The RAW on familiars in 5E makes them pretty bland and antisceptic. More useful than previous additions without the penalties for dying but the text makes them sound like just creatures you summon to help you on a given day instead of companions.
A Warlock for a game I DM (and a 1e veteran) wanted an actual specific familiar, like when he casts he gets the same Imp every time, not some random Imp. He asked me to make this sidekick up, just that it be an imp. He gets no extra abilities, he is every bit as weak as a normal imp, but I made up the personality.
It has generated some great roleplay. His Imp's name is Spindley and he is a veteran from the blood war (143rd Air Calvary Regiment, 17th Malbolge light infantry). As such he hates demons and claims he can smell demons (the party is unsure if true or not) ... this is more fun because the Warlock's patron is a demon and the two have traded words and threats a few times (the Patron would obviously destroy the Imp if they fought) and the Warlock has to exercise his power to restrain Spindley whenever the patron shows up (which he can do because despite having a personality the warlock is in complete and utter control of Spindley as a familiar)
The fighter in the party also likes to talk to the imp about the bloodwar too and the imp is happy to oblige staying up during camp to fill him in with stories of his exploits. At first he flat refused to believe that an imp would fight in, let alone survive in, the blood war.
A Warlock for a game I DM (and a 1e veteran) wanted an actual specific familiar, like when he casts he gets the same Imp every time, not some random Imp. He asked me to make this sidekick up, just that it be an imp. He gets no extra abilities, he is every bit as weak as a normal imp, but I made up the personality.
It has generated some great roleplay. His Imp's name is Spindley and he is a veteran from the blood war (143rd Air Calvary Regiment, 17th Malbolge light infantry). As such he hates demons and claims he can smell demons (the party is unsure if true or not) ... this is more fun because the Warlock's patron is a demon and the two have traded words and threats a few times (the Patron would obviously destroy the Imp if they fought) and the Warlock has to exercise his power to restrain Spindley whenever the patron shows up (which he can do because despite having a personality the warlock is in complete and utter control of Spindley as a familiar)
The fighter in the party also likes to talk to the imp about the bloodwar too and the imp is happy to oblige staying up during camp to fill him in with stories of his exploits. At first he flat refused to believe that an imp would fight in, let alone survive in, the blood war.