The new rules are out and my druid has easier access to the Find Familiar spell. This is awesome and I'm excited. But... looking through the options, there seems to be a "best choice". The owl has a ton of movement, a flying speed, flyby which is amazing and why most players take it, huge dark vision range, and advantage on perception for vision and hearing. Toad, rat, deer, snake, bat... nothing comes close. The rat is close with agile, but half the movement and vision and is stuck on the ground.
What percentage of games does someone have a familiar other than an owl? For me it's less than 1 on a d20. In about a quarter of sessions the player will use owl stats and just say it's a hawk or humming bird to match the flavor of their character.
1 clear and obvious choice is not really a choice.
Ok, so have solutions if your going to complain... got it. Why not a point buy system for creating a familiar? 10 points for have 10 feet of fly speed with a cap of 60ft or whatever. 5 points for regular movement with a cap, 30 points for flyby, 20 points for agile, 20 points for fire resistance, 40 points for fire immunity, 20 points for advantage of hear or vision checks... and so on. I'm not a game designer so total points and how much each skill is worth isn't really my area.
Now, I like the system, but it seems a bit overcomplicated. D&D is usually simple once you get the hang of it. Also, Owls are small and have very little health, so they die quickly and can't really do anything.
We've never had a single owl in the last 3 campaigns that made it to Level 20, so I guess we're not your normal party. Actually, the main reason for that is that our characters with Familiars were all Warlocks and had a better list! Usually for us though it comes down to character flavor so the one wizard was a Scribe and had his book so did not need a familiar. The hexblade did not use one and the other ended up with an imp. The Ranger currently is trying to get a hawk, and we've all hinted darkly for him to take a pact to pick one up easily along with disguise self as he keeps running into bounty hunters with his wanted posters... lol so no, owl might be a superior choice at some tables, but certainly not all, especially when roleplay is a strong component of character building options.
They did actually experiment with using a single stat block for Find Familiar (with some choices, such as flying va swimming speed) during the playtesting period for 2024, but presumably not enough people liked it for them to make it the new standard.
Just to point out, among the standard-issue options, I've seen numerous familiar types used. Examples:
-Bat: Used by a character without darkvision to help navigate dark areas when giving off light was a bad idea -Owl: Flyby is useful, admittedly -Raven: I've used this for Mimicry, using it to pass on simple one- or two-word messages -Spider: Good for infiltration
Note that Tressyms are Monstrosities not Beasts and so they are strictly house rule territory.
Actually, just optional rule territory, but still the DM's call. The tressym description has a line that, with the DM's permission, it's an eligible Find Familiar target, which overrides all other requirements IF allowed by the DM.
I've never had an owl familiar. I'm pretty optimization-minded, but this line of thinking feels a little too powergamey. The whole concept of a familiar has always been more of a roleplay thing that they've spent the last twenty-odd years trying to tack play value onto. I've never felt the urge to optimize my familiar, especially because I can always change it into anything else I want, so if I do need the "best" familiar for some reason, I can always just change it with 10g and a first-level spell slot.
Currently playing in a game where I have a weasel, our wizard has a raccoon, and our druid has a pelican. I don't think any of us have ever even considered an owl (I did make mine into a bat for a little bit, but that's about it).
basically it comes down to if you plan to use the help action in combat with your familiar. If so Owl reigns supreme due to flyby, If not any other one is fine and many others will be more situationally useful. For most normal wizards, I don't think it matters you are likely not making enough attack rolls for it to swing things much, but fighters who pick it up as feat, gishes etc it may be worth it.
I may be a jerk DM as I have enough area of effect attacks happening that familiars have short lifespans if used in combat. And I consider them valid targets if you use them as distractions(help action). But druids can dodge the material component part so it may still be worth it for them to use them that way.
I dont think the help action can usually help the caster because familiars have their own space in initiative. It would most likely help an ally.
Also, aoe would also affect the bat sitting on your shoulder, spider in your hair, or snake in your pocket too, right? Its dangerous business being a familiar 😀.
I dont think the help action can usually help the caster because familiars have their own space in initiative. It would most likely help an ally.
Also, aoe would also affect the bat sitting on your shoulder, spider in your hair, or snake in your pocket too, right? Its dangerous business being a familiar 😀.
yeah but i generally put familiars in their little pocket dimension when they are not in active use, and if im not using them in a fight(which i never do outside chain pact ones) they would usually be away. as for the help action people have been using it for their bladesingers etc for ages, I'm sure they have some gimmick to make it work out in 2024. though it was much easier in 2014 as you could designate who you planned to help in combat. but it is also a team based game so giving advantage to the fighter or rogue is just as useful anyways.
Certainly not from a source on Beyond. Could easily be reflavored things, but could also be an external thing.
Do you happen to know what stat block was for thr pelican? Did it have fly-by and 60ft flying movement? Your buddy may be proving my point. I even mentioned people using the owl stat block and reskinning it as something else for flavor. Don't get me wrong, I love chasing flavor and reskinning or reimagining game elements, thats not why I started the discussion. I wanted to discuss alternatives to defacto owl stat block.
I acknowledge there are rp reasons for taking other familiars, so I think I'm talking more about the utility during initiative. My suggestion with a point-buy system is more complicated than what d&d typically does. Maybe a perfect to owls stat block is the simplest solution. With 30ft fly speed they could still be useful but not so far away to avoid for or melee.
I dont think the help action can usually help the caster because familiars have their own space in initiative. It would most likely help an ally.
Also, aoe would also affect the bat sitting on your shoulder, spider in your hair, or snake in your pocket too, right? Its dangerous business being a familiar 😀.
yeah but i generally put familiars in their little pocket dimension when they are not in active use, and if im not using them in a fight(which i never do outside chain pact ones) they would usually be away. as for the help action people have been using it for their bladesingers etc for ages, I'm sure they have some gimmick to make it work out in 2024. though it was much easier in 2014 as you could designate who you planned to help in combat. but it is also a team based game so giving advantage to the fighter or rogue is just as useful anyways.
Yeah, in my experience giving the rogue, ranger, warrior advantage is way better math-wise and is more fun for the friends your playing with. Its boring just to give yourself advantage IMO.
I tend to prefer the familiar options with Blindsight: Spider, Crab, Bat. Bat if you just want pure blindsight. Spider has a climb speed and web sense (which has actually come up), and should theoretically be very good at infiltration (incredibly small, should slip under doors and through really tiny openings). Crabs have a swim speed, very campaign dependent.
I've never used a familiar to deliver a touch attack or really do anything in combat except share senses. Enemies will notice and attack them if they draw attention to themselves.
Spider is one of the places where I think 5e is really silly. 3e had sizes below tiny. Your average spider is maybe 1cm across, legs included. (And 3e gave bonuses on checks like Hide for being smaller than medium... noticing a 1cm spider across the room should be a perception dc30). But in 5e, the spider is apparently the same size as a cat (what?), and only has ~+4 stealth, which is ridiculous.
I tend to prefer the familiar options with Blindsight: Spider, Crab, Bat. Bat if you just want pure blindsight. Spider has a climb speed and web sense (which has actually come up), and should theoretically be very good at infiltration (incredibly small, should slip under doors and through really tiny openings). Crabs have a swim speed, very campaign dependent.
I've never used a familiar to deliver a touch attack or really do anything in combat except share senses. Enemies will notice and attack them if they draw attention to themselves.
Spider is one of the places where I think 5e is really silly. 3e had sizes below tiny. Your average spider is maybe 1cm across, legs included. (And 3e gave bonuses on checks like Hide for being smaller than medium... noticing a 1cm spider across the room should be a perception dc30). But in 5e, the spider is apparently the same size as a cat (what?), and only has ~+4 stealth, which is ridiculous.
Agreed. Super Tiny should be a size category for large bugs and like humming birds, and Micro for insects.
The new rules are out and my druid has easier access to the Find Familiar spell. This is awesome and I'm excited. But... looking through the options, there seems to be a "best choice". The owl has a ton of movement, a flying speed, flyby which is amazing and why most players take it, huge dark vision range, and advantage on perception for vision and hearing. Toad, rat, deer, snake, bat... nothing comes close. The rat is close with agile, but half the movement and vision and is stuck on the ground.
What percentage of games does someone have a familiar other than an owl? For me it's less than 1 on a d20. In about a quarter of sessions the player will use owl stats and just say it's a hawk or humming bird to match the flavor of their character.
1 clear and obvious choice is not really a choice.
Ok, so have solutions if your going to complain... got it. Why not a point buy system for creating a familiar? 10 points for have 10 feet of fly speed with a cap of 60ft or whatever. 5 points for regular movement with a cap, 30 points for flyby, 20 points for agile, 20 points for fire resistance, 40 points for fire immunity, 20 points for advantage of hear or vision checks... and so on. I'm not a game designer so total points and how much each skill is worth isn't really my area.
Thanks for reading
Now, I like the system, but it seems a bit overcomplicated. D&D is usually simple once you get the hang of it. Also, Owls are small and have very little health, so they die quickly and can't really do anything.
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We've never had a single owl in the last 3 campaigns that made it to Level 20, so I guess we're not your normal party. Actually, the main reason for that is that our characters with Familiars were all Warlocks and had a better list! Usually for us though it comes down to character flavor so the one wizard was a Scribe and had his book so did not need a familiar. The hexblade did not use one and the other ended up with an imp. The Ranger currently is trying to get a hawk, and we've all hinted darkly for him to take a pact to pick one up easily along with disguise self as he keeps running into bounty hunters with his wanted posters... lol so no, owl might be a superior choice at some tables, but certainly not all, especially when roleplay is a strong component of character building options.
They did actually experiment with using a single stat block for Find Familiar (with some choices, such as flying va swimming speed) during the playtesting period for 2024, but presumably not enough people liked it for them to make it the new standard.
Just to point out, among the standard-issue options, I've seen numerous familiar types used. Examples:
-Bat: Used by a character without darkvision to help navigate dark areas when giving off light was a bad idea
-Owl: Flyby is useful, admittedly
-Raven: I've used this for Mimicry, using it to pass on simple one- or two-word messages
-Spider: Good for infiltration
I love using Tressyms if your DM allows it.
Note that Tressyms are Monstrosities not Beasts and so they are strictly house rule territory.
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Actually, just optional rule territory, but still the DM's call. The tressym description has a line that, with the DM's permission, it's an eligible Find Familiar target, which overrides all other requirements IF allowed by the DM.
I've never had an owl familiar. I'm pretty optimization-minded, but this line of thinking feels a little too powergamey. The whole concept of a familiar has always been more of a roleplay thing that they've spent the last twenty-odd years trying to tack play value onto. I've never felt the urge to optimize my familiar, especially because I can always change it into anything else I want, so if I do need the "best" familiar for some reason, I can always just change it with 10g and a first-level spell slot.
Currently playing in a game where I have a weasel, our wizard has a raccoon, and our druid has a pelican. I don't think any of us have ever even considered an owl (I did make mine into a bat for a little bit, but that's about it).
Racoon and pelican? What source did those familiar come from? I dont see them in the app.
Certainly not from a source on Beyond. Could easily be reflavored things, but could also be an external thing.
I agree. In a heavy role play environment, the tactile rules aren't as used or valued. There is no "best" when the only consideration is flavor.
basically it comes down to if you plan to use the help action in combat with your familiar. If so Owl reigns supreme due to flyby, If not any other one is fine and many others will be more situationally useful. For most normal wizards, I don't think it matters you are likely not making enough attack rolls for it to swing things much, but fighters who pick it up as feat, gishes etc it may be worth it.
I may be a jerk DM as I have enough area of effect attacks happening that familiars have short lifespans if used in combat. And I consider them valid targets if you use them as distractions(help action). But druids can dodge the material component part so it may still be worth it for them to use them that way.
I dont think the help action can usually help the caster because familiars have their own space in initiative. It would most likely help an ally.
Also, aoe would also affect the bat sitting on your shoulder, spider in your hair, or snake in your pocket too, right? Its dangerous business being a familiar 😀.
yeah but i generally put familiars in their little pocket dimension when they are not in active use, and if im not using them in a fight(which i never do outside chain pact ones) they would usually be away. as for the help action people have been using it for their bladesingers etc for ages, I'm sure they have some gimmick to make it work out in 2024. though it was much easier in 2014 as you could designate who you planned to help in combat. but it is also a team based game so giving advantage to the fighter or rogue is just as useful anyways.
Do you happen to know what stat block was for thr pelican? Did it have fly-by and 60ft flying movement? Your buddy may be proving my point. I even mentioned people using the owl stat block and reskinning it as something else for flavor. Don't get me wrong, I love chasing flavor and reskinning or reimagining game elements, thats not why I started the discussion. I wanted to discuss alternatives to defacto owl stat block.
I acknowledge there are rp reasons for taking other familiars, so I think I'm talking more about the utility during initiative. My suggestion with a point-buy system is more complicated than what d&d typically does. Maybe a perfect to owls stat block is the simplest solution. With 30ft fly speed they could still be useful but not so far away to avoid for or melee.
Yeah, in my experience giving the rogue, ranger, warrior advantage is way better math-wise and is more fun for the friends your playing with. Its boring just to give yourself advantage IMO.
I tend to prefer the familiar options with Blindsight: Spider, Crab, Bat. Bat if you just want pure blindsight. Spider has a climb speed and web sense (which has actually come up), and should theoretically be very good at infiltration (incredibly small, should slip under doors and through really tiny openings). Crabs have a swim speed, very campaign dependent.
I've never used a familiar to deliver a touch attack or really do anything in combat except share senses. Enemies will notice and attack them if they draw attention to themselves.
Spider is one of the places where I think 5e is really silly. 3e had sizes below tiny. Your average spider is maybe 1cm across, legs included. (And 3e gave bonuses on checks like Hide for being smaller than medium... noticing a 1cm spider across the room should be a perception dc30). But in 5e, the spider is apparently the same size as a cat (what?), and only has ~+4 stealth, which is ridiculous.
Agreed. Super Tiny should be a size category for large bugs and like humming birds, and Micro for insects.
5e uses Australian spiders.
I also miss the Improved Familiar and Improved Mount feats from 3.x.
In 5e, I have to be a Warlock to have a Sphinx of Wonder.
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