D&D 5E Homebrew question. Elemental Warlock.

[ManBagel]

So I found a pact I want to play and I asked the DM and they are fine with it. I was looking through it and something caught my eye at the end. Familiars. If you pick Pact of The Chain you can choose familiars unique to the pact. Being any variation of a mephit. Now I see that they all have different benefits, but they seem underpowered. Imp gives you a invisible scout with devil sight that can fly. So unless I got to pick the variant ability where I can summon 1d4 mephits or the ability to turn invisible like other ones It seems weak. They gain there own perk and have the ability to summon more of them or turn invisible.

Any thoughts?

 

[Hawk Diesel]

Choose the imp or quasi, reskin it as an appropriate elemental type creature to fit your concept, and maybe work with your DM to exchange their attacks to something more appropriate to the elemental theme you're going for. Personally, I try to use existing things with minimal mechanical tweaks whenever possible. There's nothing about the imp's mechanical stat block that inherently makes it an imp, after all.

 

[jmartkdr2]

If you don't want a mephit, don't pick it.

Imps are still the optimized choice, if that matters to you.

 

[Inanity]

Below is a list of random considerations in favor of the view that mephits are a solid familiar choice (even taken as is). Some of these considerations are thingss you would ahve access to (just stating the mephits ability). I do this to emphasize that those abilities have potential and maybe could be revisited:

Mephits get a fly speed and are immune to poison (and the steam is immune to fire ; immunity to both of these are cool (equip the mehpit with poisoned blades, etc without possible repercussions.)

Mephits have higher HD than an Imp (at least the steam mephit)...

The explosion thing is cool (though one mephit is alittle underwhelming). simiclara your mephits like crazy and have a walking army of exploding familiars (although I would have to reread similarumi I think death trigger abilties would work; and I am unsure right now if the similarumed familiar retains its familiar abilities). there is a higher level familiar spell that llows gaining extra familiars (upto 3 i think)...

Invisibility is great for a familiar; but the steam mephit gets blur 1/day (not bad for combat).

Imps would be better scouts but mephits have potential.

The air mephit can knock people prone, which is cool (also note: in 3.5e creatures abilities, and not just spells have variable DC, and the DC value (by default)=10+1/2HD+CHA or CON or STR modifier
(these were the most common modifiers asscoiated with monster moves but some were keyed to wis or int or i think even dex; see "Savage Species" really cool D&D 3.0 book hat has concepts that can be applied to any TRPG). A dragons breath keyed to CON; a demons charm ability CHA, etc...
If you increased the HD or abilities of an enemy NPC's their moves would increase in DC. Now, the mephits have a flat DC (=11) set to their breath move but I do think that it is actually (in 5e) variable based on CON (increase mephits CON increase breath DC; at least a reasonable DM should allow this 3.5e import; the 'base' DC value in 5e is 8 and NOT 10 as a note)...

The earth mephit gets enlarge/reduce (which is cool!) and has a natural armor of 11+DEX (not great at all but)...

The fire/magma mephit gets heat metal (that requires no save for half damage)

Ice/magma mephits are good sentinels (pretty much cannot be seen if they stand still)

Dont know if this helps but...

 

[aco175]

Is the familiar the only thing where the power is unbalanced? I have not looked at the class, but wonder if the pact is more powerful than others, so having a weaker familiar compensates.

 

[jmartkdr2]

Is the familiar the only thing where the power is unbalanced? I have not looked at the class, but wonder if the pact is more powerful than others, so having a weaker familiar compensates.

based on OP's post, I think the pact just adds a new option - so they could still chose an imp, quasit, or peudodragon (or just a regular animal). They're asking if there's a mechanical benefit to mephits over the existing options.

 

[Inanity]

[EDIT: didnt realize that an imp has immunity to fire as well, but not heat metal; so a concentration slot for heat metal at least]A mephit with fire immunity and heat metal can carry a heated poisoned weapon (using heat metal to heat it). I mean it would be upto your Dm but i would surely rule that one could use their bonus action during an attack to trigger the heat metal spell on a HELD weapon. thereby damaging the CREATURE HIT WITH THE HELD WEAPON (as well as the creature holding the weapon); afterall the spell does say it does fire damage to any creature in CONTACT with said item... that is a cool little familiar combo in my mind... (I am assuming your Dm allows your familiar to use attack actions and act like a normal NPC)...

EDIT: maybe a DM would rule that heat destroys the poison on the blade but the rules DO NOT IMPLY that and that would be a house rule sort of... Furtther, find the venom of a caustic fire lizard or something. P.S. poison can be MADE using skills and is potentially cheap! [also it seems the average mephits would be able to kill the average imp that may most likely break its cover by trying to sting to no avail the mephit and then well... that is assuming the imp is as it stat block indicates and is 'forced' into actual combat (if only forced by the narrative)]

EDIT: this is a sorta cool idea IMO:If the warlock had heat metal too it coudld heat both its weapon and armor (why couldnt it wear some studded metal armor? taking the nonroficiency penalty I suppose). One potentially doing more damage and turn the mephit into a small crazy grappler unit that grapples and starts jabbing opponents....

EDIT: now enlarge and aid on that magma elemental and/or cast aid, mage armor, sheild of faith, mirror image, haste , etc... use familiar abilities to cast booming blade through familiar (would have to reread the familiar spell to see if that is legal but if not legal just use the mephits equipped qeapon to attack)... not that bad (especially in 1st and lower 2nd tier of play) and when it dies boom...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I do think we need an expanded list of warlock familiars.

I vote for a flumph.