I'm looking forward to finding another group to play with, and I'm going to try out the Battle Smith. I have read that it's tough to keep your Steel Defender alive if you charge in with them in battle.
My initial intuition was to play a Human Variant and choose Sentinel. The tactic was to go Kamikaze and if they attack me, the Steel Defender imposes disadvantage. If they attack my Steel Defender, I get a reaction attack.
But with their squishy nature, perhaps that's not the best use. Maybe have them next to you taking the Dodge action, and use them solely for defense? That would make them more survivable, but you're sacrificing their bonus action damage.
So how do you use yours? Thanks for any suggestions!
If your steel defender is taking hits then it's basically tanking for you party. You can get it back with 1 spell slot if it dies, and if it takes that many hits that is a very well spent spell slot.
Dodge action on your steel defender is amazingly good, it doesn't do that much damage, but imposing disadvantage through dodge and its reaction can have a major impact on combats.
One combo that people don't talk about much is taking Homunculus and use your bonus action to use its ranged attack, and have your steel defender take the dodge action. Your damage goes down only slightly but your steel defender becomes much more survivable.
Another good way to have a perma-dodge defender is to take Pole Arm Master. You just use you blunt end attack instead of your defender for a bonus action. You slap a returning weapon infusion on your spear and you can now make multiple thrown attacks with it and stay out of melee, which allows you to use the PAM attack of opportunity when something does come within 5ft.
- dash. Good way to keep pressure on a target if you think AOs won't be effective. "If the ogre moves away from mark the fighter then the SD will cut it off"
Careful there, taking the Dash action doesn't make you move it just increases your movement for that turn. Meanwhile the Ready action says that you can take an Action or move. So readying the Dash action doesn't really do anything. It increases your movement speed that turn but then you can't move as part of the same reaction anymore. You can however Ready movement up to your movement speed, just without the added Dash. Effectively this just means that you can't increase your total movement range with the Ready action. Whether you use your Action to Dash or to Ready a movement, you're going to end up moving the same distance.
Fair. Poor wording pick in my part for the same effect. Ready move just doesn't sound right either...maybe ready set go?
Dash: When you take the DashAction, you gain extra Movement for the current turn.
Where are you getting that you cant use this as a readied action to move?
- dash. Good way to keep pressure on a target if you think AOs won't be effective. "If the ogre moves away from mark the fighter then the SD will cut it off"
Careful there, taking the Dash action doesn't make you move it just increases your movement for that turn. Meanwhile the Ready action says that you can take an Action or move. So readying the Dash action doesn't really do anything. It increases your movement speed that turn but then you can't move as part of the same reaction anymore. You can however Ready movement up to your movement speed, just without the added Dash. Effectively this just means that you can't increase your total movement range with the Ready action. Whether you use your Action to Dash or to Ready a movement, you're going to end up moving the same distance.
Fair. Poor wording pick in my part for the same effect. Ready move just doesn't sound right either...maybe ready set go?
Dash: When you take the DashAction, you gain extra Movement for the current turn.
Where are you getting that you cant use this as a readied action to move?
a ready dash won't work because it's not your turn even if the net results is the same movement and end position. Turn ≠round and action ≠ movement n all that jazz. Basically the ready action rules override this option.
I've seen some DMs allow ready action (dash) so it's worth asking about. Wouldn't complain for the extra 40 ft to run down a target.
Dash: When you take the DashAction, you gain extra Movement for the current turn.
Where are you getting that you cant use this as a readied action to move?
What would be the point? If you're speed 30, you can just Ready moving 30'. Why Ready the Dash action in order to generate 30' of movement and then try to persuade your DM to let you use said movement? Just move. The Ready action explicitly lets you just move with it.
Dash: When you take the DashAction, you gain extra Movement for the current turn.
Where are you getting that you cant use this as a readied action to move?
What would be the point? If you're speed 30, you can just Ready moving 30'. Why Ready the Dash action in order to generate 30' of movement and then try to persuade your DM to let you use said movement? Just move. The Ready action explicitly lets you just move with it.
Idk, stuff like the Mobile feat have effects on dash. In the case of that feat you are no longer effected by difficult terrain if you use dash.
Dash specifically says "you gain extra Movement for the current turn", not speed increases or anything like that. Why would you not be able to use the extra movement you gained for the current turn, on the current turn? If dash wasn't specifically meant to be used like this then why does it say "for the current turn"? Is there another scenario other than readied action where you could possibly use dash not on your turn?
Dash specifically says "you gain extra Movement for the current turn", not speed increases or anything like that. Why would you not be able to use the extra movement you gained for the current turn, on the current turn?
Because you can only use movement when a rule says you can. Consider the following: you ready the Dash action in response to me picking up a candle. On my turn, I pick up the candle, so you Dash. On what basis are you claiming you have to actually use that movement now, as opposed to at some other point during my turn? You have none. If your theory holds water, you should be entitled to move whenever you like on my turn, now that you have movement. Logic like this dissolves turn-based mechanics into a heaping mess. Thankfully, your theory is wrong - just having movement on someone else's turn (which is what happens when you Ready Dash) doesn't let you spend said movement on someone else's turn.
If dash wasn't specifically meant to be used like this then why does it say "for the current turn"? Is there another scenario other than readied action where you could possibly use dash not on your turn?
Not how 5E works - WOTC isn't good enough at wording rules tightly for reasoning like this to apply. They will often use unnecessary language, as well as over-specifying things that don't need to be.
One reason to specify "for the current turn" is that you can both Dash multiple times in a single turn (e.g. a Fighter with Action Surge) and take multiple turns in a single round (Samurai, Thief), which could lead to confusion by a player who doesn't understand that "your turn" means "your current turn".
The important thing here is to realize that moving the still defender via ready action is a underutilized tactic. Even something as simple as keeping it next to an enemy trying to use arranged attack of some sort can be a huge advantage for your party for a little investment on your part. Not only do they generate disadvantage on incoming attacks that way they also provide cover.
Agreed, having them stick to a ranged enemy is a great way to apply disadvantage more efficiently than with their regular Reaction. Also having them move around and triggering opportunity attacks from enemies can help your team as well (doesn't help with their survival though lol)
I thought Readying an action limited you to one action, and also used your Reaction to trigger it. So if you use your readied action to follow the bad guy, you can't use your reaction to impose Disadvantage anymore since that also requires your reaction.
I'm looking forward to finding another group to play with, and I'm going to try out the Battle Smith. I have read that it's tough to keep your Steel Defender alive if you charge in with them in battle.
My initial intuition was to play a Human Variant and choose Sentinel. The tactic was to go Kamikaze and if they attack me, the Steel Defender imposes disadvantage. If they attack my Steel Defender, I get a reaction attack.
But with their squishy nature, perhaps that's not the best use. Maybe have them next to you taking the Dodge action, and use them solely for defense? That would make them more survivable, but you're sacrificing their bonus action damage.
So how do you use yours? Thanks for any suggestions!
If your steel defender is taking hits then it's basically tanking for you party. You can get it back with 1 spell slot if it dies, and if it takes that many hits that is a very well spent spell slot.
Dodge action on your steel defender is amazingly good, it doesn't do that much damage, but imposing disadvantage through dodge and its reaction can have a major impact on combats.
One combo that people don't talk about much is taking Homunculus and use your bonus action to use its ranged attack, and have your steel defender take the dodge action. Your damage goes down only slightly but your steel defender becomes much more survivable.
Another good way to have a perma-dodge defender is to take Pole Arm Master. You just use you blunt end attack instead of your defender for a bonus action. You slap a returning weapon infusion on your spear and you can now make multiple thrown attacks with it and stay out of melee, which allows you to use the PAM attack of opportunity when something does come within 5ft.
Dash:
When you take the Dash Action, you gain extra Movement for the current turn.
Where are you getting that you cant use this as a readied action to move?
It says "Current turn" not "your turn"
What would be the point? If you're speed 30, you can just Ready moving 30'. Why Ready the Dash action in order to generate 30' of movement and then try to persuade your DM to let you use said movement? Just move. The Ready action explicitly lets you just move with it.
Idk, stuff like the Mobile feat have effects on dash.
In the case of that feat you are no longer effected by difficult terrain if you use dash.
Dash specifically says "you gain extra Movement for the current turn", not speed increases or anything like that. Why would you not be able to use the extra movement you gained for the current turn, on the current turn? If dash wasn't specifically meant to be used like this then why does it say "for the current turn"? Is there another scenario other than readied action where you could possibly use dash not on your turn?
Because you can only use movement when a rule says you can. Consider the following: you ready the Dash action in response to me picking up a candle. On my turn, I pick up the candle, so you Dash. On what basis are you claiming you have to actually use that movement now, as opposed to at some other point during my turn? You have none. If your theory holds water, you should be entitled to move whenever you like on my turn, now that you have movement. Logic like this dissolves turn-based mechanics into a heaping mess. Thankfully, your theory is wrong - just having movement on someone else's turn (which is what happens when you Ready Dash) doesn't let you spend said movement on someone else's turn.
Played a Kobold cowboy. Was proficient with firearms and rode my SD as a mount.
"What do you mean I'm not charming? Don't you see my beard!?" - Master Dwarf Rockhound
I thought Readying an action limited you to one action, and also used your Reaction to trigger it. So if you use your readied action to follow the bad guy, you can't use your reaction to impose Disadvantage anymore since that also requires your reaction.