The find familiar is one of the best in the game. But it has one major problem - if you pick anything but the owl, you're doing it wrong. I joke, but really, everything else is weak by comparison.The owl simply outshines every other familiar. So with that in mind I want to redesign the spell as such. A familiar will have a stat block that does not change, you can pick any beast or creature you want your familiar to look like, but it is always size tiny and it can only do what its stat block allows. Statistics to be determined. AC 15 5 HP
Flying creatures get a fly speed of 60, walking get 40, swimming get 40. For the next part, to allow some customization, I want to create a list of 10-12 options, you get to pick 4. A Pact of the Chain Warlock gets to pick the special familiars or 6, plus another 1 at levels 5, 11, 16, and 19 for a total of 10 and if the choice has a duration/limitation, that duration/limitation does not apply to a warlocks familiar and a warlock familiar can attack.
Some possible options:
Darkvision 120ft
Truesight 10ft, 1/day
Invisability 1m 1/day
Flyby/Dartby (land equivalent)
Self polymorph 1/day
Evasion
Advantage on Perception Check
Advantage on Stealth Checks
+2 AC
Can Hide as a bonus action
What else would you add as an option? Should there not be options but just a static set of given abilities?
Alternative, no choice in abilities, but every familiar has:
You mean in the vein of the new UA summon spirit spells, like a “Summon Familiar Spirit” type of design?
Are you referring to Beast of Air, Beast of Land from Ranger, if so then yes, if there is a “Summon Familiar Spirit” I don't remember seeing that, but as a replacement for the first level spell
You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes an animal or creature form you choose. Regardless of the form you choose, it is always size tiny. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, it is a celestial, fey, or fiend (your choice) instead of a beast or creature.
The familiars speed is based on the type of beast or creature:
Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it shares your initiative and acts at the end of your turn. A familiar can't attack, but it can take other actions as normal. (dash, disengage, hide, help)
When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again.
Within 1 mile as a bonus action, you can see through your familiar's eyes and hear what it hears, returning to your senses at will. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses. Additionally, while your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically.
As a bonus action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. The familiar can also use it's action to enter or exit this dimension.
You can't have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form. Choose one of the forms from the above list. Your familiar transforms into the chosen creature.
Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.
* - (10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs that must be consumed by fire in a brass brazier)
It’s not a bad idea. I might give them a little bit more based on Winged/Land/Aquatic specifically instead of in general. That way you can boost Land and Aquatic a little bit to balance them against Winged. But it’s a good start!
Passby. The familiar doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it moves out of an enemy's reach.
Evasion.When the familiar is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage on a fail.
Familiars have three main purposes: Help action, delivery of touch spells, espionage.
There are solid reasons to pick the bat (echolocation) and the poisonous snake (poison harvesting) as well as the owl.
If you are in an underwater adventurer, switching to a crab, fish or octopous makes sense.
It is true that the other creatures are silly and could use an upgrade. But a) Truesight and polymorph are far too powerful for a familiar, and b) it makes more sense simply to either upgrade the existing creatures rather than change the rules radically.
I have previously suggested: (In a post that gathered no responses):
Cat: Nine lives: as a reaction to being attacked, 1/day a cat familiar can dismiss itself.
Rat: Hide as a bonus action
Weasel: Are proficient (using owner's prof. bonus) with Sleight of Hand.
Hawk: May pick up a rock as a bonus action then move over a victim and drop the rock on them from 10 ft above their head. Attack: +5 to hit, 1d6 damage blunt damage. Their movement is 60, and the DM rules on where any rocks are (unless the wizard carries them for the hawk).
Yeah, the abilities was a first draft, but have basically decided just to streamline, give flat abilities, but still toying, may add that you also get any non-attack ability from you chosen creature
I agree that a redesign of Find Familiar (and the Pact of the Chain Warlock feature) are in order to be similar to the Artificer's Battle Smith. A static stat block to choose between Beast of Air, Water and Land as well as a suped up version for Pact of Chain Warlocks.
So coming back to this topic post Tasha's I think the best way to streamline it would be as follows:
You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes on whatever form you choose. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the familiar has the statistics provided below, though it is a celestial, fey, or fiend (your choice) instead of the creature type it resembles.
Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it shares your initiative and acts at the end of your turn. A familiar can't attack, but it can take other actions as normal.
When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again.
While your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your familiar's eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses. You can use your familiars senses up to 1 mile.
As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you.
You can't have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form.
Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.
FAMILIAR
Tiny (celestial, fey, or fiend) unaligned
Armor Class 13 + proficiency bonus (natural armor)
Hit Points 5 + your character level.
Speed 40 ft. walk/swim, fly 60 ft. (regardless of form)
Passby. The familiar doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it moves out of an enemy's reach.
Evasion.When the familiar is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage on a fail.
A user called Save-vs-DM on another forum proposed this. Very clever. I like the idea that the trait it has reflects your school of magic. Perhaps Sorcerers could choose or perhaps there is a skill tied to wild magic. This has potential to be cool, but im not qualified to say if its balanced.
Familiar Tiny celestial, fey, or fiend, (alignment matches that of their master) -------------------------------------------------------------- Armor Class 10 + your Spellcasting Modifier Hit Points equal 1+ your Spellcasting Modifier (the beast has a single Hit Dice [d6]) Speed Choose one of the following: aerial (10 ft., fly 50 ft.), aquatic (30 ft., swim 30 ft.), or terrestrial (30 ft., climb 30 ft.) Saving Throws All saving throws are equal to your proficiency bonus + your Spellcasting Modifier.
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
3 (-4)
13 (+1)
8 (-1)
10 (+0)
12 (+1)
8 (-1)
Skills Perception +4, Stealth +4 Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 Languages understands the languages you speak -------------------------------------------------------------- Master's Gift. When you summon a familiar, you choose one of the gifts below to bestow upon your familiar. If you are capable of casting 5th level spells, you can choose two of the gifts instead. And if you can cast 9th level spells, you choose three gifts.
Abjurer's Protection: The familiar can now use it's Aid Master action to aid the defense of another creature within 5' of the familiar. If it does so, the next attack against the creature is made at disadvantage.
Conjurer's Might: The familiar is enhanced, gain a +2 bonus to it's armor class and additional hit points equal to twice your proficiency bonus. It also gains advantage on all saving throws.
Diviner's Sight: The familiar gains a bonus to its Perception equal to your proficiency bonus, another 60 ft. to it's darkvision, and Blindsight 60 ft.
Enchanter's Splendor: The familiar gains the ability to speak one language you know and looks like a particularly splendid example of it's kind. When your familiar is within 5 ft. of you and visible, you gain advantage on Charisma (Deception) and Charisma (Persuasion) checks.
Evoker's Power: The familiar takes no damage from your evocation spells. When you target a creature within 5 ft. of your familiar with an evocation spell, you deal an additional 1d6 points of force damage to that target.
Illusionist's Veil: The familiar has advantage on Stealth checks and its master can change the physical appearance of the familiar as a bonus action, so long as the familiar retains the same general shape.
Necromancer's Shroud: The familiar saps the energy of those near it. When the familiar uses its Aid Master action, if the attack it aided hits, the attack deals an additional 1d6 points of necrotic damage.
Transmuter's Speed: The familiar gains an additional 10 ft. to all of it's movement speeds and can use Dash as a bonus action.
Spirit. The familiar doesn't need to eat, drink, or breathe.
Actions -------------------------------------------------------------- Aid Master. The familiar uses the Aid action. For the rest of the familiar's turn, it's movement doesn't provoke opportunity attacks.
Can I use elements of this super familiar idea for my Mystic Experimentation Notes please? I love the idea, and I'm just wondering if I could make my own version.
I can't really speak for someone else, but they posted it on a public forum so you can pretty much do whatever you want with it. Courtesy would be to reference KyleGray in the notes.
Not mine. It was on another public forum hence why i cited the creator. I would love to see what you come up with as i agree with above posters that this may be a little strong if not flavourful. I like the idea of domain flavoured ones also.
The find familiar is one of the best in the game. But it has one major problem - if you pick anything but the owl, you're doing it wrong. I joke, but really, everything else is weak by comparison.The owl simply outshines every other familiar. So with that in mind I want to redesign the spell as such. A familiar will have a stat block that does not change, you can pick any beast or creature you want your familiar to look like, but it is always size tiny and it can only do what its stat block allows. Statistics to be determined. AC 15 5 HP
Flying creatures get a fly speed of 60, walking get 40, swimming get 40. For the next part, to allow some customization, I want to create a list of 10-12 options, you get to pick 4. A Pact of the Chain Warlock gets to pick the special familiars or 6, plus another 1 at levels 5, 11, 16, and 19 for a total of 10 and if the choice has a duration/limitation, that duration/limitation does not apply to a warlocks familiar and a warlock familiar can attack.
Some possible options:
What else would you add as an option? Should there not be options but just a static set of given abilities?
Alternative, no choice in abilities, but every familiar has:
You mean in the vein of the new UA summon spirit spells, like a “Summon Familiar Spirit” type of design?
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Are you referring to Beast of Air, Beast of Land from Ranger, if so then yes, if there is a “Summon Familiar Spirit” I don't remember seeing that, but as a replacement for the first level spell
You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes an animal or creature form you choose. Regardless of the form you choose, it is always size tiny. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, it is a celestial, fey, or fiend (your choice) instead of a beast or creature.
The familiars speed is based on the type of beast or creature:
Winged: 60ft flying
Land: 40ft walking
Aquatic: 40ft swim
All familiars have the following statistics:
STR 3 DEX 16 CON 10 INT 5 WIS 10 CHA 5
Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it shares your initiative and acts at the end of your turn. A familiar can't attack, but it can take other actions as normal. (dash, disengage, hide, help)
When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again.
Within 1 mile as a bonus action, you can see through your familiar's eyes and hear what it hears, returning to your senses at will. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses. Additionally, while your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically.
As a bonus action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. The familiar can also use it's action to enter or exit this dimension.
You can't have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form. Choose one of the forms from the above list. Your familiar transforms into the chosen creature.
Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.
* - (10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs that must be consumed by fire in a brass brazier)Yeah, I meant like these: https://www.dndbeyond.com/spells?filter-class=0&filter-search=Summon+spirit&filter-verbal=&filter-somatic=&filter-material=&filter-concentration=&filter-ritual=&filter-sub-class=&filter-source=29&filter-partnered-content=f
It’s not a bad idea. I might give them a little bit more based on Winged/Land/Aquatic specifically instead of in general. That way you can boost Land and Aquatic a little bit to balance them against Winged. But it’s a good start!
Creating Epic Boons on DDB
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Hardcovers, DDB & You
Content Troubleshooting
FAMILIAR
Tiny (celestial, fey, or fiend) unaligned
Armor Class 13 + the level of the spell when cast above 1st level (natural armor)
Hit Points 5
Speed 40 ft. walk/swim, fly 60 ft. (based on creature type)
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception +3, Stealth +3
Languages Understands the languages you speak
Actions
Passby. The familiar doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it moves out of an enemy's reach.
Evasion. When the familiar is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage on a fail.
Standard Actions. Dash, Disengage, Hide, Help
Familiars have three main purposes: Help action, delivery of touch spells, espionage.
There are solid reasons to pick the bat (echolocation) and the poisonous snake (poison harvesting) as well as the owl.
If you are in an underwater adventurer, switching to a crab, fish or octopous makes sense.
It is true that the other creatures are silly and could use an upgrade. But a) Truesight and polymorph are far too powerful for a familiar, and b) it makes more sense simply to either upgrade the existing creatures rather than change the rules radically.
I have previously suggested: (In a post that gathered no responses):
Cat: Nine lives: as a reaction to being attacked, 1/day a cat familiar can dismiss itself.
Rat: Hide as a bonus action
Weasel: Are proficient (using owner's prof. bonus) with Sleight of Hand.
Hawk: May pick up a rock as a bonus action then move over a victim and drop the rock on them from 10 ft above their head. Attack: +5 to hit, 1d6 damage blunt damage. Their movement is 60, and the DM rules on where any rocks are (unless the wizard carries them for the hawk).
Yeah, the abilities was a first draft, but have basically decided just to streamline, give flat abilities, but still toying, may add that you also get any non-attack ability from you chosen creature
I agree that a redesign of Find Familiar (and the Pact of the Chain Warlock feature) are in order to be similar to the Artificer's Battle Smith. A static stat block to choose between Beast of Air, Water and Land as well as a suped up version for Pact of Chain Warlocks.
I love this, I'd add to it;
- 1/day the familiar can change its size to huge for a number of hrs equal the player level (for travel or combat)
- the familiar can be used as an arcane focus as long as it's within 100 ft of its master (for rp purposes)
So coming back to this topic post Tasha's I think the best way to streamline it would be as follows:
You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes on whatever form you choose. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the familiar has the statistics provided below, though it is a celestial, fey, or fiend (your choice) instead of the creature type it resembles.
Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it shares your initiative and acts at the end of your turn. A familiar can't attack, but it can take other actions as normal.
When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again.
While your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your familiar's eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses. You can use your familiars senses up to 1 mile.
As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you.
You can't have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form.
Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.
FAMILIAR
Tiny (celestial, fey, or fiend) unaligned
Armor Class 13 + proficiency bonus (natural armor)
Hit Points 5 + your character level.
Speed 40 ft. walk/swim, fly 60 ft. (regardless of form)
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception +3, Stealth +3
Languages Understands the languages you speak
Actions
Passby. The familiar doesn't provoke opportunity attacks when it moves out of an enemy's reach.
Evasion. When the familiar is subjected to an effect that allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it succeeds on the saving throw, and only half damage on a fail.
A user called Save-vs-DM on another forum proposed this. Very clever. I like the idea that the trait it has reflects your school of magic. Perhaps Sorcerers could choose or perhaps there is a skill tied to wild magic. This has potential to be cool, but im not qualified to say if its balanced.
Interesting, but that really elevates the capabilities of a familiar to a new level.
Can I use elements of this super familiar idea for my Mystic Experimentation Notes please? I love the idea, and I'm just wondering if I could make my own version.
Frequent Eladrin || They/Them, but accept all pronouns
Luz Noceda would like to remind you that you're worth loving!
I can't really speak for someone else, but they posted it on a public forum so you can pretty much do whatever you want with it. Courtesy would be to reference KyleGray in the notes.
Not mine. It was on another public forum hence why i cited the creator. I would love to see what you come up with as i agree with above posters that this may be a little strong if not flavourful. I like the idea of domain flavoured ones also.
I missed that, but yeah, exactly, use it and just credit the author