragonsight spell on them.

Spider's Feet: Soft and silky boots, they have a mithral-like metal sole. The soles have small hooks in them capable of digging into walls or other surfaces easily, allowing for easy climbing. The Spider's Feet also comes with a pair of palm-sized leather straps (that meld into other gloves or straps), that also have the same hooks to allow for climbing.

Continuously, the wearer of the Spider's Feet has the spider climb spell on them.

Vurcar's Wings: A brown leather belt with a silver buckle is rather unremarkable, save for the buckle itself. The buckle has a pair of wings upon either side. Behind the buckle is a little gem in the middle of the wings, slightly throbs with arcane energy.

Continuously, the wearer of the Vurcar's Wings has the fly spell on them.

Stalker's Cloak: A black and ever-so shadowy cloak, it shifts uneasily even when left alone. It has a hood and is spacious enough to enwrap the wearer in it's confides. In doing so, they become completely translucent; their items too.

Continuously, the wearer of the Mad Stalker's Cloak has the greater invisibility spell on them. This is dismissable and usable as a free action.

Weaker Redux Variant

Table: The Artificer

Hit Die: d4

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Saving Throws			Special	Spellcasting
		Fort	Ref	Will
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Disenchant, Item Creation	+1 level of existing class
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Efficient Progress 5%	+1 level of existing class
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Magical Crafting +1
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Efficient Progress 10%	+1 level of existing class
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bonus Feat	+1 level of existing class
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Efficient Progress 15%, Magical Crafting +2
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Superior Disenchant	+1 level of existing class
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Efficient Progress 20%	+1 level of existing class
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Magical Crafting +3
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Efficient Progress 25%	+1 level of existing class
Class Skills (4 + Int modifier per level) Appraise(Int), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Decipher Script (Int), Knowledge (all skills, taken individually) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int).

Class Features

All of the following are class features of the Artificer.

Spellcasting: At each level each level except for 3rd, 6th and 9th, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in a spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one spellcasting class before becoming a Artificer, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

Redux Disenchant (Su): At 1st level, the Artificer is capable of using the essences of other magic items to fuel his own work. He gains the ability to 'disenchant' magical items, turning them back into lesser components. A disenchanted magic item loses all of its magical properties and the Artificer gains magical essence that can be used for other crafting. This essence supplies experience equal to 10% of the original experience used on the disenchanted item. Magic Essence takes the form of dimly glowing crystals that weight 1 pound each. If an item has charges, the essence gained is divided by the amount of expended charges.
Example: An artificer disenchants an item that's experience cost was 200. When he goes to craft another item, he can use the magical essence from the previous item to reduce the experience cost by 20 (10% of 200).

Item Creation (Ex): An artificer can create a magic item even if he does not have access to the spells that are prerequisites for the item. The artificer must make a successful Use Magic Device check (DC 20 + caster level) to emulate each spell normally required to create the item. Thus, to make a 1st-level wand of magic missile, an artificer would need a Use Magic Device check result of 21 or higher. To create a bottle of air (caster level 7th), he would need a check result of 27 or higher to emulate the water breathing prerequisite. The artificer must make a successful check for each prerequisite for each item he makes. If he fails a check, he can try again each day until the item is complete (see Creating Magic Items, page 282 of the Dungeon Master's Guide). If he comes to the end of the crafting time and he has still not successfully emulated one of the powers, he can make one final check—his last-ditch effort, even if he has already made a check that day. If that check also fails, then the creation process fails and the time, money, and XP expended to craft the item are lost. For purposes of meeting item prerequisites, an artificer's effective caster level equals his caster level +2. If the item duplicates a spell effect, however, it uses the artificer's actual caster level Costs are always determined using the item's minimum caster level or the artificer's actual level (if it is higher). An artificer can also make Use Magic Device checks to emulate nonspell requirements, including alignment and race, using the normal DCs for the skill. He cannot emulate skill or feat requirements, however, including item creation feat prerequisites. He must meet the caster level prerequisite, including the minimum level to cast a spell he stores in a potion, wand, or scroll.

Redux Efficient Progress (Ex): The Artificer is well adept at the crafting of magical items. At every even level, the Artificer is able to reduce the amount of time, gold and xp expended on the creation of a magic item by the indicated number (Increments of 5%)

Redux Superior Disenchant: At 7th level, the Artificer's understanding on magic allows him to draw even more power from magical items. Whenever he disenchants an item, he gains a Greater Magical Essence, which holds 20% of the original experience rather than 10%.

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