As the Dungeons and Dragons franchise releases its newest iteration, One D&D, players look back at the iconic 5th Edition mechanics. Fans lauded D&D 5e for making the hobby more accessible to new players without sacrificing the customizability and options that make each class and character special. After nearly ten years as the game's supported edition, 5e now must give way to a new generation, but that doesn't mean fans have to leave it behind.
RELATED:
Among the many great 5e mechanics are the familiars, available primarily to wizards but also to warlocks with Pact of the Chain. Each familiar (not including paladin steeds or artificer homunculi) has unique assets that make them appealing for different reasons, but some rank better than others.
10 Crabs Have Blindsight But Cannot Fly
Find familiar may not rank among the , but it has many uses. Using it, wizards can summon a familiar, which can take one of many mundane forms, from the cat to the crab. In particular, crabs are useful for aquatic-themed games.
One of the crab's biggest draws is its Blindsight, which allows it to perceive without seeing up to 30 feet. Furthermore, they can thrive on land and water thanks to their Amphibious trait. Their attacks are meager (adding nothing to hit and only dealing one damage), but that is a common theme across most wizard-familiar forms.
9 Cats Are Agile And Inconspicuous
One of the includes the studious wizard with their loyal cat companion. Cats may not be the best swimmers and don't have wings, but they're agile. On top of that, they blend in perfectly when players find themselves in urban environments.
Cats have a decent Passive Perception (a 13 compared to a crab's nine) and formidable Stealth. Perhaps the biggest draws are the cat's Keen Smell, which grants them advantage on Perception checks using smell and their 30-foot climbing speed.
8 Ravens Can Mimic Words
One of the many reasons wizards are such a great support class is their familiars' versatility. Taking the raven as a familiar makes wizards even handier. Ravens have a 50-foot flying speed, a 13 Passive Perception, and a beak attack that adds a +4 to hit (when other familiars get a +0).
One of the raven's most underrated but effective abilities is its Mimicry, which allows it to repeat short sounds other creatures make. As long as the player rolls a ten or more on an Insight check, they can understand the raven's utterances, which could facilitate reconnaissance and spying efforts.
7 Bats Have Blindsight And Flight
One of is Ritual Caster, which allows players to cast ritual spells (like Find Familiar) much faster. Thus, wizards can switch their familiar's form easier too, which would come in handy if a player wanted to utilize the bat form.
Bats may only have a Passive Perception of 11, but they have Keen Hearing (granting advantage on Perception checks relying on sound) and a 60-foot-ranged Blindsight. Unfortunately, they lose their Blindsight if deafened, and they are not the fastest flying familiars, so they may only be helpful in specific situations.
6 Hawks Have Keen Sight Are Fast
Hawks are an intimidating familiar, as they have a slightly higher Armor Class and have a +5 to hit, meaning they are more likely to land an attack than those familiars with a +0. The hawk is most notable for its speed. Where a bat only has a five-foot walking speed, a hawk has 10. While a raven has a 50-foot flying speed, a hawk has 60.
RELATED:
On top of all this, the hawk has Keen Sight to add to its already formidable Passive Perception of 14 (or a +4 to Perception in general). Like Keen Hearing and Smell, Keen Sight grants the hawk advantage on Perception checks for vision, which is often the most practical sense to the wizard controlling the familiar.
5 Owls Have Keen Sight And The Coveted Fly By
Often, seemingly include players' having powerful familiars. If the wizard plays their cards right, the owl can be the most helpful familiar in the standard familiar list. Like hawks, they have an impressive 60-foot speed. Though they have a lower AC (11), they have Keen Hearing and Keen Sight, meaning few things pass from their notice.
Perhaps the most interesting of the owl's abilities, and the mechanic that mitigates its low AC, is its Flyby feature. This tactic allows the owl to leave an enemy's reach without triggering an opportunity attack. As a result, owls can escape easier.
4 Sprites Can Carry Objects And Attack
Fey creatures are among , and now warlocks can summon them as familiars with Pact of the Chain. This familiar list is not available to other casters and is purely a warlock perk. Among these new familiars are sprites.
Sprites have a 15 AC because they wear leather armor. On top of that, they can speak Common, Sylvan, and Elvish. Sprites have melee and ranged attacks, which are helpful in combat and can turn invisible. Lastly, they can use their Heart Sight to understand a creature's emotions by simply touching them.
3 Pseudo-Dragons Pack More Power
There are many cool dragons in Fizban's Treasury, but not all of them are true dragons. One of these is the Pact of the Chain familiar, the pseudodragon. It outshines even the owl with its Keen Senses, meaning it has advantage on Perception checks based on sight, hearing, and smell. Plus, it has Blindsight at 10 feet. Though these creatures cannot speak, they understand Common and Draconic. They can also use Limited Telepathy to communicate simple ideas.
The pseudodragon has a few more combat advantages than the mundane familiars. Their Magical Resistance offers them advantage on saving throws against magic, and its Bite and Sting attacks do a little more damage than usual (+4 to hit with a 1d4+2 damage). Finally, its Sting attack can poison a target and leave it unconscious if it fails two saving throws.
2 Quasits Can Turn Invisible
Quasits share some abilities that the sprite and pseudodragon have. Quasits can turn invisible like the sprite and have the same Magical Resistance that pseudodragons enjoy. Additionally, they have the Shapechanger ability, allowing them to appear as mundane animals like toads or bats.
RELATED:
Quasits can poison their enemies using their Claws, which deal 1d4+3 damage and boast a +4 to hit. Finally, quasits are immune to poison damage and have a slew of damage resistances like cold, fire, lightning, and non-magical physical attacks.
1 Imps Are The Most Inherently Powerful Familiar
Summoning familiars like imps requires warlocks to have Eldritch Invocations, which is why one of the . This feat opens more options up to the player. While quasits have many formidable abilities, the imp is singularly impressive.
First, imps have Devil's Sight, which allows them to see through magical darkness. Furthermore, they share the quasit's Magical Resistance, Invisibility, and Shapechanger abilities. Imps are immune to poison and fire damage. Plus, they're resistant to cold and non-magical, non-silvered physical attacks. Finally, their Sting can deal up to 3d6 poison damage.
NEXT:
