Flying Snake Companion

[thereaper]

Does the +proficiency bonus to damage for a Ranger's animal companion apply to the flying snake's piercing damage, their poison damage, or both?

[Joe the Rat]

That should just apply to the piercing damage (man those are sharp teeth). Poison is a rider on the attack, not a second attack.

(Pity it doesn't add to save DCs)

[sambojin]

It's still not a bad animal companion at low levels. At lvl3 it gets:
16AC, 12HP, +8 to-hit, 3+3d4(poison) damage attack, 60' flying speed, has fly-by attacks, 10' blindsight, 30lb carry, +6 Dex saves, so it isn't that bad at all.

I mean, you could probably do more damage yourself, but you wouldn't do it with +8 to-hit as standard at lvl3. And having a "super strong, always on, can do help actions, can attack for your action, can accurately hit for 6-15 damage (8-12 average), 60' movement ultra-Mage Hand" isn't a *bad* class feature to have. It can even heal itself a bit when resting. I mean, it's just a super familiar in a way. It's not great, but it's not horrible. Give it some Goodberries (to help with yo-yo healing) and you'll feel fine having it. Until about lvl5-7, when everyone can do everything, and you can't, because you're a beastmaster ranger.

It can averagely dodge/take a basic half-strength fireball hit at lvl6, if that's any consolation. Many other familiars can't...

(this is PHB OG beastmaster, no revisions. It's probably a tiny bit better with ranger revisions)

[Misterwhisper]

It's still not a bad animal companion at low levels. At lvl3 it gets:
16AC, 12HP, +8 to-hit, 3+3d4(poison) damage attack, 60' flying speed, has fly-by attacks, 10' blindsight, 30lb carry, +6 Dex saves, so it isn't that bad at all.

I mean, you could probably do more damage yourself, but you wouldn't do it with +8 to-hit as standard at lvl3. And having a "super strong, always on, can do help actions, can attack for your action, can accurately hit for 6-15 damage (8-12 average), 60' movement ultra-Mage Hand" isn't a *bad* class feature to have. It can even heal itself a bit when resting. I mean, it's just a super familiar in a way. It's not great, but it's not horrible. Give it some Goodberries (to help with yo-yo healing) and you'll feel fine having it. Until about lvl5-7, when everyone can do everything, and you can't, because you're a beastmaster ranger.

It can averagely dodge/take a basic half-strength fireball hit at lvl6, if that's any consolation. Many other familiars can't...

(this is PHB OG beastmaster, no revisions. It's probably a tiny bit better with ranger revisions)

I love those ranger revisions, it makes rangers more like what they should have been.

Also a flying snake is an awesome pet, I had one as a familiar while playing a Yuan-ti pure blood warlock. It was my pact of the chain pet.

RP the theme up a lot.

[thereaper]

This is for a theme-heavy player of mine. I'm going to houserule that it can trigger Hunter's Mark, and that it makes perception checks independently, so that it's more useful.

[Joe the Rat]

One of my players uses a "flying lizard" - basically a flying snake with legs - as a familiar. To simplify my life, I simply gave Advantage to the pair (essentially one was Helping the other) for Perception while traveling. For active exploration, absolutely have the snake check perception if scouting ahead.

Even without speak with animals, the ranger should have some basic message signals - semaphore with the wings, if nothing else - to communicate "all clear," "danger," "creatures," etc.

Having the companion benefit from Hunter's Mark seems fair - the animal companion is effectively one of the Ranger's attacks. Including the tracking component seems fair as well. I'd run it that way if someone asked.

[ShikomeKidoMi]

By the way, is there a book is that states you can have a flying snake for a familiar? I feel like I read something about that, but I'm not sure where. It's not on the usual list, though I'd certainly allow it for a Pact of the Chain warlock, as it's not more useful than an Imp.

[Segev]

By the way, is there a book is that states you can have a flying snake for a familiar? I feel like I read something about that, but I'm not sure where. It's not on the usual list, though I'd certainly allow it for a Pact of the Chain warlock, as it's not more useful than an Imp.

It's LESS useful than an Imp. Imps - even without the Variant Familiar sharing of magic resistance - are shapeshifters, have devil's sight, and can do just about everything the flying snake can, only with thumbs.

A flying snake would be less powerful a familiar than a tressym, but probably actually on par with an owl.

[ShikomeKidoMi]

It's LESS useful than an Imp. Imps - even without the Variant Familiar sharing of magic resistance - are shapeshifters, have devil's sight, and can do just about everything the flying snake can, only with thumbs.

A flying snake would be less powerful a familiar than a tressym, but probably actually on par with an owl.

It has double the attack bonus and does 8 times the damage of an owl, though, which is why I might allow it as an improved Pact of the Chain familiar, I would never allow it as a default familiar for people who just use the ritual.

You're right that the imp is far more flexible, though.

[Segev]

It has double the attack bonus and does 8 times the damage of an owl, though, which is why I might allow it as an improved Pact of the Chain familiar, I would never allow it as a default familiar for people who just use the ritual.

You're right that the imp is far more flexible, though.

If you cut out the attack - which being a familiar, it can't use - is it actually any better than the owl?

[ImproperJustice]

In our games, our GMs allow Ranger with Poison Kit proficiency to “milk” their venemous companions during long rests to obtain posion usable for their weapons.

Kind of an ugly one, two punch in battle.

[da newt]

IMP does not have devil's sight - just 120' dark vision. whoops - I got that one wrong.

The down side to the ranger's animal companion is the action cost (vs a simple familiar) - it costs your action for it to do anything except move before lvl 7 - after lvl 7 it costs your bonus action for it to dash, disengage, dodge or help and still burns your action to do anything more.

Volo's pg 213 under "variant: familiars" says any spell caster who can cast find familiar is likely to have a familiar. It can be one listed in the spell or some other tiny monster ...

IMO it is unclear if this applies to NPC or all PCs, and leaves some interesting (maybe OP) options like flame skulls, gazer, faerie dragon, pixie, quickling, etc depending on DM's interpretation.

[Segev]

IMP does not have devil's sight - just 120' dark vision.Au contraire. (http://5e.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/devils.htm#imp) The imp has both 120 ft. darkvision and a trait called "devil's sight" that says that magical darkness doesn't impede his vision. It's technically not quite the same as the Invocation, which specifically lets you see normally in darkness rather than magical darkness not impeding your vision, so the imp still sees in black and white in pitcha but he nd he only sees in darkness as if it were dim light, but his darkvision works just fine in magical darkness.


The down side to the ranger's animal companion is the action cost (vs a simple familiar) - it costs your action for it to do anything except move before lvl 7 - after lvl 7 it costs your bonus action for it to dash, disengage, dodge or help and still burns your action to do anything more.

Makes it more an extention of the ranger than its own creature, essentially.

[ShikomeKidoMi]

IMP does not have devil's sight - just 120' dark vision. whoops - I got that one wrong.
The down side to the ranger's animal companion is the action cost (vs a simple familiar) - it costs your action for it to do anything except move before lvl 7 - after lvl 7 it costs your bonus action for it to dash, disengage, dodge or help and still burns your action to do anything more.

Yeah, a common houserule fix is to have it keep doing the last thing you told it to until instructed to do something different. That way, instead of spending an action every round, you just spend one every few rounds (when telling it switch targets, mostly) which gives it a big boost without having to make any complicated changes.