The Artillerist gets a mechanical turret they can deploy.The Homunculus Servant created via the same-named artificer infusion can make an attack that does force damage and use their reaction to act as a "channel" for using a touch-ranged spell so long as they're within 120 feet of their creator, basically an improved Familiar.The Beastmaster: This version of the artificer has a strong emphasis on specialized pets in some shape or form.Badass Normal: One suggested way of playing this artificer instead of actually casting spells, they're creating their effects, using their tools.That said, there are more damaging ways to melee, more damaging ways to fight at range, and, with a Game-Breaker of a feat combination like Sharpshooter and Crossbow Expert, do both. One of their Infusions, the Arcane Propulsion Armor, sounds cool in concept (basically Powered Armor right out of All You Need is Kill that can also act as a ranged attack).By the time you get to level 15 and get actively useful abilities, the subclass is outshined by both the caster classes and the other artificer subclasses. While at higher levels you get access to spells like Lesser Restoration up to five times a day, other classes like the cleric have had access to those abilities for about 7 levels and outshine anything the alchemist can do in terms of utility. Its other abilities such as it's formula sounds awesome, but in practice amounts to a randomized first level spell that does not scale well with level while the other artificers are reliably doing more useful stuff. But in practice, the other Artificer subclasses have better ways of dealing damage, either with a turret or a mechanical animal, but the alchemist is entirely reliant on cantrips, and spells as a half caster are going to be very weak. It can throw acid, reattach limbs, and at high levels become resistant to poison and reanimate the dead. Awesome by Analysis: Their research of magic now allows them to imitate it, using science.It was introduced in a sourcebook for the Eberron setting, which uses 12+1 as its arc number. Arc Number: In a fitting coincidence (probably), the Artificer was the 13th class and the first one introduced outside the core rulebooks.Flying alchemy vials and moving cauldrons. Animate Inanimate Object: One of the Artificer Infusions the class can take is Homunculus Servant, which can look however they want, provided it's tiny sized.Amplifier Artifact: The Artillerist can turn a single staff, rod, or wand on their person into an "arcane firearm", which can function as an arcane focus for their spells and any artificer spell cast with their arcane firearm gets a bonus d8 added to one of their damage rolls.Although this time, they can make an "experimental elixir" that can perform 1 of 6 different effects. Alchemy Is Magic: The alchemist archetype is back.The Armorer, an artificer who bonds with their armor to serve as a conduit for their magic and to further enhance their defenses.The Battle Smith, a more martial artificer that charges into battle with their steel defender.The Artillerist, an artificer that can craft an eldritch cannon that functions as a turret.
Originally introduced as a wizard subclass, Artificers were fleshed out into a full class in the "Unearthed Arcana: Artificer" article.
ArtificerArtificers specialize in making magic items, whether by crafting permanent items over a series of levels or by infusing ordinary objects with utility spells.