Find Familiar 5e Guide
Table of Contents:
Find Familiar 5e Guide- A Spellcaster's Best Friend
Partway between a servant and a magical pet, in , a shares a magical bond with their summoner and is often an integral part of their lives as they master the arcane arts. In 5e D&D a little seems simple but can have deceptively deep applications. Pick your favorite critter from the pet shop as we go through the and everything you need to know.
How Do I Get a ?
Technically every character has access to a , it's just a heck of a lot easier for some classes.
Fundamentally it's all about the Find . If you want a little raven to call your own, you'll need to add this to your repertoire.
Since Find , which means that by far the easiest way to gain a is to simply be a and pick Find as one of your 1st level spells. For everybody else it'll take just a bit of work. is exclusively found on the
The new book of Everything added optional features for all the classes, including the Wild Companion feature for druids. Wild Companion straight up grants you the and lets you ignore the material components to boot. Simply being a is now one of the easiest and most efficient ways of gaining a friendly beast.
Next, warlocks choose a pact at 3rd level, one of which is the Pact of the Chain . More than simply giving you the , Pact of the Chain essentially gives you a SUPER that works a bit differently.
Finally, that leaves us with everybody else, who are stuck with the least efficient but still viable option of taking the feat. This feat gives you access to 2 cantrips and a 1st level from a of your choice. And Find is conveniently a 1st level . The other good news is that it's a ritual , so if you are a you can also get one without having an available . This works evem of you are , rogue, etc., etc. Yes, even the can get a if they want. It really works with those totem folks.
How Does Find Work?
The Find takes an hour of magical work, 10 gp worth of incense, and a brass brazier, to summon a spirit into a nearby unoccupied space that takes the physical form of an animal. The you summon is bonded to you in a few important ways, but is otherwise a fully-fledged at your service for an infinite duration. It obeys your commands, but it acts independently and has its own spot in initiative.
We'll go into a 's uses in a bit. But for now, let's start with the utilities written into the :
- If the drops to , it disappears, drops any object they're holding, and waits to be summoned again. Mechanically this is practically the same as summoning a new , but emotionally you don't have to feel like you killed your fuzzy buddy whenever they get poofed.
- It's important to note that most don't have more than 1 , so they're not really intended to be active combatants.
- While the is within 100 feet of you, you have a telepathic link with it. As an action you can also use your 's senses and see and hear what they do, though you go blind and deaf while you're doing so.
- As an action you can make your poof out of existence into their own little pocket dimension or back out of it into a space within 30 feet.
- You can't have more than one .
- Your will last forever or until they get killed and temporarily poof away.
- You can deliver touch spells through your as if you were the one doing the touching. This uses the 's reaction.
- Your can't . (Notably, the familiars summoned using the 's Pact of the Chain feature CAN . More on that in a bit.)
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FAQ
Can I Store Stuff in My 's Pocket Dimension?
No. When your poofs back to their pocket dimension they drop any object they're holding. So, you can't use your like a fuzzy bag of holding.
What is a Pocket Dimension Like?
This is about like asking what the inside of a pokeball is like, it just isn't touched much in the rules. However, we know that their pocket dimension is tailored to them, so it's likely comfortable for their spirit form to occupy.
Can't I Just Pick any Tiny Monster out of the Monster Manual?
Technically you could if your DM allowed it, but that rule is specifically meant for NPCs. Any tiny monster could serve as a , but rules as written you are limited to the creatures specified in the itself.
I need to make a , what does it use?
Most lenient DMs will let you use YOUR , but otherwise your little buddy might go poof.
How to Best Use Your
I've seen a lot of players dismiss or ignore Find , but it's one of the most useful features a character can have if you know how to use it right, the benefits just aren't immediately apparent.
Scouting
Don't like the look of the next room? Send the magical cat in first and see if any traps go off or if there's an ogre around the corner. It may seem a bit cruel but having the check for danger risks 10 gp and an hour to recast it, rather than a player character. Then you factor in your 's movement and senses and you can fly your up to get a bird's eye view, use them for quasi-darkvision by "seeing" through their eyes, or get a sense of a space only a tiny-sized could fit through.
Delivery
Some very powerful spells use the range of touch, especially some great early spells like shocking grasp, inflict wounds, or cure light wounds. Getting those touch spells in usually requires getting into the thick of combat, a place where many squishy spellcasters wouldn't be caught dead. If you use your in combat like this, they'll likely get poofed by the first thing that attacks them, but that means they wasted an on something other than you and your allies at the cost of 10 gp. It's also usually not wise to use them against enemies using damaging areas of effect, your little won't last long if fireballs are getting thrown around.
Help
Familiars may not be able to , but they can perform the often forgotten "help" action. When a uses the help action, they have two options:
The first mode grants advantage on another 's next ability check, you literally help the other with whatever they're doing.
The 2nd mode grants advantage on an ally's eldritch knight or other mixed martial and magical class. against a within 5 feet of you, you basically distract and mess with a target to give your friend a better shot. This is especially useful if you're an
A side note for using your this way, specifically for rogues. A counts as an ally for the purposes of !
Item Holders
Did the all-important magical mcguffin slide across the floor in the middle of the fight? Send your to go snatch it. They can also administer items like healing potions, so your can act as the emergency items dispenser while you fight the bad guys.
Which Should I Pick?
The short answer is you should pick whichever you like the most. Beyond that, it's really a matter of picking between a few key attributes, statistics, special senses, and what animal form your party would benefit from the most. It's best to ignore the claws and other attacks as that's not what they're best at anyway. Here are the basic options (from the ) and what they have going for them:
Bat
Bats are one of the frontrunner options for their senses, especially if you plan on using your for scouting. They have a flying speed, blindsight (echolocation), and keen hearing (advantage on Perception checks that are hearing-based).
Cat
Cats miss out on a flying speed but have good bonuses to Stealth and Perception along with a climbing speed. Of the non-flying/non-swimming familiars they're one of the best options, but I'd only take it if that bonus to Stealth is what you're after.
Crab
Crabs get a swimming speed (though a slow one) and are amphibious which means they don't suffer the same pitfalls of the other aquatic familiars. They also strangely get blindsight, which makes them a decent scouting option if your campaign is going to have a big water adventuring element, but otherwise give crabs a pass. They are potentially great if you temporarily will want to look through your for anything that might otherwise go unnoticed.
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Frog
The stats are almost identical to crabs, but you lose out on blindsight and get darkvision instead. You also get a largely useless jumping ability, but if you're considering a frog, I'd take a crab instead.
Hawk
With a fast-flying speed and advantage on sight-based perception checks, hawks are an all-round strong scout option. They still lose out to owls statistically though, and if you're considering hawks, I'd take a strong look at owls instead.
Lizard
You get darkvision and a climb speed, but they lose out entirely to much better options.
Octopus
By far the best purely aquatic option, octopi are the perfect stealthy underwater scouts. They are strictly aquatic though, so you're limited to underwater campaigns or to temporarily transforming your into an octopus when the need arises.
Owl
They gain advantage on both sight and sound-based perception checks, they have excellent darkvision, and a fast fly speed. What locks them up as the top spot though is their flyby ability that lets them move out of enemy threatened areas without provoking an of opportunity. This flyby ability cinches them as the single correct option if you plan on using your to deliver touch spells or distract enemies using the help action.
You get a swim speed (but no water breathing) and a short range blindsight. The big draw though is the venomous bite, which is actually a decent damage source at literal level 1 or 2 but will be largely irrelevant later.
Fish (Quipper)
Technically this has some applications for getting touch spells through in an aquatic campaign, but it should be a hard pass in every other scenario.
Rat
I personally love rats, but they're sadly outclassed by basically every other option.
Raven
You get a fly speed, a decent bonus to Perception, and a cool if weak mimicry ability that you may be able to trick some guards with. Worth considering if you're going for an illusionist or arcane trickster.
Sea Horse
Very cute but awful stats and almost laughably bad in every respect.
Spider
With a climb speed that works on ceilings, darkvision, and a big Stealth bonus, I consider spiders to be the absolute best non-flying scout option. If you're more worried about scouting out the next room than the next leg of the woods, go with the spider.
Weasel
The best Stealth bonus of the bunch and faster than the rat, weasels aren't the best option by a long shot but they're decent.
What About X/Y/Z Animal?
I've yet to see any gamemasters who wouldn't allow you to flavor your raven as a parakeet, or a weasel as a squirrel. If you're dead set on a particular pet, just pick the stat block that seems the closest and ask your DM for permission.
Pact of the Chain WarlocksWarlocks who select the pact of the chain gain the but with several options for their that are far stronger than normal critters and their familiars can make attacks. All in all, we think are pretty cool:
Imps have a fly speed, super darkvision, , the ability to turn invisible at will, and the ability to polymorph into other less "fiendish" forms when the situation calls for it. They also get a whole slew of devilish resistances, bonuses to a ton of skills, and a stinger that can deal a surprising amount of damage. I tend to regard imps as the absolute strongest pact option, so long as your party mates aren't concerned with having a little devil tag along.
Pseudodragon
A literal tiny , they're statistically similar to imps but lose out on a ton of resistances and skill bonuses and gain limited telepathy. I think of pseudodragons as a solid runner up to be taken when the party has too many paladins for a devil friend.
Quasit
Almost strictly worse than the as it loses out on a flying speed, and it shares the "fiend in the party" problem. If you have the option, pick the over the quasit.
Sprite
The invisibility combined with the poisoned shortbow shots make for a strangely combat relevant for ambushes. You get the invisibility but miss out on the resistances and type resistances. Sprites are decent, but I'd still take the or pseudodragon over them.
Variant Familiars
Hidden away in bestiaries and adventure paths several creatures have been marked as " " (some folks look for the term ) available at your DM's discretion. A lot of these are unique to the setting, or are downright stronger options that the DM may choose to provide you as a reward:
Abyssal Chicken
You read that correctly, the abyssal chicken can be found in : Decent into Avernus and these "chickens" are tiny shrieking demons. Statistically they have decent hit points and a bunch of demonic resistances and immunities. They also have blindsight and a bad chicken-y "flight" ability. A funny option, but a viable one.
Almiraj
Basically, a rabbit with a unicorn horn, these little buns can be found in the Tomb of Annihilation adventure path. Almiraj get a 50-foot land speed, which is the fastest non-flying I've seen, and they have advantage on both sight and sound-based Perception checks.
Anvilwrought Raptor
These are magical living metal birds unique to the Theros setting. They have a surprisingly tough AC, the ability to record sounds like a magical tape recorder, and you can use them to scout vast distances as the artificer! to these robot-birds extends to 1-mile instead of 100 feet! We think this is a great for a
Flying Monkey
These are also out of the Tomb of Annihilation adventure, they get a fly and climb speed, and pack tactics of all things which makes them a very strong delivery system.
Gazer
Found in Volo's Guide to Monsters, gazers are basically tiny beholders, and they're an INSANE step up in power level from most a , or a who has taken a feat or dip into ! It's one of the best familiars in Dungeons and ! options. You do have to be at least 3rd level to bond with one, but that's a small price to pay for eye rays. If you can gain a gazer , TAKE it. We think this is a great for
Tressym
Found in Storm King's Thunder, tressym are literally cats with wings. Besides the fly speed, they also get permanent detect invisibility and poison sense . Making tressym work less as scouts and more as early warning alarms.
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Last updated: January 27, 2019
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