Monstrous Summons

Prerequisites: Pact of the Chain feature

When you cast find familiar, your familiar can take on new forms to assist you in combat. Casting the spell takes 1 hour and 100 GP worth of materials per CR of the monster (1 or more). You can choose from the list of suggested monsters below, or pick one using the guidelines presented here. Your familiar can have a CR no greater than 1/4 of your warlock level rounded down, it can never be larger than “large”, and it cannot cast spells. Additionally, until you can use CR 2 familiars, your familiar cannot be larger than “medium” and cannot have a flying speed unless it is “small” or smaller. If you choose a beast (not listed) as your familiar’s form, its type becomes celestial, fey, or fiend (your choice). Always consult your DM before choosing a new familiar form.

In combat, your familiar still rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn, but it gains the ability to attack on its own turn. With this feature, you must use an action on your turn to command your familiar to attack or utilize another action. It follows your commands to the best of its ability, but otherwise acts in accordance to the typical behavior of its form. Additionally, if the form of your familiar has an Intelligence of 5 or less, its Intelligence becomes 6, and it gains the ability to understand one language of your choice that you speak.

Suggested Familiar Forms:

CR 1/8: boggle, flumph, manes, twig blight, young kruthik

CR 1/4: blink dog, dretch, flying sword, needle blight, skeleton, the wretched (sorrowsworn)

CR 1/2: cockatrice, darkmantle, gazer, gray ooze, magmin, shadow, skulk, vine blight, zorbo

CR 1: animated armor, choker, death dog, ghoul, maw demon, meazel, scarecrow, su-monster, thorny

CR 2: adult kruthik, auroch, gargoyle, ghast, guard drake, grick, meenlock, ochre jelly, pegasus, peryton, shadow mastiff, spined devil

CR 3: displacer beast, grell, hell hound, leucrotta, manticore, minotaur, nightmare, phase spider, slithering tracker, spectator, vampiric mist

CR 4: black pudding, chuul, girallon, helmed horror, merregon, shadow demon, yeth hound, kamadan

CR 5: allip, banderhobb, barbed devil, catoblepas, flesh golem, kruthik hive lord, otyugh, shambling mound, tanarukk, wood woad, xorn

Dread Steed

Prerequisites: 12th level, Pact of the Chain feature

If your familiar has a suitable form to be a mount, you can summon a magical saddle for your familiar that functions as a saddle of the cavalier (DMG p.199). The saddle disappears if it is taken off your familiar and can be summoned again as an action on your turn. Additionally, when you make an attack or cast a spell on your turn, your familiar can use its reaction to make an attack or move up to its speed.

Guardian of the Chain Master

Prerequisites: 9th level, Pact of the Chain feature

Your familiar’s total hit points increase by an amount equal to your warlock level. In addition, its attacks now count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical damage. While your familiar is within 30 feet of you, add your proficiency bonus to its AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws and skills it is proficient in.

Loyal Transposition

Prerequisites: 7th level, Pact of the Chain feature

As long as your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can switch places with it as an action on your turn or as a reaction when you take damage. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Reach of the Infinite

Prerequisites: 5th level, Pact of the Chain feature

As long as your familiar is within your sight, you can cast spells originating from it to a range of 60 feet. Your familiar must use its reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. If the spell requires an attack roll, you use your attack modifier for the roll.

Twin Souls

Prerequisites: 18th level, Pact of the Chain feature

You can have two familiars at once instead of one. Both must have a challenge rating of 1 or lower. You can change both their forms with a single casting of find familiar. You can only see through one of your familiar’s senses at a time. You can command both familiars using one action on your turn.

Unbreakable Chain

Prerequisites: 15th level, Pact of the Chain feature

Whenever a spell is cast that targets you, you can choose to have it also affect your familiar if your familiar is within 30 feet of you.