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<blockquote data-quote="Sword of Spirit" data-source="post: 6879488" data-attributes="member: 6677017">Except that the pseudodragon can only make that bond with a spellcaster (it's right there in the sidebar, as well as in the descriptive text). And the variant at the back of the MM that discusses an NPC spellcaster getting a pseudodragon familiar specifies they must be able to cast find familiar.I suppose one could say that in order for an NPC spellcaster to gain a pseudodragon familiar they need access to a spell that they don't actually have to cast to gain that familiar, but PCs can skip the spell requirement for some odd reason.Now exactly how find familiar interacts with that bond, whether it gives the pseudodragon access to the features and abilities that a familiar normally has, isn't described anywhere. It's entire up to the DM how (or if) to do it. I explained why I think it makes the most sense to let them have the whole deal, though that's not a statement of what the rules are saying (since they are silent on that issue) just what I think is most consistent with the rest of the rules and which balances better and makes special familiars actually useful beyond the first area effect spell.My main contention is that it is important to take into account all three or four sources of information: the find familiar spell, the MM sidebars for the special familiars, *and* the MM sidebar about NPC spellcasters and familiars. If we are throwing Chain Pact into the mix, then we also need to refer to the warlock entry. Almost everyone seems to ignore at least one of the sources of information, probably because it is messy trying to fit all of them together. I do think harmonizing them makes for a more enjoyable interpretation though.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Sword of Spirit, post: 6879488, member: 6677017"] Except that the pseudodragon can only make that bond with a [I]spellcaster[/I] (it's right there in the sidebar, as well as in the descriptive text). And the variant at the back of the MM that discusses an NPC spellcaster getting a pseudodragon familiar specifies they must be able to cast [I]find familiar.[/I] I suppose one could say that in order for an NPC spellcaster to gain a pseudodragon familiar they need access to a spell that they don't actually have to cast to gain that familiar, but PCs can skip the spell requirement for some odd reason. Now exactly how [I]find familiar[/I] interacts with that bond, whether it gives the pseudodragon access to the features and abilities that a familiar normally has, isn't described anywhere. It's entire up to the DM how (or if) to do it. I explained why I think it makes the most sense to let them have the whole deal, though that's not a statement of what the rules are saying (since they are silent on that issue) just what I think is most consistent with the rest of the rules and which balances better and makes special familiars actually useful beyond the first area effect spell. My main contention is that it is important to take into account all three or four sources of information: the [I]find familiar[/I] spell, the MM sidebars for the special familiars, *and* the MM sidebar about NPC spellcasters and familiars. If we are throwing Chain Pact into the mix, then we also need to refer to the warlock entry. Almost everyone seems to ignore at least one of the sources of information, probably because it is messy trying to fit all of them together. I do think harmonizing them makes for a more enjoyable interpretation though. [/QUOTE]

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