Hit Points 2 + your Intelligence modifier + five times your artificer level (the defender has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your artificer level)
Does this mean we can roll d8's for the steel defender? How do we put the result into the character sheet? It seems to be hard capped at the average per level instead of allowing a roll of a d8.
I'm familiar with PEMDAS, and the order of operations from left to right. I've also read the posts for this topic on Stack Exchange and Reddit, which support the previous posts here.
Given the way the stat block is written (RAW), I agree with the other posts in this thread, Stack Exchange and Reddit. However, Rules as Intended (RAI), I think there should be parenthesis around the three values to be added, so the sum is then multiplied by the Artificer's level.
Why? Because 5 is the average HP for a d8 HD before a CON modifier is added, and the 2 in the formula is the Steel Defender's CON modifier that should be added for every Hit Die. At a minimum, the Steel Defender's HP should be 7 x Artificer Level. A Steel Defender for a level 20 Artificer should have 140 HP minimum, before any adjustment for the Artificer's Intelligence. This formula for calculating HP from HD is well-understood in 5E, so the only real question is how the Artificer's INT factors into the equation:
"Hit Points 2 + your Intelligence modifier + five times your artificer level (the defender has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your artificer level)"
The Artificer's INT modifier could simply be added to the calculated total HP, so the level 20 Artificer with a 20 INT would have a Steel Defender with 145 HP. However, the way it is worded in the stat block makes me think the SUM should be multiplied by level because the INT modifier is stuck between the 2 (construct's CON modifier) and the 5 (average for a d8 Hit Die) - both of which we know should be multiplied by the Artificer's level.
So, Rules as Intended, I would say the Steel Defender for a level 20 Artificer with a 20 INT should be (2+5+5)x20. 12x20 = 240 HP, which seems appropriate for a tanky steel defender at the pinnacle of tier 4 and at the sunset of the adventuring campaign. The Steel Defender will only have AC 17 with the Improved Defender ability gained at Artificer level 15, which is very easy for adversaries to hit in Tier 4, so I don't feel 240 HP is unbalanced.
I don't know why Rules Lawyers typically promote the strictest and least fun interpretation of the rules, but a level 20 Steel Defender with 107 HP is LAME! Common sense should tell us this can't be right.
I'm familiar with PEMDAS, and the order of operations from left to right. I've also read the posts for this topic on Stack Exchange and Reddit, which support the previous posts here.
Given the way the stat block is written (RAW), I agree with the other posts in this thread, Stack Exchange and Reddit. However, Rules as Intended (RAI), I think there should be parenthesis around the three values to be added, so the sum is then multiplied by the Artificer's level.
Why? Because 5 is the average HP for a d8 HD before a CON modifier is added, and the 2 in the formula is the Steel Defender's CON modifier that should be added for every Hit Die. At a minimum, the Steel Defender's HP should be 7 x Artificer Level. A Steel Defender for a level 20 Artificer should have 140 HP minimum, before any adjustment for the Artificer's Intelligence. This formula for calculating HP from HD is well-understood in 5E, so the only real question is how the Artificer's INT factors into the equation:
"Hit Points 2 + your Intelligence modifier + five times your artificer level (the defender has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your artificer level)"
The Artificer's INT modifier could simply be added to the calculated total HP, so the level 20 Artificer with a 20 INT would have a Steel Defender with 145 HP. However, the way it is worded in the stat block makes me think the SUM should be multiplied by level because the INT modifier is stuck between the 2 (construct's CON modifier) and the 5 (average for a d8 Hit Die) - both of which we know should be multiplied by the Artificer's level.
So, Rules as Intended, I would say the Steel Defender for a level 20 Artificer with a 20 INT should be (2+5+5)x20. 12x20 = 240 HP, which seems appropriate for a tanky steel defender at the pinnacle of tier 4 and at the sunset of the adventuring campaign. The Steel Defender will only have AC 17 with the Improved Defender ability gained at Artificer level 15, which is very easy for adversaries to hit in Tier 4, so I don't feel 240 HP is unbalanced.
I don't know why Rules Lawyers typically promote the strictest and least fun interpretation of the rules, but a level 20 Steel Defender with 107 HP is LAME! Common sense should tell us this can't be right.
It is a pet that costs no resources and can be revived directly for a level 1 spell slot or for free with a long rest and gives you some nice extra features outside of your action economy.
So, that said, I'd say 240 HP would totally be unbalanced.
Furthermore, if we look at the Drake companion from the Drakewarden Ranger from Fizban's, it has even less HP 5+(Ranger lvl x 5) [d10 hit dice].
So, the RAW and RAI HP for level 20 seem to be 107.
5 times your Artificer level and it has a number of d8 hit dice equal to your Artificer level. That means it takes the average rounded up for each hit die just like the Artificer does, plus it gets a starting bonus of 2+Int mod just to make it a li’l more survivable in early levels. That’s already a beefy companion having almost as many HP as the Artificer it serves.
I don't know why Rules Lawyers typically promote the strictest and least fun interpretation of the rules, but a level 20 Steel Defender with 107 HP is LAME! Common sense should tell us this can't be right.
It can be healed with a f***ing cantrip.
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You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Some good points in the responses, but all have ignored the fact that CON modifier is applied to every Hit Die when calculating HP. So, 145 HP at level 20 seems to be the best interpretation: [(5 HP Average + 2 CON) x 20 HD] + 5 INT Modifier = 145 HP at Artificer level 20.
Coincidentally, AC 17 with 145 HP is roughly equivalent to the Shield Guardian, which is the target a level 20 Artificer is probably trying to hit with this construct.
Access to a Steel Defender is a key reason the Artificer is a half caster instead of a full caster. This and other Artificer perks are what cost him/her access to 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th-level spells... I would say the Steel Defender does cost the Artificer spell progression, and that's a powerful resource to disregard.
Some good points in the responses, but all have ignored the fact that CON modifier is applied to every Hit Die when calculating HP. So, 145 HP at level 20 seems to be the best interpretation: [(5 HP Average + 2 CON) x 20 HD] + 5 INT Modifier = 145 HP at Artificer level 20.
Coincidentally, AC 17 with 145 HP is roughly equivalent to the Shield Guardian, which is the target a level 20 Artificer is probably trying to hit with this construct.
We’ve ignored nothing, we just recognize that that’s not how WotC designed the Steel Defender, most likely because they felt the additional 38 HP would be too much. But hey, you do you.
I'm familiar with PEMDAS, and the order of operations from left to right. I've also read the posts for this topic on Stack Exchange and Reddit, which support the previous posts here.
Given the way the stat block is written (RAW), I agree with the other posts in this thread, Stack Exchange and Reddit. However, Rules as Intended (RAI), I think there should be parenthesis around the three values to be added, so the sum is then multiplied by the Artificer's level.
Why? Because 5 is the average HP for a d8 HD before a CON modifier is added, and the 2 in the formula is the Steel Defender's CON modifier that should be added for every Hit Die. At a minimum, the Steel Defender's HP should be 7 x Artificer Level. A Steel Defender for a level 20 Artificer should have 140 HP minimum, before any adjustment for the Artificer's Intelligence. This formula for calculating HP from HD is well-understood in 5E, so the only real question is how the Artificer's INT factors into the equation:
"Hit Points 2 + your Intelligence modifier + five times your artificer level (the defender has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your artificer level)"
The Artificer's INT modifier could simply be added to the calculated total HP, so the level 20 Artificer with a 20 INT would have a Steel Defender with 145 HP. However, the way it is worded in the stat block makes me think the SUM should be multiplied by level because the INT modifier is stuck between the 2 (construct's CON modifier) and the 5 (average for a d8 Hit Die) - both of which we know should be multiplied by the Artificer's level.
So, Rules as Intended, I would say the Steel Defender for a level 20 Artificer with a 20 INT should be (2+5+5)x20. 12x20 = 240 HP, which seems appropriate for a tanky steel defender at the pinnacle of tier 4 and at the sunset of the adventuring campaign. The Steel Defender will only have AC 17 with the Improved Defender ability gained at Artificer level 15, which is very easy for adversaries to hit in Tier 4, so I don't feel 240 HP is unbalanced.
I don't know why Rules Lawyers typically promote the strictest and least fun interpretation of the rules, but a level 20 Steel Defender with 107 HP is LAME! Common sense should tell us this can't be right.
Your math is wrong. 2+5+(5*20) = 2+5+100 = 107. One of my players have as steel defender at 11th with 61 hp. So that is 5*11 = 55 +2 = 57 +4 (int is 19).
...Hit Points 2 + your Intelligence modifier + five times your artificer level (the defender has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your artificer level).....
That is from the book. No mention of adding con to HP. It is not a PC, it is a special thingy a bob.
And as DM I would not be having fun if a pet 240 hp with is 30d8.
Access to a Steel Defender is a key reason the Artificer is a half caster instead of a full caster. This and other Artificer perks are what cost him/her access to 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th-level spells... I would say the Steel Defender does cost the Artificer spell progression, and that's a powerful resource to disregard.
No, the Steel Defender is a Battle Smith only feature.
The main reason, Artificers are half-casters is infusions.
If we were to use the more conservative calculation, we would end up with a max HP of 107 HP (2 + 5 + (5 x 20)) at level 20, which is pretty low, even a wizard probably could get higher than that with a decent Con score, which I don't think is the intent for a companion who has no ranged attacks and whose main ability, Deflect Attack, can only be used on a target within 5 feet of it. Yes you can heal it with a cantrip, but Mending has a casting time of 1 minute, which means that after 10 minutes of constant work the Defender gets back an avg of 70 HP, and in a hostile environment, such a dungeon, enemy base, if you are on the run, or any number of other situations, that is a big window for enemies to find you, especially since it needs Verbal components, so you're not exactly sneaky while doing it, not to mention that artificers start with only 2 cantrips and max 4 at level 14, so mending is a kinda big investment for the artificer.
Yeah, you can revive the defender with a lvl 1 spell, however, with your lvl 1 spells, you could Absorb Elements, Catapult an enemy's weapon/focus/magic item 90 feet away if they are disarmed, Cure Wounds to save a dying player, Feather Fall or Shield, so yeah, it is good to spend a lvl 1 spell slot to get back the defender, and the value only increases the higher HP the defender has, but you could use that lvl 1 spell slot on so many other spells too.
However, if we only add the artificer's Int Mod to the defender's HP once, then that could be max 5 in normal play, which would rarely, if ever, make a difference. Then the + 2 from the beginning, if we also assume that is only a one time thing to add, then that is so small so to be actually useless. Which does make me think that both of these bonuses should be added on a per-level basis ((Con Mod (2) + Int Mod (5) + 5) x artificer level) which would indeed be 240 HP at level 20 if the artificer has 20 Int. Otherwise, those bonuses would not any reason to be there in the first place because of how small they are.
But if we take a fighter's avg HP at level 20, use average on the roll, so 1d10 becomes 5, and let's also assume the fighter also has 20 Con means a calculation of 10 + ((5 + 5) x 19), which comes out to 199 HP. Which is lower than the Steel Defender's, probably intended, HP of 240, but the Fighter can have magical armor, a LOT more attacks, higher damage, feats and so much more, while the Steel Defender is kinda just a sack of Hit Points in comparison.
Speaking of damage, the defender can only ever make one attack, not counting opportunity attacks, which at level 20 becomes an average of 10 DPR (1d8 + 6) to one target, which is basically nothing at that tier of play. Yes there is the Arcane Jolt, which will add 7 avg damage over 5 attacks with 20 Int, or 14 at level 15. But the point is that the defender isn't exactly a damage dealing machine, which the Drakewarden's dragon is more adept at, which can be a reason to why it has lower HP. Oh yeah, the artificer also needs to use their Bonus Action every turn to get the defender to attack, which can be a steep cost with the spells, feats and other effects you could instead use your Bonus Action for, plus, the Battle Smith gets Smite spells. (Yes, the Drakewarden also needs their Bonus Action, but the dragon still deals more damage than the defender)
All this to say, if the Steel Defender only ends up with 107 max HP at level freaking 20, or hell, 57 at level 10, why play a Battle Smith at all? The probability that the Steel Defender should have a big health pool is pretty high because, melee only, reaction with a range of only 5 feet and the player has to constantly use their Bonus Action to force it to attack. Yes you can use a cantrip to heal, but that takes a while and isn't stealthy, and yeah, reviving it is quick and can only cost a level 1 spell slot, but artificers have pretty few spell slots.
You ask why play Battle Smith at all if you only get a 107 HP companion? (107 is correct at level 20, by the way, that's how the block is written.)
-Battle Smith gets Extra Attack -Attack with Int instead of Str or Dex on any magic weapon, which you can make yourself with an infusion -Steel Defender adds 107 HP to your character, effectively, as it's an extra body under your control --Steel Defender also does things without commands if you're downed first -At higher levels, Deflect Attack making more things strike with disadvantage is a good ability -Only a single spell slot to revive if downed -Arcane Jolt gives the subclass a healing option that doesn't make them give up their attacks
Here's the thing. Artificers don't have ANY powerful subclasses. Their strength comes from their infusions and the ability to attune to more magic items, primarily. So when you're talking about subclass features and saying it can't be worth it, consider that none of the other Artificer subclasses really fare any better. After all...
-Alchemist: Just becomes a better healer in the end, base feature of elixirs only give temp HP as an additional feature -Armorer: Can't use magic armor and their subclass features at the same time -Artillerist: Oh look, they get a whole second cannon! Ooh, shock and awe!
Point is, the subclasses are just additional benefits that help shape the character's playstyle, but you should look at the base class to see why to play it.
If we were to use the more conservative calculation, we would end up with a max HP of 107 HP (2 + 5 + (5 x 20)) at level 20, which is pretty low, even a wizard probably could get higher than that with a decent Con score, which I don't think is the intent for a companion who has no ranged attacks and whose main ability, Deflect Attack, can only be used on a target within 5 feet of it. Yes you can heal it with a cantrip, but Mending has a casting time of 1 minute, which means that after 10 minutes of constant work the Defender gets back an avg of 70 HP, and in a hostile environment, such a dungeon, enemy base, if you are on the run, or any number of other situations, that is a big window for enemies to find you, especially since it needs Verbal components, so you're not exactly sneaky while doing it, not to mention that artificers start with only 2 cantrips and max 4 at level 14, so mending is a kinda big investment for the artificer.
Yeah, you can revive the defender with a lvl 1 spell, however, with your lvl 1 spells, you could Absorb Elements, Catapult an enemy's weapon/focus/magic item 90 feet away if they are disarmed, Cure Wounds to save a dying player, Feather Fall or Shield, so yeah, it is good to spend a lvl 1 spell slot to get back the defender, and the value only increases the higher HP the defender has, but you could use that lvl 1 spell slot on so many other spells too.
However, if we only add the artificer's Int Mod to the defender's HP once, then that could be max 5 in normal play, which would rarely, if ever, make a difference. Then the + 2 from the beginning, if we also assume that is only a one time thing to add, then that is so small so to be actually useless.
Which does make me think that both of these bonuses should be added on a per-level basis ((Con Mod (2) + Int Mod (5) + 5) x artificer level) which would indeed be 240 HP at level 20 if the artificer has 20 Int. Otherwise, those bonuses would not any reason to be there in the first place because of how small they are.
But if we take a fighter's avg HP at level 20, use average on the roll, so 1d10 becomes 5, and let's also assume the fighter also has 20 Con means a calculation of 10 + ((5 + 5) x 19), which comes out to 199 HP. Which is lower than the Steel Defender's, probably intended, HP of 240, but the Fighter can have magical armor, a LOT more attacks, higher damage, feats and so much more, while the Steel Defender is kinda just a sack of Hit Points in comparison.
Speaking of damage, the defender can only ever make one attack, not counting opportunity attacks, which at level 20 becomes an average of 10 DPR (1d8 + 6) to one target, which is basically nothing at that tier of play. Yes there is the Arcane Jolt, which will add 7 avg damage over 5 attacks with 20 Int, or 14 at level 15. But the point is that the defender isn't exactly a damage dealing machine, which the Drakewarden's dragon is more adept at, which can be a reason to why it has lower HP. Oh yeah, the artificer also needs to use their Bonus Action every turn to get the defender to attack, which can be a steep cost with the spells, feats and other effects you could instead use your Bonus Action for, plus, the Battle Smith gets Smite spells. (Yes, the Drakewarden also needs their Bonus Action, but the dragon still deals more damage than the defender)
All this to say, if the Steel Defender only ends up with 107 max HP at level freaking 20, or hell, 57 at level 10, why play a Battle Smith at all? The probability that the Steel Defender should have a big health pool is pretty high because, melee only, reaction with a range of only 5 feet and the player has to constantly use their Bonus Action to force it to attack. Yes you can use a cantrip to heal, but that takes a while and isn't stealthy, and yeah, reviving it is quick and can only cost a level 1 spell slot, but artificers have pretty few spell slots.
No, they're not “useless,” their true purpose has just not been made clear to you yet is all.
Consider this, when the Artificer is 20th level, presuming they also have an Int score of 20 (or higher), then the Steel defender will have the following stats: 107 HP, AC 17, be able to do a fairly substantial average of 32 force damage (or more) per round during the first 3 rounds of a combat, with an attack modifier of +11 (or higher). Going to look at the chart in the DMG, [CALCULATING….] That comes out to a Defensive CR 5, and an Offensive CR 7, and ends up as a final CR 6 creature. A CR 6 buddy that takes orders from you is no joke, even at 20th level. Okay, so, the thing is solid there, no problemo, even if as you say that additional 7 HP don’t really make much of a difference at that point, that’s okay because that’s not why the Steel Defender has them.
Now let’s take a look at it for a 3rd level Artificer. At 3rd level, presuming the artificer has an Int score of at least 16, then the defender has the following stats: 20 HP, AC 15, average DPR for 3 rounds of 6 force damage, with a +5 attack modifier. That works out to: [CALCULATING….] DCR ¼ +OCR 1 ÷ 2 = CR ½, which is respectable for a 3rd level PC’s li’l buddy. If it didn’t get the bonus (2+Int mod) ≈ 5 HP, then it would only have 15 HP at that point. Now, a difference of 5 HP might not sound like a lot in the grand scheme, but keep in mind that at that point the average 3rd level artificer PC will only have 24-27 HP (assuming fixed HP/level & Con 14-16). So that extra 5 HP on the defender at that point is huge.
The bonus (2 + Int mod) HP isn’t supposed to be impressive at higher levels, in fact it’s supposed to be relatively negligible at the level. It’s having that bump from levels 3-5 that that makes it important. It’s supposed to be approximately a whopping 33% increase in Defender HP right in the beginning that slowly drops to approximately a negligible 6% increase at 20th level. That’s its job, and it does it very well.
In reading this thread about the INT multiplier, I agree that its intent is to give the construct a little extra heft at that early level. It is effectively an extra level worth of HP. I was trying to figure out if the CON modifier should be added each level or not. RAW is a hard nope because of the way the formula for HP is written for them. I looked around, and have not found any official ruling to contradict that you do not use the CON modifier for HP.
I was just seeking any source for using the CON with the hit die increase from an official source. I know if it was an error in editing, WotC is not very forthcoming with after market adjustments of printed materials sometimes.
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IMHO, Earthdawn is still the best fantasy realm, Shadowrun is the best Sci-Fi realm, and Dark Sun is the best D&D realm.
In reading this thread about the INT multiplier, I agree that its intent is to give the construct a little extra heft at that early level. It is effectively an extra level worth of HP. I was trying to figure out if the CON modifier should be added each level or not. RAW is a hard nope because of the way the formula for HP is written for them. I looked around, and have not found any official ruling to contradict that you do not use the CON modifier for HP.
I was just seeking any source for using the CON with the hit die increase from an official source. I know if it was an error in editing, WotC is not very forthcoming with after market adjustments of printed materials sometimes.
If it was an error in editing they would have fixed it between Everton Rising and Tasha’s Cauldron.
So I'm reading from the statblock:
Hit Points 2 + your Intelligence modifier + five times your artificer level (the defender has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your artificer level)
Does this mean we can roll d8's for the steel defender? How do we put the result into the character sheet? It seems to be hard capped at the average per level instead of allowing a roll of a d8.
The 5 found in the Steel Defender's HP calculation is coincidentally the average of HD8 probably for that reason.
Ah. Thank you.
I'm familiar with PEMDAS, and the order of operations from left to right. I've also read the posts for this topic on Stack Exchange and Reddit, which support the previous posts here.
Given the way the stat block is written (RAW), I agree with the other posts in this thread, Stack Exchange and Reddit. However, Rules as Intended (RAI), I think there should be parenthesis around the three values to be added, so the sum is then multiplied by the Artificer's level.
Why? Because 5 is the average HP for a d8 HD before a CON modifier is added, and the 2 in the formula is the Steel Defender's CON modifier that should be added for every Hit Die. At a minimum, the Steel Defender's HP should be 7 x Artificer Level. A Steel Defender for a level 20 Artificer should have 140 HP minimum, before any adjustment for the Artificer's Intelligence. This formula for calculating HP from HD is well-understood in 5E, so the only real question is how the Artificer's INT factors into the equation:
"Hit Points 2 + your Intelligence modifier + five times your artificer level (the defender has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your artificer level)"
The Artificer's INT modifier could simply be added to the calculated total HP, so the level 20 Artificer with a 20 INT would have a Steel Defender with 145 HP. However, the way it is worded in the stat block makes me think the SUM should be multiplied by level because the INT modifier is stuck between the 2 (construct's CON modifier) and the 5 (average for a d8 Hit Die) - both of which we know should be multiplied by the Artificer's level.
So, Rules as Intended, I would say the Steel Defender for a level 20 Artificer with a 20 INT should be (2+5+5)x20. 12x20 = 240 HP, which seems appropriate for a tanky steel defender at the pinnacle of tier 4 and at the sunset of the adventuring campaign. The Steel Defender will only have AC 17 with the Improved Defender ability gained at Artificer level 15, which is very easy for adversaries to hit in Tier 4, so I don't feel 240 HP is unbalanced.
I don't know why Rules Lawyers typically promote the strictest and least fun interpretation of the rules, but a level 20 Steel Defender with 107 HP is LAME! Common sense should tell us this can't be right.
Lance
It is a pet that costs no resources and can be revived directly for a level 1 spell slot or for free with a long rest and gives you some nice extra features outside of your action economy.
So, that said, I'd say 240 HP would totally be unbalanced.
Furthermore, if we look at the Drake companion from the Drakewarden Ranger from Fizban's, it has even less HP 5+(Ranger lvl x 5) [d10 hit dice].
So, the RAW and RAI HP for level 20 seem to be 107.
5 times your Artificer level and it has a number of d8 hit dice equal to your Artificer level. That means it takes the average rounded up for each hit die just like the Artificer does, plus it gets a starting bonus of 2+Int mod just to make it a li’l more survivable in early levels. That’s already a beefy companion having almost as many HP as the Artificer it serves.
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It can be healed with a f***ing cantrip.
You don't know what fear is until you've witnessed a drunk bird divebombing you while carrying a screaming Kobold throwing fire anywhere and everywhere.
Some good points in the responses, but all have ignored the fact that CON modifier is applied to every Hit Die when calculating HP. So, 145 HP at level 20 seems to be the best interpretation: [(5 HP Average + 2 CON) x 20 HD] + 5 INT Modifier = 145 HP at Artificer level 20.
Coincidentally, AC 17 with 145 HP is roughly equivalent to the Shield Guardian, which is the target a level 20 Artificer is probably trying to hit with this construct.
Lance
Access to a Steel Defender is a key reason the Artificer is a half caster instead of a full caster. This and other Artificer perks are what cost him/her access to 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th-level spells... I would say the Steel Defender does cost the Artificer spell progression, and that's a powerful resource to disregard.
Lance
We’ve ignored nothing, we just recognize that that’s not how WotC designed the Steel Defender, most likely because they felt the additional 38 HP would be too much. But hey, you do you.
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Your math is wrong. 2+5+(5*20) = 2+5+100 = 107. One of my players have as steel defender at 11th with 61 hp. So that is 5*11 = 55 +2 = 57 +4 (int is 19).
...Hit Points 2 + your Intelligence modifier + five times your artificer level (the defender has a number of Hit Dice [d8s] equal to your artificer level).....
That is from the book. No mention of adding con to HP. It is not a PC, it is a special thingy a bob.
And as DM I would not be having fun if a pet 240 hp with is 30d8.
No Gaming is Better than Bad Gaming.
No, the Steel Defender is a Battle Smith only feature.
The main reason, Artificers are half-casters is infusions.
If we were to use the more conservative calculation, we would end up with a max HP of 107 HP (2 + 5 + (5 x 20)) at level 20, which is pretty low, even a wizard probably could get higher than that with a decent Con score, which I don't think is the intent for a companion who has no ranged attacks and whose main ability, Deflect Attack, can only be used on a target within 5 feet of it. Yes you can heal it with a cantrip, but Mending has a casting time of 1 minute, which means that after 10 minutes of constant work the Defender gets back an avg of 70 HP, and in a hostile environment, such a dungeon, enemy base, if you are on the run, or any number of other situations, that is a big window for enemies to find you, especially since it needs Verbal components, so you're not exactly sneaky while doing it, not to mention that artificers start with only 2 cantrips and max 4 at level 14, so mending is a kinda big investment for the artificer.
Yeah, you can revive the defender with a lvl 1 spell, however, with your lvl 1 spells, you could Absorb Elements, Catapult an enemy's weapon/focus/magic item 90 feet away if they are disarmed, Cure Wounds to save a dying player, Feather Fall or Shield, so yeah, it is good to spend a lvl 1 spell slot to get back the defender, and the value only increases the higher HP the defender has, but you could use that lvl 1 spell slot on so many other spells too.
However, if we only add the artificer's Int Mod to the defender's HP once, then that could be max 5 in normal play, which would rarely, if ever, make a difference. Then the + 2 from the beginning, if we also assume that is only a one time thing to add, then that is so small so to be actually useless. Which does make me think that both of these bonuses should be added on a per-level basis ((Con Mod (2) + Int Mod (5) + 5) x artificer level) which would indeed be 240 HP at level 20 if the artificer has 20 Int. Otherwise, those bonuses would not any reason to be there in the first place because of how small they are.
But if we take a fighter's avg HP at level 20, use average on the roll, so 1d10 becomes 5, and let's also assume the fighter also has 20 Con means a calculation of 10 + ((5 + 5) x 19), which comes out to 199 HP. Which is lower than the Steel Defender's, probably intended, HP of 240, but the Fighter can have magical armor, a LOT more attacks, higher damage, feats and so much more, while the Steel Defender is kinda just a sack of Hit Points in comparison.
Speaking of damage, the defender can only ever make one attack, not counting opportunity attacks, which at level 20 becomes an average of 10 DPR (1d8 + 6) to one target, which is basically nothing at that tier of play. Yes there is the Arcane Jolt, which will add 7 avg damage over 5 attacks with 20 Int, or 14 at level 15. But the point is that the defender isn't exactly a damage dealing machine, which the Drakewarden's dragon is more adept at, which can be a reason to why it has lower HP. Oh yeah, the artificer also needs to use their Bonus Action every turn to get the defender to attack, which can be a steep cost with the spells, feats and other effects you could instead use your Bonus Action for, plus, the Battle Smith gets Smite spells. (Yes, the Drakewarden also needs their Bonus Action, but the dragon still deals more damage than the defender)
All this to say, if the Steel Defender only ends up with 107 max HP at level freaking 20, or hell, 57 at level 10, why play a Battle Smith at all? The probability that the Steel Defender should have a big health pool is pretty high because, melee only, reaction with a range of only 5 feet and the player has to constantly use their Bonus Action to force it to attack. Yes you can use a cantrip to heal, but that takes a while and isn't stealthy, and yeah, reviving it is quick and can only cost a level 1 spell slot, but artificers have pretty few spell slots.
You ask why play Battle Smith at all if you only get a 107 HP companion? (107 is correct at level 20, by the way, that's how the block is written.)
-Battle Smith gets Extra Attack
-Attack with Int instead of Str or Dex on any magic weapon, which you can make yourself with an infusion
-Steel Defender adds 107 HP to your character, effectively, as it's an extra body under your control
--Steel Defender also does things without commands if you're downed first
-At higher levels, Deflect Attack making more things strike with disadvantage is a good ability
-Only a single spell slot to revive if downed
-Arcane Jolt gives the subclass a healing option that doesn't make them give up their attacks
Here's the thing. Artificers don't have ANY powerful subclasses. Their strength comes from their infusions and the ability to attune to more magic items, primarily. So when you're talking about subclass features and saying it can't be worth it, consider that none of the other Artificer subclasses really fare any better. After all...
-Alchemist: Just becomes a better healer in the end, base feature of elixirs only give temp HP as an additional feature
-Armorer: Can't use magic armor and their subclass features at the same time
-Artillerist: Oh look, they get a whole second cannon! Ooh, shock and awe!
Point is, the subclasses are just additional benefits that help shape the character's playstyle, but you should look at the base class to see why to play it.
No, they're not “useless,” their true purpose has just not been made clear to you yet is all.
Consider this, when the Artificer is 20th level, presuming they also have an Int score of 20 (or higher), then the Steel defender will have the following stats: 107 HP, AC 17, be able to do a fairly substantial average of 32 force damage (or more) per round during the first 3 rounds of a combat, with an attack modifier of +11 (or higher). Going to look at the chart in the DMG, [CALCULATING….] That comes out to a Defensive CR 5, and an Offensive CR 7, and ends up as a final CR 6 creature. A CR 6 buddy that takes orders from you is no joke, even at 20th level. Okay, so, the thing is solid there, no problemo, even if as you say that additional 7 HP don’t really make much of a difference at that point, that’s okay because that’s not why the Steel Defender has them.
Now let’s take a look at it for a 3rd level Artificer. At 3rd level, presuming the artificer has an Int score of at least 16, then the defender has the following stats: 20 HP, AC 15, average DPR for 3 rounds of 6 force damage, with a +5 attack modifier. That works out to: [CALCULATING….] DCR ¼ +OCR 1 ÷ 2 = CR ½, which is respectable for a 3rd level PC’s li’l buddy. If it didn’t get the bonus (2+Int mod) ≈ 5 HP, then it would only have 15 HP at that point. Now, a difference of 5 HP might not sound like a lot in the grand scheme, but keep in mind that at that point the average 3rd level artificer PC will only have 24-27 HP (assuming fixed HP/level & Con 14-16). So that extra 5 HP on the defender at that point is huge.
The bonus (2 + Int mod) HP isn’t supposed to be impressive at higher levels, in fact it’s supposed to be relatively negligible at the level. It’s having that bump from levels 3-5 that that makes it important. It’s supposed to be approximately a whopping 33% increase in Defender HP right in the beginning that slowly drops to approximately a negligible 6% increase at 20th level. That’s its job, and it does it very well.
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In reading this thread about the INT multiplier, I agree that its intent is to give the construct a little extra heft at that early level. It is effectively an extra level worth of HP. I was trying to figure out if the CON modifier should be added each level or not. RAW is a hard nope because of the way the formula for HP is written for them. I looked around, and have not found any official ruling to contradict that you do not use the CON modifier for HP.
I was just seeking any source for using the CON with the hit die increase from an official source. I know if it was an error in editing, WotC is not very forthcoming with after market adjustments of printed materials sometimes.
IMHO, Earthdawn is still the best fantasy realm, Shadowrun is the best Sci-Fi realm, and Dark Sun is the best D&D realm.
If it was an error in editing they would have fixed it between Everton Rising and Tasha’s Cauldron.
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