## Living Armor (Battle Smith Additional Feature) ___ **Steel Defender/Living Armor** - ...As an option, instead of a creating a steel defender the artificer can choose to create living armor. Living armor is a small construct that is mounted onto armor; note that it is not a replacement to armor. Living armor has the same stats as a steel defender except that it has no speed and cannot be given speed in any way; instead, it is worn by the artificer and occupies the same space as the artificer. - The living armor has the same mechanics as the defender with regards to initiative count, when its turn is taken, its ability to react on its own, its use of actions, and how it is healed via mending or revived. - ...At the end of a long rest, you can create a new steel defender or living armor if you have your smith's tools with you; you may only have one, not both. If you already have a steel defender or living armor from this feature, the existing one immediately perishes. ___ ___ > ## Living Armor >*Small construct, neutral* > ___ > - **Armor Class** 15 (natural armor) > - **Hit Points** equal the living armor's Constitution modifier + your Intelligence modifier + five times your level in this class > - **Speed** none (cannot be changed). >___ >|STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA| >|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:| >|14 (+2)|12 (+1)|14 (+2)|4 (-4)|10 (+0)|6 (-2)| >___ > - **Saving Throws** Dex +3, Con +4 > - **Skills** Athletics +4, Perception +4 > - **Damage Immunities** poison > - **Conditioned Immunities** charmed, exhaustion, poison > - **Senses** darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 16 > - **Languages** understands the languages you speak > ___ > ***Might of the Master*** The following numbers increase by 1 when your proficiency bonus increases by 1: the defender’s skill and saving throw bonuses (above), the bonuses to hit and damage of its rend attack, and the number of hit points restored by its Repair action (below). > > ***Vigilant*** The armor can't be surprised. > ### Actions > ***Force-Empowered Rend.*** *Melee Weapon Attack:* +4 to hit, reach 5ft., one target you can see. *Hit:* 1d8 +2 force damage. > > ***Repair (3/Day).*** The magical mechanisms inside the construct restore 2d8 +2 hit points to itself or to one construct or object within 5 feet of it. > ### Reaction > ***Deflect attack.*** The armor imposes disadvantage on the attack roll of one creature it can see that is within 5 feet of it, provided the attack roll is against a creature other than the armor. ### Context of this creation The reason I came up with this option is that I have a character concept which was very well complimented by the battlesmith artificer; however, I felt that a 'pet' didn't fit into that concept. I asked the DM if I could just take out that feature, to which he strongly felt I shouldn't just remove a feature. My next thought was to live without the feature and maybe take a fighting style, but he felt it was still a loss which I shouldn't take. I finally came to this idea, it would be cool if instead of having a pet my character was fighting with a separate entity that was 'sharing' his body. I believe my character isn't the only one whose concept feels very well complimented by the battle smith artificer, but isn't complimented by the steel defender feature. I tried to be as conservative as possible in this creation, keeping the steel defender feature's interactions mostly the same. That said there are some big differences in the possibilities of the steel defender vs the living armor. Those differences all being rooted its nature of being tied to the artificer rather than having free movement. Some differences are beneficial, others are detrimental. Unfortunately I feel living armor may somewhat overshadow the steel defender.