D&D 5E Warlock's Pact of the Chain's Imp, Quasit, and Psuedodragon.

[Asisreo]

The Warlock's Pact Boon "Pact of the Chain" allows it to cast Find Familiar as a regular spell as well as a ritual, but it gives additional options for the familiar's form. These are the sprite, imp, quasit, and psuedodragon. This thread will focus on the last three.

These three compatible creatures have a variant form of themselves, namely, "Variant: Familiar" which gives the owner of the familiar the ability to sense what the familiar senses while they are within 1 mile of each other and when they are within 10ft of each other, the summoner shares their Magic Resistance feature. I've seen some DMs take issue with allowing a player to summon these variants as they aren't a "base creature" in the MM and therefore aren't a RAW option. I disagree because, while its true they are a variant, that doesn't mean they aren't a compatible creature from the MM. A variant imp is still an imp and therefore can be summoned.

I believe this also does some cool two-fold alleviation for concerns about the pact boon as I've coincidentally heard that its the weakest pact boon for the warlock. Firstly, it becomes an active defensive buff for the Warlock and therefore becomes a pact that's relevant for combat. Secondly, it also makes warlocks' familiars better scouts than a wizard's. Having the ability to have an imp turn into a raven or quasit into a bat means that the familiar still gets to be stealthy to a useful degree while being able to share its senses up to a mile. And if the familiar gets into a scuffle or falls into a trap, it has more ways to avoid getting killed and having a decent chance to fight back.

What do you think? Overpowered? Still underpowered? Would you allow this or you find it too much? I'm interested in the community's thoughts.

 

[ad_hoc]

Pact of the Chain is well balanced without the variants.

Without a doubt blade is the least powerful (though people expect more of it than they should. It should just be something that makes the character versatile able to be in melee or ranged).

They get a good invocation in Tasha's to further buff the familiar.

The variants are overboard. Magic resistance alone is very good.

 

[tommybahama]

I've played in two campaigns with those variant familiars and it wasn't a problem. I'm now playing in a campaign where the DM gave a gazer (like a baby beholder) as as a familiar. So far no problems as the DC on the eye rays are so low that the enemy usually beats them.

 

[Azuresun]

I really wish we could get some more options for the Chain Familiars. There's a lot of pacts (Fathomless, Genie, Celestial, Undead) that don't really have a good option without reskinning. I really want the Lantern Archon back.

 

[ad_hoc]

I've played in two campaigns with those variant familiars and it wasn't a problem. I'm now playing in a campaign where the DM gave a gazer (like a baby beholder) as as a familiar. So far no problems as the DC on the eye rays are so low that the enemy usually beats them.

It is basically like finding a suit of magic resistance armour.

It doesn't break the game but it is strong and something beyond the intention of the class balance.

I'd be okay with taking it for the cost of an invocation.

 

[Charlaquin]

I don’t believe those variants are intended to be used as familiars for PCs, but I don’t think it’s that big of a deal if do you allow it.

 

[Ancalagon]

My impression was that the variant familiar is for when you actually find such a creature and make an alliance with it. So it's "better", BUT if the familiar die... that's it. You can't summon it back like a familiar you get with the spell or even pack of the chain.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Yup, it's been mentioned in sage advice - "variant" familiars are pets unrelated to the Find Familiar spell. The extra benefit is in exchange for their mortality.

It's also worth noting that, as per the spell, you specify your familiar's creature type when you cast the spell, so you could have an fiendish sprite or a celestial imp.

Whilst I would allow alternative options for warlock PotC familiars, and would like to see an expanded list, I would not allow the MM variants.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

I not only allow them to do that, I allow anyone who can cast find familiar to use the spell to get one of those creatures (if found and willing) as a familiar, and allow them to be temporarily dismissed, and if they “die” they merely discorporate and can be revived by casting the spell again like with a normal familiar. That makes becoming a familiar actually a good deal for such creatures rather than a death sentence.

My arguments that this is a valid interpretation (rather than house rule) is based on the sidebar on familiars in the NPC statblock section of the MM, and the Dame Flutterby familiar from Adventurer’s League (an imdependent creature, not just a spell summoned spirit, but who can become a familiar and gain the spell benefits).

As a pure houserule, I allow familiars with attacks to attack normally, and have the attacks you can grant with Pact of the Chain be in addition to their normal attacks.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I don’t believe those variants are intended to be used as familiars for PCs, but I don’t think it’s that big of a deal if do you allow it.

I think they must be intended for PCs, give the wording of the variant writeup. A caster can just befriend one and make it their familiar.