Magical adept level 1 spell.

[Satyrn]

But secondly, if you keep it in your sleeve, nobody is going to know it's even there. You cannot target that which you don't know exists, so short of AoE spells, that little spider is safe.

Also, anyone who denigrates Find Familiar needs to remember the most important facet of the spell, which is that familiars are adorable. They are friends, not just tools.

Eek! A spider! Stomp on it. STOMP ON IT!


Ahem. We have wildly different definitions of adorable.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

I dismissed your concerns about a 10gp cost (which you thought was 25 gp) out of actual play experience. You didn't even know the cost, thought it was 150% of what it actually is, but are arguing I am wrong in thinking it's not a high cost despite my having played with it plenty and you not even knowing the cost. That's reasonably dismissable. Most people who play 5e think there isn't enough to do with your gold, and you're arguing about a 10gp cost. IF that's your experience (and given your pricing was wrong, I have reason to doubt it is), then it is in fact an extreme outlier. In all these years of discussing the Find Familiar spell I don't recall one single person having any concern at all about a 10gp cost for some incense. You're it.

Have fun in whatever you do. I did a mistake with the cost. I aready stated that my experience is not universal.
No point in arguing anymore with you. You are not interested in a discussion. That is more than clear to me.

 

[Ancalagon]

So, depends on redundancy. Going from 0 familiars in the party to 1 is worthwhile. Going from 1 to 2 not so much, depending on use for advantage in combat.

That "0 to 1 vs 1 to 2 (3...)" is a very good point indeed. Find familiar is great, but I was looking for alternatives.

 

[Sword of Spirit]

My anecdotal evidence is that 10 gp for find familiar is something my character found worth taking note of at low levels. We play with a slowed level advancement (about 1/5 to 1/4 the normal advancement on average), and the treasure from published adventures is cut in half so we should be running somewhere around 2x as much treasure as expected for our levels. My character seems always low on cash and needing to borrow from other party members. Granted, he needs cash for scribing spells into his spellbook, and he has expensive tastes so I occasionally splurge on luxury apparel and other such things. The party members who never buy anything have a decent chunk of change just sitting there.

Although he doesn't use his familiar as a battle sacrifice. She's a pseudo-dragon (a real one, not a warlock shapechanging spirit) and that wouldn't go over very well at all. Occasionally there is some tactical scouting use, but she's mostly around for the role-playing fun. I think she's only discorporated once, but it might be twice.