The updated Battle Smith subclass for the Artificer out of Eberron: Forge of the Artificer is all about making a new friend.
The Battle Smith Artificer is one of the reasons you see robot dogs, aka Steel Defenders, in much of the Eberron artwork. Fun fact, it’s also the reason Steel Defenders were in the monster manuals in 3.5E. As a concept, the idea of an Artificer building a robot buddy and fighting alongside it has been around a while. And the updated Battle Smith doubles down on that idea in Eberron: Forge of the Artificer.
Much like its 5E counterpart, the core of the class is that you make a friend. You build your own battle buddy that doesn’t have to look like a robot dog – but it can, for those of you who fell in love with the Secret of Evermore back on the SNES. Only now it benefits from the 5.5E approach to having a creature companion. This means a little more efficiency with your actions. Which is good, because the Battle Smith has some pretty great action options as well.
The Updated Battle Smith – Sometimes The Best Offense Is A Steel Defense
Battle Smiths occupy an iconic part of Eberron Lore. According to Rising from the Last War, it was Battle Smiths in particular that helped create the Warforged for House Cannith. And when you play an updated Battle Smith, you’ll be playing someone capable in combat in a variety of roles – from protector/medic to frontline skirmisher.
You can see this diversity in the form of your many level 3 features, starting with Battle Ready. This feature gives you two benefits: first, it lets you use your Intelligence modifier instead of Strength or Dex when wielding a magic weapon (melee or ranged – and as an Artificer it’s easy to guarantee yourself a magic weapon), and second, it gives you proficiency with Martial weapons, and you can use those weapons as a Spellcasting Focus. Clear signals that you’re meant to both attack and cast spells.
The same goes for the Battle Smith Spells list of bonus spells. You get the “frontline combatant/support” suite of spells, including Heroism and Shield, Shining Smite, Aura of Vitality, Banishing Smite, and Mass Cure Wounds. There’s a lot of ways to support your friends, including by killing your enemies.
But the real meat and potatoes of the updated Battle Smith is in the Steel Defender feature. This gives you the iconic robot companion. You get to decide what it looks like. Does it have two legs? Four legs? Does it slither around like a cool robot snake? Whatever you decide, you’ll use the same stat block. And like most companions that don’t take a resource, your Steel Defender only needs a Bonus Action to use any of its actions.
The updated Steel Defender can be spicy. Like all things Artificer, it wants you to be invested in Intelligence. Your updated Steel Defender has an AC equal to 12 + your Int modifier and hit points equal to 5 + 5 times your Artificer level and a speed of 40 ft. It gets to add your Proficiency Bonus to its saving throws and ability checks, making it an effective combatant.
In a Fight there are two main things it does. It can make a Force-Empowered Rend, dealing 1d8 + 2 + your Int modifier. A nice Bonus Action. Or it can use a Reaction to give a creature within 5 feet of itself Disadvantage on an attack roll, making it useful for protecting your allies.
Better Living Through Combat Artifice
And unlike other “pet classes,” the updated Battle Smith is as much about improving your abilities as it is those of your Steel Defender. Starting at level 5 with a specialized Extra Attack that lets you either attack twice with one action, or you can give up one of your attacks to make your Steel Defender attack. This means your Steel Defender can potentially attack twice (once as part of your attack action and once as a Bonus Action) or you still have your Bonus Action free to cast a spell or do whatever else.
At level 9, you get even more powerful with Arcane Jolt, Whenever you land a hit with a magic weapon or your Steel Defender, you can either deal an extra 2d6 Force Damage or restore 2d6 hit points to a nearby ally. You can only do it up to your Intelligence modifier in times per day, and only once per turn, but by level 9, that’s probably going to be 5 uses per day. Which is a significant boost.
And the whole updated Battle Smith subclass caps off with yet another upgrade: Improved Defender. This feature increases the damage/healing of your Arcane Jolt from 2d6 to 4d6. And then whenever your Steel Defender uses its Deflect Attack ability, the creature attacking takes extra damage.
All in all, the updated Battle Smith has a lot of variety. It’s the one you want to play if you want to mix it up with magic and melee (or magic and ranged weapons while your Steel Defender gets in there). It’s a fun, interesting option for “support Artificer” that I think outshines the Alchemist.
Check out the updated Battle Smith and four other Artificer subclasses in Eberron: Forge of the Artificer!
Please note that BoLS may earn a commission when you purchase through links on our site.
Don’t Miss:
Read more at this site