How smart are Iron Defenders? [Archive] - Wizards Community

How smart are Iron Defenders? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
master0fdungeons
09-20-04, 06:59 PM An Artificer in my group made an iron defender. I notice it has an Int of 8 (same as the barbarian in the group). We're stuggling with how to run the construct.
From the monster manual, A homunculus cannot speak, but the process of creating one links it telepathically with its creator. So can the artificer instruct the iron defender to "attack the orc on the left with the red sash" telepathically as a free action? Seems reasonable for an 8 int to figure that out.

So how complex of commands can it interpret? Can it think and reason to come up with plans of it's own? Does it have much, much more ability than an animal companion which only knows a few tricks (attack, stay, follow,...)?

What are your thoughts?
tmagann
09-20-04, 08:01 PM It has the same basic nature as the creator, and knows what the creator knows. It's got the same intelligence as a 5th-6th level familiar. It's telepathically linked.

So:

telepathy as a free action? Sure, to the usual limits of speech as a free action.

How complex can commands be? At least as much as a fam or that barbarian in the party. maybe more, as it has more book learning that either AND it knows what the creator MEANS, rather than just what he's saying.

Tricks? No. Fams don't use the trick rules, Homunculi wouldn't either. It can think and follow instructions at least as good as the barbarian, and probably better (the extra int and wis based skills that master likely has).
smrtgmp
09-21-04, 07:14 AM I would say it's capable of simple reasoning. I had this debate with my DM after i first built my Iron Defender. I had it guard an entrance to a room we were searching, and he let a pair of orcs walk right past it because I didnt specifically say to attack anything that came it the room. He was treating it as your average 0 Int golem. It took me a while to explain to him that it has a somewhat reasonable Int, and that it should be able to think on its own. The fact that its telepathically linked is a big help. Now he treats the thing as a somewhat dimwitted child, which is probably appropriate.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
master0fdungeons 09-20-04, 06:59 PM	An Artificer in my group made an iron defender. I notice it has an Int of 8 (same as the barbarian in the group). We're stuggling with how to run the construct. From the monster manual, A homunculus cannot speak, but the process of creating one links it telepathically with its creator. So can the artificer instruct the iron defender to "attack the orc on the left with the red sash" telepathically as a free action? Seems reasonable for an 8 int to figure that out. So how complex of commands can it interpret? Can it think and reason to come up with plans of it's own? Does it have much, much more ability than an animal companion which only knows a few tricks (attack, stay, follow,...)? What are your thoughts?
tmagann 09-20-04, 08:01 PM	It has the same basic nature as the creator, and knows what the creator knows. It's got the same intelligence as a 5th-6th level familiar. It's telepathically linked. So: telepathy as a free action? Sure, to the usual limits of speech as a free action. How complex can commands be? At least as much as a fam or that barbarian in the party. maybe more, as it has more book learning that either AND it knows what the creator MEANS, rather than just what he's saying. Tricks? No. Fams don't use the trick rules, Homunculi wouldn't either. It can think and follow instructions at least as good as the barbarian, and probably better (the extra int and wis based skills that master likely has).
smrtgmp 09-21-04, 07:14 AM	I would say it's capable of simple reasoning. I had this debate with my DM after i first built my Iron Defender. I had it guard an entrance to a room we were searching, and he let a pair of orcs walk right past it because I didnt specifically say to attack anything that came it the room. He was treating it as your average 0 Int golem. It took me a while to explain to him that it has a somewhat reasonable Int, and that it should be able to think on its own. The fact that its telepathically linked is a big help. Now he treats the thing as a somewhat dimwitted child, which is probably appropriate.