A tentacle pet for a GOO Chainlock

[Spiritchaser]

I have a player who would like to play a caster with a tentacled abomination for a combat pet.

He suggested a home brew wizard class, but my thought is that a chain pact warlock would strike closer to the mark.

Has anyone come up with combat oriented chainlock invocations that they’ve play tested?

Anyone try tougher pets with some manner of trade off?

[xroads]

I have a player who would like to play a caster with a tentacled abomination for a combat pet.

He suggested a home brew wizard class, but my thought is that a chain pact warlock would strike closer to the mark.

Has anyone come up with combat oriented chainlock invocations that they’ve play tested?

Anyone try tougher pets with some manner of trade off?

I agree with using a chain pact warlock. The player could pick one of the familiars provided and add a little tentacled fluff to it (the PHB even encourages this).

If you want to use a mechanically tougher/different pet, you might take a look at some of the old 3.5 source material. I think they used to have an abomination/eldritch horror template that could be applied to any animal. You could convert that to 5e and apply it to one of the basic familiars (Cat-thulu!).

[Spiritchaser]

If you want to use a mechanically tougher/different pet, you might take a look at some of the old 3.5 source material. I think they used to have an abomination/eldritch horror template that could be applied to any animal. You could convert that to 5e and apply it to one of the basic familiars (Cat-thulu!).

This is the kind of thing I’m looking for... I was planning on starting with an invocation at level 3 that made the creature tougher, with additional invocations available at higher levels.

[Aett_Thorn]

Could you use a flumph as a familiar? Maybe restrict their abilities a bit and make it smaller?

[Ventruenox]

I would suggest creating your homebrew invocations based on existing mechanics. A lot of the Unearthed Arcana and Planeshift material did just that. The Revised Ranger's (https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/UA_RevisedRanger.pdf) class features could fit the bill for invocation options at certain prerequisite levels: Beast's Defense (at 9) or Storm of Fangs and Claws (at 12). You could possibly use some of the feats. Superiority Dice and BM Maneuvers were very popular goodies that the developers handed out last year in UA subclasses. Alert, Tough, or Mobile also make for good pet buffs.

Be careful with the buffs this creature obtains. Too many or the wrong type lead to game imbalance and the tentacle seeking world domination.
https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/003/480/205/large/stephany-shimae-day-of-the-tentacle2.jpg?1474154006

[JellyPooga]

The qualification that it's intended as a combat pet changes the criteria somewhat. Even a Chain Pact familiar is still only a glorified additional pair of hands. If this player wants their tentacled abomination to play a significant role in combat, you're probably better off looking toward the Beastmaster Ranger (I suggest Revised) for a baseline, or perhaps even look at the Find Steed spell or one of the Conjure lines for some kind of basis (though I don't particularly want to dwell on the notion of riding tentacles). I'm not familiar with any of Xanathars content, so there might be something in there that might suit.

[Kane0]

In my sig I have some homebrew changes and extra warlock invocations that you might find handy.

[DarthPenance]

Well, for a pet to be active during combat, from the PHB would be beastmaster ranger, but I think homebrew would work better here, I recommend the homebrew Summoner class, especifically the one from Kryx

[Avigor]

Definitely go Beastmaster Ranger, I'd use the Giant Octopus as a starting point (why have tentacles if you don't focus on grappling?) and adapt it from water to land, change type to Abomination, and go have fun.

[Moredhel24]

If you have volo's, may i suggest the gazer aka mini beholder. there's a variant side bar where it states can serve as familiar for a 3rd level spellcaster and pact of the chain is granted at 3rd level. eye stalks are somewhat tentacleish.

[robbie374]

I think combining Wizard and Revised Ranger is a good idea.

Each has four subclass features: just make Beastmaster the Arcana Tradition for the Wizard.
Change Coordinated Attack to allow it to trigger on the "Cast a Spell" action.
Allow any creature of comparable level to be the beast, but a Giant Octopus would be a good option.
Give the Giant Octopus a reverse Cloak of the Manta Ray that lets it move better on land and breathe air.
Allow the Wizard to summon his pet through Find Familiar.
Allow relevant Pact of the Chain Invocations to be taken instead of spells at appropriate levels.

[Requilac]

Does your player specifically want a tentacled familiar or do they just want a lovecraftian familiar? I do not quite know if this is what you are asking for but I very recently created some dreamscape familiars (although none of them really have tentacles) which can be found in this link (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?543251-dreamscape-(lovecraftian)-familiars-PEACH). I did not really develop any additional invocations but there are several ways that you could implement them to help in combat scenarios even if they themselves are not actually fighting. The zoog can essentially make basic healing potions, the magah bird can impose disadvantage on someone making a check to escape or avoid a grapple (in case anyone in your team has such a focus) and the cat of ulthar (if you were willing to put it in a risky position) could always take the doge action and stand next to an enemy to make a rogue’s sneak attack valid then teleport out of harm or next to a new enemy on its following turn.

[Spiritchaser]

Given the picture he sent, it’s fairly lovecraftian.

My concerns are
balancing a caster with a combat pet,

Balancing pet enhancement with some build resources (invocations are obvious)

Giving the player the experience he wants without overshadowing others

[Requilac]

Given the picture he sent, it’s fairly lovecraftian.

My concerns are
balancing a caster with a combat pet,

Balancing pet enhancement with some build resources (invocations are obvious)

Giving the player the experience he wants without overshadowing others

Hmm, so you are more concerned with mechanics than you are with theme if I am understanding correctly. I think the easiest way to do this would be to look at other familiars and form a basis of off them. If this creature is a tentacle monster, than I would imagine that a power that allows it to grapple or restrain things would be suitable. Why don’t we take a look at the psuedodragon to form a basis because it’s sting can poison things whenever it hits? You can create a CR 1/4 tentacle monster stat block and directly steal the psuedodragon’s sting to use for the tentacle monster. Change the condition to grappled though and make it so that the tentacle monster must stay latched on to the target. That seems like much too weak of an ability to me compared to the psuedodragon’s “poisoned for 1 hour no repeat on the save” sting, but it is a good concept to start out with. The easiest solution to your problem may be stealing the feature of another powerful familiar and granting it to your tentacle monster. Hope that helps!