Seahorse familiar?

[TripleD]

So I was reading up on “Find Familiar” when I noticed that one of the options listed is a sea horse. I was curious, as I’d never heard of anyone taking that option before, so I looked up the stats:

* 1 HP
* 11 AC
* No attack
* No skills
* No special senses and a 10 in Perception
* It has no walking speed
* It suffocated if you take it out of the water
* Even in the water it’s swim speed is only 20ft. Just 5ft faster than a typical character with no swim speed at all.

This is without a doubt the most useless creature in the Monster Manual. I can think of absolutely no reason to ever choose it as a familiar, but I’m curious if you have ever seen it done? If so, how did it go?

[Lunali]

It's a poor option mechanically, but some things to remember:

Familiars with attacks can't use them (chain warlocks excepted)
Sometimes people run underwater campaigns
Stats aren't everything, sometimes a player just wants their character to have a pet

[Arkhios]

So I was reading up on “Find Familiar” when I noticed that one of the options listed is a sea horse. I was curious, as I’d never heard of anyone taking that option before, so I looked up the stats:

* 1 HP
* 11 AC
* No attack
* No skills
* No special senses and a 10 in Perception
* It has no walking speed
* It suffocated if you take it out of the water
* Even in the water it’s swim speed is only 20ft. Just 5ft faster than a typical character with no swim speed at all.

This is without a doubt the most useless creature in the Monster Manual. I can think of absolutely no reason to ever choose it as a familiar, but I’m curious if you have ever seen it done? If so, how did it go?


It's a poor option mechanically, but some things to remember:

Familiars with attacks can't use them (chain warlocks excepted)
Sometimes people run underwater campaigns
Stats aren't everything, sometimes a player just wants their character to have a pet

What is this usefulness/uselessness? Can you eat it?

...more seriously though, yeah. It's not much to be "proud" of, but sometimes people just want something, regardless of how effective it is (whatever its purpose is).
It's like how children always want the newest toys because they're cool now, and the old ones aren't. No matter how different they are mechanically compared to the old toys.
Or, kinda like a bit older children (*cough* adults *cough) want a new collectible figure of their favorite game/movie/tv-show, regardless of how much they actually use it (other than put it in display).

Sometimes appearance matters more than what's inside.

[Ninja_Prawn]

They're very small, so they could probably sneak into underwater places without being noticed.

But its definitely in there for that mermaid aesthetic.

[Ventruenox]

I could see an underwater race Rogue wanting to use one for his Snork Sneak Attack.

[tieren]

They're very small, so they could probably sneak into underwater places without being noticed.

But its definitely in there for that mermaid aesthetic.

Quipper is another option though, it is also tiny, has double the swim speed and 60 feet of darkvision.

Octopus is clearly the most optimized underwater familiar, but it is a size category larger (small)

[LibraryOgre]

It's a poor option mechanically, but some things to remember:

Familiars with attacks can't use them (chain warlocks excepted)
Sometimes people run underwater campaigns
Stats aren't everything, sometimes a player just wants their character to have a pet

Not kidding, we had a druid who died in a major fight last night. The player came back with another druid, in the middle of the same fight (against red dragons and gith), and decided he was gonna run off and find a dog, because he wanted a pet.

I need to introduce him to a beastmaster ranger.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Not kidding, we had a druid who died in a major fight last night. The player came back with another druid, in the middle of the same fight (against red dragons and gith), and decided he was gonna run off and find a dog, because he wanted a pet.

I need to introduce him to a beastmaster ranger.

Just show him a dog on the way.

I saw a Sorcerer catch a rat with mage hand and dex check, everytime he tried to run she catched him again.
classic conditioning is the name of the game if you have no wis for handle animal.

[Sigreid]

It's a solid choice for an underwater campaign where the other options are useless.

[TripleD]

It's a solid choice for an underwater campaign where the other options are useless.

It really isn’t. There are two other animals (octopus and quipper) that are better in every way.

A seahorse has no extra senses, awful AC with 1HP (so good luck delivering tough spells to enemies), and a terrible Swim Speed. Seriously, the one thing you would really want out of an underwater companion is that it can swim well, but seahorses can’t even manage that.

As others have said, there’s definitely a “neat pet” angle to this. I not a min-maxer by any stretch, and people should first and foremost have fun. It’s just that with the seahorse being one step above a pet rock, I found myself really curious about how, mechanically, someone would make use of it, and if anyone had ever done so.

The only idea I can think of is to let it ride in the pocket of a companion, and use it to deliver touch spells to that person.

[tieren]

I mean I suppose its innocuous to the point no enemy would ever bother with it which might make it a good look out above your underwater lair.

[Ventruenox]

It’s just that with the seahorse being one step above a pet rock, I found myself really curious about how, mechanically, someone would make use of it, and if anyone had ever done so.

I think I may just make my next character have a pet rock for a familiar, now.

Lessee now... Druid with Magic Initiate or Ritual Caster to get the spell.
Synergy with:
Magic Stone - add a sling, and I can make my familiar attack. Take that, RAW!
Mold Earth - cast through the rock to affect terrain or have a party member carry it for an impromptu Message spell.
Earth Tremor after dropping it down a monster-infested well.
Slather peanut butter on it, feed it to an animal and cast Beast Bond.
Longstrider to give it a movement speed just to create a DM faceslap.
Have a small PC party member under effects of Enlarge/Reduce, then cast Meld into Stone for portability, escape, or infiltration.
Stone Shape - 'nuff said.

It may actually be worthwhile to petrify that seahorse familiar into a pet rock.

[Ninja_Prawn]

Pet rocks are awesome. I actually made some stats for one here (https://mfov.magehandpress.com/2017/06/familiars-cute-as-button.html).

[Sigreid]

Imo the best familiars are easily overlooked. Seahorses are very easy to overlook.

[Segev]

Imo the best familiars are easily overlooked. Seahorses are very easy to overlook.

In most places D&D emulates, quippers are even easier to overlook, being fairly generic "ugly" fish. Seahorses are exotic.

[Sigreid]

In most places D&D emulates, quippers are even easier to overlook, being fairly generic "ugly" fish. Seahorses are exotic.

All the better, give the king a seahorse for his aquarium.

[Segev]

All the better, give the king a seahorse for his aquarium.

As long as you're living within a mile of that at all times, I suppose. And the aquarium is in a good place to spy from.

[TripleD]

All the better, give the king a seahorse for his aquarium.

The guard was caught by surprise. Was the latest addition to the royal aquarium actually dancing for him? The tiny creature was flipping and twirling in the water, once even doing a flying somersault that sent it through the surface and back with a splash.

The little beast looked at him with pleading eyes and a sad little shake of its head. He really wasn’t supposed to pet the animals, but what harm could a quick scratch behind the ears do?

His whole body seized as a powerful electric current shot through his body at first contact with the beast. He slumped forward into the water with smoke rising off him.

A sorcerer slunk out of the shadows. The words for a subtle shocking grasp still dancing in her mind as she dragged the guards body over to the pile.

Four down. Nine to go.