D&D 5E Pact of the chain - how did it work out?

[Paul Farquhar]

It's remarkable how few answers this thread got ha

The thing with familiars of all kinds is they mostly contribute in the exploration pillar, not the combat pillar, so hardcore optimisers don't know what to do with them beyond the help action. And frankly, a lot depends on the player. I've known some players with familiars use them all the time, whilst others forget they exist.

Is the imp better than a regular familiar - well, it's a better scout. It's invisible - but how much better that is depends on the DM. If they usually rule that enemies ignore familiars as harmless normal creatures then they are effectively invisible. If the DM has enemies attack familiars on sight then invisibility is massive. The imp also has the ability to see in total darkness, turn into something smaller to fit through tiny gaps, fly, and manipulate objects.

It's great, but it's not "increases DPR by X%" great. Even the help action is going to make more difference used on a party member who is not the imp's master.

NB, because of the wording of Find Familiar spell, your imp can be a fey or celestial imp, it does not have to be a fiend.

 

[NaturalZero]

I totally get that the improved familiar is super good....

But is it that much better than a regular familiar? I mean, the success rate won't be as great, but the excitement will

A normal familiar has a range of 100 feet for scouting. The warlock with an invocation has an invisibly flying imp, and can see through it's eyes no matter where it is on the same plane of existence. You could literally send your familiar to another kingdom and scout from home, or where ever. Often times, you can scout any entire camp, fort, or dungeon without even getting near. It's far, far better as a scout than a vanilla familiar.

 

[Khelon Testudo]

It's in the name:

impish
/ˈɪmpɪʃ/
adjective
inclined to do slightly naughty things for fun; mischievous.

 

[ccs]

I've yet to DM for a chain pact Warlock.

I've played one though. My familiar is a pseudo-dragon named "Scales"& is almost as much of a character as the PC.
Combat use? Low, though not useless. Even though it's easy enough to re-summon, my character would never throw her pet dragon into fight where he's likely to get splatted.
Exploration/scouting? Very useful.
Social? Somewhat - very useful. Always entertaining.
Utility? Immensely useful.
RP value? Priceless. Like I said, my familiar is almost a character. Certainly not the disposable drone many of you play familiars as. All four of the DMs (5e x3, PF x1) I've played this character under have seen the RP value in what's essentially an NPC with the party who can serve in any role from static bonus to comic relief to plot tool. Sometimes I'm in control of Scales, sometimes the DM takes control. Scales has used objects, administered potions, carried objects, "talked" to people, passed on all manner of knowledge, used the Help action, taken independent action,.... He's also taught people (PC & NPC alike) more than one skill - history, nature, appraise (in PF, he is after all a dragon, so he knows his loot), languages, magic..... even algebra. Have any of you ever had your familiar teach your PC algebra? I have.

 

[Coroc]

On the scouting via familiar in general: Some will cry out now, but if a player gets to nosy using his familiar to find traps and ambushes ahead of the group all the time , then I as a DM tend to let the familiar find traps and ambushes - the hard way.

Like this:

Tweety flys ahead, make a stealth check and a perception check. Tweety spots an ogre, oh but he misses to see the second ogre around the corner.
The second ogre thinks Tweety is some oversized insect and claps with his hands. (Rolls attack) hit! 1d4 +6 for the ogres STR that's 8 points. How many HP does tweety have ? 5? Ok Fizban your sight through Tweeties eyes suddenly flashes red for some splitsecond and then goes black. You feel a mourning emotion of inner pain. Now you will have to resummon Tweety at your next LR which might be days away.

Or with the help of the environment:

The surroundings are really cold in an unnatural way, you are glad the you have the vials of cold protection. (Lair of white dragon). What do you do Fizban?
Oh ok, so Tweety should scout the long corridor ahead (with the dragon lying in ambush you nosy bastard) yea you see, Tweety flies of, but since he has no special cold protection he takes 1 point of damage each round. Yea you call him back ok Tweety has nearly reched your position again, you wait for him with your warm cloak to warm him up, but alas, he does not make it, a frozen bird clanks on the floor 20 ft away from you.

 

[DnD Warlord]

I just feel weird how easy it was for my pact of the tomb to pretty much get a chain level upgrade... I took the feat that makes the book of shadows a ritual book and took find familiar. I was going to just get an owl. Until that nights adventure had a bad guy useing devils... so instead of killing HIS imp I made a deal with it and cast find familiar on it...

now Pern sits invisible on my shoulder during night and I look through his eyes (giving me dark vision) I send him invisible scouting

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Familiars acquired through other channels are functionally different. Most notably, if they die they stay dead.

 

[BookTenTiger]

It would be fun to play as the familiar, and have this warlock following you around. You'd control both, but the familiar would be the "face" of your character.

 

[Iry]

Familiars acquired through other channels are functionally different. Most notably, if they die they stay dead.

This is true, but Imps don't stay dead when they die.

 

[Khelon Testudo]

Huh. That's one solution to playing a Kenku: have the familiar speak for them!