DnD 5e Backgrounds

Artisan 5e Background Guide

Published on December 14, 2024

Explore the Artisan background in D&D 5e, its benefits for tinkerers, and how it can boost your martial or spellcaster character’s utility.

An Artificer with the Artisan background uses Smith's Tools to fix his magical gauntlet.

Ryan Pancoast - Wizards of the Coast - Glint-Sleeve Artisan

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What Is the Artisan Background in D&D?

The Artisan is a DnD 5e background that represents a character who has honed their skills in a craft, often from a young age. Whether through sweeping floors in a workshop or apprenticing under a master artisan, your experience has shaped you into a talented craftsperson with an eye for detail and a knack for persuasion. This background is ideal for characters seeking a practical and creative foundation for their adventuring career.

How Does the Artisan Background Work?

The Artisan background offers the following features:

  • Ability Scores: Receive a +2 bonus to one ability and +1 to another, or a +1 bonus to all three: Strength, Dexterity, and Intelligence.
  • Origin Feat: Crafter. This feat allows you to craft a certain nonmagical item from the list provided when you finish a Long Res that lasts until your next Long Rest and reduces the nonmagical items you buy. It also provides three proficiency with three different Artisan’s Tools.
  • Skill Proficiencies: Investigation and Persuasion.
  • Tool Proficiency: Choose one type of Artisan’s Tools, such as Smith’s Tools, Alchemist’s Supplies, or Weaver’s Tools.
  • Equipment:
    • Option A: Your chosen Artisan’s Tools, two pouches, traveler’s clothes, and 32 GP.
    • Option B: 50 GP for a more flexible starting loadout.

Ability Scores: Strength and Dexterity make this background appealing to marital characters, especially those making weapon attacks with Strength but using Dexterity for AC (Barbarians, Rangers, and some Fighters). Intelligence can also make this background viable for Artificers or Wizards who want to increase their spellcasting ability score and boost their Dexterity for defense.

Crafter Feat: This feat is a nice boost for low-level characters that rely on nonmagical gear to circumvent obstacles, like ladders or rope to scale a wall, but is far from the most powerful Origin feat. It also can help get you discounts when you’re party is looking to upgrade their nonmagical armor, but passed level 5 this won’t offer too much benefit. Unfortunately, the tool proficiencies also don’t allow you to craft the most useful items in the new crafting system, Spell Scrolls and Potions of Healing, so they’re not worth much either.

Investigation and Persuasion Proficiencies: Investigation is a good skill to have if you’re focusing on Intelligence, while Persuasion is always useful for social encounters.

Artisan’s Tools: Tool proficiencies have received mechanical upgrades in the 2024 Player’s Handbook. For example, Smith’s Tools can craft mundane weapons and armor, while Alchemist’s Supplies enable the creation of potions. Your chosen tools will shape your crafting focus, so pick those that align with your character’s needs.

What Type of Character is the Artisan Background For?

Artisan is a decent choice for martial classes who want to round out their out-of-combat utility. Fighters and Barbarians can boost Strength for their attacks and Dexterity for AC. Plus they get Crafter, which provides tool proficiencies and allows them to quickly build all sorts of mundane items. Investigation and Persuasion are two decent skill proficiencies to have for exploration and social situations, respectively.

Which 5e Classes Make the Most of the Artisan Background?

The color code below has been implemented to help you identify, at a glance, how good the Artisan 5e background is for a specific class/subclass.

  • Red : Isn’t going to contribute to the effectiveness of your character build at all
  • Orange : Situationally good, but a below-average option otherwise
  • Green : A good option
  • Blue : A great option, you should strongly consider this option for your character
  • Sky Blue: An amazing option. If you do not take this option your character would not be optimized

Artificer: Not only is this background thematic, it offers plenty of things Artificers are interested in. The Crafter feat can help you make mundane items, an extra tool proficiency further increases your crafting capabilities, and you can +2 your Intelligence and Dexterity. Proficiency in Persuasion is also a good social skill to help mitigate your (probably dumped) Charisma ability.

Barbarian: Strength and Dexterity are good ability scores to boost and the Crafter feat, proficiency in Persuasion, and Artisan's Tool proficiency help round out your Barbarian outside of combat.

Bard: Without a Charisma boost, there's not much here for a Bard.

Cleric: Without a Wisdom boost, there's not much here for a Cleric, though it could be a thematic pick for a Forge Domain Cleric.

Druid: Without a Wisdom boost, there's not much here for a Druid.

Fighter: Strength and Dexterity are good ability scores to boost and the Crafter feat, proficiency in Persuasion, and Artisan's Tool proficiency help round out your Fighter outside of combat. This could also be an ideal pick for an Eldritch Knight seeing as you can boost your Strength and Intelligence.

Monk: A boost to Dexterity makes this an alright pick, but unless you really want to get crafty with your Monk, there are better options out there.

Paladin: You can grab a +2 to Strength, which is alright, but there are better options that provide boost to Strength, Constitution, and combat-related abilities.

Ranger: A boost to Dexterity makes this an alright pick, but unless you really want to get crafty with your Ranger, there are better options out there.

Rogue: A boost to Dexterity makes this an alright pick, but unless you really want to get crafty with your Rogue, there are better options out there.

Sorcerer: Without a Charisma boost, there's not much here for a Sorcerer.

Warlock: Without a Charisma boost, there's not much here for a Warlock.

Wizard: Wizards get to +2 their Intelligence and boost their Dexterity to help their AC with this background. The Crafter feat and Artisan's Tools proficiency can help you make mundane items. Proficiency in Persuasion is a good social skill to help mitigate your (probably dumped) Charisma ability and proficiency in Investigation will go well with your pumped Intelligence.

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Mike Bernier

Mike Bernier is the lead content writer and founder of Arcane Eye. He is a Adamantine best-selling author of Strixhaven: A Syllabus of Sorcery on DMs Guild and is a contributing author at D&D Beyond. Follow Mike on Twitter.