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Pact of the Chain
At 3rd level, a warlock can choose the Pact of the Chain from their Pact Boon feature. Part of that feature is adding 4 more Special forms for the familiars that the warlock can choose from. The following is a way to expand those options even further:
Expanded Familiars
In the Pact of the Chain feature, a warlock can pick a Imp, Pseudodragon, Quasit or Sprite as their familiar, in addition to the existing options in the Find Familiar spell. based off these options, a pact familiar can be any creature with the following characteristics:
- Small or Tiny sized
- Not of the Humanoid creature type
- Maximum of 15 Hit Points
- CR 1 or lower
- Doesn't have a trait that allows them to cast spells.
When considering taking another creature as a familiar outside the given ones, these factors should be taken into consideration. Based of the limitations below, here is an example list of other familiars a warlock could take:
- Crawling Claw MM pg44
- Flumph MM pg135
- Flying Sword MM pg20
- Gazer VGTM pg126
- Mud Mephit MM pg216
- Oblex Spawn MTOF pg217
- Quickling VGTM pg187
- Twig Blight MM pg32
Note: While beasts are also very much options, such as Tressym or Almiraj, most DM's will allow them regardless. This guide is focused more on magical creatures.
Using Stronger Familiars
In the Eldritch Invocation section in this guide, I've included two invocations that allow the warlock to summon more power familiars. The other familiars that can be summoned by these invocations use the same principles as the ones i've outlined.
A warlock who has the Restrained Guardian invocation can summon any familiar with the following characteristics:
- Medium or smaller sized
- Not of the Humanoid creature type
- Maximum of 35 Hit Points
- CR 2 or lower
- Doesn't have a trait that allows them to cast spells
Similarly, warlocks who take the Shackled Warden invocation can summon any familiar with the following characteristics:
- Large or smaller sized
- Not of the Humanoid creature type
- Maximum of 70 Hit Points
- Cr 3 or lower
- Doesn't have a trait that allows them to cast spells
Eldritch Invocations
The best way for any warlock to improve the pact boon they have chosen is to select the Eldritch Invocations that require that pact. Below are a list of Eldritch Invocations for Pact of the Chain
Arcanists Beacon
Prerequisite: Pact of the Chain feature
When your familiar uses their reaction to deliver a spell, the spell cast no longer requires a range of touch. If the spell is not range of self, the range of the spell when cast this way is halved (minimum of 5 feet if longer)
Branded Mount
Prerequisite: 5th level, Pact of the Chain feature
You can cast find steed once using a warlock spell slot. You can't do so again until you finish a Long Rest.
Ghastly Reserve
Prerequisite: Pact of the Chain feature
Whenever your familiar uses their reaction to attack or deliver a spell, it gains temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1)
Restrained Guardian
Prerequisite: 9th level, Pact of the Chain feature
When you cast the Find Familiar spell, you gain aditional Special forms for your familiar: Animated Armor, Ghoul, Meenlock, Shadow Mastiff, Spined Devil.
Shackled Warden
Prerequisite: 17th level, Pact of the Chain feature
You gain aditional Special forms for your familiar: Hell Hound, Owlbear, Redcap, Spectator, Sword Wraith Warrior.
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Customizing your Familiar
Not every Pseudodragon or Gazer familiar is going to look or act the same. The fact that every creature is an individual, and that they are granted by a specific creature, means familiars can vary in form greatly. Below are a list of Patron specific quirk tables to roll on, choose, or to simply give you ideas for the uniqueness of your familiar.
The Fiend
| 1d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | I often try to argue about the terms of my masters pact |
| 2 | Whenever I fail to lie, I cough up a cloud of brimstone |
| 3 | I crave battle, and my bloodlust is hard to contain |
| 4 | I shiver in the presence of a paladin or other servants of the divine |
| 5 | After every encounter, I will remind my master of how our patron will have gone about what just happened |
| 6 | Whenever my master is not looking, I bargain with other creatures around us, striking up deals and favors |
The Archfey
| 1d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sometimes when I see a potted plant I’ll seek to free it and put it in the wild |
| 2 | I love to party and socialize with others |
| 3 | When I am around children I am driven to entertain them |
| 4 | I have fallen into love (and possibly lust) with my master, and will do anything for their affection |
| 5 | I sometimes ask my master strange riddles not even I know the answer to |
| 6 | I speak to inanimate objects as if they're real, for they just might be |
The Great Old One
| 1d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | I often speak in backwards manners |
| 2 | I shriek out the name of my master at random points for no reason |
| 3 | I keep staring at something that isn't there, or seems not to be |
| 4 | Anyone who sleeps near me has horrific nightmares of an endless void |
| 5 | I move objects in a room around every few minutes when left alone |
| 6 | I scrawl at any writing I find, feverishly |
The Undying
| 1d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | Whenever my master or I find a corpse, I make up stories about how the person died |
| 2 | I blinked. Once. Last week |
| 3 | I stare in awe at a dying creature, watching their soul leave their body is utter bliss |
| 4 | I'm scared of my own shadow, sometimes it's not there and sometimes it jumps out at me |
| 5 | Bones, they're so tasty! |
| 6 | When someone around us died, I ask my master when they're going to wake up |
The Celestial
| 1d6 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | I often sit down to watch the sunset, basking in my masters glory |
| 2 | Whenever I see someone in need, I nudge my master to aid them |
| 3 | I have an annoying habit of cleaning or tidying anything or anyone I see |
| 4 | Sometimes without thinking I sing a soothing lullaby |
| 5 | I'm hypnotized by light, and will go towards it like a moth to a flame |
| 6 | I see the good in everyone. From the young child selling flowers in the streets, to the knife wielding maniac charging at us right now |
The Hexblade
| 1d4 | Quirk |
|---|---|
| 1 | I’m sometimes scared to pick up weapons in the wild, for fear my master will grow jealous |
| 2 | I sometimes like to prick myself on a sharp object, just so see how strong it is |
| 3 | When my master fights, I sometimes try to mimic their maneuvers |
| 4 | I like to rub myself against rocks or hard objects to smooth out my skin |
| 5 | Metal is so delicious, my master gets mad when I nibble at their armor or weapons |
| 6 | No warrior can take down my master, they're all such fools to try! |
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Changes (10/07/2018)
- Changed around formatting
- Fixed up spelling and grammar mistakes
- Added rules for stronger familiars
- Expanded Patron based quirks
- Added Eldritch Invocations
- Removed Pact Monsters
My Works
Otherworldy Patron: the Primeval
Pact Boons: Pact of the Chain Expanded
Expanded Spells
Thank you so much to r/UnearthedArcana/ and to the Discord of Many Things, as well as my friends for support and critic