Artificer Infusion List and Equipment Advice

[JoshM]

Hello all,
So I have been wracking my brain  over the goodies to have for an artificer in a (rapidly) upcoming D&D game. I plan on playing a Hordeficer. All books and online supplements are allowed(however the DM has quite the nose for cheese), starting level is 4. I plan on playing a Ghostwise Halfling.  I was given the opportunity to take 3 flaws so I have the 2 good artisan feats(Extraordiary and Legendary) , Prophecy's Artifex, and Improved Homunculus. The other two members of the party are a bluff machine Changeling Factotum(based off of Roger from American Dad  ) and, a buff machine bard. I am the tank and the blaster. As for the background of the campaign, its a homebrew setting in which the gods placed a tower that reaches up into the sky as a challenge to the mortals. Over time a city sprang up around the tower. The entirety of the game take place in this one city and tower.  Of my starting 5400gp my only set expenditure was 1950gp for permanent prestidigitation (unless this can be done much more cheaply with eternal wands/minor schema). I would love to see suggested Infusion lists(assume nat CHA of 18), and which equipment to make/buy. I also do get to spend my craft reserve from previous levels before the start of game  but any overflow from previous levels goes away at the start of the first session. Many preemptive thanks!

[Kasz]

Well... what about crafting feats? The cost reduction handbook is what turns artificers into completely hilarious time and space bending accountants.

I mean your prestidigitation example. I've made a (slotless) double headed coin of Prestigination, so basically when I handle the coin, I can cast the spell at will, and the effects last until changed or dismissed.

Use activated or continuous = spell level x caster level x 2000gp (it's a set duration of 1 hour so theres no other modifier.)

Thats 0th level x 1st level x 2000. 0th level counts as 0.5 for determining price.

so 1 x 0.5 = 0.5 and 0.5 x 2000 = 1000gp. Then making it slotless doubles the cost, which means we go back upto 2000gp.

Then you apply your reduction feats and other reduction modifiers like only working for your race/class/alignment. You'll end up with having to spend around 100-500 gold depending on how much cheese makes your DM's nose turn.

I don't know how you got 1950

Oh, side note; If you need to be tanky, I use a Hideaway Mithril Heavy Shield and Mithril Clockwork armour to both suit my tinkering appearance and have an AC to rival the party Knight.

Infusions... the classic trick is scout ahead...find out you're fighting undead, set your crossbow to bane-undead using personal weapon augmentation.

[JoshM]

WOW Is there a link to the cost reduction handbook you mentioned? Also you clock work armor link never mentions a creation/purchase cost(which with the bonuses given by it I fear it may be out of my price range). As a side note the 1950gp was for another caster to cast permanency prestidigitation on me(DM math not mine). I had no idea about the rules for custom magic items.   Thank you so much!

[Arz]

Clockroach – Can burrow, climb and breath acid. Also has two natural weapons.
   Feats: Entangling Exhalation, Ability Focus, Metabreath…

Clockwork Steed – Not a homunculii but a very easy to control construct with great upgrades. Cheapest 6HD construct you can craft.

Apprentice (Craftsman) – This is preferred over extraordinary artisan. Less 15% on cost reduction gains skill ranks, bonus, and eventually a cohort.

Versatile Spellcaster – Great for those who want to access infusions of a higher level or trading in multiclass spells for infusions.

Also be prepared to hand out lots of wands to your group, which is good since it saves you actions.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Cost Redux Handbook:
http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1000.0

... a possible Quickstart Arty just takes this approach.

[JoshM]

Thanks for the link Awaken! Arz I had never thought to apply Versatile Spellcaster to Infusions thank you!

[Cagemarrow]

First thing I tend to do before anything is take the Eberron feats to reduce XP and Gold cost by 25%, then since you have the Forgotten Realms books available you will want to add the Magical Artisan feat to both of those further reducing item creation cost by 25% each. This reduces items base price to 42% normal before reducing by half again to craft it. You could get the 3rd Eberron feat and then stack magical artisan on that as well but then you'll be in the realm of diminishing returns on reductions. Because the feats are applied to every item you make, including Craft Homunculous and Craft Construct, you'll get the benefits without having to apply magical artisan to the item creation feats directly, making them much more versatile.

For the prestidigitation item you mention it could be a command word activated item priced at. 1 CL x .5 SpL x 1800 = 900 gp base cost before modifiers, 189 gp and 16 xp if you craft it with the above feats.

For eating your craft reserve scrolls of utility spells are your friend, especially with the above cost reducers available. Look at the Trapsmith's spell list from Dungeonscape for awesome low level spells, for cleric spells that don't require a high caster level look at the Ur Priest's caster level requirements. Definately look at the Bargin bin spell list for artificers thread. http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=12661

The next item you'll want to make is an at will item of Unseen Crafter, this is like fabricate lite if your DM allows multiple castings to aid another on the craft check. Just cast it 5 times for each time you need to reduce the crafting time using the raise the craft DC by increments of 10 rules. You'll have to spend time recasting every 3 days, at minimum caster level, but well worth it for crafting mundane items. 3 CL x 2 SpL x 1800 = 10800 gp base cost before modifiers, 2268 gp and 182 xp after feat modifiers. Upgrade this to Fabricate itself when you get enough gold to use 3rd level spells (again available from the Trapsmith spell list) or better yet make a second fabricate item so you can build the parts, and your unseen crafters can put larger items together if they're larger than the area of the fabricate spell. Keep upgrading the caster level as you get spare gold to improve the area, Magic Item compendium allows for items to be upgraded by a crafter by paying the difference in price from the current item to the new one.

The spell Summon Trap from races of the dragon makes a wonderful utility spell on an at will item, specifically the Scything Blade trap as it automatically resets for the duration which I believe is 2 hours per caster level. Great for area denial. In an E6 campaign I used this to defend a town from a goblin army for 3 days while waiting for the towns folk to evacuate.

Finally as a Hordeficer you want to look into Craft Construct as soon as you can and then look at the Effigies available in Complete Arcane. These are constructs made to look like other animals and the cost is based on their size and hit dice. Add non hit dice templates to make these really shine. I always wanted to make a hollow Lolth touched Draconic Insectile Winged Baleen whale into an airship but never had a game where it got to high enough level.


Remember not to forget your party members! Anything you'd like they probably will too and you can quickly outfit your group to hit way harder than a party of your level should if you spread out the wealth. Player's Handbook II web enhancement includes a spell that allows willing characters to transfer XP to you for item creation so you don't have to always spend your own. An at will item of this would be the 2nd or 3rd major item I'd make to spread out item costs even further.

[JoshM]

Wow.... Thank you Cage! Could you break down this Unseen Crafter item? I am still unsure of what you did to make it and what you are trying to accomplish with it. I may be a total N00B but I am lost. Thank you all again for taking time to respond. *bow*

[Kasz]

Unseen Crafter, from Races of Eberron pg 191

Unseen Crafter
Conjuration (Creation)
Level: Artificer 2, Bard 2, Cleric 2, Sorcerer/Wizard 2
Components: V, S
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Effect: One invisible, mindless, shapeless servant
Duration: 1 day/level (D)
Saving Throw: None
Spell Resistance: No
This spell functions as unseen servant, except that the unseen crafter can be assigned any one task that can be accomplished by the use of the Craft skill. Appropriate tools and materials must be provided for the unseen crafter; it makes Craft checks using your ranks in the skill plus your bonus for the relevant spellcasting ability (Intelligence for artificers and wizards, Charisma for bards and sorcerers, and Wisdom for clerics).
An unseen crafter can take 10 or attempt to work more quickly (as described in the Craft skill description, page 70 of the Player’s Handbook), but this must be part of the command it is given when the spell is cast. Once the unseen crafter has completed the assigned task, the spell ends as if dismissed. If the unseen crafter leaves work undone, any creature or another unseen crafter can continue it.
Special: When the unseen crafter is commanded to repair a warforged, it receives a +10 bonus on its Craft check.

What I think Cage is doing with it is basically making the argument that you can:
1) Summon multiple crafters
2) Have them all aid another

To the effect of a group of mechanics is better than a single mechanic. Like... it takes a formula 1 pit crew seconds to change a tire...whereas one of them alone could probably still do it pretty quickly but it'd be like a minute.

i.e. 6 crafters doing an equal share of the work makes the work go 6 times quicker, and the craft check would have 1 + 5 aid anothers which is +10. If you do it with 11, then it's +20...and there's no limit really... If aid another isn't allowed to stack, it's just +2...

You can raise the craft DC to speed up the work, so the aid anothers stacking, speeds up the work.

Quick Creation
A character can voluntarily increase the DC of crafting an item by any multiple of 10. This allows the character to create an item more quickly (since he or she will be multiplying this higher DC by his or her skill check result to determine progress). The character must decide the increase to the DC before making the check.

So, then comes making the item... I think Cage is using the "command word" version, but the use-activated/continuous option is cheaper. Use-Activated covers command words anyway.

Base Price: (Spell Level x Caster Level x 2,000gp) Divided by 2. (spell has a duration greater than 24 hours.) So (2 x 3 x 2000) / 2 = 6,000. I am also making this into a ring, you put the ring on when you summon the crafters, then swap it out for a ring you'd wear the rest of the time...like protection / whatever. If you make it slotless, the price doubles.

6,000 base Price, so the XP cost is 6000/25 = 240xp. 6,000gp and 240xp. Market Price: 6,000gp

The Market Price = Base Price + Spell components and special materials.

Now we can lower these further... with the Cost Reduction Handbook.
Crafting it yourself instead of buying it. (DMG)   50% - Already done this
Item is restricted to being used by those of a specific skill. (DMG)   90% - Requires ranks in UMD for example, we'll use this.
Item is restricted to being used by those of a specific class or alignment.  (DMG)   70% - Artificer Only, simple, add this
Apprentice (Craftsman) feat  (DMG II 177)   90% - This is a good one, costs a feat though.
Extraordinary Artisan  feat (ECS53)   75% - You should have this feat.
Binding a Colossal Elemental (Preferably a whale with the Elemental Creature template) to it. (ECS+MoE+MotP191+srd)   80% - This is good but you need to be higher level.
Magical Artisan applied to an item creation feat, Bind Elemental or the Eberron cost reduction feats are best (PGF141)*   75% - Should apply Magical Artisan to Extraordinary/Legendary Artisan
The discount Kaorti get (Adds 13% of the gp value to xp cost, so this should be applied last) (FF 108 + web)        35% - I never use this...I'm never a Kaorti
Membership in one of several guilds (see below)   90% - I never use this...DM Fiat.
Favored in Guild in an arcane guild (DMG II pg 227-8)   95% - I never use this...DM Fiat.

So if we use...
Self Craft (50%) / Skill Restriction (90%) / Class Restriction (70%) / Extraordinary Artisan (75%) / Magical Artisan (75%)

Now the way these stack is a little awkward but I like to do the math in decimal form. 0.5 x 0.9 x 0.7 x 0.75 x 0.75 = 0.1771875 (click the math to see the calculation)

We'll round up to 0.178, paying a little extra and RPing it as tips/bribes/excess and waste materials. But it works out as 17.8%

So 17.8% of 6000 = 1,068gp - That's what it costs you to craft. Rather than 6,000gp to buy.

Now... the XP portion.

Crafting it yourself compared to market price. (DMG)   4%  - This is the 1/25th thing
Favored in Guild + several Wizard's Circles in Sharn (CoT)   90%  - I never use this...DM Fiat.
Legendary Artisan (ECS)   75%  - Use this. It's awesome
Magical Artisan (PGF)   75%  - Already Using this. It's awesome
Item is restricted to being used by those of a specific skill.  (DMG)   90%  - Already Using this. It's awesome
Item is restricted to being used by those of a specific class or alignment. (DMG)   70%   - Already Using this. It's awesome
This Obelisk   80%   - I never use this
Demon Mastery and Extract Demonic Essence (10% chance of the item having a curse) (FC1)        50%  - I never use this
Specific rooms in the Tower of Life.   90%  - I never use this
Focus Caster wiz/sorc ACF (Drag248 pg88)   90%  - I never use this
Study the second chapter of the artifact the Nether Scrolls (LEoF)   75%   - I never use this

There's a few campaign setting specific stuff you should tell your DM about and make it part of your quest / storyline to get them... I never use them unless I have found them in game and RPed it.

Self Craft (4%) / Skill Restriction (90%) / Class Restriction (70%) / Legendary Artisan (75%) / Magical Artisan (75%)

0.04 x 0.9 x 0.7 x 0.75 x 0.75 = 0.014175

We can make 0.014175 into 1.5% which I think is pretty fair, again, rounding up. You can do the math with the EXACT number if you want... I tend to round up for ease of math.

1.5% of 6000 = 90xp

Okay so Your at-will Ring of Unseen Crafters is 1,068gp and 90xp to craft.

This is subject to change, should you use different crafting modifiers obviously.... or if my math is wrong... which is very likely because I haven't really double checked any of this Math.

I use this for making my own items, as a calculator
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0An6WwAiAZ-91dHR2dkJJaDBQeEVRUVlWM29MQ2l0ZVE#gid=0

Sources for rules:
Creating Magic items on the SRD.
Cost Reduction Handbook.

[JoshM]

  wow... That is some crazy stuff! Thank you for clearing that up Kasz!

[Cagemarrow]

I tend to use the use activated version for Unseen Crafter because my DMs have ruled that the continuous use one only allows you to have 1 crafter at will, rather than multiples at the same time. The math is essentially right from what I remember my Warforged Artificer Tool creating things for, though he couldn't use the Bound Elemental reducer because it was an E6 game.

I had used the item to good effect building ships at one point to try and evacuate a city being attacked by a goblin army numbering in the millions, with a magical catastrophy working up to nuking the city on top of that. Spent the 4 weeks we had continuously casting it to build Galley sized ships to carry as much of the population away as he could. Worked beautifully in story, though later I was asked to retire the character for making the party too good for the DM to be able to easily balance encounters for. He ended up with a continuous use item of Alterself, which as a construct he had lots of fun with pretending to be a transformer as Animated Object up to Large size is usable with the spell.

"Now I'm a boat. Oh we needed a wagon, I can do that. How about a Gnomish Ornithopter?"

[Pippin]

Here are a few slightly cheesy items.

Lv. 20 Artificer feats.
Craft Item. Divides by 2 GP cost, divides by 25 XP cost, additionnal costs excluded.
Extraordinary Artisan. Multiplies by 0.75 GP cost, additionnal costs excluded.
Legendary Artisan. Multiplies by 0.75 XP cost, additionnal costs excluded.
Bind Elemental. Multiplies by 0.8 GP cost, additionnal costs excluded.
Apprentice. Multiplies by 0.9 GP cost, additionnal costs included.
Magical Artisan. Multiplies all costs by 0.75, additionnal costs included.


Time Stop Staff. Infinite charges.
Base Price: 17x9x1'800 = 275'400 GP.

Craft Staff. 137'700 GP + 11'016 XP
Extraordinary Artisan. 103'275 GP + 11'016 XP
Legendary Artisan. 103'275 GP + 8'262 XP
Bind Elemental. 82'620 GP + 8'262 XP
Apprentice. 74'358 GP + 8'262 XP
Magical Artisan. 55'769 GP + 6'197 XP

Moment of Prescience Ring. Continuous. CL 20.
Base Price: 22x8x2'000x1 = 352'000 GP.

Craft Ring. 176'000 GP + 14'080 XP
Extraordinary Artisan. 132'000 GP + 14'080 XP
Legendary Artisan. 132'000 GP + 10'560 XP
Bind Elemental. 105'600 GP + 10'560 XP
Apprentice. 95'040 GP + 10'560 XP
Magical Artisan. 71'280 GP + 7'920 XP

All Lv. 9 spells with no XP and no expensive GP costs have the same final cost as the Time Stop staff above. This includes: Mordenkainen’s Disjunction, Dominate Monster, Wail of the Banshee, Shapechange and Dimension Jumper, Greater.

[Forumowicz]

How exactly do you imagine continous item with a dischargeable spell to function?

With custom magic items you can get a continous item with footsteps of the divine for truly infinite speed. I am not sure how that would function either.

[Pippin]

How exactly do you imagine continous item with a dischargeable spell to function?

It is never discharged.

In the case of Moment of Prescience, this means the duration is infinite and the holder is continuously under the spell. For example, Phantasmal Killer is cast on the player. Two non-simultaneous saving throws occur. First a will throw occurs. The ring recharges, then a fortitude throw occurs. Now, let's imagine the holder is thrown onto a Prismatic Wall. He will have to choose on which color his ring applies, since all seven saving throws happen at the same time.

[Halinn]

Now, let's imagine the holder is thrown onto a Prismatic Wall. He will have to choose on which color his ring applies, since all seven saving throws happen at the same time.

Wouldn't they happen in the order he passes through the layers?