With average HP, supported by their proficiency in medium DnD armor and DnD shields, Artificers have moderate staying power, equivalent to a Cleric 5e character. Your subclass can improve this further ...
Perhaps you want to play ‘Batman, but in a high fantasy world’. Or maybe you want to write a short essay describing how your new persona fits into the DnD setting your Dungeon Master has already ...
Anyone dependent on a shield in DnD would be well-advised to see if they can get their hands on a Sentinel Shield. Anyone holding this gets an advantage on both initiative rolls and wisdom checks ...