Would a Steel Defender (from the Battlesmith Artificer) be impacted at all in an anti-magic field or from an magical "EMP"? I read rulings on Warforged having a "natural" or "background" magic that cannot be impacted by anti-magic fields, dispell, etc. but what about Steel Defenders? Need a ruling because I couldn't find anything and my DM said if it doesn't have a specific ruling, then the construct will go lifeless until the effect wears off.
By default, Constructs are considered creatures and are not deactivated by anti-magic fields unless it's specifically noted in their stat block (such a an Animated Armor or Flying Sword).
Steel Defenders don't have the Antimagic Susceptibility trait so they still remain active though they wouldn't be able to use all of their abilities.
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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.
Because their stat block does not specify "antimagic susceptibility," I would rule that they do not become inactive in an anti-magic field. Looking at the stat blocks of other constructs, the only ones that have that trait are the animated objects (animated armor, flying sword, rug of smothering). And even with those enemies, they need to make a constitution saving throw in order to avoid becoming inactive.
Creatures by default are not magical even if they are supernatural. Only creatures being held in existence in a particular plane actively by magic (or have something like antimagic susceptibility in their stat blocks) are considered "magical" enough to wink out of existence inside of an anti-magic field.
There is a long discussion about familiars in an anti-magic field on these forums already. Apparently it isn't so cut and dry as that sage advice would have you believe. I tend to take that sage advice as a direct result of the implications of all of the text on how magic works in the D&D multiverse. Summoning a creature with magic doesn't make the creature itself any more magical than summoning it by yelling its name really loudly until it shows up.
OK, let's bring things back to the steel defender then. I feel like constructs are ok inside the field. There may be certain magical interactions you wouldn't be able to do with it, but if you can give it a voice command, it should be able to think for itself well enough to carry out the commands. I don't see much specific discussion about the steel defender and the anti-magic field, but after reading through the spell description and the creature's stat block, I don't see a problem.
A [Tooltip Not Found] may be created through the use of magic, but its existence is not sustained by magic. It does not deactivate in an AMF. Full stop: all RAW, Sage Advice, various tweets/statements, etc all indicate that there is no dispute on this particular point. Once it has been created, it's continued existence is functionally permanent in the same way as with any other normal creature. It's more like a Beastmaster Ranger's companion than a Wizard's familiar, but the more important distinction is that it's not like a summoned creature from a spell (which do wink out in an AMF) like Conjure Woodland Beings.
As for things that the SD might not be able to do while in an AMF, the only thing I see which might be unavailable is the repair function.
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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.
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Would a Steel Defender (from the Battlesmith Artificer) be impacted at all in an anti-magic field or from an magical "EMP"? I read rulings on Warforged having a "natural" or "background" magic that cannot be impacted by anti-magic fields, dispell, etc. but what about Steel Defenders? Need a ruling because I couldn't find anything and my DM said if it doesn't have a specific ruling, then the construct will go lifeless until the effect wears off.
By default, Constructs are considered creatures and are not deactivated by anti-magic fields unless it's specifically noted in their stat block (such a an Animated Armor or Flying Sword).
Steel Defenders don't have the Antimagic Susceptibility trait so they still remain active though they wouldn't be able to use all of their abilities.
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.
Because their stat block does not specify "antimagic susceptibility," I would rule that they do not become inactive in an anti-magic field. Looking at the stat blocks of other constructs, the only ones that have that trait are the animated objects (animated armor, flying sword, rug of smothering). And even with those enemies, they need to make a constitution saving throw in order to avoid becoming inactive.
Creatures by default are not magical even if they are supernatural. Only creatures being held in existence in a particular plane actively by magic (or have something like antimagic susceptibility in their stat blocks) are considered "magical" enough to wink out of existence inside of an anti-magic field.
There is a long discussion about familiars in an anti-magic field on these forums already. Apparently it isn't so cut and dry as that sage advice would have you believe. I tend to take that sage advice as a direct result of the implications of all of the text on how magic works in the D&D multiverse. Summoning a creature with magic doesn't make the creature itself any more magical than summoning it by yelling its name really loudly until it shows up.
OK, let's bring things back to the steel defender then. I feel like constructs are ok inside the field. There may be certain magical interactions you wouldn't be able to do with it, but if you can give it a voice command, it should be able to think for itself well enough to carry out the commands. I don't see much specific discussion about the steel defender and the anti-magic field, but after reading through the spell description and the creature's stat block, I don't see a problem.
"Not all those who wander are lost"
A [Tooltip Not Found] may be created through the use of magic, but its existence is not sustained by magic. It does not deactivate in an AMF. Full stop: all RAW, Sage Advice, various tweets/statements, etc all indicate that there is no dispute on this particular point. Once it has been created, it's continued existence is functionally permanent in the same way as with any other normal creature. It's more like a Beastmaster Ranger's companion than a Wizard's familiar, but the more important distinction is that it's not like a summoned creature from a spell (which do wink out in an AMF) like Conjure Woodland Beings.
As for things that the SD might not be able to do while in an AMF, the only thing I see which might be unavailable is the repair function.
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.