VLAD the Destroyer
Adventurer
It funny I was searching for character art and found the last one and was planning to use this for my Sha'ir.
D&D 5E [5e] QL's Al-Qadim Game
It funny I was searching for character art and found the last one and was planning to use this for my Sha'ir.
Quickleaf
Legend
Yeah, this is the design dilemma.
[SBLOCK=Find Familiar]
You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes an animal form you choose: bat, cat, crab, frog (toad), hawk, lizard, octopus, owl, poisonous snake, fish (quipper), rat, raven, sea horse, spider, or weasel. Appearing in an unoccupied space within range, the familiar has the statistics of the chosen form, though it is a celestial, fey, or fiend (your choice) instead of a beast.
Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. A familiar can’t attack, but it can take other actions as normal.
When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again.
While your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with it telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you can see through your familiar’s eyes and hear what it hears until the start of your next turn, gaining the benefits of any special senses that the familiar has. During this time, you are deaf and blind with regard to your own senses.
As an action, you can temporarily dismiss your familiar. It disappears into a pocket dimension where it awaits your summons. Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As an action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 feet of you.
You can’t have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form. Choose one of the forms from the above list. Your familiar transforms into the chosen creature.
Finally, when you cast a spell with a range of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your action modifier for the roll.[/SBLOCK]
The thing is, the gen was traditionally a familiar. If we make it "not-a-familiar" gen, then what does that change?
- It would still need a way to appear and re-appear, whether due to dropping to 0 hit points or being dismissed. Same as find familiar.
- It wouldn't always need to obey your commands.
- You wouldn't be able to communicate telepathically 100 ft. with it.
- You wouldn't be able to see through its eyes, hear through its ears.
- You wouldn't be able to deliver touch spells via your gen.
So that actually might work! That suggests there's 3 "versions" of a gen...
- The "baseline" version that comes with the spell - an autonomous but allied spell-fetcher. This version probably shouldn't be able to attack (like the familiar version).
- The "familiar" version that you can opt into by taking find familiar. However, find familiar isn't usually available to warlocks unless they take Pact of the Chain, so this would be pretty rare (i.e. multi-classed warlocks, or those with a feat granting find familiar).
- The "Pact of the Chain" version that I have yet to design, but I'm shooting for a CR 1 critter. Let me crack open my Complete Sha'ir's Handbook and take a stab at writing it up, since it may be relevant for your PC.
The other option would be to make the gen a familiar, and then "Pact of the Chain" improved gen really cool, like the coolest dang familiar in the game, maybe give it powers as you gain levels. Enough to offset intruding on Pact of the Chain's granting of find familiar.
VLAD the Destroyer
Adventurer
The only problem with this option is that it makes the Noble Genie Pact the default best option for any Chain Warlock.
Find Familiar is also available to Tome Warlocks only as a ritual using the Book of Ancient Secrets invocation. Plus a Blade Warlock could have the Gen find them the Find Familiar spell if they want the "familiar" version. This is why I think the 3 versions option might be the best solution while still keeping the feel of the old kit.
VLAD the Destroyer
Adventurer
On a side note got sucked into an issue at work and haven't been able to wok on my background to the extent that I would like. Hopefully I can work on it tonight.
No sane warlock would ever take Find Familiar as a spell. Not even wizards cast it that way (except MAYBE if their familiar dies in combat, but even then...meeh?).
Find Familiar is a spell that is in my experience only ever cast as a ritual, so Tomelocks getting it as a ritual is no handicap. It DOES count as one of their ritual selections, so it's not without opportunity cost, but I would agree that gen should either not be eligible for this spell, or that the gen acquired by the means of this spell is significantly nerfed down from the full version that's only available from the Pact of the Chain.
I feel like allowing any kind of gen to be summonable from a normal Find Familiar is maybe...questionable? Considering that normally you can only get very mildly upgunned pet animals with it?
That way a warlock has a tough choice to make. Pact of the Tome allows familiars, but just beasts...but it ALSO offers a lot of other great rituals warlocks will normally never get. Pact of the Chain offers this AWESOME tiny djinn familiar, but that's it. That's all you get. Just that.
Kind of like how it is now, really.
Find Familiar is a spell that is in my experience only ever cast as a ritual, so Tomelocks getting it as a ritual is no handicap. It DOES count as one of their ritual selections, so it's not without opportunity cost, but I would agree that gen should either not be eligible for this spell, or that the gen acquired by the means of this spell is significantly nerfed down from the full version that's only available from the Pact of the Chain.
I feel like allowing any kind of gen to be summonable from a normal Find Familiar is maybe...questionable? Considering that normally you can only get very mildly upgunned pet animals with it?
That way a warlock has a tough choice to make. Pact of the Tome allows familiars, but just beasts...but it ALSO offers a lot of other great rituals warlocks will normally never get. Pact of the Chain offers this AWESOME tiny djinn familiar, but that's it. That's all you get. Just that.
Kind of like how it is now, really.
VLAD the Destroyer
Adventurer
I think that is the discussion.
The main feature of the Nobel Genie Pact is a Gen that your character uses to find you spells. So as a base feature a Noble Genie Warlock would need to have something that does this. The main issue is how to do this mechanically without stepping on the toes of the Spell or the Chain Pact Boon.
@Quickleaf suggested the following.
So that actually might work! That suggests there's 3 "versions" of a gen...
1 The "baseline" version: Can only fetch spells.
2 The "familiar" version: Just like a familiar but would have it look like a Gen. Can do all the things a normal familiar can do.
3 The "Pact of the Chain" version: Full fledged Gen with all the Chain benefits of their familiars.
That would be my take.
The main feature of the Nobel Genie Pact is a Gen that your character uses to find you spells. So as a base feature a Noble Genie Warlock would need to have something that does this. The main issue is how to do this mechanically without stepping on the toes of the Spell or the Chain Pact Boon.
@Quickleaf suggested the following.
So that actually might work! That suggests there's 3 "versions" of a gen...
1 The "baseline" version: Can only fetch spells.
2 The "familiar" version: Just like a familiar but would have it look like a Gen. Can do all the things a normal familiar can do.
3 The "Pact of the Chain" version: Full fledged Gen with all the Chain benefits of their familiars.
That would be my take.
Okay, so my take is that if you want a Genie Pact Warlock to be able to learn a limited number of additional spells, that's powerful but not unbalanceable. However, it probably shouldn't be linked to the kind of Pact.
So if you're a Genie Pact warlock (of any type) you obtain the services of a spell-obtaining Gen who will appear at your call, and go run off and fetch spells for you. This isn't part of a Gen creature description, or a familiar trait. In this case, the Gen is acting as a messenger for a greater power which is fulfilling a contracted obligation to you.
A Gen isn't available as a normal familiar at all in this situation.
But if a Warlock of the Noble Genie Pact chooses the Pact of the Chain, they CAN select a Gen as an improved familiar. Its power level should be on par with imps or pseudodragons or sprites or whatnot. They don't get to fetch spells, because that's not something Gens do by their own power. It's something that a Noble Genie can empower them to do in specific circumstances.
The difference may be immaterial, since any warlock with a gen familiar is definitionally also Noble Genie Pact, and so you could always rule that the Gen familiar is ALSO the creature who fetches the spells on behalf of the Genie pactholder...but just for the sake of keeping the mechanics straight, I think it's still important to note that normal Gens, without the intervention of a noble genie, wouldn't be able to do this service for a spellcaster.
Otherwise things can get weird.
So if you're a Genie Pact warlock (of any type) you obtain the services of a spell-obtaining Gen who will appear at your call, and go run off and fetch spells for you. This isn't part of a Gen creature description, or a familiar trait. In this case, the Gen is acting as a messenger for a greater power which is fulfilling a contracted obligation to you.
A Gen isn't available as a normal familiar at all in this situation.
But if a Warlock of the Noble Genie Pact chooses the Pact of the Chain, they CAN select a Gen as an improved familiar. Its power level should be on par with imps or pseudodragons or sprites or whatnot. They don't get to fetch spells, because that's not something Gens do by their own power. It's something that a Noble Genie can empower them to do in specific circumstances.
The difference may be immaterial, since any warlock with a gen familiar is definitionally also Noble Genie Pact, and so you could always rule that the Gen familiar is ALSO the creature who fetches the spells on behalf of the Genie pactholder...but just for the sake of keeping the mechanics straight, I think it's still important to note that normal Gens, without the intervention of a noble genie, wouldn't be able to do this service for a spellcaster.
Otherwise things can get weird.
Quickleaf
Legend
Ok, [MENTION=6803188]VLAD the Destroyer[/MENTION] and [MENTION=4936]Shayuri[/MENTION] (thanks for sounding off!), I took at stab at the Pact of the Chain gen familiar. Here it is! I had to assimilate some stuff from the Complete Sha'ir's Handbook which I'll explain below in more detail.
View attachment AQplaytest-Gens revised.pdf
First off, I wanted a CR 1 critter to be roughly equivalent to an imp or a quasit. So, the 7 HP, 13 AC, invisibility - those are ripped right from the imp/quasit. And the Invisibility maps nicely to one of the "gen improvements" called cloak of gathering shadows.
Now, there's a bunch of "gen improvements" in Complete Sha'ir's Handbook, starting with the most basic: improved damage and improved armor class. I incorporated those to get the gen familiar's Offense CR to about 1. Had to get creative with what "improved damage" means for the djinnling and maridan gens.
Next, Complete Sha'ir's Handbook presents enhanced senses with a whole lot of options. The first of these are infravision and detect invisibility. There's also one called scent of danger which seems like a sixth sense. I interpreted these by giving the gen familiar 60 ft. darkvision and the Otherworldly Perception feature of the kuo-toa. It just felt right. And inline with the 2nd level detect invisibility, which spellcasters get at 3rd-level (when Warlocks can choose Pact of the Chain).
Also, looking over the enhanced senses options for eyes of the eagle and sounds of the zephyr, they basically amounted to "perceives really darn well", so I interpreted that as expertise (double prof. bonus) to Perception.
Then I realized the gen familiar was lacking in defenses (its defense CR was 1/8, and I needed it more like defense CR 1). The imp/quasit relies on Magic Resistance and Damage Resistances to make up its defensive power, but even then its defense CR only comes out to 1/4 using the DMG guidelines. So somehow the imp/quasit is benefiting from the combo of Shapechanger, Invisibility, and Scare in terms of defense CR calculation in a way the DMG doesn't take into account. Or it was designed before the DMG came out. This is a bit of art, anyway.
So my move was to give the gen familiar Spell Sharing of "self" spells. I roughly equated this to benefiting from mage armor at-will, akin to the Armor of Shadows eldritch invocation. This means the gen familiar could feasibly have an AC of 16, and that will bump its defense CR to 1/4, same as the imp/quasit. Looking further, I thought about increasing its hit points, but then compared the hit points of the other Pact of the Chain Options: imp 10, quasit 7, pseudodragon 7, sprite 2. So leaving the hit points alone seems the best bet. The other thing I like about Spell Sharing is its versatility, and to me at least it feels like the sort of thing that makes sense to imbue a familiar with, emphasizing the close bond between sha'ir and gen.
EDIT: Drat! There are no "self" spells in 5e. Spells like mage armor are touch. So maybe it still applies, just change the language to something like.... "Spell Sharing. When the gen’s master casts a touch spell on him or herself, or benefits from a healing or abjuration spell, the spell may also affect the gen at the master’s discretion."
Between Spell Sharing and the normal touch-casting of a familiar, this maps nicely to the Complete Sha'ir's Handbook improvement called spell conduit.
With the CR pretty balanced, I wanted to provide a bit more exploration/roleplaying utility to the gen, ideally determined by their type. This took a bit of brainstorming, and it's the part I'm not yet 100% satisfied with; editing and critique is welcome
What I did was take a bunch of the gen improvements from enhanced senses that I hadn't used yet and mapped those to the various gen types:
Daolani (sand gen) are tied to an elemental province associated with digging up secrets buried in the desert sands. One of the improvements called tracker scent seemed apropos, so I adapted it using locate person.
Djinnling (wind gen) are tied to an elemental province associated with whispers carried on the wind. One of the improvements called the whispering of the wind granted perfect lip reading, basically, so I adapted that.
Efreetikin (flame gen) are tied to an elemental province associated with purification and revelation by flame. One of the improvements called the sound of lies seemed like a good candidate to incorporate our new spell fire truth.
Maridan (sea gen) are tied to an elemental province associated with obfuscation and seeing through mischief. One of the improvements called eye of truth essentially allowed a % chance to see through illusions, and so I adapted that as best I could.
Finally, I left the following gen improvements on the cutting floor because they just didn't seem to fit: touch of opening (cast knock basically) I cut because I think the less people intruding on the rogue's awesomeness with lock-picking the better & the falcon's wings (granting the gen flight) I cut because the djinnling gen already has fly and I didn't want to step on its conceptual toes.
View attachment AQplaytest-Gens revised.pdf
First off, I wanted a CR 1 critter to be roughly equivalent to an imp or a quasit. So, the 7 HP, 13 AC, invisibility - those are ripped right from the imp/quasit. And the Invisibility maps nicely to one of the "gen improvements" called cloak of gathering shadows.
Now, there's a bunch of "gen improvements" in Complete Sha'ir's Handbook, starting with the most basic: improved damage and improved armor class. I incorporated those to get the gen familiar's Offense CR to about 1. Had to get creative with what "improved damage" means for the djinnling and maridan gens.
Next, Complete Sha'ir's Handbook presents enhanced senses with a whole lot of options. The first of these are infravision and detect invisibility. There's also one called scent of danger which seems like a sixth sense. I interpreted these by giving the gen familiar 60 ft. darkvision and the Otherworldly Perception feature of the kuo-toa. It just felt right. And inline with the 2nd level detect invisibility, which spellcasters get at 3rd-level (when Warlocks can choose Pact of the Chain).
Also, looking over the enhanced senses options for eyes of the eagle and sounds of the zephyr, they basically amounted to "perceives really darn well", so I interpreted that as expertise (double prof. bonus) to Perception.
Then I realized the gen familiar was lacking in defenses (its defense CR was 1/8, and I needed it more like defense CR 1). The imp/quasit relies on Magic Resistance and Damage Resistances to make up its defensive power, but even then its defense CR only comes out to 1/4 using the DMG guidelines. So somehow the imp/quasit is benefiting from the combo of Shapechanger, Invisibility, and Scare in terms of defense CR calculation in a way the DMG doesn't take into account. Or it was designed before the DMG came out. This is a bit of art, anyway.
So my move was to give the gen familiar Spell Sharing of "self" spells. I roughly equated this to benefiting from mage armor at-will, akin to the Armor of Shadows eldritch invocation. This means the gen familiar could feasibly have an AC of 16, and that will bump its defense CR to 1/4, same as the imp/quasit. Looking further, I thought about increasing its hit points, but then compared the hit points of the other Pact of the Chain Options: imp 10, quasit 7, pseudodragon 7, sprite 2. So leaving the hit points alone seems the best bet. The other thing I like about Spell Sharing is its versatility, and to me at least it feels like the sort of thing that makes sense to imbue a familiar with, emphasizing the close bond between sha'ir and gen.
EDIT: Drat! There are no "self" spells in 5e. Spells like mage armor are touch. So maybe it still applies, just change the language to something like.... "Spell Sharing. When the gen’s master casts a touch spell on him or herself, or benefits from a healing or abjuration spell, the spell may also affect the gen at the master’s discretion."
Between Spell Sharing and the normal touch-casting of a familiar, this maps nicely to the Complete Sha'ir's Handbook improvement called spell conduit.
With the CR pretty balanced, I wanted to provide a bit more exploration/roleplaying utility to the gen, ideally determined by their type. This took a bit of brainstorming, and it's the part I'm not yet 100% satisfied with; editing and critique is welcome
What I did was take a bunch of the gen improvements from enhanced senses that I hadn't used yet and mapped those to the various gen types:
Daolani (sand gen) are tied to an elemental province associated with digging up secrets buried in the desert sands. One of the improvements called tracker scent seemed apropos, so I adapted it using locate person.
Djinnling (wind gen) are tied to an elemental province associated with whispers carried on the wind. One of the improvements called the whispering of the wind granted perfect lip reading, basically, so I adapted that.
Efreetikin (flame gen) are tied to an elemental province associated with purification and revelation by flame. One of the improvements called the sound of lies seemed like a good candidate to incorporate our new spell fire truth.
Maridan (sea gen) are tied to an elemental province associated with obfuscation and seeing through mischief. One of the improvements called eye of truth essentially allowed a % chance to see through illusions, and so I adapted that as best I could.
Finally, I left the following gen improvements on the cutting floor because they just didn't seem to fit: touch of opening (cast knock basically) I cut because I think the less people intruding on the rogue's awesomeness with lock-picking the better & the falcon's wings (granting the gen flight) I cut because the djinnling gen already has fly and I didn't want to step on its conceptual toes.
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Quickleaf
Legend
I'm considering renaming the "gen familiar" to "bonded gen" to clarify that there is an ambiguous "gen familiar outside of a Pact of the Chain" that could exist – I think that's the point that we're discussing and I need to consider more. For example, I may want to design a wizard arcane tradition that cleaves a bit closer to the original AD&D sha'ir, and give them a "gen familiar" (using normal gen stats, with the benefits of find familiar) but not a "bonded gen."
Just to clarify, this is a terminology confusion.
Players often refer to the Otherworldly Patron choice (Archfey/Fiend/Great Old One/Noble Genie) as a "pact." While this is true in terms of the narrative, it's confusing in terms of the mechanics because the warlock's 3rd level feature is Pact Boon (Pact of the Blade/Chain/Tome).
The choice of Noble Genie as an Otherworldly Patron (the sub-class) is where the ability to learn additional spells comes from.
Just to clarify, this is a terminology confusion.
Players often refer to the Otherworldly Patron choice (Archfey/Fiend/Great Old One/Noble Genie) as a "pact." While this is true in terms of the narrative, it's confusing in terms of the mechanics because the warlock's 3rd level feature is Pact Boon (Pact of the Blade/Chain/Tome).
The choice of Noble Genie as an Otherworldly Patron (the sub-class) is where the ability to learn additional spells comes from.
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Yar, no, I got that. By 'kind of pact' I meant the Tome, Chain, or Blade typing.
The critter you're describing would be a pretty amazing familiar, I think. Given that the most common use for a familiar is a kind of 'wizard eye' type deal. Sensory powers are very valuable indeed.
I suspect improved familiar defenses may be low because familiars are functionally immortal. They can be destroyed, but simply repeating the summoning will bring it back, right as rain.
The critter you're describing would be a pretty amazing familiar, I think. Given that the most common use for a familiar is a kind of 'wizard eye' type deal.
Sensory powers are very valuable indeed.I suspect improved familiar defenses may be low because familiars are functionally immortal. They can be destroyed, but simply repeating the summoning will bring it back, right as rain.
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