I've read a lot of material about how people use their Steel Defenders in combat. I'm wondering about other situations. Do you use your Steel Defender for tasks outside of combat? What do you do when you go to a pub, do you leave it outside or just go everywhere with a Medium steel dogbear because This Is Your Life Now?
When you're an Adventurer, I've learned, it's a little dangerous to leave a major part of your combat ability back at the inn.
Do you stick with one form for your Steel Defender or change it out for different situations?
Mines a goat, mechanical with a rams skull head and a goat hide tossed over It to “blend in” as my artificer says. Atamos uses him as a mount, and beast of burden.
I'm playing a 2.5 gnome artificer, Giggleswick, so since I'm a size small and my steel Defender, "Corny" is a medium construct I'm allowed to ride him so so far I've just used him instead of riding one of the horses or in the wagon...when I'm not riding the shoulders of one of the 7foot women in my group lol. He also adds a lot of flavour and he's heavily baked into my back story (I describe him as the ugliest unicorn you've ever seen; he's made of scrap steel, some sharp and rusted because my background is Urchin and I have in her backstory that she created Corny with the street urchin kids that are her chosen family she fiercely protects. In fact the youngest is the one who named him Corny.) So he makes an interesting sight and a conversation piece but otherwise, I've only had three sessions so far with him so undetermined but I think traveling with a medium size steel unicorn feels like "this is my life now". I've only been into two buildings so far and in both cases Corny came with us, even getting my paladin to lift him to the second floor balcony with a rope so he could come in to a scary manse with us because I didn't want him that far from my side. Also there were a bunch of boars outside and I wasn't sure whether they're going to attack my steel unicorn if I leave him behind, but I feel like that is often going to be the case. Giggleswick is known as being extremely protective of those she loves (which, for roleplaying purposes is funny because this 2.5 foot gnome WILL throw herself in front of a 7ft paladin if she thinks that paladin is about to die) and in her adventuring group there's no one she loves more than Corny so she needs him in case she or someone in her group gets into trouble but also so she can make sure he's safe.
PS. I painted Corny (and Giggleswick, and actually literally everything she owns) and despite calling him the ugliest unicorn you've ever seen, he's actually super cool. He has glowing emerald green eyes and a tail that has a knife blade edge and a mace end, as well as, of course, the very sharp, pointed unicorn horn.
My artificer was focused heavily on noncombatance, so his defender was used in tandem with his unseen servant, homunculus and mage hand as lab assistants. One for basic retrieval, one for restraints and heavy lifting, one for dictations, and one for an extra hand where needed.
By the gods, that man committed so many atrocities for science. I'm so proud.
Playing a Battle Smith now whose Steel Defender is the automatized effigies of his twin, then-9- year-old children who died 27 years ago. "You determine the defender’s appearance and whether it has two legs or four." Four legs, two creatures. The rules didn't explicitly say anything about the Steel Defender seeming to be one creature. If anything the twins are always holding hands. But out of combat, they typically horse around and play as that's how I imagine "the only action it takes is the Dodge action unless you take a Bonus Action to command it" would look like.
I was a small Owlin from the swamp and my steel defender was basically a gator/dog hybrid. He was my perch to carry me everywhere because walking a bird feet suck. Aside from being my legs it made a great tool to threaten people with since if I got in someone's face, my steel defender was in easy comping range to Nash teeth.
Since my Artificer is a master of many trades with a -1 Str, my Steel Defender is a walking toolbox/lunchbox that can carry the 8 sets of tools I'm proficient with and his rations. Its chest opens up like Bender from Futurama.
Imagine Battle Smith with the Chef Background and a steel defender made from cooking utensils. At the start of the day, tweak it to make a certain kind of meal, introduce ingredients as you adventure, and let the Defender cook a meal passively. An armored oven with fire-based attacks. A stewpot with legs, a vacuum sealed lid, and a bludgeoning attack. A custom fryer that uses the grease spell but needs oil to work. A smoker thar casts Pyrotechnics to create volumous quantities of woodsmoke.
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I've read a lot of material about how people use their Steel Defenders in combat. I'm wondering about other situations. Do you use your Steel Defender for tasks outside of combat? What do you do when you go to a pub, do you leave it outside or just go everywhere with a Medium steel dogbear because This Is Your Life Now?
When you're an Adventurer, I've learned, it's a little dangerous to leave a major part of your combat ability back at the inn.
Do you stick with one form for your Steel Defender or change it out for different situations?
Mines a goat, mechanical with a rams skull head and a goat hide tossed over It to “blend in” as my artificer says. Atamos uses him as a mount, and beast of burden.
I'm playing a 2.5 gnome artificer, Giggleswick, so since I'm a size small and my steel Defender, "Corny" is a medium construct I'm allowed to ride him so so far I've just used him instead of riding one of the horses or in the wagon...when I'm not riding the shoulders of one of the 7foot women in my group lol. He also adds a lot of flavour and he's heavily baked into my back story (I describe him as the ugliest unicorn you've ever seen; he's made of scrap steel, some sharp and rusted because my background is Urchin and I have in her backstory that she created Corny with the street urchin kids that are her chosen family she fiercely protects. In fact the youngest is the one who named him Corny.) So he makes an interesting sight and a conversation piece but otherwise, I've only had three sessions so far with him so undetermined but I think traveling with a medium size steel unicorn feels like "this is my life now". I've only been into two buildings so far and in both cases Corny came with us, even getting my paladin to lift him to the second floor balcony with a rope so he could come in to a scary manse with us because I didn't want him that far from my side. Also there were a bunch of boars outside and I wasn't sure whether they're going to attack my steel unicorn if I leave him behind, but I feel like that is often going to be the case. Giggleswick is known as being extremely protective of those she loves (which, for roleplaying purposes is funny because this 2.5 foot gnome WILL throw herself in front of a 7ft paladin if she thinks that paladin is about to die) and in her adventuring group there's no one she loves more than Corny so she needs him in case she or someone in her group gets into trouble but also so she can make sure he's safe.
PS. I painted Corny (and Giggleswick, and actually literally everything she owns) and despite calling him the ugliest unicorn you've ever seen, he's actually super cool. He has glowing emerald green eyes and a tail that has a knife blade edge and a mace end, as well as, of course, the very sharp, pointed unicorn horn.
My characters' steel defenders have been dogs based on real world breeds. I use them to carry items or small humanoids.
My artificer was focused heavily on noncombatance, so his defender was used in tandem with his unseen servant, homunculus and mage hand as lab assistants. One for basic retrieval, one for restraints and heavy lifting, one for dictations, and one for an extra hand where needed.
By the gods, that man committed so many atrocities for science. I'm so proud.
😂
I love this so much.
I admit, the compelling and deciding factor to create a steel defender for my artificer, with puny strength, was to have someone to carry her stuff.
Playing a Battle Smith now whose Steel Defender is the automatized effigies of his twin, then-9- year-old children who died 27 years ago. "You determine the defender’s appearance and whether it has two legs or four." Four legs, two creatures. The rules didn't explicitly say anything about the Steel Defender seeming to be one creature. If anything the twins are always holding hands. But out of combat, they typically horse around and play as that's how I imagine "the only action it takes is the Dodge action unless you take a Bonus Action to command it" would look like.
I was a small Owlin from the swamp and my steel defender was basically a gator/dog hybrid. He was my perch to carry me everywhere because walking a bird feet suck. Aside from being my legs it made a great tool to threaten people with since if I got in someone's face, my steel defender was in easy comping range to Nash teeth.
Since my Artificer is a master of many trades with a -1 Str, my Steel Defender is a walking toolbox/lunchbox that can carry the 8 sets of tools I'm proficient with and his rations. Its chest opens up like Bender from Futurama.
Eubraxa Rising: DM
Astray in the Stars: DM
Imagine Battle Smith with the Chef Background and a steel defender made from cooking utensils. At the start of the day, tweak it to make a certain kind of meal, introduce ingredients as you adventure, and let the Defender cook a meal passively. An armored oven with fire-based attacks. A stewpot with legs, a vacuum sealed lid, and a bludgeoning attack. A custom fryer that uses the grease spell but needs oil to work. A smoker thar casts Pyrotechnics to create volumous quantities of woodsmoke.