What happens if my Steel Defender drops to 0 hit points and I cannot mend it or spend a spell slot to revive it until the next day? Do they fully die? Is there a cost to make a new one?
If it has died within the last hour, you can use your smith’s tools as an action to revive it, provided you are within 5 feet of it and you expend a spell slot of 1st level or higher
The Next line mentions it returns to life after 1 minute, but I assume that's 1 minute after I spend an action and burn a spell slot to use my tools to heal it
Correct, the part about returning to life after 1 minute is contingent on the artificer expending a spell slot of 1st level or higher to revive the steel defender.
You can still create a new steel defender at the end of a long rest, even one that's still alive long as you don't mind the currently living one perishing in the process.
What really gets me about the death of a Steel Defender is its lack of death. I could not find any rule that explains when a Steel Defender dies if its creator dies. Does this mean that Eberron is covered in bands of roving Steel Defenders mourning the loss of their master in the Last War?
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Bark side up, bark side down, it really, truly does not matter.
What really gets me about the death of a Steel Defender is its lack of death. I could not find any rule that explains when a Steel Defender dies if its creator dies. Does this mean that Eberron is covered in bands of roving Steel Defenders mourning the loss of their master in the Last War?
Well, there could be room for a few. Remember, they don't really do anything if not giving commands and if they die without their Battle smith around to revive them, they stay dead. But it's an interesting idea you have. You could easily have a fun "where is the line between a warforged and a steel defender" story going on. :D
My take is more morbid. I think when the creator dies the Steel Defender just stops. Not dead, but not acting. Just slowly draining away
I prefer to think that the steel defender goes rogue until another artificer is able to capture it and rebuild/reboot it as an iron defender. It gives iron defenders a little more story weight if each one is the surviving legacy of a fallen battle smith.
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Bark side up, bark side down, it really, truly does not matter.
What really gets me about the death of a Steel Defender is its lack of death. I could not find any rule that explains when a Steel Defender dies if its creator dies. Does this mean that Eberron is covered in bands of roving Steel Defenders mourning the loss of their master in the Last War?
That's brilliant, and now my games include that!
Maybe they become dedicated to reviving their creators...either wandering looking for a cleric who can help, or following former friends and party members to help them as they search for aid. Or if the connection between Defender and Artificer is strong enough maybe the Defender is carrying around a connection or piece of the Artificer's soul, and if you find the right magic you can bring the Artificer back using that connection.
My take is more morbid. I think when the creator dies the Steel Defender just stops. Not dead, but not acting. Just slowly draining away
To expand on this idea, it just continues doing, or at least attempting to do, its last order. When it is impossible to do so, then it just remains idle and awaits another command from its master (which likely won't come).
This would be reasonable... But the defender acts on its own recognizable while you're down as per RAW. This means it must be in some way autonomous.
This thread was created before Tasha's Cauldron was printed, which was when the line about the Steel Defender acting on its own in the event of the Battle Smith being incapacitated was added.
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Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
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What happens if my Steel Defender drops to 0 hit points and I cannot mend it or spend a spell slot to revive it until the next day? Do they fully die? Is there a cost to make a new one?
The Next line mentions it returns to life after 1 minute, but I assume that's 1 minute after I spend an action and burn a spell slot to use my tools to heal it
Correct, the part about returning to life after 1 minute is contingent on the artificer expending a spell slot of 1st level or higher to revive the steel defender.
You can still create a new steel defender at the end of a long rest, even one that's still alive long as you don't mind the currently living one perishing in the process.
What really gets me about the death of a Steel Defender is its lack of death. I could not find any rule that explains when a Steel Defender dies if its creator dies. Does this mean that Eberron is covered in bands of roving Steel Defenders mourning the loss of their master in the Last War?
Bark side up, bark side down, it really, truly does not matter.
Well, there could be room for a few. Remember, they don't really do anything if not giving commands and if they die without their Battle smith around to revive them, they stay dead. But it's an interesting idea you have. You could easily have a fun "where is the line between a warforged and a steel defender" story going on. :D
My take is more morbid. I think when the creator dies the Steel Defender just stops. Not dead, but not acting. Just slowly draining away
I prefer to think that the steel defender goes rogue until another artificer is able to capture it and rebuild/reboot it as an iron defender. It gives iron defenders a little more story weight if each one is the surviving legacy of a fallen battle smith.
Bark side up, bark side down, it really, truly does not matter.
SO what happens if the creator is revived somehow?
That's brilliant, and now my games include that!
Maybe they become dedicated to reviving their creators...either wandering looking for a cleric who can help, or following former friends and party members to help them as they search for aid. Or if the connection between Defender and Artificer is strong enough maybe the Defender is carrying around a connection or piece of the Artificer's soul, and if you find the right magic you can bring the Artificer back using that connection.
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To expand on this idea, it just continues doing, or at least attempting to do, its last order. When it is impossible to do so, then it just remains idle and awaits another command from its master (which likely won't come).
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They continue to stay by their creator, faithfully awaiting the day their creator resumes giving them orders.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.
That's the premise of Horizon Zero Dawn, isn't it?
This would be reasonable... But the defender acts on its own recognizable while you're down as per RAW. This means it must be in some way autonomous.
This thread was created before Tasha's Cauldron was printed, which was when the line about the Steel Defender acting on its own in the event of the Battle Smith being incapacitated was added.
Find your own truth, choose your enemies carefully, and never deal with a dragon.
"Canon" is what's factual to D&D lore. "Cannon" is what you're going to be shot with if you keep getting the word wrong.