One of my player ("necromancer" wizard) would like a humanoid undead minion/familiar

[Red Bear]

Hi one of my player would like to have an undead humanoid minion, I think there was a Skeletal Minion Variant from Unearted Arcana as a Familiar Substitution in 3.5. He would like something like that. I was thinking about using the ranger animal companion as a reference for power but I'm not sure what I should ask him to give up in exchange, just the familiar seems to little... any suggestion? help? is there an official way to get an undead animal companion?

[SkipSandwich]

I forget, does the wording for familliars specify challenge less than 1/4 or equal to or less than 1/4? Because your standard medium humanoid zombie or skeleton is cr 1/4th exactly.

If its less than 1/4 then it might still be permissable for chain pact warlocks since they have more options for familiars.

Giving a Necromancy Tradition wizard something akin to a chain pact warlock's improved familiar instead of the Grim Harvest feature is certainly something I would find reasonable.

[RickAllison]

I forget, does the wording for familliars specify challenge less than 1/4 or equal to or less than 1/4? Because your standard medium humanoid zombie or skeleton is cr 1/4th exactly.

If its less than 1/4 then it might still be permissable for chain pact warlocks since they have more options for familiars.

Tiny and CR 0.

Honestly, I would just run it as a hireling. Treat the upkeep cost of the helper as the reagents needed to keep it running.

[Notafish]

A Crawling Claw (MM p. 44) could work. Not exactly a full skeleton, but it is a tiny CR 0 with undead flavor. A homunculus (p. 188) is also tiny and CR 0, and while it is described as a construct, could be easily reflavored as undead - a tiny flying flesh golem, rather than a tiny flying mandrake root golem.

[JNAProductions]

Official? I don't think so.

That being said, you're the DM. You make the rules. The Crawling Claw was a good suggestion, as was a refluffed Homonculus.

[Quoxis]

Tiny and CR 0.

Honestly, I would just run it as a hireling. Treat the upkeep cost of the helper as the reagents needed to keep it running.

Either that, or take a look at the variant noble's "retainers" feature.
Give the player a zombie for roleplay, a nice servant to have around, but unable to engage in combat.

Oooooor look at volo's guide to monsters (at least i think it was in that book...), it has a creature called "crawling claw" - tiny, cr 0, so perfect as a replacer for a familiar. Edit: Ninja'd twice.

[Sigreid]

Or, you know you just use the stats for a normal cat familiar, but instead of a cat, he's got a zombie pixie. :D

[Avigor]

Aside from the already mentioned "just use the variant crawling claw option", just let him maintain an undead via Animate Dead or Create Undead spells, the former of which he should have anyways at level 6 per the class feature.

[ATHATH]

Do the retainers provided by the variant noble background have to be living humans? You could give him undead retainers.