D&D 5E Sprite Sidekicks

[JPL]

What would you do about a sprite sidekick's supply of poisoned arrows? Weirdly, the basic MM sprite doesn't have any skills or proficiencies to back up the flavor text about how they brew these poisons from simple natural ingredients. At least some sidekick classes would get around that, and get you proficiency in Nature and/or herbalism kit.

Warrior fits the flavor text. Two hit points is rough, but I suppose that heavy use of dodge and invisibility and flight make it possible to avoid squish-related injuries. I like the idea of a stone-cold badass, 10" high.

Spellcaster with some nature / fey-themed spells would work.

Expert is also appealing. An invisible flier character is well-suited to running interference (i.e., Help action).

 

[jasper]

Easy. Drop the poison arrows. Then choose a sidekick class.

 

[JPL]

Well, that's one way to come at it, but so much of the sprite's combat effectiveness requires those poisoned arrows . . .

 

[Dausuul]

What would you do about a sprite sidekick's supply of poisoned arrows? Weirdly, the basic MM sprite doesn't have any skills or proficiencies to back up the flavor text about how they brew these poisons from simple natural ingredients. At least some sidekick classes would get around that, and get you proficiency in Nature and/or herbalism kit.

Warrior fits the flavor text. Two hit points is rough, but I suppose that heavy use of dodge and invisibility and flight make it possible to avoid squish-related injuries. I like the idea of a stone-cold badass, 10" high.

Spellcaster with some nature / fey-themed spells would work.

Expert is also appealing. An invisible flier character is well-suited to running interference (i.e., Help action).

Just to be clear, we are talking about a sidekick here, not a familiar?

 

[Charlaquin]

If it’s an NPC sidekick, I just wouldn’t worry about it. The sprite gathers materials and makes poison arrows during downtime and during the “light activity” portion of rests, and you can just assume they always have poison arrows available. Or maybe they run out on a natural 1 or something if you want the possibility of that dramatic moment where the sidekick runs out of arrows.

If it’s a PC using a sidekick class so they can play a sprite, just treat it as drow poison. They can craft that specific poison as per the usual rules for poison making, even if they lack poisoner’s kit proficiency. Or, heck, just give them poisoner’s kit proficiency. They track their ammo and poison doses individually like any other PC.

 

[JPL]

Just to be clear, we are talking about a sidekick here, not a familiar?

Right.

Although it's tempting to experiment with letting a familiar advance as a sidekick.

 

[jasper]

You have three options. 1. Drop the poison and treat it like Tashsa's sidekick rules. 2. Add the skills to stat block. 3. Create your own sidekick rules. Four there is no four no more. no more. no more. no more.

 

[Charlaquin]

You have three options. 1. Drop the poison and treat it like Tashsa's sidekick rules. 2. Add the skills to stat block. 3. Create your own sidekick rules. Four there is no four no more. no more. no more. no more.

Hit the road, Jasper.

 

[jgsugden]

Few monsters are described with tool proficiencies in their stat block, but have them in their text description. In the end, if it says they can make them, they can make them, whether that permission comes from the text or the stat block.

So what would I do about the sidekick's supply? Allow them to make them during downtime, and have them lose potency after a day. Otherwise, the question becomes 'why are they not poisoning the party archer's arrows all the time?'