The Artificer Specialists As Fictional Characters
If you need someone to add a robot to your crew, turn a regular bag into one of holding, and invent all the best ways to win a fight, you need an artificer.
Artificers are the inventors of the D&D universe. Always looking for ways to put magic into or unlock the magic within everyday objects, they see magic as a code puzzle waiting to be solved.
Alchemist
“An Alchemist is an expert at combining reagents to produce mystical effects. Alchemists use their creations to give life and to leech it away.”
Severus Snape
Honestly he could fit into a few different boxes throughout the D&D universe, and there are lots of examples of fictional alchemists who actually use the title, but I thought Snape would be a really fun alternative way of looking at the specialist. Artificers and by extension alchemists can use magic and spells, but their bread and butter are elixirs and mixing a bunch of smaller things to make one very powerful thing. Potions and alchemy are both basically magical chemistry, and if you want a magical chemist, Snape may be the best around.
Armorer
“An artificer who specializes as an Armorer modifies armor to function almost like a second skin. The armor is enhanced to hone the artificer’s magic, unleash potent attacks, and generate a formidable defense. The artificer bonds with this armor, becoming one with it even as they experiment with it and refine its magical capabilities.”
Tony Stark
Going from a little out-of-left-field to very on-the-nose, Tony is the quintessential armorer specialist artificer. But more specifically, the idea of their armor becoming “a second skin” and something they bond with to the point of “being one” makes me think specifically of the Extremis arc of the Iron Man comics.
Artillerist
“An Artillerist specializes in using magic to hurl energy, projectiles, and explosions on the battlefield.”
Jillian Holtzman
There are tons of characters whose job it is in their stories to make the things that go boom, and I picked my favorite. The artillerist is a character who is uniquely good at not only creating but understanding on an almost spiritual level exactly how to make the tool that will be useful in any imaginable fight, and that’s Holtzman to a T. In fact, I made a character for a not D&D RPG once who I wanted to fill this exact roll in her team, and this is exactly who I modeled my character after.
Battle Smith
“Armies require protection, and someone has to put things back together if defenses fail. A combination of protector and medic, a Battle Smith is an expert at defending others and repairing both material and personnel. To aid in their work, Battle Smiths are usually accompanied by a steel defender, a protective companion of their own creation.”
Mei-Ling Zhou
A little bit inventor, a little bit defense and healing, and accompanied by a robot too boot, Mei fits the bill for battle smith. Unfortunately she doesn’t do much building or repair in game play, but her backstory short made it clear that she’s no stranger to these skills. While her healing is is more of The Artificer Specialists As Fictional Characters a self-serving move than that of the party, but just like the battle smith she’s not meant to be a healer, and sometimes the best thing you can do is keep yourself in the game a little longer, and anybody who’s been icicled in my face knows that she’s got the “battle” portion of the job down.
What’s your favorite artificer specialist? Who would you pick for each of these subclasses? Do you think any of my picks were right on the money? Let us know in the comments!
Happy Adventuring!
