“You can go anywhere, but you can't do anything when you get there”

Dungeons and dragons' 2024 new core rules have reshaped the game in huge ways. Some classes and subclasses have drastically different abilities or playstyles, some core gameplay aspects have changed, and even some of the most iconic monsters in Dungeons and dragons are nothing like they used to be. This isn't always the best, as losing identity for novelty isn't necessarily a good thing, but the overall reception has been good so far. Now a new book is coming out in the form of Eberron: Forge of the Artificer, fittingly featuring the Artificer class, its four existing subclasses, and a brand new subclass – the Cartographer.

This is quite exciting in and of itself, as new subclasses are introduced Dungeons and dragons are often a huge breath of fresh air for longtime players, and can either unlock entirely new playstyles and strategies, or build on unused existing concepts. The Artificer subclasses are all unlocked at level 3, and they are: Alchemist, Armorer, Artillerist, and Battle Smith, with the Cartographer rounding them out. Still, as interesting and flavorful as Cartographer is for Artificer, it fails to stick to the landing of its teleportation spells, becoming a cool support class at best and an underwhelming cauldron of half-baked features at worst.

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Dungeons and Dragons' new cartographer is officially the worst artificer subclass

Apart from some core changes in Artificer DnD 2024 from the book Eberron: Forge of the Artificer, such as learning Mending as a cantrip or Flash of Genius that triggers when a creature fails a check or saving throw, every subclass has been updated and the cartographer has been added. Theoretically, the cartographer is meant to be a support class that focuses on mobility and utility magic for allies, while creating magical maps that connect all party members and give them bonuses. However, this is only partially true, as class fantasy is quickly overshadowed by mediocre powers, spell choices, and abilities.

Eberron: Forge of the Artificer's Cartographer Subclass Breakdown in DnD 2024

Dungeons and Dragons – Eberron: Forge of the Artificer's Level Cartographer is a mixed bag

At level 3, the cartographer gains access to Tools of the Trade, which is very useful for creating scrolls for spells, and the cost in gold is also decent. However, this becomes exponentially worse after level 3 spells due to the huge cost in gold and time required to finish the scroll, and assistants cannot be used to reduce the time required to create Spell Scrolls. There is some value to the scrolls when having a wizard in the party who can learn the spells from the scrolls, which is easy to achieve due to the overlap between Artificer spells and Wizard in Dungeons and dragons. However, this is not guaranteed to be the case.

Then the cartographer gets his own spell list. This is as follows:

The Cartographer spells in Eberron: Forge of the Artificer aren't bad per se, but not great either. This is especially evident when the selection doesn't have many uses to tie into the level 11 feature of the class, called the Spell-Storing Item. After a long rest, you can charge an item that you can use as a focus to store a spell in it from level 1, 2, or 3 Artificer spells, but this must be an action, and it doesn't have to require a material component. This means that Healing Word, possibly the best spell to stockpile, cannot be chosen because it is a bonus action rather than an action. Not only is Faerie Fire a subpar spell on its own, but the class also makes it a core part of its identity, so it's not worth stocking either.

Adventurer's Atlas is a nice class feature that allows you to create a set of maps after a long rest, with a map dedicated to each creature you touch (1 + Int modifier, minimum 2). The map lets all cardholders know where each other's cardholders are, which provides two bonuses:

• Awareness: +1d4 to initiative rolls
• Positioning: When casting spells or creating effects that require seeing a target card holder, this creature can be directed at the target regardless of line of sight or cover if they are within range.

Positioning isn't great for the Cartographer themselves, as they don't have many spells or uses for it, but it can be much better for other party members. Healing Word is again a good healing spell i DnD to use with this effect, but there aren't many more. Still, Healing Word on an invisible ally or perhaps someone behind cover has its merits, and the ability itself is certainly powerful, just not so much for the cartographer.

Then the cartographer gets Illuminated Cartography, which lets you cast Faerie Fire without spending a spell slot, which is apparently useful. But to create advantages in DnD 2024 is nowhere near as difficult as previous editions, and it requires concentration to cast. While this is a free spell, it's not that powerful, and it's mostly something that might be worth casting at level 3, possibly level 5 at best.

Finally, the cartographer gains Portal Jump at level 3, which is a very good tool for disconnecting. At the same time, it requires your speed to not be 0. This means that situations where you might want to teleport out most of the time are not applicable to Portal Jump, such as being grabbed.

Dungeons and Dragons – Eberron: Forge of the Artificer's Cartographer won't find path between level 5 and 15

At level 5, a cartographer gains Guided Precision. This allows you, once per turn and when you cast a spell from the Cartographer Spells List or hit a creature affected by Faerie Fire with an attack roll, to add your Intelligence modifier to a damage roll of the spell or attack. Also, focusing on Faerie Fire doesn't stop taking damage. The problem here is threefold:

• Guided Precision only works on three Cartographer spells, and none are good for it:

  • Steering bolt

  • Mind Spike

  • Call Lightning

• The benefit will mostly be +3 or +4 to a damage DnDwhich is fine in a vacuum, but not mind-blowing when you consider that it still requires you to cast Faerie Fire the turn before, keep the concentration, have the target creature fail a saving throw against it, and then again for the next attack spell you cast.

• Other Artificer subclasses, such as Artillery, have much more impactful and powerful abilities for extra damage, while this one is completely avoidable and requires heavy setup.

At level 9, the cartographer gains Ingenious Movement, which is tied to Flash of Genius. This is a cool feature, and it has some decent uses, as the target of this ability doesn't have to be the same one that benefited from Flash of Genius for it to trigger, meaning you can keep other party members well positioned for their needs.

Finally, the cartographer gains two additional abilities with Superior Atlas at level 15. These are:

• Safe haven: When a map holder (any, not just you) is reduced to 0 HP but not killed, that creature can destroy its map. If they do, their HP changes to a number equal to your Artificer level times twice, and that creature is teleported to an empty space within 5 feet of you or another card holder.
• Wrong way: You can use Find the Path if you are a map holder and do so without consuming a spell slot, without preparing the spell, and without components. This can only be done once per long rest.

Safe Haven is incredibly good for support, and it can easily save someone who would otherwise be killed in battle. Cheat death effects are always very good, albeit situational, and this is also paired with a teleportation effect. On the other hand, Unerring Path is very underwhelming, and doesn't quite fit the power expected of a level 15 ability – assuming you're willing to stick with Cartographer for 15 levels to get there. Although Find the Path isn't a bad spell DnDit's not something you need on a daily basis, if ever.

You should avoid DnD's new Artificer Cartographer Like The Plague

There are some advantages and niche uses for the cartographer, so it's not necessarily a bad class. But unless your Dungeon Master decides to give you more utility by making terrain-centric encounters and movement-related challenges part of your campaign, it's hard to justify taking the cartographer over every Artificer subclass—even the Alchemist, which is still far less powerful than the other three after recent updates. And even if you just want to play Cartographer for its style, it might not live up to that in terms of gameplay.

As Reddit user Gizogin said, “You can go anywhere, but you can't do anything once you get there.” However, this isn't even entirely true, as reducing your speed to 0 will prevent you from using Portal Jump, which is arguably one of the core abilities of the class. Yes, you have maps and can give them to your allies for bonuses, and it's thematically unique and interesting, but unless some very niche, specific combo pops up, positioning won't be that strong, Safe Haven is situational, Spell Scrolls are too expensive, and Faerie Fire isn't worth it at higher levels. At that point, what does the cartographer do besides a 1d4 boost to initiative and spells that another Artificer subclass can't?

Franchise

Dungeons & Dragons

Original release date

1974

Designer

E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson