You can always have a druid cast Awaken and have pretty much anything as a sidekick and have casting capability.
No, they can't. The spell awaken explicitly only works on beasts and plants that are Huge or Smaller. And even when considering awakened creatures, they don't all have decent spellcasting abilities. They'd basically all be healers with, at most, a +2 modifier to start with. And no ability to manipulate components or spellcasting focus means they're limited in the kinds of spells they can cast.
That said, I've drafted up a blink dog sidekick as a Spellcaster (Healer); just for fun. It doesn't suck.
You can always have a druid cast Awaken and have pretty much anything as a sidekick and have casting capability.
No, they can't. The spell awaken explicitly only works on beasts and plants that are Huge or Smaller. And even when considering awakened creatures, they don't all have decent spellcasting abilities. They'd basically all be healers with, at most, a +2 modifier to start with. And no ability to manipulate components or spellcasting focus means they're limited in the kinds of spells they can cast.
That said, I've drafted up a blink dog sidekick as a Spellcaster (Healer); just for fun. It doesn't suck.
Blink Dog as a healer would only work if you homebrew out the "speak a language" restriction for healers.
You could potentially rule that the enchantment is able to pass from one weapon to another and animate something else, but honestly, I wouldn't bother. It has solid AC of 17 and a decent number of hit dice. Over 20 levels, you can max its Strength score and improve Dex and Con to 16 and 12, respectively. And what that gives you is:
AC: 19
Hit Points: 112
Speed: fly 50 ft. (hover)
Initiative: +3 with advantage
Extra Attack (2): +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) slashing damage.
That's pretty good. No magical weapon attacks or armor, but pretty good.
Except that, because the flying sword is by definition magical, I'd rule that its attacks count as magical.
You could potentially rule that the enchantment is able to pass from one weapon to another and animate something else, but honestly, I wouldn't bother. It has solid AC of 17 and a decent number of hit dice. Over 20 levels, you can max its Strength score and improve Dex and Con to 16 and 12, respectively. And what that gives you is:
AC: 19
Hit Points: 112
Speed: fly 50 ft. (hover)
Initiative: +3 with advantage
Extra Attack (2): +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) slashing damage.
That's pretty good. No magical weapon attacks or armor, but pretty good.
Except that, because the flying sword is by definition magical, I'd rule that its attacks count as magical.
I am taking my severed troll head now(Don't ask why I have a troll head in my basement) and making it my sidekick. Then the body will grow back and I have a troll sidekick.
You could potentially rule that the enchantment is able to pass from one weapon to another and animate something else, but honestly, I wouldn't bother. It has solid AC of 17 and a decent number of hit dice. Over 20 levels, you can max its Strength score and improve Dex and Con to 16 and 12, respectively. And what that gives you is:
AC: 19
Hit Points: 112
Speed: fly 50 ft. (hover)
Initiative: +3 with advantage
Extra Attack (2): +11 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) slashing damage.
That's pretty good. No magical weapon attacks or armor, but pretty good.
Except that, because the flying sword is by definition magical, I'd rule that its attacks count as magical.
But this is a RAW thread. A DM ruling is RAI.
Precisely this. A creature's attacks are only magical if its stat block says they are.
You can always have a druid cast Awaken and have pretty much anything as a sidekick and have casting capability.
No, they can't. The spell awaken explicitly only works on beasts and plants that are Huge or Smaller. And even when considering awakened creatures, they don't all have decent spellcasting abilities. They'd basically all be healers with, at most, a +2 modifier to start with. And no ability to manipulate components or spellcasting focus means they're limited in the kinds of spells they can cast.
That said, I've drafted up a blink dog sidekick as a Spellcaster (Healer); just for fun. It doesn't suck.
Blink Dog as a healer would only work if you homebrew out the "speak a language" restriction for healers.
You can always have a druid cast Awaken and have pretty much anything as a sidekick and have casting capability.
No, they can't. The spell awaken explicitly only works on beasts and plants that are Huge or Smaller. And even when considering awakened creatures, they don't all have decent spellcasting abilities. They'd basically all be healers with, at most, a +2 modifier to start with. And no ability to manipulate components or spellcasting focus means they're limited in the kinds of spells they can cast.
That said, I've drafted up a blink dog sidekick as a Spellcaster (Healer); just for fun. It doesn't suck.
Blink Dog as a healer would only work if you homebrew out the "speak a language" restriction for healers.
Blink Dog is a language.
Blink dog can understand sylvan, but can't speak it, as stated in it's stat block. Sidekick rules say the creature must speak a language. Therefore, blink dogs can't be experts or casters, only warrior sidekicks.
You can always have a druid cast Awaken and have pretty much anything as a sidekick and have casting capability.
No, they can't. The spell awaken explicitly only works on beasts and plants that are Huge or Smaller. And even when considering awakened creatures, they don't all have decent spellcasting abilities. They'd basically all be healers with, at most, a +2 modifier to start with. And no ability to manipulate components or spellcasting focus means they're limited in the kinds of spells they can cast.
That said, I've drafted up a blink dog sidekick as a Spellcaster (Healer); just for fun. It doesn't suck.
Blink Dog as a healer would only work if you homebrew out the "speak a language" restriction for healers.
Blink Dog is a language.
Blink dog can understand sylvan, but can't speak it, as stated in it's stat block. Sidekick rules say the creature must speak a language. Therefore, blink dogs can't be experts or casters, only warrior sidekicks.
Languages: Blink Dog, understands Sylvan but can't speak it. It's in the tooltip.
For sidekick shenanigans, does a Belt of Dwarvenkind help fulfill the stat block requirement about a creature knowing how to speak? Some monsters by default have items in their stat blocks, and that item's features are part of the creature's stat block. Does that mean equipping an item to a monster is enough to count as a stat block requirement? If so, that would be pretty awesome.
You can give a Finger of Death zombie a Headband of Intellect, then have them read a number of Tomes of Understanding until they reach your desired Int score (the Headband of Intellect is just there for making sure the zombie is smart enough to read). You can also make them read other Tomes and Manuals too as necessary to power them up. I prefer Finger of Death zombies because they are absolutely loyal to you.
After that, give the zombie (or any 1/2 CR monster you want) a Belt of Dwarvenkind so they can speak Dwarvish. And assuming that fulfills the requirement for taking sidekick spellcaster levels, the zombie can now be a sidekick spellcaster. I also assume once the zombie takes a sidekick spellcaster level, they can continue to gain levels without needing the Belt, although I would still let them keep it so they can speak for casting spells that need a verbal component.
Now that the zombie is a wizard, they can cast Regenerate on themselves to repair their undead bodies and make themselves look more presentable. I do not think Regenerating their own vocal cords would allow them to speak normally, but if it does, then you can remove the Belt of Dwarvenkind and let another zombie use it.
As a necromancer, you now basically have vastly superior Magens without the HP drawback.
For sidekick shenanigans, does a Belt of Dwarvenkind help fulfill the stat block requirement about a creature knowing how to speak? Some monsters by default have items in their stat blocks, and that item's features are part of the creature's stat block. Does that mean equipping an item to a monster is enough to count as a stat block requirement? If so, that would be pretty awesome.
You can give a Finger of Death zombie a Headband of Intellect, then have them read a number of Tomes of Understanding until they reach your desired Int score (the Headband of Intellect is just there for making sure the zombie is smart enough to read). You can also make them read other Tomes and Manuals too as necessary to power them up. I prefer Finger of Death zombies because they are absolutely loyal to you.
After that, give the zombie (or any 1/2 CR monster you want) a Belt of Dwarvenkind so they can speak Dwarvish. And assuming that fulfills the requirement for taking sidekick spellcaster levels, the zombie can now be a sidekick spellcaster. I also assume once the zombie takes a sidekick spellcaster level, they can continue to gain levels without needing the Belt, although I would still let them keep it so they can speak for casting spells that need a verbal component.
Now that the zombie is a wizard, they can cast Regenerate on themselves to repair their undead bodies and make themselves look more presentable. I do not think Regenerating their own vocal cords would allow them to speak normally, but if it does, then you can remove the Belt of Dwarvenkind and let another zombie use it.
As a necromancer, you now basically have vastly superior Magens without the HP drawback.
That's probably not going to work. The biggest reason for that is sidekicks cannot multiclass. If the belt is ever separated from them, they lose their ability to speak and cannot advance. But they're supposed to continue advancing; in accordance with the average party level. This holds true for any sidekick that cannot speak a language. And with the zombie's low Dex score and 13 Strength, I'd sooner make them into Warriors; outfitted in heavy armor.
But this also ignores the other condition for being a sidekick; the creature must be friendly towards you. Unintelligent undead arren't going to just line up for that. Just in the PHB, you need to be a 14th-level necromancer to do this. And they stop being your sidekick if you ever use that school feature again.
True, but there is nothing in RAW that says a flying sword can't wield a crossbow.
Actually, the crossbow has the Ammunition property, which means it requires a free hand to load. So right now, I don't see a rule preventing the sword from making the attack (I'm also not trying to search for one, though I'm sure I could find one if I look hard enough), but the sword will have to give someone else the crossbow so they can load it and then take it back. Say giving and taking is a free action, they'd need two turns just for that. Additionally, the Loading property specifically says that it takes time to load the bolt. Even if you don't actually shoot it, it will take an action. So possible, but not useful at all.
True, but there is nothing in RAW that says a flying sword can't wield a crossbow.
Actually, the crossbow has the Ammunition property, which means it requires a free hand to load. So right now, I don't see a rule preventing the sword from making the attack (I'm also not trying to search for one, though I'm sure I could find one if I look hard enough), but the sword will have to give someone else the crossbow so they can load it and then take it back. Say giving and taking is a free action, they'd need two turns just for that. Additionally, the Loading property specifically says that it takes time to load the bolt. Even if you don't actually shoot it, it will take an action. So possible, but not useful at all.
How about right next to the Ammunition property? Where it says "Two Handed" xD
True, but there is nothing in RAW that says a flying sword can't wield a crossbow.
Actually, the crossbow has the Ammunition property, which means it requires a free hand to load. So right now, I don't see a rule preventing the sword from making the attack (I'm also not trying to search for one, though I'm sure I could find one if I look hard enough), but the sword will have to give someone else the crossbow so they can load it and then take it back. Say giving and taking is a free action, they'd need two turns just for that. Additionally, the Loading property specifically says that it takes time to load the bolt. Even if you don't actually shoot it, it will take an action. So possible, but not useful at all.
How about right next to the Ammunition property? Where it says "Two Handed" xD
Use a hand crossbow and have an artificer make it repeating.
Again, I will point out that if there is enough DM buy-in to give you a weird flying sword sidekick, then they might be willing to allow anything. It is pretty clear that you can't just turn a creature into a sidekick as a player, this is a DM authorized thing. If we're at the point of the DM allowing the flying sword to be a sidekick in the first place, who cares about a minor stretch to the rules on things like "hands."
You can always have a druid cast Awaken and have pretty much anything as a sidekick and have casting capability.
No, they can't. The spell awaken explicitly only works on beasts and plants that are Huge or Smaller. And even when considering awakened creatures, they don't all have decent spellcasting abilities. They'd basically all be healers with, at most, a +2 modifier to start with. And no ability to manipulate components or spellcasting focus means they're limited in the kinds of spells they can cast.
That said, I've drafted up a blink dog sidekick as a Spellcaster (Healer); just for fun. It doesn't suck.
Blink Dog as a healer would only work if you homebrew out the "speak a language" restriction for healers.
Crossbows have the two handed property. Flying swords have no hands. Which is less than the two required by RAW.
Except that, because the flying sword is by definition magical, I'd rule that its attacks count as magical.
But this is a RAW thread. A DM ruling is RAI.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
I am taking my severed troll head now(Don't ask why I have a troll head in my basement) and making it my sidekick. Then the body will grow back and I have a troll sidekick.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
Precisely this. A creature's attacks are only magical if its stat block says they are.
Blink Dog is a language.
Blink dog can understand sylvan, but can't speak it, as stated in it's stat block. Sidekick rules say the creature must speak a language. Therefore, blink dogs can't be experts or casters, only warrior sidekicks.
Languages: Blink Dog, understands Sylvan but can't speak it. It's in the tooltip.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
I can't believe it's taken that long for that to appear in this thread.
For sidekick shenanigans, does a Belt of Dwarvenkind help fulfill the stat block requirement about a creature knowing how to speak? Some monsters by default have items in their stat blocks, and that item's features are part of the creature's stat block. Does that mean equipping an item to a monster is enough to count as a stat block requirement? If so, that would be pretty awesome.
You can give a Finger of Death zombie a Headband of Intellect, then have them read a number of Tomes of Understanding until they reach your desired Int score (the Headband of Intellect is just there for making sure the zombie is smart enough to read). You can also make them read other Tomes and Manuals too as necessary to power them up. I prefer Finger of Death zombies because they are absolutely loyal to you.
After that, give the zombie (or any 1/2 CR monster you want) a Belt of Dwarvenkind so they can speak Dwarvish. And assuming that fulfills the requirement for taking sidekick spellcaster levels, the zombie can now be a sidekick spellcaster. I also assume once the zombie takes a sidekick spellcaster level, they can continue to gain levels without needing the Belt, although I would still let them keep it so they can speak for casting spells that need a verbal component.
Now that the zombie is a wizard, they can cast Regenerate on themselves to repair their undead bodies and make themselves look more presentable. I do not think Regenerating their own vocal cords would allow them to speak normally, but if it does, then you can remove the Belt of Dwarvenkind and let another zombie use it.
As a necromancer, you now basically have vastly superior Magens without the HP drawback.
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That's probably not going to work. The biggest reason for that is sidekicks cannot multiclass. If the belt is ever separated from them, they lose their ability to speak and cannot advance. But they're supposed to continue advancing; in accordance with the average party level. This holds true for any sidekick that cannot speak a language. And with the zombie's low Dex score and 13 Strength, I'd sooner make them into Warriors; outfitted in heavy armor.
But this also ignores the other condition for being a sidekick; the creature must be friendly towards you. Unintelligent undead arren't going to just line up for that. Just in the PHB, you need to be a 14th-level necromancer to do this. And they stop being your sidekick if you ever use that school feature again.
Actually, the crossbow has the Ammunition property, which means it requires a free hand to load. So right now, I don't see a rule preventing the sword from making the attack (I'm also not trying to search for one, though I'm sure I could find one if I look hard enough), but the sword will have to give someone else the crossbow so they can load it and then take it back. Say giving and taking is a free action, they'd need two turns just for that. Additionally, the Loading property specifically says that it takes time to load the bolt. Even if you don't actually shoot it, it will take an action.
So possible, but not useful at all.
Varielky
How about right next to the Ammunition property? Where it says "Two Handed" xD
Use a hand crossbow and have an artificer make it repeating.
I have a weird sense of humor.
I also make maps.(That's a link)
Again, I will point out that if there is enough DM buy-in to give you a weird flying sword sidekick, then they might be willing to allow anything. It is pretty clear that you can't just turn a creature into a sidekick as a player, this is a DM authorized thing. If we're at the point of the DM allowing the flying sword to be a sidekick in the first place, who cares about a minor stretch to the rules on things like "hands."
You do not understand. I am the DM. I will be giving my players this flying sword sidekick because I believe it will improve my game.
Great. Why does it matter then if it is technically RAW?