Chain-lock or Beast Master?

[Harrysonford]

Hello!

I am creating a lv 8 character who will be level hopping anywhere from 5-15 or maybe higher.
The party consists of a moon Druid, dreams Druid, enchanter, shadow sorcerer and my character.

I want to play a character with a companion of some sorts, but I can’t quite decide which of these to play.
I want to play a goblin, which works well with a ranger build, and a ranger would allow for another front line other than the moon Druid. But I like the special forms for the warlocks familiar a lot.

Which do you think I should choose?

[ChildofLuthic]

I really hate how the beastmaster plays, so I would go chainlock, especially if you don't have a preference for martial or caster. Most optimizer types will probably do the same.

[Man_Over_Game]

Hello!

I am creating a lv 8 character who will be level hopping anywhere from 5-15 or maybe higher.
The party consists of a moon Druid, dreams Druid, enchanter, shadow sorcerer and my character.

I want to play a character with a companion of some sorts, but I can’t quite decide which of these to play.
I want to play a goblin, which works well with a ranger build, and a ranger would allow for another front line other than the moon Druid. But I like the special forms for the warlocks familiar a lot.

Which do you think I should choose?

The Beastmaster is very weak, ask your DM if he'd be comfortable with the Revised Ranger version, or simply just moving all of the BM changes on the Beastmaster Conclave onto the standard PHB Ranger. The main factor is that it allows you and your companion to work independently, and reduces the cost of losing your companion if it dies (allowing you to revive it).

The Revised Ranger is too strong, but its Beastmaster options feel just right. The default PHB Ranger is far too weak, as is its Beastmaster option, so moving the Revised Ranger's BM Conclave onto the default PHB version would probably address a lot of concerns without being too powerful.

[Harrysonford]

The Beastmaster is very weak, ask your DM if he'd be comfortable with the Revised Ranger version, or simply just moving all of the BM changes on the Beastmaster Conclave onto the standard PHB Ranger. The main factor is that it allows you and your companion to work independently, and reduces the cost of losing your companion if it dies (allowing you to revive it).

Yeah I’m pretty sure my group uses revised ranger

[Man_Over_Game]

Yeah I’m pretty sure my group uses revised ranger

Your companion as a Revised Ranger is a lot more integral. A Warlock's Familiar is a utility tool at best, easily outdone with 1-2 invocations.

I'd go with the Beastmaster. Also, since you're a small creature, you'd be able to ride your companion into battle (like a Wolf). With the Mount rules, it will likely act as an "uncontrolled mount" while still being able to do as you request in combat, meaning it still gets its own turns and actions (that you just happen to decide). Lastly, you can grab something like Mounted Combatant, which works really well if you happen to have chosen a Large companion (such as a Black Bear). Toss in a Lance, and that'd be a pretty fun build.

A charging goblin-on-a-bear cavalry expert.

[Trustypeaches]

The familiar you get with Pact of the Chain eclipses the Beastmaster companion in virtually every way: specifically the imp.

Imps can fly, go invisible, have good stealth, and are strong and dexterous enough to manipulate doors and other obstacles normal familiars struggle with. They are also very intelligent (14 INT), which makes them excellent scouts and saboteurs. They also have good bonuses to social skills like Insight, Persuasion, and Deception, and can easily help a warlock with any of those rolls. While their damage output never scales, Imps are always able to perform the "Help" action to grant an allies advantage and can also manipulate objects: feeding players healing potions, dropping caltrops around the battle field, and even using magic items.

[Splitfinger]

Ask your DM about how an Imp can use and attune to magic items.

I believe AL rules is that an intelligent familiar can attune, but it uses your own attunement slots. My DM rules that the imp gets its own attunement slots, in addition to my own. This can make a big difference.

An imp cannot take an attack action in combat without using up yours, but it can use an object on its turn. If you can find something like a wand of magic missiles or a stone of spell storing, using that object can create a spell attack, and suddenly your imp becomes very potent in combat. Even otherwise unspectacular magic items like the wind fan become very useful with the imp since it only takes your familiar's action to use and not your own. You are far less likely to be able to do this with an animal companion.

Having played both a beastmaster and a chainlock, I'd recommend the latter in any case, since warlock is more fun than ranger (to me) thanks to all the additional utility and multiclassing potential. But the more likely you are to be able to use magic items with your familiar, the stronger that recommendation becomes.

[Man_Over_Game]

The familiar you get with Pact of the Chain eclipses the Beastmaster companion in virtually every way: specifically the imp.

Imps can fly, go invisible, have good stealth, and are strong and dexterous enough to manipulate doors and other obstacles normal familiars struggle with. They are also very intelligent (14 INT), which makes them excellent scouts and saboteurs. They also have good bonuses to social skills like Insight, Persuasion, and Deception, and can easily help a warlock with any of those rolls. While their damage output never scales, Imps are always able to perform the "Help" action to grant an allies advantage and can also manipulate objects: feeding players healing potions, dropping caltrops around the battle field, and even using magic items.


Ask your DM about how an Imp can use and attune to magic items.

I believe AL rules is that an intelligent familiar can attune, but it uses your own attunement slots. My DM rules that the imp gets its own attunement slots, in addition to my own. This can make a big difference.

An imp cannot take an attack action in combat without using up yours, but it can use an object on its turn. If you can find something like a wand of magic missiles or a stone of spell storing, using that object can create a spell attack, and suddenly your imp becomes very potent in combat. Even otherwise unspectacular magic items like the wind fan become very useful with the imp since it only takes your familiar's action to use and not your own. You are far less likely to be able to do this with an animal companion.

Having played both a beastmaster and a chainlock, I'd recommend the latter in any case, since warlock is more fun than ranger (to me) thanks to all the additional utility and multiclassing potential. But the more likely you are to be able to use magic items with your familiar, the stronger that recommendation becomes.

Make sure you guy are referring to the Revised Ranger Beastmaster Conclave (which is the option in question). As is, I'm not 100% sure which Ranger you guys might be referring to.