Chain Warlock with Variant Imp Familiar?

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

obsid

Oct 03, 2014 12:27:25

Can you play a pact of the chain warlock with the Variant Imp Familiar talked about in the Monster Manual?  The players guide says "Most monsters can be found in the Monster Manual" suggesting that the monster manual is a valid rules source.  It does say "D&D Adventurers League play does not use any other optional or variant rules as presented in the Dungeon Master’s Guide" but this isnt the DMG.  And the varient human statistics are allowed.

#2

E-Tallitnics

Oct 03, 2014 19:40:53

obsid wrote:
#3

TheBreen

Oct 04, 2014 0:50:42

E-Tallitnics wrote:
#4

Skerrit

Oct 04, 2014 10:05:22

Correct

#5

Pauper

Oct 06, 2014 7:53:35

Great answer! Think I'll steal this to add to the Recommended Rulings.

 

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Pauper

#6

JohnnyBlaise

Oct 07, 2014 17:41:48

that seems totally inaccurate.  the monster manual rule is not a variant rule.   its defining how familiars work instead if the usual imp, pseudodragon, sprite or quasit.  The monster manual is the most current rule set for monster stats.  it would trump previously published rules (dinosaur shapes for druids for example).

#7

TheBreen

Oct 07, 2014 20:49:41

JohnnyBlaise wrote:
#8

JohnnyBlaise

Oct 08, 2014 12:16:32

Variant creature type not variant rule.  There is a difference.  

 

Page 6 of the monster manual makes this clear. 

 

"MODIFYING CREATURES
Despite the versatile collection of monsters in this book, you might be at a loss when it comes to finding the perfect creature for part of an adventure. Feel free to tweak an existing creature to make it into something more useful for you, perhaps by borrowing a trait or two from a different monster or by using a variant or template, such as the ones in this book.  "

 

Its just a variant type of monster.  Most creatures arent familairs, so you dont use the call-out for them.  However, some creatures are familiars.  Familiars, Player's Handbook, p. 240, are by definition spirits that take on an animal form.  The most common ones have no special rules, but the imp, psuedodragon and quasit forms do have special rules.  

 

An imp familiar is not REALLY an imp.  Its a spirit that has taken on the form of an imp.  Thats why it gets a special set a features a regular imp doesnt have. 

 

I admit, this was sloppy.  Clearly the flavor text writer of the Monster Manual was not the same as the flavor text writer of the PHB.

 

Re: how you would get them... the monster manual even says,

  • "Mortal spellcasters interested in extraplanar familiars find quasits easy to summon and eager to serve." 
  • "Imps can be found in the service to mortal spellcasters, acting as advisors, spies, and familiars."
  • "Some pseudodragons are willing to serve spellcasters as a familiar."

 

 

#9

Pauper

Oct 08, 2014 13:11:24

You can absolutely use find familiar to summon an imp familiar as a Pact of the Chain warlock (though you should probably have that pact with the Fiend or the Great Old One; the PH specifies that the Archfey usually grants pseudodragon or brownie familiars). It even has the imp familiar's stats, as noted in the description of the find familiar spell.

 

What you can't do (at least not in Adventurers League) is use the variant rule on p.69 of the Monster Manual to supercede the rules in the Player's Handbook on how you interact with your familiar -- even if the Adventurers League Player's Guide allowed the Monster Manual as an allowed rules source (which it doesn't), it wouldn't allow the variant rules unless specifically called out (such as the Variant Human Traits rule called out for the Player's Handbook). So no magic resistance, and your telepathy with it has a range of 100 feet rather than a mile.

 

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Pauper

#10

Undrhil

Oct 10, 2014 21:56:31

But you can always take the Invocation to make the telepathy be "while on the same plane."