D&D: New Familiar Faces – Five New Familiars In 5.5E
The new Monster Manual is coming out soon, but you don’t have to wait for it to take these powerful new familiars out for a spin.
FInd Familiar is one of the handiest spells any spellcaster can add to their lists. For ten gold pieces, you get an aide, a scout, and more. But not all familiars are created equal. And none are more familiar with this than Warlocks of the Pact of the Chain in 5.5E.
Warlocks who pick up the Pact of the Chain Eldritch Invocation have the widest variety of familiars available to them. If you want a familiar that stands out from the crowd, it’s the only way to play. They have access to a few very special options no one else can play with. Unless of course your DM decides to allow these. But no matter how you access this special list, which one should you pick? We’re here to help.
Pseudodragon
Pseudodragons are a classic familiar from older editions of D&D. At least since 2nd, if not earlier. These are rare, prized dragonlings that come with a very fast fly speed (60 feet), a curious personality, and of course, a poisoned sting that can knock targets unconscious for an hour. With traits like these, pseudodragons make excellent familiars for any Warlock with dreams of arcane power. After all, what better way to signal you’ve mastered the arcane than to “tame” a mighty dragon?
Quasit
Of course, for the more infernal minded Warlocks out there, a Quasit might be better. You could also take an Imp, but the raging little chaos ball that is the Quasit edges them out, both with slightly higher hit points and with the ability to Frighten targets. If you have met Shovel in Baldur’s Gate 3, you already know just how valuable a Familiar like this can be.
Plus, a Quasit can be invisible at will, which is incredibly handy. And it can change its shape to appear as a normal toad or snake or bat (gaining fly, swim, or climb speeds, depending). All handy things on your familiar in any circumstance. The Quasit is the perfect all-purpose familiar. From Combat to Scouting to causing mayhem and mischief, it does it all.
Skeleton
Or you could make the Necromancer in your party envious by commanding one very loyal Skeleton as your familiar. The only familiar that comes with both a melee and ranged attack, a Skeleton as a familiar can be a boon to any party in need of another body to plink out some damage.
Sprite
The Sprite, meanwhile, is much more suited to scouting and mischief. A sprite familiar can become invisible at will, which, as we’ve established before, is great. Sprites also have fly speeds, and a decent attack. But what really makes one fun is its Enchanting Bow. This attack does a single point of damage, but magically charms the target, making them unable to attack the sprite (and possibly the caster) for a single turn. Also they can know emotions and alignment psychically.
Sphinx of Wonder
Finally, there’s the Sphinx of Wonder. These magical cats are winged celestials that hit the hardest out of any of the upleveled familiar archetypes. They not only deal 1d4 + 2d6 + 3 points of radiant and slashing damage, they also can fly. A Sphinx of Wonder can also grant itself or an allied creature it can see a bonus +2 on a skill check as a reaction. Which makes them even handier for your Warlock.
What familiar are you picking?
