The Artificer’s Handbook

The latest iteration of the Artificer class includes ingredient may be a part of the creature, such as a
features that reduce cost of crafting certain objects hill giant’s toenail used to make a potion of hill
based on the specialist option you choose at 3rd giant strength, or the creature may merely
level. safeguard an object, such as a beholder guarding a
To optimize crafting, this reference guide has crystal you need to turn into a wand.
organized all magic items relevant to each The Magic Item Ingredients table suggests the
specialist option in the Dungeon Master’s Guide and challenge rating of a creature that the artificer
Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, along with the costs would face to acquire the materials to craft a magic
required to make these items with the efficiency of item.
the artificer. Also included are several optional
Magic Item Ingredients
rules to modify your crafting experience, including
Item Rarity CR Range
rules from the DMG and XGtE. Common 1-3
Optional Rules: Restrictions Uncommon
Rare
4-8
9-12
Below are two optional rules that place restrictions Very rare 13-18
on what sorts of items you can craft. Work with Legendary 19+
your DM to determine if either of these would This rule comes from page 128 of Xanathar’s
enhance the campaign. Guide to Everything as part of the “Crafting a Magic
Item” downtime activity. Though it restricts the
Level Limitations magic items you can make, it also encourages
Using this rule, your artificer level determines how adventuring to seek the ingredients you require,
rare of a magic item you can create. You can create which can lead to fun side quests, or being
any potion for which you meet the level resourceful and thinking about what you can make
requirement, as shown on the Level Limitations based on what you have recently fought.
table below.
Level Limitations Specialist Guides
Item Rarity Minimum Artificer Level Below you will find the relevant guides for both
Common 3rd artificer specialist options and their trades.
Uncommon 3rd
Rare 6th Xanathar’s Guide to Crafting
Very rare 11th The costs for crafting magic items used in this
Legendary 17th supplement can be found on page 129 of Xanathar’s
This rule and the table above come from the Guide to Everything. Other rules for the costs of
“Crafting a Magic Item” downtime activity, found in creating magic items can be found on page 129 of the
the DMG (p. 128). It creates a firm barrier between Dungeon Master’s Guide. Should you prefer those
each rarity to reflect your growth in the techniques rules, you may make your own quick reference guide
of crafting magic items. following the guidelines of those found in this
To make this rule less restrictive, you can choose supplement.
to make the minimum level be based on player
level, instead of artificer level. Alchemist
The alchemist excels at crafting potions, salves, and
The Search for Ingredients toxins. Their Tools of the Trade feature halves the
This rule involves a more story-based limitation. amount of gold required to craft magic potions, and
Using this rule, you must first acquire a special reduces the time needed to craft them down to a
component essential to the magic item you wish to quarter of the original time.
create, typically by facing a creature. The
Alchemist Crafting Guide Very Rare
The table below includes details relevant to Oil of sharpness (p. 184)
crafting potions. It is worth noting that while Tools Potion of cloud giant strength (p. 187)
of the Trade reduces the cost and time to make Potion of flying (p. 187)
these items, the rules for crafting magic items in Potion of invisibility (p. 188)
Xanathar’s Guide to Everything already halve these Potion of longevity (p. 188)
values for consumable items. This halving happens Potion of speed (p. 188)
before Tools of the Trade is applied. Potion of vitality (p. 188)

Alchemy Costs Legendary

Item Rarity Time GP Potion of storm giant strength (p. 187)
Common 0.125 workweeks (5 hours) 12.5
Uncommon 0.25 workweeks (1 day) 50 Brewing Potions of Healing
Rare 1.25 workweeks (6 days) 500 According to Xanathar’s Guide to Everything,
Very Rare 3.125 workweeks (15 days) 5,000 potions of healing are different from other potions
Legendary 6.25 workweeks (31 days) 25,000
regarding their creation. Creating these potions
Potions by Rarity requires an herbalism kit. The times and costs for
The following is a list of all potions, as well as the making these potions have been calculated below.
page of the Dungeon Master’s Guide where you will The entry for a potion of healing can be found on
find them. page 187 of the DMG.

Common Potion of Healing Creation

Potion of climbing (p. 187) Type Time Cost
Healing 2 hours 12 gp, 5 sp
Uncommon Greater Healing 0.25 weeks (1 day) 50 gp
Oil of slipperiness (p. 184) Superior Healing 0.75 weeks (3 days) 500 gp
Supreme Healing 1 week (5 days) 5,000 gp
Philter of love (p. 184)
Potion of animal friendship (p. 187) Nonmagical Alchemy Guide
Potion of fire breath (p. 187) Xanathar’s Guide to Everything includes expanded
Potion of growth (p. 187) rules for using tools, including options for items
Potion of hill giant strength (p. 187) that can be crafted with alchemist’s supplies (XGtE,
Potion of poison (p. 188) p. 78). The Nonmagical Alchemy table applies the
Potion of resistance (p. 188) benefits of Tools of the Trade to these items, though
Potion of water breathing (p. 188) they are not technically magic items. At your DM’s
Rare discretion, you may use the following table. Each
item requires one short rest to create, and the cost
Elixir of health (p. 168)
is deducted from the raw materials you are
Oil of etherealness (p. 183)
carrying (see XGtE).
Potion of clairvoyance (p. 187)
All items on this table can be found on Chapter 5
Potion of diminution (p. 187)
of the Player’s Handbook.
Potion of fire giant strength (p. 187)
Potion of frost giant strength (p. 187) Nonmagical Alchemy
Potion of gaseous form (p. 187) Item Cost
Potion of heroism (p. 188) Acid (vial) 6 gp, 2 sp, 5 cp
Potion of invulnerability (p. 188) Alchemist’s fire (flask) 12 gp, 5 sp
Antitoxin (vial) 12 gp, 5 sp
Potion of mind reading (p. 188)
Oil (flask) 2 cp
Potion of stone giant strength (p. 187) Perfume (vial) 1 gp, 2 sp, 5 cp
Soap (2 bars) 1 cp

The Artificer’s Handbook | 2

Workweeks and Crafting Time Trade benefits to the time and cost to make these
scrolls.
The time needed to craft a magic item is represented
For additional restrictions and rules regarding
in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything in workweeks,
scribing spell scrolls, see Xanathar’s Guide to
which are defined as five days of work, with 8 hours
Everything.
of work per day. Since these have been reduced to
decimals, both that decimal and a number of days
Archivist Crafting Costs
have been listed in tables that display the amount of
Below is a list of spell scrolls sorted by level, as
time needed to craft a magic item. The number of
well as the amount of time and money required to
days is rounded down. When hours are listed instead
scribe them with the benefits of the archivist’s
of days, it is up to your DM to decide whether they Tools of the Trade feature.
can be completed during a short or long rest. If your
campaign setting uses a different measurement of Spell Scroll Costs
time, you may find out how many days of work are Spell Level Time Cost
required in that setting by multiplying the amount of Cantrip 2 hours 7 gp, 5 sp
days in 1 week in that setting by the decimal in the 1st 2 hours 12 gp, 5 sp
2nd 6 hours 125 gp
Workweeks column.
3rd 1 day 250 gp
The amount of days in the Workweeks column
4th 2 days 1,250 gp
assumes that those days each include 8 hours of 5th 1 workweek 2,500 gp
work. Depending on your campaign and your DM, 6th 2 workweeks 7,500 gp
you may work on these items in smaller increments, 7th 4 workweeks 12,500 gp
such as working for a couple of hours during each 8th 8 workweeks 25,000 gp
long rest. If you do this, you should keep track of how 9th 12 workweeks 125,000 gp
many hours are required to complete the project, Additionally, a scroll of protection (DMG, p. 199),
rather than the days. which is a rare magic item, requires 2 workweeks
and 1,000 gp to create.
Archivist
An archivist is an artificer that specializes in the Artillerist
collection of information, making them masters of The artillerist is an alchemist who spends their
creating magical scrolls. Their Tools of the Trade career developing magical weapons to aid
feature allows for them to quickly and cheaply themselves and others in combat and defense.
produce magic items from the scrolls category. Their Tools of the Trade feature halves the amount
of gold required to craft magic wands, and reduces
Special Conditions: Scribing a Spell the time needed to craft them down to a quarter of
Scroll the original time.
On page 133 of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything,
specific rules are outlined for the creation of spell
Optional Rule: Spell Replication
scrolls, as opposed to other magic items. This is, Many wands grant their wielders the ability to cast
presumably, because spell scrolls of different levels one or more spells. As an optional rule, artificers in
can be of the same rarity—Spell scrolls that your campaign may need to know or otherwise
contain cantrips and those that contain 1st-level have access to a spell, such as through a spell scroll,
spells are both common, for example. In keeping to create a wand that can cast that spell. If such a
with the use of XGtE’s crafting rules, this spell is inaccessible, it may be substituted by a
supplement uses the chart provided in that special item fitting of the wand’s effects, such as
downtime activity and applies the Tools of the using a blue dragon’s scale to make a wand of
lightning bolts. To expand on this idea, see the

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optional rule, “The Search for Ingredients” earlier Wands by Rarity
in this supplement or the “Crafting an Item” The following is a list of all magic items that count
downtime activity on page 128 of Xanathar’s Guide as wands, as well as what book they can be found
to Everything. in, and what page of that book.
Optional Rule: Expanded Wand Options Common
As an artificer, your innovative spirit can fuel the Wand of conducting (XGtE, p. 140)
creation of items that may not be found anywhere Wand of pyrotechnics (XGtE, p. 140)
else. As an optional rule, you can craft a wand that Wand of scowls (XGtE, p. 140)
allows its wielder to cast a spell that you know or Wand of smiles (XGtE, p. 140)
otherwise have access to while creating the wand,
such as through a spell scroll. Uncommon
A wand created this way has an amount of Wand of magic detection (DMG, p. 211)
charges equal to your Intelligence modifier plus Wand of magic missiles (DMG, p. 211)
your proficiency bonus at the time of crafting the Wand of secrets (DMG, p. 211)
wand, and it regains an amount of charges equal to Wand of the war mage, +1 (DMG, p. 212)
your intelligence modifier daily at dawn. If you Wand of web (DMG, p. 212)
expend the wand's last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, Rare
the wand crumbles into dust and is destroyed. Wand of binding (DMG, p. 209)
The rarity of the wand, as well as the cost and Wand of enemy detection (DMG, p. 210)
time needed to create it, depend on the level of the Wand of fear (DMG, p. 210)
spell that the wand allows its wielder to cast, as Wand of fireballs (DMG, p. 210)
shown in the Expanded Wand Options table. Wand of lightning bolts (DMG, p. 211)
Expanded Wand Options Wand of paralysis (DMG, p. 211)
Spell Level Rarity Wand of the war mage, +2 (DMG, p. 212)
Cantrip Common Wand of wonder (DMG, p. 212)
1st Uncommon
2nd Rare Very Rare
3rd Very Rare Wand of polymorph (DMG, p. 211)
4th Legendary Wand of the war mage, +3 (DMG, p. 212)

Artillerist Crafting Guide Battle Smith

The table below includes details relevant to The battle smiths are artificers who prefer a strong
crafting wands. The reduced cost and time from defense. Their Tools of the Trade feature
your Tools of the Trade feature is already applied accelerates the process of forging magic items in
here for easy reference. the armor quality.
Wand Costs
Rarity Workweeks Cost
Optional Rule: Crafting Mundane Armor
Common 0.25 (1 day) 25 gp When it comes to magical armor, oftentimes the
Uncommon 0.5 (2 days) 100 gp type of armor the item is does not factor into the
Rare 2.5 (12 days) 1,000 gp magic item’s rarity. So what’s to keep a battle smith
Very Rare 6.25 (31 days) 10,000 gp from always making the strongest armor they can?
Legendary 12.5 (62 days) 50,000 gp
That’s where this rule comes in.
Using this rule, the cost required to make a magic
item from the armor category does not include the
armor that is used as a base. The artificer must

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supply the armor themselves, either by acquiring it Battle Smith Crafting Guide
or crafting it themselves. The table below includes details relevant to
While nonmagical armor doesn’t specifically fall crafting magic armor. The reduced cost and time
within the range of the battle smith’s Tools of the from your Tools of the Trade feature is already
Trade feature, this optional rule extends its applied here for easy reference.
benefits to them anyway.
Below is a table that shows the amount of time Armor Costs
and money required to craft nonmagical armor Rarity Workweeks Cost
after applying the benefits of the battle smith’s Common 0.25 (1 day) 25 gp
Uncommon 0.5 (2 days) 100 gp
Tools of the Trade feature. The original crafting Rare 2.5 (12 days) 1,000 gp
times and costs are derived from Xanathar’s Guide Very Rare 6.25 (31 days) 10,000 gp
to Everything, page 128. Legendary 12.5 (62 days) 50,000 gp

Nonmagical Armor Costs Armor by Rarity

Armor Time Cost The following is a list of all magic items that count
Padded 1 hour 1 gp, 2 sp, 5 cp as armor, as well as what book they can be found
Leather 2 hours 2 gp, 5 sp in, and what page of that book.
Studded 1 day 11 gp, 2 sp, 5 cp
leather Common
Hide 2 hours 2 gp, 5 sp Armor of Gleaming (XGtE, p. 136)
Chain shirt 0.25 workweeks (1 12 gp, 5 sp Cast-off Armour (XGtE, p. 136)
day) Shield of Expression (XGtE, p. 139)
Scale mail 0.25 workweeks (1 12 gp, 5 sp
Smoldering Armor (XGtE, p. 139)
day)
Breastplate 2 workweeks 100 gp Uncommon
Half plate 3.75 workweeks (19 187 gp, 5 sp Adamantine Armor (DMG, p. 150)
days)
Ring mail 6 hours 7 gp, 5 sp
Mariner’s Armor (DMG, p. 181)
Chain mail 2 days 18 gp, 7 sp, 5 cp
Mithral Armor (DMG, p. 182)
Splint 1 workweek 50 gp
Sentinel Shield (DMG, p. 199)
Plate 7.5 workweeks (37 375 gp Shield, +1 (DMG, p. 200)
days) Rare
Shield 6 hours 2 gp, 5 sp
Armor of Resistance (DMG, p. 152)
Armor of Vulnerability (DMG, p. 152)
Optional Rule: Flexible Crafting Armor, +1 (DMG, p. 152)
Many magical armors indicate that they must be a Arrow-catching Shield (DMG, p. 152)
specific type of armor, such as the Dwarven Plate
Elven Chain (DMG, p. 168)
always having to be made from plate armor. This
Glamoured Studded Leather (DMG, p. 172)
optional rule intends to give more freedom to the
Shield of Missile Attraction (DMG, p. 200)
creator of magic armors.
Shield, +2 (DMG, p. 200)
If your DM allows you to use this rule, you may
ignore any required armor types for magic items, Very Rare
thanks to your skills as a battle smith. This may Animated Shield (DMG, p. 151)
require some in-game explanation. For example, if Armor, +2 (DMG, p. 152)
you wanted to make dragon scale mail but as a Demon Armor (DMG, p. 165)
form of light armor, you may claim that you crafted Dragon Scale Mail (DMG, p. 165)
it from dragonhide rather than the actual scales. Dwarven Plate (DMG, p. 167)
Shield, +3 (DMG, p. 200)

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Spellguard Shield (DMG, p. 201)
Legendary
Armor of Invulnerability (DMG, p. 152)
Armor, +3 (DMG, p. 152)
Efreeti Chain (DMG, p. 167)
Plate Armor of Etherealness (DMG, p. 185)

Credits
This supplement was written and formatted by
Griffin Porche.
The artificer class was designed by Jeremy
Crawford with Keith Baker, Mike Mearls, Ben
Petrisor, and James Wyatt, and published by
Wizards of the Coast in the article “The Artificer
Revisited”.
Rules for crafting magic items were taken from
Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and the Dungeon
Master’s Guide modified by rules offered in “The
Artificer Revisited”.

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