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Artificer impressions (cross-posted on other thread on this topic, and emailed to WotC)

I wanted to give you some general feedback on the class.

First off, no other class has only two important attributes; all other classes have three. This helps prevent uniformity. As such, the Artificer should rely on three attributes as well.

The Restorative Formula power is a totally standard leader power. Unfortunately, I think this is part of the problem; all leaders basically have this exact same power, and there’s nothing particularly unique about it.

Curative Admixture is very cool, but the payment of the healing surge for the HP is a pretty poor trade – while at low levels the temporary HP are about equal to a healing surge worth, at level 30, even assuming you started out with 18 constitution, took the demigod paragon path, and increased your constitution at every opportunity, you’re looking at your allies gaining +15 temporary hit points at the cost of a healing surge per person who does so. At that point, even a wizard gets twice that per healing surge. I already can see the whining of PCs at mid to high levels as the Artificer “wastes” their healing infusion on this power, and I wouldn’t blame them.

What I think might be more interesting is to remove the Restorative Formula power entirely, and give the Artificer JUST the Curative Admixture. I’d make the admixture restore real hit points rather than granting temporary hit points, and have some other side benefit, like, say, getting to make a saving throw against an effect on them which a save could end. This helps distinguish the Artificer from other leaders somewhat.

The problem, of course, is whether or not this is good for the game. After all, the game was designed with the former leader power in mind; will the latter leader power work out alright? I don’t really know. But having all the leaders have a cookie-cutter power seems like a recipe for excessive uniformity.

Another possibility would be to make the Restorative Formula power not heal extra hit points, but instead provide a +2 bonus to all defenses until the end of the artificer’s next turn, +3 at 6th level, +4 at 11th level, +5 at 16th level, +6 at 21st level, and +7 at 26th level, and additionally allow the target to make a saving throw against an ongoing effect, and ditch the Curative Admixture entirely (thus saving the multiheal power for another later leader class).

The idea of Artifices is cute but ultimately I don’t think it’s a good one. Having to keep track of the HP of an extra object (or multiple objects) is an unnecessary level of complication; why not just make them conjurations and not have to add weird special and completely unnecessary rules for them?

Dancing Weapon seems uncomfortably similar to Spiritual Weapon in functionality; I don’t like how similar the two are, and Dancing Weapon seems to be a fair bit better, more on the lines of the power of Mordenkainen’s Sword, a Wizard 9 daily.

Are there specific rules somewhere for how walking across a bridge/up a spiral staircase/ect. works for Phantom Structure? It seems like a kind of cool power, but I can see people getting confused as to how it’d work.

Runic Resistance is too complicated to keep track of. I’d recommend making it so that the Artificer chooses which element all allies in the area gain resistance against; otherwise everyone has to remember their own, but if it is all the same it is easier to remember.

Lightning Motes is confusing; either make it deal 10 lightning damage ongoing or make it deal 5 lightning damage ongoing. Dealing 5 at the beginning of their turn then 5 more every time they fail their saving throw is more complicated than it needs to be and is more work to remember; make it deal all damage upfront, whatever that value is. If you made it deal 10 ongoing, the damage of the power overall increases by +5, so decreasing the damage from the hit itself by two die sizes would make it deal approximately the same damage overall, while being a good bit simpler to deal with and having fewer memory issues.

Earth’s Embrace’s effect should read: “You slide the primary target 3 squares and then make a secondary attack”. It also seems too good at basically stunning groups of foes – crash into a bunch of brutes, and any brute you hit (if they’re medium sized) is effectively stunned. Any creature without reach or a ranged attack is, in essence, stunned, and that’s bad as powers of that level simply don’t do that – not encounter powers at any rate.

Strangling Rope has a lot of unnecessarily complicated text on it. Make it cost +3 squares to move in instead of the slow + difficult terrain effect; its much simpler that way and fairly similar.

Burrowing Projectile is borderline in terms of stuff to keep track of.

Armor of Acid just says “The ally gains resist 15 acid.” The lack of duration will confuse people; make it last until the end of the artificer’s next turn so as to keep the power simple and consistent.

Trio of Biting Blades is somewhat confusing; if the target moves AND attacks in the same turn, do they take 10 or 20 damage? It should be worded like the paladin’s divine challenge power so that it only happens once per turn, and it will be much clearer that way. If it really is supposed to deal 20 damage, then split it up into two sentences so that it is clearer that it is supposed to apply separately to each.

Grave-Cloud Dust, as written, is confusing. Its hit section should read thusly: “2d10 + Intelligence modifier necrotic damage. Each ally in the burst regains hit points equal to half the damage roll and gains a +1 power bonus to attack rolls and all defenses until the end of your next turn.” Saying “half the damage roll” rather than “half the damage” is clearer as to what it is supposed to do.

Bitterfrost Bolt should say “gains vulnerable 10” instead of “takes vulnerable 10” in its hit section. Same for its miss section: “gains vulnerable 5” instead of “takes vulnerable 5”.

Rod of Runic Resistance has a typo; it says level 2+ at the top but should actually say level 8+.

The Ingot Liberatis does something it shouldn’t; namely give away a paladin class ability to wizards, warlocks, and artificers. The power should be made daily, otherwise you’re really cheapening the value of the paladin’s channel divinity class feature, especially given you’re handing it out to wizards and warlocks as well, classes which aren’t really noted for their leader abilities.