One Dungeons and Dragons Has Been Oddly Quiet About a Crucial Class

Highlights

• One DnD is an update to 5e, focusing on revamping core classes, though the lack of info on the Artificer class is surprising.
• Artificer, a versatile spellcaster, uses tools and intelligence to cast spells, making it a unique and challenging class to play.
• While Artificer may not be included in One DnD at launch, as it also missed the launch of 5e, it is highly likely to be added in the future due to its popularity and unique gameplay mechanics.

Dungeons and Dragons is getting an update from 5e. Codenamed One DnD, Wizards of the Coast has described it as an update and expansion to 5e, rather than a completely new version of the game. With One DnD comes a revamp of Dungeonds and Dragons‘ base classes that appear in the Player’s Handbook. As One DnD has not been officially released yet, Wizards of the Coast has released a series of articles called Unearthed Arcana for the purposes of playtesting, which use the current Player’s Handbook with additional information and rules from One DnD. Unearthed Arcana includes a class list of the core twelve DnD classes, with the notable exclusion of Artificer.

Artificer is a popular class that was introduced in 3e, and has appeared in every Dungeons and Dragons edition since. Put simply, Artificers are magic users who cast spells using a focus such as a set of tools. Their high Intelligence score, potential for character building, and versatile role in combat, Artificers are one of the most rewarding classes to play in Dungeons and Dragons. Despite this, One DnD may launch without the class, just as 5e did.

Classes in One DnD

The Introduction of Artificer in 5e

Artificer was never a part of Dungeons and Dragons‘ 5e base classes that came with the Player’s Handbook, and only arrived with the Eberron: Rising from the Last War expansion. Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything expanded on the Artificer class later. Despite its later addition, Artificer may be considered a popular class and one of the core classes of Dungeons and Dragons.

One DnD‘s classes are separated into four main groups:

These are 5e’s original twelve classes from the Player’s Handbook, but the Unearthed Arcana notes that the Artificer would fall under Experts and was not included in the original Player’s Handbook. As each Unearthed Arcana launches with new mechanics for players to test, Artificer may join the other classes as a part of the playtest. Artificer is the second class that uses Intelligence as its primary score, alongside the Wizard. Excluding the Artificer means that only one class in the Player’s Handbook uses Intelligence, which can become inconvenient for building a balanced party and roleplaying.

Artificers in Dungeons and Dragons

Artificers are spellcasters, but use their magic through tools and infusing items, which is where their high Intelligence score comes in. They’re a versatile class that can be played in incredibly creative ways thanks to their mechanics. As a core part of the Artificer, crafting and figuring out tool proficiencies, spell lists, and infusions can make the Artificer one of the hardest classes to play for beginners or for those who would rather have a straightforward class. However, it’s exactly this detail that makes the Artificer fun to play, as there are so many ways to roleplay and build characters. The popularity of the class has risen so much that some were surprised that it wasn’t included in games like Baldur’s Gate 3.

With the popularity of Artificers, the class will inevitably be included in One DnD. The only question is when it will happen. As Unearthed Arcana has a footnote mentioning it alongside the other classes that appear in the Player’s Handbook, the Artificer may be on the table for One DnD‘s launch. If not, hopefully players won’t have to wait for five years to get the Artificer in an expansion, as was the case in 5e.