The 15 Best Artificer Feats in D&D 5e [Ranked]

The Artificer is quite a new class added to D&D, functioning like a more supportive Warlock or a variant of the Cleric.

Those might not be too accurate, but they give a rough example of what the Artificer can already do and what the class is capable of.

However, as an Artificer, you’ll rely a lot on your subclass, and in most cases, you’ll take Feats that benefit your subclasses more than the fact that you’re an Artificer.

That said, many exceptional Feats fit with the Artificer, but just be sure it’s worth the cost of giving up your Ability Score Increase!

Best Artificer Feats in 5e

15. Medium Armor Master

Description

Practicing to move in medium armor, you gain the following benefits:

Disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks aren’t imposed on you while wearing medium armor.
Wearing medium armor lets you add 3, instead of 2, to your AC if your Dexterity is 16 or higher.

Note: You must have Proficiency with medium armor to take this Feat.

Explanation

Sometimes, Artificers become the party’s scout, becoming an Armorer and taking the Infiltrator route, or they choose a race like the Elves, who generally have higher Dexterity.

In these cases, you won’t be sacrificing as much of your Intelligence, and if you want higher AC, you won’t have disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) while gaining an extra point in AC, making Medium Armor Mater a pretty good choice.

14. Skilled

Description

Gain Proficiency in any combination of three tools or skills you choose.

Explanation

If you plan to play an Artificer in a smaller party, then you need to have a few more skill proficiencies to make up for the lack of players and the lack of useful skills your class gets, making Skilled a valuable option.

It would be better to aim at skill proficiencies rather than tool proficiencies, but that also depends on your subclass and whether you want to trade them.

13. Gift of the Gem Dragon

Description

Manifest powers from gem dragons, gaining benefits:

Ability Score Increase – Increase Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1 (maximum of 20).

Telekinetic Reprisal – Taking damage from a creature within 10 feet of you lets you use a reaction to emanate telekinetic energy.

The creature that dealt damage to you is forced to make a Strength save (DC equals 8 + your Proficiency bonus + ability modifier score increased by feat).

If the save fails, the creature will take 2d8 Force damage while being pushed up to 10 feet away from you.

If the save succeeds, the creature takes half of the damage and is not pushed. The reaction can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus. You also regain all expended uses when finishing a long rest.

Explanation

Melee Artificers (Armorer and Battle Smith) will benefit from Telekinetic Reprisal, while the +1 to Intelligence makes Gift of the Gem Dragon less demanding.

Telekinetic Reprisal is ideal if you want to get an enemy off you or stop it from making multiple attacks (if it can).

12. Gift of the Metallic Dragon

Description

Manifest powers from metallic dragons, gaining benefits:

Draconic Healing – Learn Cure Wounds and be able to cast it without having to expend a spell slot. Casting the spell like this restricts you from casting it again until you’ve finished a long rest.

The spell may also be cast using spell slots you have. The spellcasting ability for it is Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma when cast with this feat (choose upon gaining the feat).

Protective Wings – Manifest protective wings capable of shielding others. If you or another visible creature within 5 feet is hit by an attack roll, use a reaction to manifest spectral wings from your back for a brief moment.

This grants a bonus to the target’s AC (equals your Proficiency bonus) against the attack roll, causing it to potentially miss. The reaction can be used a number of times equal to your Proficiency bonus.

All expended uses are regained when you finish a long rest.

Explanation

If you don’t want to use one of your precious spell slots, use Protective Wings, as it acts similarly to the Shield spell and can also be used to protect allies.

While Gift of the Metallic Dragon isn’t crucial, it can be a good way to save your spell slots, especially if your focus is to provide your party with as much utility as possible.

11. Skill Expert

Description

You may increase one of your ability scores by 1, but only to a maximum of 20, and you’ll gain proficiency with one skill you choose.

Then, you may choose one skill you have proficiency with, gaining expertise with that skill and doubling any ability checks made with it.

The chosen skill must be one that isn’t currently benefiting from a feature (like Expertise), which can double your proficiency bonus.

Explanation

Having expertise in a skill by taking Skill Expert can help you a lot. The only problem is that what skill you choose to get expertise in will constantly change depending on what your character does.

Unlike Barbarians, who basically always get expertise in Athletics, or a Rogue, who’ll benefit from getting expertise in Stealth, the Artificer is a bit more difficult to pin down.

10. Spell Sniper

Description

Techniques you’ve learned enhance your attacks with certain spells, letting you gain benefits:

Casting a spell requiring an attack roll doubles the spell’s range.
Ranged spell attacks will ignore half cover and three-quarters cover.
Learn one Cantrip requiring an attack roll. The Cantrip is chosen from the Wizard, Warlock, Sorcerer, Druid, Cleric, or Bard spell list.

Spellcasting ability for the Cantrip depends on the class: Intelligence for Wizard, Wisdom for Druid or Cleric, or Charisma for Warlock, Sorcerer, or Bard.

Note: You must be able to cast at least one spell to take this Feat.

Explanation

Artificers rely heavily on damage Cantrips, which means spells like Fire Bolt or Ray of Frost will get a lot of value from Spell Sniper.

Just be cautious, as certain Artificer subclasses (Alchemist) don’t rely too much on these Cantrips, and the spells they do rely on don’t use attack rolls, so Spell Sniper might not be too useful for them.

9. Healer

Description

As an able physician, you know how to mend wounds quickly, letting you gain benefits:

Using a Healer’s kit to stabilize a dying creature lets the creature also regain 1 HP.
Using an action lets you expend one use of a Healer’s kit in order to tend to a creature, restoring 1d6 + 4 HP and additional HP equal to the creature’s maximum number of Hit Dice.

An affected creature cannot regain HP from this feat again until it has finished a long or short rest.

Explanation

The Artificer can heal quite a lot if given the chance, and if you’re lacking a Cleric or Druid, you can take Healer to bump up your healing.

The Alchemist goes quite well with this Feat, so consider taking it if you’re going to be healing a lot.

8. Fighting Initiate

Description

Your martial training helped you develop a particular fighting style. Therefore, you learn one Fighting Style you choose from the Fighter class. If you already have a style, you must choose a different one.

Reaching a level granting the Ability Score Improvement feature means you can replace the feat’s Fighting Style with a different one (from Fighter class) you don’t already have.

Note: You must have Proficiency with a martial weapon to gain Fighting Initiate.

Explanation

Even though Artificers use magic, a lot of their damage will also come from weapons and subclasses like the Battle Smith or Armorer, even more so.

Therefore, picking up Fighting Initiate can give you some much-needed damage with melee or ranged weapons.

7. Chef

Description

You’ve spent time and effort to master the culinary arts, gaining the following benefits:

Increase Constitution or Wisdom by 1, maxing out at 20.
Gain proficiency with cook’s utensils if you aren’t already.
You can cook special food as a part of your short rest, provided you have cook’s utensils on hand and ingredients. You prepare enough food for a number of creatures, equalling 4 + your Proficiency bonus.

When your short rest ends, any creature who eats your food and then spends one or more Hit Dice to regain HP regains an extra 1d8 HP.

Finishing a long rest or with one hour of work, you may cook several treats equalling your Proficiency bonus.

The special treats last 8 hours, and a creature can expend a Bonus action to eat one treat, gaining temporary HP equal to your Proficiency bonus.

Explanation

Chef is a fantastic frontline or support Feat, as it provides a nice HP buffer that enemies have to get through before dealing damage to true HP.

Chef works for most Artificers, but only after hitting a high Intelligence score or having uneven Constitution.

Keep in mind that the Alchemist does particularly well with Chef.

6. Gift of the Chromatic Dragon

Description

Manifest powers from chromatic dragons, gaining benefits:

Chromatic Infusion allows you to use a bonus action and touch a martial or simple weapon, infusing it with one of these damage types: Poison, Lightning, Fire, Cold, or Acid.

For a minute, the weapon now deals an extra 1d4 damage on a hit of the infused damage type. After using this bonus action, you can’t do so again until after finishing a long rest.

Reactive Resistance lets you use your reaction to give yourself resistance to whichever damage you took out of the following types: Poison, Lightning, Fire, Cold, or Acid damage.

The reaction can be used several times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you’ll regain all uses whenever you finish a long rest.

Explanation

Reactive Resistance is similar to Absorb Elements, making it a good option for Artificers who are constantly being targeted by elemental damage and spells.

Even though you can already cast Absorb Elements, resisting damage is better than having to heal it back. Just ensure you have a Proficiency of at least 2 before taking Gift of the Chromatic Dragon.

5. War Caster

Description

Practicing casting spells in combat means you gain the following benefits:

Gain advantage on Constitution saving throws you make to maintain Concentration on a spell when taking damage
You may perform somatic components of spells when you have a shield or weapons in one or both hands.
A hostile creature’s movement, provoking an opportunity attack from you, lets you use your reaction to cast a spell at the creature. The spell must target only the creature and have a casting time of 1 action.

Note: You must have the ability to cast at least one spell to be able to take War Caster.

Explanation

Battle Smiths use their weapons the most compared to any other Artificer subclass, even the Armorer.

Therefore, if they want to use their weapons, have a shield, and continue casting spells, then they need War Caster.

4. Lucky

Description

Gain 3 luck points. When making an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you may spend one luck point to roll an additional d20.

You may choose to spend one luck point after rolling the die but before the outcome is determined. You then choose which d20 will be used for the attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.

You may also spend one luck point when an attack roll is made against you, rolling a d20 to choose whether the attack uses your roll or the attacker’s.

More than one creature spending a luck point to influence the outcome of a roll will cancel each other out, and no additional dice will be rolled.

Expended luck points are regained when you’ve finished a long rest.

Explanation

If you don’t know which Feat to take and aren’t in the mood to calculate just how good a Feat will be, take Lucky; you can’t really go wrong with it.

There are so many applications to Lucky that it works for almost any situation, regardless of class (not entirely true, but partly).

3. Elemental Adept

Description

Gaining this feat allows you to choose from the following damage types: Thunder, Lightning, Fire, Cold, or Acid.
Your cast spells ignore resistance to the damage type you chose. When rolling damage for a spell you cast, dealing damage of the chosen type, and 1 on the damage die can be treated as a 2.
You may select this feat multiple times, each time you do so, choosing a different damage type.

Note: You must be able to cast at least one spell to take this Feat.

Explanation

Artificers use elemental damage a lot, and that has to do with the fact that they use Cantrips (which usually deal one of the damage types mentioned) for their main magic/spell damage.

Artillerists use Fire, and Alchemists tend to use Acid, Fire, or both, so be on the lookout for which damage type you use most often as an Artificer if you want to pick up Elemental Adept.

2. Fey Touched

Description

Gain the following benefits:

Increase Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1 (maximum of 20)
Learn Misty Step and one 1st-level spell you choose. The 1st-level spell must be Divination or Enchantment, and both spells can be used without expending a spell slot.

Casting a spell this way means you cannot cast it like this again until you’ve finished a long rest.

These spells can also be cast using spell slots of the appropriate level, and these spells use the spellcasting ability increased by the feat.

Explanation

There are a ton of spell options when you choose Fey Touched. Spells like Hex, Bless, Compelled Duel, or Misty Step can all work for different Artificer subclasses and builds.

This is a good way to get some powerful buffing spells or much-needed Cantrips that Artificers usually don’t get access to.

1. Metamagic Adept

Description

Exert your will on spells, altering how they function:

Learn two Metamagic options you choose from the Sorcerer class. Only one Metamagic option may be used when casting a spell unless it says otherwise.

Reaching a level granting the Ability Score Improvement feature lets you replace one Metamagic option with another from the Sorcerer class.

Gain 2 sorcery points for Metamagic (added to other sorcery points from other sources, but only works for Metamagic).

All expended sorcery points can be regained when you finish a long rest.

Note: You must have the Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature to be able to use Metamagic Adept.

Explanation

Metamagic Adept is one of the best Feats for a spellcaster who wants to increase the potency of their spells.

While Artificers aren’t pure spellcasters, they can still gain a lot of value from this Feat, especially if they want to deal more damage, extend a spell, or quicken a spell.

Final Thoughts

Artificers might not be the most popular or stronger class by any means (with the exception of the Artillerist), but the Feats mentioned here can definitely help level the playing field.

It’ll be up to you to adapt to picking which Feats fit your character best, so use your own judgment and see which Feats will work best for your character.

If you find it difficult, just see how some of the best Feats work for you, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes!

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