I have been looking at creating a fighter with a familiar (Minsc and Boo style), I was looking at the magic initiate feat for find familiar and realized that the versatility it can drop on any character might out weigh the normal bonus of a feat. I know the cost of casting and the fragility of a familiar is easy for a GM to control, but how come it is not in every character's ASI list?

Does anyone think there is a more versatile combination for a character than always choosing wizard and find familiar? Given that the attribute for casting is bound to the root class, choosing cantrips that do not run off of attributes is a plus.

This is what I thought of for my fighter: Magic Initiate(Wizard): Find Familiar, Booming Blade, Prestidigitation

Also, I am not making Minsc and Boo, just the symbiotic idea. I know Minsc was a ranger, but I prefer fighter.

For a Monk taking Magic Initiate: Cleric is best. Guidance for skills, Resistance for saving throws and Bane for the big fight to help you land your stunning strike.

Which subclass are you going?

I’d suggest a utility cantrip instead of Booming Blade. Once a fighter gets their second attack, Booming Blade will almost never be used.

But yes, Find Familiar is an amazing first level spell. 

If all you want is find familiar though, the ritual caster feat would do that for you and allow you to still learn other spells going forward.  Just a thought.  There are a number of pretty handy ritual spells out there.  Hive it a thought unless you are dead set on having the cantrips.

I love the concept! It would be a unique character to play. I can see the background concept now. Training to be a wizard and feeling envious of the ones training in the yard to fight with swords. The character befriends one of them and talks him into teaching him how to use weapons. 

Excellent point on the booming blade issue with multiple attacks. I like cantrips for utility and added effects. I made a warlock that ended up with Prestidigitation, Thaumaturgy, and Druidcraft. Talk about fun, showy versatility.

I went with a Goliath sword and board Paladin 2/Fighter X so I could grab dueling and defense for fighting styles while getting heavy armor proficiency. Heading into Battlemaster and picking up Riposte, Precision Attack, Menacing Attack.

I am planning on this being my ASI list: Shield Master , +2 STR , Resilient (CON) , Magic Initiate (WIZ) Find Familiar, Prestidigitation, ?? , +2 CON , +2 STR , Great Weapon Master

We are starting out at 5th level and trying to play through until 20. I also really enjoy making and planning characters for fun.

I went with Mold Earth due to him being a Goliath, seemed to make sense. Went with raven/crow because he is an ex-military commander who abandoned his righteous calling to be a mercenary. Crows would be very active on battlefields picking at the dead, although that owl flyby is so tempting. Now he walks around as a mercenary with a celestial crow never letting him forget the atrocities of war.

It sounds like a firm background with good attention to detail. It should be a fun character to roleplay. 

If I could toss my hat into the ring of interesting magic initiate feat my DM used it once in an interesting way 

in one of my campaigns I played as a sorcerer who got his power from a combination of blood inheritance and a magic deck of cards to channel it through, my character also had a sister who was a fighter. The DM decided to give the magic initiative feat to them and it was actually pretty interesting 

This is the arena for hat tossing, so YAY!

And I grabbed my background from the idea of a character being emboldened on the battlefield and being groomed as a holy knight, but then actually going on a campaign and seeing how much devastation and senseless death it causes to innocents. He lost his taste for causing strife and abandoned the paladin's calling before his final rights could be performed, but being a soldier to the core, decided to try and use his axes, hammer and shield to save lives A-Team style. The PTSD from his time at war would leave him vulnerable so his god, Jergal, sent him a small gift to help ease his suffering and let him know that his death is inevitable as is all those he has taken. He knows Jergal should not gift such a person as him, but the Endless One is bored and sometimes entertains itself by trying to understand a name they scribe in the great records of the dead.