What Are Familiars Good For in D&D?
Familiars in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (5e) are incredibly versatile and useful tools for spellcasters. Primarily accessed through the Find Familiar spell, these magical companions provide a wide range of benefits both in and out of combat. Their utility extends beyond mere companionship, offering tactical advantages, enhanced roleplaying opportunities, and crucial support for your adventuring party. In essence, familiars are good for scouting, delivering messages, providing tactical advantages in combat, roleplaying enhancements, and acting as magical assistants. They are a potent asset that, when used creatively, can dramatically impact your gameplay experience.
The Versatile Roles of Familiars
Scouting and Reconnaissance
One of the most common and effective uses of a familiar is scouting ahead. Small creatures like owls, rats, and spiders can easily infiltrate enemy encampments, explore dangerous dungeons, or survey the lay of the land. Their small size makes them less noticeable, and their natural abilities (such as a spider’s climb speed or an owl’s keen senses) are highly beneficial for this purpose. The ability to then communicate telepathically with your familiar within 100 feet allows you to get real-time information without putting yourself in harm’s way. This early warning system can be invaluable for avoiding traps or planning your next move.
Communication and Message Delivery
Familiars can be highly effective messengers. While you can’t telepathically communicate over long distances, you can order your familiar to fly or scurry to a specific location, deliver a written message or verbal instruction to an ally, and then return. The hawk is particularly well-suited for this, thanks to its flying speed and ability to traverse greater distances. This can be crucial for coordinating plans, gathering reinforcements, or relaying important information when direct communication is impossible.
Combat Support and Tactical Advantages
In combat, familiars can be surprisingly effective even though they cannot directly attack (with some exceptions). They can use the Help action to grant advantage on an attack roll to an ally. For example, if your familiar is within 5 feet of an enemy, and you attack that enemy, you will make your attack roll with advantage. This can be particularly useful for rogues attempting sneak attacks, who benefit significantly from having an ally near their target. Furthermore, familiars can serve as distractions, drawing fire away from more vulnerable party members, or as a strategic positioning tool to control the battlefield. While a familiar’s low hit points mean they’re often easy to take out, clever placement can make them a challenging target for the enemy to hit before they provide the needed help action.
Enhanced Roleplaying Opportunities
Beyond their tactical uses, familiars add a layer of richness to roleplaying. They can become distinct characters with their own quirks and personalities. Whether you treat your familiar as a loyal pet, a wise advisor, or even a mischievous companion, they provide unique roleplaying opportunities that enhance your character’s story and interactions with the world. A familiar can be a source of comic relief, a confidant to confide in, or a unique window into a character’s personality.
Magical Assistance
Familiars can aid in tasks related to spellcasting. They can be used to touch a surface for a spell, potentially allowing the caster to cast the spell around corners or through gaps. For spells with a range of touch, familiars can take the action to make the touch for the spellcaster. This can be used to extend the range of some spells, or to deliver touch-range spells to enemies outside of the character’s reach.
Frequently Asked Questions About Familiars
Here are 15 commonly asked questions about familiars in D&D 5e, along with comprehensive answers:
1. What are the available forms for a familiar?
The most common forms for familiars are bat, cat, crab, frog, hawk, lizard, octopus, owl, rat, raven, sea horse, spider, or weasel. Each familiar has its own distinct abilities and movement speeds. Warlocks who choose the Pact of the Chain have access to special familiar options, including the imp, pseudodragon, quasit, and sprite.
2. Can familiars attack in combat?
Generally, no. Familiars cannot directly attack in combat. They are capable of taking other actions, most notably the Help action. Warlocks with Pact of the Chain are an exception, their chosen familiars can attack.
3. How much does it cost to resummon a familiar?
If your familiar dies, you can recast the Find Familiar spell. This requires 10 gp worth of incense and a bit of time. This makes replacing a familiar much more affordable than replacing gear or other items.
4. Can I have more than one familiar at a time?
No, you can only have one familiar at a time. If you recast Find Familiar while you already have one, your existing familiar transforms into the new chosen form.
5. How far can a familiar be from me?
There is no restriction on how far a familiar can move away from you, however, telepathic communication is limited to 100 feet. This means that they can continue to fulfill tasks even outside of this range, although you will need to communicate by other means.
6. Do familiars gain experience or level up?
No, familiars do not level up or gain experience. They remain the same throughout your character’s journey. Pact of the Chain Warlocks gain new abilities with their familiar, but the familiars themselves do not get stronger.
7. Can a familiar be targeted by spells or attacks?
Yes, familiars are creatures, and they can be targeted by attacks and spells like any other creature. However, they are small and fragile, so they are often easily defeated in combat.
8. Can a familiar use the Help action every turn?
Yes, a familiar can use the Help action every turn if it meets the action’s requirements.
9. Do familiars need to eat, drink or breathe?
A familiar follows the rules of the form it has taken. If the form it takes doesn’t need to eat, drink, or breathe, then it doesn’t. However, if the statblock of the creature it transforms into does require it, then it does.
10. What are the benefits of having an Imp as a familiar?
Imps are the most powerful familiars. They have the most HP, devil’s sight, magical resistance, invisibility, and can shapechange, are immune to fire and poison damage.
11. Can my familiar carry items for me?
Yes, a familiar can carry items, but they usually have very low strength and can only carry very small or light items. Check the statblock of the specific familiar to understand their weight limitations.
12. What is the best non-flying familiar form?
Spiders are arguably the best non-flying familiar because of their climb speed. They are also less conspicuous than other forms, which is useful when performing reconnaissance.
13. What happens if my familiar dies?
Your familiar’s body disappears and your familiar goes back to its spirit form, awaiting the resummoning of the spell. This doesn’t mean you have to replace it immediately though, some people will take the loss of a familiar seriously and might wait before resummoning it.
14. Can a familiar use magic items?
Generally, familiars cannot use magic items, as the actions to use them do not apply to them. Magic items usually have actions that familiars cannot use.
15. Can a familiar trigger traps?
Yes, a familiar can trigger traps, either unintentionally or intentionally as part of your tactics. You can command your familiar to scout ahead and set off traps to protect your party.
Conclusion
Familiars are invaluable assets for any D&D 5e spellcaster. They offer a wide array of benefits in and out of combat, from scouting and message delivery to providing tactical advantages and adding depth to roleplaying. Whether you use them to scout dangerous areas, give your party advantage during a fight, or as a loyal confidant, familiars can greatly enhance your gameplay experience. By understanding their capabilities and limitations, you can effectively utilize your familiar to its fullest potential, making them a crucial part of your adventuring party.