Hello spellcasters and adventurers of all shapes and sizes! Welcome to my spellbook and thank you so much for checking out the 29th episode of our find familiar seris. Today we’re gonna be taking a look at yet another variant familiar technically kinda sorta. Today we’re gonna be taking a look at the pseudodragon familiar variant this is for a second time this time under the light of a variant familiar meaning there’s no official way to get them in d&d but upon a DMs discretion call and they can’t be included it just fine.
That being said, let’s move on to its stats just a couple things i want to highlight here real quick. These will be the same stats as that pact of the chain familiar by the way, so just please bear that in mind while you’re reading through these. You can also check out d&d 5e pseudodragon familiar.
5E Pseudodragon Familiar Variant Stats
The elusive pseudodragon dwells in the quiet places of the world, making its home in the hollows of trees and small caves. With its red-brown scales, horns, and a maw filled with sharp teeth, a pseudodragon resembles a tiny red dragon but its disposition is playful.
Quiet and Defensive. Pseudodragons have little interest in other creatures, and they avoid them whenever possible. If it is attacked, a pseudodragon fights back using the poisonous stinger at the tip of its tail, one jab of which can put a creature into a catatonic state that can last for hours.
Draconic Familiars. Mages often seek out pseudodragons, whose agreeable disposition, telepathic ability, and resistance to magic make them superior familiars. Pseudodragons are selective when it comes to choosing companions, but they can sometimes be won over with gifts of food or treasure. When a pseudodragon finds an agreeable companion, it bonds with that person as long as it is treated fairly. A pseudodragon puts up with no ill treatment, and it abandons a manipulative or abusive companion without warning.
Language of Emotion. Pseudodragons can’t speak, but they communicate using a limited form of telepathy that allows them to share basic ideas such as hunger, curiosity, or affection. When it bonds with a companion, a pseudodragon can communicate what it sees and hears even over long distances.
A pseudodragon often vocalizes animal noises. A rasping purr indicates pleasure, while a hiss means unpleasant surprise. A bird-like chirping represents desire, and a growl always means anger or discontent.
- Pseudodragon (familiar variant): Tiny dragon, neutral good
- Armor Class: 13 (Natural Armor); Hit Points: 7 (2d4 + 2); Speed: walk 15 ft., fly 60 ft.
- STR: 6 (-2)
- DEX: 15 (+2)
- CON: 13 (+1)
- INT: 10 (+0)
- WIS: 12 (+1)
- CHA: 10 (+0)
- Skills: Perception +3, Stealth +4
- Senses: Blindsight 10 ft., Darkvision 60 ft., Passive Perception 13
- Languages: Understands Common and Draconic but can’t speak them
- Challenge: 1/4 (50 XP)
- Keen Senses: The pseudodragon has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight, hearing, or smell.
- Magic Resistance: The pseudodragon has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
- Limited Telepathy: The pseudodragon can magically communicate simple ideas, emotions, and images telepathically with any creature within 100 feet of it that can understand a language.
- Familiar: The pseudodragon can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a magic, telepathic bond with that willing companion. While the two are bonded, the companion can sense what the pseudodragon senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. While the pseudodragon is within 10 feet of its companion, the companion shares the pseudodragon’s Magic Resistance trait. At any time and for any reason, the pseudodragon can end its service as a familiar, ending the telepathic bond.
- Actions: Bite: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.
- Sting: Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) 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.
It is considered to be a tiny dragon and it is neutral good which means push comes to shove it will ultimately align with the good choice. Looking at its stats you’ll notice they’re actually quite impressive on all accounts, only the -2 to strength as a deficit but i think the +2 to dex makes up for it more than fine.
AC 13 as well, hit points seven and a fly speed of 60 feet and a walk speed of 15 feet meaning this things meant to be airborne or perched more than anything else. I’ll take a look at it skills you’ll notice a +3 to perception and +4 to stealth. Its senses are as followed blindsight 10 feet, darkvision 60 feet, passive perception 13 and telepathic bond as well really cool stuff. Languages it can understand common and draconic but it cannot speak them.
Now let’s take a look at its other senses. It has keen senses which is super great stuff gives an advantage of perception checks that rely on sight hearing and smell really good. It also has limited telepathy what that means is it can telepathically communicate with creatures within a hundred feet of it. So long as they can understand a language which is pretty cool!
It has magic resistance as well which gives an advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects which is just a peachy keen. What makes this primarily different from the typical pact of the chain pseudo dragon is this familiar trait.
When it decides to serve another creature it forms a telepathic bond with the companion and they’re bonded. This last up to a entire mile mind you and they also get access to the same magical resistance while they’re within 10 feet of each other which is super great!
The 5e pseudodragon familiar variant also has the ability to end of the bond should its master do anything that it doesn’t like. Which is really cool stuff! I kind of like the whole gameplay mechanic better. Let’s move on to its actions now. You can also check out this quasit familiar 5e.
If you’ll notice the bite and sting actions are exactly the same as the pact of the chain familiar. The bite +4 to hit and deals one die four damage and the sting + four to hit, deals four damage but also poisons on a DC 11 constitution saving throw, they become poisoned for an hour, if they fail they throw by five or more, they are actually rendered unconscious for that hour duration or until they take damage or another creature tries to wake them.
Which is super good stuff! I want to point out that poison is actually incredibly valuable in the black market and it is incredibly useful to adventurers. So that’s kind of the most redeemable part of the pseudo dragon. Great ways to incorporate this into your campaign would be to actually give it to a friendly wizard that’s helping them out or make it a friendly wizards familiar and have a familiar seek out the party saying that the wizard was captured by bandits or what have you. If the party role plays correctly they can actually get the pseudo dragon as a companion for the long-term or temporary depending on how they treat it.
Conclusion
In any case, yeah really good stuff! I really like it. Please feel free to comment your thoughts down below. Thank you so much guys for checking out today and i hope you all have a great day and as always happy casting everyone.