Canât touch me sheriff. I brought my attack dog, with a built-in Forcefield!
One-Eyed Bart (Mr. Potatohead) â Toy Story
Introduction
The Battle Smith is the offensively weapon-focused Artificer. This puts it in an interesting position, standing with the Paladin and Ranger as a weapon-using half-caster. Lacking damage ramping features like Hunterâs Mark or Divine Smite, the Battle Smith must instead leverage the Artificerâs spell list and Infusions to turn up the heat. Oh and I guess the super fighting robot, Steel Defender. They leverage that too.
Part of what makes Artificers in general a good candidate for this gish-like combat style is Tools Required. This is a part of their spellcasting feature that adds a Material component to every spell as well as counting any Infused item as a valid spell focus, bypassing the need for a feat like Warcaster. The Battle Smith takes this and adds the additional synergy of using Intelligence for attacks with Magical Weapons, something Infusions are very capable of doing.
This together means the Battle Smith is easily capable of wading into the fray with a weapon in one hand, a shield in the other equally ready to make attacks and sling spells without sacrificing Attack rolls or Spell Save DCs. Or maybe stand back and fire a magically-reloading pistol while still holding a shield. Whoâs going to stop you?
For our example build, weâve gone with a mounted combat style by riding our Steel Defender as a small race. The openness of weapon choice is also on display here, as we explain the small changes needed to fit any weapon you want to use. If youâre looking for a versatile and flexible mixture of weapon damage and control magic, give Super Fighting Robot a read.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Disclaimer
- Battle Smith Features
- Battle Smith Ability Scores
- Battle Smith Races
- Battle Smith Feats
- Battle Smith Weapons
- Battle Smith Armor
- Example Battle Smith Build â Super Fighting Robot
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 canât assume that your game will allow 3rd-party content or homebrew. We also wonât cover Unearthed Arcana content because itâs not finalized, and we canât 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.
Battle Smith Features
- : Most interesting and expensive non-magical adventuring gear is made of metal.
- : Spectacular defensive buffs. Shield easily makes up the durability gap between the Battle Smith and the Armorer in heavy armor.
- : Both options are situational. Warding Bond is hard due to the Artificerâs d8 hit die.
- : Both spells are fine, but not especially good for a 3rd-level spell.
- : More great defensive buffs.
- : Both options are situational, but you donât have another good way to deal with extraplanar creatures and your best group healing is Aura of Vitality, which canât get a whole party back on their feat in one turn..
: Most of the spells
are from the Paladin spell list, which is exciting for a subclass built to
be a durable melee character similar to the Paladin. Many of the options are
excellent, and the smite spells from the Paladinâs spell list work on ranged
weapons so youâre not locked into melee if thatâs not where you want to be.You have a variety of good options for how to jump into combat with a weapon. Grab a longsword (or an equivalent weapon) and a shield, and youâre nearly as durable as a fighter (arguably more durable if you have the right infusions), especially with your Steel Defenderâs Deflect Attack. Deflect Attack may even be enough to justify using a two-handed melee weapon so that you can focus on offense, but if youâre going to use Booming Blade or Green-Flame Blade, the bigger damage dice will be less impactful than the AC bonus from a shield.
If you want to be extra defensive but still in melee, grab a whip and keep your Steel Defender between you and your enemies. If thatâs still not safe enough, grab a ranged weapon and send your Steel Defender into melee on its own.
: Finally a way to use
Intelligence for your weapon attacks! You also get martial weapons, which
offers a small improvement to your existing weapon options. Be sure to take
14 Dexterity to max out medium armor, but otherwise go all-in on
Intelligence.The Steel Defender notably doesnât gain any ability to fly, which is a problematic limitation once you reach high enough level that flying enemies become common. Youâll need a way to either get enemies down into range of your Steel Defender or youâll need to find a way to make your Steel Defender fly. Infusing a pair of Winged Boots is probably your best option.
: The Steel Defender is
primarily a Defender, rather than a Striker. It has a decent pile of hit
points and what amounts to Fighting Style (Protection). It deals damage
equivalent to a longsword and since itâs force damage almost nothing will
resist it, but its primary function is to protect you while you do the real
damage. It has a poor AC at just 15, so expect to spend a lot of time
repairing it between fights. The Steel Defenderâs Repair action allows it to
repair itself, but at 3 uses per day youâll get a lot more healing out of
Mending.- Melee Cantrips vs. Extra Attack for a breakdown of the math comparing melee cantrip spells to normal martial attacks. : Helpful since the Battle Smith typically relies on weapons for damage output, but without an on-hit damage boost youâll get considerably more damage output out of cantrips like Booming Blade and Sword Burst, so Extra Attack may only be consistently useful if youâre using a reach weapon or a ranged weapon. See my article on
- : 2d6 damage/healing up to 5 times per day isnât much, but fortunately it doubles at 15th level, and the healing is as useful as Healing Word, allowing you to heal dying allies and get them back into the fight. Personally I would reserve this exclusively for healing and critical hits. The damage isnât enough to make a big difference normally unless you know that itâll kill the target, but the damage is âextra damageâ rather than a separate damage source, so itâs multiplied on a critical hit like Divine Smite or Hex.
- : 2d6 more damage/healing on Arcane Jolt makes it a little more impactful, but still not significant. The AC boost is significant, especially since your pet has been sitting at 15 AC for 11 levels while attack bonuses gradually increase. The tiny bit of damage on Deflect Attack is nice, too. At this level 1d4+5 (Iâm assuming that you have 20 Intelligence by now) isnât much at this level, but itâs still a nice little buff to something which you were going to do anyway, and if youâre using it every round (which you really should) it will add up quickly.
Steel Defender as a Mount
As a medium sized creature, the Steel Defender can serve as a mount for small Battle Smiths, which can be fun but also introduces rules complications. The first thing to understand is that yes, even though the Steel Defender does follow the Battle Smith in Initiative, when ridden as a Controlled Mount it just moves on the Battle Smithâs turn like any other mount.
Second, when ridden in this controlled manner, we must obey two sets of restrictions on our Steel Defenderâs actions. As a controlled mount, the only Actions it may take are Dodge, Dash, and Disengage. As a Steel Defender, unless we spend a Bonus Action, the only Action it may take is Dodge.
In simpler terms this means that in exchange for our mount having actual scaling hit points, we can Dash and Disengage at the cost of Bonus Actions. Fair trade in my opinion. Riding in this way does prevent it from making Attacks, but the increased mobility in combat is well worth that.
For more on mounted combat, see our Practical Guide to Mounted Combat.
Battle Smith Ability Scores
The Battle Smith wants a high Intelligence for attacks and Spell DCs, high Constitution for Concentration and at least 14 Dexterity for Medium Armor.
: We can leave this low, even if we want to use a Greatsword with Great Weapon Master, we can use Intelligence for that kind of stuff.
: Just get 14 for the Medium Armor cap. If you happen to be rolling for stats and get enough for a 3rd 16 after Con and Int, then Medium Armor Master is nice.
: More HP, better Saving Throws.
: Itâs our âDo Everythingâ ability score. Pump it up.
: If we have any points leftover, Wisdom checks and Wisdom saves are important, so maybe get rid of the -1 penalty.
: Let someone else handle these kinds of Checks.
Point Buy | Standard Array | |
Str | 8 | 8 |
Dex | 14 | 13 |
Con | 15 | 14 |
Int | 15 | 15 |
Wis | 10 | 12 |
Cha | 8 | 10 |
Battle Smith Races
For anything not listed below, refer to the Artificer Races Breakdown.
- SJ:AiS: The Autognome has access to additional synergies with the Steel Defender. Firstly, the Mending Cantrip can be used for healing both the Autognome and the Steel Defender. Secondly, as a Construct, the Autognome is a valid target for the Steel Defenderâs Repair action. In combat this means that if the Battle Smith is Incapacitated, the Steel Defender can just heal its master.
- VR:GtR: A Hexblood has access to the Hex spell as racial trait which can be useful to a Battle Smith looking to increase their own weapon damage. The downside is that we canât inherently bypass the Somatic Component the way we can with Artificer spells.
Battle Smith Feats
Also refer to the Artificer Handbook for Feats.
- PHB: Itâs pretty good if youâre a small race and want to ride around on the Steel Defender. Less useful for Medium races or Battle Smiths who are less inclined to feel like a Mecha Pilot.
Battle Smith Weapons
The Battle Smith has good options thanks to getting Martial Weapon Proficiency.
- : Because we need to make our weapon magic through an Infusion anyway, the Repeating Shot infusion pairs nicely with these weapons by removing the Loading property. Even better is that the Infusion allows the use of a Pistol or Hand Crossbow while the opposite hand is holding a Shield.
- : For those small Battle Smiths looking to mount up on their Steel Defender, a Lance and Shield combo can be pretty fun. Notably, the Lance is the largest damage die size a Small creature can get without the penalty of the Heavy property.
- : Thanks to the Returning Weapon Infusion, this allows a Battle Smith to engage in both Melee and Ranged combat with the same weapon without needing any extra feat Investment.
Battle Smith Armor
Medium armor with 14 Dexterity is good enough, especially with Infusions. An additional +2 (or more with even more Infusions) is also great, depending on what kind of weapon you might prefer to use.
Example Battle Smith Build â Super Fighting Robot
Mounted combat is a tricky thing to do right. By being a small race, this build will work with the limitations of using the Steel Defender as a mount to great effect. This gives us some durability advantages over using something like a mule, but at the cost of using our bonus action for some things a standard mount does for free. In exchange we gain increased mobility that we think is worth the hassle and our mountâs scaling hit points will keep it usable through our whole career.
Abilities
Weâll be going with Autognome for the size of small as well as the additional benefit of being a valid target for the Steel Defenderâs Repair action. We prioritized Intelligence and Constitution while only needing 14 in Dexterity. This gives us a couple extra points with point buy so we make Wisdom a 10.Base Increased Level 20 Str 8 8 8 Dex 14 14 14 Con 15 16 20 Int 15 17 20 Wis 10 10 10 Cha 8 8 8
Race
We choose Autognome, which gives us a small size and Construct creature type. We do have the choice of two tool proficiencies. One can be anything you want, the other should be a wind instrument. I usually pick bagpipes but the specific instrument doesnât matter; itâs for an infusion later: The Pipes of Haunting.
Background
Weâve taken Investigator for Insight and Perception, Disguise Kit, and because Artificer already grants Thievesâ tools, a free choice of any tool. We donât need anything specific so I chose Vehicles (Space), but you do you.
Skills and Tools
From Artificer we choose the Arcana and Investigation skills. Arcana allows us to actually do crafting, including scribing scrolls. Investigation, along with Insight and Perception, allow us to be ever vigilant against acts of subterfuge.
We also acquire any one artisansâ tool proficiency of our choice as well as Tinkerâs Tools and Thievesâ Tools. Investigator gives us Disguise Kit as well as previously mentioned getting to replace the Thievesâ Tools with any tool. This is rounded out by Autognome getting a choice of two tools, one of which we have used to acquire a wind instrument of our choice as explained above.
Feats
At fourth level, we take Skill Expert, adding +1 to our Intelligence for a score of 18, gaining Proficiency in the Stealth skill and Expertise in the Arcana skill.
At eighth level, we take the Mounted Combatant feat to really lean into the benefits of riding the Steel Defender. Our AC can be much higher than the Defenderâs thanks to things like half-plate, a shield, and the Shield spell, so redirecting attacks to our better AC is smart and free advantage vs. small or smaller targets is nice.
At twelfth level, we take +2 Intelligence to cap it at 20.
At sixteenth level, we take +2 Constitution for a score of 18.
At nineteenth level, we take +2 Constitution to cap our score at 20.
Infusions
Weâll actually have a lot of leeway for preferences with a lot of these Infusions.
In our first batch of Infusions at 2nd level, we have our choice of weapon Infusions. For a standard melee option such as a Battleaxe or a Lance, Enhanced Weapon works great. If weâre looking to ride around with a ranged weapon, Repeating Shot is the way to go just for simplifying ammunition. For a great hybrid of the two options, Returning Weapon on a thrown weapon like a Spear or Handaxe will work for both melee and ranged attacks, albeit at shorter ranges than the other Ranged options. Maybe take two of these so that we can share with a party member.
Aside from a magical weapon, Enhanced Defense for better AC is always welcome. I suggest taking the Mind Sharpener as well to have on our list for something later when we have the Spell Storing item.
Weâll gain more options at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th levels, getting two more options each time, but only getting one more active Infusion each time as well, capping out at 6 simultaneously.
At sixth level, weâll take the Pipes of Haunting with the Replicate Magic Item Infusion for three uses of Concentration-free Frightened per day. This is why we need at least one wind instrument proficiency. More importantly, instead of rolling to recharge it every day, we can just Replicate a brand new one with full charge. Especially compare this to the Spell-Refueling Ring which would only give one extra spell per day instead of the three haunting melodies.
In some parties, putting that ring on a full caster at this level is really strong, such as one more Spirit Guardians every day from the Cleric. Another good option is to take the Repulsion Shield, because thatâs additional AC on top of the Enhanced Defense on our body armor from earlier.
At tenth level itâs the Winged Boots with another use of Replicate Magic Item. These can be put on the Steel Defender weâre riding. Another good choice for now is the Cloak of Protection.
We have four Infusion slots at this level, so a good setup with no sharing would be the weapon Infusion of your choice (keeping in mind that Repeating and Returning stay +1s while Enhanced Weapon grows to +2 at this level), Enhanced Defense which becomes a +2, Pipes of Haunting, and Cloak of Protection. If we find the Pipes not being useful, Winged Boots or Repulsion Shield are fine alternatives.
An important aside here is that tenth level Artificers gain the ability to craft Uncommon or lower Magic Items in Âź the time for half the gold. Winged Boots and Cloak of Protection are both Uncommon. That means in a single week you can make two at a cost of 100 GP each, not only freeing up your Infusion slots but also producing extra copies for the whole gang. (As per Xanatharâs Guide page 129.)
You might then ask why weâre taking them as Infusions if we can make them? 5eâs crafting rules are frustrating. Magic Items require both a formula and special ingredients. Knowing the Infusion should in theory bypass the formula part, leaving you with just having to take down a CR 4-8 challenge for each craft. Also depending on the time crunch of the game, you might not have time to hunt down the materials so having at least the Infusion version for personal use is great.
At fourteenth level, weâre eyeing that Ring of Protection from Replicate. Yeah I know weâre kinda stacking AC hard but really we enjoy the additional +1 to all saves on top of the cloak. There is one more cool thing at this level, Arcane Propulsion Armor. This is an alternative to the weapon Infusions that grants force damage attacks. It might be worth using if youâre using the Returning Weapon infusion as it becomes a straight upgrade to the other thrown weapons.
Levels
Levels | Feats and Features | Notes and Tactics |
---|---|---|
1 | Magical Tinkering Spellcasting Cantrips: â Mending â Firebolt 1st-level spells: â Absorb Elements â Cure Wounds â Faerie Fire â Grease Skills -Arcana -Insight -Investigation -Perception | We donât have much at first level. Grab some medium armor and a shield and sling some cantrips. For cantrips weâve chosen Mending to heal with our Autognome trait and Firebolt. Weâll be using Firebolt for at least a couple levels before we get our Battle Smith subclass. For spells, weâll prepare a small handful of useful options. Absorb Elements is a good way to avoid elemental damage in a pinch. Cure Wounds is great to have in your pocket in an emergency. Artificers donât get Healing Word by default. Faerie Fire will help contribute to combat by granting Advantage to the party. Grease is a decent way to drop some difficult terrain on the field, and it doesnât even require Concentration. |
2 | Infuse Item -Enhanced Defense -Mind Sharpener -Weapon Infusions to Preference | We get one feature here and itâs really good so thatâs fine. For Infusions, Iâve talked at length just above this chart because walls of text get really squished in these boxes. But I will touch on Mind Sharpener. Itâs good to take if we intend to later hand a Concentration spell to a non-caster with the Spell-Storing Item, especially a class without Constitution proficiency like a Rogue. |
3 | Battle Smith -Battle Ready -Steel Defender -Spells -Smithâs Tools -Cantrip â Maybe Switch Firebolt for Sword Burst | We finally get to be a Battle Smith. Now we can use that nice Intelligence score for weapon attacks. With this change we might switch one of our Cantrips around, dropping Firebolt for Sword Burst, depending on our weapon of choice. If weâre going for a Lance or a Crossbow, then yes, switch it up to give us something to use against foes within 5 feet. If weâre going for another melee option or the Returning weapon, then we may be better off keeping Firebolt for foes at longer ranges to avoid firing a weapon at long range. We also get a robot pet, the Steel Defender, which can be whatever general shape we want as long as itâs medium. One of the classical shapes is a dog for example, as seen in Dungeons and Dragons: Online. We can ride the Steel Defender into battle as well now which is almost mandatory to use a Lance, but useful for every other option as well. Heroism and Shield are now always prepared for us, too. These are great for keeping us alive. |
4 | Feat: Skill Expert +1 Intelligence -Acrobatics -Arcana Expertise | Weâre taking Skill Expert to round out our odd Intelligence score. Acrobatics is a great investment to avoid getting grabbed off the Steel Defender, but we could choose other things if weâre confident that wonât happen. Perhaps another knowledge skill, or maybe Sleight of Hand to go with our slightly above average Dexterity. Taking expertise in Arcana to be the most magically knowledgeable person is on brand for an Artificer. |
5 | Extra Attack Spellcasting -2nd-level spells âVortex Warp âWeb âWarding Bond | Shoot or stab twice now. We get 2nd-level spells. Vortex Warp is a good tool for moving an ally around or trying to move a foe out of position. Web is one of the strongest spells in the game and just that fun to throw at people. Also fun is putting Grease under the Web since Grease doesnât use Concentration. Restrained and Prone is hilarious. Warding Bond can let us absorb some of the damage for an ally. Itâs ok for now, but the really important trick comes later. |
6 | Tool Expertise Infusions -Repulsion Shield -Pipes of Haunting | Tool Expertise is nice, especially with all these extra Tool Proficiencies we have access to. The Repulsion Shield is an additional +1 to AC that can be Infused alongside Enhanced Defense. Pipes of Haunting are very strong, providing some AoE Frightened without using your Concentration. Handy to have if weâre not fighting anything immune to Fear. |
7 | Flash of Genius | Add your Intelligence to someoneâs failed check or save as a Reaction. Itâs like backseat gaming except fun and appreciated. |
8 | Feat: Mounted Combatant | With this we can do more to keep the Steel Defender alive while mounted, and in return we get Advantage on attacks against small or smaller foes. |
9 | Arcane Jolt Spellcasting -3rd-level spells âDispel Magic âFly âHaste | Extra damage or healing is nice, but especially as a rider effect on attacks. For 3rd-level spells, we get nice things on our list like Fly and Haste. Plenty of good spells. |
10 | Magic Item Adept Infusions -Winged Boots -Cloak of Protection Spellcasting -Cantrip âMage Hand | Magic Item Adept does two things. First, it gives an extra Attunement slot, which is nice. But also it increases the speed of crafting Uncommon and Common magical items. The speed boost is enough to finish an Uncommon item in about 3 days. For Infusions, we pickup Winged Boots and Cloak of Protection. These fine options are better explained above. We also get a 3rd cantrip, and Mage Hand offers some great utility. |
11 | Spell-Storing Item | The Spell-Storing Item is one of the strongest features in the game. We can stuff a 1st or 2nd-level spell into a weapon to get extra casts out the other end. We have some good options for this. The first option is to hand a Concentration spell to a non-caster to get an extra Concentration on the field. For this I recommend Web so that your Fighter-Man can be Spider-Man. Another option is to put some normally self-targeting spell or other utility into the item. For Battle Smiths, the real trick here is to stuff Warding Bond into a Barbarianâs axe or a Fighterâs greatsword or something. As an example, if the Barbarian targets the Fighter and then Rages, damage taken by the Fighter is halved, and then that halved damage is shared with the Barbarian. If the shared damage is a type (all damage has a type in 5e) and the Barbarian is resistant to that type via Rage, then the shared half would be halved again because it is a new instance of damage. Also keep in mind that, while the damage inherits the type from the original attack or spell, it also inherits being magical as the new damage is done by the Warding Bond spell. This means it bypasses resistance to non-magical BPS but it also gets universally halved if you hand this to an Oath of the Ancients Paladin because of their Aura of Warding. If everyone else already has Concentration spells or is a Barbarian with Rage instead, then just stick Web in here and use it yourself as 10 extra casts of Web per day. Thatâs just really good in most situations. |
12 | ASI: Intelligence +2 | Get smarter, improve DCs, Attacks, and other features. |
13 | Spellcasting -4th-level spells âFreedom of Movement | 4th-level spell options are ok, but not as big as the nice things we got from 3rd-level spells. Freedom of Movement is a pretty nice spell though, even if weâre getting it later than full casters. |
14 | Magic Item Savant Infusions -Ring of Protection -Arcane Propulsion Armor | More Attunement slots for more magic items and we ignore all restrictions on attuning to magic items. As explained above, Ring of Protection is a great choice for an Infusion at this level. Arcane Propulsion Armor, on the other hand, might be good depending on what kind of weapon you were already using, as explained above. |
15 | Improved Defender | Buffs to all our Subclass features: Arcane Jolt doubles in potency. Steel Defender gets more AC and its Reaction ability does damage. |
16 | ASI: +2 Constitution | More HP. Better saves. |
17 | Spellcasting -5th-level spells âAnimate Object âGreater Restoration âMass Cure Wounds | Animate Object is one of the most obnoxious spells to throw into a fight. Just carry a bag of tiny rocks and animate ten at a time to start swinging in for a total of 10d4+40 damage if they all connect. Greater Restoration and Mass Cure Wounds are more nice emergency spells to know. We donât really want to cast these, but not having them when needed can be catastrophic. |
18 | Magic Item Master Infusions | Six Attunement slots. As explained above, we donât get access to anything new that we didnât have as options at 14, and weâve already picked up all of our required daily Infusions. Therefore, pick what seems fun. |
19 | ASI: +2 Constitution | More HP. Better save. |
20 | Soul of Artifice | More saves. Hoard all the items. |