Say Hello To My Little Friend: Making the Most Out of Warlock Familiars

[FyreHeart]

Hey there everyone!

So, I am currently playing a Tiefling Warlock-Bard with a Chain boon familiar of a pseudodragon. I know that these guys make good scouts because of their advantage on Perception checks and a telepathic link to their pact master, but there has to be something else that can be done with these little guys to make them a good asset to a team and not just a 'meh' option.

[JNAProductions]

The help action. Basically free advantage on almost anything in combat, DM willing. And RAW-wise, the DM should be.

[xyianth]

One thing I did at my table was allow warlocks with a chain pact familiar to gain the magic resistance variant benefit outlined in the monster manual on pages 63(quasit), 69(imp), and 254(pseudodragon). Further, I ruled that the completely loyal part of the chain pact familiar overruled the option for the familiar to withdraw it at an inopportune moment. This makes the chain pact a more defensive option and in my opinion balances it against the potency of the tome pact. You could check with your DM and see if this is an acceptable option.

Another possible option is to take advantage of your pseudodragon's poisonous sting. Between combat, see if you can milk a few doses of the poison into some vials that your party can use to coat their weapons with. 5e's poison rules greatly favor using it with melee weapons, but a DC 11 con save vs the poisoned condition is useful, and even the effective DC 6 con save vs unconscious will get failed occasionally.

Combined with the scouting options it provides and the already mentioned help action every round for advantage on things, your pseudodragon should feel like a valuable asset for your party.

[Mandragola]

Delivering touch spells is very handy sometimes. You can have it do a cure wounds spell or a buff on a distant party member.

[FyreHeart]

Delivering touch spells is very handy sometimes. You can have it do a cure wounds spell or a buff on a distant party member.

That's why I multi-classed into Bard. Granted the Warlock doesn't have too many Touch spells so I take that with a grain of salt.

[Chronos]

Don't forget that the pseudodragon also has Blindsight. One trick I've found (which also works with normal familiars, if you choose bat or snake) is to just leave the familiar sitting on your shoulder and see through its senses, so you can walk around in total darkness, obscuring fog, or the like, and "see" where you're going. It's a handy trick if you happen to be a human, and hence almost blind by everyone else's standards.

[Fwiffo86]

That's why I multi-classed into Bard. Granted the Warlock doesn't have too many Touch spells so I take that with a grain of salt.

Healing Word is only marginally weaker that Cure wounds, and you don't have to touch anyone.

[FyreHeart]

Don't forget that the pseudodragon also has Blindsight. One trick I've found (which also works with normal familiars, if you choose bat or snake) is to just leave the familiar sitting on your shoulder and see through its senses, so you can walk around in total darkness, obscuring fog, or the like, and "see" where you're going. It's a handy trick if you happen to be a human, and hence almost blind by everyone else's standards.

I already have Dark Vision as a Tiefling but this could be good with another team mate as well!

[Naanomi]

Don't forget the mundane utility... carry this rope up there little flying guy! Go down that hole, size tiny guy! Watch me while I sleep, NPC who barely benefits from rests! Warlock familiars are both smarter and have more dexterous hands than other familiars, so a lot more 'generally being helpful' is possible.

[FyreHeart]

Don't forget the mundane utility... carry this rope up there little flying guy! Go down that hole, size tiny guy! Watch me while I sleep, NPC who barely benefits from rests! Warlock familiars are both smarter and have more dexterous hands than other familiars, so a lot more 'generally being helpful' is possible.

That's what I've been using him for as of late, but pseudodragons don't like being treated like pets rather good friends. He's kind of become the party mascot lol.