TEXT: Rykard’s Tome of Familiars and  
  Animal Companions
  By Rajan Khanna
  
  Rykard’s Tome of Familiars and  
  Animal Companions 
  Greetings, fellow traveler. My name is Rykard Brent, owner of Rykard’s Rest, the ﬁnest public 
  house in all the realm, and former explorer and sage. In my travels, I have often encountered 
  those who work and travel with animals. I’ve learned that some of these animals are familiars, 
  creatures that assist wizards and other spellcasters in their magical work, linked with them by a 
  magical connection. Others are animal companions, allies lured from the wilds, or otherwise 
  obtained, with ﬁerce devotion to their humanoid friend. Still others have steeds, mounts superior 
  to your typical horse or camel, mounts that are likewise bonded to their riders and who gain 
  strange abilities. Within these pages are the secrets I’ve uncovered about these creatures and 
  their humanoid companions, including some you may not have heard of. This information may 
  sate your curiosity, or maybe it will entice and encourage you to gain a companion creature of 
  your own. If so, think of me when you ﬁnd them. I think the name Rykard has a nice ring to it…  
  by Rajan Khanna 
  For Chloe, Muppet, Ozzy, Bodhi, & Blue, deeply missed familiars & companions. 
  Special Thanks to:  Chris Cevasco, Trevor Quachri, Lincoln Palmer, John Joseph Adams, Matt 
  London, Matt Kressel, and Scott Andrews. 
  Apart from those images obtained through DMs Guild Creator Resource artpacks, 
  all illustrations and artworks herein are in the public domain (or composed of modified elements 
  from one or more works in the public domain). 
  The page and stat block backgrounds are from Darrin Scott and available at DMs Guild. 
  Cover Art: The Love Potion by Evelyn de Morgan 
  DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, Wizards of the Coast, Forgotten Realms, Ravenloft, Eberron, the 
  dragon ampersand, Ravnica and all other Wizards of the Coast product names, and their respective 
  logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast in the USA and other countries. 
  This work contains material that is copyright Wizards of the Coast and/or other authors. Such 
  material is used with permission under the Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters 
  Guild. 
  All other original material in this work is copyright 2019 by Rajan Khanna and published under the 
  Community Content Agreement for Dungeon Masters Guild 
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  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS  &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  2
  
  Table of Contents
  Part 1: Familiars
  Part 2: Animal Companions
  Part 3: Steeds
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  3
  
  Table of Contents
  Part 4: Other Rules & Options
  Part 5: Equipment & Magic Items 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  4
  
  Introduction 
  WELCOME TO RYKARD’S TOME OF 
  Familiars & Animal Companions, a guide to 
  the various creatures that serve and 
  accompany the heroes (and villains) of the 
  5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons. In these 
  pages you will ﬁnd additional options for 
  familiars, animal companions, and steeds, 
  including 14 new subclasses and plenty of 
  alternate rules. Also included are new spells, 
  new feats, new backgrounds, new 
  equipment, and new magic items, for both 
  characters and their companion creatures. 
  Why do I need this? 
  You may not, but there are some who feel 
  that the familiar options in the core 
  rulebooks are a little limited, especially if 
  you've been playing for many years. This 
  guide is meant to simply provide other 
  options and maybe inject a bit more fun back 
  into the activity of selecting a familiar or 
  companion and using them in your game.  
  How to Use this Book 
  As with all Rykard’s books, this supplement 
  is designed to be used in whatever way the 
  DM wishes. Sections can be adopted whole, 
  or piecemeal, in whatever way makes sense 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  5
  
  for the DM’s campaign. Any items can be 
  changed as needed to ﬁt your world and 
  campaign. If you like certain options and not 
  others, take what you want and ignore the 
  rest. Ultimately, however, the DM has ﬁnal 
  say about what is allowed in their game. 
  Part 1 of the book deals with familiars and 
  oﬀers some suggestions for using familiars
  as currently described in the oﬃcial rules as 
  well as oﬀering new options for familiars and 
  new subclasses with familiars or familiar-like 
  creatures.  
  Part 2 addresses the ranger’s animal 
  companion, oﬀering new creature options 
  and new subclasses that can gain animal 
  companions.  
  Part 3 concerns steeds gained from the 
  ﬁnd steed and ﬁnd greater steed spells 
  available to paladins. It also oﬀers other 
  options for mounts and steeds and additional 
  subclasses that use them.  
  Part 4 includes additional rules and 
  options, including guidelines for 
  personalizing a companion creature, new 
  backgrounds, new feats, and new spells. 
  Part 5 covers equipment, including tools 
  and gear for animals, magic items for both 
  characters and creatures, and introducing 
  the concept of beast runes, a new type of 
  magic.  
  Inclusivity and 
  Pronouns 
  This supplement aims to be inclusive to all 
  gamers. While both male and female 
  pronouns are used in some places, the 
  majority of the book uses the non-gendered 
  pronoun “they”.  
  Options by Class 
  Rykard’s Tome of Familiars adds a number of 
  rules and options and while most apply to 
  wizards and warlocks (for familiars), rangers 
  (for animal companions), and paladins (for 
  steeds), additional class options are covered 
  in each section and are indicated below for 
  easy reference:  
  Barbarian (Chapter 8) 
  The Path of the Wildheart allows the 
  barbarian to manifest their inner animal 
  spirit and ﬁght alongside it. 
  Bard (Chapter 6) 
  The College of Harmony subclass allows a 
  Bard to work with an animal familiar to help 
  enhance their performances and other 
  activities.  
  Cleric (Chapter 6) 
  The Beast Domain gives clerics access to the 
  ﬁnd familiar spell and grants additional 
  options pertaining to beasts.  
  Druid (Chapter 8) 
  The Circle of the Soulbond gives druids an 
  animal companion that they can use their 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  6
  Sidebars in gray, such as this, indicate 
  optional rules or rules clarifications 
  pertaining to the current section. These can 
  be adopted or discarded as desired but are 
  meant to help provide more detail or color 
  to the choices offered up in this book. 
  Sidebars that look like this are notes from 
  Rykard himself, usually adding 
  worldbuilding notes or elaborating on 
  applications of the rules presented in each 
  section. 
  
  wild shape ability on to help enhance their 
  abilities and improve their utility.  
  Fighter (Chapter 12) 
  The Beast Rider archetype grants the ﬁghter 
  a loyal mount that he can ﬁght with. 
  Additionally, Eldritch Knights can select ﬁnd 
  familiar as one of their spells and use the 
  additional rules in Chapters 1 & 2.  
  Monk (Chapter 8) 
  The Way of the Spirit Beast lets monks ﬁght 
  alongside animal companions in a special 
  ﬁghting style that emulates their beast of 
  choice. 
  Paladin (Chapters 6 & 10) 
  In addition to the ﬁnd steed spell, which is 
  covered in detail in Part 3, Paladins can also 
  take the Oath of Vigilance which grants then 
  a familiar-like bird of prey which aids them 
  in their activities. 
  Ranger (Chapters 7 & 8) 
  Rangers and their animal companions are 
  the main focus of Part 2, however the new 
  archetype, Totem Invoker, can be found in 
  Chapter 8. Totem invokers select a beast 
  totem and can summon diﬀerent versions of 
  their totem beast to act as companions.  
  Rogue (Chapter 8) 
  Arcane Trickster rogues can learn the ﬁnd 
  familiar spell and can beneﬁt from the 
  additional rules in Part 1, while the new 
  archetype, Magpie, adds the option for an 
  animal companion to aid in illicit activities.  
  Sorcerer (Chapter 6) 
  Dreamblood Sorcerers can summon a 
  creature called a ﬁgment, which acts like a 
  familiar but which takes on a unique shape 
  determined by the sorcerer and can be 
  “revised” by the sorcerer. 
  Warlock (Chapters 3 & 12) 
  Warlocks who have the Pact of the Chain 
  Pact Boon are covered in Chapter 3, where 
  additional options for these familiars are 
  described.  
  Additionally, Warlocks can opt for the Wild 
  Hunt Patron (Chapter 12), which allows them 
  to gain a fantastical steed.  
  Wizard (Chapters 1 & 6) 
   
  Much of Part 1 pertains to wizards and the 
  use of familiars. Additionally, the new arcane 
  tradition, the Lifebond, allows a wizard to 
  have a stronger bond with their familiar and 
  allows that familiar to grow over time.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  7
  
  Chapter 1: Familiars 
  and Their Uses 
  FAMILIARS ARE VALUABLE COMPANIONS  
  to warlocks and wizards, creatures of endless 
  utility through which they can see, hear, 
  speak and cast spells. Many a wizard could 
  opine about the usefulness of sending a 
  snake familiar into a dark hole to investigate, 
  or having their bird familiar ﬂy over an 
  enemy encampment to scout ahead, not to 
  mention the assistance they can provide in 
  combat situations.  
  In fact, familiars are not limited to only 
  wizards and warlocks — any character with 
  the ritual caster feat or the magic initiate feat 
  can choose to learn the ﬁnd familiar spell 
  and call on one of these creatures.  
  Warlocks whose pact boon is the Pact of 
  the Chain have access to even more powerful 
  forms for their familiars and their familiars 
  can attack (in place of one of the warlock’s 
  attacks).  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  8
  Part 1: Familiars
  
  Scouting and 
  Reconnaissance 
  Familiars are tiny creatures and as such can 
  ﬁt into places that a spellcaster can’t. Their 
  size also means that they can often escape 
  notice — while an enemy may be on the 
  lookout for people entering through a gate, 
  they might not see a snake or a spider 
  moving along the wall. Additionally, many 
  familiars have other forms of movement — 
  climbing, ﬂying, or swimming — that help 
  increase their mobility. A familiar can 
  communicate what it sees or senses 
  telepathically, or the spellcaster can take an 
  action to see, hear, and sense what the 
  familiar is witnessing. Sending a familiar into 
  an enemy camp, or the next room in a 
  dungeon, can provide information at a 
  relatively lower risk.  
  Even familiars without ﬂying or climbing 
  can be used to scout out locations like the 
  top of a wall or a distant ledge. If there’s 
  enough time, the spellcaster can use an 
  action to dismiss the familiar back to its 
  pocket dimension, then use another action to 
  cause it to reappear in an unoccupied space 
  within 30 ft. The familiar can then scout and 
  the spellcaster can dismiss the familiar back 
  to its pocket dimension when done.  
  Helping in Combat 
  While familiars can’t attack (unless the 
  spellcaster is a Pact of the Chain warlock, 
  see Chapter 3), they can perform the help 
  action in combat. If the familiar is within 5 
  ft. of an enemy, it can use its action to 
  distract the enemy, granting advantage on 
  the next attack roll made to hit the target 
  (assuming it’s before the familiar’s next 
  turn). This can be a powerful aid, however it 
  does make the familiar a target for the 
  enemy. Owls are most frequently used in this 
  capacity since their ﬂyby ability means they 
  don’t provoke opportunity attacks when they 
  leave the enemy’s reach. However, canny 
  enemies will still target the owl to prevent 
  this.  
  Familiars also count as allies to other 
  members of the party, so the presence of a 
  familiar within 5 feet of an enemy would 
  enable sneak attack for any rogues in the 
  party, assuming the familiar remains close to 
  the opponent.  
  Delivering Touch 
  Spells 
  Familiars can deliver spells with a range of 
  touch as if the familiar had cast the spell. 
  The familiar must be within 100 ft. of the 
  spellcaster and must use its reaction to 
  deliver the spell while the spellcaster casts it. 
  If the spell requires an attack roll, the 
  spellcaster still gets to use their attack 
  modiﬁer for the roll.  
  A full list of touch spells found in the 
  Player’s Handbook and Xanathar’s Guide to 
  Everything, as well as some suggested uses 
  for them, is below:  
  Cantrips  
  Light. While a spellcaster can 
  sense through their familiar 
  with an action, this renders 
  the spellcaster deaf and blind 
  and does nothing for the 
  rest of the party. 
  Sending a familiar to an 
  appropriate point to 
  deliver the 
  light spell 
  can help to 
  illuminate an 
  area that is 
  beyond reach. 
  Mending. Imagine 
  a platform needed to 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  9
  
  cross a chasm over a river of lava. The chain 
  holding the platform is broken in one place 
  making jumping onto the platform a risky 
  proposition. But send a raven or owl familiar 
  over to the chain with a mending cantrip and 
  suddenly that chain is as good as new 
  improving your chances at survival (if only 
  slightly).  
  Shocking Grasp. Wizards often like to avoid 
  the front lines of combat since they don’t 
  wear armor and may be more likely to take 
  damage in melee. With a familiar in play, the 
  familiar can use its movement to get close to 
  the target and then use its reaction to deliver 
  the spell to the target (with the spellcaster’s 
  attack). This does leave the familiar 
  vulnerable to retaliation, however, but it’s 
  much easier to resummon the familiar than 
  it is to resurrect a dead spellcaster. Use an 
  owl to avoid opportunity attacks and pair 
  with attacks against opponents in metal 
  armor for the ultimate combination.  
  1st Level Spells 
  Identify. Use at a 
  distance, or in 
  instances where 
  touching an 
  unknown object is 
  thought to be a 
  risky 
  proposition.  
  Illusory 
  Script. This is 
  an odd one, but 
  based on a strict 
  reading of the 
  rules, this 
  allows a familiar 
  to write a 
  message for 
  you, useful if 
  you need to 
  communicate 
  with someone or 
  something in a hard to reach space or while 
  trying to avoid detection.  
  Jump. Since this will often be used on other 
  party members if not on the spellcaster, this 
  is of limited use, but can help deliver the 
  spell in situations where the wizard can’t 
  reach the target.  
  Longstrider. As with jump, buﬀ at a 
  distance. 
  Mage Armor. Buﬀ at a distance. 
  Protection from Evil and Good. Protect at a 
  distance. 
  Snare. Since the casting time is 1 minute, 
  which can be a long time when combat is 
  imminent, assuming the DM agrees that the 
  familiar can create the circle out of rope, the 
  familiar can do the work while the spellcaster 
  hides or stays out of sight. Alternately, the 
  spellcaster can distract the intended target 
  while the familiar sets up the trap.  
  2nd Level Spells 
  Arcane Lock. Lock enemies in or out from a 
  distance.  
  Continual Flame. Similar to the light 
  cantrip but in this case it can be used with 
  an appropriately stealthy familiar as a 
  distraction or to help support some kind of 
  deception.  
  Darkvision. Buﬀ at a distance. 
  Dragon’s Breath. Buﬀ at a distance. 
  Gentle Repose. Extremely circumstantial, 
  but if the spellcaster needs to protect a 
  corpse (say for eventual raising or 
  resurrecting) and that corpse is at the 
  bottom of a deep well or underwater or 
  somewhere else hard to reach, their familiar 
  can deliver this spell for them (presumably 
  allowing them to ﬁ gure out a way to get to 
  the body).  
  Invisibility. Make invisible at a distance.  
  Magic Weapon. Buﬀ at a distance.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  10
  
  Nystul’s Magic Aura. If you have a reason to 
  do this, you can now do it at a distance.  
  Rope Trick. One of the few spells on this list 
  where a familiar doesn’t add much utility as 
  presumably the spellcaster would want to 
  beneﬁ t from the spell. However, could be 
  used to help allies or protect and/or hide 
  targets as needed.  
  Spider Climb. Buﬀ at a distance.  
  3rd Level Spells 
  Bestow Curse. Debuﬀ at a distance 
  Feign Death. Simulate death from a 
  distance. 
  Flame Arrows. Buﬀ at a distance.  
  Fly. Buﬀ at a distance.  
  Gaseous Form. Give the gift of 
  transformation.  
  Glyph of Warding. As with snare, a 
  familiar’s presence helps expand the ways in 
  which the spellcaster can lay magical traps 
  either doing so in places the caster can’t get 
  to, or doesn’t wish to go. The fact that this 
  spell takes an hour to cast makes using a 
  familiar at a distance a safer option.  
  Nondetection. Protect a target from 
  divination magic at a distance.  
  Protection from Energy. Buﬀ at a distance. 
  Remove Curse. Extend your range to remove 
  curses.  
  Tiny Servant. Ostensibly you wouldn’t need 
  a tiny servant when you already have a 
  familiar, however, since tiny servants can be 
  commanded within 120 feet, which is 20 feet 
  beyond where you would lose the telepathic 
  connection to the familiar, they can provide a 
  little extra range. Additionally, they can 
  attack without restriction and can be used to 
  provide a distraction or to perform a risky 
  action without subjecting your familiar to 
  unnecessary threat. 
  Tongues. Render a creature understandable 
  and able to understand at a distance.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  11
  
  4th Level Spells  
  Greater Invisibility. Even better invisibility 
  at a distance.  
  Leomund’s Secret Chest. Of limited use 
  normally, though the familiar could recall 
  the chest in a remote area (away from the 
  spellcaster) if such a thing would be useful 
  (i.e. to deliver the contents of the chest). 
  Stone Shape. Deface a stone statue, open 
  up a hole in a stone dam or basin, or seal a 
  stone door shut, all at a distance.   
  Stoneskin. Buﬀ at a distance.  
  5th Level Spells  
  Skill Empowerment. Buﬀ at a distance.  
  6th Level Spells  
  Create Homunculus. Perhaps the only 
  touch spell not improved or expanded with 
  the use of a familiar.  
  Drawmij’s Instant Summons. The ultimate 
  magical stealing spell — have your familiar 
  inﬁ ltrate an item’s resting place, deliver the 
  spell, then instantly (or at some point 
  thereafter) teleport the item to your hand. 
  Tailor-made for magical heists. 
  Guards and Wards. Guard and ward at a 
  distance.  
  True Seeing. Grant true sight at a distance.  
  7th Level Spells  
  Plane Shift. Of limited use for the 
  spellcaster and any allies who wish to travel 
  to a diﬀerent plane as all creatures involve 
  must link hands in a circle. However, the 
  banishment aspect of the spell can be 
  delivered by the familiar granting additional 
  range and options for the spell.  
  Sequester. Can be done at a distance, if you 
  have need for it.  
  Simulacrum. As this spell takes 12 hours to 
  cast, and the spellcaster must be touching 
  the target the entire time, a familiar can 
  greatly assist with the casting. For a willing 
  creature, the familiar can be held or kept in a 
  pocket. For creatures of Huge-size or above, 
  it’s possible that they wouldn’t notice the 
  familiar’s presence (at the DM’s discretion).  
  Symbol. Set more deadly or devious traps at 
  a distance.  
  8th Level Spells  
  Clone. Create a clone at a distance if you 
  have a reason for that.  
  Mind Blank. Buﬀ at a distance 
  9th Level Spells 
  Foresight. Buﬀ at a distance 
  Other Uses 
  Other uses for familiars are limited only by 
  the player’s intelligence and creativity, the 
  familiar’s abilities, and the DM’s judgment. 
  Familiars with the appropriate strength and 
  appendages, for example, could remove and 
  administer potions. A ﬂying familiar with the 
  appropriate strength and grip could drop a 
  vial of acid on enemies. Familiars can steal 
  objects, distract, amuse, intimidate and 
  much, much more.  
  Further uses for speciﬁc familiars are 
  detailed below.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  12
  
  Familiar Forms 
  The Player’s Handbook allows the choice of 
  the following forms when using the ﬁnd 
  familiar spell, each of which can be changed 
  with a recasting of the spell: 
  Bat. While bats are delicate (only 1 hp on 
  average), they do have a ﬂying speed and 
  blindsight, which the spellcaster can use if 
  the bat is scouting in a completely dark 
  environment.  
  Cat. Spellcasters and cats seem like a 
  natural match. Cats have a decent move 
  speed, can climb, can be stealthy, and have 
  advantage on Perception checks that rely on 
  smell. All around, a good package.  
  Crab. Crabs are amphibious making them 
  usable on land and in the water and have 
  both a walking and swim speed. They’re a 
  good choice for campaigns that take place 
  both on water and on land.  
  Frog (toad). Like the crab, the frog is 
  amphibious and can move and breathe in 
  both land and water. What it lacks in the 
  crab’s blindsight, it makes up for with 
  improved jumping movement. Frogs are also 
  more common in a variety of environments 
  making them not stand out.  
  Hawk. Hawks can ﬂy and have advantage on 
  Perception checks that rely on sight. As such 
  they are great choices for reconnaissance.  
  Lizard. Lizard familiars have both walking 
  and climbing speeds and darkvision. They 
  are also common creatures in a variety of 
  environments but cats have strictly better 
  statistics.  
  Octopus. The octopus is best-suited to an 
  aquatic campaign. Though it can hold its 
  breath out of water for 30 minutes, it can 
  only breathe underwater. That being said, 
  with a decent swim speed, underwater 
  camouﬂage, and the ability to use its ink 
  cloud for a quick escape, it is a great choice 
  for campaigns that take place in the water.  
  Owl. Let’s face it, the owl is one of the most 
  common choices to grant advantage in 
  combat because of its ﬂyby ability which 
  prevents opportunity attacks against it when 
  it ﬂies out of an opponent’s reach. Add in 60 
  feet of ﬂying, and advantage on Perception 
  checks that rely on hearing or sight, and it is 
  one of the best choices on the list.  
  Poisonous Snake. Snakes have both a 
  walking speed and a swimming speed, even 
  though they can’t breathe water like some of 
  the other choices on the list. Their blindsight 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  13
  
  only has a range of 10 feet, but they can 
  easily be concealed by coiling around the 
  spellcaster’s arm beneath a cloak or robe, or 
  coiling at the bottom of a pack.  
  Fish (quipper). Quippers are limited to water  
  since they can’t breathe air. They have the 
  best swim speed on the list of common 
  familiars and are a solid choice for aquatic 
  campaigns, but only work in those.  
  Rat. Rats are classic familiars but their 
  ground speed of 20 feet limits their 
  movement. They do have keen smell (like 
  other familiars) but they are generally a 
  lackluster choice in terms of statistics. Still, 
  rats are common in a variety of environments 
  and wouldn’t seem out of place.  
  Raven. Ravens, like the other birds on the 
  list, have a natural ﬂying speed, though the 
  raven’s tops out at 50 feet while the owl and 
  the hawk have 60 feet. The raven, however, is 
  the only animal on the list that can mimic 
  simple sounds and a savvy spellcaster could 
  ﬁnd uses for that as distractions or to throw 
  oﬀ pursuit.  
  Sea Horse. The sea horse is yet another 
  aquatic familiar, unable to breathe air, but 
  with a swim speed of only 20 feet. Unless it’s 
  for concept or roleplaying purposes, the 
  quipper will always make a better choice.  
  Spider. Other animals on the list have 
  climbing speeds, but the spider can climb 
  diﬃcult surfaces including ceilings. This 
  makes them ideal for scouting while 
  remaining unseen, even with their reduced 
  movement.  
  Weasel. Weasels are like better rats with one 
  of the highest ACs on the list, 30 feet of 
  movement and decent perception and 
  stealth. I would always pick a weasel over a 
  rat.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS  & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  14
  
  Additional Base Forms 
  In addition to the base forms presented, the 
  adventures Storm King’s Thunder and Tomb 
  of Annihilation added the possibility of 
  allowing the almiraj, ﬂying monkey, and 
  tressym as possible choices for the ﬁnd 
  familiar spell. Their statistics are represented 
  below.  
  Almiraj 
  The almiraj, essentially a small bunny with a 
  unicorn horn, is a solid choice for a familiar. 
  Not only is it cute, but it ticks almost all of 
  the boxes with keen senses, a stealth bonus 
  and a whopping 50 feet of speed.  
  Flying Monkey 
  Another “cute” choice, the ﬂying monkey 
  (which is just that, a monkey with feathered 
  wings) has walking, climbing and ﬂying 
  speeds making it more versatile than many 
  of the other familiar options. Like the 
  almiraj, it also has more hit points on 
  average (1d6).  
  Tressym 
  The tressym is a winged cat. Like the ﬂying 
  monkey it has walking, climbing, and ﬂying 
  speeds (each of which beats its monkey 
  counterpart) and it has the ability to both 
  detect invisibility and detect poisons. Its 
  Perception (passive included) is also the 
  highest on the list.  
  Cats are classic familiars, though perhaps 
  a little cliche. A ﬂying cat, however, allows for 
  a nod to tradition as well as elevating the 
  choice of familiar. Of course that’s assuming 
  that your DM allows it.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS  & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  15
  Almiraj 
  Small beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 13
  Hit Points 3 (1d6) 
  Speed 50 ft.  
  STR        DEX 
  CON 
    INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
  2(-4)     16(+3) 10(+0)   2(-4) 14(+2) 1(+0) 
  Skills Perception +4, Stealth +5 
  Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 14 
  Languages - 
  Challenge 0 (10 XP) 
  Keen senses. The almiraj has advantage on 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing 
  or sight.
  Actions 
  Horn. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit:5 (1d4+3) piercing damage.
  Flying Monkey 
  Small beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 3 (1d6) 
  Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft., fly 30 ft. 
  STR 
  DEX 
  CON 
  INT 
  WIS 
  CHA 
  8(-1) 
  14(+2) 11(+0) 5(-3) 
  12(+1) 6(-2) 
  Senses passive Perception 11 
  Languages - 
  Challenge 0 (10 XP) 
  Pack Tactics. The flying monkey has advantage 
  on an attack roll against a creature if at least one 
  of the monkey's allies is within 5feet of the 
  creature and the ally isn't incapacitated.
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit:1 (1d4-1) piercing damage.
  As these options are more fantastical and 
  advanced than the base familiar forms, 
  some DMs might require that the 
  spellcaster learn an advanced form of the 
  find familiar spell to access them, or 
  find familiar spell to access them, or 
  find familiar
  otherwise earn the ability to summon 
  them. Alternately, they can be “found” as 
  indicated in Chapter 5.    
  
  Expanding the Base 
  Forms 
  Even with the 18 existing familiar forms, 
  there’s room for more creatures, either to ﬁt 
  a certain character concept or to allow 
  further customization. Below are additional 
  options using existing creatures from the 
  Monster Manual and Volo’s Guide to Monsters, 
  and new creatures presented here for the 
  ﬁrst time. Each of these can be included at 
  the DM’s discretion.  
  Existing Creatures 
  The following additional familiar types can be 
  allowed with your DM’s permission. They are 
  all Tiny creatures with a CR of 0.: 
  Badger. The badger 
  adds a small burrow 
  speed (5 feet) onto a 
  slightly heartier body 
  (1d4 + 1 hit points).  
  Cranium Rat. While 
  cranium rats are most 
  dangerous when in a 
  swarm, a single rat, 
  separated from the 
  swarm can still be of use, 
  especially compared to the 
  rather lackluster normal rat familiar. With 
  natural light and telepathic communication, 
  the cranium rat can be a versatile scout. 
  Because of their unusual origins, however, 
  some DMs may not allow these.  
  Crawling Claw. While not signiﬁcantly more 
  powerful than other familiars, crawling claws 
  might be restricted to necromancers or 
  perhaps warlocks.  
  Flying Snake. Flying snakes are another 
  option that might be restricted to certain 
  settings. They have walking, swimming, and
  ﬂying speeds (the last one being 60 feet) and 
  they share the owl’s ﬂyby ability making 
  them very attractive choices.  
  Homunculus. The homunculus in the 
  Monster Manual has a telepathic bond that 
  spans an entire plane. If used with the ﬁnd 
  familiar spell, this should be limited to the 
  standard range of 100 feet, or perhaps 
  restricted to Pact of the Chain warlocks. 
  Further options for homunculi as 
  constructed familiars can be found in 
  Chapter 4.  
  Scorpion. While scorpions lose some of their 
  utility without the ability to use poison 
  damage, why should spiders be the only 
  arachnids allowed as familiars? Generous 
  DMs might allow the spellcaster to somehow 
  harvest some of the scorpion’s poison on a 
  regular basis.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS  & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  16
  Tressym 
  Tiny beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 5 (2d4) 
  Speed 40 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 40 ft.   
  STR       DEX      CON       INT       WIS        CHA 
  3(-4)   15(+2)  10(+0)  11(+0)   12(+1)   12(+1) 
  Skills Perception +5, Stealth +4 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15 
  Languages Understands Common but can’t speak 
  Challenge 0 (10 XP) 
  Detect Invisibility. Within 60 feet of the tressym, 
  magical invisibility fails to conceal anything from 
  the tressym's sight.
  Keen Smell. The tressym has advantage on Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks that rely on smell. 
  Poison Sense. A tressym can detect whether a 
  substance is poisonous by taste, touch, or smell.
  Actions 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +0 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: l slashing damage.
  
  Stirge. Without its attack, and subsequent 
  blood drain, the stirge loses some of its 
  appeal, but it has a decent AC, can ﬂy, and 
  adds a ton of ﬂavor to the spellcaster who 
  uses one.  
  New Base Forms 
  Dog 
  While not as traditional as cats, dogs are just 
  as ubiquitous, maybe more so. Their abilities 
  match up well with the familiar base forms 
  and they are common sights in civilized 
  society allowing the spellcaster and familiar 
  to blend in. Dog familiars typically consist of 
  the smaller breeds while larger varieties (size 
  Small and above) are usually reserved for 
  animal companions (see Part 2). 
  Flying Squirrel 
  In addition to the climb speed that their 
  normal brethren share, ﬂying squirrels have 
  the ability to glide, granting them 20 feet of 
  ﬂight and more versatility. 
  Fox 
  While not as common as dogs, foxes are 
  similar, sacriﬁcing some of their perception 
  for more stealth. 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS  & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  17
  Dog 
  Tiny beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 2 (1d4) 
  Speed 40 ft.   
  STR      DEX      CON       INT       WIS        CHA 
  10 (0)  12(+1)  12 (+1)   2 (-4)   12(+1)     8(-1) 
  Skills Perception +3 
  Senses passive Perception 13 
  Languages —
  Challenge 0 (10 XP)
  Keen Hearing and Smell. The dog has advantage on 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing 
  and smell.
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) piercing damage.
  Flying Squirrel 
  Tiny beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 2 (1d4) 
  Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft., fly 20 ft.   
  STR      DEX      CON      INT       WIS        CHA 
  3 (-4)   16 (+3)    8 (-1)   2 (-4)   10 (0)     8(-1) 
  Skills Acrobatics +5, Perception +2 
  Senses passive Perception 12 
  Languages —
  Challenge 0 (10 XP)
  Gliding. While flying, the flying squirrel descends 
  at a rate of 10 ft. per turn.
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
  
  Large Insects 
  One size smaller than giant insects, large 
  insects make great familiars, especially since 
  most have natural armor making them more 
  resilient. Two such insects — the large 
  centipede and the large ﬁre beetle — are 
  detailed below, but DMs are encouraged to  
  create their own versions as needed.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS  & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  18
  Fox 
  Tiny beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 2 (1d4) 
  Speed 40 ft.  
  STR      DEX        CON       INT       WIS      CHA 
  4 (-3)  14 (+2)   10 (+0)   4 (-3)   11(0)   12(+1) 
  Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4 
  Senses passive Perception 12 
  Languages —
  Challenge 0 (10 XP)
  Keen Hearing and Smell. The fox has advantage on 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing 
  and smell.
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
  Large Fire Beetle 
  Tiny beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 2 (1d4) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
  STR       DEX      CON        INT      WIS       CHA 
  7 (-2)   12 (+1)  12 (+1)   1 (-5)    7(-2)      3(-4) 
  Senses blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 8 
  Languages —
  Challenge 0 (10 XP)
  Illumination. The beetle sheds bright light in a 10-
  foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet. 
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) slashing damage. 
  Large Centipede 
  Tiny beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 2 (1d4) 
  Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft.  
  STR      DEX      CON       INT       WIS        CHA 
  4 (-3)  14 (+2)  10 (+0)  1 (-5)     8(-1)      3(-4) 
  Skills Stealth +4 
  Senses blindsight 30 ft., passive Perception 9 
  Languages —
  Challenge 0 (10 XP)
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage and the target 
  must succeed on a DC11 Constitution saving 
  throw or take 7 (2d6) poison damage. If the 
  poison damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, 
  the target is stable but poisoned for 1 hour, even 
  after regaining hit points, and is paralyzed while 
  poisoned this way.
  
  Monkey 
  Not quite the ﬂying variety, normal monkeys 
  (which include gibbons, marmosets, 
  capuchins, spider monkeys, macaques and 
  other small monkeys) can still provide utility 
  by being able to hold and manipulate a 
  variety of objects.  
  Otter 
  Otters add another option for campaigns that 
  take place on or around water. The otter 
  breathes air but has a swim speed of 40 ft. 
  Otters are some of the most playful of 
  familiars.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS  & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  19
  Monkey 
  Tiny beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 2 (1d4) 
  Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. 
  STR      DEX      CON       INT       WIS       CHA 
  8 (-1)  15 (+2)  10 (+0)  4 (-3)   12 (+1)   8(-1) 
  Skills Acrobatics +4
  Senses passive Perception 11 
  Languages —
  Challenge 0 (10 XP)
  Pack Tactics. The monkey has advantage on an 
  attack roll against a creature if at least one of the 
  monkey’s allies is within 5 feet of the creature 
  and the ally isn’t incapacitated. 
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 1 (1d4-1) piercing damage. 
  Otter 
  Tiny beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 10
  Hit Points 3 (1d4+1) 
  Speed 20 ft., swim 30 ft. 
  STR      DEX       CON       INT       WIS       CHA 
  6 (-2)  12 (+1)  12 (+1)   4 (-3)   10 (+0)   8 (-1) 
  Skills Acrobatics +3
  Senses passive Perception 10 
  Languages —
  Challenge 0 (10 XP)
  Hold Breath. The otter can hold its breath for 10 
  minutes.
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage. 
  
  Chapter 2: Variant 
  Familiar Types 
  WHILE MOST WIZARD FAMILIARS HAVE 
  the form of beasts, their actual types are 
  celestial, fey, or ﬁend which may not reﬂect a 
  character’s concept or their style of magic. 
  Necromancers, for example, may prefer to 
  summon undead familiars, animated dead 
  versions of the familiars listed previously. 
  Druids, Rangers, and Nature Clerics who 
  learn the ﬁnd familiar spell might summon 
  plant familiars. Evokers with a penchant for 
  ﬁre magic would most likely favor elemental 
  familiars that reﬂect their chosen element. 
  The following rules allow for more exotic 
  types of familiars that may be available in 
  certain circumstances.  
  Elemental Familiars 
  Elemental familiars tend to take the same 
  forms as listed in Chapter 1, but rather than 
  being celestial, fey, or ﬁend, such familiars 
  have the elemental type instead. Such 
  familiars must have a speciﬁc subtype — 
  acid, cold, ﬁre, lightning, or thunder — 
  which is chosen when the familiar is 
  summoned. At the DM’s discretion, the 
  familiar’s subtype can be changed the next 
  time the ﬁnd familiar spell is cast.  
  Elemental familiars gain resistance to 
  damage of its own subtype, however they 
  also gain vulnerability to a damage type as 
  described in the table below.  
  Otherwise, elemental familiars have all the 
  same statistics as their base form. Such 
  familiars add the name of their elemental 
  subtype to their base form name such as ﬁre 
  hawk, acid snake, or thunder owl.  
  Plant Familiars 
  Favored by druids, rangers, and clerics of the 
  Nature domain, plant familiars are typically 
  fey spirits (though they can be celestial or 
  ﬁend spirits as well) that inhabit and 
  animate plant matter. Such familiars can 
  take on plant versions of the base forms from 
  Chapter 1 or can be more exotic in nature.  
  Plant versions of the base forms have the 
  same statistics but are considered the plant 
  type rather than fey, ﬁend, or celestial. Such 
  familiars gain vulnerability to cold and ﬁre 
  damage but gain immunity to poison damage 
  and immunity to the blinded, charmed, 
  frightened, paralyzed, and poisoned 
  conditions.  
  Alternately, the spellcaster can opt to use a 
  Tiny awakened shrub (see the Monster 
  Subtype
  Resistance
  Vulnerability
  acid
  acid dmg
  lightning dmg
  cold
  cold dmg
  fire dmg
  fire
  fire dmg
  cold dmg
  lightning
  lightning dmg
  thunder dmg
  thunder
  thunder dmg
  acid dmg
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS  & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  20
  
  Manual) as a familiar or one of the following 
  new forms with the DM’s permission.  
  Sproutlings 
  Sproutlings are tiny humanoid-shaped 
  creatures made of animated plant material. 
  Such creatures may be made of leaves or 
  fruit or fungi or a combination of such 
  materials. Gourds are common base 
  materials for such creatures, as are 
  mushrooms. 
  Twiglings 
  Unlike Sproutlings which are made up of 
  lush plant matter, twiglings are made 
  primarily of wood with leafy material 
  generally only as an accent. Otherwise they 
  resemble tiny humanoids made up of twigs 
  and stems. Because of this, they are good at 
  blending in with natural vegetation or piles 
  or debris or ﬁrewood. Because of their dry 
  nature, they are particularly susceptible to 
  ﬁre.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS  & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  21
  Sproutling 
  Tiny plant, unaligned  
  Armor Class 10
  Hit Points 2 (1d4) 
  Speed 20 ft. 
  STR      DEX       CON       INT       WIS      CHA 
  6 (-2)  10 (+0)  12 (+1)   3 (-4)   10 (0)    5(-3) 
  Skills Stealth +2 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 
  Languages —
  Challenge 0 (10 XP)
  Actions 
  Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +1 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 1 (1d4-1) bludgeoning damage.  
  Spore Cloud (Recharges after a Short or Long 
  Rest). A 5-foot radius cloud of spores extends all 
  around the sproutling. The area is heavily 
  obscured for 1 minute, although a significant 
  wind can disperse the cloud. After releasing the 
  spore cloud, the sproutling can use the Dash 
  action as a bonus action.
  Twigling 
  Tiny plant, unaligned  
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 3 (1d4+1) 
  Speed 20 ft. 
  STR      DEX       CON       INT      WIS       CHA 
  6 (-2)  12 (+1)  12 (+1)   4 (-3)    8 (-1)    3 (-4) 
  Skills Stealth +3 
  Damage Vulnerabilities fire 
  Condition Immunities blinded, deafened 
  Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this 
  radius), passive Perception 9 
  Languages —
  Challenge 0 (10 XP)
  False Appearance. While the twigling remains 
  motionless, it is indistinguishable from a dead 
  shrub or bunch of sticks.
  Actions 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) slashing damage.
  
  Undead Familiars 
  Favored by necromancers, undead familiars 
  usually take the form of skeletal or zombie 
  versions of the base familiar forms such as a 
  skeletal cat or a zombie rat. Because of the 
  necromantic energy infused into such 
  familiars, it is possible for skeletal ravens to 
  ﬂy and for zombie toads to swim. Undead 
  familiars share the statistics of other animals 
  of their type except they have the type 
  undead and can be aﬀected by eﬀects that 
  target the undead. They gain resistance to 
  necrotic damage and have immunity to 
  poison damage as well vulnerability to 
  radiant damage. They also become immune 
  to the poisoned condition. They gain 60 feet 
  of darkvision if they didn’t already have it.  
  Such creatures are dead animal spirits 
  that reanimate dead tissue, but if they are 
  dismissed or reduced to 0 hit points, they 
  disappear leaving behind no physical form 
  and their forms are recreated if the ﬁnd 
  familiar spell is cast again. Every time the 
  spell is cast, and a form is chosen, the caster 
  can choose whether that form is a skeletal or 
  zombie version. This can be changed every 
  time the ﬁnd familiar spell is cast, though 
  the diﬀerence is merely cosmetic and doesn’t 
  aﬀect anything about the familiar’s statistics 
  or abilities.  
  Such familiars are usually viewed with 
  disgust in polite society, but the 
  necromancers who summon them are 
  usually beyond caring about such things.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS  & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  22
  Unlike traditional familiars, undead 
  familiars are not easily dismissed as normal 
  animals, as anyone who has seen a flying 
  skeletal raven will tell you. However, one 
  necromancer told me that he instructed his 
  familiar to “play dead” any time it might be 
  discovered, appearing as nothing more than a 
  natural corpse. I thought that was a neat trick.
  
  Chapter 3: Pact of 
  the Chain Familiars 
  WARLOCKS WHOSE PACT BOON IS THE  
  Pact of the Chain gain access to more 
  powerful familiars through the ﬁnd familiar
  spell, though the Player’s Handbook limits 
  those forms to four: imp, pseudodragon, 
  quasit, and sprite. Additionally, unlike other 
  spellcasters, the chosen familiar gains the 
  ability to attack if the warlock forgoes one of 
  their own attacks.  
  These familiars (and the ability to summon 
  them) are often gifts from the warlock’s 
  patron, bestowed upon them for faithful 
  service. As such, these familiars can reﬂect 
  the nature of the warlock’s patron. While the 
  standard versions must still have the type 
  celestial, ﬁend, or fey, the following options 
  allow for additional familiar choices as well 
  as additional familiar types to reﬂect the 
  variety of warlock patrons.  
  Existing Choices 
  Imp 
  A favorite of Fiend warlocks, the imp packs 
  quite a lot of utility into a small form. With a 
  ﬂight speed, shapeshifting ability, the ability 
  to see in magical darkness, magic resistance, 
  immunity to ﬁre, and invisibility, it is easily 
  one of the best options for a familiar in the 
  current rules.  
  Pseudodragon 
  Pseudodragons are a solid choice for a 
  familiar with a ﬂying speed of 60 feet, keen 
  senses, and magic resistance. Having a 
  miniature dragon familiar is also very cool.  
  Quasit 
  The quasit is a solid choice for a familiar, 
  and thematically appropriate for warlocks 
  who serve demonic patrons, However, by 
  most measures the imp is simply better.  
  Sprite  
  Sprites are suitable fey familiars for warlocks 
  of the Archfey patron but they have relatively 
  lackluster abilities compared to the other 
  familiars listed 
  here with no 
  special damage 
  resistances or 
  immunities, 
  though they do 
  have 
  invisibility, a 
  ﬂying speed of 
  40 feet, and a 
  ranged weapon 
  attack.   
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  23
  
  Alternate Familiar 
  Types 
  While ﬁend familiars make sense for 
  warlocks of the Fiend patron, and likewise 
  fey familiars for the Archfey patron, and 
  celestial familiars for the Celestial patron, 
  these options are limited for warlocks who 
  have other patrons. The DM may instead 
  allow other familiar types to better ﬁt the 
  patron bestowing them. For warlocks of the 
  Great Old One patron, summoned familiars 
  can be of the aberration type. For warlocks of 
  the Hexblade, familiars can be considered to 
  be constructs, and for Undying patron 
  warlocks, familiars can be allowed to be the 
  undead type. Such familiars can be 
  “reskinned” versions of the familiars 
  mentioned above, or new familiars as 
  speciﬁed below. 
  Additionally, Rykard’s Book of Patrons
  introduces the Elemental patron type with 
  which the elemental type (see Chapter 2) can 
  be used.   
  New Familiar Options 
  The following options can be added to the 
  four choices in the Player’s Handbook for 
  Pact of the Chain warlocks  with the DM’s 
  permission. 
  Cherubim 
  Cherubim are small, winged angels that are 
  the celestial counterparts to imps. They are 
  often provided by celestial patrons to help 
  assist warlocks.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  24
  Don’t be afraid to reskin familiars as needed. 
  For example, warlocks of Celestial patrons 
  can opt for a cherubim familiar with the same 
  statistics as an imp except that the familiar 
  resembles a small, baby-like angel and is of 
  the celestial type rather than a fiend (such 
  familiars should be lawful good as well). See 
  below for a further modified example. 
  Cherubim 
  Tiny celestial, lawful good  
  Armor Class 13
  Hit Points 10 (3d4+3) 
  Speed 20 ft., fly 40 ft. 
  STR     DEX      CON        INT       WIS       CHA 
  6 (-2) 17 (+3) 13 (+1)  11 (+0) 12 (+1)  14 (+2) 
  Skills Insight +3, Perception +3, Persuasion +4
  Damage Resistances radiant; bludgeoning, 
  piercing, and slashing from nonmagical 
  weapons 
  Damage Immunities psychic 
  Condition Immunities poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 13 
  Languages Celestial, Common  
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Angelic Weapon. The cherub can manifest a tiny 
  sword that ripples with radiant energy. This 
  weapon’s attacks count as magical for the 
  purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity 
  to nonmagical attacks and damage.  
  Angelic Sight. Magical darkness doesn’t impede 
  the cherub’s darkvision. 
  Magic Resistance. The cherub has advantage on 
  saving throws against spells and other magical 
  effect. 
  Actions 
  Sword. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage 
  plus 2 (1d4) radiant damage.  
  Invisibility. The cherub magically turns invisible 
  until it attacks, or until its concentration ends (as 
  if concentrating on a spell). Any equipment the 
  cherub wears or carries is invisible with it. 
  
  Feathered Serpent 
  Similar to the ﬂying snake referenced above, 
  a feathered serpent resembles a miniature 
  couatl. They are typically employed by 
  warlocks of the Celestial patron, though they 
  may be allowed to other patrons with the 
  DM’s permission.  
  Flying Dagger
  Essentially a smaller version of the ﬂying 
  sword, a ﬂying dagger is a construct provided 
  to the warlock to be its familiar. Imbued with 
  a rudimentary sentience, the ﬂying dagger 
  acts like any other familiar, though its shape 
  prevents it from ﬁne manipulation. They are 
  most often found in the employ of warlocks 
  of the Hexblade patron. 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  25
  Feathered Serpent 
  Tiny celestial, lawful good  
  Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 7 (3d4) 
  Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft., swim 30 ft. 
  STR      DEX       CON        INT        WIS       CHA 
  6 (-2)  18 (+4)  13 (+1)  11 (+0)  12 (+1)  14 (+2) 
  Skills Insight +3, Perception +3, Persuasion +4, 
  Stealth +6
  Damage Resistances radiant; bludgeoning, piercing, 
  and slashing from nonmagical weapons 
  Damage Immunities psychic 
  Condition Immunities poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13 
  Languages Celestial, Common  
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Flyby. The feathered serpent doesn’t provoke 
  opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy’s 
  reach.  
  Magic Resistance. The feathered serpent has 
  advantage on saving throws against Spells and other 
  magical effects.
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) piercing damage and the 
  target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution saving 
  throw or become poisoned for 1 hour. If the saving 
  throw fails by 5 or more, the target falls unconscious 
  for the same duration, or until it takes damage or 
  another creature uses an action to shake it awake. 
  Invisibility. The feathered serpent magically turns 
  invisible until it attacks, or until its concentration 
  ends (as if concentrating on a spell). Any equipment 
  the feathered serpent wears or carries is invisible 
  with it. 
  Flying Dagger 
  Tiny construct, unaligned  
  Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 6 (2d4+1) 
  Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. 
  STR         DEX        CON      INT      WIS     CHA 
  12 (+1)  14 (+2)  11 (+0)   1 (-5)  5 (-3)    1 (-5) 
  Saving Throws Dex +4 
  Damage Immunities poison, psychic 
  Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, 
  deafened, frightened, paralyzed, petrified, 
  poisoned 
  Senses blindsight 60 ft. (blind beyond this 
  radius), passive Perception 7 
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Antimagic Susceptibility. The dagger is 
  incapacitated while in the area of an antimagic 
  field. If targeted by dispel magic, the dagger 
  must succeed on a Constitution saving throw 
  against the caster’s spell save DC or fall 
  unconscious for 1 minute. 
  False Appearance. While the dagger remains 
  motionless and isn’t flying, it is indistinguishable 
  from a normal dagger.
  Actions 
  Dagger. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) piercing 
  damage.
  
  Gazer 
  These beholder-kin can prove to be powerful 
  familiars for those warlocks lucky enough to 
  have access to them. Their eye rays alone 
  oﬀer enviable versatility. However, it should 
  be noted that patrons seemingly generous 
  enough to grant a gazer familiar often 
  compensate with demands or restrictions on 
  the warlock. Statistics from Volo’s Guide to 
  Monsters are reproduced here for 
  convenience.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  26
  Gazer 
  Tiny aberration, neutral evil  
  Armor Class 13
  Hit Points 13 (3d4+6) 
  Speed 0 ft., fly 30 ft. (hover) 
  STR       DEX       CON      INT      WIS       CHA 
  3 (-4)   17 (+3)  14 (+2)  3 (-4)  10 (+0)   7 (-2) 
  Saving Throws Wis +2 
  Skills Perception +4, Stealth +5 
  Condition Immunities prone 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14 
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/2 (100 XP)
  Aggressive. As a bonus action, the gazer can move 
  up to its speed toward a hostile creature that it can 
  see.  
  Mimicry. The gazer can mimic simple sounds of 
  speech it has heard, in any language. A creature 
  that hears the sounds can tell they are imitations 
  with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Insight) check.
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage.
  Eye Rays. The gazer shoots two of the following 
  magical eye rays at random (reroll duplicates), 
  choosing one or two targets it can see within 60 
  feet of it: 
  1. Dazing Ray. The targeted creature must 
  succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or be 
  charmed until the start of the gazer’s next turn. 
  While the target is charmed in this way, its speed is 
  halved, and it has disadvantage on attack rolls.  
     2. Fear Ray. The targeted creature must succeed 
  on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or be frightened 
  until the start of the gazer’s next turn. 
     3. Frost Ray. The targeted creature must succeed 
  on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 10 
  (3d6) cold damage.  
     4. Telekinetic Ray. If the target is a creature that 
  is Medium or smaller, it must succeed on a DC12 
  Strength saving throw or be moved up to 30 feet 
  directly away from the gazer. 
     If the target is an object weighing 10 pounds or 
  less that isn’t being worn or carried, the gazer 
  moves it up to 30 feet in any direction. The gazer 
  can also exert fine control on objects with this ray, 
  such as manipulating a simple tool or opening a 
  container. 
  
  Improved Crawling Claw 
  While necromancers may summon a crawling 
  claw as described above, Chain Pact 
  warlocks can call on a crawling claw of 
  above-average intelligence, the undead hand 
  of a former wizard, to use as a familiar.  
  Lesser Mephit 
  Some warlocks, especially those that serve 
  elemental patrons (see Rykard’s Book of 
  Patrons) can summon a lesser mephit of a 
  speciﬁc type. Such mephits are Tiny rather 
  than Small and lack the death ability their 
  normal counterparts have. When the familiar 
  is ﬁrst summoned, the warlock must select 
  which type it will be: dust, ice, magma, mud, 
  smoke or steam. Once selected the type can 
  not be changed unless the ﬁnd familiar spell 
  is cast again.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  27
  Lesser Dust Mephit 
  Tiny elemental, neutral evil  
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 10 (4d4) 
  Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. 
  STR       DEX        CON       INT       WIS         CHA 
  5 (-3)   14 (+2)   10 (+0)   9 (-1)  11 (+0)    10 (+0) 
  Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4 
  Damage Vulnerabilities fire 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12 
  Languages Auran, Terran 
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Actions 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) slashing damage.
  Blinding Breath (1/day). The mephit exhales a 15-
  foot cone of blinding dust. Each creature in that area 
  must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw or 
  be blinded for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the 
  saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending 
  the effect on itself on a success.
  Improved Crawling Claw 
  Tiny undead, neutral evil  
  Armor Class 13
  Hit Points 5 (2d4) 
  Speed 20 ft., climb 20 ft. 
  STR        DEX        CON       INT       WIS       CHA 
  13 (+1)  14 (+2)  10 (+0)    9 (-1)  11 (+0)   8 (-1) 
  Skills Stealth +4 
  Damage Resistances necrotic 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, 
  poisoned 
  Senses blindsight 30 ft. (blind beyond this radius), 
  passive Perception 10 
  Languages understands Common but can’t speak, 
  telepathic link with the warlock 
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Turn Immunity. The claw is immune to effects that 
  turn undead.
  Play Dead. The crawling claw can, using a bonus 
  action, fall limp, resembling the severed hand of a 
  corpse. If this is the first time it has entered within 
  the sight range of a creature, it can roll a Dexterity 
  (Stealth) check to see if it evades detection, even if 
  it has moved this round. Its creepy nature makes 
  most people doubt its ability to move, instead 
  thinking they must be imagining things.
  Magic Resistance. The crawling claw has advantage 
  on saving throws against Spells and other magical 
  effects.. 
  Actions 
  Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 3 (1d4+1) bludgeoning or 
  slashing damage (warlock’s choice).
  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  28
  Lesser Magma Mephit 
  Tiny elemental, neutral evil  
  Armor Class 11
  Hit Points 11 (4d4+1) 
  Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. 
  STR       DEX        CON       INT       WIS         CHA 
  8 (-1)   12 (+1)   12 (+1)   7 (-2)  10 (+0)    10 (+0) 
  Skills Stealth +3 
  Damage Vulnerabilities cold 
  Damage Immunities fire, poison 
  Condition Immunities poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 
  Languages Ignan, Terran 
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  False Appearance. While the mephit remains 
  motionless, it is indistinguishable from an ordinary 
  mound of magma.
  Actions 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 2 (1d4) slashing damage plus 2 
  (1d4) fire damage.
  Fire Breath (1/day). The mephit exhales a 15-foot 
  cone of fire. Each creature in that area must make a 
  DC 11 Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) 
  damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a 
  successful one.
  Lesser Ice Mephit 
  Tiny elemental, neutral evil  
  Armor Class 11
  Hit Points 12 (4d4+2) 
  Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. 
  STR       DEX        CON       INT       WIS         CHA 
  7 (-2)   13 (+1)   10 (+0)   9 (-1)  11 (+0)    12 (+1) 
  Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4 
  Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning, fire 
  Damage Immunities cold, poison 
  Condition Immunities poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12 
  Languages Aquan, Auran 
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  False Appearance. While the mephit remains 
  motionless, it is indistinguishable from an ordinary 
  shard of ice.
  Actions 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 2 (1d4) slashing damage plus 2 
  (1d4) cold damage.
  Frost Breath (1/day). The mephit exhales a 15-foot 
  cone of cold air. Each creature in that area must 
  succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw, taking 
  5 (2d4) cold damage on a failed save, or half as 
  much damage on a successful one.
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  29
  Lesser Mud Mephit 
  Tiny elemental, neutral evil  
  Armor Class 11
  Hit Points 13 (5d4+1) 
  Speed 20 ft., fly 20 ft., swim 20 ft. 
  STR       DEX        CON       INT        WIS        CHA 
  8 (-1)   12 (+1)   12 (+1)   9 (-1)   11 (+0)     7 (-2) 
  Skills Stealth +3 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 
  Languages Aquan, Terran 
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  False Appearance. While the mephit remains 
  motionless, it is indistinguishable from an ordinary 
  mound of mud.
  Actions 
  Fists. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage.
  Mud Breath (1/day). The mephit belches viscous 
  mud onto one creature within 5 feet of it. If the 
  target is medium or smaller, it must succeed on a 
  DC 11 Dexterity saving throw or be restrained for 1 
  minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at 
  the end of each of the end of each of its turns, 
  ending the effect on itself on a success.
  Lesser Steam Mephit 
  Tiny elemental, neutral evil  
  Armor Class 10
  Hit Points 12 (4d4+2) 
  Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. 
  STR      DEX        CON       INT         WIS       CHA 
  5 (-3)  11 (+0)  10 (+0)  11 (+0)  10 (+0)  12 (+1) 
  Damage Immunities fire, poison 
  Condition Immunities poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 
  Languages Aquan, Ignan 
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Actions 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 2 (1d4) slashing damage plus 2 
  (1d4) fire damage.
  Steam Breath (1/day). The mephit exhales a 15-
  foot cone of scalding steam. Each creature in that 
  area must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving 
  throw, taking 4 (1d8) fire damage on a failed save, 
  or half as much damage on a successful one.
  Lesser Smoke Mephit 
  Tiny elemental, neutral evil  
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 12 (4d4+2) 
  Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. 
  STR       DEX       CON         INT       WIS       CHA 
  6 (-2)   14 (+2)  12 (+1)  10 (+0)  10 (+0)  11 (+0) 
  Skills Perception +2, Stealth +4 
  Damage Immunities fire, poison 
  Condition Immunities poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12 
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Actions 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 2 (1d4) slashing damage.
  Cinder Breath (1/day). The mephit exhales a 15-
  foot cone of smoldering ash. Each creature in that 
  area must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving 
  throw or be blinded until the end of the mephit’s 
  next turn.  
  
  Quickling 
  Like sprites, quicklings are prime choices for 
  warlocks of the Archfey patron. What they 
  lack in ﬂight they make up for in ground 
  movement which also makes them diﬃcult to 
  hurt.
  Tentacled Voidbeast 
  Voidbeasts are strange creatures that some 
  believe come from the Far Reaches, slipping 
  through holes in reality to arrive on our 
  plane. Voidbeasts seem to follow diﬀerent 
  laws of physics, with geometries that don’t 
  conform to our planar laws. The tentacled 
  voidbeast appears as a patch of darkness 
  that constantly shifts shape and from which 
  tentacles reach out for manipulation and 
  attack. These tentacles often seem to change 
  in appearance and even shape, sometimes 
  seeming organic, other times as if they were 
  made of ash or crystal.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  30
  Quickling 
  Tiny fey, chaotic evil  
  Armor Class 16
  Hit Points 10 (3d4+3) 
  Speed 120 ft. 
  STR       DEX        CON       INT        WIS        CHA 
  4 (-3)   23 (+6)   13 (+1) 10 (+0)   12 (+1)    7 (-2) 
  Skills Acrobatics +8, Sleight of Hand +8, Stealth +8, 
  Perception +5  
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15 
  Languages Common, Sylvan 
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Blurred Movement. Attack rolls against the quickling 
  have disadvantage unless the quickling is 
  incapacitated or restrained. 
  Evasion. If the quickling is subjected to an effect that 
  allows it to make a Dexterity saving throw to take 
  only half damage, it instead takes no damage if it 
  succeeds on the saving throw and only half damage 
  if it fails.
  Actions 
  Multiattack. The quickling makes three dagger 
  attacks. 
  Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, 
  reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target.  
  Hit: 8 (1d4 + 6) piercing damage. 
  Tentacled Voidbeast 
  Tiny aberration, unaligned  
  Armor Class 13
  Hit Points 7 (3d4) 
  Speed 5 ft., fly 40 ft. 
  STR       DEX        CON       INT       WIS         CHA 
  6 (-2)   15 (+2)   14 (+2)   8 (-1)  12 (+1)    14 (+2) 
  Skills Stealth +4 
  Damage Resistances bludgeoning, piercing, and 
  slashing from nonmagical weapons, cold 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 11 
  Languages understands Common but can’t speak 
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Magic Resistance. The tentacled voidbeast has 
  advantage on saving throws against spells and other 
  magical effects.
  Actions 
  Tentacles. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one creature. Hit: 5 (1d4 + 3) bludgeoning 
  damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 12 
  Constitution saving throw or take 10 (3d6) cold 
  damage on a failed save, or half as much on a 
  successful one.
  
  Vargouille 
  Anyone who has seen a 
  vargouille can attest to 
  their frightening 
  appearance, like that 
  of a severed head 
  held aloft by two bat-
  like wings. 
  Warlocks who wish 
  to maintain a fearsome 
  appearance, particularly 
  those of the Fiend and 
  Great Old One patrons, often choose the 
  vargouille over familiars like the imp. The 
  familiar version of the vargouille lacks the 
  cursing kiss ability of its brethren but 
  otherwise matches the nightmarish nature of 
  its fellow ﬁends.  
  Velociraptor 
  While lacking the magical abilities of other 
  familiars on this list, these small feathered 
  dinosaurs still make striking familiars and 
  can hold their own in combat. Also, they’re 
  pretty cool. Velociraptor familiars may be 
  limited to certain campaigns depending on 
  the DM’s judgment. 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  31
  Vargouille (Familiar 
  Version) 
  Tiny fiend, chaotic evil 
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 13 (3d4+6) 
  Speed 5 ft., fly 40 ft. 
  STR       DEX        CON       INT         WIS      CHA 
  6 (-2)   14 (+2)   14 (+2)   4 (-3)      7 (-2)    2 (-4 ) 
  Damage Resistances cold, fire, lightning 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 8 
  Languages understands Abyssal, Infernal, and one 
  language of the warlock’s choice but can’t speak 
  Challenge 1 (200 XP)
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage plus 
  10 (3d6) poison damage.  
  Stunning Shriek. The vargouille shrieks. Each  
  humanoid and beast within 30 feet of the vargouille 
  and able to hear it must succeed on a DC 12 
  Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end 
  of the vargouille's next turn. While frightened in this 
  way, a target is stunned. If a target's saving throw is 
  successful or the effect ends for it, the target is 
  immune to the Stunning Shriek of all vargouilles for 
  l hour.
  Velociraptor 
  Tiny fiend, unaligned 
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 10 (3d4+3) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
  STR       DEX        CON       INT        WIS       CHA 
  6 (-2)   14 (+2)   13 (+1)   4 (-3)    12 (+1)   6 (-2 ) 
  Skills Perception +3 
  Senses passive Perception 13 
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Pack Tactics. The velociraptor has advantage on an 
  attack roll against a creature if at least one of the 
  velociraptor's allies is within 5 feet of the creature 
  and the ally isn't incapacitated.
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 5 (1d6 + 2) piercing damage.  
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) slashing damage.
  
  Chapter 4: The 
  Constructed 
  Familiar 
  IN ADDITION TO FAMILIARS SUMMONED 
  by the ﬁnd familiar spell, the DM can also 
  allow familiars that are constructed or 
  otherwise created.  
  The knowledge to construct such familiars 
  is contained in a formula that a character 
  must ﬁnd or somehow earn. Such formulae 
  set out the ingredients involved in the 
  familiar’s construction, the method by which 
  it must be constructed, and the ritual which 
  brings the creature to life and binds it to its 
  creator (constructed familiars are only bound 
  to the individual who creates them, 
  assuming they follow the formula exactly). 
  Because of the ritual involved, only 
  characters who can cast spells (including 
  Magic Initiates and Ritual Casters) can 
  construct a familiar, though the DM may 
  allow other classes if it suits the campaign.  
  Constructing the 
  Familiar 
  The Formula 
  Formulae for creating familiars can be 
  acquired by a number of means. They can be 
  found as treasure, like scrolls, or mgiven as a 
  reward for service or great deeds. Whole 
  quests can be set around the acquisition of 
  such formulae. 
  Once acquired, a formula must be studied. 
  It is left to the DM’s discretion whether a 
  formula will be recorded in a language the 
  character knows or require additional study 
  to decipher. It’s not uncommon for such 
  formulae to be recorded in code, whether 
  because such practices were frowned upon 
  by the author’s peers or because the author 
  sought to prevent the formula from being 
  easily stolen. Also at the DM’s discretion is 
  whether an eﬀect like the comprehend 
  languages spell will help decipher a given 
  formula. Additionally, some formulae may be 
  beyond the current capabilities of the reader 
  and they may need to progress in their 
  magical or alchemical knowledge to fully 
  understand them. Such formulae may only 
  be accessible to a character of a certain level 
  or who meets a minimum Intelligence 
  requirement.  
  Formulae can take many shapes. They are 
  often found in books or tomes, scrawled in 
  fevered handwriting with intricate diagrams 
  and equations. However, books aren’t the 
  only objects used to contain formulae. Some 
  formulae have been found inscribed on metal 
  plates, or embedded, in miniature, in 
  crystals. One such formula was found 
  tattooed on a man’s skin.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  32
  
  The Ingredients 
  Once a given formula is deciphered, the 
  ingredients necessary to construct the 
  familiar can be discerned. Such ingredients 
  usually consist of rare and/or expensive 
  items that may take time and eﬀort to 
  acquire. As with the acquisition of the 
  formula, the hunt for such ingredients may 
  make up a distinct quest. 
  While the speciﬁc ingredients vary wildly 
  from formula to formula, some things remain 
  constant — one item is almost always an 
  object of great worth such as a ﬂawless gem 
  or quantity of valuable metal. Such items 
  contribute alchemical power to the creation 
  of the familiar and thus the purity of the 
  ingredients is essential. Ingredients that are 
  commonly used include gold, silver, 
  gemstones and pearls (usually ﬂawless 
  specimens), sulfur, magnesium, brimstone, 
  quicksilver, myrrh, various acids, various 
  oils, and minerals.  
  Another common ingredient is a part of 
  the creator — their blood, for example, or 
  part of their essence (extracted as part of the 
  ritual). This binds the familiar to the creator 
  and creates the telepathic bond. Because of 
  this, the creation process usually weakens 
  the creator temporarily and so is best done 
  in a safe, secure location without fear of 
  hostile intrusion.  
  The Ritual 
  The ritual of creation varies as much, if not 
  more, than the ingredients. Some rituals can 
  be completed in one hour while others take 
  days, possibly weeks, if ingredients need to 
  be properly prepared with rituals of their 
  own. It’s not unheard of for time or seasons 
  to play a part in the ritual, with phases of 
  the moon being popular elements, or sacred 
  days, or the alignment of certain stars. 
  Shorter rituals usually require rarer or more 
  expensive ingredients while longer rituals 
  sometimes compensate for the lack of purity 
  in the required components.  
  Many rituals require speciﬁc locations as 
  well — a site on a convergence of ley lines, 
  for example, or a sanctiﬁed or properly 
  prepared vault or laboratory. Such locations 
  may require monetary expense and time to 
  appropriately set up, even before the ritual is 
  begun.  
  While rituals diﬀer, as with the ingredients 
  there are common elements. Almost all 
  rituals of creation involve the use of symbols 
  — sigils or glyphs that can be as simple as a 
  pentagram or as complex as an alchemical 
  representation of the cosmos. The 
  ingredients and the body of the familiar 
  usually lie within the ritual symbols while 
  the ritual is performed. 
  As with many magical rituals, the ritual of 
  creation involves verbal, somatic, and 
  material components. The creator must 
  chant or recite portions of the ritual while 
  making some kind of movement (gestures, 
  postures, or even dance) and using some of 
  the necessary ingredients (burning them, for 
  example, or mixing them in the case of 
  liquids). Additionally, the creator must 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  33
  
  expend spell slots to infuse the familiar with 
  magical energy and prepare for the bonding. 
  The number and level of the spell slots 
  required vary by the strength and rarity of 
  the familiar but usually require at least one 
  level 1 slot. It is for this reason that 
  constructed familiars are restricted to 
  spellcasting classes. Typically, at the end of 
  the ritual, after the spell slots have been 
  expended, the creator adds their blood or 
  essence to the familiar or ritual instrument 
  to bind the familiar to them.  
  While devoting the time to the ritual is 
  usually enough for success, some DMs may 
  require ability checks to simulate the 
  diﬃculty of the process. An Intelligence 
  (Arcana) check (or series of checks) is the 
  most commonly used skill, though in some 
  cases a Charisma (Performance) check may 
  come into play, an Intelligence (Nature) 
  check, a Wisdom (Medicine) check, or some 
  other ability check. Powerful constructed 
  familiars may require either a large amount 
  of blood or life essence, or for the creator to 
  be awake for days to perform the ritual. In 
  such cases one or more Constitution checks 
  may be necessary to complete the ritual. 
  Some rituals may also require the use of 
  tools. Alchemist’s Supplies are most often 
  used, but rituals may also require the use of 
  Carpenter’s Tools, Smith’s Tools, or even 
  Cook’s Utensils. If the creator fails one or 
  more of these rolls, either the ritual fails, or 
  else they end up with a ﬂawed creation — 
  perhaps misshapen in some way, or lacking 
  certain parts or appendages. It is left to the 
  DM to decide how this would aﬀect the 
  familiar (if at all).  
  Now You Have a 
  Familiar… 
  Once the ritual is completed, assuming it 
  was performed correctly and used the proper 
  and appropriate ingredients, the familiar will 
  awaken, fully bonded to the creator.   
  As with the ﬁnd familiar spell, the 
  constructed familiar acts independently of its 
  creator but always obeys their commands. In 
  combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on 
  its own turn. A constructed familiar can’t 
  attack, but it can take other actions as 
  normal. 
  The creator can communicate with the 
  constructed familiar telepathically as long as 
  the familiar is within 100 feet. As an action, 
  the creator can see through the familiar’s 
  eyes and sense what it senses, gaining the 
  beneﬁts of any special senses the familiar 
  has until the start of the creator’s next turn. 
  During this time, the creator is deaf and 
  blind with regard to their own senses.  
  As with the ﬁnd familiar spell, the 
  constructed familiar can can deliver any of 
  its creator’s spells with the range of touch as 
  if it had cast the spell. The familiar must be 
  within 100 feet of its creator and must use 
  its reaction to deliver the spell when it is 
  cast. If the spell requires an attack roll, the 
  creator uses their attack modiﬁer for the roll. 
  Unlike the ﬁnd familiar spell, a constructed 
  familiar can not be dismissed or 
  resummoned and can not assume new 
  forms. When its creator dies, the familiar 
  dies as well. Likewise, when the familiar 
  drops to 0 hit points, it dies. Depending on 
  the ritual used to create the familiar, the 
  familiar’s death may cause damage to the 
  creator as their life essence is part of the 
  familiar’s. Such damage is usually psychic 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  34
  Creating a constructed familiar can take as much in-
  game time, or as little, as the DM wants. Some DMs 
  may want to play out the scenes of studying the 
  formula, gathering the ingredients and performing 
  the ritual. Others may simply allow the creation to 
  happen during downtime, either with an ability check 
  or without. It’s your choice.
  
  because of the telepathic link the creator has 
  to the familiar, but it may be another type 
  depending on the circumstances (in some 
  cases, the connection between familiar and 
  creator is so strong that the type of damage 
  that killed the familiar is transmitted directly 
  to the creator).  
  If a constructed familiar dies, it can be 
  replaced, but to do so, the ritual must be 
  performed again with the appropriate 
  ingredients, assuming the formula is still 
  available and intact. The DM should decide if 
  a replacement familiar will be the same 
  entity as the previous familiar or a new one. 
  Performing a ritual of creation while a 
  constructed familiar is alive and bonded to 
  the creator results in immediate failure 
  (though the ingredients will still be lost).  
  It should be noted that assembling the list 
  of ingredients and performing the ritual is 
  yet again a costly and time-consuming eﬀort, 
  and some ingredients may no longer be 
  available depending on their rarity.  
  The Homunculus 
   
  The most commonly known constructed 
  familiar is the homunculus, whose statistics 
  are presented in the Monster Manual. It is 
  indicated that a homunculus is constructed 
  from a mixture of clay, ash, mandrake root, 
  and blood, but it’s certain that further 
  ingredients would be necessary to construct 
  one, as well as an appropriate ritual. Given 
  the popularity of homunculi, many diﬀerent 
  formulas exist to detail their creation.  
  According to the Monster Manual, 
  homunculi can communicate telepathically 
  with their creators as long as they are on the 
  same plane of existence. At the DM’s 
  discretion, player character homunculi can 
  be limited to the 100 ft. that the ﬁnd familiar
  spell allows to keep them in line with those 
  familiars (there are many versions of the 
  formula and some diﬀer with regard to their 
  eﬀects).  
  Other Constructed 
  Familiars 
  While homunculi are the most common 
  constructed familiars, there are many more 
  variations, some of which have only ever 
  been created once, their formulae rare and 
  sought-after objects. The examples below are 
  only a sampling and DMs are encouraged to 
  add to this partial list.  
  Clay Familiars 
  Sometimes made out of clay, other times out 
  of putty or even altered mixtures of dough, 
  clay familiars are usually crude in 
  appearance, taking the rough form of a 
  humanoid with a rudimentary face and 
  limbs (though if the creator is a gifted 
  sculptor, they can have a more pleasing 
  appearance).  
  Clay familiars are weaker than other 
  constructed familiars due to their 
  composition, but their ﬂexible nature allows 
  them to move through narrow spaces and 
  makes them more resilient to damage. One 
  example of a clay familiar, the putty person, 
  is detailed below.  
  Common ingredients used in the creation 
  of clay familiars includes a mix of clay and 
  other mineral ingredients — vitriols 
  (sulfates), salts, and powders — as well as 
  limestone, myrrh, gum arabic, and linseed 
  oil. Other substances can be added to 
  change the color of the resulting form, 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  35
  Familiars conjured with the find familiar spell can’t 
  attack on their own, but given the nature of the 
  constructed familiar, it is assumed that they operate 
  similar to a Pact of the Chain familiar in that they can 
  attack in place of one of their creator’s attacks. If this 
  doesn’t appeal to you, feel free to prevent 
  constructed familiars from taking the attack action.
  
  though the color is usually set at the time 
  the ritual is completed.  
  Clay familiars are some of the easiest and 
  most inexpensive to create. The cost of 
  ingredients usually does not exceed 500 gp, 
  including the gem that must be used 
  (usually a small topaz, either crushed during 
  the creation or else embedded in the center 
  of the familiar’s body). The creation ritual 
  usually doesn’t exceed 1-2 days, though 
  preparation of the ingredients and the ritual 
  space could take days more.  
  Flesh Familiars 
  While seen as distasteful by many, some 
  creators construct their familiars from body 
  parts and organs from recently deceased 
  animals (or small and/or infant humanoids if 
  available). Care must be taken in such cases 
  to minimize any decay and such parts must 
  be immediately preserved or else used within 
  hours of their harvesting.  
  The ritual involved reanimates the dead 
  tissue, instilling new life, preserving the 
  assembled tissues, and binding the new 
  creation to its creator. Most such familiars 
  are formed in the shape of whatever beast 
  provided the most intact body parts, though 
  it’s not unheard of for parts from diﬀerent 
  animals to be used together (such as the 
  heart of a rat being used in the body of a 
  raven). Such creations usually bear the scars 
  of their assembly (including stitching in 
  many cases) but otherwise share the 
  statistics of the creature they were made to 
  resemble.  
  Some advanced creators with access to 
  complex formulae create tiny humanoids 
  with the parts they collect, even if the parts 
  were taken from beasts. These patchwork 
  oddities are similar to homunculi, though 
  they lack the homunculus’ wings and ﬂying 
  ability.   
  Some say that despite the puriﬁcation of 
  the organs and parts involved in the ritual, 
  occasionally, some original essence. or 
  essences, remain in the tissue and live on in 
  the resulting creation so that you can end up 
  with owls that croak like toads and tiny 
  humanoids that scratch themselves like cats.  
  The patchwork poppet, detailed below, is 
  one example of a ﬂesh familiar.  
  Sproutlings/Twiglings 
  These plant familiars detailed in Chapter 2 
  also make excellent constructed familiars. In 
  this case, plant or vegetable material 
  (including fungi) make up the key ingredients 
  of the familiar’s body, though other 
  ingredients are necessary. Gourds, 
  mushrooms, and other long-lasting items are 
  favored to reduce the chance of rotting in 
  sproutlings, though in the case of both 
  familiar types, the materials that make up 
  the body are usually procured (or harvested) 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  36
  Kessa the Cool, a wizard known for her calmness 
  in almost every situation (hence the name) was 
  famous for having a flesh familiar, a grotesque 
  assembly of mismatched skin and parts that she 
  named Hartigar. So enamored was she of 
  Hartigar that she sewed him tiny outfits of fine 
  silk, intricately wrought, and changed these 
  regularly depending on the situation. My 
  favorite was the jester costume in yellow and red.
  
  as close to the beginning of the ritual as 
  possible to ensure their freshness and 
  durability.  
  Some sproutling formulae require the 
  creator to grow the plant matter themselves 
  and require skill with gardening and/or 
  agriculture. The speciﬁc formula in question 
  details how the plants should be cared for — 
  what to use to fertilize the plants, what to 
  add to the water or soil, and even how to 
  trim the plants as they grow. Additionally, 
  some require that the plants be grown in a 
  wild or sacred natural site such as a druidic 
  circle, sacred grove, or in the Feywild. Even if 
  the formula does not require such a site, the 
  DM may reduce the diﬃculty or time of the 
  whole process if such a site is used to grow 
  the required plants. If appropriate specimens 
  don’t grow, due to weather, or disease, or 
  drought, for example, the ritual can not be 
  completed and the growth cycle must be 
  attempted again. If the DM requires ability 
  checks for successful familiar creation, 
  Intelligence (Nature) checks may be required 
  in addition to Intelligence (Arcana) checks, 
  and an Herbalism Kit proﬁciency may be 
  used either in lieu of, or in addition to, 
  Alchemist Supplies. 
  Other ingredients involved in the creation 
  of a plant familiar may include phosphorous, 
  saltpeter, and guano. Many formulae require 
  emeralds of at least 1000 gp in value, though 
  this can often consist of one large gem or 
  multiple gems as long as the quality and 
  value are maintained. 
  In addition to the time it takes to grow the 
  plant material (if necessary), the ritual 
  usually takes 24 hours or less. If the ritual 
  fails, either because the creator fails a 
  required check or didn’t properly prepare the 
  ingredients, the plant material rots 
  immediately and the creator must start over 
  again.   
  While the statistics presented in Chapter 3 
  reﬂect the majority of sproutlings and 
  twiglings, variations do exist based on the 
  speciﬁc formula and the materials used to 
  construct the familiar. Some examples of 
  these follow. These variations can also can be 
  used as modiﬁcations (see below) with the 
  DM’s permission.  
  Gourd Sproutling  
  A gourd sproutling is composed of gourds 
  which make up its body and head, with vines 
  and other green, leafy material forming its 
  limbs. Their simple faces are either painted 
  on, formed from embedded ornaments, or 
  even carved in the gourd itself.  
  In addition to the base statistics presented 
  in Chapter 3, the gourd sproutling has the 
  Hidden Storage ability which allows them to 
  store a small object like a coin, gem, or ring 
  inside a hollow part of their body or head. If 
  the item stored is magical, it will not be 
  revealed to a detect magic spell as long as it’s 
  stored within the familiar. 
  In lieu of a small item, the creator can 
  instead choose to store a potion inside the 
  sproutling where it will be protected for as 
  long as the sproutling is still alive. As an 
  action, the sproutling can deliver the potion 
  to a creature of its or its creator’s choice as 
  long as that creature is within 5 ft. of the 
  sproutling. While contained within the 
  sproutling, the potion is likewise hidden from 
  a detect magic spell.  
  Ironwood Twigling  
  These twiglings are constructed from 
  branches of the hearty ironwood tree. This is 
  generally no easy task as these branches are 
  extremely diﬃcult to cut and acquiring a 
  suﬃcient quantity would require some kind 
  of magic weapon or spell. However, if enough 
  can be obtained, this provides the twigling 
  with increased resilience and defense, 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  37
  
  improving their Constitution and AC to 15, 
  and eliminating their vulnerability to ﬁre.  
  Mushroom Sproutling 
  These sproutlings are made primarily from 
  mushrooms which improves the range of the 
  familiar’s spore ability, increasing it to a 10-
  foot radius. Additionally, any creature in the 
  aﬀected area must succeed on a DC 12 
  Constitution saving throw or be poisoned. A 
  target can repeat the saving throw at the end 
  of each of its turns, ending the eﬀect on itself 
  on a success. The fungi that make up the 
  mushroom sproutling’s body are usually 
  grown on decaying dead matter or 
  underground in damp, moldy conditions. 
  Thorn Sproutling/Twigling 
  These familiars add thorns to their form, 
  increasing their combat eﬀectiveness and 
  adding poison damage (in the case of the 
  twigling). Thorn sproutlings add 2 (1d4) 
  piercing damage to their ﬁst attack while  
  twiglings add both 2 (1d4) piercing damage 
  and 2 (1d4) poison damage to their claws 
  attack.  
  Rarer still are are versions of this familiar 
  type that can ﬁre their thorns as a ranged 
  attack. If a creator ﬁnds the right formula for 
  such a familiar, that familiar (sproutling or 
  twigling) gains the following attack:  
  Thorn Volley (Recharge 5-6). Ranged Weapon Attack: 
  +2 to hit, range 15/30 ft., one creature. Hit: 2 (1d4) 
  piercing damage plus 2 (1d4) poison damage. 
  Mechanical Constructs 
  Mechanical constructs are most often found 
  on more technologically advanced worlds, 
  though they are sometimes the creation of 
  rock gnome wizards or alchemists, or other 
  gifted practitioners. These familiars range 
  from simple wooden or metal creations with 
  hinges and strings (like marionettes) to 
  intricate assemblies of gears, crystal, and 
  clockwork.   
  Some mechanical constructs take the form 
  of animals such as the clockwork owl, or 
  crystalline spider detailed below. Still others 
  mimic humanoids in their design. However, 
  the rarest of the rare have unique forms not 
  inspired by living creatures at all.  
  Mechanical animals use the statistics of 
  the speciﬁc animal form they are mimicking, 
  though they are considered constructs and 
  they gain immunity to poison damage as well 
  as immunity to the following conditions: 
  charmed, exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, 
  petriﬁed, and poisoned.  
  Common ingredients used in the 
  construction of mechanical constructs 
  include steel, iron, brass, copper, silver, gold, 
  platinum, brimstone, coal, quicksilver, a 
  variety of oils, and gemstones of all varieties, 
  many of which are consumed in the creation 
  ritual. It is not uncommon for such familiars 
  to require the use of smith’s tools, though 
  tinker tools are also used. Additionally, if the 
  materials used in the familiars construction 
  are not primarily metallic, the creation might 
  require the use of carpenter’s tools, 
  glassblower’s tools, or jeweler’s tools. 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  38
  
  Since a mechanical construct familiar is 
  considered to be alive, normal healing will 
  aﬀect it, however, at the DM’s discretion, the 
  use of tools can be used in addition to, or in 
  the place of traditional healing.   
  Rock Gnomes 
  Because of their Tinker ability, Rock Gnomes 
  get advantage on any ability or tool checks to 
  create mechanical constructs.  
  Doll & Puppet Familiars 
  Technically a subset of mechanical 
  constructs, doll familiars are constructed like  
  their non-animated counterparts, but are 
  then brought to life with an arcane ritual. 
  Their nature grants them some small 
  measure of camouﬂage, at least in 
  environments where a doll would not be out 
  of place.  
  Some creators (especially Bards) opt for 
  puppet familiars, which provide further 
  camouﬂage in town and city environments. 
  Such familiars not only can improve a 
  “performance” by acting independently of 
  their creator, but then later can act on the 
  creator’s behalf.  
  One sect of bards, the Stringfellows, 
  exclusively uses marionette familiars, and 
  are rumored to be spies, utilizing their 
  familiars in elaborate public performances 
  but later using them to secretly gather 
  information on their particular targets.
  Modifying Constructed 
  Familiars 
  One of the key diﬀerences between 
  constructed familiars and the traditional 
  kind is that as constructs, the former can be 
  modiﬁed after their creation. Such 
  modiﬁcations may require additional 
  formulae, or may be contained in the original 
  formula for the familiar. Regardless, 
  additional ingredients are always required, 
  as is the ritual necessary to modify the 
  familiar. Keep in mind that some 
  modiﬁcations may be beyond the capabilities 
  of the creator and may take further study to 
  learn completely (and therefore may be 
  restricted by level or ability score).  
  Once again, the ingredients necessary for 
  the modiﬁcations vary widely, but gems and 
  precious metals are almost always part of the 
  requirements. Costs for the ingredients will 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  39
  You may think that dolls are cute, that they are 
  symbols of innocence, but if so, you’ve never had 
  a doll familiar sneak into your room at night and 
  try to slit your throat. I will never look at dolls the 
  same way again. Also, I will never again dally 
  with a warlock’s wife…
  
  vary based on the campaign but typically 
  such modiﬁcations can not be accomplished 
  for less than 1000 gp worth of ingredients.  
  Some examples of modiﬁcations are 
  presented below but the DM is encouraged to 
  add to or revise this list as needed. Not all 
  modiﬁcations are available to all familiars. 
  Constructed Familiar Modifications 
  Additional/Upgraded Eyes. This 
  modiﬁcation involves adding additional eyes 
  to the familiar, or else replacing the eyes the 
  familiar already has (assuming it has eyes) 
  with improved versions. This grants the 
  familiar +4 to Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  involving sight. Common ingredients include 
  two diamonds of extreme clarity (worth 
  approximately 5000 gp each).  
  Breath Weapon. By inserting certain 
  components into the familiar’s chest cavity 
  and constructing a bellows (or animating 
  animal lungs), the creator can add a breath 
  weapon to the familiar’s abilities. The 
  damage type of this breath weapon is chosen 
  at the time of modiﬁcation, though the DM 
  may allow multiple breath weapon 
  modiﬁcations to be added to one familiar. 
  The possible damage types are acid, cold, 
  ﬁre, and lightning (poison is covered below). 
  Regardless of the damage type, each creature 
  within the area of the exhalation must make 
  a saving throw against a spell DC of 12 (or 8 
  plus the creator’s Intelligence modiﬁer in 
  some cases). A creature takes 2d6 damage 
  on a failed save, and half as much damage 
  on a successful one. The size and shape of 
  each type of breath weapon, as well as the 
  saving throw required is in the table below.  
  Breath Weapon Details 
  Extra Limbs. The creator adds a pair of 
  limbs to the familiar. If arms are added, the 
  familiar gains +2 to its Dexterity score and 
  gains the following attack:  
  Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage. 
  If legs are added to the familiar, it gains +2 
  to its Dexterity score and gains 10 feet of 
  movement. Limbs can be added in this way 
  to creatures that don’t already have them 
  (such as the bronze cobra below).  
  Wings can also be added as a modiﬁcation, 
  granting the familiar a ﬂying speed of 20 feet 
  (or greater if the formula and ingredients 
  allow). 
  Damage Type
  Area of Exhalation
  Saving Throw
  Acid
  5 by 30 ft. line
  Dex.
  Cold
  15 ft. cone
  Con.
  Fire
  15 ft. cone
  Dex.
  Lightning
  5 by 30 ft. line
  Dex. 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  40
  
  Natural Weapons. This involves the simple 
  addition of claws, fangs or, in some cases, a 
  tail to allow for additional attack options. 
  Most constructed familiars have some kind of 
  weapons already, but some creators believe 
  in additional options that can be used in 
  combat. Such options vary signiﬁcantly 
  based on the materials used. In the most 
  simple cases, fangs or claws of metal, or 
  taken from another creature, are 
  incorporated into the familiar’s body. 
  However, other substances can be used to 
  increase the damage that these natural 
  weapons do, or to make such attacks 
  magical. 
  Some examples of attacks resulting from 
  natural weapons are detailed below.  
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., one 
  target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage. 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 4 (1d6+1) slashing damage. 
  Tail Whip. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage. 
  Poison Ducts. This modiﬁcation adds 
  poison damage to the familiar’s usual 
  attacks. The simplest modiﬁcations of this 
  type add a single die of poison damage to the 
  attack (typically 1d4 or 1d6), however some 
  poisons require a Constitution saving throw 
  and if failed can lead to the poisoned 
  condition or else to sleep or 
  unconsciousness. For detailed poison 
  options, please see Fellozial’s Ultimate Guide 
  to Poison by Christopher M. Cevasco. 
  Thickened Hide. Using a series of unguents 
  and ﬁne metallic dust, the creator can 
  thicken the hide of their familiar and thereby 
  improve its AC by 1. At the DMs discretion, 
  with the appropriate formula and ingredients 
  (not to be less than 10,000 gp in value), the 
  AC improvement can be increased to 2. 
  Sample Constructed 
  Familiars 
  Bronze Cobra 
  Bronze Cobras are typically only found 
  among gnome warlocks, particularly rock 
  gnomes, though the secret process used to 
  create them is sometimes shared. These are 
  smaller and weaker versions of iron cobras, 
  made with the softer bronze. 
  Bronze cobras require a large quantity of 
  bronze (500 gp worth) wrapped around a 
  core of iron (another 500 gp) as well as 
  quicksilver, brimstone, and a ﬂawless ruby 
  (of at least 500 gp value) to serve as the 
  creature’s heart. 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  41
  While bronze cobras are the most common of these 
  type of familiars, I did once speak to a rock gnome 
  who swore that their were other versions of such 
  creatures, including a copper cobra, a steel cobra, 
  and even an adamantine cobra. Such creatures, if 
  they truly exist, would require different materials to 
  create and would have different abilities.
  
  Clockwork Owl 
  Rarely seen but intensely sought after, 
  clockwork owls are complex creations of 
  metal and gears that resemble owls. Legend 
  says that a minor power once had a favored 
  servant that took the shape of an owl. When 
  that servant was slain, the power, in its grief, 
  constructed a new body for the servant to be 
  restored to, one of metal and clockwork. 
  Because of the success of this new body, the 
  power then passed the knowledge of the 
  creation of such owls to several of its 
  worshippers who recorded the detailed 
  formula into tomes now scattered throughout 
  the world.  
  The metallic shell of clockwork owls grants 
  them increased protection, though their 
  delicate gears are still susceptible to damage. 
  Additionally, while resembling owls 
  otherwise, some quality of the creation of 
  these familiars grants them increased 
  Intelligence and Wisdom.  
  Clockwork owl ingredients are mostly 
  metallic and include iron, silver, copper, 
  bronze, gold, and platinum ﬁlaments. Many 
  formulae also include an owl feather as well 
  in addition to the usual minerals and 
  elements.
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  42
  Clockwork Owl 
  Tiny construct, unaligned  
  Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 12 (4d4+2) 
  Speed 5 ft.. fly 40 ft. 
  STR       DEX      CON     INT       WIS     CHA 
  10 (+0) 12 (+1) 12 (+1)  8 (-1) 12 (+1)  8 (-1) 
  Skills Perception +5, Stealth +3 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, 
  frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 
  15 
  Languages understands one language of the 
  spellcaster but can’t speak 
  Challenge 1/2 (50 XP)
  Flyby. The owl doesn’t provoke opportunity 
  attacks when it flies out of an enemy’s reach. 
  Keen Hearing and Sight. The owl has advantage 
  on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on 
  hearing or sight.
  Magic Resistance. The clockwork owl has 
  advantage on saving throws against spells and 
  other magical effects.
  Actions 
  Talons. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) slashing damage.
  Bronze Cobra 
  Tiny construct, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points 6 (2d4+1) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
  STR       DEX       CON      INT      WIS      CHA 
  10 (+0) 14 (+2)  12 (+1)  3 (-4)  10 (+0)  1 (-5) 
  Skills Stealth +4 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, 
  frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 
  Languages understands one language of the 
  spellcaster but can’t speak 
  Challenge 1/2 (50 XP)
  Magic Resistance. The bronze cobra has 
  advantage on saving throws against spells and 
  other magical effects.
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage. If 
  the target is a creature, it must succeed on a 
  DC12 Constitution saving throw or suffer an 
  additional 3 (1d6) poison damage. 
  
  Crystalline Spider 
  With a body and legs of ﬁne crystal, and 
  delicate hinges of ﬁne metal (usually silver or 
  platinum), crystalline spiders are considered 
  by many creators to be beautiful. While 
  similar to the mundane spider, their crystal 
  bodies give them greater resilience, though at 
  the cost of stealth.  
  Crystalline spiders obviously require a 
  large quantity of crystal, usually various 
  forms of quartz, that must be shaped 
  carefully into the spider’s delicate limbs and 
  body. Additionally, the spider’s eyes are made 
  of multiple tiny gemstones. Crystalline spider 
  ingredients usually cost at least 2000 gp, if 
  not more. The ritual of creation for such 
  familiars usually lasts 24 hours or less, but 
  fashioning the creatures body can take 
  weeks, or even months, and can beneﬁt from 
  the use of either a jeweler’s tools or mason’s 
  tools.   
  Flying Dagger 
  These constructs, detailed in Chapter 3 can 
  also be constructed using a formula, though 
  available modiﬁcations are limited.  
  While some creators purchase the requisite 
  dagger, others take it upon themselves to 
  forge their own weapons, feeling that it 
  bonds the familiar more closely.  
  Creating one’s own dagger body requires 
  proﬁciency in smith’s tools, and certain 
  alchemical reagents must be mixed into the 
  metal as the dagger is created. The 
  ingredients necessary to create a ﬂying 
  dagger must be of at least 1000 gp in value.  
  Patchwork Poppet 
  Made of a mish-mash of organic matter, 
  sewn together with patches of animal skin, a 
  patchwork poppet resembles a small scarred 
  and patchwork humanoid.  While not given 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  43
  Crystalline Spider 
  Tiny construct, unaligned  
  Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 10 (4d4) 
  Speed 20 ft.. climb 20 ft. 
  STR       DEX       CON       INT     WIS     CHA 
  10 (+0) 14 (+2)  12 (+1)  3 (-1) 10 (+0)  4 (-3) 
  Skills Stealth +4 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, 
  frightened, paralyzed, petrified, poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 10 
  Languages understands one language of the 
  spellcaster but can’t speak 
  Challenge 1/2 (50 XP)
  Spider Climb. The spider can climb difficult 
  surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, 
  without needing to make an ability check. 
  Magic Resistance. The crystalline spider has 
  advantage on saving throws against spells and 
  other magical effects.
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage. If 
  the target is a creature, it must succeed on a 
  DC12 Constitution saving throw or suffer an 
  additional 3 (1d6) poison damage. 
  
  genitalia, they are often dressed in tiny 
  clothes of their creator’s choice. 
  Putty Person 
  While homunculi are generally considered to 
  be the simplest and most common of 
  constructed familiars, putty people are even 
  simpler. Constructed from a mix of clay and 
  other soft materials, they can be crude in 
  appearance and still act as familiars. While 
  not impressive to look at, many creators 
  appreciate them for their pliant natures.  
  Mad Marionette  
  Favored by bards and rogues, mad 
  marionettes are animated puppets often used 
  for spying or even assassination. The strings 
  of the marionette familiar remain part of it 
  and it can use these strings for climbing and 
  for violence, as a kind of garrote.  
  Scuttlepede 
  Scuttlepedes are not recreations of animals 
  or humanoids, but instead mobile creations 
  of brass and gears with multiple legs and a 
  variety of body shapes. They are often 
  modular and can have diﬀerent components 
  added depending on who assembled them 
  and the formula that was used in their 
  creation.  
  Ingredients for such creatures vary from 
  form to form but always require a large 
  quantity of metals as well as gems and 
  minerals. Scuttlepede ingredients cost a 
  minimum of 2000 gp, if not more.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  44
  I once knew an eccentric wizard named Clokey the 
  Artful who created a clay familiar, a putty person, 
  who was an unusual shade of green. I’m not sure 
  if it was a side effect of the creation ritual, a 
  mistake, or an intentional choice, but Clokey 
  loved that familiar. Gumbino he called it. He even 
  fashioned a horse for it. 
  Putty Person 
  Tiny construct, unaligned  
  Armor Class 14 
  Hit Points 10 (4d4) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
  STR      DEX      CON       INT        WIS       CHA 
  4 (-3)  13 (+1) 14 (+2)  10 (+0) 10 (+0)   9 (-1) 
  Skills Stealth +3 
  Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 10 
  Languages understands the languages of its creator 
  but can’t speak 
  Challenge 1/2 (50 XP)
  Putty Form. The putty person can enter a hostile 
  creature’s space and stop there. It can move 
  through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without 
  squeezing.
  Actions 
  Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.
  Patchwork Poppet 
  Tiny construct, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12 
  Hit Points 5 (2d4) 
  Speed 20 ft. 
  STR     DEX      CON       INT        WIS       CHA 
  4 (-3) 15 (+2) 10 (+0)  10 (+0) 10 (+0)   8 (-1) 
  Skills Stealth +4 
  Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 10 
  Languages Common and one language of its 
  creator’s choice 
  Challenge 0 (10 XP)
  Actions 
  Fist. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) bludgeoning damage.
  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  45
  Mad Marionette 
  Tiny construct, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12 
  Hit Points 8 (3d4+1) 
  Speed 30 ft., climb 30 ft. 
  STR      DEX      CON       INT        WIS       CHA 
  4 (-3)  13 (+1) 12 (+1)  10 (+0) 10 (+0)   9 (-1) 
  Skills Stealth +3 
  Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 10 
  Languages understands the languages of its creator 
  but can’t speak 
  Challenge 1/2 (50 XP)
  Actions 
  Garrote. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one Medium or smaller creature where the 
  marionette has advantage on the attack roll. Hit: 2 
  (1d4) bludgeoning damage and the target is 
  grappled (escape DC 12). Until this grapple ends, 
  the target can’t breathe, and the marionette has 
  advantage on attack rolls against it.  
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 4 (1d4+2) piercing damage.
  Scuttlepede 
  Tiny construct, unaligned  
  Armor Class 13 
  Hit Points 12 (4d4+2) 
  Speed 40 ft., climb 40 ft. 
  STR         DEX        CON       INT        WIS     CHA 
  12 (+1)  15 (+2)  10 (+0)   4 (-3)   10 (+0)   7 (-2) 
  Damage Immunities poison 
  Condition Immunities blinded, charmed, deafened, 
  exhaustion, frightened, paralyzed, poisoned 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 10 
  Languages understands the languages of its 
  creator but can’t speak 
  Challenge 1/2 (50 XP)
  Articulated Limbs. The scuttlepede’s additional 
  limbs and their orientation allows the scuttlepede 
  to ignore difficult terrain. 
  Actions 
  Leg slash. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 
  5 ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) slashing damage. 
  Pincer. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) piercing damage.
  
  Chapter 5: The 
  Found Familiar 
  SOME SPELLCASTERS GAIN FAMILIARS  
  by meeting a suitable creature and 
  convincing it to serve. While generally a more 
  diﬃcult option, it is one open to spellcasters 
  without access to the ﬁnd familiar spell. 
  Additionally, it can be used as a reward or 
  quest object for characters, allowing them to 
  gain a suitable familiar at later levels.  
  Found (or sought) familiars are wild 
  creatures rather than the spirits summoned 
  by the ﬁnd familiar spell. In order for a wild 
  creature to qualify as a familiar it must have 
  a size of Tiny and must have a minimum 
  Intelligence of 6. It should also have some 
  reason for wanting to enter the service of the 
  spellcaster. Reasons that a wild creature 
  might be willing to do so include gratitude 
  for a service the spellcaster performed; the 
  lure of steady care, power, or knowledge; or 
  even fear. In most cases, the spellcaster will 
  need to convince the creature that the 
  arrangement is a beneﬁcial one.  
  Since found familiars are wild creatures, 
  they are unique entities and they can not be 
  resummoned if they are killed. Additionally, 
  the familiar may decide to break its bond 
  with the spellcaster if that caster doesn’t 
  follow through on their promises or 
  otherwise upsets the familiar (by exposing 
  them to unnecessary harm, for example, or 
  being thoughtless or cruel). The DM should 
  use their discretion in evaluating what a 
  found familiar will put up with.  
  Possible Found 
  Familiars 
  The following creatures may be found in the 
  wild and convinced to serve as a familiar to a 
  spellcaster.  
  Faerie Dragon 
  Inveterate pranksters, faerie dragons, 
  especially those 20 years of age or less, will 
  sometimes agree to be bonded as familiars to 
  spellcasters. Such spellcasters must prove 
  that they have a good sense of humor and 
  can appreciate the faerie dragon’s jokes and 
  pranks. In fact, a faerie dragon will only 
  agree to be bonded as a familiar if the 
  spellcaster can promise fun and humor on 
  their journeys and agree to letting the faerie 
  dragon continue to carry out pranks, on 
  adventuring companions or others.  
  Faerie dragons also have a love of treasure 
  and its this love which can be used to entice 
  them and convince them to bond with a 
  spellcaster. Such treasure can consist of 
  trinkets or sweets, the more visually 
  appealing, the better. It is possible for older 
  faerie dragons (greater than 20 years old) to 
  become familiars, but this is rare as faerie 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  46
  
  dragons of that age tend to become set in 
  their ways and enjoy their independence.  
  Imp 
  Imps are one of the familiars available to 
  Pact of the Chain warlocks through the ﬁnd 
  familiar spell, but they can also be gained by 
  encountering and entering into an agreement 
  with an imp. While imps are lawful evil, they 
  often agree to serve spellcasters of all 
  alignments, hoping to tempt non-evil 
  spellcasters to commit evil acts. Many 
  spellcasters are willing to put up with the 
  constant whispering and urging of the imp in 
  exchange for the utility such creatures 
  provide with their shapeshifting abilities, 
  invisibility, and magic resistance. Indeed, 
  with certain rituals, the imp can grant its 
  Magic Resistance trait to a bonded 
  spellcaster as long as that spellcaster is 
  within 10 feet of the imp.  
  While it is often diﬃcult to ﬁnd an imp on 
  the Material plane at any given time, certain 
  spells and rituals allow a spellcaster to 
  summon one where the familiar agreement 
  can be made (though such summoning spells 
  may be rare and diﬃcult to ﬁnd). Even given 
  a diﬀerence in alignment and the darker 
  goals of the imp, once an imp agrees to 
  become a familiar, as a devil, it is bound by 
  the agreement and will be ﬁercely loyal. 
  Additionally, since a soul is in play, a soul 
  that the imp hopes to claim, the only thing 
  that will break the agreement is the death of 
  the spellcaster, and since the spellcaster’s 
  death forfeits its soul, an imp familiar will 
  defend its bonded spellcaster to the death. 
  After all, if the imp dies, it returns to the 
  Nine Hells where it can make a new attempt 
  at gaining a soul.    
  Pixie 
  Notoriously shy, pixies nevertheless are 
  creatures of curiosity. Spellcasters who carry 
  themselves calmly, and can be good-natured 
  in response to some harmless tricks or 
  practical jokes may be able to lure a pixie out 
  from hiding and engage them in 
  conversation. While pixies try to avoid any 
  danger or hostility, appealing to their 
  curiosity can sometimes result in the pixie 
  agreeing to accompany the spellcaster on 
  their journeys and act as familiar. Any such 
  arrangement must account for the pixie’s 
  safety and they will break the familiar bond if 
  they feel like they are continually being put 
  in danger if it can be avoided.  
  Pseudodragon 
  Another of the familiars available to Pact of 
  the Chain warlocks, pseudodragons can also 
  be encountered in the wild and convinced to 
  serve a spellcaster as a familiar. Generally 
  agreeable, if a spellcaster impresses a 
  pseudodragon, especially after plying it with 
  food or treasure, they may agree to 
  accompany the spellcaster for a short period 
  (a few days usually) to gauge the spellcaster’s 
  nature. If the pseudodragon ﬁnds the 
  spellcaster to be good and decent and 
  respectful, it will agree to bond with the 
  spellcaster as a familiar. Some 
  pseudodragons can even grant their Magic 
  Resistance trait to their bonded spellcaster 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  47
  
  as long as the spellcaster is within 10 feet of 
  the familiar. However, as the Monster Manual 
  indicates, a pseudodragon who is treated 
  poorly, or is manipulated or abused, will 
  break the bond with the spellcaster without 
  warning.  
  Quasit 
  The third of familiars available to Pact of the 
  Chain warlocks, quasits, like imps, often 
  serve spellcasters as familiars in an attempt 
  to goad them into acts of chaos and evil. 
  Again, like imps, they are usually summoned 
  rather than appearing in the wild. 
  Quasits who enter into service as bonded 
  familiars faithfully obey the spellcaster’s 
  commands, though as chaotic beings, they 
  can sometimes interpret such commands in 
  less than precise fashion. Still, they attempt 
  to please their spellcasters, almost 
  sycophantically, while slipping in suggestions 
  designed to steer the spellcaster to evil and 
  chaos.  
  Quickling 
  Included as an option for Pact of the Chain 
  warlocks in Chapter 3, quicklings are 
  perhaps the rarest of the found familiars 
  included in this list if only because they ﬁnd 
  time among mortals on the Material Plane to 
  be ponderous and dull because of their sped-
  up natures. Additionally, as chaotic evil fey, 
  they will not enter into service with 
  spellcasters of good alignment. However, 
  every so often, a spellcaster of neutral or evil 
  alignment can convince a quickling to 
  become a familiar by oﬀering them a chance 
  to create mischief and mayhem in the mortal 
  world.  
  Quicklings who agree to such an 
  arrangement often spend their time roaming 
  near the spellcaster rather than staying 
  stationary or moving at the spellcaster’s 
  speed. If the spellcaster needs them, they 
  use their 120 feet of speed to race to their 
  side and comply with the spellcaster’s 
  requests before returning to their roaming.  
  The most successful bonds are with 
  spellcasters who allow their quickling 
  familiars to wreak havoc when not needed by 
  the spellcaster. Given their limited lifespans 
  (15 years or less), quicklings who are 
  prevented from one of their greatest joys — 
  causing the suﬀering of others — will soon 
  tire of their familiar status and abandon the 
  spellcaster, often without a word, vanishing 
  in a blur.   
  Sprite 
  Another creature available to Pact of the 
  Chain warlocks, sprites lack the playfulness 
  and curiosity of their fey pixie brethren. 
  Instead they act as guardians and warriors 
  of the natural world. Spellcasters who wish 
  to appeal to sprites must convince them that 
  they will act in accordance with the sprite’s 
  goals.  
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  Additionally, since sprites have the Heart 
  Sight ability, they are able to discern the 
  sincerity of the spellcaster and will always 
  insist on touching an entreating spellcaster 
  to learn their heart. If a spellcaster is earnest 
  and sincere and makes a good argument for 
  why the sprite should become its familiar, a 
  sprite may agree to the familiar bond.  
  Sprites are less worried about being put 
  into dangerous situations and will tolerate 
  such circumstances when warranted, but 
  they will expect a bonded spellcaster to 
  respect and defend the natural world and 
  other good-aligned fey. If the spellcaster were 
  to ignore a threat to either, the sprite will 
  break the familiar bond and abandon the 
  spellcaster.  
  Tressym 
  While Tressym can, with the DM’s 
  permission, be summoned with the ﬁnd 
  familiar spell, they can also be attracted in 
  the wild by a spellcaster lucky enough to ﬁnd 
  one.  
  Tressym, like other creatures, can be 
  attracted by appealing to the creature’s 
  natural curiosity, though they do seem to 
  have a particular interest in wizards, perhaps 
  because of their probable origins as wizards’ 
  experiments. A wizard who demonstrates 
  some of their magical ability within sight of a 
  tressym will likely attract its attention.  
  When it comes to gifts of food, tressym 
  prefer live food so that they can hunt. Birds 
  and rodents are often good choices.  
  Since tressym are generally solitary 
  animals, recruiting them as familiars won’t 
  take them away from a family unit, 
  eliminating one element of resistance. 
  Tressym can be attracted to adventure and 
  exploration, especially if such a life allows 
  them to hunt unusual prey and tease other 
  creatures (especially dogs) 
  Finding the Familiar 
  Creatures suitable as familiars are either 
  encountered by chance (and therefore can’t 
  be planned for) or else they are sought out by 
  a spellcaster.  
  Finding a Familiar by Chance 
  The DM can choose to arrange for a meeting 
  between a spellcaster and a creature who 
  would make a suitable familiar. Such a 
  meeting may be a reward for previous actions 
  or an alternate to level advancement or 
  treasure.   
  In such a case, the DM will have chosen 
  the speciﬁc creature that may or may not 
  become a familiar. The spellcaster should be 
  aware that the creature is capable of 
  becoming a familiar (or else the creature 
  should inform the spellcaster). If not, an 
  Intelligence (Arcana) check should provide 
  that information.  
  Seeking a Familiar 
  Seeking out creatures suitable as familiars 
  creatures can be a fruitless activity. Even 
  knowing that suitable creatures frequent a 
  certain area doesn’t mean that the 
  spellcaster will be able to ﬁnd them, or even 
  if they do, that the speciﬁc creature they ﬁnd 
  will be willing to become a familiar.  
  Even so, some spellcasters are willing to 
  take the chance, hoping for a familiar who 
  will serve them. Such searches are often 
  made easier by manuals or maps created by 
  other such searchers. marking oﬀ the 
  territories of possible familiars and 
  indicating what actions and behaviors are 
  likely to attract such creatures. 
  Even if potential familiars are present in 
  the area, many such creatures can turn 
  invisible or will choose to remain unseen and 
  watch a spellcaster before making a choice to 
  reveal themselves. Many of the creatures 
  detailed above will test the spellcaster, most 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  often with jokes or pranks or tricks. If the 
  spellcaster receives these with anger or 
  hostility, the creature will leave, knowing that 
  at least they had some fun at a grumpy 
  humanoid’s expense.  
  If, however, the spellcaster receives these 
  in good humor and appreciation, the 
  creature may reveal themselves to the 
  spellcaster. Since many such creatures are 
  ruled by curiosity, knowing that the visitor is 
  of good humor and at least relatively safe 
  allows them to approach without fear. 
  However, even if a creature reveals itself, that 
  doesn’t mean that they accept the 
  spellcaster. What follows is often designed to 
  further test the spellcaster in conversation. If 
  the spellcaster appeals to the creature, they 
  will remain, but if not, they will disappear 
  often using invisibility or stealth. Such 
  conversations may be played out in real time 
  and judged on their own merits and/or may 
  require Charisma (Persuasion) checks, or in 
  some cases Charisma (Deception) checks, to 
  succeed. The DM should base the DC on the 
  creature, and the strength of the spellcaster’s 
  appeal, though this shouldn’t be lower than 
  10. Such attempts can be strengthened with  
  oﬀerings of food and/or treasure, and 
  usually involve ﬂattery and persuasion. It 
  should noted that if the spellcaster attempts 
  to deceive the creature and the attempt fails, 
  or else the deception is later made clear, the 
  diﬃculty of the next step, convincing the 
  creature to become a familiar (see below), 
  should be increased.  
  If the spellcaster is accompanied in such 
  situations by companions, the diﬃculty of 
  each of these steps may be increased 
  (especially if some of the companions aren’t 
  receptive to the ﬁrst attempts at interaction). 
  On the other hand, some creatures will 
  appreciate the presence of a gruﬀ member of 
  a party, knowing that they will provide an 
  endless source of amusement in later travels. 
  Summoning a Potential Familiar 
  In the case of imps and quasits, who 
  primarily dwell in the Nine Hells and the 
  Abyss respectively, the easiest way to 
  encounter such creatures may be to summon 
  them. Spellcasters have been summoning 
  such creatures for hundreds of years and so 
  spells and rituals for doing so can be 
  discovered or perhaps even bought.  
  It should be noted that while the spells 
  infernal calling, summon lesser demons, and 
  summon greater demon allow the spellcaster 
  to summon devils and demons of the 
  appropriate type, these spells aren’t suitable 
  for attracting a familiar since the summoned 
  devils and demons disappear when the spell 
  ends.  
  Finding a suitable spell or ritual can be 
  the subject of a side quest in a campaign, or 
  even a full adventure, or may be the reward 
  for completing a task. Such summoning 
  spells take a minimum of one hour (and can 
  take up to 24 hours), and they usually 
  require components worth at least 1000 gp, 
  all of which are consumed in the casting.  
  The Agreement 
  Once the spellcaster makes contact with a 
  creature suitable to be a familiar, the 
  spellcaster must then convince the creature 
  that it is in their interest to become a 
  familiar and be bonded to that spellcaster.  
  Such discussions require the spellcaster to 
  speak from the heart, and to explain to the 
  creature why such an arrangement would be 
  to its beneﬁt. Keep in mind that becoming a 
  bonded familiar means that the creature 
  must leave its previous life and travel with 
  the spellcaster. For some creatures, the 
  prospect of travel and adventure may be part 
  of the attraction of such an arrangement, 
  but the spellcaster should still make the best 
  case possible. While the player should 
  roleplay such a discussion, the DM may also 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  50
  
  require Charisma (Persuasion) checks to test 
  if the creature is persuaded. Previous 
  attempts at deception may work against such 
  eﬀorts.  
  If the spellcaster makes their case and it’s 
  believable (and/or the Charisma (Persuasion) 
  checks were successful), the creature will 
  agree to become the spellcaster’s familiar.  
  Imps and Quasits 
  Imps and quasits are handled slightly 
  diﬀerently than other creatures when the 
  spellcaster is negotiating the agreement. 
  While such creatures are more amenable 
  to service because of their ﬁendish goals, the 
  spellcaster must still make a convincing 
  case. In addition to Charisma (Persuasion) 
  checks (if required), the DM may allow 
  Charisma (Deception) or Charisma 
  (Intimidation) checks. Unlike other creatures, 
  imps and quasits respect tactics such as 
  deception and intimidation, even if the 
  attempts fail, and depending on the actual 
  argument, these attempts may actually 
  improve the spellcaster’s chance to convince 
  the creature.  
  Despite their willingness to serve, imps 
  and quasits will attempt to negotiate in a way 
  that beneﬁts them. Naive spellcasters can be 
  taken advantage of in such discussions if 
  they are not careful. Most often the imp or 
  quasit will require that the spellcaster 
  promise certain actions, usually to further 
  evil or chaos, though the nature of such 
  requests depend on the individuals involved 
  and how much the creature feels like it can 
  get away with. A favored tactic of such ﬁends 
  is to request something that seems 
  innocuous but that will later become sticky 
  for the spellcaster. An imp might require that 
  the spellcaster deal harshly with any 
  enemies and show no mercy. A quasit may 
  demand that the spellcaster steal small 
  trinkets as part of the arrangement.  
  The information these familiars gather 
  while in service can often be used to aid their 
  manipulations. The spellcaster who has 
  agreed to steal trinkets may be led to take a 
  valuable object that the familiar knows 
  belongs to someone who would be harmed by 
  its absence.  
  If the spellcaster reneges on their initial 
  agreement, or resists the familiar’s urgings 
  consistently, the imp or quasit can always 
  dangle the possibility of leaving the 
  spellcaster’s service, though that is usually 
  an empty threat (not that the spellcaster 
  knows that). 
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  The Monster Manual entries for the imp, pseudodragon, 
  and quasit familiar variants gives the range of sharing 
  senses as 1 mile rather than the 100 feet of the find 
  familiar spell. It also allows those creatures’ Magic 
  Resistance trait to be shared if the spellcaster is within 10 
  feet of the familiar. The DM, however, can choose to 
  duplicate the conditions of the find familiar spell if they 
  choose for the sake of consistency. 
  
  Fiendish familiars are also willing to turn 
  any circumstance to their favor. If the party 
  has taken a prisoner, for example, they might 
  urge the spellcaster to torture them for 
  information and then kill them, so that there 
  is no chance of the prisoner escaping to raise 
  the alarm or pursue them further.   
  Imps and quasits will only ask for a 
  commitment of the spellcaster’s soul if they 
  are certain of the spellcaster’s compliance, 
  and this is usually only in cases where the 
  spellcaster is desperate or in great need. All 
  but the most novice spellcasters are aware of 
  the value of souls to these ﬁends and will be 
  prepared for such tactics. Typically, an imp 
  or quasit prefers to play the long game, 
  hoping they can wear the spellcaster down 
  over time, little by little, until it’s too late. 
  The Ritual 
  Even when the creature in question has 
  agreed to become a familiar, a ritual is still 
  necessary to form the bond between 
  spellcaster and familiar. This ritual may take 
  between 1 hour and 1 day depending on the 
  ritual being used and the creature in 
  question. The ritual establishes the 
  telepathic bond between the spellcaster and 
  familiar and allows the familiar to deliver 
  touch spells on behalf of the spellcaster. It 
  also allows the spellcaster to see through the 
  familiar’s senses as per the ﬁnd familiar 
  spell.  
  Such bonding rituals are not commonly 
  known by spellcasters, regardless of the 
  spellcaster’s class. They must be learned, 
  either through ﬁnding or acquiring such a 
  ritual and studying it, or by locating 
  someone who knows the ritual and 
  convincing them to teach it. At the DM’s 
  discretion, such rituals can be purchased, 
  though sellers that oﬀer such rituals should 
  be rare and hard to ﬁnd and the cost of such 
  rituals should be at least 1000 gp.  
  Once the ritual is learned, the spellcaster 
  must perform it, which requires a mix of 
  material, somatic, and verbal components 
  and such components can cost up to 1000 
  gp or more. The bonding ritual, like the 
  creation rituals for constructed familiars, 
  also requires the expenditure of one or more 
  spell slots as the spellcaster infuses the 
  ritual with magical energy and forms the 
  mystical link with the familiar that allows it 
  to deliver touch spells on the spellcaster’s 
  behalf.  
  Once the ritual is complete, the spellcaster 
  and the familiar are bonded granting both 
  the telepathic bond in addition to the other 
  abilities mentioned above. However, the 
  familiar enters into the bond as a willing 
  participant. At any time and for any reason, 
  the familiar can end its service as a familiar, 
  ending the telepathic bond and any other 
  abilities it or the spellcaster gain from the 
  bond.  
  As such, spellcasters with found familiars 
  must ensure that their familiars are happy 
  and satisﬁed with their roles. Unhappy 
  familiars are likely to leave, depriving the 
  spellcaster of their utility. In order to ensure 
  continued harmony, spellcasters with found 
  familiars typically ensure that their familiars 
  are well-fed and that they are satisﬁed with 
  their service. It usually isn’t a good idea for 
  spellcasters to continually order their 
  familiars into dangerous situations or to 
  disregard their feelings. Much of the ongoing 
  relationship should be maintained through 
  roleplaying, however, in cases where the 
  familiar disagrees with a course of action, or 
  it’s dangerous, Charisma (Persuasion) checks 
  may be necessary. Charisma (Intimidation) 
  or Charisma (Deception) checks may also be 
  used, though these tactics have the 
  probability of destroying trust and damaging 
  the spellcaster/familiar relationship. 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  52
  
  Chapter 6: Familiar 
  Class Options 
  THE FOLLOWING CLASS OPTIONS 
  incorporate familiars and include new 
  subclasses that expand on the familiar’s 
  abilities.  
  Bard 
  It was the damnedest thing. This man played 
  his lute while this little monkey played 
  percussion at his feet, dancing in time with 
  the music. The audience was entranced.  
   
   
  —Cozlan, itinerant wanderer 
  Bards already gain access to the ﬁnd familiar
  spell, either at 10th level when they gain the 
  Magical Secrets ability, or at 6th level if in 
  the College of Lore. However, some Bards 
  have learned to incorporate not only the 
  spell, but the use of a familiar into their 
  performances. At 3rd level, when a bard 
  gains the Bard College feature, the College of 
  Harmony is now available to them, in 
  addition to the options oﬀered elsewhere.  
  Bard College: College of 
  Harmony 
  The College of Harmony is home to bards 
  who have incorporated the use of an animal 
  into their performances and in their 
  extracurricular activities as well.  
  Such bards are usually loners, performing 
  only with their familiars, and they are most 
  likely found performing on the street, or 
  perhaps in a tavern or town faire. Some 
  bards look down at members of the College 
  of Harmony seeing their use of a familiar as 
  a kind of gimmick, but there can be no doubt 
  that their performances attract a lot of 
  attention and when engaged in an adventure, 
  or in gathering information, or even illicit 
  activities, the familiar can prove immensely 
  useful. 
  Bards of the College of Harmony often use 
  raven familiars for their ability to mimic 
  sound, and monkeys for their ability to dance 
  and perform acrobatics, though other 
  familiars can be used, assuming they can 
  perform in some way.  
  College of Harmony Features 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
   53
  Some bards of the College of Harmony have 
  been known to emulate the snake charmers 
  of certain areas, using snake familiars and 
  engaging in elaborate musical acts where 
  they appear to be “charming” the beast, but 
  are actually working in concert with the 
  animal. A small deception to be sure, but 
  one I’ve been told can be quite lucrative. 
  Bard Level
  Feature
  3rd
  Bonus Proficiencies, Song of Harmony
  6th
  Disorienting Performance
  14th
  Inspiring Companion
  
  Bonus Proficiencies 
  When you join the College of Harmony at 3rd 
  level, you gain proﬁciency with the Animal 
  Handling and Nature skills.  
  Song of Harmony 
  Also at 3rd level, you learn the ﬁnd familiar 
  spell and it is considered a bard spell for you 
  and doesn’t count against the number of 
  spells that you know. You can cast this spell 
  as a ritual.  
  Additionally, your familiar has the 
  Performance skill in addition to any other 
  skills and its value is 10 + your Charisma 
  modiﬁer. Whenever you attempt a Charisma 
  (Performance) check, and your familiar is 
  assisting you, you have advantage on that 
  roll.  
  If you perform with your familiar for at 
  least 1 minute, you may use the magic of 
  your combined performance to cloak the 
  familiar in a feeling of goodwill. At the end of 
  the performance, choose a number of 
  humanoids within 60 feet of you who 
  watched and listened to all of it, up to a 
  number equal to your Charisma modiﬁer 
  (minimum of one). Each target must attempt 
  a Wisdom saving throw against your spell 
  save DC. If the target fails, they have 
  disadvantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  to detect your familiar.  
  Disorienting Performance 
   
  Starting at 6th level, your familiar can use 
  its performance skills to aid you in combat. 
  As an action, the familiar can use its 
  performance to distract or bewilder an 
  enemy. Choose one creature within 60 feet of 
  your familiar that can see or hear it. During 
  your familiar’s performance, that creature 
  has disadavantage on all attacks and saving 
  throws due to its distraction and all attacks 
  made on that creature are made with 
  advantage. This eﬀect lasts for 1 minute, 
  until the target is unconscious or dead, or 
  until your familiar is unconscious or dead. 
  During this time your familiar can take no 
  other actions, though it can still move. Once 
  your familiar does this, they can’t do so 
  again until you ﬁnish a long rest. 
  Inspiring Companion 
  At 14th level, your familiar’s bond with you 
  grants it its own inspiration die that it can 
  use as an action on its own turn. You choose 
  one creature within 60 feet of your familiar 
  who can see or hear it and that creature 
  gains one Bardic Inspiration die, a d6. This 
  inspiration die can be granted to you if you 
  are within 60 feet of your familiar and can 
  see or hear it. Once expended, this 
  inspiration die is regained after you ﬁnish a 
  long rest. This die becomes a d8 when you 
  reach 18th level. 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
   54
  
  Cleric 
  The diﬀerence between us and beasts is 
  smaller than one might think. The width of a 
  hair, or the length of a heartbeat. Blood unites 
  us and connects us.  
   
   
  —Keret, Cleric of Mielikki 
  Clerics can gain the ﬁnd familiar spell using 
  the Magic Initiate or Ritual Caster feats. 
  Given the cleric’s large number of touch 
  spells, this can be a wise investment. A full 
  list of touch spells currently available to the 
  cleric follows.  
  Cantrips  
  Guidance. Aid your friends in their ability 
  checks without having to get close to them.  
  Light. See Chapter 1. 
  Mending. See Chapter 1. 
  Resistance. If necessary, you can give an 
  ally help with saving throws without having 
  to touch them. Since the cantrip lasts up to 
  1 minute, it often won’t be necessary, but 
  can help if the target is out of reach.  
  Spare the Dying. Extremely useful if the 
  creature you’re trying to stabilize is on the 
  far side of a group of enemies. Send your 
  familiar (even better if your familiar can ﬂy) 
  to deliver the spell and prevent further death 
  saves.  
  1st Level Spells 
  Ceremony. One of the few spells that doesn’t 
  beneﬁt from having a familiar since the 
  casting time is an hour and will usually 
  occur outside of combat. 
  Cure Wounds. Since the spell requires you to 
  touch the creature you want to heal, casting 
  it through your familiar allows you to 
  increase the range by sending your familiar 
  to touch the creature that needs healing.  
  Inﬂict Wounds. As with cure wounds, allows 
  you to inﬂict wounds at a distance.  
  Protection from Evil and Good. See 
  Chapter 1. 
  2nd Level Spells 
  Continual Flame. See Chapter 1. 
  Enhance Ability. Buﬀ at a distance. 
  Gentle Repose. See Chapter 1. 
  Lesser Restoration. Useful in combat if an 
  ally is aﬀected by the blindness, deafness, 
  paralyzed, or poisoned conditions and are 
  not reachable because of enemies or 
  hazards. 
  Protection from Poison. Protect from a 
  distance. 
  Warding Bond. Protect from a distance. 
  3rd Level Spells 
  Bestow Curse. See Chapter 1. 
  Feign Death. See Chapter 1. 
  Glyph of Warding. See Chapter 1. 
  Meld into Stone. Not enhanced by a 
  familiar’s aid as you need to touch the stone 
  you will merge with. 
  Protection from Energy. See Chapter 1. 
  Remove Curse. See Chapter 1. 
  Revivify. Bring a creature back from the 
  death at a distance. 
  Tongues. See Chapter 1. 
  4th Level Spells 
  Death Ward. Protect from a distance. 
  Freedom of Movement. Buﬀ at a distance. 
  5th Level Spells 
  Contagion. Turn your familiar into a 
  pestilence beast and increase the range by 
  which you can infect an enemy with a 
  disease. 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
   55
  
  Greater Restoration. Probably most useful 
  if facing a medusa or other creature who can 
  petrify so that you can end that eﬀect from a 
  distance (and without risking your own 
  petriﬁcation).  
  Hallow. The casting time on this spell is 24 
  hours, but a familiar can help the cleric 
  reach a place they can’t get to to perform the 
  ritual.  
  Holy Weapon. You’re unlikely to use a 
  familiar to help you cast this on your own 
  weapon, but can have your familiar help you 
  cast this on an ally’s weapon, and since the 
  casting time is a bonus action, you still get to 
  perform an action on your turn.  
  Raise Dead. The casting time for this spell is 
  1 hour, but if the body the cleric wishes to 
  raise is in some secured location or 
  otherwise out of reach, a familiar can help 
  with that.  
  6th Level Spells 
  Forbiddance. Protect an area from a 
  distance. 
  True Seeing. See Chapter 1. 
  7th Level Spells 
  Plane Shift. See Chapter 1. 
  Regenerate. Buﬀ at a distance. 
  Resurrection. Resurrect at a distance. 
  Symbol. See Chapter 1. 
  8th Level Spells 
  None  
  9th Level Spells 
  True Resurrection. Truly resurrect at a 
  distance. 
  Divine Domain: Beast Domain 
  For those who want specialized familiar 
  abilities, there is the Beast Domain. Beast 
  Domain clerics worship gods like Mielikki 
  and Baervan Wildwanderer. They believe in 
  respecting beasts and working with them. 
  They ﬁght adamantly against the 
  mistreatment and abuse of animals.  
  While some consider the Beast domain to 
  be an oﬀshoot of the Nature Domain, true 
  adherents know that it’s a distinct domain.  
  Beast Domain Features 
  Cleric Level
  Feature
  1st
  Bonus Proficiencies, Beast Speech
  2nd
  Channel Divinity: Blessing of the Wild
  6th
  Blood Bond
  8th
  Fierce Familiar
  17th
  Beast Friendship
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
   56
  
  Domain Spells 
  You gain domain spells at the cleric levels 
  listed in the Beast Domain Spells table. See 
  the Divine Domain class feature for how 
  domain spells work. 
  Beast Domain Spells 
  Bonus Proficiencies 
  At 1st level you gain proﬁciency with both 
  the Animal Handling and Nature skills.  
  Beast Speech 
  At 1st level you gain the ability to speak with 
  animals per the eﬀects of the spell. As an 
  action, you can attune yourself to the 
  language of beasts and can comprehend and 
  verbally communicate with them for 1 
  minute.  
  You can use this feature a number of times 
  equal to your Wisdom modiﬁer (minimum of 
  once). You regain all expended uses when 
  you ﬁnish a long rest.  
  Channel Divinity: Blessing of the 
  Wild 
  Starting at 2nd level, you can use your 
  Channel Divinity to empower one beast that 
  you can see within 30 feet. This can also be 
  applied to your familiar, if you have one.   
  As an action, you present your holy symbol 
  and bless your target granting it 2d10 
  temporary hit points, and a bonus to its 
  attack rolls, ability checks, and armor class 
  equals to your Wisdom modiﬁer (minimum of 
  one). These bonuses last for 1 minute.  
  Blood Bond 
  Beginning at 6th level, when you cast a spell 
  of 1st level or higher that restores hit points 
  to a creature, you may also restore hit points 
  to a beast of your choice as long as that 
  beast is within 60 feet of you. Choose one 
  beast when you cast the spell. That beast 
  gains hit points equal to 1d8 + the spell’s 
  level. This can be applied to your familiar, if 
  you have one.  
  Fierce Familiar 
  At 8th level, your familiar gains the ability to 
  take the attack action on its turn. 
  Additionally, its attacks do an additional 1d6 
  damage of the same type.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  Cleric Level
  Spells
  1st
  find familiar, animal friendship
  3rd
  animal messenger, beast sense
  5th
  conjure animals, phantom steed
  7th
  dominate beast, giant insect
  9th
  awaken, insect plague
  
  Beast Friendship 
  At 17th level, beasts recognize your devotion 
  to them. Your Beast Speech ability becomes 
  permanent, and you gain advantage on all 
  ability checks and saving throws that involve 
  beasts. Beasts are also reluctant to attack 
  you and will choose other targets if any are 
  available. If there are no other targets, the 
  beast’s attacks against you are made with 
  disadvantage 
  Fighter 
  I’ll never forget it. There I was, on the ﬁeld of 
  battle, preparing to attack the lead warrior, 
  when all of a sudden a shadow blocked out 
  the sun and all I could see was a whirlwind of  
  feathers and talons. As I waved the crazed 
  bird away, the warrior struck me with a blow 
  that left me bleeding on the ground, and my 
  arm a good 10 feet away from me.  
             — Jarlasque the Singled, mercenary 
  While ﬁghters don’t have much to do with 
  familiars, Eldritch Knights can learn the ﬁnd 
  familiar spell once they reach 3rd level as 
  their one non-abjuration, non-evocation 
  choice. Familiars can be a great boon for the 
  enterprising Eldritch Knight for all of the 
  reasons speciﬁed in previous chapters. 
  Paladin 
  She appeared atop the hill, the knight on 
  horseback, a hawk perched on her arm. I 
  didn’t have time to look too closely because 
  the enemy was upon us and I took a blow to 
  my head that dropped me. As I lay in the 
  mud, gripped by pain and waiting for death, 
  the hawk appeared before me, and it touched 
  me with its beak, and I felt warmth ﬂood into 
  me. Somehow, I was made whole once more. I 
  know how it sounds, and that I was close to 
  death, but I swear ’tis the truth.  
   
   
   
  — Meryl Lysor, soldier 
  While paladins don’t have access to ﬁnd 
  familiar, and instead have the ﬁnd steed spell 
  (see Chapter 10), those with the Magic 
  Initiate or Ritual Caster feats can beneﬁt 
  from a familiar’s ability to deliver touch 
  spells.  
  Additionally, paladins who devote 
  themselves to the Oath of Vigilance gain 
  familiar-like guardian spirits which take the 
  form of birds. 
  Sacred Oath: Oath of Vigilance 
  The Oath of Vigilance is for paladins who are 
  devoted to being vigilant against threats to 
  the world. These threats may take a variety 
  of shapes and each Oath of Vigilance paladin 
  must choose a type of threat that they are 
  vigilant against, whether that be intrusions 
  from the lower planes, undead, evil magic, 
  monstrosities, or some other source.  
  While these paladins are always alert for 
  such threats, being perceptive is not enough. 
  Paladins who follow the Oath of Vigilance 
  must seek out these threats when they are 
  identiﬁed, hunt them down, and eliminate 
  them for the good of all.  
  Tenets of Vigilance 
  The tenets of the Oath of Vigilance vary 
  slightly depending on the paladin’s chosen 
  threat, but usually stay close to the 
  following.  
  Be Wary. The forces of evil are always 
  preparing. Do no be complacent. Be ready.  
  Be Vigilant. You are the eyes that guard 
  the world. Keep those eyes ever open.  
  Seek Out Danger. When you ﬁ nd a 
  threat, it is not enough to wait for it to 
  appear. You must go to meet it.  
  Eliminate Threats. And when you meet 
  it, destroy it, so that it can’t threaten anyone 
  else. 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  Oath of Vigilance Features 
  Oath Spells 
  You gain oath spells at the paladin levels 
  listed in the Oath of Vigilance Spells table. 
  See the Sacred Oath class feature for how 
  oath spells work. 
  Oath of Vigilance Spells 
  Channel Divinity 
  When you take this oath at 3rd level, you 
  gain the following two Channel Divinity 
  options. See the Sacred Oath class feature 
  for how Channel Divinity works.  
  Spirit of Vigilance. You can use your 
  Channel Divinity to summon a spirit of 
  vigilance which takes the form of a hawk, 
  owl, or raven. This spirit has the statistics of 
  its beast form, but is a celestial, fey, or ﬁ end 
  (your choice).  
  This spirit acts independently of you, but 
  it always obeys your commands. In combat, 
  it rolls its own initiative and acts on its own 
  turn. A familiar can take actions as normal, 
  however it can only attack if you forgo one of 
  your own attacks when you take the attack 
  action. You can add your Charisma modiﬁer 
  to its attack rolls and ability checks, and it 
  gains temporary hit points equal to half your 
  paladin level.  
  When the spirit drops to 0 hit points, it 
  disappears, leaving behind no physical form. 
  It reappears the next time you use this 
  feature. 
  While the spirit is within 100 feet of you, 
  you can communicate with it telepathically. 
  Additionally, as an action, you can see 
  through the spirit's eyes and hear what it 
  hears until the start of your next turn, 
  gaining the beneﬁts of any special senses 
  that the familiar has. During this time, you 
  are deaf and blind with regard to your own 
  senses. 
  The spirit remains with you until it is 
  reduced to 0 hit points, or until you take a 
  short or long rest. Alternately, you can 
  dismiss the spirit as an action. Once 
  dismissed, the spirit will only reappear if you 
  use this Channel Divinity feature again. 
  Finally, when you cast a spell with a range 
  of touch, the spirit can deliver the spell as if 
  it had cast the spell. The spirit must be 
  within 100 feet of you, and it 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. Additionally, 
  the spirit can also deliver your Lay on Hands 
  Paladin Level
  Feature
  3rd
  Oath Spells, Channel Divinity
  7th
  Aura of Alertness (10 ft.)
  15th
  Spirit Restoration
  18th
  Aura of Alertness (30 ft.)
  20th
  Vigilant Angel
  Paladin Level
  Spells
  3rd
  bane, hunter’s mark
  5th
  knock, misty step
  9th
  slow, spirit guardians
  13th
  arcane eye, freedom of movement
  17th
  far step, scrying
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
   59
  
  class feature in the same way — it must be 
  within 100 feet of you, and must use its 
  reaction to touch the target creature.  
  Attentive Watcher. You can use your 
  Channel Divinity to augment your senses. As 
  a bonus action, you grant yourself a +5 
  bonus to Wisdom (Perception) checks and 
  Intelligence (Investigation) checks for the 
  next 10 minutes.  
  Aura of Alertness 
  Starting at 7th level, you and friendly 
  creatures within 10 feet of you can’t be 
  surprised while you are conscious.  
  At 18th level, the range of this aura 
  increases to 30 feet.  
  Spirit Restoration 
  Starting at 15th level, if your spirit of 
  vigilance is reduced to 0 hit points, or is 
  dismissed, you can summon it again as a 
  bonus action. The spirit returns with full hit 
  points and unaﬀected by any conditions it 
  may have had previously.  
  Vigilant Angel 
  At 20th level, you can assume the form of a 
  vigilant angel. Using your action, you 
  undergo a transformation. For 1 hour, you 
  gain the following beneﬁts: 
  • Wings sprout from your back and grant you 
  a ﬂying speed of 60 feet.  
  • A third eye opens on your forehead, 
  granting you 60 feet of truesight. This 
  enables you to see in normal and magical 
  darkness, see invisible creatures and 
  objects, automatically detect visual 
  illusions and succeed on saving throws 
  against them, and perceive the original 
  form of a shapechanger or a creature that 
  is transformed by magic. Furthermore, you 
  can see into the Ethereal Plane within the 
  same range. 
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it 
  again until you ﬁnish a long rest.  
  Rogue 
  He never went anywhere without that snake. 
  It was like a part of him. That’s what earned 
  him the name Two Snakes.  
                             — Tol Quickﬁngers, Thief 
  Arcane Trickster rogues can learn the ﬁnd 
  familiar spell once they reach 3rd level as 
  their one non-enchantment, non-illusion 
  spell. Arcane Tricksters tend to select 
  familiars with good stealth capabilities that 
  can be easily concealed such as rats, snakes, 
  and spiders, though it should be noted that 
  familiars can help to enable sneak attack for 
  the rogue by positioning themselves within 5 
  feet of an enemy. If that is a priority for the 
  arcane trickster, then a more mobile familiar, 
  like a hawk, owl, or raven, could be more 
  useful.  
  Sorcerer 
  I had to ask Jaron if I had been drinking 
  because I couldn’t believe my eyes. She had 
  blue hair, and was festooned with bracelets 
  and beads. That alone would have stood out 
  in the tavern, but ﬂoating over her shoulder 
  was a bright red ﬁsh with butterﬂy wings and 
  tiny arms and hands instead of ﬁns. Jaron 
  said I hadn’t been drinking, but you can bet I 
  did after that.  
   
   
  — anonymous tavern patron 
  Sorcerers don’t oﬃcially have access to the 
  ﬁnd familiar spell, but the DM can allow 
  them to take that spell if it ﬁts with the 
  sorcerer’s concept. Of course that spell 
  would take up one of the sorcerer’s valuable 
  known spells. Optionally, sorcerers who want 
  a unique familiar can opt for the 
  Dreamweaver sorcerous origin.  
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   60
  
  Sorcerous Origin: Dreamweaver 
  Dreamweaver sorcerers contain a spark of 
  divine creation inside of them. You may be 
  distantly related to, or be blessed by, a god of 
  creation, or else you are connected to an 
  entity of dreams. You tend to be very 
  creative, though that sometimes may strike 
  others as odd or eccentric. Dreamweaver 
  sorcerers often dye their hair in unusual 
  colors or wear ﬂamboyant or unique clothing. 
  Others, however, like to be unnoticeable and 
  obscure, letting their creations speak for 
  them.  
  Dreamweaver Quirks 
  Dreamweaver Features 
  Fictive Familiar 
  Starting at 1st level, you gain a familiar 
  which is a manifestation of your imagination, 
  a creature pulled from dreams. This familiar 
  has the statistics below, but can be of any 
  appearance that you desire, save that it must 
  be Tiny in size, and must be visible.  
  As an action, you can cause this familiar 
  to manifest, appearing in an unoccupied 
  space within 10 feet of you. Your familiar 
  acts independently of you, but it always 
  obeys your commands. In combat, it rolls its 
  own initiative and acts on its own turn. A 
  ﬁctive familiar can’t attack, but it can take 
  other actions as normal. When the familiar 
  drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving 
  behind no physical form. After you complete 
  a short or long rest, you can manifest the 
  familiar again as an action.  
  When your ﬁctive familiar is within 100 
  feet of you, you can communicate with it 
  telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you 
  can see through your familiar’s eyes and 
  hear what it hears until the start of your 
  next turn. During this time you are deaf and 
  blind with regards to your own senses.  
  As an action you can dismiss your familiar. 
  It disappears back into your dreams where it 
  awaits your summons. As an action, while it 
  is temporarily dismissed, you can cause it to 
  reappear in any unoccupied space within 30 
  feet of you.  
  Alternatively, you can dismiss your ﬁctive 
  familiar forever. If so, you can always 
  manifest a new ﬁctive familiar, as long as 
  you’ve completed a long rest. You can choose 
  a new unique form for this new familiar.  
  Finally, when you cast a spell with a range 
  of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell 
  as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must 
  be within 100 feet of you, and it must use its 
  reaction to deliver the spell when you cast it. 
  If the spell requires an attack roll, use your 
  attack modiﬁer for the roll.  
  d6
  Quirk
  1
  You like to dye your hair unusual colors. 
  2
  You wear lots of jewelry, which you make 
  yourself.
  3
  Your fingers are constantly stained by ink or 
  paint. 
  4
  You like to wear brightly colored or 
  unconventional clothing. 
  5
  You are extremely shy and socially awkward 
  unless you are talking about one of your 
  creations. 
  6
  You speak in rhyme or in a singsong voice more 
  often than not. 
  Sorcerer Level
  Feature
  1st
  Fictive Familiar
  6th
  Project Nightmare
  14th
  Fictive Revision
  18th
  Dream Cloak
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
   61
  
  Project Nightmare 
  Starting at 6th level, you gain the ability to 
  reach into an enemy’s mind and draw out an 
  image from their nightmares and manifest it. 
  Choose one creature within 30 feet of you. As 
  an action you can spend 1 sorcery point to 
  cause that creature to make a 
  Wisdom saving throw against 
  your sorcerer spell save DC. If 
  that creature fails its saving 
  throw, it is frightened for 1 
  minute.  A creature that 
  makes its saving throw is 
  immune to this ability 
  for 24 hours.  
  Additionally, for 1 
  additional sorcery 
  point, you can 
  transmit the 
  nightmare image 
  through your 
  familiar, aﬀecting 
  one creature 
  within 30 feet of it 
  instead of you.  
  Fictive Revision 
  Beginning at 14th level, you can reach into 
  your imagination to give your ﬁctive familiar 
  additional abilities.  
  Choose one of the following revisions. As 
  an action, you can give your familiar these 
  additional abilities which last for 1 hour. You 
  choose how these abilities manifest in your 
  familiar, whether they sprout additional body 
  parts, transform or some other option.  
  Aquatic. Your familiar gains aquatic 
  abilities, manifesting as gills, ﬁns or other 
  revisions of your choice. It can breathe 
  underwater for as long as the feature lasts 
  and gains a swim speed of 60 feet.  
  Covert. Your familiar becomes stealthier, 
  turning darker, or more shadowy, or smaller, 
  or another revision of your choice. It gains a 
  +4 bonus to all Dexterity (Stealth) checks 
  and Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect the 
  familiar are made with disadvantage.  
  Defensive. Your familiar assumes a 
  defensive form, gaining armor or plates or 
  another revision of your choice. It gets a +2 
  bonus to its Armor Class and gains 2d10 
  temporary hit points.  
  Oﬀensive. Your familiar assumes an 
  aggressive combat form, gaining claws or 
  spikes or another revision of your choice. It 
  can take the attack action on its turn and 
  gains the following: 
  Revision. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one creature. Hit: 4 (1d8) psychic damage. 
  Swift. Your familiar assumes a faster form, 
  gaining feet, or bigger wings or another 
  revision of your choice. All of its movement 
  speeds are doubled for the duration and it 
  gains a +4 bonus to its initiative rolls.  
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it 
  again until you ﬁnish a long rest. 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
   62
  Fictive Familiar 
  Tiny aberration, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12
  Hit Points  4 (1d4+2) 
  Speed 30 ft., fly 30 ft. 
  STR        DEX       CON      INT       WIS       CHA 
  4 (-3)   12 (+1)  10 (+0)   4 (-3)   12 (+1)   7 (-2) 
  Skills Perception +3, Stealth +3  
  Senses darkvision 30 ft., passive Perception 13 
  Languages —
  Challenge 0 (10 XP)
  Flyby. The fictive familiar doesn’t provoke 
  opportunity attacks when it flies out of an enemy’s 
  reach.
  
  Dream Cloak 
  Starting at 18th level, you can spend 6 
  sorcery points as a bonus action to merge 
  with your familiar, magically cloaking 
  yourself in dreamstuﬀ. While cloaked in this 
  way, your familiar can not move or take any 
  actions and you have resistance to all 
  damage except psychic damage and any 
  hostile creature within 5 feet takes 1d6 
  psychic damage every turn they remain 
  within range. 
  You remain cloaked for 1 minute. The 
  cloak ends early if you are incapacitated, if 
  you die, or if you dismiss it as a bonus 
  action. Once this feature ends, your familiar 
  returns to its natural form.   
  Wizard  
  What I don’t understand is how they expected 
  me to pick just one school of magic to focus on. 
  Just one. Instead I opted for a way to help 
  enhance all of my magic.  
   
  — Sefraim Dulesh, Lifebond Wizard 
  Wizards, along with warlocks, most 
  commonly utilize familiars through the ﬁnd 
  familiar spell. However, some wizards choose 
  to devote their attention to working with their 
  familiar rather than focusing on one speciﬁc 
  school of magic. Such wizards are known as 
  Lifebond Wizards.  
  Arcane Tradition: The Lifebond 
  Unlike wizards who follow a speciﬁc school of 
  magic, lifebond wizards focus their magical 
  development around their familiar, which 
  becomes a central part of their spellcasting 
  ability. Lifebond Wizards have learned the 
  secret to infusing the familiar with some of 
  their life essence, forming a strong bond that 
  allows them to accomplish more with the 
  familiar and also grants the familiar 
  additional agency and power.  
  Lifebond Features 
  Vital Bond 
  Beginning when you select this tradition at 
  2nd level you can cast the ﬁnd familiar spell 
  in a fraction of the time it would normally 
  take — 10 minutes (or 20 minutes if casting 
  the spell as a ritual). When you cast this 
  spell for the ﬁrst time, you summon a 
  familiar of above average intelligence and 
  abilities and create a mystical bond with it, 
  instilling the familiar with some of your life 
  essence. Your familiar gains a bonus to its 
  Intelligence and armor class equal to your 
  Intelligence bonus. This bonus increases if 
  your Intelligence bonus increases. 
  Additionally, your familiar gains a bonus to 
  its maximum hit points equal to your level. 
  This bonus increases every time you gain a 
  level.  
  Additionally, on each of your turns when 
  your familiar is present, you can forgo one of 
  your attacks to allow your familiar to attack 
  instead.   
  Because of your bond with the familiar, 
  and the life essence shared with it, if your 
  familiar dies or is dismissed and not 
  resummoned within 8 hours, your maximum 
  hit points will be reduced to half until your 
  familiar is resummoned.  
  Life Transference 
  Starting at 6th level, if your familiar is within 
  30 feet of you, and is damaged by an attack, 
  you can choose to transfer the damage from 
  that attack to yourself, subtracting the 
  damage amount from your own hit points. 
  Wizard Level
  Feature
  2nd
  Vital Bond
  6th
  Life Transference
  10th
  Arcane Connection
  14th
  Mystic Evolution
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
   63
  
  Alternately, if your familiar is within 30 feet 
  of you and you are damaged by an attack, 
  you can apply that damage to your familiar’s 
  hit points instead of your own. Once you use 
  this ability, you can’t use it again until you 
  complete a long rest.  
  Additionally, when your familiar is within 
  30 feet of you, you gain a bonus as indicated 
  on the following table based on the familiar’s 
  current form:  
  Familiar Bonuses 
  Arcane Connection  
  Starting at 10th level, your connection with 
  your familiar allows you to include it in some 
  spell eﬀects. When you cast a spell that 
  targets you, you may also target your 
  familiar. This doesn’t count as an additional 
  target for spells that allow for multiple 
  targets. The familiar must be within 5 feet of 
  you to be aﬀected and for spells with a 
  duration longer than instantaneous, the 
  familiar must remain within 5 feet to 
  continue to be aﬀected. If it leaves this 
  range, the spell stops aﬀecting it for the 
  duration of the spell.   
  Additionally, you can choose to have a spell 
  with the target of Self aﬀect your familiar 
  rather than yourself. 
  Mystic Evolution 
  At 14th level, your familiar’s exposure to 
  your magical arts grant it additional beneﬁts. 
  It gains resistance to damage from spells and 
  has advantage on saving throws against 
  magical eﬀects. Additionally, its natural 
  attacks count as magical when ﬁguring out 
  resistance.  
  Familiar form
  Bonus
  Almiraj
  +2 to Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  that rely on hearing or sight
  Badger
  + 3 to Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  that rely on smell
  Bat
  +3 to Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  that rely on hearing
  Cat
  +2 to Stealth or + 5’ climbing speed
  Crab
  +10’ swimming speed
  Dog
  +3 to Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  that rely on smell
  Flying monkey
  +2 to Acrobatics
  Flying squirrel
  +2 to Acrobatics
  Fox
  +3 to Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  that rely on smell
  Frog (toad)
  +5' to jumping distance
  Hawk
  +3 to Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  that rely on sight
  Large centipede
  +5 to Constitution saving throws vs 
  poison
  Large Fire Beetle
  +2 to Perception
  Lizard
  +5’ climbing speed
  Monkey
  +2 to Acrobatics
  Octopus
  +2 to Stealth
  Otter
  +5’ to swimming speed
  Owl
  +2 to Perception
  Poisonous snake
  +5 to Constitution saving throws vs 
  poison
  Quipper
  +10’ to swimming speed
  Rat
  +3 to Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  that rely on smell
  Raven
  +2 to Performance
  Sea Horse
  +10’ swimming speed
  Scorpion
  +5' climbing speed
  Spider
  +5' climbing speed
  Tressym
  +3 to Wisdom (Perception) checks 
  that rely on smell
  Weasel
  +2 to Stealth
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
   64
  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  Part 2: Animal 
  Companions
  
  Chapter 7: Animal 
  Companions 
  Unlike familiars who are bonded to their 
  spellcasters and linked mentally, animal 
  companions, available to the Beast Master 
  Ranger, are just that — companions, animals 
  that accompany the ranger and are trained 
  to ﬁght alongside them. Animal companions 
  do not share a telepathic link and do not 
  always follow the ranger’s commands, but 
  they are loyal and aid the ranger as best they 
  can. 
  Companions vs. 
  Familiars 
  It’s not just that animal companions lack the 
  telepathic link that familiars have and are 
  larger (Medium size or less); their very 
  purpose is diﬀerent. The ranger’s animal 
  companion is meant to help the ranger track 
  and navigate the wilderness, and to help the 
  ranger in combat.  
  Animal companions are actual beasts, not 
  spirits that take beast form, and live out 
  natural lives during their service to the 
  ranger. If the companion dies, the ranger 
  must form a bond with a new creature, 
  spending 8 hours to bond with it.  
  The Beast Master’s animal companion acts 
  on the ranger’s initiative, so in eﬀect the 
  ranger and beast share an action — either 
  the beast takes an action or the ranger does. 
  When the ranger gains the Extra Attack 
  feature, each gets one attack. The ranger 
  must command the beast to act, otherwise 
  the companion can take the dodge action.  
  Also unlike standard familiars, the animal 
  companion can grow and improve over time. 
  The ranger adds their proﬁciency bonus to 
  the companion’s AC, attack rolls, and 
  damage rolls, as well as to any saving throws 
  and skills it is proﬁcient in. As the ranger’s 
  bonus increases, so does the companion’s.  
  Additionally, the companion’s hit point 
  maximum is its normal maximum or four 
  times the ranger’s level, whichever is higher. 
  As the ranger gains levels, this can allow the 
  companion to become heartier and withstand 
  more damage.  
  Finally, the companion can move stealthily 
  with the ranger through the ranger’s favored 
  terrain, when it’s only the two of them.  
  The Revised Ranger 
  The alternative to the Beast Master ranger is 
  the unoﬃcial (at the time of this writing) 
  revised ranger from Unearthed Arcana. The 
  Beast Conclave option for such rangers also 
  grants an animal companion, though this 
  companion is handled slightly diﬀerently.  
  Unlike the standard ranger from the 
  Player’s Handbook, the revised ranger’s 
  animal companion gets its own initiative roll 
  and gets to attack on its turn, having no 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  eﬀect on the ranger’s attacks. When the 
  ranger reaches 5th level, in lieu of the Extra 
  Attack feature the companion gets the ability 
  to make a melee attack as a reaction on the 
  ranger’s turn as long as the companion can 
  see the ranger, giving them together the 
  possibility of 3 attacks in a round.  
  If the animal companion dies, the ranger 
  can bring it back to life in a magical 
  procedure that takes 8 hours. In this way, a 
  ranger can theoretically keep the same 
  companion for their entire career.  
  As with the standard Beast Master ranger, 
  the revised ranger’s companion gets to add 
  the ranger’s proﬁciency bonus to skills and 
  attack rolls as well as AC and damage rolls. 
  However, the revised animal companion also 
  becomes proﬁcient in 2 skills (the ranger’s 
  choice) and all saving throws, allowing it to 
  add the proﬁciency bonus to any saving 
  throw it needs to make.  
  The revised animal companion is capable 
  of more growth than the standard 
  companion as well. For each level after 3rd 
  level (when the ranger gains the Beast 
  Conclave feature), the companion gains a hit 
  die and increases its hit points accordingly 
  giving it a steady growth in durability. It also 
  gains an Ability Score Improvement every 
  time the ranger does, either increasing one 
  ability score by 2, or two ability scores by 1. 
  As if that wasn’t enough, the companion 
  gets the beneﬁts of the ranger’s Favored 
  Enemy feature (and Greater Favored Enemy) 
  giving it a bonus to damage rolls against 
  those enemies, and advantage on Wisdom 
  (Survival) checks to track them (as well as 
  giving it advantage on saving throws against 
  spells and abilities used by the greater 
  favored enemy). If your DM allows the Beast 
  Conclave Revised Ranger, it deﬁnitely is an 
  improvement on the standard Beast Master 
  Ranger.  
  Standard Companions 
  The Player’s Handbook establishes the 
  guidelines for animal companions as a beast 
  of no larger than Medium size with a 
  challenge rating (CR) of 1/4 or less.  
  Below is a list of all possible choices from 
  the Monster Manual and Volo’s Guide to 
  Monsters. Also included in the list are the 
  ape and black bear, companions allowed to 
  the Unearthed Arcana Revised Ranger 
  despite their CR of 1/2. 
  Ape. One of the ape’s biggest advantages is 
  that it has both melee (ﬁst) and ranged (rock) 
  attacks. Rocks are easy to come by and one 
  could even ﬁt the ape with a bag of rocks to 
  have plenty of ammunition.  
  Black Bear. The black bear oﬀers a climbing 
  speed of 30 feet, keen smell, and some potent 
  attacks. 
  Boar. Boars are a solid choice for an animal 
  companion as their charge ability can knock 
  enemies prone, helping the ranger in 
  combat.  
  Deep Rothe. Deep rothe are Underdark 
  cattle, and while that may seem 
  unimpressive, they are well-suited for an 
  underdark campaign and their ability to cast 
  the dancing lights spell gives the ranger some 
  interesting options.  
  Deer. Deer are deﬁnitely a ﬂavorful choice 
  for a ranger, but they are relatively fragile 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  and don’t oﬀer much in the way of utility 
  compared to other companions.  
  Dimetrodon. These dinosaurs don’t add a lot 
  of extra abilities other than a bite attack, and 
  might be a stretch for many campaigns, but 
  you have to admit that having a dinosaur 
  companion is pretty cool.  
  Dolphin. For aquatic campaigns, the dolphin 
  can’t be beat. It has a swim speed of 60 feet, 
  blindsight because of its echolocation and 
  the ability to charge. 
  Giant Badger. Even with a low AC (10), the 
  giant badger has a complement of decent 
  attacks and both keen smell and a burrow 
  speed. Solid choice.  
  Giant Crab. A great choice for campaigns 
  that spend some time in or on the water, 
  crabs are amphibious, have a decent AC and 
  hit points and its claws can grapple.  
  Giant Frog.  Another amphibious choice 
  with the ability to grapple and swallow (if the 
  target is a Small or smaller creature). Frogs 
  can also jump.  
  Giant Poisonous Snake. A decent swim 
  speed in addition to its normal movement, a 
  decent AC, and an attack with poison 
  damage make the snake quite powerful.  
  Giant Weasel. While not a powerhouse, the 
  weasel is a solid choice for stealth and comes 
  with a decent perception.  
  Giant Wolf Spider. With movement that 
  includes walking across ceilings and 
  climbing up most surfaces the wolf spider is 
  a strong choice, especially when you factor in 
  the bite that does poison damage and can 
  paralyze as well. It’s also pretty impressive to 
  walk around with a giant spider, though it 
  might make you miss a few dinner 
  invitations.  
  Goat. Like the boar, the goat can knock 
  targets prone and has resistance to being 
  knocked prone itself. Don’t forget that Thor’s 
  chariot was pulled by goats. Goat statistics 
  can also be applied to mountain rams. 
  Hyena. Perfect for more arid settings, the 
  hyena also brings with it pack tactics which 
  grant it advantage if its allies are within 5 
  feet of an enemy.  
  Mastiﬀ. Another companion that can knock 
  creatures prone, the mastiﬀ also has keen 
  hearing and smell which can be used to a 
  ranger’s advantage.  
  Mule. Not the most exciting of companions 
  since mules are common and often used as 
  beasts of 
  burden but 
  it can carry 
  a lot of 
  equipment 
  at least.  
  Panther. 
  The panther 
  is both an 
  eﬀective 
  choice and a 
  cool one. In 
  addition to a 
  decent 
  amount of 
  hit points, 
  keen smell, 
  and decent 
  attacks, 
  the 
  panther’s 
  pounce 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  allows it to knock enemies prone and get a 
  bonus action bite on top of that. Panther 
  statistics can be used for other medium-sized 
  cats like cheetahs, leopards, jaguars or 
  pumas, depending on what animals are 
  available in your area.  
  Pony. Like the mule, the pony is a less 
  impressive choice simply because such 
  animals are often found in adventuring 
  parties but it is the choice of Samwise 
  Gamgee’s everywhere.  
  Pteranodon. The pteranodon has more 
  utility than the dimetrodon, with a ﬂying 
  speed of 60 feet and the ﬂyby ability, 
  allowing it to swoop down on enemies to 
  attack or perform the help action before 
  ﬂying back out of reach without provoking 
  an opportunity attack. A very impressive 
  option if allowed by the DM.   
  Vulture. The other option on this list with a 
  ﬂight speed, and one more likely to be found 
  in an average campaign. Keen sight and 
  smell and pack tactics add some value, 
  though the low AC and hit points make it an 
  iﬀy choice for combat (though these can be 
  improved if using the revised ranger).  
  Wolf. A classic, favored by rangers 
  everywhere. Like the vulture it gets keen 
  senses and pack tactics but it has a better 
  AC, more hit points on average and a decent 
  bite attack than can also knock targets 
  prone.  
  Small Beasts 
  While Medium size animal companions are 
  the most common, Small beasts are 
  technically also allowed. These smaller 
  animals generally have less power, but can 
  be used more for reconnaissance and 
  investigation (their size allowing them to 
  venture into smaller spaces) rather than for 
  their abilities in combat. Possible choices 
  include the baboon, blood hawk, eagle, 
  giant centipede, giant ﬁre beetle, and 
  giant rat. Of these, the blood hawk is of note 
  due to its ﬂying speed, decent hit points, 
  keen sight, and pack tactics. It even outdoes 
  the vulture on most criteria.   
  New Companions 
  Alligator 
  Not quite as large as a crocodile, the alligator 
  is a fearsome companion. Despite its small 
  legs and its cold-blooded nature, alligators 
  can move quickly when they need to. While 
  they can move on land, they prefer to be 
  close to water.  
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  Blink Dog 
  While not beasts (they’re fey), blink dogs have 
  a CR of 1/4 and can be used as companions 
  if the DM agrees. If the blink dog’s teleport 
  ability creates concern, its frequency can be 
  limited, by making it Recharge 6, or by 
  limiting it to 1/day, or having it refresh on a 
  short rest. Statistics can be found in the 
  Monster Manual. 
  Crane 
  Tall and graceful, cranes may not be the 
  strongest animal companions, but they are 
  often studied for their graceful movements 
  that some monks try to duplicate. They have 
  loud, varied calls that can be heard miles 
  away.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
   70
  Alligator 
  Medium beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12 (natural armor) 
  Hit Points 15 (3d8+2) 
  Speed 20 ft., swim 30 ft. 
  STR        DEX        CON       INT       WIS        CHA 
  14 (+2)  11 (+0)  12 (+1)   2 (-4)   10 (+0)   5 (-3) 
  Skills Stealth +2 (+4 in water) 
  Senses passive Perception 10 
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Hold Breath. The alligator can hold its breath for 15 
  minutes.
  Actions 
  Bite Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) piercing damage, and 
  the target is grappled (escape DC 12). Until this 
  grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the 
  alligator can’t bite another target.
  
  Giant Mantis 
  As tall as a human or elf, the giant mantis 
  seems even more alien than its normal-sized 
  cousins. Its front limbs, which appear almost 
  to be 
  praying, 
  can lash 
  out quickly, 
  and with 
  great reach 
  to savage 
  eﬀect. The 
  presence of 
  such a 
  creature in 
  towns and 
  cities 
  unnerves 
  those who 
  encounter 
  it.  
  Giant Porcupine 
  Larger and more aggressive than a normal 
  porcupine, giant porcupines are protected by 
  large quills that help to deter attack (and can 
  damage attackers). They can also slam their 
  tails into enemies, using their quills 
  oﬀensively.  
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  Crane 
  Medium beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12 
  Hit Points 6 (1d8+2) 
  Speed 10 ft., fly 50 ft.  
  STR      DEX      CON      INT       WIS        CHA 
  5 (-3)  15 (+2) 10 (+0)  2 (-4)  14 (+2)    6 (-2) 
  Skills Perception +4
  Senses passive Perception 14 
   
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Aggressive. As a bonus action, the crane can 
  move up to its speed toward a hostile creature 
  that it can see.
  Actions 
  Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 3 (1d6) piercing damage.
  Giant Mantis 
  Medium beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 9 (2d8) 
  Speed 30 ft., climb 30ft., fly 30 ft.  
  STR     DEX       CON       INT      WIS      CHA 
  5 (-3)  15 (+2)  12 (+1)   2 (-4)   8 (-1)   3 (-4) 
  Skills Stealth +4
  Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 9 
   
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Embrace. If the mantis successfully grapples a 
  target, it gets to make a bite attack against it as 
  a bonus action.
  Actions 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 
  10 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) slashing 
  damage. 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage.
  
  Giant Tortoise 
  Faster than they appear, the giant tortoise is 
  protected by a hard shell and can breathe 
  both air and water making them excellent 
  companions for rangers who travel in both 
  terrestrial and aquatic territories.  
  Giant Wasp 
  Like the blink dog, the giant wasp has a CR 
  of 1/2, but otherwise ﬁts in with the 
  creatures on this list and can be allowed 
  with the DM’s permission. Its ﬂying speed 
  (50 ft.) and poison sting make it a potent 
  companion, if of limited intelligence. 
  Statistics for the giant wasp can be found in 
  the Monster Manual.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
   72
  Giant Porcupine 
  Medium beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 13 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 13 (2d8+4) 
  Speed 30 ft. 
  STR       DEX      CON       INT       WIS      CHA 
  12 (+1) 10 (+0)  15 (+2)  2 (-4)  12 (+1)  5 (-3) 
  Senses darkvision 30 ft, passive Perception 11 
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Quills. Any creature that attacks the porcupine 
  with a melee attack takes 3 (1d6) points of 
  piercing damage on a successful hit. A creature 
  that grapples the porcupine takes 7 (2d6) points 
  of piercing damage for each round it remains 
  grappled.
  Actions 
  Tail Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) piercing damage.
  Giant Tortoise 
  Medium beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 15 (natural armor), 10 while prone
  Hit Points 15 (3d8+2) 
  Speed 25 ft., swim 40 ft. 
  STR        DEX      CON       INT        WIS       CHA 
  14 (+2) 10 (+0) 12 (+1)   2 (-4)   12 (+1)   5 (-3) 
  Senses darkvision 60 ft, passive Perception 11 
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Amphibious. The tortoise can breathe both air 
  and water. 
  Stable. Whenever an effect knocks the tortoise 
  prone, it can make a DC 10 Constitution saving 
  throw to avoid being knocked prone. A prone 
  turtle is upside down. To stand up, it must 
  succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity check on its turn 
  and then use all its movement for that turn. 
  Actions 
  Bite Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) slashing damage.
  Considering that some grown adults 
  struggle not to run away from normal 
  wasps, I challenge you to stand your 
  ground when a boar-sized wasp is flying 
  straight at you, with a stinger larger than 
  a dagger blade. 
  
  Kangaroo 
  Tall, powerful marsupials who hop on strong 
  legs, kangaroos may only be available in 
  certain campaigns. Their powerful legs can 
  be used to kick with great eﬀect. 
  Monitor Lizard 
  Monitor lizards are powerful and while they 
  may seem like they are slow, they can move 
  quickly when hunting prey or defending 
  themselves. Their bites contain venom that 
  can continue to do damage to their prey even 
  after a bite.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  Kangaroo 
  Medium beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 13 
  Hit Points 5 (2d8) 
  Speed 50 ft., jump 
  STR        DEX        CON      INT       WIS       CHA 
  13 (+1) 14 (+2)  12 (+1)   2 (-4)  12 (+1)   5 (-3) 
  Skills Acrobatics +4, Perception +3 
  Senses passive Perception 13 
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Leap. The kangaroo’s long jump is up to 20 feet 
  and its high jump is up to 10 feet, with or 
  without a running start. 
  Actions 
  Kick. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) bludgeoning damage.
  Monitor Lizard 
  Medium beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 12 (natural armor)
  Hit Points 13 (3d8) 
  Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft. 
  STR       DEX       CON      INT       WIS       CHA 
  14 (+2) 12 (+1)  12 (+1)  3 (-4)   10 (+0)   5 (-3) 
  Skills Perception +2 
  Senses darkvision 30 ft, passive Perception 12 
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 9 (2d8) piercing damage, and the 
  target must succeed on a DC 11 Constitution 
  saving throw or take 10 (3d6) poison damage.
  
  Reef Shark 
  Suitable only for aquatic campaigns, the reef 
  shark is a powerful predator and a vicious 
  attacker. While they have a CR of 1/2, some 
  DMs may allow them to be animal 
  companions in such campaigns. Their 
  statistics can be found in the Monster 
  Manual.  
  Wolverine 
  Possessed of powerful jaws, strong legs, and 
  a ferocity beyond their size, the wolverine 
  makes a strong companion.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
   74
  Wolverine 
  Medium beast, unaligned  
  Armor Class 13 
  Hit Points 13 (3d8) 
  Speed 40 ft. 
  STR        DEX        CON      INT       WIS       CHA 
  12 (+1) 11 (+0)  14 (+2)   2 (-4)  12 (+1)   5 (-3) 
  Skills Perception +3 
  Senses darkvision 30 ft, passive Perception 13 
  Languages —
  Challenge 1/4 (50 XP)
  Keen smell. The wolverine has advantage on 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell. 
  Actions 
  Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft., 
  one target. Hit: 5 (1d6+2) piercing damage. 
  Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 
  ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) slashing damage.
  
  Chapter 8: Animal 
  Companion Class 
  Options 
  THE FOLLOWING CLASS OPTIONS GRANT 
  animal companions to classes other than the 
  ranger.  
  Barbarian 
  You druids and rangers may think that you 
  understand animals, but you know nothing 
  compared to someone who has the heart of a 
  beast beating inside their chest.  
  — Grimmuk Wolfblood, Wildheart Barbarian 
  Primal Path: Path of the 
  Wildheart 
  Barbarians of the Path of the Wildheart 
  believe that they are connected to powerful 
  beast spirits who long ago empowered their 
  bloodlines. They believe that these spirits 
  power their rage, putting them in touch with 
  their bestial nature, and they can manifest 
  their inner spirit beasts to aid them as 
  companions.  
  Path of the Wildheart Features 
  Beast Kin 
  At 3rd level, when you adopt this path, you 
  choose the animal whose spirit lives in your 
  heart. Choose one of the following animals: 
  ape, black bear, boar, ram (goat), vulture, 
  wolf, or wolverine (though your DM may 
  allow other choices). You have advantage on 
  any ability checks that use Animal Handling, 
  Medicine, Nature, Perception, and Survival 
  when dealing with such animals.   
  Heart’s Call 
  Also starting at 3rd level, you learn to release 
  the animal spirit within, manifesting it as a 
  physical creature who can travel alongside 
  you and assist you in your endeavors.  
  You can manifest this beast as a bonus 
  action on your turn. Use the statistics for 
  your chosen animal. Though this animal is a 
  manifestation of a spirit within you, it is a 
  beast as long as it is manifested. The beast 
  acts on your initiative in combat though it 
  can only attack in place of your attack. When 
  you gain the Extra Attack feature, you can 
  each make one attack on your turn.  
  The beast adds your proﬁciency bonus to 
  its attack rolls, damage rolls, AC, and saving 
  throws, as well as to any skills it is proﬁcient 
  in. Additionally, its maximum hit points is 
  half of your maximum hit points.  
  If your beast ever dies, you immediately 
  take damage equal to 2d10 plus your 
  barbarian level. If you are raging when this 
  happens, you only take half that damage. 
  Barbarian Level
  Feature
  3rd
  Beast Kin, Heart’s Call
  6th
  Steadfast Defender
  10th
  Heart’s Roar
  14th
  Savage Retribution
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  75
  
  After your beast is killed, you can only call it 
  back after you have taken a short or long 
  rest.  
  Steadfast Defender 
  Beginning at 6th level, your beast can act to 
  help shield you in battle when you attack 
  recklessly. Once per rage, when you use the 
  Reckless Attack feature, you can have your 
  companion help defend you, preventing 
  attack rolls against you from having 
  advantage until your next turn. During the 
  period, your companion can’t move or take 
  any other action. 
  Heart’s Roar 
  Beginning at 10th level, when you summon 
  your beast for the ﬁrst time in combat, you 
  can choose to have it manifest in a savage 
  fury, roaring and gnashing its teeth or 
  pounding on its chest. Until the start of your 
  next turn, hostile creatures within 30 feet of 
  you have disadvantage on all attack rolls and 
  saving throws, and attack rolls against those 
  hostile creatures are made with advantage.  
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it 
  again until you ﬁnish a long rest.  
  Savage Retribution 
  At 14th level, when you are raging, your 
  inner beast can retaliate against foes that 
  attack you. When you are hit by an enemy in 
  combat and your inner beast is within 30 
  feet of you, it can use its reaction to teleport 
  into your space to attack your attacker. This 
  attack deals an extra 1d8 force damage. Your 
  inner beast then immediately moves to the 
  closest unoccupied space next to you.   
  Druid 
  Nature is about change. Sometimes that 
  involves changing yourself. Sometimes that 
  involves changing your companion.  
             —Falcon Flight, Soulbond Druid 
  Druid Circle: Circle of the 
  Soulbond 
  Druids who belong to the Circle of the 
  Soulbond give up some of their wild shape 
  power to instead focus on bonding with an 
  animal companion. The ritual involved bonds 
  the spirits of both druid and beast so that 
  they remain connected.  
  Circle of the Soulbond Features 
  Druid Level
  Feature
  2nd
  Soulbound Companion, Fierce 
  Defender
  6th
  Mystic Empowerment
  10th
  Uncanny Evolution
  14th
  Protean Form
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  76
  
  Soulbound 
  Companion 
  At 2nd level 
  you gain your 
  animal 
  companion 
  through the ritual 
  that your circle 
  practices. Pick a 
  companion from 
  those listed in 
  Chapter 9 (certain 
  choices may not be 
  allowed by your 
  DM). Your animal companion is smarter 
  and more powerful than others of its type 
  because of the bond between you. You may 
  add your Wisdom modiﬁer to the 
  companion’s Intelligence and to its maximum 
  hit points. Additionally, you add your 
  proﬁciency bonus to the beast’s AC, attack 
  rolls, and damage rolls, as well as to any 
  saving throws and skills it is proﬁcient in.  
  Your bond with the animal allows it to 
  understand you when you speak, no matter 
  the language, and you can understand it, 
  though it communicates in a way natural for 
  that animal. You also gain the ability to 
  sense the animal’s emotions over a distance 
  of up to 100 feet.  
  If your animal companion is ever killed, 
  the magical bond you share with it allows 
  you to bring it back to life. With 8 hours 
  work and the expenditure or 25 gp worth of 
  rare herbs and substances, you call forth 
  your companion’s spirit and use your magic 
  to create a new body for it. You can return an 
  animal companion to life in this manner even 
  if you do not possess any part of its body.  
  If you use this ability to return a former 
  animal companion to life while you have a 
  current animal companion, your current 
  companion leaves you and is replaced by the 
  restored companion.  
  Fierce Defender 
  Also starting at 2nd level you can use a 
  bonus action on your turn to expend one use 
  of your wild shape ability to infuse your 
  companion with energy. This energy lasts for 
  a number of hours equal to half your druid 
  level (rounded down). During this time you 
  can have your animal companion attack in 
  combat. The companion acts on your 
  initiative. You can also use a bonus action to 
  expend one spell slot to allow your 
  companion to regain 1d8 hit points per level 
  of the spell slot expended.  
  Mystic Empowerment 
  Starting at 6th level, the bond between you 
  and your companion helps to strengthen it. 
  Its armor class increases by 2 and the 
  damage from its natural weapons is 
  considered magical for the purpose of 
  overcoming immunity and resistance to 
  nonmagical attacks and damage.  
  Uncanny Evolution 
  Beginning at 10th level, you can use your 
  wild shape ability to shape your animal 
  companion in ways that enhance its own 
  abilities. As an action, you can select one of 
  the following transformations which lasts a 
  number of hours equal to half your druid 
  level, rounded down. You can cause your 
  companion to revert to its normal form 
  earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. 
  Your companion also automatically reverts if 
  it falls unconscious, drops to 0 hit points, or 
  dies.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  77
  
  Barb. You cause barbs, quills, spines, or 
  thorns to grow from your companion’s body, 
  These natural weapons add 1d6 piercing 
  damage to your companion’s melee attacks 
  and deal 1d6 piercing damage to any enemy 
  which attacks your companion with a melee 
  attack. If your companion is grappled, the 
  grappling creature takes 2d6 piercing 
  damage for the duration of the grapple. 
  Harden. You thicken your companion’s 
  hide, emulating bark or stone, or causing 
  bony ridges to grow on its body, making it 
  more resistant to damage. Your companion’s 
  AC improves by 1 and they gain resistance to 
  damage from bludgeoning, piercing, and 
  slashing from nonmagical weapons.  
  Hone. You enlarge, harden, and sharpen 
  your companion’s natural weapons granting 
  them +1 to all attack and damage rolls they 
  make while transformed. 
  Mask. You alter your companion by 
  causing it to grow foliage, or altering its color 
  or patterning, or even giving it the abilities of 
  a chameleon. For the duration of the 
  transformation, your companion gets +4 to 
  all Dexterity (Stealth) checks.  
  Sharpen. You enhance your companion’s 
  senses, improving the senses they already 
  have and bolstering those that might not be 
  as developed. Your companion gains +4 to 
  their Wisdom (Perception) checks (all senses) 
  for the duration and gains 60 feet of 
  darkvision if it doesn’t already have it.  
  Strengthen. You cause the companion’s 
  muscles to grow and make its skeleton 
  sturdier. The companion gets +1 to its 
  Strength and Constitution for the duration of 
  the transformation. It also counts as one size 
  higher when determining its carrying 
  capacity and the weight it can push, drag, or 
  lift.   
  Unleash. You cause ﬁ ns, or wings, or 
  climbing limbs to grow from your companion 
  granting it one of the following for the 
  duration: 40 feet of ﬂ ight, 40 feet of 
  swimming, or 40 feet of climbing. 
  Protean Form 
  Starting at 14th level, your wild shape ability 
  allows you to change the form of your animal 
  companion from its current form to any of 
  the other possible choices for an animal 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  78
  
  companion (minus any your DM doesn’t 
  allow and including any that they have 
  added). Doing so requires one use of your 
  wild shape ability. The companion retains its 
  new shape for the duration of the wild shape, 
  returning to its original form at the end of 
  the period.  
  While in the new animal form, your 
  companion’s game statistics are replaced by 
  the statistics of the new beast, but it retains 
  its alignment, personality, and Intelligence. It 
  still adds your proﬁciency bonus to its attack 
  rolls, damage rolls, and AC as well as to any 
  skills and saving throws it is proﬁcient with.  
  The companion assumes the new beast’s 
  hit points and Hit Dice but gets to add your 
  Wisdom modiﬁer to the new hp maximum. 
  When it reverts to its normal form, it returns 
  to the number of hit points it had before it 
  was transformed. However, if it reverts as a 
  result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess 
  damage carries over to its normal form.  
  If your companion is wearing or carrying 
  any equipment, you choose whether that 
  equipment falls to the ground in the 
  companion’s space, merges into the new 
  form, or is worn by the new beast. Worn 
  equipment functions as normal, but the DM 
  decides whether it is practical for the new 
  form to wear a piece of equipment, based on 
  the creature’s shape and size. Your 
  equipment doesn’t change form, and any 
  equipment that the new form can’t wear 
  must either fall to the ground or merge with 
  it. Equipment that merges with the form has 
  no eﬀect until you leave the form.  
  The Uncanny Evolution ability can be used 
  in conjunction with Protean Form, assuming 
  you still have a use of wild shape to expend 
  on it.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  It can be complicated to track all the different 
  statistics for multiple forms that a companion can 
  take. The player is encouraged to keep the other 
  companion stat blocks handy for such 
  transformations to cut down on confusion and error.  
  Otherwise, take the new statistics, make sure to 
  calculate the new hp and carry over the Intelligence.
  
  Monk 
  She executed a perfect crane kick, which 
  would have been impressive enough, but then 
  an actual crane joined her in the ﬁght and 
  they moved together as if dancing, but far, far 
  deadlier.  
   
   
  — Jeroen Silverﬁsh, Druid 
  Monastic Tradition: Way of the 
  Spirit Beast 
  Monks of the Way of the Spirit Beast not only 
  study the movements of animals to inspire 
  their attacks, but they have learned to 
  commune with spirit beasts to create 
  coordinated strikes and maneuvers.  
  Way of the Spirit Beast Features 
  Beast Bond 
  When you choose this tradition at 3rd level, 
  you select a spirit beast to form a bond with. 
  That spirit beast will become your spiritual 
  guardian, it will accompany you as a 
  companion, and it will be the basis for your 
  ﬁghting style. Choose one of the following 
  animals: crane, eagle, leopard, mantis, 
  monkey, or snake.  
  You learn a ritual to summon the physical 
  manifestation of your beast spirit. This ritual 
  takes one hour to complete. At the end of the 
  ritual, you summon an animal companion 
  with the statistics indicated in the table 
  below, except that it’s a celestial, fey, or ﬁend 
  (your choice).  
  Spirit Beast Statistics 
  Your companion loses its Multiattack 
  action, if it has one. You add your proﬁciency 
  bonus to your companion’s attack rolls, 
  damage rolls, AC, and saving throws, as well 
  as to any skills it is proﬁcient in. 
  Additionally, every time you gain a level after 
  3rd, you increase your companion’s hit 
  points by your new level. 
  Your spirit beast companion rolls its own 
  initiative but you determine its actions, 
  decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are 
  incapacitated or absent, your companion 
  acts on its own.  
  If your spirit beast companion is ever 
  killed, it returns to its home plane. You can 
  perform the ritual again to cause the 
  companion to manifest again on the Material 
  plane. Once you complete the ritual, you can 
  not attempt it again until you complete a long 
  rest. If you attempt to complete the ritual 
  while your spirit beast companion is still 
  alive, nothing will happen.  
  Monk Level
  Feature
  3rd
  Beast Bond, Spirited Defense
  6th
  Coordinated Strike
  11th
  Beast Blessing
  17th
  Spirit Technique
  Spirit Beast
  Statistics
  Crane
  Crane (Ch. 9)
  Eagle
  Blood Hawk
  Leopard
  Panther
  Mantis
  Giant Mantis (Ch. 9)
  Monkey
  Ape
  Snake
  Giant Poisonous Snake
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  80
  The DM can choose to allow other beasts as spirit 
  beasts. Some possibilities include centipede, crab, 
  lizard, scorpion. and turtle. For animals where there 
  is not a medium-sized option, the DM can either 
  scale down a large creature (such as the giant 
  scorpion) or else scale up a smaller variant, although 
  small sized companions have their uses. 
  
  Spirited Defense 
  Also at 3rd level, you can coordinate with 
  your spirit beast to avoid being hit in 
  combat. If your companion is within 10 feet 
  of you, you can expend 1 ki point to increase 
  both your AC and your companion’s AC by 1 
  until the start of your next turn. This beneﬁt 
  ends early if either of you are incapacitated, 
  unconscious, or drop to 0 hit points.  
  Coordinated Strike 
  At 6th level you get the beneﬁt of having 
  trained with your spirit beast so that it 
  compliments and enhances your own ﬁghting 
  prowess. When you take the attack action on 
  your turn, you can use a bonus action and 
  spend1 ki point to allow your companion 
  animal to attack on your turn as a reaction 
  as long as your spirit beast companion can 
  see you.  
  Beast Blessing 
  At 11th level you gain an ability related to 
  your chosen ﬁghting style.   
  Crane. You can spend 4 ki points to gain a 
  60 feet ﬂying speed for 10 minutes. At the 
  end of this period, you fall if you are still 
  aloft unless you have some way to stop your 
  fall.   
  Eagle. You can spend 4 ki points to gain 
  truesight for 10 minutes, notice secret doors 
  hidden by magic, and can see into the 
  Ethereal Plane, all out to a range of 60 feet.  
  Leopard. You can spend 4 ki points to give 
  yourself 20 additional feet of movement as 
  well as +1 to initiative rolls and +1 to 
  Dexterity ability checks for 10 minutes.  
  Mantis. You can spend 3 ki points to 
  increase your reach with monk weapons and 
  unarmed strikes to 10 feet for 1 minute.   
  Monkey. You can spend 4 ki points to give 
  yourself the ability to make a ﬂying leap 
  across 30 feet to an unoccupied space 
  passing over creatures of Medium or smaller 
  who are standing between you and your 
  destination. You can make these leaps for 1 
  minute.  
  Snake. You can spend 4 ki points to give 
  yourself an additional 1d6+1 poison damage 
  on each of your attacks for 1 minute.  
   Spirit Technique 
  At 17th level, you master a technique related 
  to your spirit beast.  
  Crane. You master defensive ﬁghting. 
  Beginning with your ﬁrst attack on your 
  turn, you can take a -2 penalty to all attack 
  rolls to give yourself + 1 to your AC until the 
  start of your next turn. 
  Eagle. You master the technique of 
  striking from above, leaping into the air over 
  a target and using gravity to aid your attack. 
  You gain a +2 bonus to such strikes. If you 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  hit your target, they must succeed on a 
  Dexterity or Strength saving throw vs your Ki 
  save DC or be knocked prone.   
  Leopard. You master the double ﬁst strike. 
  When you hit an opponent in combat with an 
  unarmed strike, you can spend 2 ki points to 
  add your other hand, adding its damage to 
  the damage of the ﬁrst hand. 
  Mantis. You master the use of swift, 
  precise strikes to pressure points and joints.  
  When you successfully use the Stunning 
  Strike feature, you may spend 4 ki points to 
  keep the target stunned for 1 minute. Once 
  you use this feature, you can’t use it again 
  until you complete a long or short rest. 
  Monkey. You master the monkey style of 
  ﬁghting. For 2 ki point each, you can choose 
  to move out of an enemy’s reach without 
  provoking an attack of opportunity, you can 
  ignore the eﬀects of being prone, and you 
  can stand up as a bonus action without 
  using movement.   
  Snake. You master the art of the 
  retaliatory strike. By spending 2 ki points, 
  you can use your reaction to make one melee 
  weapon attack against a target within 5 feet 
  that has attacked you.  
  Ranger 
  She rode up on a giant hyena, riding it like 
  she was riding a horse. We told her our 
  Rowan was trapped in the ruin and the hyena 
  shrank and went in to investigate. They had 
  her out in no time, and when the monster 
  came out that hyena turned into a monster 
  itself to help defend us. 
   
   
   
  — Lucie Wrott, Mother 
  For standard animal companions, the Beast 
  Master archetype (or the Beast Conclave, if 
  using the Unearthed Arcana Revised Ranger) 
  is the original and gold standard. For players 
  who want something a little diﬀerent, there 
  is the option of the Totem Invoker, a ranger 
  which reveres and has a connection with a 
  speciﬁc animal totem that grants them the 
  ability to summon a totem avatar.  
  Archetype: Totem Invoker  
  Totem Invokers have existed for countless 
  generations, in a variety of humanoid 
  societies. Some of these groups grew out of 
  the worship of primal animal gods or spirits, 
  while others arose from the respect and 
  reverence of their totem beast’s essence. 
  Whatever their speciﬁc origin, Totem 
  Invokers have formed a mystical connection 
  with their totem animal, allowing them to 
  call forth an avatar of that beast to aid and 
  assist them.  
  Totem Invoker Features  
  Totem Beast 
  When you take this archetype at 3rd level, 
  you choose a totem beast, an animal which 
  your tribe has been associated with for 
  countless generations Choose from one of 
  the following animals: bear, goat, hyena, 
  spider, tiger, or wolf. This totem will give 
  you further abilities as described below.  
  Totem Familiarity 
  Because of your familiarity with your totem 
  animal, you have advantage on Intelligence 
  or Wisdom checks associated with that 
  animal.   
  Ranger Level
  Feature
  3rd
  Totem Beast, Totem Familiarity, 
  Summon Avatar
  7th
  Refined Avatar
  11th
  Mark Quarry
  15th
  Primal Form
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  Summon Avatar   
  Beginning at 3rd level, you can summon an 
  avatar of your totem beast which can 
  accompany you on your adventures and ﬁght 
  alongside you. As an action, you can invoke 
  your totem beast and cause its avatar to 
  appear in an unoccupied space within 10 
  feet of you.  
  This avatar can take one of two forms — 
  its standard form, which is always a Medium 
  beast with a CR of 1/2 or less, or its mount 
  form, which is a Large beast that can be 
  ridden like a standard mount without the 
  need of special gear. The choice must be 
  made at the time the totem is invoked.  
  For the statistics of both the standard form 
  and the mount form, use the base creatures 
  as indicated in the table below (full statistics 
  can be found for each creature in the 
  Monster Manual).  
  Totem Avatar Statistics  
  You can add your proﬁciency bonus to the 
  beast’s AC, attack rolls, and damage rolls, as 
  well as to any saving throws and skills it is 
  proﬁcient in. It’s hit point maximum equals 
  its normal maximum or four times your 
  ranger level, whichever is higher.  
  The beast obeys your commands as best as 
  it can. It rolls its own initiative but can not 
  attack unless you forfeit you own Attack 
  action. When you gain the Extra Attack 
  feature, you can choose to attack once and 
  allow the avatar to attack.  
  While traveling through your favored 
  terrain with only the avatar you can move 
  stealthily at a normal pace.  
  The avatar accompanies you until it is 
  reduced to 0 hit points, until you take an 
  action to dismiss it, or until you take a long 
  rest. If the avatar is within 100 feet of you, 
  you can take an action to change it from one 
  form to another.  
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it 
  again until you take a long rest.  
  Refined Avatar 
  At 7th level, you have learned to summon an 
  avatar of exceptional ability and may choose 
  one of the following features for your avatar. 
  Perceptive. Your avatar gets +5 to all 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks and gains 60 feet 
  of darkvision if it doesn’t already have it.  
  Resilient. Your avatar gets +1 to its AC. 
  Swift. Your avatar gets +10 feet to its 
  standard form’s speed and +20 feet to its 
  mounted form’s speed. It also gains 
  advantage on Dexterity saving throws.    
  Totem
  Standard Form
  Mount Form
  Bear
  Black bear
  Brown bear
  Goat
  Goat
  Giant Goat
  Hyena
  Hyena
  Giant Hyena
  Tiger
  Panther
  Tiger
  Wolf
  Wolf
  Dire Wolf
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  Mark Quarry 
  Beginning at 11th level, you can mark an 
  enemy to be your avatar’s quarry. As a bonus 
  action, select one creature within 30 feet. For 
  the next hour, your avatar has advantage on 
  Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) 
  checks made to ﬁnd it. Additionally, your 
  avatar deals an extra 1d6 damage to the 
  marked target whenever it hits. If the target 
  drops to 0 hit points before the hour ends, 
  you can use a bonus action on a subsequent 
  turn of yours to mark a new creature.   
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it 
  again until you ﬁnish a long rest.  
  Primal Form 
   
  Starting at 15th level, you gain the ability to 
  invoke a primal form of your avatar, a slightly 
  larger, stronger, and ancient version of the 
  beast. If the avatar is within 100 feet of you, 
  you can shift the avatar to its primal form as 
  an action. Alternately, when ﬁrst summoning 
  the avatar you can choose to have it assume 
  its primal form. Once invoked, the avatar will 
  remain in its primal form for 1 minute. At 
  the end of 1 minute, the avatar will return to 
  its mount form.  
  In its primal form, the avatar has the same 
  statistics of its mount form (including the 
  bonus gained by the Reﬁned Avatar feature) 
  with the following changes: 
  • It gains 3d10 temporary hit points. 
  • It gains +2 to Strength, Dexterity, and 
  Constitution. 
  • The damage from its natural weapons is 
  considered magical for the purpose of 
  overcoming immunity and resistance to 
  nonmagical attacks and damage. 
  • Its attacks do double the standard 
  damage. 
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it 
  again until you ﬁnish a long rest.  
  Rogue 
  You remember ol’ Fila the Flourish? You 
  remember that lil’ monkey they used to have? 
  Brought home more bob than either of my 
  boys, that’s for true. Lil’ nip would pinch a 
  pretty trinket, drop it in Fila’s hand, and climb 
  up on their shoulder while they fed it grapes 
  or nuts. Poor thing snuﬀed it by eating a 
  poisoned date. I never seen it coming. Not 
  even when I was poisoning them dates.  
   
   
   
  —Bold Baran, Thief 
  Roguish Archetype: Magpie 
  Rogues known as Magpies work with animal 
  companions to help complete their roguish 
  schemes. Magpies get their name from the 
  group of rogues who used trained magpies 
  (similar to ravens) to help them commit 
  thievery and other crimes. Modern Magpies 
  use a variety of animal companions to help 
  complement their activities.  
  Magpie Features 
  Firm Hand  
  When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, 
  you gain proﬁciency with the Animal 
  Handling skill if you don’t already have it. 
  Your proﬁciency bonus is doubled for any 
  ability check you make that uses this 
  proﬁciency.  
  Roguish Companion 
  Starting at 3rd level, you gain an animal 
  companion which you train in roguish 
  activities. Select one animal from the 
  Rogue Level
  Feature
  3rd
  Firm Hand, Roguish Companion
  9th
  Cunning Misdirection, Sly Pilfering
  13th
  Trip Attack, Keen Detection
  17th
  Unerring Distraction, Fine Manipulation
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  following 
  list, or else 
  choose a 
  Tiny beast 
  with a 
  challenge 
  rating of 
  1/4 or less: 
  bat, cat, 
  lizard, 
  monkey, 
  rat, raven, 
  snake, or 
  weasel. 
  Such 
  animals are 
  usually 
  bred by Magpie groups to 
  be smarter and more skilled than others of 
  their kind, and are provided to new members 
  in their ranks, though the companion can 
  also be gained in other ways and trained by 
  the rogue.  
  This companion has the base statistics of 
  other creatures of its kind, but if its 
  Intelligence is 5 or less, it becomes 6. It gains 
  proﬁciency in the following skills: Acrobatics, 
  Deception, Perception, Sleight of Hand, and 
  Stealth. It also gains proﬁciency in Dexterity 
  saving throws. You add your proﬁciency 
  bonus to ability checks involving these skills 
  and to saving throws the companion is 
  proﬁcient in, as well as to the companion’s 
  AC and initiative. 
  The beast obeys your commands as best as 
  it can. It rolls its own initiative, but doesn’t 
  take an action unless you command it to. It 
  is not trained to attack but can take any 
  other action on its turn.  
  If your companion dies, you can obtain 
  another one by spending at least 8 hours 
  bonding with another beast that isn’t hostile 
  to you, either the same type of beast as 
  before or a diﬀerent one.  
  Cunning Misdirection 
  At 9th level, you and your companion can aid 
  each other when using stealth. As a bonus 
  action, you can distract opponents within 30 
  feet of you, granting your familiar advantage 
  on Dexterity (Stealth) checks against those 
  opponents for 10 minutes. Alternately, your 
  companion can distract enemies within 30 
  feet of it to grant you advantage on Dexterity 
  (Stealth) checks against those enemies.  
  Sly Pilfering 
  Also at 9th level, your roguish companion 
  can steal or pickpocket small items from 
  other creatures. The companion must 
  succeed on a Dexterity (Stealth) check. If the 
  check succeeds they may make a Dexterity 
  (Sleight of Hand) check with a +2 bonus. If 
  that succeeds, they manage to pilfer one 
  small item that they could reasonably carry.  
  Trip Attack 
  Starting at 13th level, your companion can 
  attempt to trip an opponent within 5 feet of 
  it. The target must be no more than two sizes 
  larger than your companion. Using its action, 
  your companion makes a Dexterity 
  (Acrobatics) check contested by the target’s 
  Dexterity (Acrobatics). If the companion wins 
  the contest, the target is knocked prone.  
  Note that some creatures, such as oozes, 
  creatures without legs, and ﬂying creatures, 
  can’t be tripped.  
  Keen Detection 
  Also at 13th level, your companion gains the 
  ability to detect traps using its senses. Your 
  roguish companion gets a +2 bonus on 
  Wisdom (Perception) checks used to detect 
  traps.  
  Unerring Distraction  
  By 17th level, when your roguish companion 
  takes the Help action in combat to aid your 
  attack against a creature within 5 feet of you, 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  your Sneak Attack damage against that 
  creature increases by 2d6.  
  Fine Manipulation 
  Also at 17th level, your roguish companion 
  gains the ability to pick locks using Thieves’ 
  Tools. The companion must have access to 
  lockpicking instruments and gains 
  proﬁciency in their use. They can make a 
  Thieves’ Tools check with a +2 bonus to pick 
  locks.  
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  Chapter 9: Finding 
  and Keeping An 
  Animal Companion 
  AS WITH FAMILIARS, IT IS POSSIBLE TO 
  ﬁnd and train your own animal companion 
  without it being part of your class features. If 
  the DM allows such companions, they 
  should be integrated into the campaign and 
  the DM should determine the steps a 
  character must take to obtain one. Unlike 
  familiars, animal companions don’t need to 
  be magically bonded to their characters — 
  they just need to be loyal. Because of this, 
  ﬁnding and training an animal companion 
  can play out over multiple sessions and be a 
  continuously evolving relationship.  
  Following are some options for including 
  such companions in your game. 
  The Companion as Quest 
  In a companion quest, the DM creates a 
  quest speciﬁcally oriented around obtaining 
  an animal companion. It doesn’t have to be 
  the sole object of an adventure, but can be 
  part of a larger series of adventures or a 
  campaign.  
  For example, let’s say that an adventuring 
  party has been asked to investigate a 
  wizard’s lair inside a nearby mountain. One 
  of their members, Trevalla, is a ranger with 
  the hunter archetype but has always wanted 
  to ﬁnd an animal companion and has made 
  that her priority in terms of developing her 
  character. The DM is receptive and has 
  decided to make that part of the quest to 
  investigate the wizard’s lair.  
  As part of the information that the party 
  learns about the mountain they also learn 
  that unusually striped mountain lions 
  inhabit the slopes of said mountain. As the 
  party talks to various NPCs, trying to ﬁnd 
  out more information about the wizard and 
  the mountain lair, Trevalla also asks about 
  the mountain lions and learns of the places 
  that they nest and hunt and learns what 
  they like to eat and how best to approach 
  them (the hunters and trappers who work on 
  the mountain are a great source of 
  information about this).  
  As the party climbs the mountain, closing 
  in on the wizard’s lair, Trevalla begins to 
  leave out scraps of the mountain lion’s 
  favorite food every time they camp, and 
  together her player and the DM play out a 
  series of encounters whereby she attracts a 
  curious mountain lion who begins to follow 
  the party and eat the food. It is then up to 
  the DM to decide if her actions are enough to 
  form the initial bond with the animal 
  companion before the party reaches the lair, 
  or whether it will take more eﬀort before the 
  mountain lion will be willing to follow her.  
  It is up to the DM to determine what steps 
  are necessary to obtain the companion. In 
  the example above, Trevalla’s actions, 
  coupled with a few key Wisdom (Animal 
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  Handling) checks could be enough to gain 
  her animal companion. The diﬃculty of such 
  checks is also up to the DM, but the DC 
  shouldn’t be less than 10, and may be as 
  high as 15 or more. The character’s actions 
  may decrease the diﬃculty or else give them 
  bonuses to the checks, with spells like 
  animal friendship and speak with animals 
  helping to decrease the diﬃculty (while a 
  spell like dominate beast might actually work 
  against the character).   
  A companion quest can be customized 
  however the DM and players (assuming they 
  have input) want. Once the animal agrees to 
  accompany the character, it is up to the DM 
  whether any further checks or roleplaying 
  needs to take place to keep the companion 
  loyal. Some companions will agree to 
  accompany the character for a trial period 
  where they will assess the character’s 
  worthiness and character. This may involve 
  further ability checks, or not. Certainly any 
  behavior on the part of the character that 
  endangers the companion needlessly or 
  disregards their happiness or safety should 
  confound any attempts to keep them. 
  Whether the companion allows the character 
  to try to repair the relationship or simply 
  leaves is up to the DM’s judgment and 
  should be based on the severity of the 
  infraction. 
  In most cases, found companions are 
  limited to beasts, though the DM may allow 
  other creatures if they desire.  
  The Companion as Reward 
  Typically player characters are rewarded for 
  their eﬀorts with a combination of 
  experience, wealth, and magic items. 
  However, DMs looking to try alternate forms 
  of reward can use an animal companion as 
  one such option.  
  In this case, the character typically does 
  not have to exert any additional eﬀort to earn 
  their companion — it is instead a reward for 
  activities that they’ve already accomplished.  
  The DM should make every eﬀort to keep  
  such a reward appropriately thematic. A wolf 
  companion makes sense as a reward from an 
  Archfey of The Hunt, for example, but not 
  from a tribe that worships a cat god. On the 
  other hand, if an entity of suﬃcient power 
  oﬀers the PC a boon of their choosing, and 
  the character chooses an animal companion 
  of a speciﬁc type, that would be suitable.  
  Such companions can be mundane beasts 
  (a king grants a character a trained mastiﬀ 
  from his own kennels) or spirit animals, or 
  even other supernatural creatures.  
  In the case of companion rewards, it is up 
  to the DM to decide if the companion will 
  remain blindly loyal to the character or if the 
  character will need to continue to maintain 
  that relationship and keep the animal loyal.  
  Improved Companions 
  While the assumption with ﬁnding and 
  training an animal companion is that it will 
  follow the general rules for such companions, 
  the DM may wish to allow for more powerful 
  companions in their campaign. Such 
  companions should still be Medium size but 
  can be of a challenge rating higher than 1/4 
  (or even 1/2) and can be of a type other than 
  beast (though humanoids should always be 
  excluded). They should also have a base 
  Intelligence score of 7 or less.  
  The following is a list of suggested animal 
  companions from challenge levels 1 & 2. 
  Many of these creatures are evil, so they 
  should have a good reason for serving a 
  character of non-evil alignment.  
  CR 1 
  Death Dog. Death dogs are evil creatures 
  full of hatred and with a taste for humanoid 
  ﬂesh, so attracting and training one would 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  be highly diﬃcult if not impossible. However, 
  they can be rewarded as companions, 
  perhaps by a death deity or other dark 
  power. Such creatures are ugly, but they do 
  say two heads are better than one.  
  CR 2 
  Grick. Driven primarily by food, gricks can 
  potentially be attracted with a steady supply 
  of it. It can take weeks, but if a character 
  overcomes the grick’s natural suspicion and 
  can ensure (and prove to the grick’s 
  satisfaction) a steady supply of food, the 
  grick may choose to follow the character and 
  may come to regard them as alpha. In such 
  cases, the grick will likely abandon the 
  character if the food supply ever dries up.  
  Guard Drake. Guard drakes are perhaps 
  the easiest companions on this list to justify 
  as they are created to serve. Volo’s Guide to 
  Monsters describes them as gifts from 
  dragons and that is the primary source for 
  such creatures as the ritual to create the 
  guard drake involves 10 pounds of fresh 
  dragon scales. Drakes also imprint on the 
  ﬁrst creature to feed them, and can be 
  trained within a matter of weeks, making 
  them easy and desirable companions.  
  Peryton. Another evil creature, the 
  peryton enjoys feeding on humanoids, 
  making the prospect of gaining one as a 
  companion very diﬃcult. Perytons should 
  either be rewards or else the character 
  should be required to ﬁnd a juvenile creature 
  and train it diligently until it can serve as a 
  companion. Such trained specimens must be 
  taught to ignore their instincts to attack and 
  eat humanoids, or those instincts must be 
  redirected. Since consuming the heart of a 
  freshly killed humanoid is part of the 
  peryton reproductive cycle, care must be 
  taken to prevent the strong reproductive urge 
  from unraveling the creature’s training.  
  Shadow Mastiﬀ. These mastiﬀs could 
  potentially be a gift from a Shadowfell entity, 
  though their evil nature requires a good 
  reason for their service. The ability to see 
  ethereal creatures is highly situational, but 
  their high stealth and ability to turn invisible 
  in darkness or dim light make them great 
  creatures for sneaking around. 
  Unfortunately, they suﬀer from a weakness 
  to sunlight that makes them far less eﬀective 
  in such situations.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
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  Part 3: Steeds
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  Chapter 10: Find 
  Steed 
  PALADINS HAVE ACCESS TO THE UNIQUE 
  ﬁnd steed spell, a 2nd level spell which they 
  can choose starting at 5th level which allows 
  them to summon a spirit that assumes an 
  animal form suitable to serve as a mount. As 
  with familiars, a given steed is either a 
  celestial, fey, or ﬁend (player’s choice), but 
  otherwise has the statistics of the chosen 
  form. 
  Steeds are more intelligent than their 
  normal brethren. If the steed’s Intelligence is 
  5 or less, it becomes 6, and it gains the 
  ability to understand one language of your 
  choice that you speak. Additionally, the 
  paladin can communicate telepathically with 
  the steed as long as they are within 1 mile of 
  one another.  
  Even beyond the telepathic link, the ﬁnd 
  steed spell forms a strong and powerful bond 
  with the mount. It serves the paladin both in 
  combat and out and they ﬁght together as a 
  seamless unit, the mount knowing what the 
  paladin is doing and vice versa.  
  While mounted on the steed, the paladin 
  can also make any spell they cast that 
  targets only them also target the steed. This 
  includes all paladin spells with a range of 
  Self that don’t have any additional range 
  modiﬁers, but also should include any spells 
  that are cast speciﬁcally on the paladin, 
  such as cure wounds. A full list of such 
  spells and their possible uses is below, but it 
  is much smaller than lists for previous 
  categories.  
  When the steed drops to 0 hit points, it 
  disappears, leaving behind no physical form. 
  The paladin can also dismiss the steed as an 
  action, causing it to disappear. Casting the 
  ﬁnd steed spell again summons the same 
  steed, fully restored to its hit point 
  maximum, a handy trick, though one that 
  consumes a 2nd level spell slot.  
  A paladin can only have one steed bonded 
  by the spell at a given time, however, if the 
  paladin ever wishes to replace the steed, they 
  can release the steed from its bond at any 
  time which causes it to disappear. Any time 
  after that, the paladin can cast the ﬁnd steed 
  spell again and choose a new type of steed. 
  It should be noted that nothing in the spell 
  forces the paladin to use their steed as a 
  mount. Though these creatures tend to be 
  large, they can act similarly to companions 
  and familiars, especially given the telepathic 
  link between the paladin and steed.  
  Paladin Spells that 
  Affect Steeds 
  The following spell list includes paladin 
  spells that can be cast on the paladin that 
  can also target their steed. Spells that can be 
  cast on others are indicated, and will only 
  work on the steed if cast only on the paladin. 
  Oath spells for all the current subclasses are 
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  included in the list as well though they are 
  not available to all types of paladins. Spells 
  with an asterisk can be cast on other 
  creatures and so only can aﬀect a steed if 
  cast only on the paladin. As always, the DM 
  is the ultimate arbiter of whether these spells 
  can be used in such a way.  
  1st Level Spells  
  Armor of Agathys. A nice little source of 
  extra hit points that can also help buﬀ your 
  steed.  
  Cure Wounds. Heal yourself and heal your 
  steed as a bonus. Since this scales, this is a 
  really great use of the eﬀect and can keep 
  both paladin and steed in the ﬁght for longer.  
  Detect Evil and Good. While not as useful if 
  the paladin is mounted, since both paladin 
  and steed will know the same thing and be in 
  the same location, this can be a boon if 
  sending your steed out to scout.  
  Detect Magic. Same as detect evil and good.  
  Detect Poison and Disease. As with detect 
  evil and good.  
  Divine Favor. This is a great two-for-one, 
  granting your steed additional radiant 
  damage when you get it (assuming your DM 
  considers the steed’s attacks to be weapon 
  attacks).  
  *Heroism. A nice buﬀ with some temporary 
  hit points. 
  *Protection from Evil and Good. A great 
  source of protection if facing one of the 
  creature types speciﬁed in the spell. Grants 
  disadvantage on attack rolls against both the 
  paladin and the steed.  
  *Sanctuary. Extremely useful if the paladin 
  and steed are out on their own and trying 
  not to be noticed. If an enemy does discover 
  their presence, it can prevent an attack and 
  at least delay any ﬁght until the paladin can 
  escape or help can arrive.  
  *Shield of Faith. A nice defensive buﬀ for 
  both paladin and steed. 
  Speak with Animals. One of the more 
  unusual spells to cast on your steed, it can 
  nevertheless be useful in cases where an 
  animal distrusts a humanoid. Having 
  another beast speak on the paladin’s behalf 
  might be of beneﬁt.   
  2nd Level Spells 
  *Lesser Restoration. A nice 
  source of recovery if both the 
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  paladin and steed are aﬀected by the same 
  condition or disease.  
  Misty Step. Perfect for a mounted paladin to 
  gain a short teleport to avoid hazards, reach 
  diﬃcult locations (i.e. across a gorge) or 
  confound enemies.  
  *Protection from Poison. Useful if the 
  paladin knows they will face creatures who 
  have poisonous attacks and also neutralizes 
  poison in both the steed and rider.  
  Locate Object. Another spell that beneﬁts 
  both paladin and steed when splitting up to 
  locate something.  
  3rd Level Spells 
  *Beacon of Hope. Using this on just the 
  paladin is probably a waste of the spell since 
  it has no upper limit on creatures it can 
  aﬀect within range, but can be used if 
  necessary.  
  *Dispel Magic. Useful if both the paladin 
  and steed are aﬀected by a magical eﬀect. 
  *Haste. This spell, available only to Oath of 
  Vengeance paladins, is a powerhouse. It’s 
  good when cast only on the paladin, but 
  through the link it also doubles the steed’s 
  speed (120 feet of movement, anyone?) 
  increases its AC by 2, gives it advantage on 
  Dexterity saving throws, and grants it an 
  additional action each turn. Sure, both 
  paladin and steed must take a turn oﬀ when 
  the spell ends, but by then they will have 
  done a lot of damage if in combat, or traveled 
  twice as far for the spell’s duration.  
  *Protection from Energy. More protection 
  that can also extend to your steed.  
  *Remove Curse. Again, useful for eﬀects 
  that apply to both rider and mount.  
  4th Level Spells 
  *Death Ward. A nice defensive buﬀ that can 
  prevent your steed from disappearing in the 
  middle of a battle and also helps the paladin 
  as well.  
  *Dimension Door. This is a marginal case 
  that may not be allowed by the DM, but if so, 
  gives you the ability to teleport your steed 
  with you and a lot of gear, if necessary as 
  your steed’s carrying capacity comes into 
  play. In order for this spell to apply to the 
  steed, no other creature can be transported.  
  *Freedom of Movement. Can be a big help 
  if the steed must travel over diﬃcult terrain. 
  While it can simply be cast on the steed 
  normally, by casting it on the paladin, they 
  are able to dismount and still beneﬁt from 
  the eﬀect if necessary.  
  Locate Creature. As with locate object. 
  *Stoneskin. Another nice defensive buﬀ that 
  applies to both paladin and steed.  
  5th Level Spells 
  Dispel Evil and Good. Essentially protection 
  from evil and good with beneﬁts, you get two 
  banishments for the price of one. Some DMs 
  may have issues with the steed making a 
  melee spell attack for the special functions of 
  the spell so check with them before taking 
  this one.  
  Tree Stride. Another movement spell that 
  can be used to great eﬀect with some 
  creativity (assuming both paladin and steed 
  are in a place with a decent number of trees).  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  93
  
  Steed Animals 
  Standard Beasts 
  Per the ﬁnd steed spell, the options given for 
  the type of animal include warhorse, pony, 
  camel, elk or mastiﬀ.  
  Of these, the camel, elk, and warhorse are 
  Large creatures (suitable for Medium sized 
  characters to ride) and the pony and mastiﬀ 
  are Medium, and suitable for halﬂings, 
  gnomes, and other Small creatures.  
  Of the Medium sized steeds, the pony has 
  the slight edge with greater hit points and a 
  more potent attack than the mastiﬀ (though 
  the mastiﬀ can knock creatures prone). The 
  mastiﬀ, however, has a higher AC (12 vs. the 
  pony’s 10). Purely as a mount, the pony is a 
  better choice, though the mastiﬀ’s Keen 
  Hearing and Smell ability makes it more 
  useful in scouting situations. Both animals 
  have a movement speed of 40 feet.  
  When it comes to the Large steeds, the 
  warhorse is the clear frontrunner. It has the 
  highest speed (60 feet), the highest base hit 
  points (3d10+3), the most savage attack (a 
  trampling charge with a possible two attacks 
  from its hooves), and the second highest 
  base AC of 11. Additionally, the warhorse can 
  more easily be equipped with barding which 
  can increase its AC.  
  The two other Large choices are fairly 
  similar to one another, though the elk does 
  have more combat options with a charge, a 
  ram attack and a hooves attack.  
  Warhorses and ponies are also common 
  mounts, though if using them for 
  reconnaissance and scouting, it might seem 
  unusual to ﬁnd a solitary horse or pony out 
  in the wild whereas an elk (or a camel in the 
  right environment) may blend in more easily.  
  Other Beasts 
  The ﬁnd steed spell allows for other options 
  with the DM’s permission. A general rule for 
  other kinds of steeds is that they should 
  generally be beasts (though there are a few 
  exceptions that work well), they should have 
  a challenge rating of less than 1, and they 
  should not be able to ﬂy. The following list 
  contains some of these options, though the 
  DM is free to revise this list or add to it as 
  desired. Statistics for these creatures can be 
  found in the Monster Manual or in Volo’s 
  Guide to Monsters.  
  Medium Creatures 
  While the pony and mastiﬀ are strong 
  choices in the category of Medium size 
  steeds, certain characters may want 
  something diﬀerent. The following options 
  can be included. The weakness that many of 
  these creatures share (including the mastiﬀ) 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  94
  
  is their relatively low hit points, which makes 
  them easy to bring down so defensive buﬀs 
  are recommended.  
  Deep Rothe. Despite their lackluster 
  speed (30 feet), deep rothe make good 
  mounts for an Underdark campaign because 
  of their darkvision with the added bonus of 
  the dancing lights cantrip. They also have 
  more hit points, on average, than other 
  choices in this category.   
  Giant Crab. With a 15 AC and two 
  grappling claws, the giant crab is already 
  formidable, but its amphibious nature makes 
  it perfect for campaigns that are both aquatic 
  and terrestrial.  
  Goat. The goat is outclassed by the mastiﬀ 
  and pony, though with its charge ability, it 
  can knock enemies prone and the Sure-
  footed ability makes it resistant to eﬀects 
  that would knock it prone. Can also be 
  considered to be a ram, which might be 
  slightly more impressive.  
  Hyena. One of the more unusual choices 
  for a Medium mount, the hyena is faster 
  than most of the other options, with a speed 
  of 50 feet. Pack tactics give it a good chance 
  of gaining advantage in combat.  
  Dolphin. A great choice for aquatic 
  campaigns, dolphins have a swimming speed 
  of 60 feet and decent statistics. Keep in 
  mind, though, that they can’t breathe 
  underwater and can only hold their breath 
  for 20 minutes at a time.  
  Mule. Not a great choice compared to the 
  pony, but included on this list because it is a 
  standard mount. 
  Panther. If your DM allows them, they are 
  a solid choice for a Medium mount. They 
  have a speed of 50 feet, which is higher than 
  most of the other animals here, and a climb 
  speed of 40 feet as well as having Keen 
  Smell, a Pounce ability, and both bite and 
  claw attacks. They are also better than 
  average with regard to both AC and hit 
  points. Probably the best choice in this 
  category. 
  Reef Shark. If you are in an aquatic 
  campaign, the reef shark is probably your 
  best choice. While not as fast as the dolphin, 
  the reef shark has a decent spread of 
  statistics and can breathe underwater.  
  Large Creatures 
  The choice of Medium size humanoids 
  everywhere, this list includes some 
  additional options, though the warhorse 
  remains hard to beat. It should be noted that 
  the oﬃcial mount rules only specify that a 
  mount has to be at least one size larger than 
  its rider, so these creatures can also become 
  steeds to Small characters with the DM’s 
  permission.  
  Axe Beak. People have been known to ride 
  ostriches, so it’s not a stretch to imagine a 
  character riding an axe beak. With a speed of 
  50 feet and a powerful beak attack, it sits 
  squarely in the middle of the pack in terms 
  of statistics, but is deﬁnitely 
  distinctive in terms of 
  style.  
  Giant Goat. 
  The giant 
  goat has a 
  slower 
  movement 
  speed than 
  some of 
  the other 
  animals 
  on this 
  list (40 
  feet), but 
  like it’s 
  smaller cousin, it has both the ability to 
  knock enemies prone with its Charge ability, 
  as well as the Sure-Footed ability which 
  makes it harder to knock it prone.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  Giant Hyena. Riding on a giant hyena may 
  seem strange, but it has great hit points, a 
  decent AC compared to other animals on the 
  list, and the nifty Rampage ability which 
  allows it to move and make a free attack 
  when it reduces a creature to 0 hit points 
  with an attack.  
  Giant Lizard. Per the Monster Manual, 
  these creatures are often used as mounts or 
  draft animals, both on the surface and in the 
  Underdark. They have a natural climbing 
  speed of 30 feet and at the DM’s discretion, 
  they can be given a swim speed of 30 feet as 
  well (per the variants in the Monster Manual) 
  making it a truly versatile mount.  
  Giant Sea Horse. Trained as mounts by 
  aquatic elves, the giant sea horse makes a 
  perfect mount for an aquatic campaign (and 
  is the only suitable Large creature on this 
  list).   
  Giant Spider. The giant spider packs a lot 
  of options into one steed including stealth, 
  the Spider Climb ability (which deﬁnitely 
  requires a specially constructed saddle), a 
  poisonous bite, and a restraining web attack. 
  Giant spider mounts may be restricted to 
  Underdark campaigns or to drow.  
  Lion. Let’s face it — lions are pretty 
  impressive. While their hit points aren’t near 
  the top of the list, they have a variety of 
  attacks and abilities that they can bring to 
  bear, including Keen Smell, Pack Tactics, a 
  Pounce ability that knocks enemies prone 
  and triggers a free attack, and a Running 
  Leap that enables it to jump when needed. 
  Tiger. Unfortunately, they are not as good 
  as the lion. Everything the tiger can do, the 
  lion can do better save that they have more 
  hit points on average.  
  Worg. Since worgs are evil, a DM may not 
  allow them as mounts, but seeing as these 
  are really spirits, there’s nothing to prevent a 
  spirit from taking the shape of a worg. Worgs 
  have good speed, a good AC, Keen Hearing 
  and Smell and a solid attack. Plus they 
  naturally intimidate folks in polite society 
  when you ride in on one.  
  Find Greater Steed 
  Xanathar’s Guide To Everything introduced 
  the ﬁnd greater steed spell, a fourth level 
  spell available to the paladin at 13th level. 
  The spell is almost identical to the ﬁnd steed 
  spell detailed above except that it summons 
  more powerful creatures. 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  Creatures you can summon with the ﬁnd 
  greater steed spell include the dire wolf, 
  griﬀon, pegasus, peryton, rhinoceros, or 
  saber-toothed tiger.  
  Of the creatures on the list, the rhinoceros 
  is perhaps the most mundane, though it 
  does have a challenge rating of 2, and it 
  makes for an imposing mount. The griﬀon, 
  pegasus, and peryton all add ﬂying into the 
  mix which allows for greater movement 
  options.  
  Dire Wolf. A dire wolf makes a very 
  impressive mount. It can keep up with many 
  of the other mounts on this list, it has some 
  decent hit points, a nice AC, and some extra 
  utility with its Keen Hearing and Smell 
  ability and proﬁciency in Stealth. 
  Additionally, it has Pack Tactics which 
  should be a reliable source of advantage, and 
  a decent bite (which can also knock enemies 
  prone). 
  Griﬀon. Griﬀons are truly remarkable 
  steeds with ﬂight speeds of 80 feet, solid hit 
  points, and decent attacks.  
  Pegasus. The second of the winged steed 
  option, the pegasus is faster than the griﬀon 
  in both the air (90 feet of ﬂight) and the 
  ground (60 feet). They don’t oﬀer much more 
  except for a hooves attack, but for freedom of 
  movement, they are excellent (and who 
  hasn’t dreamed of riding a pegasus).  
  Peryton. A Medium size creature, the 
  peryton oﬀers a winged steed option to Small 
  characters who may want a compact steed. 
  While the peryton is slower than the other 
  ﬂying options, it has strong attack options 
  and also has the Flyby ability which can be 
  used when the paladin is dismounted in the 
  same way as the owl familiar.  
  Rhinoceros. While these may be limited to 
  certain areas, the rhino is a solid mount with  
  a Strength of 21 and the potential for some 
  impressive damage, though its speed is only 
  40 feet.  
  Saber-toothed Tiger. While these tigers 
  only have a speed of 40 feet, and no ﬂight 
  option, they are still savage creatures with 
  powerful attacks and robust hit points and 
  make great allies.  
  Additional Options 
  While the ﬁnd greater steed spell doesn’t 
  explicitly allow for additional choices in the 
  way that the ﬁnd steed spell does, the DM 
  may still choose to expand the list of greater 
  steeds available. Such creatures should be 
  Large (or Medium if available to Small 
  characters) and have a challenge rating of 2. 
  The following are possible additions to the 
  list (statistics can be found in the Monster 
  Manual and Volo’s Guide to Monsters).  
  Medium Creatures 
  Adult Kruthik. The kruthik has a very 
  high AC of 18, Keen Smell, Pack Tactics, and 
  two solid attacks. Additionally, it has a 
  climbing speed of 40 feet as well as a 
  burrowing speed of 20 feet. It can also 
  tunnel, moving through solid rock and 
  leaving a tunnel behind it, great to get the 
  paladin places they need to go.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  97
  
  Guard Drake. While mentioned as 
  companions in the previous chapter, guard 
  drakes can also serve as steeds for a Small 
  character. Their speed, at 30 feet, isn’t great, 
  but they have decent statistics and gain 
  greater utility if the chromatic variants are 
  allowed. They are also the closest you can get 
  to riding a dragon within these rules.  
  Shadow Mastiﬀ. Also included as powerful 
  companions in the previous chapter, shadow 
  mastiﬀs come with a number of interesting 
  abilities, including the ability to see ethereal 
  creatures and objects, and the ability to turn 
  invisible in dim light or darkness (along with 
  anything it is carrying, which would include 
  the paladin, if mounted). This is balanced by 
  a weakness to sunlight, but the weakness 
  doesn’t cancel out the mastiﬀ’s movement 
  and the paladin can always restrict the 
  steed’s use to conditions with no sunlight.  
  Large Creatures 
  Aurochs. Not terribly impressive compared 
  to some of the other options, these war bulls 
  nevertheless have incredible strength and a 
  staggering gore attack.  
  Carrion Crawler. Though Large, carrion 
  crawlers should only be allowed as mounts 
  for Small characters since they are low to the 
  ground. What they lack in speed, they make 
  up for in the ability to climb, though if 
  moving across ceilings, the paladin would 
  have to be secured appropriately.  
  Giant Boar. One of the slower creatures on 
  the list, the giant boar still comes with solid 
  hit points, a decent AC, and the ability to 
  charge and knock enemies prone, as well as 
  being harder to kill because of the Relentless 
  ability.  
  Giant Eagle. A classic ﬂying mount 
  option, the giant eagle has a ﬂying speed of 
  80 feet, Keen Sight, and both beak and talon 
  attacks.  
  Hippogriﬀ. An additional ﬂying mount, 
  the hippogriﬀ is a little slower than the 
  steeds mentioned above, but still has a solid 
  60 feet of ﬂying speed and stellar Perception.  
  Hunter Shark. The improved choice for 
  aquatic campaigns, hunter sharks have 
  better statistics than reef sharks and their 
  Blood Frenzy ability gives them advantage on 
  attacks against creatures that have lost hit 
  points.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  98
  
  Chapter 11: Other 
  Mounts 
  UNLIKE FAMILIARS AND COMPANIONS 
  (which diﬀer from pets), mounts are common 
  elements of society, albeit without the 
  additional beneﬁts granted by the ﬁnd steed 
  spell. Riding animals are one of the key 
  methods of travel throughout the world.  
  As such, it’s a lot easier to gain a mount 
  without having access to the ﬁnd steed spell. 
  On the simplest level, you can just purchase 
  a horse or pony that someone else has gone 
  to the trouble of training for you. The Player’s 
  Handbook gives the cost of a pony as 30 gp 
  and horses as anywhere from 50 gp to 400 
  gp based on the type of horse. It also 
  includes prices for camels, donkeys, 
  elephants, and mastiﬀs, all of which can be 
  available for purchase, depending on the 
  area (with elephants being the most exotic).   
  Finding a Fantastical 
  Mount 
  The acquisition of more exotic mounts is 
  possible, but as the Player’s Handbook 
  states, it often requires extra eﬀort on the 
  part of the character, much in the way that 
  it’s possible to acquire familiars or animal 
  companions without using a spell or through 
  a class feature.  
  Riding such mounts requires, at 
  minimum, an exotic saddle suited for that 
  type of creature. Such saddles aren’t 
  commonly available and must be created by 
  a knowledgable saddle or animal handler 
  familiar with the creature in question, or 
  must be acquired some other way. If the 
  exotic mount is a gift, for example, it may 
  come with the appropriate saddle. At the 
  DM’s discretion, certain vendors may also 
  have exotic saddles for sale.  
  Purchasing a Mount 
  In some areas, mounts such as griﬀons and 
  hippogriﬀs might be bought from expert 
  trainers, ready to accept new riders. 
  However, such creatures cost a minimum of 
  5000 gp and require specialized stables and 
  care. Additionally, such creatures usually 
  become loyal to their trainer which can be a 
  hard bond to break.  
  Raising Your Own Mount 
  Another way to obtain an exotic mount is to 
  acquire an egg or baby, either by buying one 
  or ﬁnding/stealing one, and raise the animal, 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS &  
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  99
  
  training it yourself an early age. Such 
  animals learn to easily accommodate their 
  owner’s presence and become extremely loyal 
  as long as they are well cared for. The 
  disadvantage with this approach is the time 
  it takes for the creature to mature and the 
  time involved in training it. However, if a 
  campaign spans years, this can be a valid 
  way of gaining an exotic mount.  
  Still there can be other drawbacks. The 
  Monster Manual entry on the griﬀon 
  mentions that while griﬀons can be raised 
  from eggs and trained, the food the creature 
  requires can make the prospect expensive 
  and dangerous in addition to time 
  consuming. Still, the ferocity and ﬁerceness 
  of such mounts might make a character 
  willing to chance it.  
  In game terms, the training process can 
  either be covered entirely in the background 
  of the campaign, or during downtime, or can 
  be an active and ongoing concern, requiring 
  Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks along the 
  way with failures potentially lengthening the 
  process.  
  The Mount as Payment or Gift 
  As with familiars and companions, another 
  way for a character to acquire a mount, 
  whether exotic or not, is to receive one from 
  someone who has access to creatures of that 
  type, or is otherwise powerful. This can be as 
  simple as the local lord or ruler granting the 
  character a trained warhorse or a powerful 
  celestial granting a pegasus. Such animals 
  should already be trained, though they still 
  may require Wisdom (Animal Handling) 
  checks while ﬁrst being acquainted with the 
  character.  
  These mounts may be rewards for services 
  that the characters have performed, boons 
  granted to aid in an adventure, or the results 
  of some other kind of bargain.  
  Alternately, instead of a fully grown and 
  trained mount, the granter of the gift or 
  reward may give the character a juvenile or 
  baby animal to raise and train on their own, 
  though this causes the same timing issues 
  as described in the previous section. 
  Acquiring a Mount Through 
  Negotiation 
  A third method of acquiring a mount is to 
  negotiate with the mount directly.  This 
  requires a mount of a certain Intelligence, 
  obviously, as the character must be able to 
  convince the mount that allying makes 
  sense. A character could negotiate with a 
  giant eagle or pegasus, for example, 
  assuming they could communicate, but 
  would not be able to with a griﬀon or 
  hippogriﬀ. Such negotiated alliances are 
  usually temporary and tied to a speciﬁc goal 
  or journey, though this can also allow for 
  more powerful creatures as mounts, such as 
  unicorns or nightmares. 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  100
  
  Chapter 12: Steed 
  Class Options 
  The Paladin is the only oﬃcial class to 
  beneﬁt from the ﬁnd steed spell, but the 
  following option incorporates steeds into the 
  ﬁghter and warlock class features.  
  Fighter 
  Some warriors view their weapon as an 
  extension of themselves, as their truest 
  companion. But for me, it’s my camel. Far 
  more trustworthy and reliable, and also more 
  deadly.  
   
   
  — Asim Tarkos, Beast Rider 
  While the cavalier martial archetype is based 
  around mounted combat, and beneﬁts from 
  abilities the deal with such combat, the 
  following martial archetype takes this one 
  step further, with a speciﬁc bonded mount.  
  Martial Archetype: Beast Rider 
  The Beast Rider bonds with a speciﬁc mount 
  that accompanies it on all of its travels and 
  acts in some ways like an animal companion. 
  Unlike cavaliers, who are often of noble birth 
  or background, beast riders come from a 
  variety of backgrounds, from tribal warriors 
  to specialized sects of warriors who ride into 
  battle on their bonded steeds.  
  Beast Rider Features  
  Bonded Steed   
  When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, 
  you gain a particularly intelligent and loyal 
  steed. Pick a camel, elk, mastiﬀ, pony, or 
  warhorse. That beast becomes your bonded 
  steed. The beast has the statistics of others 
  of its kind, except that you add your 
  proﬁciency bonus to its attack rolls, damage 
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  Fighter Level
  Feature
  3rd
  Bonded Steed, Born to Ride
  7th
  Swift Response
  10th
  Speed Reserves
  15th
  Overrun
  18th
  Stunning Charge
  
  rolls, AC, and any skills and saving throws it 
  is proﬁcient with.  
  Through rigorous training, you can 
  coordinate together with your steed. Your 
  steed remains an independent mount, but it 
  is loyal to you and will do everything it can to 
  follow your commands.  
  Born to Ride 
  Starting at 3rd level you gain proﬁciency in 
  the Animal Handling skill. Additionally, you 
  have advantage on saving throws to avoid 
  falling oﬀ your steed. Finally, mounting or 
  dismounting your bonded steed costs you 5 
  feet of movement, rather than half your 
  speed.  
  Swift Response 
  At 7th level, you learn to work together with 
  your steed in combat. If your steed is 
  targeted with an opportunity attack, you can 
  immediately make an attack against that 
  attacker as a reaction.   
  Speed Reserves 
  At 10th level, your relationship with your 
  mount allows you to inspire it to greater 
  eﬀort when needed. As a bonus action, you 
  can spur your steed to go faster, doubling its 
  speed for 1 minute. At the end of this period, 
  your steed can’t move or take any actions 
  until the after its next turn as it stops to 
  catch its breath and regain its strength.  
  Overrun 
   
  Starting at 15th level, when you are 
  mounted, if you are able to move at least 10 
  feet in a straight line right before attacking a 
  creature and you hit it with the attack, you 
  do an extra 3d6 damage and your movement 
  doesn’t provoke any opportunity attacks. You 
  can use this feature only once on each of 
  your turns.  
  Stunning Charge 
  Starting at 18th level, your Overrun feature 
  does an extra 5d6 damage and when you hit 
  a creature using your Overrun feature, that 
  creature must make a Wisdom saving throw 
  (DC 8 + your proﬁciency bonus + your 
  Strength modiﬁer) or be stunned for 1 
  minute. You can use this feature only once 
  on each of your turns.  
  Warlock 
  Pray you never end up with the Wild Hunt 
  chasing you. I can imagine fewer fates worse 
  than that.  
  — Sherrine Lassat, Warlock of the Wild Hunt 
  While warlocks are most often associated 
  with familiars, as described in Chapter 3, 
  warlocks who opt for the Wild Hunt patron 
  gain access to the ﬁnd steed spell.  
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  Patron: The Wild Hunt 
   
  Warlocks of the Wild Hunt gain their power 
  from one of the the supernatural groups of 
  entities who gather to ride and hunt across 
  the planes. The fey have their own version of 
  the Hunt, as do ﬁends (both demons and 
  devils). Pantheons of gods have been known 
  to join together to hunt across the planes, 
  and similar groups have been spotted in the 
  Shadowfell, made up of the undead. Such 
  powerful entities hunt all kinds of creatures 
  — mortals, ﬁends, undead, or even other 
  gods. Most who have seen any manifestation 
  of the Wild Hunt pray that the Hunt never 
  comes for them.  
  Wild Hunt Features 
  Expanded Spell List 
  The Wild Hunt lets you choose from an 
  expanded list of spells when you learn a 
  warlock spell. The following spells are added 
  to the warlock spell list for you.  
  Wild Hunt Expanded Spells 
  Fearsome Visage 
  Starting at 1st level, your patron bestows 
  upon you the ability to take on the fearsome 
  aspect of the Hunt. As an action, you can 
  cause each creature within a 30 foot radius 
  of you to make a Wisdom saving throw 
  against your warlock spell save DC. 
  Creatures that fail their saving throws are 
  frightened by you until the end of your next 
  turn.  
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it 
  again until you ﬁnish a short or long rest.    
  Spectral Hound 
  Starting at 6th level, you gain the ability to 
  summon a spectral hound, drawn from the 
  Hunt, to help track your enemies. As a 
  bonus action, you can cause the hound to 
  appear in an unoccupied space within 30 
  feet of you.  
  The hound uses the mastiﬀ’s statistics (see 
  the Monster Manual) except that the DC for 
  its bite attack is 15 and it gains a number of 
  temporary hit points equal to half your 
  warlock level. Roll initiative for the hound, 
  which has its own turns.  
  When the hound appears, you must 
  specify a non-incapacitated creature within 
  Warlock Level
  Feature
  1st
  Fearsome Visage
  6th
  Spectral Hound
  10th
  Wild Resistance
  14th
  Call the Hunt
  Spell Level
  Spells
  1st
  ensnaring strike, hunter’s mark
  2nd
  beast sense, find steed
  3rd
  haste, water walk
  4th
  freedom of movement, locate creature
  5th
  commune with nature, wrath of nature
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  103
  
  30 feet of you to act as the hound’s target. 
  On each of its turns, the hound will pursue 
  the target. If not within 5 feet of the target, 
  the hound will use its movement to position 
  itself as close to the target as possible and 
  ignores diﬃcult terrain to do so. If within 5 
  feet of the target, the hound will attack with 
  its bite. 
  The hound disappears if it is reduced to 0 
  hit points, if its target is reduced to 0 hit 
  points, or after 5 minutes.  
  If there is no valid target when the hound 
  manifests, i.e. if there are no enemies within 
  range that aren’t incapacitated, the hound 
  deals 2d10 psychic damage to you before 
  disappearing.  
  Wild Resistance 
  Starting at 10th level, you and any mount 
  you are riding gain resistance to cold and ﬁre 
  damage and ignore the eﬀects of diﬃcult 
  terrain.  
  Call the Hunt 
  At 14th level, you become able to draw on 
  the Wild Hunt and manifest part of it around 
  you. When you hit a creature with an attack, 
  you can use this feature to have spiritual 
  hounds and horseman appear to aid your 
  attack. The creature is knocked prone and 
  takes 5d8 slashing damage and 5d8 
  bludgeoning damage.  
  Once you use this feature, you can’t use it 
  again until you ﬁnish a long rest.  
  Pact Boon Changes 
  While the Pact of the Blade and Pact of the 
  Tome operate normally under the Wild Hunt 
  patron, the Pact of the Chain oﬀers diﬀerent 
  advantages. The following replaces the 
  information presented in the Player’s 
  Handbook.  
  Pact of the Chain 
  You learn the ﬁnd steed spell and can cast it 
  as a ritual. The spell doesn’t count against 
  your number of spells known.  
  When you cast the spell, you can choose 
  one of the normal forms for the steed or one 
  of the following special forms: blink dog, 
  death dog, dire wolf, giant hyena, giant wasp, 
  hippogriﬀ, lion, warhorse skeleton, or worg. 
  The steed has the statistics of the chosen 
  form but remains a celestial, fey, or ﬁend 
  (your choice).   
  Additionally, when you reach 7th level, you 
  may have your steed assume one of the 
  following forms instead: displacer beast, 
  giant boar, griﬀon, guard drake, hell hound, 
  manticore, nightmare, pegasus, peryton, 
  saber-toothed tiger, or winter wolf.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  104
  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  105
  Part 4: Other 
  Rules & Options
  
  Chapter 13: 
  Personalizing your 
  Companion 
  Creature 
  WHAT REALLY MAKES A FAMILIAR, 
  companion, or steed unique are the touches 
  put into developing the creature’s 
  personality. The player should develop that 
  personality along with their character, 
  though the DM may have input. The more 
  eﬀort and care that is put into developing the 
  animal, the more alive and important they 
  will feel.  
  Please note that the following rules mostly 
  apply to summoned or created familiars, 
  summoned steeds, and animal companions 
  gained through a class feature. Other 
  animals and creatures tend to be created 
  and run by the DM and generally have their 
  own names and personalities already.  
  The DM and player should discuss other 
  situations, such as animals raised from 
  babies or hatched by the character. In these 
  cases, the player can usually name the 
  animal and determine aspects of its 
  personality, but it is ultimately the decision 
  of the DM.  
  For simplicity’s sake, this section will refer 
  to familiars, steeds, and animal companions 
  collectively as companion creatures.  
  The name 
  Personalizing a familiar or companion starts 
  with its name. Names obviously vary widely 
  between characters and campaign worlds, 
  and should reﬂect the player’s wishes, but 
  the following guidelines may help the player 
  ﬁnd a name suitable for their animal friend.  
  It should be noted that because familiars 
  are magical creatures, and names hold power 
  in magic, many spellcasters keep their 
  familiar’s true names secret and give the 
  familiar a nickname that can be used in 
  public.  
  People Names: As with pets, animals are 
  often given the same names that people are. 
  In this case, the animal could be given a 
  name native to the player’s race, or could be 
  given a name from a diﬀerent race. For 
  sample names, see the sample racial names 
  in the Player’s Handbook or in Appendix B of 
  Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. 
  Legendary Names: Some people name their 
  familiars and companions after individuals of 
  power and can include historical names, 
  mythological names, names of current rulers 
  or heroes, and names taken from the gods. 
  Examples: Alustriel, Baervan, Berronar, 
  Bruenor, Corellon, Drizzt, Eldath, Elminster, 
  Haela, Khelben, Laeral, Moonbow, Moradin, 
  Mystra, Nezram, Nymeria, Sehanine, Selune, 
  Sune, Taern, Tyr, Uthgar, Valkur, Vajra, 
  Vangerdahast, Yondalla. 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  106
  
  Object & Event Names. Some animals are 
  given the names of objects or events, often 
  for the image they conjure up or because the 
  animal is associated with that object or 
  event. Once again, these names can be in the 
  character’s native language or in Common. 
  Examples: Amber, Arrow, Autumn, Book, 
  Brandy, Brook, Bubbles, Castle, Comet, 
  Cookie, Crystal, Diamond, Echo, Ember, 
  Grey Wind, Horseshoe, Hurricane, Jade, 
  Jasper, Jewel, Lance, Lightning, Mace, 
  Magic,  Midnight, Opal, Pearl, Puppet, Quill, 
  Ruby, Scroll, Shadow, Sky, Snowball, Star, 
  Storm, Streak, Summer, Thunderbolt, Topaz, 
  Winter 
  Creature Names: Since time immemorial, 
  people have been naming their animals after 
  other animals, such as a dog being called 
  Tiger, or a hawk named Dragon. Examples: 
  Angel, Bear, Birdie, Bug, Demon, Devil, 
  Dragon, Fox, Ghost, Giant, Goblin, Griﬀon, 
  Jaguar, Newt, Ogre, Owlbear, Phantom, 
  Spirit, Tiger, Wolf 
  Plant Names: Self-explanatory. Also includes 
  some food names.  Examples: Beans, 
  Blackberry, Blossom, Bluebell, 
  Bodhi, Buttercup, Clover, Cowslip, 
  Dahlia, Daisy, Dandelion, Flower, 
  Hazel, Holly, Iris, Jasmine, Laurel, 
  Lotus, Mistletoe, Nightshade, 
  Nutmeg, Peanut, Pickles, Poppy, 
  Pumpkin, Sage, Truﬄes, Violet, Willow 
  Role/Occupation Names: Names based 
  on jobs or ranks or positions. Examples: 
  Admiral, Baron, Bishop, Captain, 
  Chamberlain, Champion, Chief, Dancer, 
  Deacon, Duke, Dutchess, Harper, Hunter, 
  King, Lady, Piper, Pirate, Princess, Queenie, 
  Rogue, Sailor, Skipper, Soldier, Tinker, 
  Tracker, Tramp, Wizard 
  Appearance Names: When an animal is 
  named after an element of their appearance. 
  Some of these names can be ironic (such as 
  a large animal being called Tiny). Examples: 
  Beauty, Bigwig, Blackie, Blaze, Blondie, Blue, 
  Bones, Boots, Cinder, Copper, Ebony, Fluﬀy, 
  Fuzzy, Ginger, Itsy, Ivory, Mittens, Onyx, 
  Patch, Patches, Powder, Red, Scruﬀy, 
  Shaggydog, Shorty, Silver, Smokey, Smudge, 
  Socks, Sooty, Spike, Spot, Stripes, Tiny, 
  Twinkle, Whiskers 
  Behavior Names: When an animal is named 
  after an aspect of their behavior. Examples: 
  Acrobat, Buddy, Bully, Chaos, Charisma, 
  Charmer, Flash, Frisky, Grumpy, Jumpy, 
  Lucky, Mischief, Monster, Precious, Random, 
  Rover, Sassy, Scamp, Scrappy, Snuﬄes, 
  Sunny, Thumper, Wiggles 
  Cute/Diminutive Names: Baby, Bits, Boy, 
  Honey, Kitty, Missy, Pooch, Pup, Sugar, 
  Sweetie. 
  Physical 
  Characteristics 
  Sex 
  Summoned familiars and steeds manifest in 
  the body of an actual animal. As such, the 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  107
  
  creature has a sex that you can choose. 
  Regardless of the sex of the animal’s physical 
  body, its gender identity can be whatever you 
  choose. In the case of many of these 
  creatures, they are ultimately spirits, no 
  matter what form they inhabit, and as such 
  their notions of sex and gender can be non-
  binary. However, this holds true for beast 
  companions and other gained creatures that 
  are not spirits,  
  Constructed familiars do not have to have 
  sex or gender, though they can identify with 
  those if the player so chooses.  
  Size and Weight 
  Your creature companion will be roughly the 
  same size and shape as others of its kind, 
  though natural variation means that the 
  exact dimensions of your companion will 
  vary. The player should decide if their 
  companion is average in size, or if it might be 
  lighter or heavier, longer or taller or shorter. 
  These variations don’t have an eﬀect it n 
  terms of the game rules, but do help create a 
  picture of the familiar or companion.  
  Other Physical Characteristics 
  While your creature companion is roughly 
  the same size as others of its type, other 
  aspects of its appearance can diﬀer if you so 
  choose. Particularly in the case of familiars, 
  as magical creatures they sometimes have 
  more unusual features than normal animals 
  of that type. This can be a diﬀerent color, or 
  a smell, or a sound or any other kind of 
  change to cosmetic features. Again, these 
  changes don’t aﬀect anything in terms of the 
  rules, however, the DM may choose to make 
  small adjustments based on what the 
  diﬀerent element is. For example, if your 
  raven familiar had eyes that glowed red, 
  when the familiar was present, it might give 
  a small bonus (+1) to Charisma 
  (Intimidation) checks. Though that same 
  feature might cause a small penalty (-1) to 
  any Charisma (Persuasion) checks because it 
  unnerves people. Players are encouraged to 
  use their own creativity within the bounds 
  that the DM sets, but the table below can be 
  used as a starting point, or if the player 
  wishes.  
  The Personality 
  Companion creature personalities can and 
  should be as varied and unique as character 
  personalities. The player is encouraged to 
  come up with as distinct a personality as 
  possible to distinguish their animal friend 
  from countless others. And in the case  
  d10
  Unique Appearance
  1
  The creature’s eyes glow a certain color (either 
  all the time or only at certain times)
  2
  The creature has a particular odor which 
  intensifies at times of stress. This can be freshly 
  baked bread, fresh grass, pine, brimstone, a deep 
  animal musk, ozone, the ocean or any other smell 
  of the player’s choice.
  3
  The creature has unusually colored feathers, fur, 
  skin, or scales over part or all of its body, such as 
  a rat with blue fur, or a vulture with bright red 
  feathers. 
  4
  The creature makes an unusual sound either in 
  place of, or in addition to, its normal sounds. Its 
  barks or yaps may be particularly deep or sound 
  ghostly, or its call may sound like a young 
  humanoid.
  5
  Otherworldly energy swirls around the creature 
  causing a slight distortion, a shimmer or blur like 
  intense heat. 
  6
  The creature is particularly cold, or warm, to the 
  touch despite having a normal internal 
  temperature. 
  7
  The creature is bald or has bald patches on its 
  body where no hair or feathers will grow. 
  8
  The creature moves in a way that seems slightly 
  off. It doesn’t affect their movement speed, but 
  is discernible if they are watched for some time. 
  9
  The creature's shadow doesn’t always point in 
  the direction it’s supposed to. 
  10
  Parts of the creature’s body (but never all of it) 
  turn invisible from time to time. 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  Alignment 
  Traditional familiars, animal companions, 
  and steeds always share the alignment of the 
  character they are bonded to. Found 
  familiars and gained animal companions as 
  well as steeds gained without the ﬁnd steed 
  spell can be of any alignment, though as 
  indicated in previous chapters, a large 
  alignment diﬀerence makes it harder to 
  attract and keep such animals.  
  Personality Traits 
  As with characters, players should deﬁne 
  personality traits that apply to their  
  companion creature. As with character 
  personality traits, they should be as speciﬁc 
  as possible.  
  The tables below list some sample 
  personality traits that can apply to familiars, 
  animal companions, and steeds. Players can 
  roll on the table or use the table as a starting 
  point for devising their own personality 
  traits. It is recommended that players roll for 
  or choose two personality traits to help 
  distinguish your companion creature from 
  others of its kind.  
  Ideals 
  Like characters, companion creatures have 
  ideals, but because of the bond of loyalty to 
  the character, the companion creature 
  shares the ideal of the character.  
  Bonds 
  A companion creature’s bond is always the 
  same. It is “The character who travels with 
  me is a beloved companion/master for whom 
  I would gladly give my life.” 
  d12
  Personality Trait
  1
  I am always watching so that my companion 
  doesn’t have to. 
  2
  I am a fierce defender of my companion and 
  always ready to leap into action to help keep 
  them safe. 
  3
  I try to seem as unassuming and mundane as 
  possible and keep my abilities secret to gain an 
  edge over those around me. 
  4
  I will never give up until I die.
  5
  I am driven by the new discoveries and mysteries 
  that I uncover with my companion and hope they 
  never stop. 
  6
  I view my companion’s friends and allies as if 
  they were my own brood/pack/school/flock.
  7
  I aspire to become greater than I am and believe 
  that I can accomplish this goal through service 
  to my companion. 
  8
  Since my role as companion, I no longer feel 
  connected to others of my kind. I am happy with 
  my service but no longer know what I am. 
  9
  I always obey my companion but I am happiest 
  when our activities cause chaos and destruction.
  10
  I am obsessed with food and root it out and 
  stash it away as often as I can. 
  11
  I insist on being clean at all times and 
  consistently bathe and preen to maintain my 
  cleanliness. 
  12
  While I am loyal and accommodating to my 
  companion, I am endlessly curious and can’t stop 
  myself from asking questions. 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  Flaws 
  Like Personality Traits, the player can 
  develop ﬂaws for the companion creature to 
  further distinguish them and their 
  personality. Players can choose to roll on the 
  table below or else use those choices as a 
  starting point for developing their own ﬂaws.  
  Other Details 
  The player can ﬁll in other details about the 
  companion creature as well as including the 
  above. If it is an animal companion, what 
  was its home territory and how big was its 
  family? Had the animal mated? For familiars 
  and steeds that can change their forms with 
  subsequent ﬁnd spells, do they have a form 
  that they consider their default form? Are 
  they attached to any certain animal shapes? 
  How do they feel about the things that they 
  are asked to do? Do they enjoy some tasks 
  more than others? For familiars and steeds, 
  how do they feel when they are dismissed, or 
  when they die? Companion creature 
  backgrounds and histories can be as detailed 
  and intricate as those for characters.  
  d12
  Flaw
  1
  Because of my special nature, I think of myself as 
  better than others of my kind. 
  2
  My insecurity causes me to be obsequious to my 
  companion and constantly look for their 
  approval.
  3
  I am cynical because of what I have seen and I 
  express this in a constant tone of sarcasm. 
  4
  While my companion would generally be 
  considered more intelligent than me by their 
  own standards, I know that being clever isn’t 
  about books but about understanding the world, 
  and by that measure I am superior. 
  5
  My love for life drives me to try every type of 
  food and smell/see/hear/sense every new kind of 
  object or even that I can, often to the chagrin of 
  my companion. 
  6
  My companion is the only humanoid that I can 
  tolerate. Everyone else I treat with disdain or else 
  outright hostility. 
  7
  I appreciate the security of contact with others 
  and will greet new friends by jumping on them 
  and investigating every aspect of their bodies. 
  8
  I am obsessed with trinkets and badger my 
  companion to pick new trinkets up and keep 
  them on my behalf and if I can carry them myself, 
  I do. 
  9
  My companion once made a mistake that put my 
  life in danger and now I never let them forget.
  10
  Now that I am able to express my thoughts and 
  feelings to my bonded companion, I feel an 
  obligation to do so, especially when my opinions 
  differ from my companion. 
  11
  I value humanoids over other animals OR I value 
  other animals over humanoids (save my 
  companion)
  12
  I view every attempt to change me (my form/my 
  appearance/my behavior) as a slight.
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  Chapter 14: New 
  Backgrounds 
  THE OPTIONS IN THIS CHAPTER CAN BE 
  added to your game with the DM’s 
  permission.  
  Backgrounds 
  The following backgrounds concern animals 
  and other creatures and can be used in 
  addition to those provided elsewhere.  
  Animal Trainer 
  You spent your formative years training 
  animals which could be horses for riding, or 
  dogs, or even performing animals. You are 
  comfortable around animals and understand 
  them on a level that most people don’t.  
  Skill Proﬁciencies: Animal Handling, 
  Insight 
  Tool Proﬁciencies: Leatherworker’s Tools,  
  Smith’s Tools  
  Equipment: A set of common clothes, 
  leatherworker’s tools, and a belt pouch 
  containing 20 gp  
  Specialty 
  To determine the animals that you 
  specialized in, roll a d6 or choose from the 
  options in the table below.  
  Feature: Trainer’s Eye 
  Your time spent with animals has given you 
  a keen eye for their condition and behavior. 
  When buying or otherwise choosing trained 
  animals, you can spot the best and worst of 
  the bunch and can acquire a suitable mount 
  for 25% less than they normally cost. This 
  also applies to any tack or harness that 
  applies to these animals.  
  Suggested Characteristics 
  Animal trainers tend to be patient yet ﬁrm. 
  Whether they have worked with horses or 
  dogs or even exotic animals, they must learn 
  to understand their animals and read them 
  well. Some trainers feel most comfortable 
  when practicing their trade with animals 
  while others crave the company of other 
  people when they’re not working.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  d6
  Animal
  1
  Riding horses
  2
  Guard Dogs
  3
  Hunting Dogs
  4
  Hunting Birds
  5
  Other mounts (camels, mastiffs, ponies)
  6
  Performing animals 
  
  Beast-Reared 
  You were raised by animals for part of your 
  childhood. This could have been if you were 
  abandoned and left alone in the wilderness, 
  or if your family was killed, or for some other 
  reason. Wild animals took you in and cared 
  for you and raised you as if you were one of 
  their kind. While you were later returned to 
  civilization, you still retain the knowledge 
  you learned from your animal family, and 
  that strangeness has marked you in your 
  dealings with other humanoids.  
  Skill Proﬁciencies: Animal Handling, 
  Survival 
  Tool Proﬁciencies: Hunter’s Tools (see next 
  chapter) 
  Languages: One of your choice 
  d8
  Personality Trait
  1
  I’m a perfectionist and will put in the extra time 
  and effort to make sure everything I do lives up 
  to my expectations. 
  2
  I like to understand the behavior of people as 
  well as animals and analyze those I meet. 
  3
  It’s hard to get me to shut up when I’m talking 
  about my job. 
  4
  I stop to examine animals that I see to assess 
  their condition and their training (if any). 
  5
  I remember the names of all of the animals that I 
  have trained and every quirk about them. 
  6
  I am strict and firm in my job and this carries 
  over into the other parts of my life. 
  7
  I believe that the best way to get an animal (or 
  person) to trust me is to form an empathic 
  relationship with that animal (or person). 
  8
  I like helping others, whether that’s giving them 
  the best service or else aiding them when they’re 
  in need. 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  112
  d6
  Bond
  1
  The stable or shop where I learned my trade is 
  the most important place in the world to me. 
  2
  The master who I apprenticed to taught me 
  everything I know and I will never forget them.
  3
  I’ll always remember the first animal that I 
  trained. 
  4
  A rich noble once cheated me and now I fight 
  against any wealthy people I find to be unfair.
  5
  I chose my career over someone that I loved and 
  lost them, but I never stopped loving them. 
  6
  I value the techniques that I have learned and 
  seek tp preserve them and pass them on to 
  someone worthy.  
  d6
  Flaw
  1
  I once injured an animal I was training and I live 
  with my secret shame.
  2
  I like the simplicity of animals more than people. 
  3
  I try to get the upper hand in any negotiation I 
  undertake. 
  4
  I sometimes try to “train” people that I meet. 
  5
  I can be stubborn in the face of defiance. 
  6
  I am stingy with my wealth. 
  d6
  Ideal
  1
  Order. Rules are meant to be followed. (Lawful)
  2
  Respect. People and animals deserve to be 
  treated with dignity and respect. (Good)
  3
  Freedom. All people should have the opportunity 
  to practice their craft. (Chaotic)
  4
  Power. Dominating others is the best path to 
  personal power. (Evil)
  5
  Beings. I’m committed to the animals I care for 
  and the people I care about, not to ideals. 
  (Neutral)
  6
  Aspiration. I work hard to be the best at my job 
  and am always seeking to improve. (Any)
  The Animal Handling skill applies to all animals 
  equally, but at the DM’s discretion, the 
  character may work better with animals of the 
  kind they spent training as part of their 
  background, granting them a bonus when 
  working with those animals (and potentially a 
  penalty when working with others). 
  
  Equipment: A sling, a hunting trap, a trophy 
  from an animal that you killed (a tooth, or 
  horn, or other body part), simple animal hide 
  clothes, and a pouch containing 20 gp worth 
  of small gems that you found  
  Feature: Part of the Pack 
  Your time spent in the wild, living with the 
  animals, has gained you the ability to feel at 
  home in the wilderness and to read signs 
  that others might not recognize. You can ﬁnd 
  twice as much food and water while foraging 
  as you normally would.  
  Additionally, if animals of the same type as 
  those that raised you are present in the area, 
  you can ﬁnd shelter and protection with 
  them, assuming you and any companions 
  are respectful and don’t endanger them.  
  Suggested Characteristics 
  Some beast-reared spent years with their 
  animal families and thus are awkward and 
  sometimes crude around other humanoids 
  and in civilization. Others have integrated 
  into society but maintain their bond to those 
  who took them in and cared for them. For 
  some, the time spent in the wild have shown 
  them that the veneer of so-called civilization 
  is thin and what lies underneath is not as 
  superior as people might believe.  
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  113
  d8
  Personality Trait
  1
  I consider my friends to be my new pack and am 
  fiercely loyal to them.
  2
  I secretly regret returning to civilization and miss 
  the simple life among my animal family.
  3
  I once helped my animal family fight off a much 
  stronger beast and it taught me what is possible 
  with determination and teamwork.
  4
  The importance of wealth and its trappings is a 
  lie. Wealth won’t help you in the wild. 
  5
  I hold onto food for as long as I can, often 
  stuffing it in my pockets or pack. 
  6
  I don’t trust the rich.
  7
  I have never managed to master the manners 
  required in civilization. 
  8
  I pepper my conversation with stories of my time 
  in the wild and the things that I saw and did. 
  d6
  Ideal
  1
  Growth. Improvement is only possible in the face 
  of adversity. (Chaotic)
  2
  Order. Hierarchy and established roles are as 
  important in the world as they are in the pack. 
  (Lawful)
  3
  Nature. The natural world is more important than 
  all the constructs of civilization (Neutral)
  4
  Greater Good. It is each member’s responsibility 
  to act in the best interests of the pack. (Good)
  5
  Strength. The only way to survive in this world is 
  to be the strongest and most savage. (Evil)
  6
  Pride. I must provide for my pack and bring them  
  greatness. (Any)
  I have met noble savages and savage nobles, 
  and I can tell you, I far prefer the former to 
  the latter. 
  
  Beast-Reared Variant: Monster-
  Reared 
  Instead of being raised by beasts, you were 
  taken in and raised (or partially raised) by a 
  group of good and generous monsters, such 
  as goblins or orcs or some other kind of 
  monstrous humanoid. You generally know 
  the language of the creature that took you in 
  and your Part of the Pack feature applies to 
  these monsters and the environment in 
  which they live. Note that while the group 
  that raised you may have been friendly to 
  you, the average monster won’t be.  
  Creature Chronicler 
  You are a scholar interested in chronicling 
  information about exotic creatures, either for 
  publication in tomes of learning, or else to 
  add to the overall knowledge of society. You 
  cut your teeth learning and writing about 
  normal animals but soon set your sights on 
  more rare and unusual creatures. You may 
  be aﬃliated with a school or a group of sages 
  or may be completely independent, seeking 
  to make your name by chronicling creatures 
  that no one else has.  
  Skill Proﬁciencies: Nature, Perception 
  Tool Proﬁcencies: Calligrapher’s Supplies 
  Languages: One of your choice 
  Equipment: A quill, ink, a journal for 
  notetaking, a set of traveling clothes, and a 
  belt pouch containing 10 gp 
  Feature: Creature Lore 
  Due to your study of wild animals and exotic 
  creatures, when traveling you can identify 
  the presence of wild creatures by studying 
  their spoor or other signs of their activity. 
  You can also recall several details about such 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  114
  d6
  Flaw
  1
  I follow the lead of my pack leader no matter 
  what. 
  2
  I have a weakness for alcohol after my time in the 
  wild. 
  3
  I find it difficult to let go of my time with the 
  pack and sometimes growl or posture to people 
  who upset me. 
  4
  I sometimes sniff people when I meet them. 
  5
  I never back down from a direct challenge.
  6
  I find it hard to trust people who grew up in 
  civilization. 
  d6
  Bond
  1
  Despite having left my pack, they are still the 
  most important and truest family that I have.
  2
  Someone who despoils my wilderness home or 
  attacks my pack attacks me. 
  3
  I must carry on the lessons of my pack and pass 
  them on to any who will listen. 
  4
  I still pursue vengeance against those who 
  caused me to be lost in the wilderness.
  5
  I believe my true family to still be alive and will 
  not rest until I find out what happened to them.
  6
  My friends and companions are my new pack and 
  I am devoted to them. 
  
  animals, though some of these may be 
  exaggerations or false. 
  Suggested Characteristics 
  Creature chroniclers tend to be bookish sorts 
  who value knowledge over all else. Most of 
  their learning comes from books rather than 
  the ﬁeld, but many see adventuring as the 
  ultimate goal, though they are often not 
  ready for such travels.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  115
  d8
  Personality Trait
  1
  I never miss an opportunity to display the depth 
  and breadth of my learning. 
  2
  I have spent so much time learning alone that I 
  often talk to myself, even when others are 
  around. 
  3
  Once I hit upon a question or area that need 
  study, I won’t rest until I can find out more 
  information to help illuminate those questions.
  4
  I am endlessly excited by the amazing variation 
  of the natural world and that excitement keeps 
  me motivated and moving. 
  5
  I believe that I can one day write the work that 
  will revolutionize the field of natural history and 
  become the new gold standard in the field. 
  6
  I am a perfectionist. When taking notes or 
  writing, even the calligraphy and layout need to 
  be perfect for me to be satisfied. 
  7
  I see my money as an investment on my future 
  success and so need to justify every expense that 
  I make. 
  8
  I am always surprised when someone hasn’t 
  heard of me or my treatises or monographs given 
  the time and effort I’ve put into them. 
  d6
  Bond
  1
  I have been chronicling creatures for all of my 
  adult life and my journals and tomes are my 
  prized possessions. 
  2
  I hope to bring esteem to my teachers and the 
  organization that helped train me and prepare 
  me for my research. 
  3
  There is a creature, or group of creatures, that 
  I’m dedicated to finding and researching and I 
  won’t rest until I find it/them.
  4
  I hope that one day the one I love sees the 
  evidence of my success in the things I write.
  5
  I believe strongly in a text that many don’t find to 
  be credible, yet I think it is the key to my own 
  career and success. 
  6
  I have dreamed of venturing into the wilds my 
  whole life and now that I have the chance, I won’t 
  let anything drag me back. 
  d6
  Ideal
  1
  Logic. Facts are more important than feelings or 
  suspicions. (Lawful)
  2
  Horizons. There is endless variety in the universe 
  and we should pursue and chronicle it all. 
  (Chaotic)
  3
  Wonder. Being open to new truths keeps us from 
  falling into small-minded thinking. (Good)
  4
  Logic. Facts are more important than feelings or 
  suspicions. (Lawful)
  5
  Improvement. Learning helps improve not just 
  oneself but all of society. (Any)
  6
  Knowledge. The path to power and self-
  improvement is through knowledge. (Neutral)
  
  Menagerist 
  You grew up helping to run a menagerie, a 
  place where animals are kept and displayed. 
  You cared for the animals and helped set up 
  the exhibits as well as studying lore about 
  the animals to share with visitors. Your 
  menagerie may have been a small, family-run 
  assembly of creatures, a large, fancy 
  zoological garden owned by a noble, or 
  anything in-between. 
  Skill Proﬁciencies: Animal Handling, 
  Nature 
  Tool Proﬁciencies: One type of artisan’s 
  tools 
  Languages: One of your choice 
  Equipment: A set of nice clothes, a leather 
  apron, a pamphlet describing the attractions 
  of your menagerie, and a belt pouch 
  containing 15 gp 
  Feature: Animal Assessment 
  Due to your time spent with animals in 
  captivity, and experience with acquiring such 
  animals and moving them, you can assess 
  when looking at a domesticated or captive 
  animal how long they’ve been out of the wild, 
  and how they are being treated (including 
  whether they are being fed regularly, 
  groomed, etc).   
  Suggested Characteristics 
  Menagerists are acquainted with the realities 
  of animals, having had to care for and clean 
  up after them, but they tend to overestimate 
  their familiarity and knowledge, which 
  doesn’t always match up with animals in the 
  wild. They sometimes have a ﬂair for the 
  dramatic which comes from their time 
  introducing visitors to the various animals. 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  116
  d6
  Flaw
  1
   I sometimes commit to my beliefs before 
  checking to see if they are supported by facts.
  2
  I trust what I’ve read in a book more than what 
  I’ve seen with my own eyes. 
  3
  I sometimes stop to assess when I should just 
  run.
  4
  I have no filter and bluntly describe what I 
  observe without any tact or social awareness.
  5
  I assume that things worth knowing must be 
  complex rather than simple. 
  6
  I chronicle everything, even people’s deepest, 
  most private secrets. 
  d8
  Personality Trait
  1
  I like to speak about all the animals that I’ve had 
  the pleasure to have known and studied.
  2
  I eagerly collect knowledge about animals that I 
  have no experience with and dream one day of 
  having one of them in my menagerie. 
  3
  I am obsessed with exotic creatures, the stranger 
  the better. 
  4
  I believe that I know more than other people and 
  often look down on the ignorant.  
  5
  I am a very visual person and spend a lot of time 
  thinking of how things are displayed and whether 
  its the best use of space. 
  6
  I appreciate carefully controlled situations and 
  get uncomfortable in chaos. 
  7
  I’ve grown so used to city living that camping 
  and hiking in the wilderness are hard for me to 
  deal with. 
  8
  My sense of humor is an acquired taste, though 
  that doesn’t stop me from making jokes.
  d6
  Ideal
  1
  People. I love entertaining people and feel it’s 
  important . (Neutral)
  2
  Control. Wild things must be contained and 
  controlled for civilization to flourish. (Evil)
  3
  Community. Civilized people have a 
  responsibility to strengthen the bonds of 
  community and maintain civilization. (Lawful)
  4
  Respect. All people and animals deserve to be 
  treated with dignity and respect. (Good)
  5
  Discovery. People should be constantly exposed 
  to new things to help them learn and grow. 
  (Chaotic)
  6
  Knowledge. I believe that sharing knowledge is 
  the highest pursuit in life. (Any)
  
  Street Performer 
  A cross between street urchins and 
  entertainers, street performers make their 
  living entertaining people on the streets of 
  cities and towns, trying to attract the 
  attention of passersby and hoping for a coin 
  or two in response. You may have been a 
  street musician, an acrobat, a puppeteer, or 
  even someone who ran games on the street.  
  Skill Proﬁciencies: Performance, Sleight of 
  Hand 
  Tool Proﬁciencies: One type of musical 
  instrument, or a gaming set, or one type of 
  artisan’s tools 
  Languages: One of your choice 
  Equipment: A musical instrument, gaming 
  set, puppet, or artisan’s tools (your choice), 
  colorful clothing, and a belt pouch 
  containing 15 gp 
  Feature: Street Knowledge 
  Your time performing on the streets has 
  given you an instinctual knack for 
  understanding the ebb and ﬂow of towns and 
  cities. After spending a minimum of 10 
  minutes in a new city or town you can get a 
  rough feel of which areas are safe and which 
  aren’t. After spending an hour in a city or 
  town you can easily ﬁnd your way to generic 
  locations such as shops, churches, palaces, 
  etc. You can also ﬁnd locations that might be 
  illegal.  
  Suggested Characteristics 
  Street performers learn to live with 
  uncertainty, with regard to how much they 
  can earn, and what they might encounter in 
  a given day. For some, they become cynical 
  and unfazed by even the most dangerous or 
  unusual circumstances. Others manage to 
  continue to ﬁnd the wonder in each day, a 
  talent that enabled them to keep going when 
  others would have given up. But almost all 
  still get tremendous satisfaction from a 
  captive audience.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  117
  d6
  Flaw
  1
  I like animals but am most comfortable when 
  they are behind bars or glass. 
  2
  I can’t stop pointing things out to the people 
  around me. 
  3
  I don’t like people telling me what to do and get 
  hostile in response. 
  4
  When I set my mind on acquiring something, 
  nothing will stop me. 
  5
  I’m not afraid to embellish the truth if I feel it will 
  be more impressive. 
  6
  I’m never satisfied with what I have — I always 
  want more. 
  d6
  Bond
  1
  I feel a responsibility to the people I help to 
  educate. 
  2
  My family went into debt because of the 
  menagerie and now I try to help them get back 
  on their feet. 
  3
  My menagerie is my favorite place and I dream of 
  returning to it with new creatures to display. 
  4
  I take my duty to look after the animals in my 
  care very seriously. 
  5
  A traveler came to the menagerie and captivated 
  me. Now I constantly hope I will run into them in 
  my travels. 
  6
  One day I will return with the most amazing 
  addition to the menagerie
  
  Variant Street Performer: Con Man 
  Instead of artistic performances, you used to 
  run games on the street. While these may 
  have been legitimate gambling opportunities, 
  in many cases they were just the means for 
  fraud or outright theft, with no way for the 
  average person to win, and many ways for 
  them to lose. Some of your games may have 
  included the shell game, Three-Dragon ante, 
  or the cup and balls trick. 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  118
  d8
  Personality Trait
  1
  I am footloose and carefree and it takes a lot to 
  faze me.
  2
  I love attention and am happiest when in the 
  center of it. 
  3
  I am an expert at insults from my time spent on 
  the streets and still practice to keep myself 
  sharp.
  4
  I am intrigued and excited by the endless 
  variation in humanoid society and enjoy meeting 
  as many people as I can. 
  5
  I aspire to the perfect performance and don’t feel 
  like I’ve ever reached the heights of what I’m 
  capable of. 
  6
  I prefer the dusty streets and the common 
  people to the upper classes and the wealthy 
  (though I do appreciate their coin). 
  7
  I hated my time working on the streets and 
  intend never to have to return to that life. 
  8
  The purest form of artistic expression is one that 
  is done for the love of the form and without 
  thought of the audience. 
  d6
  Bond
  1
  I will never forget the first friends I made on the 
  street and the kinship I felt for them. 
  2
  During my time on the street, one person (a 
  lawman or noble) did their best to try to run me 
  off or get me arrested. I have committed myself 
  to one day getting revenge on them. 
  3
  The tools of my trade, the instruments that help 
  me create art, are my most prized possessions 
  and I will protect them above all else. 
  4
  I feel a deep connection to the first streets that I 
  performed on and I will always do what I can to 
  try to protect them. 
  5
  I began performing to help support my family 
  and still do what I can to support them. 
  6
  My mentor taught me all that I know and I owe 
  them more than I can ever repay. 
  d6
  Ideal
  1
  People. I love entertaining people and feel it’s 
  important . (Neutral)
  2
  People. I bring beauty to people of all walks of 
  life, regardless of wealth or social station. 
  (Chaotic)
  3
  Art. Making art makes the world a better place. 
  (Good)
  4
  Greed. All that matters is what I get for my 
  efforts, whether that be money, fame, or power. 
  (Evil)
  5
  History. I tell the stories/sing the songs/repeat 
  the performances of my culture and others so 
  they are never forgotten and so that they bring 
  people together. (Lawful)
  6
  Truth. What connects us, more than any history, 
  is our connection to art. (Any)
  d6
  Flaw
  1
  I will always bend my moral boundaries when it 
  comes to gold.  
  2
  I continue to use my talents to try to attract 
  romantic partners. 
  3
  I like to use my talents to challenge the local 
  rulers or nobles and stir up resentment against 
  them. 
  4
  I look down on others who can’t create or 
  perform. 
  5
  I have a weakness for gambling. 
  6
  I am jealous of others with artistic talents and try 
  to prove my superiority at every opportunity. 
  
  Chapter 15: Feats 
  THESE VARIANT RULES ALLOW FAMILIARS 
  and other companion creatures to be 
  obtained by feats rather than, or in addition 
  to, using the ﬁnd familiar spell or having the 
  appropriate class feature.  
  These feats can either be used to grant 
  companion creatures to characters who 
  normally wouldn’t have access to them, or to 
  grant extra abilities to companion creatures 
  gained through spells or class features. They 
  can replace the existing rules for companion 
  creatures or else complement those already 
  in place.  
  Beast Companion 
  Prerequisite: 3rd level or higher 
  You gain the service of a loyal animal 
  companion who accompanies you on your 
  adventures and travels with you. Choose a 
  beast that is no larger than Medium and that 
  has a CR of 1/4 or lower (or choose one of 
  the options from Chapter 9 if your DM 
  allows).  
  The companion loses it Multiattack action, 
  if it has one. It obeys your commands as best 
  it can. It rolls for initiative like any other 
  creature, but you determine its actions, 
  decisions, attitudes, and so on. If you are 
  incapacitated or absent, your companion 
  acts on its own.  
  Your companion uses your proﬁciency 
  bonus rather than its own. In addition to 
  areas where it normally uses its proﬁciency 
  bonus, the companion also adds its 
  proﬁciency bonus to its AC and to its damage 
  rolls.  
  Your companion gains proﬁciency in two 
  skills of your choice. It also becomes 
  proﬁcient with all saving throws.  
  For each level you gain after 3rd, your 
  animal companion gains an additional hit die 
  and increases its hit points accordingly.  
  If your animal companion is ever slain, you 
  may spend 8 hours and 50 gp worth of 
  materials (including food and herbs) to 
  attract and bond to another animal 
  companion.  
  Bonded Familiar 
  Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one 
  spell 
  You learn the ﬁnd familiar spell and can cast 
  this spell as a ritual. Once you cast it, you 
  must ﬁnish a long rest before you can cast it 
  again.  
  Your spellcasting ability for this spell can 
  be either Charisma, Intelligence, or Wisdom 
  (your choice).   
  Additionally, you can add your proﬁciency 
  bonus to your familiar’s armor class, ability 
  checks and saving throws.  
  Brutal Companion 
  Prerequisite: An animal companion or steed 
  When your companion hits with a melee 
  weapon attack in combat, that attack deals 
  one extra die of its damage.  
  Clever Companion 
  Prerequisite: A familiar, animal companion, or 
  steed 
  Your companion creature is more intelligent 
  than others of its kind. It gains 2 points to 
  its Intelligence score, or gains an Intelligence 
  score of 7, whichever is higher. It also gains 
  the ability to speak in one language of your 
  choice.  
  Combat Familiar 
  Prerequisite: A familiar 
  Your familiar can attack in combat, though it 
  uses up one of your attacks to do so. When 
  your familiar attacks, it can add your 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  119
  
  proﬁciency bonus to its attack and damage 
  rolls.  
  Connected Familiar 
  Prerequisite: A familiar 
  Your strong link with your familiar allows 
  you to communicate with it telepathically 
  and see through its senses at any distance, 
  as long as it is on the same plane of 
  existence as you. 
  Evolving Familiar 
  Prerequisite: A familiar 
  Your familiar has better than usual statistics 
  and improves over time. You add your 
  proﬁciency bonus to your familiar’s AC, to 
  any skills or saving throws it might be 
  proﬁcient in, and to its attack and damage 
  rolls, if applicable. Its hit point maximum 
  equals its normal maximum or four times 
  your level, whichever is higher.  
  Improved Familiar 
  Prerequisite: A familiar 
  You can choose more powerful forms for your 
  familiar. When you cast the ﬁnd familiar 
  spell, you can choose to have your familiar 
  take one of the following forms: imp, 
  pseudodragon, quasit, or sprite. Your DM 
  may allow you to choose alternate forms 
  (including those speciﬁed in previous 
  chapters).  
  Linked Companion 
  Prerequisite: An animal companion or steed 
  You form a telepathic bond with your animal 
  companion or steed. As long as your creature 
  companion is within 100 feet, you can 
  communicate with it telepathically. 
  Additionally, as an action, you can see 
  through your companion’s eyes and hear 
  what it hears until the start of your next 
  turn, gaining the beneﬁts of any special 
  senses that the familiar has. During this 
  time, you are deaf and blind with regard to 
  your own senses.  
  Loyal Steed 
  Prerequisite: 3rd level 
  You gain an unusually intelligent, strong, 
  and loyal steed which is bonded to you as 
  rider. You may choose a warhorse, pony, 
  camel, elk, or mastiﬀ. The steed has the 
  normal statistics of an animal of its kind 
  except that if it’s Intelligence is 5 or less, it 
  gains an Intelligence of 6. 
  Your steed serves you as a mount, both in 
  Combat and out, and you have an instinctive 
  bond with it that allows you to ﬁght as a 
  seamless unit.  
  If your steed is killed, you may spend 8 
  hours and 100 gp worth of materials to gain 
  another steed, 
  Magebane Companion 
  Prerequisite: An animal companion 
  Your companion excels in ﬁghting against 
  spellcasters.  
  • When a creature within 5 feet of your 
  animal companion casts a spell, it can use 
  its reaction to make a melee attack against 
  that creature.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  120
  
  • When the companion damages a creature 
  that is concentrating on a spell, that 
  creature has disadvantage on the saving 
  throw it makes to maintain its 
  concentration.  
  • Your companion has advantage on saving 
  throws against spells cast by creatures 
  within 5 feet of it.  
  Magical Companion 
   
  Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one 
  spell and an animal companion 
  Your animal companion can deliver touch 
  spells like a familiar. When you cast a spell 
  with a range of touch, your animal 
  companion can deliver the spell as if it had 
  cast the spell. The companion must be 
  within 100 feet of you, and it 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.  
  Additionally, when you cast a spell with a 
  target of self, you can choose to have that 
  spell aﬀect your animal companion in 
  addition to yourself.  
  Perceptive Companion 
  Prerequisite: A familiar, animal companion, or 
  steed 
  Your companion creature is more perceptive 
  than others of its kind. It gains 60 feet of 
  darkvision if it doesn’t already have it and it 
  has advantage on all Wisdom (Perception) 
  checks.  
  Reckless Companion 
  Prerequisite: Prerequisite: An animal 
  companion 
  Your companion sometimes attacks with 
  little heed for the consequences. At the start 
  of its turn, it can choose to gain advantage 
  on melee weapon attack rolls it makes 
  during that turn, however attack rolls 
  against it have advantage until the start of 
  its next turn.  
  Spell-Amplifying Familiar 
  Prerequisite: A familiar 
  When your familiar delivers a touch spell on 
  your behalf, if the spell doesn’t require 
  concentration and doesn’t have a duration of 
  instantaneous, the duration for that spells is 
  doubled.  
  Additionally, any spell that you cast on 
  your familiar that isn’t a concentration spell 
  and doesn’t have a duration of instantaneous   
  has double its normal duration for the 
  familiar. 
  Stealthy Companion 
  Prerequisite: A familiar, animal companion, or 
  steed 
  Your companion creature is stealthier than 
  others of its kind. It can attempt to hide in 
  lightly obscured conditions. Additionally, it 
  gains advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) rolls.  
  Sure-Footed Steed 
  Prerequisite: A steed 
  Your steed can always ﬁnd its footing. It 
  ignores the eﬀects of diﬃcult terrain and has 
  advantage on Strength and Dexterity saving 
  throws made against eﬀects that would 
  knock it prone.  
  Swift Companion 
  Prerequisite: A familiar, animal companion, or 
  steed.  
  Your companion creature is faster than 
  others of its kind.  
  • It gains 10 feet in one of its movement 
  types (your choice).  
  • It can quadruple its speed for one hour. 
  After this hour, it must take an hour’s rest 
  before moving again. Once this feature is 
  used, it can’t use it again until it takes a 
  long rest.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  121
  
  Chapter 16: New 
  Spells 
  THE FOLLOWING SPELLS OFFER MORE 
  options for familiars and companions and 
  can be added to those provided in other 
  oﬃcial sources. Rather than allow them 
  outright, the DM may require that the 
  character seek out and learn these before 
  being able to add them to their spellbook or 
  having them as known spells.  
  The class restrictions listed below are 
  meant as a starting point, but DMs can allow 
  them to other classes as desired. 
  Additionally, any of the new rules and 
  variants from previous chapters can be used 
  with these spells as desired.  
  Spell Lists 
  The following spell lists show which spells 
  can be cast by characters of each class. A 
  spell’s school of magic is noted in 
  parentheses. If a spell can be cast as a 
  ritual, the ritual tag also appears in the 
  parentheses. 
  Bard Spells 
  1st Level 
  Beast shield (abjuration) 
  2nd Level 
  Mirror companion (illusion) 
  3rd Level 
  Aura of fear (enchantment) 
  Jennia’s Tiny Stable (evocation, ritual) 
  Cleric Spells 
  1st Level 
  Beast shield (abjuration) 
  2nd Level 
  Mirror companion (illusion) 
  3rd Level 
  Aura of fear (enchantment) 
  Jennia’s Tiny Stable (evocation, ritual) 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  122
  
  4th Level 
  Raise companion (necromancy) 
  Druid Spells 
  1st Level 
  Beast shield (abjuration) 
  2nd Level 
  Mirror companion (illusion) 
  3rd Level 
  Aura of fear (enchantment) 
  Jennia’s Tiny Stable (evocation, ritual) 
  4th Level 
  Raise companion (necromancy) 
  Paladin Spells 
  1st Level 
  Beast shield (abjuration) 
  2nd Level 
  Mirror companion (illusion) 
  3rd Level 
  Aura of fear (enchantment) 
  Jennia’s Tiny Stable (evocation, ritual) 
  4th Level 
  Raise companion (necromancy) 
  Ranger Spells 
  1st Level 
  Beast shield (abjuration) 
  2nd Level 
  Mirror companion (illusion) 
  3rd Level 
  Aura of fear (enchantment) 
  Jennia’s Tiny Stable (evocation, ritual) 
  4th Level 
  Raise companion (necromancy) 
  Warlock Spells 
  1st Level 
  Beast shield (abjuration) 
  2nd Level 
  Mirror companion (illusion) 
  3rd Level 
  Aura of fear (enchantment) 
  Jennia’s Tiny Stable (evocation, ritual) 
  4th Level 
  Improved Find Familiar (conjuration, ritual) 
  Wizard Spells 
  1st Level 
  Beast shield (abjuration) 
  2nd Level 
  Mirror companion (illusion) 
  3rd Level 
  Aura of fear (enchantment) 
  Jennia’s Tiny Stable (evocation, ritual) 
  4th Level 
  Improved Find Familiar (conjuration, ritual) 
  Spell Descriptions 
  The spells are presented in alphabetical 
  order.  
  Aura of Fear 
  3rd-level enchantment 
  Casting Time: 1 action 
  Range: 30 feet 
  Components: V, S, M (a sprinkle of sand 
  mixed with powdered bone) 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  123
  
  Duration: Concentration, up to 1 minute 
  Choose a familiar, animal companion, or 
  steed within range. For the duration of the 
  spell, any creature within 5 feet of the target 
  must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw 
  against your spell save DC or drop whatever 
  it is holding and become frightened for the 
  duration.  
  Beast Shield 
  1st-level abjuration 
  Casting Time: 1 action 
  Range: Touch 
  Components: V, S 
  Duration: 24 hours 
  Choose a familiar, animal companion, or 
  steed. When you touch the creature, you give 
  it the ability to manifest an invisible barrier 
  of magical force. Once, during the spell’s 
  duration, when the creature is hit by an 
  attack or targeted by the magic missile spell, 
  the creature can use their reaction to gain a 
  +5 bonus to AC that lasts until the start of 
  its next turn and also applies to the 
  triggering attack. They also take no damage 
  from magic missile for that period.  
  Improved Find Familiar 
  4th level conjuration (ritual) 
  Casting Time: 1 hour 
  Range: 10 feet 
  Components: V, S, M (500 gp worth of 
  powdered gems, incense, charcoal, and herbs 
  that must be consumed by a ﬁre in a brass 
  brazier) 
  Duration: Instantaneous 
  You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit 
  that takes an animal form you choose: imp, 
  pseudodragon, quasit, or sprite. (Your DM 
  might allow other animals to be summoned 
  as familiars.) Appearing in an unoccupied 
  space within range, the familiar has the 
  statistics of the chosen form, though it is a 
  celestial, fey, or ﬁend (your choice) instead of 
  its normal type.  
  Your familiar acts independently of you, 
  but it always obeys your commands. In 
  combat, it rolls its own initiative and acts on 
  its own turn. When you take the attack 
  action, you can forgo one of your own attacks 
  to allow your familiar to make one attack of 
  its own. The familiar takes other actions as 
  normal. 
  When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it 
  disappears, leaving behind no physical form. 
  It reappears after you cast this spell again. 
  While your familiar is within 100 feet of 
  you, you can communicate with it 
  telepathically. Additionally, as an action, you 
  can see through your familiar's eyes and 
  hear what it hears until the start of your 
  next turn, gaining the beneﬁts of any special 
  senses that the familiar has. During this 
  time, you are deaf and blind with regard to 
  your own senses. 
  As an action, you can temporarily dismiss 
  your familiar. It disappears into a pocket 
  dimension where it awaits your summons. 
  Alternatively, you can dismiss it forever. As 
  an action while it is temporarily dismissed, 
  you can cause it to reappear in any 
  unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. 
  You can't have more than one familiar at a 
  time. If you cast this spell while you already 
  have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt 
  a new form. Choose one of the forms from 
  the above list. Your familiar transforms into 
  the chosen creature. 
  Finally, when you cast a spell with a range 
  of touch, your familiar can deliver the spell 
  as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must 
  be within 100 feet of you, and it 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. 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  124
  
  Jennia’s Tiny Stable 
  3rd-level evocation (ritual) 
  Casting Time: 1 minute 
  Range: Touch (5 foot radius) 
  Components: V, S, M (a tiny iron cage) 
  Duration: 8 hours 
  You create a pocket dimension for the 
  purpose of sheltering and protecting 
  companion creatures. The stable can ﬁt one 
  Large creature, 2 Medium creatures, 4 Small 
  creatures, or 8 Tiny creatures. The spell fails 
  if these limits are exceeded.  
  When ﬁrst cast, a set of shining doors 
  appear within 5 feet of the caster, large 
  enough to accommodate a creature of Large 
  size. Once the chosen creatures enter, they 
  are transported to the pocket dimension 
  which exists inside the tiny iron cage used to 
  cast the spell.  
  While inside the stable, creatures are 
  protected from attacks and from 
  environmental eﬀects and spells and other 
  magical eﬀects can’t extend into the stable or 
  be cast through it. No other creatures can 
  enter the space. The atmosphere inside the 
  stable is comfortable and dry, regardless of 
  the weather outside.  
  At the end of the spell’s duration, the 
  shining doors reappear within 5 feet of the 
  tiny iron cage and the creatures inside the 
  stable can exit. The caster can also cause the 
  exit doors to appear early as a bonus action.  
  If the tiny iron cage is destroyed, the 
  creatures within appear in the nearest 
  unoccupied spaces to the site of the cage’s 
  destruction.  
  Mirror Companion 
  2nd-level illusion 
  Casting Time: 1 action 
  Range: 30 feet 
  Components: V, S 
  Duration: 1 minute 
  This spells works identically to the mirror 
  image spell, except that it can be cast on a 
  familiar or animal companion.  
  Raise Companion 
  4th-level necromancy 
  Casting Time: 1 hour 
  Range: Touch 
  Components: V, S, M (a ruby worth at least 
  250 gp, which the spell consumes) 
  Duration: Instantaneous 
  This spell functions exactly like the raise 
  dead spell, except that it only aﬀects 
  familiars, animal companions, and steeds.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  125
  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  126
  Part 5: Equipment & 
  Magic Items
  
  Chapter 17: 
  Equipment 
  The following equipment includes both 
  normal items that can be used with animals 
  of all kinds, as well as items speciﬁcally 
  useful for creature companions.  
  Tool Proficiencies 
  The previous chapters included references to 
  new tool proﬁciencies that can be used in 
  addition to those provided in the Player’s 
  Handbook and Xanathar’s Guide to 
  Everything. These are detailed below, 
  following the format set out in Xanathar’s 
  Guide to Everything.  
  Hunter’s Tools 
  Hunter’s tools contain a variety of items used 
  to aid in hunting, ﬁshing, and trapping in 
  the wilds.  
  Components. Hunter’s tools include 
  ﬁ shing line, hooks, two traps suitable for 
  catching Tiny creatures, or one trap suitable 
  for catching a Small creature, snares, and in 
  some cases, snowshoes or other foot 
  coverings. Many hunter’s tools also include 
  camouﬂ age elements, such as a cloak 
  covered in leaves or coverings designed to 
  blend into the hunter’s surroundings. 
  Depending on what animal the hunter is 
  hunting, it might also include lures or 
  special calling instruments to mimic the 
  sounds of animals.  
  Survival. Proﬁ ciency with hunter’s tools 
  allows you to gather more food when using 
  Survival checks to survive in the wilderness, 
  assuming your surroundings have animals to 
  hunt, ﬁ sh, or trap. You also excel at tracking 
  animals that you hunt, ﬁ sh, or trap. 
  Investigation. When inspecting an animal 
  carcass that was killed, you can get insight 
  into what weapon may have killed the animal 
  as well as how long ago it happened, and the 
  sequence of events leading up to the animal’s 
  death.  
  Stealth. You are practiced in the art of 
  getting close to the animals that you hunt 
  and are skilled at remaining unseen to 
  common beasts.  
  Hunter’s Tools 
  Saddler’s Tools 
  Saddler’s tools are used in the making of 
  saddles and tack and harness and consist of 
  some leatherworker tools along with 
  metalworking tools.  
  Components. Saddler’s tools consist of a 
  hammer, an awl, a knife, a cutter, and edger, 
  a hole punch, leather scraps, and thread. 
  Animal Handling. Your expertise with 
  tack and harness allows you to make 
  adjustments to those items when ﬁ tted to 
  mounts to make the animals more 
  comfortable and earn their trust, as well as 
  making them easier to control while riding. 
  Riding. You can make adjustments to your 
  own saddle and tack and harness to make it 
  more diﬃ cult to fall oﬀ of your mount. 
  Saddler’s Tools 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  127
  Activity
  DC
  Make a makeshift bit and bridle
  10
  Modify a saddle for a different creature
  15
  Create a makeshift military saddle
  15
  Activity
  DC
  Feed a party of 5 in the wilderness
  10
  Find food in extreme environments
  15
  Hunt exotic game
  15
  
  Trainer’s Tools 
  Trainer’s tools are used in the the training of 
  wild animals and include tools used for dog 
  training, horse training, bird training, and 
  other animals as needed.  
  Components. Trainer’s tools consist of a 
  variety of implements used to train animals 
  For horse trainers, it contains various bits of 
  tack and harness (special bridles and bits 
  and reins), a brush, and a training whip. For 
  dog trainers, the tools contain a collar, a 
  leash, a harness, a muzzle, a whistle, a 
  brush, and strips of meat to reward the dog 
  with. Dog trainers who are training attack 
  dogs often include a padded sleeve glove 
  which they train the dog to attack. Bird 
  trainers include a birdcage, a whistle, and a 
  salt lick while trainers who train hawks and 
  other birds of prey carry a falconry gauntlet 
  with a tassel and ring for the falcon’s tether, 
  a hood, a jess, and a tether. 
  Animal Handling. Your expertise with 
  these tools gives you an edge with training 
  animals of the appropriate type. 
  Persuasion. Your constant assessment of 
  animals’ moods and your ﬁ rm way of 
  handling them can assist in persuading non-
  beasts by reading their behavior and altering 
  your approach to best convince them. 
  Intimidation. Your mastery of command 
  and whips and training tools also gives you 
  an edge when trying to intimidate someone. 
  Teach Tricks. Your proﬁ ciency allows you 
  to teach any animal a simple trick which 
  might include sitting, jumping, performing 
  some kind of simple action, or moving to a 
  certain location.  
  Trainer’s Tools 
  Tool Cost and Weight 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  128
  Activity
  DC
  Teach a simple trick
  10-15
  Calm an animal
  15
  Incite an animal
  15
  Item
  Cost
  Weight
  Hunter’s Tools
  10 gp
  5 lb.
  Saddler’s Tools
  10 gp
  6 lb.
  Trainer’s Tools
  15 gp
  8 lb.
  
  Animal Gear 
  Normal animals don’t usually require 
  equipment, but the following are items that 
  can be used with animals or used to train 
  them.  
  Barding 
  Used primarily for warhorses (and sometimes 
  also for mastiﬀs), barding is essentially 
  armor for a mount.  
  Barding available to purchase from smiths 
  or shops will usually be for horses or for 
  mastiﬀs. Barding for warhorses generally 
  costs four times what armor would cost for a 
  person and weighs twice as much. The table 
  below gives the cost, AC, and weight for 
  diﬀerent types of barding for a warhorse. 
  Warhorse Barding 
  Barding for ponies generally costs twice 
  what armor would cost for a character and 
  weighs about the same. 
   Barding for mastiﬀs is similar to that for 
  ponies in areas and cultures where mastiﬀs 
  are commonly used as mounts (such as in 
  halﬂing towns). In other locations, barding 
  for mastiﬀs can cost the same as what it 
  would cost for a warhorse due to the extra 
  labor involved. 
  Pony Barding 
  Barding for other mounts needs to be 
  custom made and as such can be extremely 
  costly, sometimes up to 10 times as much as 
  a normal suit of armor. Additionally, ﬂying 
  mounts such as griﬀons and hippogriﬀs, can 
  not ﬂy in medium or heavy barding. 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  129
  Type
  Cost
  Armor 
  Class (AC)
  Weight
  Leather
  20 gp
  12
  10 lb.
  Studded Leather
  90 gp
  13
  13 lb.
  Ring mail
  60 gp
  14
  40 lb.
  Scale mail
  100 gp
  15
  45 lb.
  Chain mail
  150 gp
  16
  55 lb.
  Splint
  400 gp
  17
  60 lb.
  Plate
  3,000 gp
  18
  65 lb.
  Type
  Cost
  Armor 
  Class (AC)
  Weight
  Leather
  40 gp
  12
  20 lb.
  Studded Leather
  180 gp
  13
  26 lb.
  Ring mail
  120 gp
  14
  80 lb.
  Scale mail
  200 gp
  15
  90 lb.
  Chain mail
  300 gp
  16
  110 lb.
  Splint
  800 gp
  17
  120 lb.
  Plate
  6,000 gp
  18
  130 lb.
  
  Tack and Harness 
  Tack and harness includes the additional 
  gear necessary to ride a mount or have it 
  draw a vehicle. This includes bits, bridles, 
  saddles, and saddlebags.  
  The Player’s Handbook includes prices and 
  weights for common tack and harness for 
  mounts such as horses and mastiﬀs as well 
  as military saddles (which grant advantage 
  on checks to stay mounted) and exotic 
  saddles which are needed for non-traditional 
  mounts (such as griﬀons and hippogriﬀs). 
  Training Gear 
  As touched upon in the entry for trainer’s 
  tools, training gear is used to train various 
  animals and generally can be purchased to 
  train normal animals. Some examples are 
  included below.  
  Training Gear 
  Beast Whistle. These whistles come in a 
  variety of types, the most common being a 
  dog whistle. The sound of the whistle is 
  audible only to the speciﬁ c beast for whom it 
  was designed. In addition to dog whistles, 
  there are versions designed for birds, cats, 
  rodents, and reptiles, and the DM can allow 
  other options as needed. When used for 
  training, the whistle provides a +1 to Wisdom 
  (Animal Handling) checks.  
  Cage. Any portable enclosure that can be 
  used to hold an animal. They can be made 
  from iron, wood, bamboo, or other materials. 
  Cages hold one animal of the size indicated 
  in their description, or four animals of the 
  next size down (so a small cage can hold four 
  Tiny creatures and a medium cage can hold 
  four Small creatures or 16 Tiny creatures) . 
  They are generally only used in the training 
  process, though they can also be used to 
  help keep animals safe.  
  Coat Brush. A stiﬀ-bristled brush that 
  slips over the trainer’s hand and can be used 
  to clean and groom an animal’s coat. When 
  used regularly, they can add a +1 to Wisdom 
  (Animal Handling) checks for the groomed 
  animal.  
  Dried Meat Strips. These thin strips of 
  meat are used as treats to reward animals 
  such as dogs and other carnivores while 
  being trained.  
  Falconry Gauntlet. A gauntlet made of 
  thick leather and worn on a falconer’s hand 
  to give the falcon a place to stand. Usually 
  comes with a jess (tether) and hood. When 
  used to train a bird of prey, it gives a +1 to 
  Wisdom (Animal Handling) checks.  
  Leash. A standard leash used to control a 
  dog or other animal. Can be made out of 
  leather or rope or any other strong, ﬂ exible 
  material.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  130
  Type
  Cost
  Weight
  Beast Whistle
  5 gp
  —
  Cage (Tiny)
  2 gp
  5 lb.
  Cage (Small or Medium)
  15 gp
  60 lb.
  Coat Brush
  2 sp
  2 lb.
  Dried Meat Strips
  5 cp
  —
  Falconry Gauntlet
  10 gp
  1 lb.
  Leash
  5 sp
  1 lb.
  Muzzle
  2 gp
  1 lb.
  Salt Lick
  2 sp
  —
  Training Harness (Tiny or Small)
  2 gp
  2 lb.
  Training Harness (Medium)
  5 gp
  5 lb.
  Training Harness (Large)
  10 gp 
  10 lb.
  Training Whip
  5 gp
  2 lb.
  
  Muzzle. A device used to secure an 
  animal’s snout, mouth, and jaws to prevent 
  biting. Dog muzzles (suitable for dogs and 
  mastiﬀs) are the most common variety, 
  though others can be custom-made (but cost 
  twice the price).  
  Salt Lick. A small, hard lump of mineral 
  salt used as a reward for birds.  
  Training Harness. These come in a 
  variety of sizes and are used to train 
  animals, usually in concert with a leash or 
  with reins. Each size can be used with an 
  animal of the comparative size category. 
  Harnesses for similar animals don’t require 
  much in the way of modiﬁ cation — a 
  harness for a cat can usually be adjusted for 
  a similarly sized dog — but animals with 
  unusual shapes may require a custom made 
  harness which will cost twice as much.  
  Training Whip. Frowned upon by most 
  ethical animal trainers, nevertheless some 
  trainers rely on the whip to help teach their 
  animals obedience, though this often can 
  breed resentment in the animal.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  131
  
  Chapter 18: Magic 
  Items for 
  Characters 
  Several magic items already presented in the 
  Dungeon Master’s Guide approximate or 
  otherwise enhance the use of a creature 
  companion, and these are complemented by 
  the items in this chapter which can be used 
  by a character to emulate a companion 
  creature or enhance the use of an already 
  existing one.  
  Existing Magic Items 
  The following magic items can be found in 
  the Dungeon Master’s Guide and either 
  simulate in some way the eﬀect of having a 
  companion creature, or help enhance the use 
  of one you may already have.   
  Bag of Tricks. The bag of tricks allows a 
  character to produce a random animal from 
  the bag. The produced creature is friendly to 
  you and your companions and can be 
  commanded to move and take actions. Once 
  an animal is manifested, there is no time 
  limit to how long they stick around. Bearers 
  of a bag of tricks tend to treat the animals as 
  disposable, but there’s nothing to say that 
  you couldn’t try to keep the creature alive 
  and prevent it from being hurt. Such 
  creatures could be given a name and 
  personalities as per Chapter 14 and become 
  regular companions until their deaths.  
  Figurines of Wondrous Power. These 
  ﬁgurines transform into creatures that are 
  friendly to the owner and their companions 
  and obeys the owner’s spoken commands. 
  The only diﬀerence with the ﬁgurines is that 
  the creature only exists for a certain period 
  of time, unique to that type of ﬁgurine. Once 
  used, they can’t be used again until a certain 
  amount of time has passed. However, despite 
  the time-dependent nature of these items, 
  they function very similarly to companion 
  creatures. Rather than transforming into a 
  generic creature, these items can instead be 
  used to continually transform into the same 
  creature with a personality of their own (see 
  Chapter 14 for suggestions). Several of the 
  ﬁgurines can be used as mounts, while all of 
  them function in many ways like animal 
  companions.  
  Quaal’s Feather Token. The bird feather 
  token summons a giant multicolored bird 
  with the statistics of a roc that obeys your 
  commands. The bird can’t attack, but it can 
  transport several creatures over vast 
  distances. Like other feather tokens, the bird 
  token is single use.  
  Ring of Animal Inﬂuence. The ring, which 
  can be useful for those with companion 
  creatures or without, can be used to cast the 
  animal friendship and speak with animal 
  spells, or to cast fear with a limitation of 
  targeting only beasts with an Intelligence of 3 
  or lower.  
  Saddle of the Cavalier. The saddle is 
  extremely useful for any kind of mount, 
  especially since attacks rolls against the 
  mount have disadvantage when it’s in use.  
  Staﬀ of the Python. The staﬀ can transform 
  into a giant constrictor snake which you can 
  mentally command when it’s within 60 feet. 
  The snake can be summoned repeatedly, 
  assuming it is never killed while in snake 
  form. Once again, the python can be 
  regarded to be a unique creature with its 
  own personality and identity and can be 
  given the traits given in Chapter 14.  
  New Categories 
  Chapter 4 introduced constructed familiars 
  and introduced the concept of formulae 
  which are considered magic items. 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  132
  
  Additionally, beast brands are included as a 
  new type of magic item.  
  Familiar Formulae 
  As described in Chapter 4, formulae contain 
  the instructions for creating and bonding 
  with a constructed familiar. Each one 
  contains a list of ingredients necessary to 
  construct the familiar, as well as a 
  description of the ritual necessary to 
  assemble the familiar’s body, and bring it to 
  life, creating the familiar bond.  
  Formulae vary widely in their rarity and in 
  their contents. Below are some examples of 
  speciﬁc formulae, but the DM is encouraged 
  to create additional formulae to meet the 
  needs of their campaign and characters.  
  Cosmic Crystal Formula 
  Wondrous item, very rare 
  This formula which contains the instructions 
  for creating a crystalline spider familiar is 
  actually embedded within a crystal sphere. 
  In order to access the instructions, the 
  sphere must be held up to the moon each 
  night for a full lunar cycle. As the moonlight 
  hits the crystal, one page of the formula is 
  projected from the sphere. The spellcaster 
  must copy each page as it appears and then 
  assemble the full formula once all pages are 
  recorded.  
  The ingredients detailed in the formula 
  include 2000 gp worth of ﬂawless gemstones, 
  1000 gp worth of platinum (or 100 pp that 
  can be melted down), and a small quantity of 
  phosphorous (100 gp worth).  
  The gems must be carefully shaped into 
  the delicate limbs of the spider requiring 
  Jeweler’s Tools (or the DM may allow Tinker’s 
  Tools) and the platinum must be used to join 
  the pieces together. The process of 
  constructing the familiar’s shell takes a 
  minimum of 2 weeks work. The creator must 
  pass 3 checks with their associated tools 
  versus a DC of 15. If they succeed on all 3 
  checks, the spider’s shell is created and the 
  ritual can take place. If any of the checks are 
  failed, the shell is not adequate for the ritual 
  and the process must be extended for 
  another 2 weeks and another 1000 gp worth 
  of materials (a mix of gems and platinum) 
  must be obtained.  
  Once the shell is complete and acceptable, 
  the ritual must be performed. It must take 
  place in the light of the moon and stars, 
  beginning at the ﬁrst full touch of night and 
  continuing through to just before sunrise. It 
  requires the use of mystical symbols on the 
  ground, coinciding with the alignment of the 
  stars and the moon on that particular night. 
  An Intelligence (Arcana) check, or an 
  Intelligence (Nature) check is necessary 
  versus a DC of 15 to correctly inscribe the 
  symbols.  
  Completing the ritual requires the creator’s 
  life essence, costing them 4d8 hit points, and 
  the use of ﬁve levels of spell slots in whatever 
  arrangement the creator wishes (i.e. 5 1st 
  level slots, a 2nd and 3rd level slot, one 5th 
  level slot, etc.).  
  At the end of the ritual, the crystalline 
  spider awakens and is bonded with the 
  creator.  
  Gourd Sproutling Formula 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  This formula contains instructions for 
  creating a sproutling as detailed in Chapter 2 
  and Chapter 4. The formula is written on 
  handmade pages of wood pulp bound in a 
  simple cover.  
  The formula is written in code, and at ﬁrst 
  appears to be a simple guide to growing 
  crops. The formula can be deciphered by 
  making an Intelligence (Investigation) check 
  against a DC of 20, or else the creator can 
  decipher the code by spending 1 week 
  studying the formula (at least 8 hours spent 
  each day in this pursuit).  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  133
  
  The ingredients include 2000 gp worth of 
  ﬂawless emeralds, and magnesium, 
  phosphorous, and saltpeter, which must be 
  mixed into the soil where the gourds will be 
  grown. The creator must obtain seeds for 
  suitable gourds and perform a ritual, 
  contained in the formula, to prepare them for 
  growth. This ritual requires the use of 3 
  levels of spell slots in whatever arrangement 
  the creator wishes.  
  Once the seeds are prepared, they must be 
  placed in soil that has been treated with the 
  mixture of reagents. A small amount of the 
  creator’s blood (about a thimble’s worth), 
  must be added to the soil along with water 
  on a daily basis.  If any one day is missed, 
  the ritual will fail.  
  The growing period takes 4 weeks to 
  complete. The creator must make a series of 
  four Intelligence (Nature) checks, or 
  Herbalism Kit checks, against a DC of 15 to 
  ensure that the cultivation goes according to 
  plan. If the creator is proﬁcient in both the 
  skill and the tools, they can make the checks 
  with advantage. If 3-4 of the checks are 
  successes, the cultivation is successful. If 
  only 2 of the checks are successful, another 
  month of growth is necessary and the checks 
  must be repeated. If only 1 check is 
  successful, the cultivation fails. The use of 
  the plant growth spell can aid in this, as long 
  as the spell is used to enrich the soil. If the 
  spell is cast, it counts as an automatic 
  success. The spell also halves the growing 
  time, shortening it to 2 weeks.  
  At the end of the growing season, the 
  creator must select the best and most 
  suitable gourds to use as the familiar’s body 
  and head. The vines and leaves of the plants 
  will form the rest of its body. The creator can 
  choose whether to carve the sproutling’s 
  face, or else to paint it on.  
  The ritual takes 4 hours to complete and 
  requires the expenditure of 8 levels of spell 
  slots in whatever arrangement the creator 
  wishes. The sproutling body must be placed 
  upon the soil that was used to grow the 
  gourds, and the emerald must be placed 
  alongside the body as the creator reads 
  aloud the ritual spell to bring it to life. The 
  emerald is consumed in the process.  
  At the end of the four hour ritual, the 
  gourd sproutling awakens, bonded to the 
  creator.  
  Beast Brands  
  Beast brands are magical images inscribed 
  on a humanoid's skin. Characters can 
  acquire beast brands in three ways: if they 
  are lucky enough to encounter someone who 
  knows the art of creating them, if they ﬁnd a 
  needle band (see below), or if they take or 
  acquire a beast brand that was inscribed on 
  someone else’s skin. Needle bands are the 
  most common method.  
  Beast brands are a series of runes no 
  larger than 3 inches in diameter, assembled 
  in roughly the shape of a particular animal. 
  Though the meaning of the runes is 
  undecipherable to others, the person who 
  bears the brand can read it and understand 
  the command word that matches the brand.  
  If you use an action to speak the brand’s 
  command word and touch the brand with 
  your hand, you can summon a living 
  creature that appears in the closest available 
  space within 30 feet of you.  
  The creature is friendly to you and your 
  companions. It understands your languages 
  and obeys your spoken commands. If you 
  issue no commands, the creature defends 
  itself but takes no other actions. 
  The creature exists for a duration speciﬁc 
  to each brand. At the end of the duration, 
  the creature disappears. It disappears early 
  if it drops to 0 hit points or if you use an 
  action to speak the command word again 
  while touching the brand. When the creature 
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  disappears, the brand can’t be used again 
  until a certain amount of time has passed, 
  as speciﬁed in each brand’s description. 
  There are two ways to remove a beast 
  brand. If the bearer is alive, dispel magic can 
  remove the brand. The brand counts as a 
  6th level spell for the purpose of calculating 
  the DC. If the bearer is dead, the brand can 
  be transferred to a new bearer if skin to skin 
  contact is made and the command word 
  spoken. A brand can not be transferred while 
  the original bearer is still alive.  
  Boar Brand 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  This brand resembles a boar’s head with 
  curved tusks. When the command word is 
  spoken, a boar appears in the closest 
  available space within 30 feet.  
  The boar has its usual statistics with the 
  following changes: 
  • It gains 1d8 additional hit points.  
  • Its AC is 13. 
  • Its speed is 60 feet. 
  The boar remains for 8 hours or until 
  dismissed. Once used, the boar can’t be 
  called again until 24 hours have passed.  
  Camel Brand 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  This brand looks like the proﬁle of a camel.  
  When the command word is spoken, a camel 
  appears in the closest available space within 
  30 feet.  
  The camel has its usual statistics with the 
  following changes: 
  • Its AC is 13. 
  • It gains an additional 2d10 hit points.  
  • Its speed is 60 feet.  
  • It gains 60 feet of darkvision.  
  • It can carry twice as much as its 
  strength would normally allow it to carry.  
  The camel remains for 8 hours or until 
  dismissed. Once used, the camel can’t be 
  used until 4 days have passed.  
  Cat Brand 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  This brand resembles the outline of a cat. 
  When the command word is spoken, a cat 
  appears in the closest available space within 
  30 feet. You can select your cats appearance 
  (color, hair length, pattern), though once set 
  the cat’s appearance will always be the same.  
  The cat has its usual statistics with the 
  following changes: 
  • It gains 2d4 additional hit points. 
  • Its attacks do 1d6+1 slashing damage. 
  • It has advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) 
  checks.  
  As an action, the brand bearer can choose 
  to see through the cat’s eyes and hear 
  through its ears, also beneﬁtting from the 
  cat’s Keen Smell ability.  
  The cat remains for 24 hours, or until 
  dismissed. Once used, the cat can’t be used 
  again until 48 hours have passed.  
  Giant Goat Brand 
  Wondrous item, very rare 
  This brand resembles a goat in proﬁle. When 
  the command word is spoken, a giant goat 
  appears in the closest available space within 
  30 feet.  
  The giant goat has its usual statistics with 
  the following changes: 
  • Its AC is 13. 
  • Its speed is 60 feet. 
  • Its Intelligence is 7 and it can 
  understand and speak one language of 
  your choice.   
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  135
  
  • It can cast the misty step spell once per 
  day, transporting anyone riding as well.  
  The giant goat remains for 24 hours or 
  until dismissed. Once used, the giant goat 
  can not be called again until 5 days have 
  passed.  
  Needle Band 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  A needle band is a gold, silver, or copper 
  band, hinged on one side, and meant to 
  encircle a humanoid’s arm. Needle bands 
  magically grow or shrink to accommodate 
  humanoids of diﬀerent sizes. The inside of 
  one half of the band is covered with tiny 
  needles about 1/4 of an inch long. When 
  placed on a humanoid’s arm, upper or lower, 
  and the band is closed, the needles sink into 
  the humanoid's skin and magical ink is 
  infused into it. While the band is closed, it 
  can not be opened again, short of dispel 
  magic or a wish spell.  
  Approximately 30 seconds later, the needle 
  band opens again, falling oﬀ of the arm if not 
  held. In the area where the needles 
  punctured the skin will be the beast brand, a 
  pattern of small runes no more than 3 
  inches in diameter. 
  Owl Brand 
  Wondrous item, very rare 
  This brand resembles a perched owl. When 
  the command word is spoken, a giant owl 
  appears in the closest available space within 
  30 feet.  
  The giant owl has the usual statistics.  
  with the following changes:  
  • Its AC is 14. 
  • Its talons gain a +1 to attack and damage 
  and are considered magical for the purpose 
  of overcoming resistance and immunity to 
  nonmagical attacks and damage. 
  The giant owl can be ridden as a mount 
  without the need for a special saddle.  
  The giant owl remains for 2 hours or until 
  dismissed. Once used, it can’t be used again 
  until 3 days have passed.  
  Panther Brand 
  Wondrous item, very rare 
  This brand resembles a rearing panther. 
  When the command word is spoken, a 
  panther appears in the closest available 
  space within 30 feet.  
  The panther has the usual statistics with 
  the following changes: 
  • Its AC is 14. 
  • It gets a +1 to all attack and damage rolls 
  and its natural weapons are considered 
  magical for the purpose of overcoming 
  resistance and immunity to nonmagical 
  attacks and damage. 
  • While in dim light or darkness, the 
  panther can take the Hide action as a 
  bonus action.  
  The panther remains for 4 hours or until 
  dismissed. Once used, it can’t be used again 
  until 2 days have passed.  
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  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  136
  
  New Magic Items 
  The following magic items can be added to 
  any campaign. 
  Gauntlet of the Falconer 
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) 
  This is a gauntlet of the type used in 
  falconry. While you wear this gauntlet, you 
  may use an action to speak its command 
  word to summon a bird of prey as 
  determined on the table below. You must roll 
  for the type of bird each time you speak the 
  command word. This bird is a beast and has 
  statistics as given in the Monster Manual.  
  For 8 hours, the bird will obey your 
  commands to the best of its ability. It rolls its 
  own initiative, and will move and take 
  actions as commanded. Also, for as long as 
  you are wearing the gauntlet of the falconer, 
  you have a telepathic link with the bird and 
  can issue it commands through this link as 
  long as it is within 1 mile of you.  
  At the end of the 8 hour period, the bird 
  will depart, if still alive. At the end of this 
  period, or if the bird dies, you must wait 48 
  hours to use it again.  
  If you deliberately attack and kill the 
  summoned bird at any time, the gauntlet will 
  break and its magic will cease.  
  Seed Vehicle 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  These items appear like ordinary seeds of 
  various types. However, when a seed is 
  thrown to the ground, and its command 
  word spoken, the seed transforms into a full 
  sized vehicle which can be attached with 
  minimal eﬀort and with no additional 
  equipment to a mount or herd animal using 
  light, but incredibly strong, vines that wrap 
  comfortably around the animal. The vehicle 
  is much lighter than other vehicles of its 
  type, but can still carry as much.  
  Any checks made to control a seed vehicle 
  are made as if you had proﬁciency with that 
  vehicle.  
  The type of seed determines the type of 
  vehicle which the DM chooses or determines 
  randomly.  
  Serpent Dagger 
  Weapon (dagger), rare 
  This dagger bears a hilt with a stylized snake 
  winding around it.  
  You gain a +1 bonus to attack and damage 
  rolls made with this magic weapon and when 
  you hit a creature with the dagger you do an 
  additional 1d4 points of poison damage. 
  Additionally, as an action, you can speak 
  the command word to transform the dagger 
  into a poisonous snake (see the Monster 
  Manual for statistics) under your control and 
  acts on its own initiative count. By using a 
  bonus action to speak the command word 
  again, you return the dagger to its normal 
  form in the space formerly occupied by the 
  snake.   
  d12
  Bird Type
  d12
  Bird Type
  1
  Blood Hawk
  6
  Giant Vulture
  2-3
  Eagle
  7-8
  Hawk
  4
  Giant Eagle
  9-10
  Owl
  5
  Giant Owl
  11-12
  Vulture
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  d6
  Vehicle Type
  Seed
  1
  Carriage
  Pumpkin
  2
  Cart
  Apple
  3
  Chariot
  Pomegranate
  4
  Sled
  Sunflower
  5
  Sleigh
  Juniper
  6
  Wagon
  Hemp
  
  On your turn, you can mentally command 
  the snake if it is within 60 feet of you and 
  you aren’t incapacitated. You decide what 
  action the snake takes and where it moves 
  during its next turn, or you can issue it a 
  general command, such as to attack your 
  enemies or guard a location.  
  If the snake is reduced to 0 hit points, it 
  dies and reverts to its dagger form and the 
  command word will not work until after 1 
  week passes. If the snake reverts to dagger 
  form before losing all its hit points, it regains 
  all of them.  
  The serpent dagger can be used in 
  conjunction with the serpent ring.  
  Serpent Ring 
  Ring, very rare (requires attunement) 
  This ring is made of silver and resembles 
  several snakes intertwined and swallowing 
  one another, with small green emeralds for 
  eyes.  
  While wearing this ring you gain the ability 
  to speak with snakes per the speak with 
  animals spell. 
  The ring has 5 charges. It regains 1d4+1 
  expended charges daily at dawn.  
  By expending 2 charges, you can summon  
  a snake to serve you for 1 hour. The type of 
  snake summoned is determined by rolling on 
  the table below.  
  The summoned snake is under your 
  control and obeys your commands and acts 
  on its own initiative count. On your turn, you 
  can mentally command the snake if it is 
  within 60 feet of you and you aren’t 
  incapacitated. You decide what action the 
  snake takes and where it moves during its 
  next turn, or you can issue it a general 
  command, such as to attack your enemies or 
  guard a location. 
  At the end of 1 hour, or if the snake is 
  reduced to 0 hit points, it disappears. 
  If used in conjunction with a serpent 
  dagger, and the dagger is in its snake form, 
  you can command the snake up to a 
  distance of 120 feet and you can expend 1 
  charge to see through the snake’s eyes and 
  hear what it hears until the start of your 
  next turn. During this time, you are deaf and 
  blind with regard to your own senses. 
  d12
  Snake Type
  d12
  Snake Type
  1-3
  Constrictor 
  Snake
  7-8
  Giant Poisonous 
  Snake
  4-5
  Flying Snake
  9-11
  Poisonous Snake
  6
  Giant Constrictor 
  Snake
  12
  Swam of Poisonous 
  Snakes
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  Chapter 19: Magic 
  Items for Creatures 
  Companion creatures can also use magic 
  items, though there are some limitations 
  depending on the type of creature and their 
  shape.  
  Magic Item Categories 
  This section details the limitations of 
  companion creatures using the diﬀerent 
  types of magic items. In general, an item that 
  requires the bearer to cast a spell can not be 
  used by a companion creature unless they 
  are able to cast spells.  
  Armor 
  Creature companions can only use magical 
  armor if it is in the form of magical barding. 
  Barding only comes sized for Medium or 
  larger creatures (it is too heavy for smaller 
  animals) and must be worn for its magic to 
  function.  
  Magical barding can come in a variety of 
  armor types, and can be ﬁtted for a variety of 
  creatures. While many forms of magical 
  barding will adjust to ﬁt the creature wearing 
  it, this usually does not allow it to adjust to 
  ﬁt animals of a diﬀerent type and no magical 
  barding will adjust to ﬁt a creature of a 
  diﬀerent size. As previously stated, ﬂying 
  mounts can’t ﬂy when wearing medium or 
  heavy barding so the vast majority of magical 
  barding that has been created for such 
  creatures is light.  
  Potions 
  Companion creatures can drink potions just 
  like characters can, though some potions, 
  such as a potion of mind reading, or a potion 
  that enables its drinker to cast a particular 
  spell may not work on most creatures 
  (though intelligent creatures who can speak 
  and cast spells, such as an imp or sprite, 
  may still beneﬁt from these).  
  It is at the DM’s discretion whether the 
  amount of liquid in a potion is enough to 
  aﬀect a Large creature or whether the 
  eﬃcacy of such potions would be reduced.  
  Rings 
  While rings can be worn by some creatures 
  with limbs, such as an imp or quasit, or 
  perhaps even the talons of a bird, the 
  majority of companion creatures don’t have 
  ﬁngers. However, the same eﬀects applied to 
  rings can also be applied to collars and 
  bands and these are most often used on 
  companion creatures. See below for some 
  examples.  
  Rods 
  In most cases, companion creatures can’t 
  use rods.  
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  Scrolls 
  The use of scrolls is limited to companion 
  creatures who can read and speak which 
  rules out the majority of such creatures.  
  Staffs 
  In most cases, companion creatures can’t 
  use staﬀs.  
  Wands 
  The use of wands should be restricted to 
  creatures with hands and the ability to cast 
  spells.  
  Weapons 
  Companion creatures can not use traditional 
  magic weapons.   
  Wondrous Items 
  The use of wondrous items depends on the 
  item, its use, and its eﬀects. These should be 
  dealt with on a case by case basis and is left 
  to the DM’s judgment. Some examples of 
  wondrous items that companion creatures 
  can use are included below.  
  Worn Items 
  Unless speciﬁed otherwise, companion 
  creatures can not wear items intended for 
  humanoids, such a boots, gloves, hats, and 
  helmets. In order for a creature to be able to 
  wear a magic item, it must be an item 
  particularly created for a creature, though 
  some creature items can be used by other 
  creatures of diﬀerent types.  
  Attunement 
  Companion creatures can attune to magic 
  item just as characters can. If an item can be 
  used by a creature, and it requires 
  attunement, and the creature meets all the 
  requirements for that item, it must complete 
  a short rest focused only on that item while 
  being in physical contact with it.  
  Activating Items  
  Companion creatures can generally activate 
  magic items as long as they can hold the 
  item appropriately. However, if an item 
  requires a command word, the companion 
  creature must be able to speak to be able to 
  activate the item.  
  Existing items suitable for 
  companion creatures 
  The following items from the Dungeon 
  Master’s Guide can be used by companion 
  creatures with the DM’s permission.  
  Amulet of Proof against Detection and 
  Location. Assuming you can hang the 
  amulet around a companion creature’s neck 
  and they become attuned to the amulet, they 
  can beneﬁt from its eﬀect.  
  Horseshoes of a Zephyr. These can be 
  aﬃxed to horses or horse-like creatures such 
  as warhorses and ponies, though since all 
  four horseshoes are necessary for the eﬀect, 
  it can’t be used for creatures with just two 
  horse legs, such as a hippogriﬀ.  
  Horseshoes of Speed. Like horseshoes of a 
  zephyr, these can be used on warhorses and 
  ponies, though not with hippogriﬀs or other 
  more exotic creatures.  
  Necklace of Adaptation. The necklace 
  requires attunement but allows a companion 
  creature to venture into noxious 
  environments.  
  Oil of Etherealness. This, and most other 
  oils, can be applied to a companion creature, 
  though steeds and other creatures of Large 
  size require an additional vial. 
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  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
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  While the Dungeon Master’s Guide doesn’t make a 
  distinction between different types of creatures when it 
  comes to attunement, it is reasonable to limit a 
  companion creature to two attunements rather than the 
  three that characters get.
  
  Oil of Slipperiness. Useful for familiars, 
  animal companions and steeds. Again, an 
  additional vial is needed for Large creatures. 
  Periapt of Health. This can be worn around 
  a creature’s neck, or even attached to a collar 
  to help protect a creature from disease. 
  Periapt of Proof against Poison. Another 
  periapt that can protect a creature from 
  poison, including poison damage which can 
  be helpful.  
  Scarab of Protection. If the scarab is held 
  by a creature, its beneﬁts can be utilized. 
  Potions 
  As mentioned before, companion creatures 
  can beneﬁt from most potions, assuming the 
  creature can drink the whole potion. The 
  following potions from the Dungeon Master’s 
  Guide will beneﬁt the majority of companion 
  creatures.  
  • Elixir of Health 
  • Potion of Climbing 
  • Potion of Diminution 
  • Potion of Fire Breath 
  • Potion of Flying 
  • Potion of Gaseous Form 
  • Potion of Giant Strength 
  • Potion of Growth 
  • Potion of Healing 
  • Potion of Heroism 
  • Potion of Invisibility 
  • Potion of Invulnerability 
  • Potion of Resistance 
  • Potion of Speed 
  • Potion of Vitality 
  • Potion of Water breathing 
  It should be noted that a potion of 
  longevity, if fed to a companion creature, 
  could potentially reduce them to infancy, or 
  even death.  
  New Magic Item Categories 
  The following new magic item categories are 
  added for creatures.  
  Collars 
  Collars are similar to rings except they are 
  placed around an animal’s neck and must be 
  worn for the collar's magic to function. If an 
  animal can not wear a collar, it can take the 
  shape of a band or other enclosed circle 
  placed around a limb. Collars generally 
  duplicate the properties of magical rings but 
  can have other eﬀects. 
  New Magic Items A—Z 
  The following are new magic items that can 
  be used by companion creatures. 
  Adamantine Barding 
  Armor (medium or heavy, but not hide), 
  uncommon 
  This barding is reinforced with adamantine, 
  one of the hardest substances in existence. 
  While a mount is wearing it, any critical hit 
  against that mount becomes a normal hit.  
  Barding +1, +2, or +3 
  Armor (light, medium, or heavy), rare (+1), 
  very rare (+2), or legendary (+3) 
  A mount has a bonus to AC while wearing 
  this armor. The bonus is determined by its 
  rarity. Most barding is made for warhorses, 
  but sometimes it’s available for other animals 
  such as mastiﬀs.  
  Barding of Resistance 
  Armor (light, medium, or heavy), rare (requires 
  attunement) 
  A mount has resistance to one type of 
  damage while wearing this barding. The DM 
  chooses the type or determines it randomly 
  from the following options: acid, cold, ﬁre, 
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  force, lightning, necrotic, poison, psychic, 
  radiant or thunder. 
  Callback Collar 
  Collar, very rare (requires attunement) 
  This item consists of a braided leather collar 
  that can ﬁt around a beast’s neck and 
  smaller leather bracelet designed to ﬁt 
  around a humanoid’s wrist. Both collar and 
  bracelet grow or shrink to accommodate 
  beasts and humanoids of diﬀerent sizes, 
  though the collar can not ﬁt a creature 
  bigger than Large.  
  The collar has 3 charges. If the collar is 
  placed around a beast’s neck (or other body 
  part), and the bracelet is placed around a 
  humanoid’s arm, and the collar is no more 
  than 500 feet from the bracelet, the beast 
  can expend 1 charge to teleport to an 
  unoccupied space within 30 feet of the 
  bracelet’s wearer. If there are no suitable 
  spaces, the teleport will fail without using 
  the charge. The collar regains 1d3 expended 
  charges daily at dawn.   
  Coat of Protection 
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) 
  While a creature is wearing this coat, which 
  is sized for animals, it gets a +1 bonus to AC 
  and saving throws.  
  Coat of Spell Resistance 
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) 
  While a creatures is wearing this coat, which 
  is sized for animals, it gains advantage on 
  saving throws against spells. 
  Collar of Awakening 
  Collar, legendary 
  While a creature wears this collar, they gain 
  an Intelligence of 10 (if their Intelligence is 9 
  or less) and they gain the ability to speak one 
  language chosen by the person who puts on 
  the collar.  
  Collar of the Chameleon 
  Collar, rare (requires attunement) 
  While a creature wears this collar, Wisdom 
  (Perception) checks made to see them have 
  disadvantage, and the creature has 
  advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks 
  made to hide as the creature’s color changes 
  to camouﬂage it.  
  Collar of Feather Falling 
  Collar, rare (requires attunement) 
  When a creature wearing this ring falls, it 
  descends 60 feet per round and takes no 
  damage from falling.  
  Collar of Free Action 
  Collar, rare (requires attunement) 
  While a creature wears this collar, diﬃcult 
  terrain doesn't cost it extra movement. In 
  addition, magic can neither reduce its speed 
  nor cause it to be paralyzed or restrained.  
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  Collar of Invisibility 
  Collar, legendary (requires attunement) 
  While wearing this collar, a creature can 
  turn invisible as an action. Anything it is 
  wearing or carrying is invisible with it. It 
  remains invisible until the collar is removed, 
  until the creature attacks or casts a spell, or 
  until it uses a bonus action to become visible 
  again. 
  Collar of Protection 
  Collar, rare (requires attunement) 
  A creature gains a +1 bonus to AC and 
  saving throws while wearing this collar. 
  Collar of Regeneration 
  Collar, very rare (requires attunement) 
  While wearing this collar, a creature regains 
  1d6 Hit Points every 10 minutes, provided 
  that the creature has at least 1 hit point. If it 
  loses a body part, the collar causes the 
  missing part to regrow and return to full 
  functionality after 1d6 + 1 days if it has at 
  least 1 hit point the whole time. 
  Collar of Resistance 
  Collar, rare (requires attunement) 
  A creature has resistance to one damage type 
  while wearing this collar. The gem in the 
  collar indicates the type, which the DM 
  chooses or determines randomly.  
  Collar of Swimming 
  Collar, rare  
  While wearing this collar a creature has a 
  swimming speed of 40 feet.  
  Collar of Warmth 
  Collar, rare (requires attunement) 
  While wearing this collar, a creature has 
  resistance to cold damage. In addition, it and 
  everything it wears and carries are 
  unharmed by temperatures as low as -50 
  degrees Fahrenheit. 
  Collar of Water Walking 
  Collar, rare 
  While wearing this collar, a creature can 
  stand on and move across any liquid surface 
  as if it were solid ground. 
  Harness of Strength 
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) 
  This harness comes in Tiny, Small, Medium 
  and Large sizes and each version ﬁts an 
  animal of the same size. When wearing the 
  harness, the creatures's Strength score is 
  19. They have no eﬀect if the creature’s 
  Strength score is already 19 or higher.  
  Horseshoes +1 or +2 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  These horseshoes, which only come in pairs, 
  grant an equipped creature +1 or +2 bonus 
  to attack and damage rolls made with 
  hooves.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  143
  d10
  Damage Type
  Gem
  1
  Acid
  Pearl
  2
  Cold
  Tourmaline
  3
  Fire
  Garnet
  4
  Force
  Sapphire
  5
  Lightning
  Citrine
  6
  Necrotic
  Jet
  7
  Poison
  Amethyst
  8
  Psychic
  Jade
  9
  Radiant
  Topaz
  10
  Thunder
  Spinel
  
  Horseshoes of Stealth 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  While all four of these matching horseshoes 
  are worn by a horse or similar animal, its 
  steps make no sound, regardless of the 
  surface it is moving across. The mount has 
  advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks that 
  rely on moving silently.  
  Mithral Barding 
  Armor (medium or heavy, but not hide), rare 
  Mithral is a light, ﬂexible metal. If the armor 
  normally has a Strength requirement, the 
  mithral version of the armor doesn’t. Note 
  that this allows ﬂying mounts to ﬂy with 
  medium or heavy mithral armor.  
  Saddlebag of Holding 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  Similar to a bag of holding, a saddlebag of 
  holding has an interior space much larger 
  than its outside dimensions. The saddlebag 
  can hold up to 1000 pounds, not exceeding a 
  volume of 128 cubic feet. The saddlebag 
  weighs 20 pounds, regardless of its contents. 
  Retrieving an item from the bag requires an 
  action.  
  If the saddlebag is overloaded, pierced, or 
  torn, it ruptures and is destroyed, and its 
  contents are scattered in the Astral Plane. If 
  the saddlebag is turned inside out, its 
  contents spill forth, unharmed, but the 
  saddlebag must be put right before it can 
  be used again. Breathing creatures 
  inside the saddlebag can survive up to 
  a number of minutes equal to 10 
  divided by the number of creatures 
  (minimum 1 minute), after which time 
  they begin to suﬀocate. 
  Placing a saddlebag of holding inside an 
  extradimensional space created by a bag of 
  holding, Handy Haversack, Portable Hole, 
  or similar item instantly destroys both 
  items and opens a gate to the Astral Plane. 
  The gate originates where the one item was 
  placed inside the other. Any creature within 
  10 feet of the gate is sucked through it to a 
  random location on the Astral Plane. The 
  gate then closes. The gate is one-way only 
  and can't be reopened.  
  Wild Saddle 
  Wondrous item, rare 
  This saddle magically changes its size and 
  shape to ﬁt any mount, regardless of the 
  creature’s size or type. It also acts as a 
  military saddle, granting the rider advantage 
  on any check to remain mounted.  
  Winter Coat 
  Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement) 
  This coat, sized for an animal, is snug and 
  feels quite warm. While a creature is wearing 
  it, it gains the following beneﬁts:  
  • It gains resistance to cold damage. 
  • It ignores diﬃcult terrain created by ice 
  or snow 
  • It can tolerate temperatures as low as 
  -50 degrees Fahrenheit without any 
  additional protection.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  144
  
  Chapter 20: Beast 
  Runes 
  Somewhere in the space between spells and 
  magic items lie beast runes. Using special 
  formulae, similar to those used for 
  constructed familiars, a character can learn 
  how to use mystical runes to empower their 
  companion creature.  
  The Nature of the 
  Runes 
  Beast runes were ﬁrst developed by powerful 
  spellcasters, called runemasters, who wanted 
  to imbue companion creatures with magical 
  eﬀects. As these creatures are often sent to 
  scout and explore, and aren't always within 
  range of conventional spells, beast runes 
  were devised as one kind of solution.  
  Using a magical ritual, spellcasters can 
  inscribe the magical runes upon a 
  companion creatures. Doing so infuses a 
  certain magical eﬀect into the creature that 
  lasts a speciﬁc duration which is based on 
  the runes in question and the ritual used to 
  inscribe them.  
  Within the duration of the runes, the 
  companion creature can call on the power of 
  the runes to create a magical eﬀect. Some of 
  these may enhance the natural abilities of 
  the creature, while others create spell-like 
  eﬀects.  
  Runic Formulae 
  The instructions for how to inscribe beast 
  runes are stored in special runic formulae 
  that include the runes necessary to create 
  the desired eﬀect. Sages who have studied 
  beast runes have found no basis for the 
  runes in any known language and many 
  believe that they are a composite form, 
  distilled from a variety of languages and 
  magical forms, a kind of pidgin runic system.  
  Some formulae are little more than scrolls 
  with the instructions for one kind of runic 
  inscription. Others are tomes containing 
  several inscriptions.  
  Given their rarity, a runic formula’s 
  purpose may not be immediately obvious. 
  However, a successful Intelligence (Arcana) 
  check against a DC of 15 should reveal its 
  purpose and what it is used for. And while 
  the Arcana skill may allow a character to 
  read and understand the formula, only a 
  spellcaster can perform the ritual described 
  in the formula as all runic rituals require the 
  expenditure of at least one spell slot. 
  Additionally, a spellcaster does not need to 
  have access to ritual magic to perform runic 
  rituals as they follow diﬀerent rules from 
  spells. 
  Obtaining Runic Formulae 
  As runemasters are rare, most formulae are 
  either found or given. The easiest way for a 
  DM to introduce runic formulae to their 
  campaign is to treat them like scrolls. 
  Formulae can be found like spell scrolls in 
  treasure on a one to one basis. Unlike 
  scrolls, the magic doesn’t fade when the 
  formula is used. Formulae can be reused 
  multiple times, however spellcasters usually 
  copy the formula down in a reliable place, 
  and in the case of wizards or Pact of the 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  145
  
  Tome warlocks, they are often copied into 
  spellbooks and ritual books. Once learned, 
  the ritual can be repeated again and again, 
  provided the spellcaster has the requisite 
  time, access to a creature, and any other 
  material requirements for the ritual.  
  The other main way to acquire runic 
  formulae is to get them from a runemaster. 
  Though these individuals are rare, those that 
  developed this type of magic still exist and 
  continue to practice their art. If a 
  runemaster is encountered in a campaign, 
  they can supply existing runic formulae, 
  such as those described below, or they can 
  develop new formulae based on the request 
  of the characters.  
  Runic formulae, whether existing or new, 
  should always come at a cost. Some 
  runemasters may simply name a price in 
  gold or other wealth, but many will require 
  more than simple coin. They may ask the 
  potential customer to undertake some kind 
  of labor on their behalf, or retrieve an object. 
  The DM is encouraged to tailor the activities 
  and interests of such runemasters to suit 
  their campaign.  
  Runic Rituals 
  Once a character has a runic formula, they 
  must perform a ritual to inscribe the runes 
  on a companion creature. The length of the 
  process depends on the formula in question, 
  but takes a minimum of 1 hour. During the 
  ritual, the caster must read out portions of 
  the formula while in contact with the 
  companion creature. Technically, a beast 
  rune can be inscribed on any animal, 
  however, the diﬃculty of getting a non-
  bonded animal to sit still, in contact with the 
  caster, for the whole period of the ritual 
  usually restricts them to companion 
  creatures.  
  At the end of the ritual, the caster 
  inscribes the runes upon the creature’s skin, 
  or fur, or feathers, and expends at least one 
  spell slot. Most runes are visible and glow 
  with a ghostly radiance, or else take on a 
  vibrant color. The runes stay visible and 
  active for the duration of the rune’s eﬀect, or 
  until the rune is dispelled, as in the dispel 
  magic spell, or in the case of the inscribed 
  creature’s death or dismissal.  
  Runic Effects 
  Beast runes can be used to create a number 
  of eﬀects but typically mimic spells or magic 
  items. They may be triggered by the 
  companion creature or, in the case of low-
  intelligence creatures, can react to 
  circumstances. Shield runes, for example, 
  create a magical shield around the inscribed 
  creature the ﬁrst time that they are hit by an 
  attack.  
  Each rune series contains the following 
  details: 
  Rune Description 
  Label, school of magic 
  Ritual time: the time it takes to complete 
  the ritual and inscribe the runes 
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  146
  
  Ritual components: the type of components 
  required for the ritual 
  Spell slot: what level spell slot is necessary 
  to complete the ritual; this can be one spell 
  slot of the appropriate level, or a combination 
  of lower level slots adding up to the required 
  amount — this also determines the runes’ 
  level when needed for things like the dispel 
  magic spell 
  Duration: How long the runes last before 
  fading and losing their eﬀect 
  Sample Runes 
  Some sample runes and their eﬀects are 
  described below, but the DM is encouraged 
  to create new runes as desired. 
  Darkvision Runes 
  Beast runes, transmutation 
  Ritual time: 1 hour  
  Ritual components: V, S 
  Spell slot: 3rd level 
  Duration: 24 hours 
  For the duration, the inscribed beast gains 
  darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.  
  Elemental Resistance Runes 
  Beast runes, abjuration 
  Ritual time: 1 hour  
  Ritual components: V, S 
  Spell slot: 4th level 
  Duration: 4 hours 
  For the duration, the inscribed beast gains 
  resistance to one of the following damage 
  types: acid, cold, ﬁre, lightning, or thunder. 
  The chosen type determines the sequence of 
  runes and formulae may only include one 
  type of resistance, or multiple types. If the 
  spellcaster has possession of multiple runic 
  sequences, they may be inscribed on the 
  same beast, though the duration limits how 
  many can be active at one time.  
  Enhanced Mind Runes 
  Beast runes, transmutation 
  Ritual time: 1 hour  
  Ritual components: V, S 
  Spell slot: 3rd level 
  Duration: 8 hours 
  For the duration, the inscribed beast’s 
  Intelligence becomes 7 if it normally is lower 
  than that, or else it gains 2 points of 
  Intelligence. It also gains the ability to speak 
  and understand a language of your choice. 
  Enhanced Movement Runes 
  Beast runes, abjuration 
  Ritual time: 1 hour  
  Ritual components: V, S 
  Spell slot: 5th level 
  Duration: 24 hours 
  For the duration, the inscribed beast gains 
  10 feet of movement and they are unaﬀected 
  by diﬃcult terrain, and spells and other 
  magical eﬀects can neither reduce the 
  target’s speed nor cause the target to be 
  paralyzed or restrained.  
  Flight Runes 
  Beast runes, transmutation 
  Ritual time: 1 hour 
  Ritual components: V, S, M (a feather) 
  Spell slot: 4th level 
  Duration: 1 hour 
  The inscribed beast gains a ﬂying speed of 60 
  feet for the duration. When the runes fade, 
  the beast falls if it is still aloft, unless it can 
  stop that fall.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  147
  
  Invisibility Runes 
  Beast runes, illusion 
  Ritual time: 1 hour 
  Ritual components: V, S, a small mirror 
  Spell slot: 3rd level 
  Duration: 2 hours 
  The inscribed beast becomes invisible for the 
  duration. Anything the beast is wearing or 
  carrying is invisible for as long as it is on the 
  beast’s body. The eﬀect ends and the runes 
  fade if the beast attacks or casts a spell.  
  Magic Attack Runes 
  Beast runes, transmutation 
  Ritual time: 1 hour 
  Ritual components: V, S 
  Spell slot: 3rd level 
  Duration: 4 hours 
  The inscribed beast gains a +1 to attack rolls 
  and damage rolls with its natural weapons 
  and they are considered magical for the 
  purpose of overcoming resistance and 
  immunity to nonmagical attacks and 
  damage.  
  Protection Runes 
  Beast runes, abjuration 
  Ritual time: 1 hour 
  Ritual components: V, S 
  Spell slot: 2nd level 
  Duration: 1 hour 
  The inscribed beast gains a +1 to its AC for 
  the duration.  
  Shield Runes 
  Beast runes, abjuration 
  Ritual time: 1 hour 
  Ritual components: V, S 
  Spell slot: 1st level 
  Duration: 24 hours, or until the inscribed 
  beast is hit by an attack  
  Once inscribed, the runes last for 24 hours. 
  The ﬁrst time that the beast is hit by an 
  attack during this period, a shimmering 
  barrier of magical force appears to protect it. 
  Until the start of its next turn, its gets a +5 
  bonus to AC, including against the triggering 
  attack.  
  Stoneskin Rune 
  Beast runes, abjuration 
  Ritual time: 1 hour 
  Ritual components: V, S, M (diamond dust 
  worth 100 gp which the ritual consumes) 
  Spell slot: 5th level 
  Duration: 2 hours 
  This rune turns the inscribed beast’s skin, 
  fur, or feathers as hard as stone. Until the 
  end of the runes’ duration, the beast has 
  resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, 
  piercing, and slashing damage.  
  Not for resale. Permission granted to print or  
  photocopy this document for personal use only.
  RYKARD’S TOME OF FAMILIARS & 
  ANIMAL COMPANIONS
  148
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Dungeons & Dragons [multi]/5th Edition (5e)/3rd Party/DMsGuild/Rykard's Tome of Familiars and Animal Companions.pdf