Subclass Overhaul: Illuminated (Artificer)

A gnome Illuminated Artificer, channeling the mind of Tezzla, a Murkan immigrant and inventor

I'm so excited about this one. The artificer that we made for Arcana Americana (back when it was just called "Murka," before anybody had imagined a second or third book) was one of my personal favorite concepts: An artificer who can channel the minds of America's famed inventors, adding those consciousnesses to their own. It's an awesome opportunity to do what Murka does best: be entertaining, fun, and also educational, showing off some of America's unsung heroes of the mind.

I still love that concept, but when we reviewed it for the update, we recognized a lot of opportunities for improvement: we wanted to lighten the self-inflicted damage they took, as it was too punishing, and we felt like the other subclass features weren't interesting enough for the class to fully meet our standards. We also wanted to add more Mind options and clean up existing ones, which even opened the door to channeling more than one mind at a time (inspiration we took from our Bennen Jerryzet Monk subclass in Restaurants & Retail), allowing a player to channel the minds of some inventor duos, like Wilbur and Orville Wright! In the final book, you'll also get a glimpse at William Shockley, John Bardeen, and Walter Brattain getting Murkanized as the first Illuminated artificers who developed the Conduit technology they use!

Without further adieu, I hope you enjoy the Illuminated Artificer.

It's long been said that great minds think alike, but few tinkering minds have the first-hand experience to prove it. There are some creators whose machinations go beyond "inspired," and reach levels of "impossibly familiar." Inventors who, at times, seem to become another person during their creative process, almost as if channeling the thoughts of someone else.

These are The Illuminated–superior scientists who have found a way to transfer the thoughts and feelings of inventors past into their own brain, merging the two minds into one powerful force of intellectual prowess. These inventors use a device called a conduit to channel these thoughts, granting them immense knowledge and capabilities. The process itself is often painful, incredibly dangerous, and sometimes even deadly. But, as they say… Two minds are better than one.

Let us know what you think in the comments! Also, don't forget to let us know which subclasses, spells, items, or monsters you'd like to see us showcase! We'll be dropping sneak peaks from across all three books as the campaign continues.

Cheers, and thanks for reading!

Jaron R. M. Johnson and the Action Fiction Faction

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