5e Familiar thread (both warlock and animal/spirit thingies)

[Cleon]

I think it makes more sense to be linked to telepathy rather than scent-based....

In 5E, a Paladin's Divine Sense manifests as olfactory or auditory sensations:

The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears.

So the Devadragon might as well follow suit. It may not literally be smelling evil with its nose (or tongue?) but I like the mental image of it flicking out its tongue serpent-style and declaring "Beware! Evil's Aboot!"

 

[Casimir Liber]

Scottish deva it is then

 

[Cleon]

Scottish deva it is then

All evil fears a true scotsdragon!

Okay, the Paladin's version is:

Divine Sense
The presence of strong evil registers on your senses like a noxious odor, and powerful good rings like heavenly music in your ears. As an action, you can open your awareness to detect such forces. Until the end of your next turn, you know the location of any celestial, fiend, or undead within 60 feet of you that is not behind total cover. You know the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being whose presence you sense, but not its identity. Within the same radius, you also detect the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to 1 + your Charisma modifier. When you finish a long rest, you regain all expended uses.​

I'm inclined to make it a bit less effective than that, if only to give any Paladins in the party a purpose!

Probably remove the ability to have it locate the good/evil so it only "smells" their presence within range, maybe reduce range, and I like the idea of overwhelming (too powerful) good evil having so strong a "smell" it temporarily blinds the sense.

Wouldn't bother restricting it to a certain number of uses per day though. Mostly as it's less of a pain if you don't have to keep track of them.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Like this?

Divine Sense: With a flickering of its forked tongue (as an action), the devadragonet can taste or smell the presence (but not exact location) of intense evil or good within within 60 feet of it that is not behind total cover. It can discern the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of being, but not its identity.

 

[Cleon]

Like this?

Divine Sense: With a flickering of its forked tongue (as an action), the devadragonet can taste or smell the presence (but not exact location) of intense evil or good within within 60 feet of it that is not behind total cover. It can discern the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of being, but not its identity.

Hmm…

Since it's not identical to the Paladin ability we should call it something different.

That said, I'd keep the wording a bit closer to Divine Scent.

Also like the "can be drowned out by strong odours" idea.

So, something like:

Name? Strong evil registers to a devadragonet's senses like a revolting stink, while powerful good tastes like heavenly ambrosia. As an action, the devadragon can flick its tongue and taste or smell the presence of such forces within ## feet of it that is not behind total cover. The devadragonet knows the type (celestial, fiend, or undead) of any being it senses, but not their identity or location. Within the same radius, the dragonet also detects the presence of any place or object that has been consecrated or desecrated, as with the hallow spell.

If a devadragonet scents a powerful good or evil presence (a creature of Challenge # or higher or a magical effect of at least spell level # or caster level ##) its Name ability is overwhelmed and cannot be used again until the presence has moved out of sense range and the devadragonet has a short rest. Name is also overwhelmed when the devadragonet is affected by overpowering mundane smells or tastes such as strong perfumes, chili, the spray of a skunk.​

Any ideas for the name? Scent Sanctity? Divine Tongue? Holy Taste? Spiritual Sense?

 

[Casimir Liber]

"Divining tongue" - a pun on "divine" and "divining"

 

[Cleon]

"Divining tongue" - a pun on "divine" and "divining"

That's good!

I'll update the Devadragonet.

Still needs a range: 40 feet? 30? 50? Or just 60 feet like detect good or evil?

Also requires a CR / level for a "blindingly strong" presence that overwhelms the scent. I'm thinking somewhere around a Type III or IV+ demon maybe? I don't want a Vrock to be so evil it can't smell anything else. So perhaps Challenge 9 / spell level 5th / caster level 12th?

 

[Casimir Liber]

Yeah they sound pretty strong....range 60 feet is fine given location is unknown (the 1e in me keeps wanting things as multiples of 30...)

 

[Cleon]

Yeah they sound pretty strong....range 60 feet is fine given location is unknown (the 1e in me keeps wanting things as multiples of 30...)

I also wondered about having the overwhelming last a set time, such as "and cannot be used again until the 1 to 3 minutes (4d6 + 6 rounds) after the devadragonet stops sensing the source." Do you prefer that?

Another tweak I favour adding is the line "The devadragonet can also use divination tongue on a single object or creature within 5 feet as a free action."

That allows the celestial can "taste test" something close by it to determine whether it's the source of an sacred or profane presence.

 

[Casimir Liber]

Yeah they sound like good tweaks