In Dungeons & Dragons, familiars are spirits in the service of a given graphic symbol, most oft taking the grade of an animal or another small-scale creature. Familiars are most oft in the service of spellcasters; namely Wizards, Druids, and Warlocks of the Pact of the Chain, though characters of any class can hypothetically gain a familiar through the Magic Initiate Feat.

While about familiars are unable to use the set on action, they accept their own turns in combat and are able to take actions to collaborate with objects and notably assist one's allies. As familiars assume a variety of forms, each with their own stats and abilities, they vary in quality through their flexibility and potential uses. So today, let'southward examine the nearly useful types of familiars players can summon in Dungeons & Dragons.

Updated by Paul DiSalvo on February ii, 2022,: Equally boosted D&D books are released, players have increasingly more customization options for their characters, including the types of familiars they may have. Introduced in Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos, the Strixhaven Mascot feat allows a character's familiar to access v new options, each of which serve as the mascots of the five respective colleges of Strixhaven. While this feat has two prerequisites, requiring that a graphic symbol be at to the lowest degree level four and that they have the Strixhaven Initiate feat, it can be accessed past a character of any class, allowing a multifariousness of builds to access these new familiar options.

20 Quipper

d&d quipper art
Quipper D&D Beyond Artist Unknown

Quippers are a very interesting familiar choice, equally they only function inside the water. Outside of it they are easily the virtually useless familiar pick bachelor, since they volition quickly suffocate. Notwithstanding, if a campaign or adventure has led itself underwater, they can offering incredible value.

WIth lx feet of darkvision and a xl-foot swimming speed, Quippers tin hands maneuver around a battleground. They are able to motility upwardly to fourscore feet in a single plow with the dash activeness. This makes them one of the most ideal familiar options when traveling underwater.

19 Spider

d&d spider art
Spider D&D Beyond Artist Unknown

Spiders are a niche familiar selection that tin can exist surprisingly effective. With a tiny size and a +iv bonus to stealth checks, Spiders tin can brand for solid scouts, making use of a 30-foot darkvision range.

While Spiders' ability to ignore the movement restrictions of webs and their ability to automatically detect creatures in webs its touching may seem very niche, Wizards have access to the web spell. This ways that the use of the web spell and a Spider familiar tin allow a histrion to quickly find invisible or hiding creatures, a powerful tool to accept.

eighteen Weasel

thieving otter mtg ikoria art
Magic: The Gathering Thieving Ofter by Jakup Kasper

For those who want to potentially use their familiars out of combat for scouting or for their senses, Weasels may be a strong option for you lot. With +3 perception and +5 stealth, Weasels have some of the best skill utility of whatever familiar.

Additionally, due to their keen hearing and smell, all perception checks they brand that utilize these senses are made at reward, increasing their consistency. This makes them an excellent choice for those looking for a familiar that can serve every bit a second set up of eyes when searching for clues or hidden details.

17 Cat

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Magic: The Gathering Overjoyed Stray by Chris Rahn

Cats are a familiar option that offer very similar utility to that of weasels. While they maintain keen smell, they don't accept access to keen hearing and as well take one less stealth than weasels. However, the tradeoff is one of mobility.

While weasels have thirty feet of movement, Cats accept forty, likewise boasting a useful thirty-fourty climbing speed.

16 Crab

crab mtg art
Magic: The Gathering Crab Token by Yeong-Hao Han

While they accept little to offer in the realm of skills and mobility, the primary seliing point of crab familiars is their amphibious nature. For campaigns that are likely going to include a keen deal of water, amphibious familiars are a must.

In add-on to being able to breathe both air and water, Venereal have access to thirty feet of blindsight which tin can be useful when trying to make up one's mind the location of invisible or hidden foes.

15 Octopus

seadasher octopus
Magic: The Gathering Seadasher Octopus by Chris Seaman

Of the familiars available in D&D, some are specifically designed to function in water, rather than on land. While many of these familiars are quite useless in the majority of campaigns, if a player knows that their campaign is going to take place primarily at sea, these familiars can be quite useful.

Of the aquatic familiars, an Octopus notably possesses a unique action it can perform one time per short rest, creating a heavily obscured ink cloud within a v-pes radius.

14 Frog

fantasy frogs
Magic: The Gathering Polymorphist'due south Jest by Craig J Spearing

While they lack the mobility and additional utility of other entries on this list, Frogs accept one major perk that can exist quite important in the context of certain campaigns: they're amphibious. While the majority of familiars tin merely breathe air or water, Frogs are able to breathe both, assuasive them to flexibly function wherever they're needed.

Additionally, it should be noted that Frogs possess darkvision with a range of thirty feet. Every bit a character with a familiar tin temporarily gain their familiar'due south senses as an action, Frogs can temporarily provide a character vision in a state of affairs in which they commonly wouldn't be able to encounter.

13 Bat

bat
D&D Across Bat Artist Unknown

With a flying speed of thirty anxiety, Bats are a decently mobile familiar that can ordinarily be where a thespian needs it to be. However, the chief reasons to option a Bat every bit one'southward familiar are found within its senses.

While Frogs provide darkvision, Bat'south accept access to blindsight with a range of lx feet. Additionally, Bats have an reward on all perception checks that involve their hearing, providing a player a great way of seeing invisible foes and overhearing key conversations.

12 Hawk

hawk
D&D Beyond Hawk Creative person Unknown

Some other flying familiar, Hawks offering slap-up mobility and improved senses that a character can take advantage of.

With sixty feet of move, Hawks can move twice as far as a Bat each plow, assuasive them to easily send items between political party members, and help whoever may need information technology. Additionally, with their smashing sight, Hawks make their sight-based perception checks at advantage, which can be quite useful when examining a new location.

11 Raven

raven
D&D Beyond Raven Artist Unknown

Ravens are however another flying familiar that have admission to a fifty-foot flying speed. While this is slower than that of the Hawk, information technology is more than serviceable and allows the Raven to maneuver around a Battlefield flexibly.

The key reason to have a Raven is its unique utility in the form of its mimicry power. Ravens are able to imitate elementary sounds such as people whispering or babies crying, allowing it to serve as a distraction and opening up additional potential uses for i's familiar.

ten Owl

owl
D&D Beyond Owl Artist Unknown

Owls are the most reliable and flexible of the flying familiars available to non-warlocks, combining aspects of several other entries on this list. Boasting the sixty-foot flying speed of a Hawk, Owls possess the flyby power that prevents them from provoking attacks of opportunity, assuasive them to traverse a Battlefield with less risk.

Additionally, not only practise Owls possess darkvision of an impressive one-hundred twenty anxiety, but they brand all perception checks based on sight and hearing offering an advantage.

nine Quasit

quasit
D&D Beyond Quasit Artist Unknown

Warlocks of the Pact of the Concatenation have the unique ability to choose from four additional options for their familiar, each toting much more utility than traditional familiars equally much as significantly more health.

In add-on to having seven HP and i-hundred twenty feet of darkvision, Quasits can polymorph themselves into additional forms to access flight and swimming speeds. Furthermore, Quasits are capable of using their unique scare activity to potentially startle foes, and even accept the ability to turn invisible.

viii Pest

strixhaven pest art ilse gort
Magic: The Gathering Pest Token by Ilse Gort

The Strixhaven Mascot familiar available to those of Witherbloom, Pests are easily the almost durable and difficult-to-kill familiar option. With an AC of xiii and 22 HP, pests tin often have a few hits to put down, unlike the majority of familiars that can be taken intendance of with a single set on. Most notably, pests regain v hit points at the beginning of their turn, meaning that if they aren't dealt with quickly, they volition exist fifty-fifty more than tedious for foes to deal with.

Though the Strixhaven Mascot feat can allow a familiar to attack, pests are only capable of dealing 1d4 +2 harm. Additionally, while pests tin deal impairment to a brute its grappling or that's grappling it, this is quite niche, especially as a pest's low strength make it difficult for it to grapple.

7 Pseudodragon

pseudodragon
D&D Beyond Pseudodragon Artist Unknown

Exclusive to Pact of the Chain Warlocks, Pseudodragons are familiars with stellar mobility through their 60-human foot flying speed, and they have the ability to contribute more than to combat than many other entries on this list.

As familiars of Pact of the Concatenation Warlocks have the potential to set on, Pseudodragons can access their sting activeness which can not only potentially poison foes, but crusade them to exist knocked unconscious.

vi Sprite

sprite
D&D Beyond Spirte Creative person Unknown

Another Pact of the Chain exclusive, with an AC of fifteen, Sprites have the highest Air-conditioning of whatsoever familiar in all of D&D. Sprites take the fantabulous combination of a flight and the ability to plough invisible, making them an excellent option for scouting ahead with little to no take chances of being detected.

Like Pseudodragons, Sprites are able to poison and potentially knock out foes. However, every bit Sprites are able to do so using their bows, they are able to assistance in this fashion from afar, reducing the risk of sustaining damage.

5 Imp

imp art
D&D Beyond Imp Creative person Unknown

But accessible to Warlocks of the Pact of the Chain, Imps are more often than not the most useful form of familiar in D&D. In improver to having the most HP of whatsoever familiar, Imps have access to several of the most useful traits of other Familiars. With the polymorph potential of a Quasit, the flight and invisibility of a Sprite, and the sting of a Pseudodragon, it's difficult to find an area where Imps don't excel.

Every bit they have access to darkvision paired with devil's sight, Imps can assistance lookout in fifty-fifty magically created darkness. As if this and their loftier HP weren't plenty, Imps tote several damage resistances and immunities, giving them the highest adventure of survival of any other standard familiar.

4 Art Elemental

strixhaven elemental alayna danner
Magic: The Gathering Elemental Token past Alayna Danner

The familiar available to Prismari students via the Strixhaven Mascot feat, Art Elementals are a very unique familiar choice. Though they have a depression Ac and a pocket-sized pool of HP, they are immune to poisonous substance damage while being resistant to burn and cold impairment.

Additionally, these familiars provide interesting options such as a ranged attack capable of dealing 2d4 +ane fire impairment to a target and a once-per twenty-four hour period ability that can charm a target if its unable to succeed a charisma saving throw. These familiars tin even potentially blind those near information technology when they reach 0 HP, potentially offer additional utility.

3 Spirit Statue

strixhaven spirit david rapoza
Magic: The Gathering Spirit Token by David Rapoza

Spirit Statues are the familiar option provided to Lorehold students through the utilise of the Strixhaven Mascot feat and allow provide unique utility non establish in whatever other familiar.

While they have an higher up-average AC and HP for a familiar and tin potentially deal impairment to nearby foes when its HP reaches 0, a Spirit Statue's primary appeal is constitute inside its Counsel the Past ability. This power can be activated twice per day, offering an effect nearly identical to the Guidance cantrip, providing a target with a 1d4 bonus on their side by side skill bank check.

two Clue

inkling scott murphy
Magic: The Gathering Inkling Token by Scott Murphy

For those with the Strixhaven Mascot feat who are part of Silverquill, Inklings are a mobile and stealthy familiar pick that can be useful in and out of combat. Capable of squeezing through spaces equally pocket-size as one inch and are capable of flying, making them quite great at maneuvering and scouting.

In gainsay, inklings tin hide as a bonus action equally long as they're in dim light or darker, pregnant they can potentially use the help activeness, then safely hibernate until they help again on their adjacent turn. For some bonus utility, Inklings have a once a day Ink Spray ability that is capable of potentially blinding one's foes.

ane Fractal

strixhaven fractal andreas zafiratos
Magic: The Gathering Fractal Token by Andreas Zafiratos

Easily one of the most impressive familiar options currently available in D&D, Fractals are familiars that can be accessed by Quandrix students via the Strixhaven Mascot feat.

Quite durable with 27 HP and an AC of 12, as a bonus action, a Fractal tin modify its size by one category, to tiny, small, medium, large, or even huge, allowing it to either hide or take up room when needed. Nigh notably, through the employ of its Relative Density trait, a Fractal is capable of passing through walls and objects, meaning it can be used to scout alee to check out the contents of a room without a party even needing to open a door.

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