Introducing The Artificer’s Guide to Magic Items 

Back in January, in my State of the Sector address, I mentioned that I was working on a Dungeons & Dragons supplement for the DM’s Guild. In my ignorance (or perhaps hubris), I thought it would be ready in March. Oh, you sweet, summer child.

But here’s the thing: While I may have grossly overestimated how long it would take to produce said supplement, I’m glad it came along in its own time. It allowed me to really make it great, thanks largely to the editor, designer and artist on this, Gabby, Natalia and Miguel. Now I’m proud to be able to introduce The Artificer’s Guide to Magic Items. 

What is it?

The Artificer’s Guide is a supplement for Dungeons & Dragon 5e for both players and Dungeon Masters. The book serves both as an expansion and fusion of the crafting systems found in the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. It takes a layered approach to item creation that ranges from mundane, non-magical items to powerful artifacts — and everything in between.

I would hardly be a copywriter if I didn’t include a list of features and benefits, so here you go:

• Expanded item creation rules for non-magic items, magic items of all five standard rarities, scrolls & potions, sentient items, and artifacts.
• Improve the value of gems and art objects, add new abilities to existing magic items, transfer abilities between items, and design new magic items from scratch.
• Hire help in crafting or enchanting items, or engage your fellow party members in the process to create cooperatively.
• Explore special crafting environments, tools, and components that can supercharge any player’s ability to craft — especially if they are an Artificer.
• Discover ways to integrate Artificer class abilities into item creation, granting additional time savings and reduced creation costs.
• 9 new spells exclusive to Artificers to unlock their crafting and creative potential.
• 15 optional rules to fine tune the crafting and item interaction experience at your table. 
• 22 new magic items that include crafting aids and ways to give all four Artificer subclasses an extra edge both in the lab and on the battlefield.
• Includes handy worksheets with step-by-step instructions to keep track of all the numbers.

Why is it?

I am a big fan of the Artificer class that debuted in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. I love the idea of a character that uses magic to create stuff. It fills a gap that I’ve wanted to see addressed for a long time. Unfortunately, I feel that the class hasn’t been given the same attention and support that the other core classes in the game have received. There just feels like there’s something missing from it.

What’s worse, you have a class that’s devoted to making things, but the item creation rules in 5e feel half-hearted and don’t grant the Artificer class any advantages in crafting. According to the rules, if a Barbarian and an Artificer were both trying to create a staff of thunder and lightning, they would be on equal footing.

To me, that doesn’t fulfill the core fantasy of being an Artificer. It would be akin to a Bard not having the edge in drafting an epic poem, or a Paladin being equivalent to a Rogue when it comes to navigating the seedy underbelly of a crime syndicate.  

So, I did something about it. I created a crafting system using the framework of existing elements from both the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. In this resulting system, any class can craft items, but the Artificer has the chance to shine brightest. The system also integrates Artificer class abilities into the mix to give a little extra oomph to creating items.

Where is it?

You’ll be able to find it on the DM’s Guild soon. ‘Soon’ being in the next few weeks. Right now, the layout is done, and we’re in the process of getting a print-on-demand version sorted out. That’s right, there will be a hard-copy version of the book available at launch! UPDATE: The book took slightly longer to launch than originally thought, but the book it’s now available here!

The PDF version of the book is $4.99. If you want a hard copy, that version is $17.99.

Final Thoughts

The Artificer’s Guide is the first supplement that I’m releasing under the Sector M banner. Pretty soon, there will be a new part of my author website for Sector M Games. You’ll note that everything under the games banner will feature a green version of the classic Sector M logo.

So, yeah, this is my first release under Sector M Games, but I’m hoping it won’t be the last. I have some other projects in the works that I hope will soon join the Artificer’s Guide on DM’s Guild or on my website.

Until then, have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!