Artificer’s Guide to Magic Items.

By Matt Carson of Sector M Games.

Available on the DMsGuild HERE.

(*Full Disclosure: I was contacted by Matt Carson and received a free PDF copy of the product for review purposes. Thank you, Matt! However, I have not been compensated for a good review in any way.)

I really liked this book. It’s available in PDF or color hardcover. It’s already a Silver bestseller on DMsGuild, which is pretty darned impressive. (*Editor’s Note: I watched it jump from Copper to Silver in less than 24 hours.) Matt and his crew truly put a lot of quality into this book and it shows.

It weighs in at 56  full color pages. It looks as if it could have easily been an official product. $17.99 for the print hardcover currently. That’s not bad in 2024 prices. I wish I could put a review on DMsGuild, but I’m unable to do so because I have a Publisher’s account.

The first thing that really stood out to me about Artificer’s Guide to Magic Items was the artwork by Miguel Coronado III. I especially thought the version of Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man done with a Warforged (Or as an armor model?) was extremely cool. The ring on Page 28 really got my attention, too. The page layout by Natalia Holmes was very clean and extremely professional. Matt is lucky to have such a talented team. No AI was used in this product.

Value to players is obvious.

One of the driving goals of this book seems to be filling in the gaps Wizards of the Coast official Dungeons & Dragons writers overlooked in the Artificer. It covers all four subclasses, adds spells, magic items, gives valuable information such as crafting times, as well as costs for items in time/gold value. One thing I really like are the items for Artificers, which I think are underrated.

Time, materials, magic, tools, and talent are required to make each and every artifact successful. AGtMI covers even the most difficult item to attempt to craft in game- sentient items. Whereas I used to think of Artificers as a sort of steampunk Tony Stark class in Dungeons & Dragons, this book leans heavily into the fantasy tropes for the class.

Artificers were originally unique to the Eberron books but have moved over to mainline D&D as of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Matt points out in the Introduction that an attempt to refine the Item Crafting rules was made in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and this AGtMI is a further refinement of them. I think this improved system works very well within the 5E game structure.

PC Artificers are a major party asset in or out of the dungeon. The rules contained in AGtMI allow PC Artificers to improve items found in a dungeon confiscated from conquered foes. Rusty old goblin swords can be reforged into weapons with two or more times their original value. Other Artificers can craft multiple potions and scrolls to max profits minus whatever the group needs. I think this book would pair very well with Acquisitions Inc. The addition of the Appraisal skill makes a difference, too.

I should also mention the various appendices contain much appreciated worksheets to help players craft new items. These sheets are very helpful and complement the text of the book quite well. They’re also nice for DMs who like being thorough.

Dungeon Master perspective.

As a DM, I’m always cautious about what I allow in my game. I would definitely take a look into AGtMI before I said anything. I think within the context of most 5E fantasy games, it would be fine. My main concern with Artificers in general is the rather sedentary nature of characters who make anything requiring weeks or months to create. This book settles most of that, but I’d still encourage PC Artificers to go out and adventure.

Another great feature for DMs is the ability to plan out the creation of magic items. Assuming one doesn’t just take the shortcut of finding the +3 intelligent sword in a dungeon because the group asked some NPC to craft it. There’s still no overnight process to make a Scimitar of Speed or Frostbrand.

The one thing that really stands out in this book, strange though it sounds, are major opportunities to roleplay out the creation of items with an Artificer PC. IFF the campaign can spare the time and PC spotlight to allow time to create a lot of cool stuff.

My main concerns as a DM are when we start getting into the more powerful items and artifacts. The Artificer player might have to put that character on temporary hiatus while the artifact is being built and run something else in the meantime. Artifacts can take months, even years in game to make. Even an Artificer working normal work weeks for almost two years might only be able to produce a Very Rare item. Pushing harder could result in fatigue, meaning a character can only press so hard for a short amount of time without consequences.

Another neat feature of AGtMI is the ability to modify or change major magic items. With 7 slots to work with, characters must pick and choose wisely when constructing a Staff of the Magi for example. I think this provides a little bit of needed game balance for DMs. Otherwise, a +5 Vorpal Holy Avenger of Speed that tosses Fireballs like parade candy could spell the end of a campaign.

Final thoughts.

Official 5E really isn’t my cup of tea these days, but I love seeing books from Indie creators such as AGtMI. I could really see this book is a labor of love that was likely years in the making. Matt and crew really seemed to put above average effort into making this 5E sourcebook stand out. If I were running a 5E game for my kids again, I know one of them might be willing to pick up an Artificer character especially after they find out all the cool stuff they can make.

Aside from some reasonable campaign balancing bits, the sky pretty much is the limit for Artificers with this tome in the players’ hands. We’re way beyond the magic items in the DMG with this book. As a DM, I’m constantly making new artifacts, items, weapons, armor, etc because my budget and time are unlimited. AGtMI makes it so players have a chance to do some of this cool stuff. Moreover, it helps me rein in my creative urges for the sake of game balance.

I would like to comment on the letter to Wizards of the Coast in the back of the book. Honestly, Matt and crew- you guys have proven you are so talented. My advice would be not to worry about what WotC is or isn’t doing officially. Keep doing what you want to do for the game you love. I sincerely hope we see more products from you in the future.

5/5 I would definitely recommend this to my 5E friends and fellow DMs. Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate you. Please, embrace that which brings you the most joy- like Matt Carson and his team have.