D&D 5E Magic Resistance at Level 3? Warlock Familiars

[Sezarious]

I'd allow a warlock to get the magic resistance from his chain pact familiar, but only after he earned its devotion.

That's an interesting idea. I may have to keep it in mind as a DM for my warlock player.

 

[Klaus]

Hi all

I noticed when reading the monster manual for DM reasons, that variant familiars such as the quasit and Pseudodragon, available to warlocks, grant magic resistance to their partner.

Take a look at page 254 of the Monster Manual (Variant Pseudodragon). As if a lv3 Warlock lv3 Bear totem Barbarian wasn't hearty enough! Next I guess you'll take 6 levels in vengeance paladin and have +Charisma mod to all the saves that you'll have advantage on too. If you're a dwarf, you'll also have Charisma mod and advantage vs poisons too and a stack of extra hitpoints if you're a hill dwarf.

My question is, am I reading this right and secondly, isn't having magic resistance at 3rd level overpowered?

It's not that much worse than a gnome, who gets "magic resistance" on Int-, Wis- and Cha-based spell saving throws. At level 1.

 

[Paraxis]

Familiars are just spirits in the form of other creatures not those creatures.

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.

You can have a celestial imp, a fiendish sprite, or a fey quasit.

The variant familiar rules in the monster manual are if those non-spirit creatures want to bond with a spellcaster in a voluntary partnership, and they can make that bond with non warlocks even.

If you give a spellcaster a special familiar I suggest you treat it like them getting a magic item, and there are plenty of magic items that do give spell resistance.

But no 3rd level warlocks don't get magic resistance because they don't get real imps, quasits, and pseudodragons.

 

[Mephista]

Chain pact familiars aren't serving voluntarily. They're being compelled through magic (and perhaps also the authority of the warlock's patron). I'd allow a warlock to get the magic resistance from his chain pact familiar, but only after he earned its devotion.

Pure speculation unsupported by text. In fact... there is absolutely nothing to suggest that the familiar can't be the Patron itself!

 

[Moorcrys]

My question is, am I reading this right and secondly, isn't having magic resistance at 3rd level overpowered?

Hi!

It's not overpowered in my humble opinion. Will you ban gnomes and totem barbarians from your game? Take a look at their resistances.

Cheers!

 

[Dausuul]

Take a look at page 254 of the Monster Manual (Variant Pseudodragon). As if a lv3 Warlock lv3 Bear totem Barbarian wasn't hearty enough! Next I guess you'll take 6 levels in vengeance paladin and have +Charisma mod to all the saves that you'll have advantage on too. If you're a dwarf, you'll also have Charisma mod and advantage vs poisons too and a stack of extra hitpoints if you're a hill dwarf.

So... you've got a character who can make any saving throw, but who can't actually do much of anything. You could accomplish the same thing with a lot less work by asking the DM to let you play another character's pet rock.

Anyway. I do think the intention is for the warlock to gain magic resistance; it's kind of a stealth power-up for the Pact of the Chain. It's a nice perk when you find yourself facing an enemy spellcaster, but hardly game-breaking.

 

[Zaruthustran]

3rd level warlocks don't get magic resistance because they don't get real imps, quasits, and pseudodragons.

That's definitely a ruling a DM can make. Another ruling is that the warlock does get the magic resistance.

"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."

It all hinges on whether the DM considers the sidebar--which extends the Magic Resistance statistic--to be included.

For warlocks, that improved familiar of Chain Pact is the key feature of this class's defining 3rd level choice. A DM can choose to nerf that ability, but that decision shouldn't be made lightly.

For comparison: Blade pact gives the warlock a magic weapon (actually, every magic melee weapon) at 3rd level. Tome pact gives (a much better version of) the Ritual Caster feat. The Pact is intended to deliver a significant buff. Keep that in mind.

I saw some folks saying that a familiar bound with a Chain pact would choose to deny the Resistance. In other words, a generic PC randomly encountering and befriending a Sprite would get less of a benefit than a class that gained (a spirit taking the form and statistics of) a Sprite as its major 3rd level class feature. If a Patron-granted spirit familiar could choose to deny its master anything, that'd sure be contrary to the fluff and spirit (heh) of the term Pact of the Chain.

Seems much more in-flavor for the Familiar to be completely beholden to and subservient to its master, unable to meaningfully resist in any direct way. It's Jafar's Iago from Aladdin. It's also against the rules. While a MM Sprite or Pseudodragon can choose to leave any time, magically-compelled familiars--particularly Chain Pact familiars--can't say "no."

PHB: "Your familiar acts independently of you, but it always obeys your commands."

"Always" is unambiguous. "Familiar, grant me Spell Resistance" = your Familiar grants you Spell Resistance. No Scooby Snacks required.

 

[keterys]

Pact of the Chain is amazing, without it giving magic resistance.

To be honest, the balance on the familiar options is already seriously out of whack; this would just make it worse.

 

[Zaruthustran]

To each his or her own. The sidebar effectively puts SR extension in the hands of individual DMs, and that's A-okay with me.

All I'm saying is that IF the DM allows Imps, Quasits, and Pseudodragons to extend SR to their masters... then that ability should likewise apply to Familiars gained via the Find Familiar spell.

 

[Falling Icicle]

Pure speculation unsupported by text. In fact... there is absolutely nothing to suggest that the familiar can't be the Patron itself!

It's not speculation. Chain pact warlocks gain familiars via the Find Familiar spell, which conjures a spirit and binds it to your service. The spell even says that it always obeys your commands. I doubt most warlock patrons would subject themselves to magical slavery.