If you’re into high fantasy, playing a Dragonborn Artificer is sure to make your next D&D game tons of fun. The Dragonborn is one of the coolest races to roleplay as in Dungeons & Dragons. It’s a more unique take on a character, which gives you a ton of great roleplay potential. Add that to the Artificer class, which makes you a force to be reckoned with in and out of battle. 

The Artificer class can be found in either Eberron: Rising from the Last War OR Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Click here to pick up your copy of Eberron: Rising from the Last War OR click here to pick up your own copy of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything!

The Dragonborn race can be found in the Player’s Handbook OR an updated version can be found in Fizzban’s Treasury of Dragons. Click here to pick up your own copy of the Player’s Handbook or click here to pick up your own copy of Fizzban’s Treasury of Dragons!

How to Make a Dragonborn Artificer

So you want to be a Dragonborn Artificer. The first thing you need to know when creating a character like this is your stat priority. As an Artificer, your knowledge and magical use will depend on your high intellect. When you roll, put the highest roll under your Intelligence ability score. 

The next thing you need to know is that you’ll often be in the midst of battle. You’ll take the brunt of the hits from your opponents. Thus, the next ability score you want to put up is your Constitution. Being a Dragonborn adds some resistance to certain damage depending on your draconic ancestry. 

For new players, the Artillerist specialization is the best choice. If you want to play an Artificer that can act as support and offense, choose the Battle Smith class. The Armorer subclass is the best specialization for players who like to play as tanks.

How to Play a Dragonborn Artificer

Your role as an Artificer may vary depending on your subclass. As we mentioned earlier, each subclass offers different kinds of roles in a team. Most often, your position is right at the heart of the fight.

For this guide, we’ll focus on the beginner-friendly Artillerist subclass. 

With their spells and magic-powered projectiles, Artillerists make powerful combatants. When you become an Artillerist, you get to create and use eldritch cannons as weapons. 

As you level up, you’ll also learn spells, like Thunderwave and Fireball. These spells don’t count against the general Artificer spells. Some of the best Artificer spells include:

• Mending
• False Life
• Disguise Self

Don’t forget that your draconic ancestry also gives you an extra attack, which is your breath weapon. The damage type of your breath weapon will depend on the type of draconic bloodline from which you hail.

How to Roleplay as a Dragonborn Artificer

As a magic tinkerer, Artificers can create mundane magical objects. It can be an object that plays a recorded message when touched or an alternative light source. Use these to impress townspeople, guards, and others. Also, depending on the campaign setting, a Dragonborn may be a rare sight. It’s a good trick to keep up your sleeve in case you raise suspicion.

Artificers are naturally curious, innovative, and experimental. Don’t be afraid to roleplay these traits however you wish. Incorporate “mad scientist” or childlike innocence into your roleplay.

Thavaj loves electricity, despite having golden scales. She loves to create tools and trappings that make use of electric energy. To learn more about the uses of electricity, she travels and goes on distant adventures.