Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 LightAcolyte Jan 14, 2015 18:16:44	This thread is intended to provide a list of Familiar options available with the Find Familiar spell from pg. 240 of the Player's Handbook (PHB) [referenced from now on as PHB240], the Warlock Class Feature on PHB107, the Familiar Special Trait Variants in the Monster Manual (MM) [Quasit - MM63; Imp - MM69; Pseudodragon - MM254], and the Find Familiar Variant on MM347. Familiars acquired via any of these options may be subject to different rules of acquisition and role-playing aspects subject to DM discretion. The intent is to provide a list of references and general information to assist in deciding on a Familiar, including both rules as written and some additional variants with subject-to-interpretation options a DM may use to offer additional Familiar options.   There are multiple ways to gain a Familiar, including: 1. Cast the Find Familiar spell if it is a spell your character can cast (as a ritual or not). 2. Use a Spell Scroll of Find Familiar if it is on a class spell list of one of your character's classes or your character has the Use Magic Device Class Feature. 3. If your character is a spellcaster, your DM may provide an option to acquire a creature with the Familiar Special Trait.   Note that, if the Familiar is acquired via the Find Familiar spell (whether cast as a ritual or not), you must choose if the Familiar will be of the Celestial, Fey, or Fiend Type if it has a normal Type of Beast. This has no mechanical effect in-game except where an effect or spell references the Type (i.e.: a Raven could normally be affected by the Animal Friendship spell as a Beast; however, as a Fiend it instead would be able to be revealed by a Detect Evil and Good spell even though normally it could not).   In addition, if using the MM347 Variant to acquire a non-standard Tiny creature as a Familiar, please note that for the purpose of presenting reasonable options, the highest CR of any standard Familiar option (1) and the highest Hit Dice of any standard Familar option (3) have been chosen as arbitrary limits for inclusion here. Therefore, Demiliches, Faerie Dragons, Flameskulls, Intellect Devourers, and Will-o'-Wisps (which are technically all Tiny creatures in accordance with the Variant's wording) have been excluded. Of course, using the rules in the DMG to modify monsters opens up many more possibilities to make a PC or NPC feel unique (i.e.: a Flying Dagger based on the Flying Sword Animated Object, power-scaled-back Flameskulls done as a CR 1 / 3 HD variant, an Ancient Black Dragon with a Demilich Familiar, Illithids with Intellect Devourer Familiars).   Familiar Options May Include (with notable characteristics listed):   Badger [MM318, Variant MM347] {Beast}: Burrow, Darkvision, Keen Smell, Bite (melee piercing weapon) Bat [MM318, PHB240] {Beast}: Fly, Blindsight, Echolocation, Keen Hearing, Bite (melee piercing weapon) Cat [MM320, PHB250] {Beast}: Climb, Perception/Stealth Skills, Keen Smell, Claws (melee slashing weapon) Crab [MM320, PHB250] {Beast}: Swim, Stealth Skill, Blindsight, Amphibious, Claw (melee bludgeoning weapon) Crawling Claw [MM44, Variant MM347] {Undead}: Climb, Immune to Poison/Charmed/Exhaustion/Turning, Blindsight, Understands Common, Claw (melee bludgeoning or slashing weapon) Flying Snake [MM322, Variant MM347] {Beast}: Fly, Swim, Blindsight, Flyby, Bite (melee piercing & poison weapon) Frog (or Toad) [MM322, PHB240] {Beast}: Swim, Perception/Stealth Skills, Amphibious, Standing Leap Hawk (or Falcon) [MM330, PHB240] {Beast}: Fly, Perception Skill, Keen Sight, Talons (melee slashing weapon) Homunculus [MM188, Variant MM347] {Construct}: Fly, Immune to Poison/Charmed, Darkvision, Understands Creator's Languages, Telepathic Bond, Bite (melee piercing weapon plus Poisoned/Unconscious) Imp [MM76, PHB107 {Warlock Only} or Variant MM69 or Variant MM347] {Fiend}: Climb, Fly, Deception/Insight/Persuasion/Stealth Skills, Resistance to Cold & Nonmagical Bludgeoning/Piercing/Slashing, Immune to Fire/Poison, Darkvision, Speaks Infernal & Common, Magic Resistance, Shapechanger (Rat/Raven/Spider), Devil's Sight, Familiar*, Sting (melee piercing & poison weapon), Invisibility Lizard [MM332, PHB240] {Beast}: Climb, Darkvision, Bite (melee piercing weapon) Octopus [MM333, PHB240] {Beast}: Small Size, Swim, Perception/Stealth Skills, Darkvision, Hold Breath, Underwater Camouflage, Underwater Breathing, Tentacles (melee bludgeoning weapon plus Grappling), Ink Cloud (plus Dash) Owl [MM333, PHB240] {Beast}: Fly, Perception/Stealth, Darkvision, Flyby, Keen Hearing and Sight, Talons (melee slashing weapon) Poisonous Snake [MM334, PHB240] {Beast}: Swim, Blindsight, Bite (melee piercing & poison weapon) Quasit [MM63, PHB107 {Warlock Only} or Variant MM63 or Variant MM347] {Fiend}: Climb, Fly, Swim, Stealth Skill, Resistance to Cold/Fire/Lightning & Nonmagical Bludgeoning/Piercing/Slashing, Immune to Poison, Speaks Abyssal & Common, Magic Resistance, Shapechanger (Bat, Centipede, Toad), Familiar*, Claws (melee piercing & poison weapon plus Poisoned), Scare, Invisibility Quipper (or Fish) [MM335, PHB240] {Beast}: Swim, Darkvision, Blood Frenzy, Water Breathing, Bite (melee piercing weapon) Pixie [MM253, Variant MM347] {Fey}: Fly, Perception/Stealth Skills, Speaks Sylvan, Magic Resistance, Innate Spellcasting, Superior Invisibility Pseudodragon [MM254, PHB107 {Warlock Only} or Variant MM254 or Variant MM347] {Dragon}: Fly, Perception/Stealth Skills, Blindsight, Darkvision, Understands Common & Draconic, Keen Senses, Magic Resistance, Limited Telepathy, Familiar*, Bite (melee piercing weapon), Sting (melee piercing weapon plus Poisoned/Unconscious) Rat [MM335, PHB240] {Beast}: Darkvision, Keen Smell, Bite (melee piercing weapon) Raven [MM335, PHB240] {Beast}: Fly, Perception Skill, Mimicry, Break (melee piercing weapon) Scorpion [MM337, Variant MM347] {Beast}: Blindsight, Sting (melee piercing & poison weapon) Sea Horse [MM337, PHB240] {Beast}: Swim, Water Breathing Spider [MM337, PHB240] {Beast}: Climb, Stealth Skill, Darkvision, Spider Climb, Web Sense, Web Walker, Bite (melee piercing & poison weapon) Sprite [MM283, PHB107 {Warlock Only} or Variant MM347] {Fey}: Fly, Perception/Stealth Skills, Speaks Common/Elvish/Sylvan, Longsword (melee slashing weapon), Shortbow (ranged piercing weapon plus Poisoned/Unconscious), Heart Sight, Invisibility Stirge [MM284, Variant MM347] {Beast}: Fly, Darkvision, Blood Drain (melee piercing weapon plus Attach) Weasel [MM340, PHB240] {Beast}: Perception/Stealth Skills, Keen Hearing and Smell, Bite (melee piercing weapon)   * = Familiar Special Trait Variant    I plan to add ratings at a later date and update this list with new options as more books are released. If you get a book before I do, feel free to post the details in this format so I can add them to this list.
#2 LightAcolyte Jan 14, 2015 18:18:14	Reserved for Future Familiar Tactics, Options, Comparisons of Familiar Special Trait vs. Warlock Find Familiar, Etc.