Let's talk about familiars. What are objectively the best

>>49937096

>Playing game which is much more based on medieval european mores and superstitions than traditional DnD
>Only "black mages" get familairs, which are actually a minor demon taking the form of a small animal
>Don't eat normal food, sustain themselves by drinking the master's blood through an invisible "witch mark" somewhere on the body
>Roll up a dark mage
>Summon a familiar
>GM giggles like an imbecile and says "Your witchmark is on your penis! Every day you're gonna have a cat sucking blood from your cock!"
>Strongly consider punching him in the face.

>>49937166
since the magical blood drain is on your genitals would that not cause erectile dysfunction? could you play on that and give your character some form of bonus from the celebacy? for example a resistance or bonus to saving throws against seduction?

>>49937256
>Discworld Wizards.

Why would you EVER have a familiar that can't fly?
Think about the benefits:

- It can reconnaissance more effectively than any party member
- It can cover vast distances and report on things you would never know or see
- It can carry messages either physically or speak them if it can talk
- It can get help when you need it the most

>>49937096
dog
cat
horse
falcon

the rest are shit

>>49937320
I don't see raven on that list.

>>49937166
Sounds like your DM is a Whizzard.

Small, flying familiar are Great for scouting and stuff like that

On the other hand, damn if I wouldn't love a rhino/moose familiar.

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>>49937096
Making a frog familiar based on him.

How does it work in d&d 5E these days, rangers get to have an animal companion at level 3 right?
Does it count as a familiar or not?

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>>49937784
Animal companions are better than familiars
they get cool abilities and bumped up stats if i recall

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You're asking /tg/ to describe something objectively?

>>49937166

And on today's episode of Things That Never Happened

>>49937096
>Best
Rabbit, to pull out of hats
>Worst
Pseudodragons, because they're neither butterfly NOR dragon. Fuckers

>>49937335
ravens aren't familiars
ravens are comrades

>>49937096
Bird familiar, preferably a raptor of some kind that can scout.

And no talking I do not need my falcon to be a sassy asshole to me, thanks.

>>49937096
Has anyone ever played as a familiar. I once played as a Wolf familiar to a witch, though both characters were under my control.

>>49937318
You might need something amphibious and I'm not aware of any small flying animals that are also strong swimmers. Rodents and bugs are better suited for urban spying than birds because they're good at scurrying around indoors. Outside of those cases I agree; birds and bats are objectively the most useful.

>>49937320
Dog and horse are way too big to count as a familiar. Why not just ask for a kraken while you're at it?

>>49937784
No, familiars are summoned by a specific ritual spell and they're spirits instead of actual animals. There are some pretty strict rules about what form they can take and what they're capable of doing. An animal companion is MUCH more powerful than a familiar, but the familiar is more accessible and can be easily be replaced if it dies or you want a different form.

>>49937709
Looker?

>>49937335
>>49941539
Ravens are my favorite familiars, desu.
Odin had the right idea.

>>49937318
You gotta have compsognathus, greensting scorpion, or hare for that sweet +4 initiative, nigga.

We talking about 5e, from the list of recommended familiars?

An Owl. Fly-By, darkvision, can fly, small, etc

it'll die instantly in combat unless you're smart though.

going by the special warlock familiars, probably the Imp. Personal favorite is the pseudo-dragon because who doesn't want a little pet dragon

>>49937096
>What are objectively the best
Lolis

Ferret familiar for a Rogue is pretty handy dandy.

Until the fucker leaves me behind in jail and takes my place in the Rogues' Guild

>>49937096
I've been building an Alchemist wizard from Ebarron, and owl is so clearly the best familiar because of flyby. I'm just frustrated because owls seem so cliche as familiars. But dropping potions on people and fucking off is so useful.

>>49937096
Well OP my familiar is always the same thing. A baby galopagos tortoise whose name is /The Doug/ he doesn't talk but damn is he a sassy bastard.

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>>49937096
Pangolin. Or talking spider.

>>49937096
Objectively? The best familiar is the dodo bird. It grants a bonus to Initiative, one of the only ways you can raise your initiative beyond the Improved Initiative feat. Being able to act first is one of the most consistent and consequential advantages you can have, especially for magic users, because of their lack of armor and HP, making it easier for them to be put into danger from an early hit, and the significant advantages their spells can grant to the entire party, through buffs, debuffs, the summoning of minions, and crowd control effects.

>>49942180
Several bugs can fly and swim just sayin.

>>49937096
Objectively the best is one I'm planning on building in a DtD game. A bunch of hideously corrupt mutant organs, with a few bones and some of the teeth of a giant sandworm-esque monster shoved in there, all animated by a very minor spirit volunteered by Tzeentch himself.

>>49944625
had a kek at that one

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>>49937096
Ghost familiars suck ass, their powers are related to death and their Numena are limited in application.

Goetia are okay, I guess. They're the easiest to relate to, and their Essence is usually quite easy to generate. Only problem is their level of Twilight is usually quite sparse.

Best familiars are far and away Spirits. They can easily recoup significant amounts of Essence, their level of twilight is chock-a-block with useful NPCs, they have the widest purview of all ephemeral entities, and they can have some truly potent Numena.

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Ravens can fly, hide well, are usually pretty smart even before being all doped up on wizard juice, and are complete assholes so you aren't alone in looking down on everyone around you.

>>49937096
Initiative is really good for wizards, especially conjurer / battlefield control wizards, Rabbit gives initiative bonus in 3.X / PF iirc

Probably Rabbit

Also you're a wizard, what else are you going to pull from your fancy hat?

>>49937096
>best
raven
>worst
anything that cant speak

talking
what kind of idiot takes a familar that cant speak

>>49949392
what system is this

>>49942608
>taking a familar for the stat boosts
in general when it comes to familars there are no wrong answers but that is the exception.

i am disgusted

the desirable qualitys of a familiar in order of importance
>flying
>speaking

>>49937318
dont forget touch spells

>>49938222
better in combat maybe but can an animal companion deliver a touch spells

>>49938222
3e wise, familiars are often but not always better, you don't have to keep leveling the same class forever to keep progressing as your familiar while if you use xyz prestige class or whatever your animal companion's levels will fall into oblivion