Best Familiar to take if Variant: Find Familiar is allowed?

[Alucard89]

Thread.


PS. I know Jeremy said that it was "intended" for NPCs, but my DM says that "Mr. Jeremy should start putting his "intends" into RAW instead of twitter posts", thus for my DM it's a same variant as feats/spell points etc. so we are allowed to use it as PCs. He does't really like Sage :D.

So, what Familiars would you mostly pick?

I was thinking Pixie is nice and Imp of course. Invisibility is great on your familiar.

[Snowbluff]

The pseudodragon is pretty nice. They can give you magic resistance. :smallsmile:

[Galithar]

Thread.


PS. I know Jeremy said that it was "intended" for NPCs, but my DM says that "Mr. Jeremy should start putting his "intends" into RAW instead of twitter posts", thus for my DM it's a same variant as feats/spell points etc. so we are allowed to use it as PCs. He does't really like Sage :D.

So, what Familiars would you mostly pick?

I was thinking Pixie is nice and Imp of course. Invisibility is great on your familiar.

Imps all day long. If it's one summoned via a find familiar spell and not one you make a deal with it doesn't even have to be evil because it's just a Spirit in the form of an imp.

[Snowbluff]

Personally I like pixies. They get some nice spells, and are super cute. However, they might be too strong for regular play.

[CTurbo]

Imps are probably the strongest overall. Pixies and Sprites are good too.

[JackPhoenix]

Demilich. ten characters

[noob]

Demilich. ten characters

second this.
Then the demilich familiar gets a demilich familiar and an army of unable to attack undead forms.
This army kills people through non violent ways such as spoiling all the food and wilting the fields.

[JackPhoenix]

second this.
Then the demilich familiar gets a demilich familiar and an army of unable to attack undead forms.
This army kills people through non violent ways such as spoiling all the food and wilting the fields.

Demilich doesn't have any attacks anyway. Both Howl and Life Drain use save instead, so they work just fine even on a familiar.

[Keravath]

It depends on what sort of familiar you are talking about.

If you create a familiar using the Find Familiar spell and then allow the special familiar forms in the back of the PHB, then you are basically replicating the warlock pact of the chain feature at no cost. Up to your DM but it isn't exactly fair to any warlocks in your game.

On the other hand, the variant:familiar rule from the monster manual is a completely different situation.

1) You aren't summoning or creating a familiar, you are making a deal with an independent creature with its own goals and objectives. It may or may not follow your instructions and if you don't keep up your end of the agreement then it might well decide to wander off.

2) The versions of the specific creatures in the monster manual have abilities that the summoned familiars in the PHB do not. For example, the imp familiar from the MM can share its magic resistance with the creature with whom it has created a bond. The PHB summoned familiar does not have this ability.

3) You can't summon and unsummon a variant familiar. They are not the product of the Find Familiar spell, they are a separate entity so you don't have the flexibility of re-creating it if it dies. The spell familiars are all fey, fiend or celestial spirits assuming the form of the creature you wish to create as your familiar.


Anyway, it is all up to the DM what they want to allow and what they don't. However, the variant familiars from the monster manual aren't nearly as "expendable" as the spirits summoned by the spell.

[Kane0]

Definitely Eyeball

[Snowbluff]

3) You can't summon and unsummon a variant familiar. They are not the product of the Find Familiar spell, they are a separate entity so you don't have the flexibility of re-creating it if it dies. The spell familiars are all fey, fiend or celestial spirits assuming the form of the creature you wish to create as your familiar.


Anyway, it is all up to the DM what they want to allow and what they don't. However, the variant familiars from the monster manual aren't nearly as "expendable" as the spirits summoned by the spell.

This depends. I had a Tabaxi in AL I was specifically allowed to resummon with Find Familiar.

Also, Tabaxi are nice because they can see invisible dudes.

Finally, how do I get a demilich familiar?

[JackPhoenix]

Finally, how do I get a demilich familiar?

By using the MM familiar variant that's intended only for NPCs for PC. And being unreasonable even then:

"Any spellcaster that can cast the find familiar spell (such as an apprentice, warlock, or wizard) is likely to have a familiar. The familiar can be one of the creatures described in the spell (see the Player's Handbook) or some other Tiny monster, such as a crawling claw, an imp, a pseudodragon, or a quasit."

[Derpldorf]

The flying snake. It isn't even a familiar issue for me, like 80% of my characters end up with a pet flying snake. I don't know why, I just love the flappy little danger noodles.

[nickl_2000]

This depends. I had a Tabaxi in AL I was specifically allowed to resummon with Find Familiar.

Also, Tabaxi are nice because they can see invisible dudes.

Finally, how do I get a demilich familiar?

Tabaxi? Do you mean Tressym? I would love to get one of those, but I think the next familiar I get is going to be a Squirrel because it will be fun.

[Snowbluff]

By using the MM familiar variant that's intended only for NPCs for PC. And being unreasonable even then:

"Any spellcaster that can cast the find familiar spell (such as an apprentice, warlock, or wizard) is likely to have a familiar. The familiar can be one of the creatures described in the spell (see the Player's Handbook) or some other Tiny monster, such as a crawling claw, an imp, a pseudodragon, or a quasit."
I figured it was something vague like that. Thanks! :smallsmile:

The flying snake. It isn't even a familiar issue for me, like 80% of my characters end up with a pet flying snake. I don't know why, I just love the flappy little danger noodles.
I liked them in 3e, and their undead variant the Deathfang (which did a negative level when it bit). However, I don't like them as much when they can't attack like in 5e.

Tabaxi? Do you mean Tressym? I would love to get one of those, but I think the next familiar I get is going to be a Squirrel because it will be fun.

You know, you're right. DnD has got to get it's cats names that are less similiar, I'm always saying the former and forgetting the latter.

[mephiztopheleze]

Almost completely off topic, but:
I'd love to play a Pixie Wizard with a Faerie Dragon familiar one day..... Or a Pixie Paladin with a Faerie Dragon mount.

Or just let me play as a Faerie Dragon Wizard........

I like Faerie Dragons is what I'm saying I s'pose.

[Dragons_Ire]

The flying snake. It isn't even a familiar issue for me, like 80% of my characters end up with a pet flying snake. I don't know why, I just love the flappy little danger noodles.
I second this, I love the flying snakes.

I also like the suggestion of a Faerie Dragon, that sounds awesome. They've got some great spells available.

[NaughtyTiger]

slaad tadpole.

DM granted/cursed my lawful good character with one... find familiar summoned inside a living host.
i accidentally summoned it once, then never ever did it again.

[Unoriginal]

A really small Storm Giant.

[Goggalor]

If your DM is permissive enough to allow older content that has not been converted up to 5e yet, you could try converting over the beguiler. Quite intelligent (int 12 in 3.5's Shining South), speaks common, permanent true sight, and you can very easily fluff the little bugger to look like Pikachu if you wanted (do a search for beguiler creature or familiar, otherwise you will probably get the class).

[noob]

A really small Storm Giant.

in the same vein a very small titan(You are struck by lighting each time you anger it!) or a very small tarrasque(this way making sure your cute pet does not dies is way easier: you just need your opponents to not cast wish on it after they stab it enough).

[Cicciograna]

A really small Storm Giant.

So a Drizzle Giant.

[noob]

If your DM is permissive enough to allow older content that has not been converted up to 5e yet, you could try converting over the beguiler. Quite intelligent (int 12 in 3.5's Shining South), speaks common, permanent true sight, and you can very easily fluff the little bugger to look like Pikachu if you wanted (do a search for beguiler creature or familiar, otherwise you will probably get the class).

Beguilers lose half of their interest if they can not be beguiler beguilers which then have a familiar beguiler beguiler(totally a thing in 3.5)

[nickl_2000]

in the same vein a very small titan(You are struck by lighting each time you anger it!) or a very small tarrasque(this way making sure your cute pet does not dies is way easier: you just need your opponents to not cast wish on it after they stab it enough).

Ya, but it is more of a static shock than actual lightning.

[Goggalor]

Beguilers lose half of their interest if they can not be beguiler beguilers which then have a familiar beguiler beguiler(totally a thing in 3.5)

One of my favorite characters of all time was a beguiler beguiler that rode in the backpack of the party's singular dps character. That is correct... singular dps character in a four-man party. One character was a psion that reduced the damaged the party took, I buffed with haste and did illusions, whilst the third character tried really hard at being a master of many, but was a jack of none. Our dps character used some weird throwing build that allowed him to heave a two-handed hammer up to two-hundred feet (I never looked at his character sheet, as we were playing online and figured the DM had looked it over already for approval).

As for the beguiler beguiler, I role-played it as he only spoke Beguiler (their native tongue) which came out as, "Be-Be-Guile!", in front of people he did not know, but spoke eloquently to the party when no one else was around. That game unfortunately ran out of steam, but I learned to loathe black dragons, especially undead ones who liked to take pop shots of magic missile at my beguiler beguiler's furry arse as we passed by his watery demesne (we knocked the sucker to single digits three times, but had to retreat each time not knowing it was that low). :smallannoyed:

[DissidentWizard]

Gazers are lots of fun. They have some good eye beams for both combat and out, and thanks to their troublesome personalities they can make for some good fun at the table with proper role play