Gnome Battle Smith

[carrdrivesyou]

Just a few quick questions.

1. If you area gnome, halfling, or other small race, can you ride on your Steel Defender?

2. Would you need to buy a saddle for it, or is it built in?

3. Could the Defender still perform its function while you ride it?

4. Could you build it as bipedal and use it as a mech of sorts?

(Edit: added Question 4)

[quindraco]

Just a few quick questions.

1. If you area gnome, halfling, or other small race, can you ride on your Steel Defender?

2. Would you need to buy a saddle for it, or is it built in?

3. Could the Defender still perform its function while you ride it?


Yes.
You can have a saddle built into it, since it can have any body shape you want. However, since having any body shape you want is blatantly overpowered, odds are about 100% your GM will house-rule nerfs to its body shape (e.g. you probably won't be allowed to give it 36 tentacles that can each carry a basket). Check with your GM on the saddle question.
Yes.

[chiefwaha]

Just a few quick questions.

1. If you area gnome, halfling, or other small race, can you ride on your Steel Defender?

2. Would you need to buy a saddle for it, or is it built in?

3. Could the Defender still perform its function while you ride it?

4. Could you build it as bipedal and use it as a mech of sorts?

(Edit: added Question 4)

1 through 3 have been answered...

As for 4, as long as you're not expecting it to provide any additional mechanical benefits(cover, etc), I don't see why a DM wouldn't allow it... Kind of a fun idea.

[kore]

I had this conversation with my DM. By mounting the SD it would be subject to the Mounted Combat rules. Under those rules you decide if your mount is "controlled" or "independent". I should point out that while the rules do not state as such, my DM would have allowed for this decision to be made turn by turn as I saw fit.

Controlled, I could use the SD's 40 ft. movement for movement on my turn. Per Mounted Combat rules, the SD can only take specific types of actions: Dash, Disengage, and Dodge. Because the SD's actions require my bonus action I could choose to bonus action Dash or Disengage (Dodge is free regardless as it is the SD default state). So basically I have Cunning Action lite; a lot more mobility. These action restrictions are true for any controlled mount, e.g. a warhorse loses its Hooves attack as a controlled mount.

Independent, the SD acts on its own turn as normal, so I could use it to Rend, Help, Repair, use my SSI, or any applicable action with my bonus action. But this means that on my turn my movement is effectively 0 unless I dismount (costing half of my movement); a pretty heavy trade-off in my opinion.

But the real power from mounting the SD, for me, comes from a fun little combination that can only be achieved by a Battle Smith. This involves loading your SSI with Warding Bond and taking the feat Mounted Combatant. Beside the +1 to AC and all saves that you receive when you command your SD (out of combat, requiring no concentration) to target you with Warding Bond from your SSI, you essentially share half-damage with your SD (you gain resistance and the SD takes the same amount). With Mounted Combatant, now you force attacks against your SD to target you and the SD essentially gains the Evasion feature. Now your SD is also a HP sink (66 for me at L12) that can be healed out of combat for free via Mending.

You're a tank whether you're ranged (shield + hand crossbow) or melee (shield + spear with PM, Sentinel, etc.). Or play versatile, wield the shield and hand crossbow and take CBE and SS, then infuse Gauntlets of Ogre Power to shove prone followed by two SS attacks (Extra Attack and bonus attack) with advantage.

Of course, all of this assumes L11 because of SSI or, better, L12 because of feat starvation.