You can learn Find Familiar through the Magic Initiate and Ritual Caster feats or the Magical Secrets class feature. Your DM might also allow you to get a familiar through other means.
At 6th level, you learn two spells of your choice from any class. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know.
Or any Bard Lvl 10:
Magical Secrets
By 10th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two spells from any class, including this one. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip.
At 6th level, you learn two spells of your choice from any class. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know.
Or any Bard Lvl 10:
Magical Secrets
By 10th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two spells from any class, including this one. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip.
Yeah, but do you want to give up a 3rd lvl+ spell known for a 1st lvl spell?
If you just want an animal friend though handle animal will let you befriend animals and train them. But if you want the bonuses like sense linking you will need to go through any of the hoops listed.
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At 6th level, you learn two spells of your choice from any class. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know.
Or any Bard Lvl 10:
Magical Secrets
By 10th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two spells from any class, including this one. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip.
Yeah, but do you want to give up a 3rd lvl+ spell known for a 1st lvl spell?
Well if the player wants it bad enough, they will do it. But considering that magicl secrets make the spells learned bard spells for the caster and Find Familiar is a ritual spell, they can always cast as bards do have ritual magic.
Thanks for all of the information. This really helps.
What about a scroll with with FF?
To use a spell scroll, the spell has to be on your list first. If you have ritual caster wizard or sorcerer, then you can use the scroll to add the spell to your ritual book and and then cast it.
At 6th level, you learn two spells of your choice from any class. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know.
Or any Bard Lvl 10:
Magical Secrets
By 10th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two spells from any class, including this one. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip.
Yeah, but do you want to give up a 3rd lvl+ spell known for a 1st lvl spell?
Well if the player wants it bad enough, they will do it. But considering that magicl secrets make the spells learned bard spells for the caster and Find Familiar is a ritual spell, they can always cast as bards do have ritual magic.
I am not talking about a daily slot, but a spell known slot. Bards only get 22 spells known over 20 lvl span (24 for Loremaster). Of course if you want it badly enough you will take it, but I don't think it is the best solution. Your mileage might vary, but I think Ritual caster or multiclassing to Sorcerer or even Magic Initiate are all better choices.
I don't know if this totally helps since its not exactly a familiar, but I just had this happen to me:
I had a human bard and at the entrance of a dungeon, there were three chained wolves. I first used speak with animals to talk with them. When diplomacy didn't work, our warlock tried to offer them peace with food rations. that didn't work. so instead, I opted for intimidation by killing one of them with fire bolt (I was a mark of making human variant). This successfully intimidated the remaining wolves and now they are my defacto animal companions.
TLDR: speak with animals, persuasion, animal handling, intimidation and murder in some form or another will get some animal to permanently serve you.
I hope this helped. Try talking to your dm about this. I think it'll help.
That's the nice thing about Bards when it comes to magic... if you have a question on whether they can learn a spell, the answer is always "Yes", although sometimes it's more like, "Yes, but..."
Thanks for all of the information. This really helps.
What about a scroll with with FF?
Just to be clear, RAW a Bard can't get FF except for Magic Secrets or a Feat. If a Bard added FF when he got Magic Secrets, he could then use a scroll to cast it, although having gained it through Magic Secrets why would you even need a scroll. You are not supposed to be able to use a scroll that has a spell not listed for your class. (DMG)
I guess there is a feat or two, Magic Initiate or Ritual Master, that would allow you to get the spell as well. But all of these options, Magic Secrets or a Feat are very expensive methods of gaining a familiar.
I talked my DM into allowing me to cast FF from a scroll even though it wasn't on my list. I realize this isn't RAW but it is a pretty minor concession for fun.
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Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Is there a way that a bard class can have a familiar?
You can learn Find Familiar through the Magic Initiate and Ritual Caster feats or the Magical Secrets class feature. Your DM might also allow you to get a familiar through other means.
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Thanks for the quick reply
You can also multiclass into Warlock, Wizard, or Sorcerer (best choice) to gain access to Find Familiar spell.
Bard College of Lore:
Additional Magical Secrets
At 6th level, you learn two spells of your choice from any class. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip. The chosen spells count as bard spells for you but don’t count against the number of bard spells you know.
Or any Bard Lvl 10:
Magical Secrets
By 10th level, you have plundered magical knowledge from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Choose two spells from any class, including this one. A spell you choose must be of a level you can cast, as shown on the Bard table, or a cantrip.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
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"real life is a super high CR."
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"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
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Yeah, but do you want to give up a 3rd lvl+ spell known for a 1st lvl spell?
I believe the question was, can the Bard class get a familiar?
Not, can a multiclass Bard/XX get a familiar?
Multiclassing does have its own advantages and disadvantages though.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
If you just want an animal friend though handle animal will let you befriend animals and train them. But if you want the bonuses like sense linking you will need to go through any of the hoops listed.
GM of The Bonus Role - We are playing a 5E game set in my homebrew world of Audra check us out Sunday's at 10 AM CST and follow us at the following social media links.
https://www.twitch.tv/thebonusrole
@BonusRole
Well if the player wants it bad enough, they will do it. But considering that magicl secrets make the spells learned bard spells for the caster and Find Familiar is a ritual spell, they can always cast as bards do have ritual magic.
Thanks for all of the information. This really helps.
What about a scroll with with FF?
To use a spell scroll, the spell has to be on your list first. If you have ritual caster wizard or sorcerer, then you can use the scroll to add the spell to your ritual book and and then cast it.
I am not talking about a daily slot, but a spell known slot. Bards only get 22 spells known over 20 lvl span (24 for Loremaster). Of course if you want it badly enough you will take it, but I don't think it is the best solution. Your mileage might vary, but I think Ritual caster or multiclassing to Sorcerer or even Magic Initiate are all better choices.
I don't know if this totally helps since its not exactly a familiar, but I just had this happen to me:
I had a human bard and at the entrance of a dungeon, there were three chained wolves. I first used speak with animals to talk with them. When diplomacy didn't work, our warlock tried to offer them peace with food rations. that didn't work. so instead, I opted for intimidation by killing one of them with fire bolt (I was a mark of making human variant). This successfully intimidated the remaining wolves and now they are my defacto animal companions.
TLDR: speak with animals, persuasion, animal handling, intimidation and murder in some form or another will get some animal to permanently serve you.
I hope this helped. Try talking to your dm about this. I think it'll help.
That's the nice thing about Bards when it comes to magic... if you have a question on whether they can learn a spell, the answer is always "Yes", although sometimes it's more like, "Yes, but..."
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Ioun stone: reserve & ring of spell storing. They would also work for find steed.
Just to be clear, RAW a Bard can't get FF except for Magic Secrets or a Feat. If a Bard added FF when he got Magic Secrets, he could then use a scroll to cast it, although having gained it through Magic Secrets why would you even need a scroll. You are not supposed to be able to use a scroll that has a spell not listed for your class. (DMG)
I guess there is a feat or two, Magic Initiate or Ritual Master, that would allow you to get the spell as well. But all of these options, Magic Secrets or a Feat are very expensive methods of gaining a familiar.
I talked my DM into allowing me to cast FF from a scroll even though it wasn't on my list. I realize this isn't RAW but it is a pretty minor concession for fun.
Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscript catapultas habebunt
Thanks, MusicScout. This is every helpful.
If a bard learns FF through Magical Secrets, it'll become a bard spell with a ritual tag. So a bard can cast it as a ritual, no scroll needed :)