I use my defender as a mount, with that I direct the attacks on him to me with the mounted combatant feat, with that, I put a cloak of protection on it, in it I put warding bond with the skill lvl 11, in the end, I have resistance to everything, my character has 30 AC, being very difficult for me to be hit, my defender also flies, because I got winged boots for him, that is, he gives me ground and air displacement, more resistance than a bear totem barbarian, uses reaction to protect me, and above all, he is a mechanic goat, THE G.O.A.T
Wasn't aware you could actually mount it, so might give that a go in the future!
I personally tend to let it push up with the frontline (Barb, Warrior, etc.) just to take hits for them. It might not seem like much, but when the BBEG wastes one of its powerful attacks on my little dumb robot, it's worth it.
I don't know if it's allowed or not but putting barding on the steel defender would add lots to it's usability.
Also throwing on Aid or some such would give it more HP to play with.
Throwing in Summon Construct (stone variety with that nice no reaction in 5 ft) is something to combo with the defender to add some good strategy... particularly if you are going against a magic caster.
I don't think it's worth putting a barding on the defender, his Ac already reaches 17 at lvl 15, and barding is extremely expensive, about the aid, even spending a lvl 5 spell slot, it would be interesting to give another 20 life to the defender, since if he uses warding bond on you, and you use mounted combatant to direct the attack to you, this 20 becomes 40, if you took attacks, even having your life shared with the defender, you basically have resistance to everything (apart from aoe attacks of course), that is, instead of your defender dying with 107 damage, or 127 if you use it Aid lvl 5, the enemies would have to deal 214 or 254 damage to kill your defender, (lvl 20), I had forgotten that aid existed, thanks for reminding me, now my defender can survive longer, now a tip to make your defender EXTREMELY MORE USEFUL, use the feature to choose his appearance, so I say that he is a quadruped goat with 2 mechanical arms, so my defender can use items baby, which makes it very useful, he can put a potion in my mouth for example, yes those two arms are literally Dr Octopus, with his arms he can also activate the spell storage Magic item to activate warding bond, but now....let's talk about raw.... all this is possible by raw, BUT, it's your master who decides if your defender will be an animal with mechanical arms that can use a magic that gives you resistance to everything hahahaha
In our Eberron campaign, currently at level 13, the Steel Defender has been used for flanking, occasionally attacking (although without great effect), using the help action to give the Battle Smith advantage, using the reaction to confer disadvantage on attacks against the Battle Smith, and getting pancaked in various ways.
A very large airship crashed into a cathedral and "landed" on him last session.
Recently, both artificers in the party got our spell storing items, and loaded them with Web and Cure Wounds. We handed these to the steel defender. It seems to be a better use of his actions than attacking. He throws Web during combat and dispenses the Cure Wounds as necessary.
Something for higher level is putting Warding Bond in your spell storing item, havre your Steel Defender cast it on you then it mostly hangs back and dodges.
+1 AC is nice
Resistance to all damage is amazing
It takes huge damage to make you even possibly fail a concentration test so you can use spells that rely on concentration while getting stuck into melee
The steel defender is very resource efficient to heal between combat - much more so than the artificer. If it gets downed it has saved you taking a lot of damage - damage you couldn’t restore with a single 1st level spell slot by any other means. If it’s not downed you need a bit of time to cast mending enough times.
- 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?
Because the readied action occurs on your reaction (out of your turn), and your movement occurs on your turn.
1) Flank enemies that cause issues. Movement doesn't cost any bonus action and keeping it's reaction means that flanking an enemy (or positioning so another party member can engage next to flank them) means that if the enemy moves, the SD gets an opportunity attack. If they try to attack, the SD applies disadvantage. If your other party member attacks, the enemy has disadvantage. Moving the SD with 40 speed is the cheapest thing.
2) I use it as a mount for my homunculus servant (which, I know, by default isn't powerful but, assuming your DM doesn't complain, there's literally nothing that should prevent it from using a wand of magic missiles or at least holding some rocks at all times that you can cast magic stones on to give it at least 3 improved attacks with your spell cast to hit and damage). The SD can go up to 40 ft and the HS still has 30 ft flying it can use at the end (or more often, have it hop off just before SD gets in enemy's reach and you've still basically doubled its speed for the turn). It can fly out of most enemies' range and allow you to use you bonus action to land one more attack basically anywhere in the field with the SD's added movement.
3) If I'm incapacitated in battle, I have the SD drag me away from combat and the homunculus administer one of my healing potions so my companions can keep fighting and I can still get back in the fight as well.
That's mostly what I've done. My DM has also on occasion allowed "crafting upgrades" but that's outside rules as written so depends on your table.
this is a very old post BUT i played a tortle artificer in a full-caster campaign(strixhaven). Due to tortle things and artificer things, I ultimately had an ac too high for many of our foes to be capable of striking, and noone hit me without difficulty. so my strategy was to charge in personally and actually leave my defender back with the spellcasters as a backup melee for the squishies. that way it serves an important role but also isnt used too quickly. frankly its damage and durability is NOT its biggest use, its biggest use is as a body block and using its deflect attack. meaning you can put it near ranged enemies to force them to take disadvantage or take an opportunity attack, or have them mess with melee opponents with deflect attack. point being, its more use to you as an impediment for enemies rather than an offensive tool.
I decided to make it a hunting dog. It moves between my battle smith and the front line. If we get a breakthrough, the defender intercepts the incoming opponent. Meanwhile, I keep launching arrows with my repeating infused longbow and the Sharpshooter feat. I can cast spells through my bow for some trick arrows (firebolt, ray of frost). I am considering whether to stay artificer or go three levels in fighter (for archery fighting style, action surge, and arcane shot (grasping arrow, bursting shot)). I want arcane jolt and the infusions at higher levels are pretty sweet. (Arcane jolt is a force arrow-1d8 piercing+2d6 force+ Int) But the fighter stuff is cool, too. If an ally goes down, defender will drag them out of harm's way to be healed. The other is to make the defender humanoid in order to get him to lift stuff, open chests, check for traps (by walking ahead of my artificer), etc. The other option is to go fighter battlemaster for maneuvers like tripping attack, disarming attack, etc.
He was an assistant to an artificer when the town the Artificer's workshop was located was attacked and there was an explosion. my character was severely damaged and the Artificer did his best to heal and put my character back together again.
Character is Custome lineage to have Darkvision - Replacement eye
Battle Master Artificer with Spells being Mechanical replacements or augmentations to his body
Steel Defender is his replaced left arm. (Not all defender features are usable this way but.
1) Disadvantage on one attack per turn that hits character.
2) One extra attack of force damage punch.
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I use my defender as a mount, with that I direct the attacks on him to me with the mounted combatant feat, with that, I put a cloak of protection on it, in it I put warding bond with the skill lvl 11, in the end, I have resistance to everything, my character has 30 AC, being very difficult for me to be hit, my defender also flies, because I got winged boots for him, that is, he gives me ground and air displacement, more resistance than a bear totem barbarian, uses reaction to protect me, and above all, he is a mechanic goat, THE G.O.A.T
Wasn't aware you could actually mount it, so might give that a go in the future!
I personally tend to let it push up with the frontline (Barb, Warrior, etc.) just to take hits for them. It might not seem like much, but when the BBEG wastes one of its powerful attacks on my little dumb robot, it's worth it.
I don't know if it's allowed or not but putting barding on the steel defender would add lots to it's usability.
Also throwing on Aid or some such would give it more HP to play with.
Throwing in Summon Construct (stone variety with that nice no reaction in 5 ft) is something to combo with the defender to add some good strategy... particularly if you are going against a magic caster.
I don't think it's worth putting a barding on the defender, his Ac already reaches 17 at lvl 15, and barding is extremely expensive, about the aid, even spending a lvl 5 spell slot, it would be interesting to give another 20 life to the defender, since if he uses warding bond on you, and you use mounted combatant to direct the attack to you, this 20 becomes 40, if you took attacks, even having your life shared with the defender, you basically have resistance to everything (apart from aoe attacks of course), that is, instead of your defender dying with 107 damage, or 127 if you use it Aid lvl 5, the enemies would have to deal 214 or 254 damage to kill your defender, (lvl 20), I had forgotten that aid existed, thanks for reminding me, now my defender can survive longer, now a tip to make your defender EXTREMELY MORE USEFUL, use the feature to choose his appearance, so I say that he is a quadruped goat with 2 mechanical arms, so my defender can use items baby, which makes it very useful, he can put a potion in my mouth for example, yes those two arms are literally Dr Octopus, with his arms he can also activate the spell storage Magic item to activate warding bond, but now....let's talk about raw.... all this is possible by raw, BUT, it's your master who decides if your defender will be an animal with mechanical arms that can use a magic that gives you resistance to everything hahahaha
In our Eberron campaign, currently at level 13, the Steel Defender has been used for flanking, occasionally attacking (although without great effect), using the help action to give the Battle Smith advantage, using the reaction to confer disadvantage on attacks against the Battle Smith, and getting pancaked in various ways.
A very large airship crashed into a cathedral and "landed" on him last session.
Recently, both artificers in the party got our spell storing items, and loaded them with Web and Cure Wounds. We handed these to the steel defender. It seems to be a better use of his actions than attacking. He throws Web during combat and dispenses the Cure Wounds as necessary.
Is this a Warhammer 40K reference??????????????????????????????????????????????????????
If so, the gnome thing is really smart because a Medium Dwarf can't ride a SD. Gnome = LoV Dwarf.
Leagues of Votann forever!
Something for higher level is putting Warding Bond in your spell storing item, havre your Steel Defender cast it on you then it mostly hangs back and dodges.
+1 AC is nice
Resistance to all damage is amazing
It takes huge damage to make you even possibly fail a concentration test so you can use spells that rely on concentration while getting stuck into melee
The steel defender is very resource efficient to heal between combat - much more so than the artificer. If it gets downed it has saved you taking a lot of damage - damage you couldn’t restore with a single 1st level spell slot by any other means. If it’s not downed you need a bit of time to cast mending enough times.
Because the readied action occurs on your reaction (out of your turn), and your movement occurs on your turn.
Last campaign our party artificer used the steel defender as a flanking buddy for whoever was in melee combat if possible, or as an off tank if not.
Mostly use it for 3 things:
1) Flank enemies that cause issues. Movement doesn't cost any bonus action and keeping it's reaction means that flanking an enemy (or positioning so another party member can engage next to flank them) means that if the enemy moves, the SD gets an opportunity attack. If they try to attack, the SD applies disadvantage. If your other party member attacks, the enemy has disadvantage. Moving the SD with 40 speed is the cheapest thing.
2) I use it as a mount for my homunculus servant (which, I know, by default isn't powerful but, assuming your DM doesn't complain, there's literally nothing that should prevent it from using a wand of magic missiles or at least holding some rocks at all times that you can cast magic stones on to give it at least 3 improved attacks with your spell cast to hit and damage). The SD can go up to 40 ft and the HS still has 30 ft flying it can use at the end (or more often, have it hop off just before SD gets in enemy's reach and you've still basically doubled its speed for the turn). It can fly out of most enemies' range and allow you to use you bonus action to land one more attack basically anywhere in the field with the SD's added movement.
3) If I'm incapacitated in battle, I have the SD drag me away from combat and the homunculus administer one of my healing potions so my companions can keep fighting and I can still get back in the fight as well.
That's mostly what I've done. My DM has also on occasion allowed "crafting upgrades" but that's outside rules as written so depends on your table.
this is a very old post BUT i played a tortle artificer in a full-caster campaign(strixhaven). Due to tortle things and artificer things, I ultimately had an ac too high for many of our foes to be capable of striking, and noone hit me without difficulty. so my strategy was to charge in personally and actually leave my defender back with the spellcasters as a backup melee for the squishies. that way it serves an important role but also isnt used too quickly. frankly its damage and durability is NOT its biggest use, its biggest use is as a body block and using its deflect attack. meaning you can put it near ranged enemies to force them to take disadvantage or take an opportunity attack, or have them mess with melee opponents with deflect attack. point being, its more use to you as an impediment for enemies rather than an offensive tool.
I decided to make it a hunting dog. It moves between my battle smith and the front line. If we get a breakthrough, the defender intercepts the incoming opponent. Meanwhile, I keep launching arrows with my repeating infused longbow and the Sharpshooter feat. I can cast spells through my bow for some trick arrows (firebolt, ray of frost). I am considering whether to stay artificer or go three levels in fighter (for archery fighting style, action surge, and arcane shot (grasping arrow, bursting shot)). I want arcane jolt and the infusions at higher levels are pretty sweet. (Arcane jolt is a force arrow-1d8 piercing+2d6 force+ Int) But the fighter stuff is cool, too. If an ally goes down, defender will drag them out of harm's way to be healed. The other is to make the defender humanoid in order to get him to lift stuff, open chests, check for traps (by walking ahead of my artificer), etc. The other option is to go fighter battlemaster for maneuvers like tripping attack, disarming attack, etc.
I have a low-level Artificer
He was an assistant to an artificer when the town the Artificer's workshop was located was attacked and there was an explosion. my character was severely damaged and the Artificer did his best to heal and put my character back together again.
Character is Custome lineage to have Darkvision - Replacement eye
Battle Master Artificer with Spells being Mechanical replacements or augmentations to his body
Steel Defender is his replaced left arm. (Not all defender features are usable this way but.
1) Disadvantage on one attack per turn that hits character.
2) One extra attack of force damage punch.