Artificer: Does infused magic item count against maximum number of infusions?

Question

I would assume the answer is 'no' but I wanted to check.

It feels very odd to be able to replicate (up to) 4 magic items at level 2, but only ever be able to use two of them at a time at that level, because it just saves you a bit of money early on. Or, for example, if you replicate a bag of holding, you can only ever have one other infusion active.

I have seen a few people claim that the replicate magic item infusion does not count against the standard 2 max infusions (at level 2). Just that you are limited to having only 1 replica of your chosen magic item at any one time. The claim is that (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything p.12) the reference to an 'infusion ending on a bag of holding' is only applied if you attempt to make a new bag of holding, but I wanted to ask what others think.

I like this second option better, as it means you can play more with your enhancement infusions.
It also avoids having to constantly pick up every item that pops out of your bag of holding when changing infusions since it would be the oldest infusion every other time.

Answer 1

Yes, it counts.

The number of infused items available to the artificer at one time is always equal to half the number of infusions the artificer knows. For 2nd through 5th level, the artificer knows 4 infusions, but can only infuse two magical items. This is easily seen on the “Infusions Known” and “Infused Items” column of the Artificer class table.

The magic item infusion feature description goes on to say:

You can infuse more than one nonmagical object at the end of a long rest; the maximum number of objects appears in the Infused Items column of the Artificer table.

Nothing in the infusion description of replicate magic item indicates that it doesn’t count toward this maximum number of infused items, so it counts. In my estimation, this makes sense, as many of the replicable magical effects are just as good or better than the other infusion effects.

Answer 2

It counts as an infusion, but there there isn't a maximum number of total infusions.

You can infuse more than one nonmagical object at the end of a long rest; the maximum number of objects appears in the Infused Items column of the Artificer table.

The way the book reads, the Infused Items is the maximum number of objects you can infuse per long rest, not the maximum total items. The semicolon joins the two statements. Reworded, you can infuse more than one nonmagical item at the end of a long rest up to the number of objects appearing in the Infused Item column of the Artificer table per long rest.

There is no maximum stated because that is cover by this text:

You must touch each of the objects, and each of your infusions can only be in one object at a time.

This text sets your total maximum at the number of infusions you have whereas the previously stated text limits you to changing half of them each long rest. The text specifically uses "Replicate Magic Item" for Bag of Holding as an example to show that while you can create several Bags of Holding by taking the Infusion multiple times, you can't just create and sell them without the oldest one created losing its infusion and just becoming a bag again.