D&D 5E Improved Find Familiar

[Grimstaff]

So I'd like the more advanced familiars (the ones Warlocks can get) to be available to Wizards (especially Conjurers).

Do you think making this a 3rd level or 5th level spell would be appropriate?

Any balance issues I'm missing?

 

[Paraxis]

From the MM.

Variant Familiar: - pg 63
The quasit can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a telepathic bond with its willing master. While the two are bonded, the master can sense what the quasit senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. While the quasit is within 10 feet of its master, the master shares the quasit's Magic Resistance trait. At any time and for any reason, the quasit can end its service as a familiar, ending the telepathic bond.

The imp and pseudodragon have similar options.

VARIANT: FAMILIARS - pg 347
Any spellcaster that can cast the find familiar spell (such as an archmage or mage) is likely to have a familiar. The familiar can be one of the creatures described in the spell (see the Player's Handbook) or some other Tiny monster, such as a crawling claw, imp, pseudodragon, or quasit.

So if npc's can do it, why not player characters.

Now the answer to the above question comes down to if it will impede the enjoyment of another player, so if you have a chain pact warlock in the party you might want to not just let the wizard in the party have a super cool familiar without it costing him something.

On chain pact warlocks, when they cast the spell find familiar there is no choice for the creature it is bound to him and can't just leave. Also it never mentions they would get the magic resistance abilities like a willing master/familiar relationship would have. The find familiar spell even says you have fiendish, fey, or celestial versions of the creatures suggesting that a warlocks pseudodragon might not be a real pseudodragon at all but could be an angelic copy of one.

 

[Blue]

It looks like you are granting a warlock class feature for a single casting of a spell. That doesn't seem balanced. Perhaps giving up one of the wizard class or subclass features and replacing it with the advanced familiar.

 

[JoeCrow]

Well, the problem is that Pact of the Chain is seriously gimped. There's no reason that a regular wizard couldn't cast Find Familiar in a higher level slot to get a more powerful familiar, and there's no reason that a tome-pact warlock with Book of Ancient Secrets couldn't scribe Find Familiar, so by RAW, the chain-pact warlock is already surplus to requirements. Somebody should put together a table of familiar improvements for higher-slot castings. [Not it!]

 

[TrippyHippy]

The way I read it, and certainly he our group plays is, is that the more exotic, higher powered familiars are a Path of the Chain Warlock feature only. Wizards can have traditional, and essentially lower powered familiars (cat, owl, etc), as per the spell, and on a similar basis so can Path of the Tome warlocks (via a Find Familiar ritual). In roleplaying terms, these creatures can still be fun to play - but I regard the offensive arsenal of things like Imps, Quasits, Pseudodragons to be an expression of the power a Warlock (of the Chain) is buying into.

I’m not sure how you measure the ‘balance’ of allowing higher powered familiars to other classes, but you are devaluing the Warlock and the Path of the Chain if you do so.

 

[JoeCrow]

Thing is, tome-lock already ate the chain-lock's lunch. At this point, I'd be inclined to just let the chain-lock vanish in a puff of irrelevance and just expand the familiar options for everybody.

 

[jgsugden]

The simple balance would be to treat the improved familiar like a magic item - a replacement for a Table F or G item.

 

[TrippyHippy]

Thing is, tome-lock already ate the chain-lock's lunch. At this point, I'd be inclined to just let the chain-lock vanish in a puff of irrelevance and just expand the familiar options for everybody.

No it didn’t. The Tomb pact merely lets the warlock access to the Find Familiar ritual, as per the Wizard spell. Same restrictions would apply - they can have a standard familiar but not an exotic one, like an Imp, Quasit etc. I’d keep the restriction as being able to have an Imp, Quasit etc would not be a 1st level spell. It’s something reserved for a 3rd level Warlock, who has opted for the pact of the chain.

People are really just asking to have their cake and eat it.

 

[Paraxis]

People are really just asking to have their cake and eat it.

I don't think so, not exactly. I wouldn't alter the find familiar spell like some are suggesting to get more powerful creatures, but under some specific creatures it says they can choose to become familiars. It is a roleplaying opportunity if you meet a pseudodragon to make a new friend, who if it does decide to accept a familiar/master relationship can leave at any time. I agree it steps on the toes of a Chainlock and if one is in the party not a great idea as it makes their class ability less special, but at the same time it is like the wizard finding a cool intelligent magic item, one that can go away if mistreated.

A warlock can abuse the heck out of his familiar, using it as a trap springing scout a wizard with a special familiar is not the same.

 

[TrippyHippy]

It also specifically says under the Warlocks Path of the Chain entree that they are able to use more able familiars, while not listing the same under the Find Familiar spell. It is treading on the shoes of the Warlock, and stealing a key feature from one of it’s pacts which is beyond the remit of the rules as they stand.

And using a familiar effectively is not quite the same thing as abusing it!