Introduction
The most important thing you can get from artificer races is an Intelligence increase, but beyond that core requirement your choice of race will often be closely related to your choice of subclass. Artificers also apply double their Proficiency Bonus with tools, so additional tool proficiencies from your race can often be helpful.
Front-line melee artificers like the Battle Smith will benefit from options which complement your durability in ways that artificers can’t easily replicate, such as resistance to poison damage or Advantage on saves against status conditions. More AC never hurts, obviously, but high AC isn’t a challenge for the Artificer.
Back-line artificers like the Artillerist will benefit from traits which complement the Artificer’s spellcasting or provide new or expensive capabilities. Innate spellcasting, natural flight, and similar benefits can reduce strain on your spellcasting and infused items so that you can commit limited class resources to solving other problems.
After reading this handbook, I encourage you to read my Artificer Handbook.
Disclaimer
RPGBOT uses the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks, which is simple to understand and easy to read at a glance.
- : Bad, useless options, or options which are extremely situational. Nearly never useful.
- : OK options, or useful options that only apply in rare circumstances. Useful sometimes.
- : Good options. Useful often.
- : Fantastic options, often essential to the function of your character. Useful very frequently.
We will not include 3rd-party content, including content from DMs Guild, in handbooks for official content because we can’t assume that your game will allow 3rd-party content or homebrew. We also won’t cover Unearthed Arcana content because it’s not finalized, and we can’t guarantee that it will be available to you in your games.
The advice offered below is based on the current State of the Character Optimization Meta as of when the article was last updated. Keep in mind that the state of the meta periodically changes as new source materials are released, and the article will be updated accordingly as time allows.
Table of Contents
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Artificer Races
Keep in mind that not all races will be available in every game. Consult your DM about which races are welcome in your game, as not all settings are appropriate to every setting or even to specific campaigns within a setting which might otherwise welcome any and all races.
AarakocraEEPC
MMoM: Flight in light armor. Good for ranged builds, but every other flying race option is better.
: +2/+1 increases, and flight in light armor. Flight puts you safely out of range of the majority of enemies, reducing the need for you to dump spells and infusions into items to raise your AC and to get access to flight, but dropping to light armor reduces your AC and adds a frustrating need to invest in Dexterity. Subclasses like the Armorer (especially with Infiltrator armor) and the Alchemist both make sense, but the Battle Smith’s pet can’t fly and neither can the Artillerist’s canons (though they can be small enough that you can carry them while they shoot stuff). If you just want to fly, consider any other flying option.
: Bad ability spread.
AasimarVGtM
MMoM: Healing Hands can take some pressure off of you to select healing spells, and Celestial Resistance provides damage resistances that the Artificer can’t provide on their own. Radiant Consumption is good for melee builds, and Radiant Soul provides temporary flight if you’re not high enough level to infuse Winged Boots.
: +2 int, +1 Con (each subrace offers a +1 increase), two damage resistances, Darkvision, and Healing Hands and Light Bearer will complement your spellcasting, especially at low levels when your spell options are very limited.
- : Necrotic Shroud offers a once daily combat buff, but the short range on the fear effect means that it’s most effective in melee. Armorers and Battle Smiths will find it useful, and since you can apply it to one target per turn that you damage with a spell or attack, you can get the most out of it by using AOE damage spells like Sword Burst or Burning Hands. Spells which deal half damage on a successful save will guarantee that you can apply the bonus damage, but keep in mind that it will be halved, too. Try to hit numerous enemies to increase the likelihood that at least one target will fail their save.
- : Radiant Soul offers a once daily buff which grants flight that words in heavy armor, unlike most racial flight options. The 1-minute duration means that it’s primarily useful in combat, but unlike the Fallen Aasimar there’s little reason to limit yourself to activating it in melee range. The damage effect works the same way, so follow the same tactics as the Fallen Aasimar (focus on AOE damage against multiple targets). This seems like a great option for the Artillerist, though remember that your canons aren’t you, so they won’t trigger the effect.
- : Tactically similar to the Fallen Aasimar, you want to use Radiant Consumption in melee. Ideally, you want to use this when enemies will have a hard time getting away from you, so effects like Booming Blade can be very effective, though moving away from AOE damage may reduce the total damage you can deal so you’ll need to find a way to balance those two tactical concerns.
: None of the subrace benefits are good enough to make the ability score increases viable.
- : Bad ability spread.
- : Bad ability spread.
- : Bad ability spread.
Aasimar (DMG Variant)DMG
: +2/+1 increases, Darkvision, and two damage resistances. The Aasimar also adds some innate spellcasting, but the only new spell is Daylight and you really don’t need it.
: Bad ability spread.
Air GenasiMMoM
The innate spellcasting is nice, but not especially powerful, and the Artificer already has the same spells on their spell list. The Air Genasi doesn’t add anything new to the artificer, but it may save you some prepared spells and some infusions.
Astral ElfSAIS
Darkvision, two skills, another tool, the ability to teleport, and an extra cantrip.
AutognomeSAIS
Autognomes feel like natural artificers. Two additional tool proficiencies is nice, and since you can learn Mending you can heal yourself outside of combat. Built for Success stacks with Flash of Genius. There are no clear builds where the Autognome really shines because the Autognome makes a great choice for any artificer.
Bugbear
MMoM: Artificers generally don’t get to make as many attacks as martial characters, so it’s difficult to abuse Surprise Attack quite as much as other classes can. Artificers generally also have low or middling Dexterity, so beating enemies on Initiative may be hard. Your best bet is the Artillerist, which offers Scorching Ray and the Force Ballista, both of which can deliver Surprise Attack.
VGtM: +2/+1 increases and Darkvision. Surprise Attack attack works with any attack including spell attacks, but artificers won’t have enough Dexterity to reliably go early in combat so you’ll find that Surprise Attack may be difficult to use. Long-limbed might combine well with the Armorer’s Thunder Gauntlets, but note that Long-limbed won’t work with spells like Booming Blade due to their 5-foot range.
VGtM: Bad ability spread.
Centaur
MMoM: The Centaur’s natural weapons are all Strength-based, which is a hard prospect for the Artificer, and Charge and Hooves are the Centaur’s defining traits.
GGTR: The Centaur’s natural weapons are all Strength-based, which is a hard prospect for the Artificer.
GGTR: Bad ability spread.
Changeling
MMoM: Nearly everything that the changeling does can be replace with some combination of tools and spells available to the Artificer.
ERLW: +2 Int, +1 Con, two skills. The Changeling’s signature trait is Shapechanger, but it’s not especially useful since the Artificer is rarely a subtle character, and if you need to disguise yourself you have both spells and Infusions which will do the job.
ERLW: Bad ability spread.
Deep GnomeMMoM
The Armorer’s Infiltrator Armor makes most of the Deep Gnome’s traits redundant.
DragonbornPHB
: A decent breath weapon to complement your spellcasting, and Draconic Resistance and Chromatic Warding improve your durability. Line AOEs are difficult to use, but with the longer range compared to cones it can be safer for back-line builds like the Artillerist.
: The best damage types offensively, and you can get resistance to uncommon damage types like psychic and radiant which the Artificer can’t replicate with an infusion, though the resistance is less useful due to how uncommon those damage types are. The cone AOE is great for front-line artificers like the Armorer and the Battlesmith. Gem Flight offers short-term flight, which is nice, but becomes less impactful once you can infuse Winged Boots.
: The go-to option if you really want to get the most out of the Dragonborn’s breath weapon. A cone AOE is great for melee builds, and the additional breath options introduced at 5th level offer powerful new ways to use your breath weapon beyond just damage. Because of those additional breath options, choosing Brass to get resistance to fire damage (which is extremely common) is less of a challenge offensively despite the prevalence of fire resistance/immunity.
:
- PHB: With the introduction of the Fizban’s variants, there is no reason to play the classic Dragonborn, either with or without the custom origin rules. The new variants are strictly better in absolutely every way.
- EGtW: +2 Int, +1 Con, Darkvision. Forceful Presence is largely wasted on the Artificer.
- EGtW: +2 Int, +1 Con, Darkvision. Vengeful Assault is great for front-line artificers, especially the Armorer who is so adept at forcing enemies to attack them instead of your allies.
:
- PHB: With the introduction of the Fizban’s variants, there is no reason to play the classic Dragonborn, either with or without the custom origin rules. The new variants are strictly better in absolutely every way.
- EGtW: An Intelligence increase, Darkvision, and a breath weapon. Forceful Presence is neat, but you’re probably going to dump Charisma.
- EGtW: Bad ability spread.
DuergarMMoM
Unless you’re expecting to fake enemies like mind flayers constantly, the Duergar is largely redundant with the Artificer’s class features.
DwarfPHB
For the updated version of the Duergar, see their separate race entry on this page.
: +2 Int, Darkvision, and resistance to poison. Retrain the weapon proficiencies into good finesse options like the rapier and the whip (especially if you’re going for Battle Smith), and if you have more weapons than you need you can trade them for tool proficiencies. A great start for any character, including the Artificer, and the Battle Smith may enjoy early access to martial weapons.
- SCAG: Numerically great, but Sunlight Sensitivity is a pain if your campaign doesn’t take place underground.
- PHB: Put the +1 in Constitution and Dwarven Toughness will give you even more hit points. Great for melee builds, and the extra hp will close the gap between the Artificer’s d8 hit dice and the d10 hit dice of classes like the Fighter.
- PHB: The second +2 is really tempting, but it’s not essential since the Artificer really only needs to raise Intelligence to 20. Still, starting with two ability scores at 17 makes it easy to get both to 20 if you want to do that, and high Constitution is crucial on melee builds. It also leave lots of room for feats in your build, and makes it easier to start with a second ability at 16 while spending fewer points, which then lets you raise your lower ability scores. Trade the armor proficiencies for two more tool proficiencies.
: Dwarves are an all-around good race, but they lack the critical Intelligence increase which the Artificer sorely needs, and they lack a Dexterity increase to fall back on.
Earth GenasiMMoM
Armorer artificers were already very well suited to stealth, but adding Pass Without Trace makes you functionally unstoppable. Other artificers will enjoy the ability to cast Blade Ward as a bonus action, especially those artificers who start with 8 Dexterity and need to cower their way through levels 1 and 2 before getting heavy armor proficiency from your subclass.
EladrinMMoM
Artificers can’t cast Misty Step, so access to teleportation is very helpful. But artificers also tend to lean heavily on their Bonus Action, so any turn in which you use Fey Step means giving up whatever you normally do with your Bonus Action (command your homunculus, etc.) for that turn. Trance also gets you an extra tool, which is great for artificers.
ElfPHB
For the updated versions of the Eladrin, the Sea Elf, and the Shadar-Kai, see their separate race entries on this page.
: +2/+1 increases (Every subrace provides a second +1 which will probably go into Constitution), Darkvision, and proficiency in Perception. Sure, you can replace Perception but it’s the best skill in the game so I don’t know why you would.
- PHB: Drow Weapon training will get you early access to martial weapons for the Battle Smith (or you can trade for tool proficiencies), but the existing proficiencies are already pretty good. Drow Magic complements the Artificer’s limited spellcasting. Sunlight Sensitivity is a pain unless your campaign takes place underground.
- MToF: Fey Step is a great way to get access to teleportation early and it can save you the trouble of expending spell slots for Misty Step, but the Artificer has numerous ways to solve the same problems so beyond low levels it’s going to be less exciting.
- DMG: Functionally similar to the regular Eladrin, but you give up the rider effect on Fey Step to get 4 weapon proficiencies which you can trade for tool proficiencies.
- PHB: An extra cantrip, and early access to martial weapons for the Battle Smith unless you want to trade some or all of the weapon proficiencies for tool proficiencies. Not super flashy, but a great option if you want a simple yet very effective build.
- EGtW: The innate spellcasting is a nice complement to the Artificer’s spellcasting, but Sleep is obsolete the moment that you get it. Incisive Sense is helpful, provided that you have the skill proficiencies to support it.
- EGtW / MToF: Roughly equivalent to the High Elf, but you give up the cantrip for a swim speed, the ability to breath water, and the ability to communicate with beasts that have swim speeds.
- MToF: Basically the same as the Eladrin, but only one option for the rider effect on your teleportation and you get resistance to necrotic damage.
- PHB: Not as appealing as the High Elf. Mask of the Wild is neat, but doesn’t cater to the Artificer’s capabilities. The extra move speed is nice, too, but it’s between those two features they’re not as useful as an extra cantrip.
: High Elf is the only subrace which gives us an Intelligent increase, but the Elf’s base racial traits are great and the Dexterity increase allows us to easily fall back on weapon attacks until your cantrips improve at 5th level or you get Battle Ready for Battlesmiths.
- PHB: Bad ability spread.
- MToF: Bad ability spread.
- DMG: Dexterity, Intelligence, and Misty Step once per short rest. You also get some weapon proficiencies which you can trade for tool proficiencies if you don’t need more weapons.
- PHB: Dexterity, Intelligence, and a free wizard cantrip all nicely complement the Artificer’s skillset, especially at lot levels when you don’t have many abilities to throw around.
- EGtW: Bad ability spread.
- EGtW / MToF: Bad ability spread.
- MToF: Bad ability spread.
- PHB: Bad ability spread.
FairyWBtW / MMoM
Trade some of the original Aarakocra’s speed for a little bit of extra spellcasting. Both of the Fairy’s spells are already on the Artificer’s spell list, but getting to cast them for free once per day is useful for a class with limited spellcasting compared to a full caster. You’re still stuck in light armor, so you’ll want to fight at range using subclasses like the Armorer in Infiltrator armor and the Artillerist.
Firbolg
MMoM: With the exception of Speech of Beast and Leaf, the Artificer can already do everything that the Firbolg offers, and artificers typically dump Charisma, so speaking to plants and animals is likely not helpful. The innate spellcasting does add additional spells on a class that doesn’t get full spellcasting, but that doesn’t make this a great option.
VGtM: Thematically unusual, but some interesting benefits. +2 Int, +1 Con, and Firbolg Magic complements the Artificer’s built-in spellcasting. Hidden Step can get you out of melee if you don’t want to be there, which is great for ranged builds. Speech of Beast and Leaf is neat, but you likely don’t have the Charisma to back it up.
VGtM: Bad ability spread.
Fire GenasiMMoM
Artificers can get fire resistance and Darkvision from spells and infusions, Fire Bolt is better than Produce Flame, and artificers can already cast Burning Hands. There’s nothing new here. Darkvision and fire resistance are great, but at that point play a tiefling. Knowing Burning Hands for free is not good enough.
GenasiEEPC
For the updated versions of the Air Genasi, the Earth Genasi, the Fire Genasi, and the the Water Genasi, see their separate race entries on this page.
: +2/+1 increases (each subrace provides an additional +1), but the vast majority of the Genasi’s traits come from the subraces.
- : You have an abundance of options to solve both breathing underwater and levitation.
- : Pass without trace nicely solves the Artificer’s typically awful Stealth rolls, but that’s really not enough.
- : Damage resistance and Darkvision are great, and the innate spellcasting is a good way to pad your limited spell slots. Produce Flame is nearly equivalent to Fire Bolt, so you might choose to use Produce Flame and save yourself a cantrip, though the fact that the spellcasting is Constitution-based may be a problem. In some ways, this is very similar to the High Elf, but you give up the weapon, skill, and language proficiencies for resistance to fire and Burning Hands once per day.
- : I would only consider this in an aquatic campaign, and even then the Artificer has abundant options to get access to swim speeds and the ability to breath underwater.
: A Constitution increase is always welcome, but the Genasi’s traits come primarily from the subrace, and the Fire Genasi is the only option which is truly appealing.
- : The Dexterity increase works, but the Air Genasi’s features don’t do anything that Artificer couldn’t already do.
- : Bad ability spread.
- : An intelligence increase and the extra spellcasting and fire resistance are great additions to the Artificer’s existing capabilities.
- : Bad ability spread.
GiffSAIS
Artificers get proficiency in firearms automatically and have very little reason to use Strength checks, so the Giff’s entire contribution to the Artificer is the ability to ignore Loading with firearms, which can be replaced with an infusion.
GithMToF
For the updated versions of the Githyanki, the Githzerai, see their separate race entries on this page.
: +2/+1 increases (each subrace provides an additional +2), but the bulk of your notable racial traits come from your subrace.
- : A good option for melee builds, access to martial weapons early is tempting for the Battle Smith, and Misty Step even once per day is a great option for melee builds. The innate spellcasting will help pad the Artificer’s limited spellcasting, but there’s nothing here that the Artificer doesn’t already get. If you don’t need the extra weapon proficiencies (or if you’re happy to wait until level 3 to get them on a Battle Smith), trade them for tool proficiencies.
- : Less appealing for the Battle Smith than the Githyanki, but probably better for other subclasses. The condition resistances cover a broad variety of problematic effects, and Shield once per day for free is fantastic at any level. The innate spellcasting is Wisdom-based, but you can do quite a bit with Detect Thoughts before you need to worry about saving throws.
: An Intelligence increase is a great start, giving us all that we absolutely need. Githzerai is a great option almost solely based on the innate spellcasting.
- MToF: Strength is mostly useless for the Artificer, and the innate spellcasting isn’t as useful as the Githzerai’s, but the Strength increase and access to some martial weapons is tempting for a Battlesmith who can’t wait for level 3 to start swinging a weapon.
- MToF: Wisdom works fine, and the extra spellcasting is a great addition.
GithyankiMMoM
Artificers don’t have a way to get resistance to psychic damage, and innate spellcasting is always welcome since artificers get relatively few spell slots compared to full casters. Astral Knowledge allows you to change the proficiencies you get every day, so if you’re building a front-line artificer you might select a weapon proficiency at levels 1 and 2 until you hit level 3 and your subclass gives you more proficiencies, then start selecting a tool proficiency with Astral Knowledge.
GithzeraiMMoM
Artificers are very resilient to attacks (especially when you add Shield), but their Wisdom saves are generally poor (at least until you pick up Flash of Genius), so Mental Discipline is a great defense. The innate spellcasting also provides a nice complement to your limited spell slots, and Shield is a staple option for the Artificer, so getting it for free is great.
GnomePHB
For the updated version of the Deep Gnome, see their separate race entry on this page.
: Darkvision and Gnome Cunning are great on any character, and the ability to reassign your ability score increases to support a melee build makes the Gnome a great option for durable front-line builds.
- EEPC / SCAG: Superior Darkvision is nice, but the stealth doesn’t do much for the Artificer. Other gnome subraces have more to offer.
- PHB: Minor illusions is a great spell that’s not on the Artificer’s spell list, but Speak with Small Beasts is rarely useful.
- PHB: Thematically excellent. Tinker complements Magical Tinkering nicely, and you get an extra tool proficiency.
: An Intelligence increase, Darkvision, and Cunning all make the gnome a fantastic option. Any of the gnome subraces work well with the shared gnome traits as a basis, allowing you to plenty of flexibility.
- EEPC / SCAG: A Dexterity increase, Superior Darkvision, and Stone Camouflage. Stealth generally isn’t something the Artificer does, but it’s definitely a possibility.
- PHB: Dexterity will help with weapons until your cantrips become more effective, but minor illusion is partially redundant with Magical Tinkering, and honestly how often does Speak With Small Beasts apply?
- PHB: Probably the most obvious option, the Rock gnome seems tailor-made to be an artificer. The Rock Gnome’s Tinker trait complements Magical Tinkering nicely, allowing you to produce numerous baubles to address challenges in strange an unexpected ways.
Goblin
MMoM: Nimble escape does what people think Boots of the Winding Path do. Use it for hit-and-run tactics with Booming Blade.
VGtM: +2 Int, +1 Con, Darkvision. Fury of the Small works with spells, including AOE damage spells (though it only affects one of the targets), and Nimble Escape is excellent for keeping out of melee and for hit-and-run tactics with Booming Blade or if you’re built for range and accidently find yourself in melee.
VGtM: Bad ability spread.
Goliath
MMoM: Artificers are famously durable due to their ability to stack AC infusions on top of heavy armor, but they still only have d8 hit points, and Stone’s Endurance can do quite a bit to pad that small pool of hp. Cold resistance is somewhat redundant since artificers can cast Absorb Elements, but an additional resistance means one less option for enemies to slip past your defenses.
EEPC: +2 Int, +1 Con, a skill, and damage resistance. Stone’s Endurance is great for front-line artificer builds and will help compensate for your relatively small hit die.
EEPC: Bad ability spread.
HadozeeSAIS
If you have 12 or more Strength, casting Jump makes Glide usable, and at level 10 you can infuse Boots of Striding and Springing so that you’re not spending a spell slot every time you use it, making Glide an effective way to get around. Infusing Winged Boots is arguably a better choice, but it’s certainly not as fun.
Half-ElfPHB
: +2 Int, +1 Con, +1 whatever else you want, Darkvision, and Fey Ancestry. Excellent, versatile, and it works for any subclass. Other races may work for specific subclasses better, but the Half-Elf works well for everything.
- SCAG: Only in an aquatic campaign, and even then there are better options.
- SCAG: A nice complement to the Artificer’s spellcasting, but it’s Charisma-based so Faerie Fire will be useless.
- SCAG: A wizard cantrip is a nice complement to the Artificer’s spellcasting, but Custom Lineage or Variant Human with Magic Initiate would be more effective.
- PHB: Two skills are very useful. Unfortunately, Darkvision and two skills are very common with customized origins, so the standard half-elf doesn’t stand out unless you desperately need that third increase.
- SCAG: If you want more tool proficiencies on the half-elf, this is the way to get them. Trade some or all of the four granted weapon proficiencies for new tool proficiencies. Maybe not as reliably effective as the two skills from the standard half-elf, but still very appealing. The Artificer doesn’t need the speed boost of Mask of the Wild.
: You can get the ability score increases that you care about, but you’ll get more from the Variant Human since Charisma is useless for the Artificer.
- SCAG: Only in an aquatic campaign, and even then there are better options.
- SCAG: A nice complement to the Artificer’s spellcasting, but it’s Charisma-based so Faerie Fire will be useless.
- SCAG: A wizard cantrip is a nice complement to the Artificer’s spellcasting, but at this point Custom Lineage or Variant Human with Magic Initiate would be more effective.
- PHB: The skill/tool proficiencies complement the Artificer nicely. You can trade one or both for weapon proficiencies, but I don’t recommend it.
- SCAG: If you want weapons, go for Standard and trade one skill down to a weapon. The Artificer doesn’t need the speed boost of Mask of the Wild.
Half-OrcPHB
: +2 Int, +1 Con, a skill, Darkvision, and Relentless Endurance. Savage Attacks is neat, but not especially impactful since artificers rarely use weapons with hit dice larger than a d8. Relentless Endurance will save you in a pinch, but if you want durability the Goliath may be a better fit.
: Bad ability spread.
HalflingPHB
: +2 int, and Brave and Lucky are good on literally any character. Each subrace will provide another +1 increase which will almost certainly go into Constitution.
- SCAG: Silent Speech is great, but since the Artificer so rarely builds for stealth it’s not a great fit.
- PHB: Naturally stealthy is only useful if you’re planning to rely on stealth, especially in combat.
- EGtW: The innate spellcasting is neat, but it’s all Wisdom-based and beyond the cantrip it’s offensive options which allow saving throws so it will never be reliable for the Artificer.
- PHB: Stout Resilience is really great, providing some of the Dwarf’s durability.
: No options to get the crucial Intelligence increase.
HarengonWBtW / MMoM
A decent choice for back-line artificers, but front-line artificers like the Armorer don’t need Rabbit Hop, and Hare Trigger isn’t as impactful for the Artificer as it is for many spellcasters because the Artificer has few options which will have a huge impact right at the beginning of the fight, such as area control spell.
Hobgoblin
MMoM: Between Fortune of the Many and Flash of Genius, you’re very well-equipped to recover from failed rolls. It may be difficult to keep Fey Gift available because artificers nearly always have a use for their Bonus Action (homunculus, etc.).
VGtM: The Hobgoblin is a great choice without the Customizing Your Origin optional rule, but when everyone can get Int/Con increases and numerous races provide martial weapon proficiencies the Hobgoblin loses a lot of what makes it special. Its remaining distinguishing trait is Saving Face, which is good but not amazing. Trade the weapon proficiencies for tool proficiencies unless you’re desperate to get martial weapons early.
VGtM: Perfect ability score increases, darkvision, access to two martial weapons starting at first level, and Saving Face is fantastic. This is a spectacular option for the Battlesmith, though you may still want to stick to a rapier or a whip until you get Battle Ready because your Strength is probably still garbage.
Human
: Versatile and fantastic at everything.
- : With perfect ability scores on the table for every race, there is no reason to play the Standard Human.
- : The Customizing Your Origin rules make no change to the Variant Human.
: Versatile and fantastic at everything.
- : The Artificer really only needs two ability scores, but a +1 to all of your scores can be helpful if you use the point buy ability generation method to give yourself low, odd-numbered base ability scores to save points. But ability scores alone don’t make the Default Human an interesting choice.
- : You still get crucial bonuses to your Constitution and Intelligence, and you can get an awesome feat at level 1.
KalashtarERLW
: +2 Int, +1 Con, but that’s where the normal stuff ends. Dual Mind and Mental Discipline make the Kalashtar very resilient against mental attack, especially combined with the Artificer’s high Intelligence saves. Mind Link is helpful, but the range is short enough that you’re only going to use to coordinate in combat or to communicate when verbal communication isn’t an option, but with dumped Charisma you’re likely not doing much talking to NPCs.
: Bad ability spread.
KenkuVGtM
MMoM: Tragically, Kenku Recall’s Advantage mechanic only applies to ability checks which use a skill, so you can’t use it with the Artificer’s abundant tool proficiencies.
VGtM: +2 Int, +1 Con, and two skills from Kenku Training. Expert Forgery is neat and could make for a fun artificer who uses calligrapher’s tools or something similar. Mimicry won’t see much use since artificers typically dump Charisma and don’t make great Face characters.
VGtM: Bad ability spread.
Kobold
MMoM: A great choice for melee builds where Draconic Cry’s short range is easy to achieve safely. Any of the Kobold Ancestry options work depending on your needs, but default to Defiance if you’re not sure what to pick.
VGtM: Play a Battle Smith. +2 Int, Darkvision, and you can use Pack Tactics with your Steel Defender. Sunlight Senstivity is obviously a pain, unfortunately, but you can use Pack Tactics to offset it whenever necessary.
VGtM: Bad ability spread, but Pack Tactics may be enough to make up for the lack of an Intelligence increase. If you stick to offensive spells which rely on attacks instead of saves, having an ally (such as a Steel Defender) adjacent to your target is an easy source of Advantage, and that may be enough to make your average damage output match characters with better Intelligence.
LeoninMOoT
: +2 Int, +1 Con, Darkvision, and two skills. The Leonin’s claws won’t help you since they’re Strength-based. Daunting Roar is neat, especially for front-line builds, but the DC is Constitution-based so you may have trouble keeping the DC high enough to matter.
: Bad ability spread.
Lizardfolk
MMoM: The Artificer doesn’t care about the Lizardfolk’s natural armor, and artificers nearly always dump Strength, so Hungry Jaws is basically unusable.
VGtM: +2 Int, +1 Con, two skills, and several other unique features. Bite is hard for the Artificer because they tend to dump Strength, and Natural Armor doesn’t help much compared to medium armor. Cunning Artisan is neat thematically, but it’s not actually all that useful. Lizardfolk works, but you’re basically guaranteeing that you’ll ignore half of your class features.
VGtM: Bad ability spread.
LocathahLR
: +2 Int, +1 Con, two skills. Limited Amphibiousness can be difficult in land-locked campaigns, but in campaigns where you’re at least water-adjacent it’s manageable. But those benefits are fairly scant and you can get the increases and skills from numerous other races. The Locathah’s distinguishing trait is Leviathan Will, which provides resistance to an impressive list of conditions. This would be a difficult choice of race in most campaigns, but in the right game this could be an interesting choice for a front-line Defender build.
: Bad ability spread.
LoxodonGGTR
: +2 Int, +1 Con, and a bunch of unique stuff. Loxodon Serenity covers some very common status conditions, and trunk offers some utility for a class that often needs to juggle numerous items. Keen Smell is neat, but most such checks involve sight and sound more than smell.
: Bad ability spread.
Minotaur
MMoM: Goring Charge and Hammering Horns are both totally reliant on Strength, and you can’t use the Armorer or the Battle Master’s options to attack with Intelligence to solve the Strength issue. If you can spare a bit of Strength to make Hammering Horns at least somewhat useful, you could combine it with Booming Blade, but at that point you’re mostly a disappointing Eldritch Knight.
GGTR: The Minotaur’s natural weapons and related traits are all Strength-based, which is a hard prospect for the Artificer.
GGTR: Bad ability spread.
Orc
MMoM: Adrenaline Rush will help compensate for the Artificer’s d8 hit dice, but most artificers use their Bonus Action heavily so it’s hard to keep it available for Adrenaline Rush. Relentless Endurance is useful if you’re your party’s primary Defender.
VGtM: +2 Int, +1 Con, Darkvision, and two skills. The Orc’s signature trait is Aggressive, which allows you to quickly get into melee with your enemies. Appealing for the Armorer, but other subclasses may have trouble using it. The Battle Smith works in melee, but Aggressive won’t help your Steel Defender.
VGtM: Bad ability spread.
OwlinSCoC
The Owlin trades some of the original Aarakocra’s speed for Darkvision and proficiency in stealth. You’re still stuck in light armor, so you’ll need some Dexterity to pad your AC and you’ll want to fight at range. An Armorer in Infiltrator Armor is a natural choice: with built-in flight, Stealth proficiency, and Darkvision you can be a truly exceptional Scout with little further effort.
PlasmoidSAIS
Acid and poison resistance are great for front-line builds, and you can use an infusion to add another damage resistance, making you very durable.
Satyr
MMoM: Magic Resistance and a tool proficiency, but the skills aren’t helpful. Artificers are extremely resilient physically, but they are weak to attacks from spells, so Magic Resistance is a helpful addition. The Yuan-Ti is a better fit if you just wantta Magic Resistance.
MOoT: +2 Int, +1 Con, 2 skills, and an instrument. Magic Resistance is great if you expect to draw a lot of attention (the Armorer and the Battle Smith come to mind), and Mirthful Leaps might help get through difficult terrain.
MOoT: Bad ability spread.
Sea ElfMMoM
Artificers already have options to produce both cold resistance and the ability to breath underwater (Water Breathing is a Ritual), so unless you expect to need those two things consistently, the Sea Elf brings little of interest to the Artificer.
Shadar-KaiMMoM
Artificers can’t cast Misty Step, so access to teleportation is very helpful. But artificers also tend to lean heavily on their Bonus Action, so any turn in which you use Blessing of the Raven Queen means giving up whatever you normally do with your Bonus Action (command your homunculus, etc.) for that turn. Trance also gets you an extra tool, which is great for artificers.
Shifter
MMoM: Beasthide works great for front-line artificers who want to stand still and draw attacks. Swiftstride is great for hit-and-run builds built around Booming Blade, allowing you to move out of melee during enemies turns so that you can move back into melee on your turn to cast Booming Blade before using Boots of the Winding Path to teleport back out of reach. Unfortunately, the extra skill is basically useless.
ERLW: Each subrace will give you a +2 increase (put it into Int), a +1 increase (put it into Con, generally), Darkvision, and one skill. You also get Shifting, which is the Shifter’s signature feature. It’s a decent combat buff on its own, and your subrace will offer additional effects.
- : More temporary HP and +1 AC. Perfect for front-line subclasses like the Armorer and the Battle Smith.
- : An extra attack as a Bonus Action is normally great for a melee build, but it’s Strength-based and the Artificer typically dumps Strength.
- : Hit-and-run tactics aren’t common for the Artificer, but Booming Blade would work great in conjunction with the shifting feature in encounters with few enemies.
- : Too situational.
ERLW: No Intelligence increase to be found.
- : Bad ability spread.
- : Bad ability spread.
- : Bad ability spread.
- : Bad ability spread.
Simic HybridGGTR
: The Customizing Your Origin rules make no meaningful changes to the Simic Hybrid. You can move the Constitution increase around, but increasing Constitution is still the best way to use that increase.
: Great ability increases, and and the adaptations offer great ways to customize your character to fit your subclass and your play style.
Tabaxi
MMoM: The things that make the Tabaxi unique stop mattering when you can infuse Winged Boots. The skills are nice, but if you just want the skills, the Kenku is a better choice.
VGtM: +2 Int, +1 Con, Darkvision, two skills. Feline Agility and Cat’s Claws are the Tabaxi’s signature traits, but the claws are useless. Feline Agility is a great speed boost, and it’s pretty common in combat to need to rush into position then stand still for several turns.
VGtM: Bad ability spread.
Thri-KreenSAIS
Of every gish option there is, the Artificer is least in need of additional hands. The Tools Required feature specifically mandates that you need to have a focus in hand to cast spells, and since that focus can be an infused item you’re free to operate with a shield in one hand and either a weapon or a tool in the other. Even Chameleon Carapace is redundant since armor artificers can easily produce Advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks and 13+ armor is replaceable with infused items.
TieflingPHB
: +2 Int, +1 Con, Darkvision, and fire resistance. Most subraces/variants offer innate spellcasting of some kind. The innate spellcasting is Charisma-based, so anything which requires an attack or a save is largely worthless.
- PHB/MToF: The innate spellcasting is fine, but Hellish Rebuke is the only part that you’ll be able to use consistently.
- MToF: The leveled spells are both offensive and require saving throws.
- MToF: The leveled spells are only situationally useful, but they’re spells which work for the Artificer.
- MToF: All three spells require saves.
- MToF: All illusions, but still great additons to the Artificer’s spellcasting.
- MToF: Armor of Agathys is tempting, but it’ll only last for one hit because the spell ends when the temporary hit points go away.
- MToF: Not super flashy, but three solid utility options that will save you some of your limited prepared spells.
- MToF: Tries to split the difference between Asmodeus’s fire stuff and Mammons utility stuff, but the offensive stuff ends up just being worse.
- MToF: Some interesting options borrowed from the Paladin’s spell list, but Searing Smite allows a saving throw and Thaumaturgy is barely useful.
- SCAG: The Customizing Your Origin optional rules make the Feral variant obsolete. All it does is rearrange your ability score increases.
- SCAG: All three spells require saves.
- SCAG: Hellish Rebuke is better for the Artificer, though not by much.
- SCAG: A great way to get flight without relying on Winged Boots, and unlike most flying races you can fly in medium armor, reducing the frustrating dependence on Dexterity introduced by other flying races like the Aarakocra and the Owlin.
: Many Tiefling subraces offer an Intelligence increase, and with so many variants and subraces you can easily find an option that will suit your play style. The Flames of Phlegethos feat is tempting for Artillerists looking to boost the numerous fire damage spells on the Artillerist’s spell list.
- PHB/MToF: Charisma is wasted on the Artificer, but you get an Intelligence bonus and the Tiefling’s other core racial traits are great.
- MToF: The same ability score increases as the Asmodeus tiefling, but a different set of racial spells.
- MToF: Bad ability spread.
- MToF: Bad ability spread.
- MToF: Bad ability spread.
- MToF: Bad ability spread.
- MToF: The same ability score increases as the Asmodeus Tiefling, but with different racial spells. The Mammon Tiefling’s racial spells focus more on utility than those of the Asmodeus Tiefling.
- MToF: Again, the same ability score increases as the Asmodeus Tiefling, but with a different set of racial spells. The leveled spells are purely offensive, focusing on new ways to deal fire damage. This makes a nice complement to the Artillerist, especially with Flames of Phlegethos piled on top.
- MToF: Bad ability spread.
- SCAG: If you’re happy with the Asmodeus Tiefling’s spell list but you want
different ability score increases, the Feral variant is great. Dexterity is
more useful for the Artificer than Charisma, though you don’t actually need
more than 14 so it’s not a massive improvement.
According to the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, the Feral Variant is compatible with other variants.
- SCAG: If you were consider learning Frostbite, Vicious Mockery is a better cantrip with a similar effect. Otherwise, I would look elsewhere.
- SCAG: A very tiny change to the Asmodeus Tiefling. Burning Hands is often a safer option for the Artificer because you can use it without getting hit.
- SCAG: A great way to get flight without relying on Winged Boots.
TortleTP / MMoM
: +2 Int, +1 Con. Hold Breath rarely matters, Natural Armor isn’t as good as infusing a suit of half-plate, and Shell Defense is very rarely useful. Your also only get one skill. There is a long list of races which provide much more relevant benefits for the Artificer.
: Bad ability spread.
Triton
MMoM: Cold resistance, Darkvision, and some innate spellcasting are a good complement to the Artificer’s capabilities, though they’re all replaceable with spells and infusions. The innate spellcasting isn’t amazing for the Artificer, but it helps.
VGtM: +1 to three abilities, Amphibious, Darkvision, cold resistance, and some innate spellcasting. The innate spellcasting isn’t amazing, but it has some interesting utility options. Emissary of the Sea won’t make you a Face, but it’s neat.
VGtM: Bad ability spread.
VedalkenGGTR
: Shift the Wisdom increase into Constitution, but otherwise the Vedalken was already a perfect fit for the Artificer.
: Good ability score increases, Advantage on half of all saving throws, two free proficiencies, and you can get a bonus d4 in checks with the free proficiencies, which can include things like Thieves’ Tools or some other tool that you use frequently.
VerdanAcInc
: +2 Int, +1 Con, one skill. Black Blood Healing helps manage your limited healing resources, especially if you’re playing a front-line build, but a race which can prevent damage like the Goliath will enjoy more consistent ability to mitigate damage. Limited Telepathy is neat, but may be hard for the Artificer to use due to their typically poor Charisma.
: Bad ability spread.
WarforgedERLW
: The Customizing Your Origin rules make no meaningful changes to the Warforged. You can move the Constitution increase around, but increasing Constitution is still the best way to use that increase.
: Constitution and a flexible increase which goes into Intelligence. The resistances and extra AC make you incredibly durable, and if you pile on Infusions which boost your AC, you can be nearly invulnerable. A warforged battlesmith can wade comfortably into combat alongside even the most durable fighters, boasting an exceptionally high AC, a laundry list of spells and immunities, and options like Flash of Genius and Absorb Elements to protect them from spells and special abilities.
Water GenasiMMoM
Artificers can’t cast either of the Water Genasi’s leveled spells, but they have infusions to provide everything else that the Water Genasi gets and the spells are only situationally useful.
Yuan-Ti
MMoM: Between the Yuan-Ti’s defenses and the Artificer’s exceptional ability to stack their AC really high, a yuan-ti artificer can be nearly indestructible. However, be careful about the “tank fallacy” and make sure that you can do something important enough that enemies don’t simply ignore you.
VGtM: +2 Int, +1 Con, Darkvision, immunity to poison, magic resistance, and some innate spellcasting. The innate spellcasting is borderline useless, but magic resistance and immunity to poison are extremely helpful for front-line builds which will attract a lot of attacks. Infusions and spells can make your AC nearly unbeatable, and Magic Resistance will protect you from one of the most common ways to get around high AC. You still need to watch out for breath weapons and similar problems, but even then with the right items you’ll be very difficult to hurt.
VGtM: A crucial Intelligence increase, Darkvision, and some innate spellcasting. The spellcasting isn’t great, but you’re also immune to poison, and Magic Resistance is insanely powerful.
Dragonmarks
Dragonmarked DwarfERLW
Dragonmark traits replace your subrace.
:
- :Warder’s Intuition helps with thieves’ tools, which is a crucial proficiency for your party even if you don’t have a ton of Dexterity. The innate spellcasting isn’t great, but the dragonmark spells add several new options to the Artificer’s spell list, but nothing is particularly exciting except maybe Armor of Agathys for the Armorer and the Battle Smith.
:
- : The Intelligence increase is crucial, and the Dwarf’s base traits are great. Warder’s Intuition helps with thieves’ tools, which is a crucial proficiency for your party even if you don’t have a ton of Dexterity. The innate spellcasting isn’t great, but the dragonmark spells add several new options to the Artificer’s spell list, but nothing is particularly exciting except maybe Armor of Agathys for the Armorer and the Battle Smith.
Dragonmarked ElfERLW
Dragonmark traits replace your subrace.
:
- : This is an unusual but
certainly viable and unique build choice if you want to play against the
usual “I’m a spellcaster in a big pile of armor” stereotype of the
Artificer. Cunning Intuition helps with skills that the Artificer usually
has no business using, but a cleverly-built Armorer in Infiltrator Armor or
a Cloak of Elvenkind could be an exceptionally effective Scout.
Shape Shadows complements the Artificer’s limite spellcasting nicely, and almost every dragonmark spell is new to the Artificer’s spell list. Illusions are one of the biggest gaps in the Artificer’s spell list, and Mark of Shadow fills that gap nicely.
I wouldn’t suggest this as a go-to option, but it could be fun to explore in a very stealthy party.
:
- : Bad ability spread.
Dragonmarked GnomeERLW
Dragonmark traits replace your subrace.
:
- : Nearly every one of the dragonmark spells is new to the Artificer, but none of them are necessary and you can typically solve the same problems with infusions.
:
- : The Gnome’s base intelligence increase is a great start, but any of the other gnome subraces is a better option for the Artificer than Mark of Scribing. Nearly every one of the dragonmark spells is new to the Artificer’s spell list, but that may not be enough.
Dragonmarked Half-ElfERLW
Dragonmark traits replace some of your normal racial traits, as described in the entry for each Dragonmark.
:
- : The changes to ability score increases don’t matter much since you can still get +2 Int. The innate spellcasting and expanded spells add a lot of divination options which the Artificer otherwise lacks.
- : +2 Int, +1 con, damage resistance, and some innate spellcasting. It’s a lot of very situational spells, so don’t expect to get much use out of them.
:
- : The ability increases don’t lose anything that you care about, and you can still get an Intelligence increase. The innate spellcasting and expanded spells add a lot of divination options which the Artificer otherwise lacks.
- : Bad ability spread.
Dragonmarked Half-OrcERLW
Dragonmark traits replace ALL of your racial traits.
:
- : +2 Int, +1 Con, but the remaining traits are less useful. The innate spellcasting doesn’t work especially well for the Artificer. The early dragonmark spells are already on the Artificer’s spell list, and the rest are situational divination options. Hunter’s Intuition isn’t a great fit for the Artificer.
:
- : Bad ability spread.
Dragonmarked HalflingERLW
Dragonmark traits replace your subrace.
:
- : The innate spellcasting will help complement the Artificer’s spells, but all of the important healing spells from the dragonmark spell list are already on the Artificer’s spell list.
- : Several interesting utility options and buffs among the innate spellcasting and the dragonmark spells, though some of the higher-level options are very situational.
:
- : Bad ability spread.
- : Bad ability spread.
Dragonmarked HumanERLW
Dragonmark traits replace ALL of your normal racial traits.
:
- : See Mark of Finding under Dragonmarked Half-Orc, above. Mechanically, the final racial traits are identical.
- : Workable, and you get a bunch of stuff from the Druid and Ranger’s spell lists, but beasts stop being scary very quickly. Unless your DM will let you tame beasts beyond your class features you won’t get much use out of these traits beyond low levels. The innate spellcasting works on Monstrosities, but it’s Wisdom-based.
- : The most obvious dragonmark for the Artificer, both thematically and mechanically. The ability scores are perfect. Mending is a staple option for most artificers, and Magic Weapon is a great option for the Battlesmith who can’t spare an Infusion for Enhance Weapon. Unfortunately, only two spells are new to the Artificer’s spell list and they’re not great.
- : Extra speed and access to teleportation are great.
- : Excellent defensive options that go beyond just passive defenses. Compelled Duel is a great taunt mechanic usually exclusive to the paladin, and staple options like Counterspell allow front-line artificers to defend their allies in numerous new ways.
:
- : See Mark of Finding under Dragonmarked Half-Orc, above. Mechanically, the final racial traits are identical.
- : Workable, and you get a bunch of stuff from the Druid and Ranger’s spell lists, but beasts stop being scary very quickly and unless your DM will let you tame beasts beyond your class features you won’t get much use out of these traits beyond low levels.
- : The most obvious dragonmark for the Artificer, both thematically and mechanically. The ability scores are perfect. Mending is a staple option for most artificers, and Magic Weapon is a great option for the Battlesmith who can’t spare an Infusion for Enhance Weapon. Unfortunately, only two spells are new to the Artificer’s spell list and they’re not great.
- : Extra speed and access to teleportation are great.
- : Bad ability spread.
Lineages
Published in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and beyond, no Lineage exists prior to the introduction of the Customizing Your Origin rules, and as such each lineage has flexible ability score increases. Every Lineage has the choice of +2/+1 increases or three +1 increases except for the Custom Lineage which only receives a single +2 increase.
Lineages are applied on top of a base race. While the Custom Lineage isn’t affected by your base race, the three lineages published in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft (Dhampir, Hexblade, and Reborn) borrow from your base race thanks to the Ancestral Legacy trait. Despite selecting a base race, you do not count as a member of your race for the purposes of any other effect, such as qualifying for feats or using magic items.
Custom LineageTCoE
+2 Int, a feat, and either a skill or Darkvision. With the right feat you can start with 18 Intelligence. Great for most builds, but you might prefer the Variant Human if you want to increase both Constitution and Intelligence at level one.
DhampirVGTR
Ancestral Legacy gives the Dhampir ability to inherit skills and movement speeds from your actual race are tempting. Races like the Aarakocra are a great start if you want to fly and fight at range, while races like the Tabaxi are great if you want extra skills. But beyond that, the Dhampir’s other capabilities aren’t especially useful for the Artificer. Spider Climb is neat, but seems silly when flight is on the table and you can infuse Slippers of Spider Climbing. The ability to attack with Constitution makes the Artificer, famously able to thrive on only Intelligence, unnecessarily dependent on Constitution. Perhaps the most redeeming trait is the ability to use Vampiric Bite to boost your Ability Checks, allowing the Artificer to further stack bonuses onto their skill and tool use..
HexbloodVGTR
Darkvision, Eerie Token, and the ability to cast Hex add some interesting options. Ancestral Legacy allows you to inherit either skills or a movement speed, so consider races like the Aarakocra as a base race. Combining access to Hex and access to racial flight is a tempting option for ranged artificer builds, such as the Artillerist and the Armorer in Infiltrator Armor..
RebornVGTR
The Reborn’s conditions immunities and resistances are interesting, but are only significant for melee builds which will typically draw more attacks than ranged build..
