D&D 5E As you the you all see Steel Defender being ridden by a miniforged.

[Paul Farquhar]

I would allow the artificer to choose if the steel defender is a controlled of uncontrolled mount. There are advantages and drawbacks to either option.

There is a lot of variation in artificer creations, if an artificer designs it to function as a mount then it can do that. That might even mean it can be ridden as a controlled mount by someone else if incorporated into it's design specs.


The rules say "intelligent" mounts are always uncontrolled, without defining what intelligent means, but the steel defender has an INT of 4 and can't talk, which I would think makes it "not intelligent", unlike the party goliath.

 

[NotAYakk]

I would think makes it "not intelligent", unlike the party goliath.

Debatable. 4d6 drop lowest can give some real smrtz goliaths.

 

[Umbran]

So is the party Goliath.

I think, if it really wanted to, the party goliath could train to learn how to follow the party gnome's orders. Ever seen Ratatouille?

I think it would be silly for it to do so, because the goliath acting intelligently is so much more efficient, but it could learn.

While intelligent to a degree, the Steel Defender cannot really act on its own, which is where the analogy to the goliath breaks down.

 

[77IM]

The only definition of "mount" I can find in the rules is on PHB p.198: "A willing creature that is at least one size larger than you and that has an appropriate anatomy can serve as a mount, using the following rules." So if a halfling can ride a dog I don't see why a miniforged couldn't ride an iron defender. But I agree with the ruling that the iron defender doesn't suddenly gain the ability to Dash and Disengage when it couldn't before.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I think, if it really wanted to, the party goliath could train to learn how to follow the party gnome's orders. Ever seen Ratatouille?

I think it would be silly for it to do so, because the goliath acting intelligently is so much more efficient, but it could learn.

While intelligent to a degree, the Steel Defender cannot really act on its own, which is where the analogy to the goliath breaks down.

There is little doubt that a halfing can ride on the shoulders of a goliath, or any other medium party member strong enough to carry a halfing and their own gear.

However, there is also little doubt that even a particularly dumb PC is a sentient being (I'm pretty sure @NotAYakk was joking). And therefore cannot be a controlled mount - i.e. they always act on their own turn, not the rider's.

I agree that the Steel Defender is not sentient, and therefore it is DM's call if it is a controlled or uncontrolled mount.

I agree with the ruling that the iron defender doesn't suddenly gain the ability to Dash and Disengage when it couldn't before.

There is nothing to indicate that the Steel Defender is incapable of using the Dash or Disengage actions - only that the Artificer cannot use a voice command to tell them to do so.

Certainly the Iron Defender (the NPC version) has nothing to indicate they cannot Dash or Disengage.

 

[Umbran]

Certainly the Iron Defender (the NPC version) has nothing to indicate they cannot Dash or Disengage.

Folks, when discussing rules, being incomplete or vague doesn't help. The Steel defender explicitly can Dash and Disengage, but needs the Artificer to use a bonus action to order it to do so.

"In combat, the steel defender shares your initiative count, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take one of the actions in its stat block or the Dash, Disengage, Help, Hide, or Search action. "

The only "when it couldn't before" (from 77IM) is "when the Artificer didn't use a Bonus action to order it to".

I'm currently playing an Artificer. The GM is reticent to make it work just like a normal mount, because there's exactly zero risk it will misbehave it I allow it to be autonomous. So, it has a mode switch. When mounted, the Artificer can take an action (expensive, I know) to change the mode. In "controlled mount" mode, it can move, Dash, Disengage, and dodge, like a controlled mount - it loses its Attack, Hide, Help, and other actions. Limiting the possible actions removes the need to take the Bonus action. It keeps the Deflect Attack reaction, but it only applies to the rider.

In normal mode, it has all its actions available, but requires the Bonus action from the Artificer. He's going to be flexible on when the movement can happen, and he thinks he wants to be flexible on the Disengage action as well.

As primarily a ranged fighter, I will be extremely happy if he allows the Defender's Disengage to be before my action. I suffer a whole lot of disadvantage when the enemy gets close....