Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 FunkySpunk Jun 06, 2015 6:23:04	Where in the monster manual does it say that?    What familiar for a pact of the chain warlock gives the most resistance?
#2 Tempest_Stormwind Jun 06, 2015 6:40:44	Sidebar for the imp, pseudodragon, and quasit says that, if they're familiars, they share their magic resistance with you, but that's strictly speaking optional. The last Chain familiar, the sprite, doesn't have resistance to share. All three of the others have identical resistance, there is no "best" on that front.
#3 AaronOfBarbaria Jun 06, 2015 7:50:09	Some people have grown confused about familiars, so here is the short and sweet version of how things work as written in the books:   If you have a familiar because of the find familiar spell, even those which are only options because of your warlock class feature, then it follows all the rules present in the PHB and the sidebar from the MM doesn't have any bearing.   Certain monsters in the MM have sidebars that mention an option for the DM to have such a creature choose to become the familiar of any character - this does not use any of the rules in the PHB, and only does what is presented in the sidebar for that creature in the MM.
(Reply to #3) ArialBlack	AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
#5 Tempest_Stormwind Jun 06, 2015 8:16:50	ArialBlack wrote:
#6 ArialBlack Jun 06, 2015 8:29:44	'The Sidebar' wrote:
(Reply to #6) AaronOfBarbaria	ArialBlack wrote:
#8 Tempest_Stormwind Jun 06, 2015 9:46:44	That's the imp entering a contract, not the Find Familiar spell summoning a spirit in the form of an imp.
#9 ArialBlack Jun 06, 2015 10:59:08	The find familiar spell is just another way for it to enter a contract.   Familiars have all of the abilities that the beast they resemble have. There is no reason to suppose that this means all the abilities except this one.   In fact, I read all four of those sidebars, which not co-incidentally exactly match the four familiars obtainable with the chain pact, as instructions to the DM how to adjudicate these beasts when they are in the chain pact. The normal rules of find familiar apply, except when modified or replaced or simply are added to by the instructions for pact familiars given in the sidebars.   This means that the telepathy range given in the spell is superseded by the range in the sidebar, and chainlocks can share Magic Resistance. It also means that these are actual beasts, as opposed to spirits in animal form.   I don't believe that the ability to get a familiar without the spell is what the sidebars mean. I think that these are rules to apply when these beasts are bound as familiars by means of the Pact of the Chain.
#10 ArialBlack Jun 06, 2015 11:50:19	If the sidebars are simply additional rules which modify the rules of find familiar, then they apply to the special familiars obtained via Pact of the Chain.   If the sidebars represent another route to gain these familiars, then there is no reason to suppose that those who have already gained such a familiar through the pact may not also gain the abilities detailed in the sidebar. Familiars gained through the spell 'always obeys your commands', so commanding it to apply the sidebar benefits is trivial.
#11 Mechatarrasque Jun 06, 2015 13:44:18	If the player of the warlock bribed the DM with enough pizza, the DM could give the chainlock access to the optional benefit mentioned in the MM.  The chainlock has no right to those benefits.  If they did, the forums would be full of how great the chainlock is (instead of how great the booklock is).  You can make a case that they should have those benefits, and as a DM I would probably agree (after the chainlock hit some milestone), but neither RAW or RAI guarentees them.
(Reply to #11) ArialBlack	Mechatarrasque wrote:
(Reply to #12) randl	ArialBlack wrote:
(Reply to #13) ArialBlack	randl wrote:
#15 SterlingRat Jun 06, 2015 18:06:26	No... all four are in the player's handbook, the sidebar is in the MM and it's the sidebar that mentions sharing magic resistance.
#16 Ghost_Gallus Jun 06, 2015 18:08:18	ArialBlack wrote:
#17 AaronOfBarbaria Jun 06, 2015 18:08:28	The warlocks special familiars are present in the phb, making them valid for AL games. The sidebars being discuseed aren't.
#18 Psikerlord Jun 06, 2015 20:22:39	I would rule the chain pact familiar can share it's magic resistance just like the MM says. The familiar is the chain pact's big feature, after all. Not OP.
(Reply to #17) randl	AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
#20 Treantmonklvl20 Jun 09, 2015 16:45:46	Tempest_Stormwind wrote:
#21 Tempest_Stormwind Jun 09, 2015 17:31:14	Treantmonklvl20 wrote:
#22 AaronOfBarbaria Jun 09, 2015 19:35:25	Imps have the sidebar, it is located in the general devil section rather than on the imp page
#23 Treantmonklvl20 Jun 09, 2015 20:17:51	Tempest_Stormwind wrote:
#24 Treantmonklvl20 Jun 09, 2015 20:18:13	AaronOfBarbaria wrote:
#25 QwertyAzerty Jun 10, 2015 6:53:36	For a Home game it's up to the DM.   In organize play like Adventure League, the pseudodragon do not give you the msgic resistance because the Monster manual is not a legitimate ressource for player and the pseudodragon in the PHB do not give you that.   Further in AL Optional rule are NOT available (except grid play) and those sidebar are clearly written as optional.   So in home game it depend on your DM. in AL it's flat out NO.
#26 durntaur Jun 10, 2015 11:08:12	Mechatarrasque wrote:
(Reply to #26) Mechatarrasque	durntaur wrote:
(Reply to #26) ArialBlack	durntaur wrote:
#29 ArialBlack Jun 10, 2015 15:48:32	Just been informed that the PHB errata says, for the Pact of the Chain special familiars, that 'The Monster Manual is authoritive', indicating that for AL and everything else, they do share Magic Resistance.   : )
#30 Greenstone.Walker Jun 10, 2015 17:00:43	ArialBlack wrote:
(Reply to #30) ArialBlack	Greenstone.Walker wrote:
#32 HermanTheWize Jun 11, 2015 6:12:54	Someone needs to post to Jeremy about this question, with the errata in mind.