D&D 5E How you want familiars to be in your campaign...

[bedir than]

If you're not familiar (sorry) with 1e familiars and how they work, let's just say they're in general a high-risk low-benefit proposition most of the time for a field-adventuring mage because when it dies - and it will, guaranteed! - the caster permanently loses hit points* equal to what the familiar had. They are, however, a great thing for a stay-at-home mage type who never puts the familiar in danger, as while alive the familiar gives you enhanced sense(s) and adds its hit point total to your own maximum.

In general, once the players realize the long-term risk involved familiars come off the table real fast.

* - how the hit point thing works: if a mage with 14 h.p. casts FF and gets a 4 h.p. familiar the mage's max h.p. becomes 18. However, when the familiar dies (unless it dies of old age) the mage's max h.p. drops to 10 - you lose what the familiar gave you plus the same again

Thanks! Vote amended.

This reminded me of the Sha'ir, where their familiar might just be grumpy and decide to not show up for a few days. When they did you might not get the spell you wanted.

 

[Irlo]

I'm not sure yet how to make it work for 5e. I want familiars to be physical animals inhabited or enhanced by an arcane spirit, with a personality linked with but not identical to the spell-caster. I want to eliminate the prevalent role of disposable scout, and I'd expect a wizard to treat a familiar as if it were just as valuable as a spell-book. I want the familar to perch on the wizard's shoulder and whisper advisements, or to confer when choosing what spells to prepare for the day, or helping with research and ritual spells. I want the familiar to be more than just a glorified spell-effect.

That might mean taking find familiar off the spell lists and making it a class feature. I would want players to have a lot of leeway and creativity in defining the costs and benefits of the familiar, perhaps from an established menu of choices or something more freeform. Benefits might include expertise in an Intelligence-based skill, reduced costs for scribing scrolls, bonuses to spell attack and saving throw modifiers for particular schools of magic, maybe additional known cantrips.

 

[Weiley31]

 

[FrozenNorth]

The choices in the poll are incomplete. There should be an entry for “tasty”.

 

[Vaalingrade]

That might mean taking find familiar off the spell lists and making it a class feature.

Here, Here!

I've got an arcane trickster, who already is starved for class features, but had to sacrifice one of my tiny, minuscule, depressing number of spells to get my talking crow.

 

[Irlo]

Here, Here!

I've got an arcane trickster, who already is starved for class features, but had to sacrifice one of my tiny, minuscule, depressing number of spells to get my talking crow.

I did a double take because without my glasses I read “cow.” Not the best choice for an arcane trickster!

 

[jmartkdr2]

I did a double take because without my glasses I read “cow.” Not the best choice for an arcane trickster!

Well, no one would expect it at least.

"That cow is spying on us!"