Battlesmith artificer pet riding

[dnd2016]

Saw a couple things on it. Can I attack while riding with the servant going after me?

[Kane0]

If you're using it uncontrolled yeah it should still get its turn after yours. I believe that means you don't do any movement on your turn as you wait for your defender to do it after you.

[Waazraath]

Since it specifically is ruled that it acts after your own turn, the design effectively bars using it effectively as a mount. Only be able to move after your turn is in general pretty terrible, since most often you want to move in combat before making an attack, casting a spell, or whatever.

I think I'd allow a player to use it as a mount, but by the rules, it's difficult. Having said that, yeah, if an opponent is in range of your weapon, I don't see why you couldn't attack with the mechanical pet pony going directly after your turn.

[sayaijin]

If your DM is generous, you could ask to allow its movement on your turn since you're specifically trying to do this. I don't think it unbalances too much, but I haven't tested it - YMMV

[dnd2016]

Whether I'm rideing him or not he gets his movement as normal right? I don't have to use the bonus action to tell him to move do i?

[stoutstien]

Whether I'm rideing him or not he gets his movement as normal right? I don't have to use the bonus action to tell him to move do i?

Correct. They move after you do but they can move and dodge if not told to do anything else as a bonus action. Makes them hard to use as a charging mount but pretty nice for archery and can set up some combos.

[dnd2016]

Correct. They move after you do but they can move and dodge if not told to do anything else as a bonus action. Makes them hard to use as a charging mount but pretty nice for archery and can set up some combos.
Care to elaborate on the archery part?

[stoutstien]

Care to elaborate on the archery part?

Few different ways to do it. For example you can use the SD for it's higher speed and disengage/whatever as a bonus action. Nab CBE and you can focus on your own damage rather than the SDs which does start falling off until the auto rider on deflect at 15 but that is based on a reaction.
Alternatively you can stay out of the fray and use SD to keep good position. Having 80 ft speed with a bonus action is pretty nice and tasha opening up pretty much any action allows for some good smack down if they do catch up to you. Ready action to fire once your SD disengages is only cutting out one of your attacks. There's all kinds of nice little things you can bounce back and forth with the ready action with the steal defender because you have a guaranteed trigger because you're commanding it right after your turn. Once SSI comes online ive found that either the artificer or SD can have some interesting ways to generate advantage.

**Not battlesmith but the artillerist drone alone 2 build as I call it can use ready action to use explosive cannon after activating it for fireball numbers with a 1st level spell slot. This class in general really promotes active strategy rather than fallowing a set plan.**

[Damon_Tor]

Specific rules only override general rules if they say they do. Nothing in the Defender's rules prohibit it from acting as a controlled mount, and the rules which change a controlled mount's initiative to match your own and have it move on your turn should work just fine. It will have the same limitations as any other controlled mount, which means you won't be able to use it's attack.

[Waazraath]

Specific rules only override general rules if they say they do. Nothing in the Defender's rules prohibit it from acting as a controlled mount, and the rules which change a controlled mount's initiative to match your own and have it move on your turn should work just fine. It will have the same limitations as any other controlled mount, which means you won't be able to use it's attack.

Ah, interesting! I hadn't looked at it like that.

[dnd2016]

Problem with crossbow expert is I don't get Marshall weapons till 3rd level to use it. That's why I was thinking of going sharpshooter first.Thoughts?

[stoutstien]

Problem with crossbow expert is I don't get Marshall weapons till 3rd level to use it. That's why I was thinking of going sharpshooter first.Thoughts?

Well if we are talking about first level feats through variant human or the custom lineage option that's an entirely different scenario lol.

Artificer are very feat friendly. Past having enough dexterity to take advantage of medium armor and a high intelligence you can grab whatever feata you want and make it work.