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View Full Version : Break... er, MAKE me an artificer!



Jalil
2007-10-30, 12:39 PM
I've heard alot about this cheese, and now that I have obtained the ECS, I'm ready to receive. The one really nasty trick I learned(or a least, remembered) was that the enhancement Bane is only a +1, yet it gives a +2 to hit and +2d6 to damage. (after the mayor tells you to reclaim a mine from kobolds, for example, I wonder what you're going to set bane against...)

This is only a level one twink, but i've seen some of the metamagic abuse they get at lvls 10 & 13, IIRC, but what are some others?

Doresain
2007-10-30, 01:14 PM
blast rod is always fun...i took down numerous NPCs that were roughly 2-3 levels higher than i am with that infusion...good times

Jalil
2007-10-31, 10:28 AM
Is this all we got? I thought I remembered some cheddar involving wands and getting spells 3 levels before anyone else...

Dizlag
2007-10-31, 10:58 AM
*POOF* You're an artificer! j/k

Here's a link to some Artificer Goodness (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=520855). The Artificer Player's Guide (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=534502) is VERY handy as well.

I'm sure somewhere in there you will run into mouse carrying a big wheel of cheese! :smallbiggrin:

Enjoy!

Dizlag

ps. Follow Nerd-o-rama's link ... he found version 3.0. What I linked above is version 2.0. =)

Nerd-o-rama
2007-10-31, 10:58 AM
I've never had the patience to play an Artificer, but...

http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=813665

jameswilliamogle
2007-10-31, 11:31 AM
The main abuse I've seen is using Metamagic Spell Trigger (class ability) w/ Metamagic Item (infusion) to get greatly price-reduced effects, such as:

48 h Divine Power (only 2 charges @ 420 gp each)
Energy Admixtured Empowered Scorching Rays (3 charges @ 90 gp each)
Chained Buffs for the entire party (all sorts of costs here)

There's lots of other BS they can pull, too: anything any full caster can do they can too (with one exception: they have a harder time making swift and immediate action spells a reality).

Jacob Orlove
2007-10-31, 12:27 PM
Some good tips are here (http://bb.bbboy.net/thegamingden-viewthread?forum=1&thread=390), here (http://bb.bbboy.net/thegamingden-viewthread?forum=1&thread=862), and here (http://bb.bbboy.net/thegamingden-viewthread?forum=1&thread=943&postnum=0). Highlights:

Use a Wand of Restoration to reset your craft reserve and make endless items.

Convert every magic item and pile of gold you find into Amber Amulets of Vermin (Huge Monstrous Scorpion), and just win from levels 3-10 or so.

Skill Dancing: Use UMD to power an staff with an infusion of skill booster and then use Item Alteration to get a bonus to your effective spellcaster level based on your spellcaster level. Repeat ad infinitum with an item of power surge. Get an infinite boost to your skill bonuses and thus to your effective caster level. Then Win D&D.

(Note: the above assumes that you use your UMD check result to determine your caster level when casting off of a staff. Ask your DM.)

Spells! Check obscure PrCs like "Corrupt Avenger" and "Trapsmith" for spells at bizarrely low levels (Wall of Stone as a 3rd level spell, etc). Make wands of those spells. Have fun casting 5th level spells as a third level character.

Duke of URL
2007-10-31, 12:59 PM
I'm wondering if a build like the following would work...

Artificer 5 (7) / Warlock 6 / Hellfire Warlock 3 / Warlock *

Five levels of Artificer gets you Retain Essence... basically, any otherwise "useless" magic item becomes your XP pool for crafting, and since you never level in Artificer after multiclassing out, that craft reserve never "resets", so you can really save up for a rainy day. You also get 5 item creation feats (Scroll, Potion, Wondrous Item, Homonculous, Arms & Armor) and one bonus feat (metamagic or efficient item creation). Going to seventh level gets you one more crafting feat (Wand) plus the eminently abusable Metamagic Spell Trigger ability.

Warlock 6 is needed to qualify for Hellfire Warlock. UMD is still a class skill (yea!) and you get Deceive Item at level 4 to take 10 on all UMD checks.

The Hellfire Warlock's key abilities are all keyed to taking CON damage. Well, you're now capable of repairing that easily by making your own wands of lesser restoration. The extra 6d6 damage on blasts more than compensates for the lost damage output from delaying Warlock levels. Hellfire Infusion is (in some ways) a weaker version of Metamagic Spell Trigger, but it doesn't require knowing the metamagic involved or use up extra charges.

Go back into Warlock after finishing this short PrC to continue gaining invocations and invocation power.

Edit: Hmmm... thinking about it, there is the problem that the effective caster level of created items tops out at Artificer level + 2...

Illiterate Scribe
2007-10-31, 04:41 PM
Go pure artificer - although I'm a great fan of a 2 level dip into swordsage for evasion + that concentration -> reflex saves maneuver, then use your metamagic spell trigger to persist starmantle. Congratulations - if you have a concentration score of 14 or more, you are now immune to weapon damage - as long as you keep recasting starmantle, which, with a 24 hour duration, lasts you long enough to rest up again.