Artificer Specialist

At 3rd level, an artificer gains the Artificer Specialist feature. The following options are available to an artificer: Arcane Marksman and Elementalist.

Firearm Properties

The following Artificer Specialist makes use of firearms and follows the rules for them in chapter 9 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. In addition, the firearms in this section also make use of the following rule for ammunition.

Ammunition and Crafting

All firearms require ammunition to make an attack, and due to their rare nature, ammunition may be near impossible to find or purchase. However, if materials are gathered, over the course of a long rest, you can craft yourself a batch of ammunition at half the cost using tinker’s tools. You need 4 pounds of material to craft one batch of ammunition. Each firearm uses its own unique ammunition, which is generally sold or crafted in specific batch sizes. The batch size and the price of one batch of ammunition for the firearms in the following subclass are listed in the table below.

Arcane Rifle Ammunition

Firearm Batch Size Cost
Repeater 10 4 gp
Bolt-Action 8 6gp
High Caliber 6 10gp

Arcane Marksman

An Arcane Marksman is a tinkering expert who has combined their prowess with their weapon of choice. Taking up aim on the battlefield, Arcane Marksmans have a rifle for every situation.

Arcane Rifle Features

Artificer Level Feature
3rd Tool Proficiency, Arcane Marksman Spells, Arcane Rifle, Rifle Form
5th Rifle Upgrades
9th Trained Marksman
15th Empowered Rifling

Tool Proficiency

3rd-level Arcane Marksman Feature

You gain proficiency with tinker's tools. If you already have this proficiency, you gain proficiency with one other type of artisan's tools of your choice.


Arcane Marksman Spells

3rd-level Arcane Marksman Feature

You always have certain spells prepared after you reach particular levels in this class, as shown in the Arcane Marksman Spells table. These spells count as artificer spells for you, but they don’t count against the number of artificer spells you prepare.

Arcane Marksman Spells

Artificer Level Spells
3rd catapult, zephyr strike
5th find traps, pass without trace
9th lightning arrow, slow
13th arcane eye, freedom of movement
17th conjure volley, creation

Arcane Rifle

3rd-level Arcane Marksman feature

Your skills with tinkering have led you to develop a specialized firearm. You can turn any nonmagical firearm into an Arcane Rifle over the course of a long rest using tinker's tools. If you do not have a nonmagical firearm to tinker with, you can spend two days and 50 gp to build your Arcane Rifle (you can ignore the gold cost by spending an additional 5 days building the firearm).
An arcane rifle has the following properties:

  • When you attack with this weapon, you can add your Intelligence modifier, instead of Strength or Dexterity, to the attack and damage rolls.
  • A creature other than you who attempts to use the firearm must make an Intelligence check against your artificer spell save DC or be unable to use the firearm.
  • This two-handed weapon counts as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.
  • You can use the Arcane Rifle as a spellcasting focus for your artificer spells.

Rifle Form

3rd-level Arcane Marksman Feature

You can further develop your Arcane Rifle into certain forms. When you do so, choose one of the following rifle forms: Repeater, Bolt-Action or High Caliber. Each form has its own special features.
You can change the rifle's form whenever you finish a long rest, provided you have tinker's tools.
Repeater. Your form of rifle excels at quickly laying fire down range. This form has a normal range of 80 feet and a long range of 300 feet and it deals 2d4 piercing damage on a hit. The repeater form has the reload property and must be reloaded after 10 shots.

  • Rapid Fire. As an action, you can target a 10 foot cube within 80 feet of you and release a magical barrage of bullets onto that area. Each creature within the targeted area must make a Dexterity saving throw against your artificer spell save DC, taking 4d4 piercing damage on a failed save and half as much on a successful one. This action uses 3 pieces of ammunition. You can use this action a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
    Bolt-Action. Your rifle is designed for extremely long ranges. This form has a normal range of 200 feet and a long range of 600 feet and it deals 1d8 piercing damage on a hit. The bolt-action form has the loading property.
  • Crackshot. Attacks with this weapon score a critical hit on a roll of 19-20.
    High Caliber. You have built your rifle to deal massive damage at the cost of its range and ammo capacity. This form has a normal range of 25 feet and a long range of 75 feet and it deals 1d12 piercing damage on a hit. The high caliber form has the reload property and must be reloaded after 3 shots.
  • Staggering Shot. When you hit a creature with an attack from this weapon, you can magically enhance the shot to attempt to bring the target down. If the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Constitution saving throw against your artificer spell save DC. On a failed save, the target falls prone. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.