Take a look at these great familiars in Baldur’s Gate 3!
Many Dungeons & Dragons veterans know how to use the spell “Find Familiar,” so it makes sense that it would be included in Baldur’s Gate 3. The way Find Familiar works in BG3 is very different from how it works in the D&D 5e source material.
A familiar in D&D can’t fight by itself. Instead, they are usually used to give allies the Help action, which gives them an edge on their next attack. In BG3, this equation is turned on its head: familiars can make their own strikes, but they can’t do the Help action. What’s even more exciting is that each familiar has its own strike and sometimes other skills. Let’s go over it again.
Rat
As an attack, the rat’s bite does 1 damage and has a chance to infect other animals. The creature is infected and has a -1 Constitution score for the next two turns. They also have a -1 penalty on Constitution saves.
Because of this, the rat works best with skills and spells that make the target make a Constitution saving throw. Poison Spray, Ray of Sickness, Thunderwave, Blindness, Heat Metal, Moonbeam, and Shatter are all spells that make you make a Constitution saving throw.
Spider
If the target misses a Constitution saving throw, the spider’s bite might do more damage instead of putting them in need of healing. If you fail to save, the bite does 1 damage plus 1d4 poison.
When it comes to moving, spiders have a special move called the “arachnid jump,” which can go 18 meters. Cast the Jump spell on your Spider familiar to make it triple its spider jump to 54 meters. This will let you visit really high places.
Crab
Something that doesn’t happen very often in the tabletop Dungeons & Dragons game is that the crab has an ability that does harm and a debuff over time. Crippling pinch does 1 + 1d4 cutting damage and puts the target in the pinched state.
When something is pinched, it takes 2 pierce damage at the start of each turn and can’t move as fast for the next two turns. You might be surprised at how helpful slowing down an enemy’s movement can be, especially if they only hit close up.
Frog
Even though the frog doesn’t really have an attack choice, it does have the bufotoxin ability, which can make the target’s Dexterity saving throws worse. It is the most common saving throw in Baldur’s Gate 3, so making it harder for the other player to make it might be better than hurting any other number.
Some of the most powerful magic in Baldur’s Gate 3, like Fireball and Burning Hands, need Dexterity saving throws to work. Even better, spells that stop you from moving, like Web, Hunger of Hadar, Grease, and others, also target Dexterity saving throws.
Like the spider, the frog has a choice to jump 18 meters farther, which is called Frog Jump.
Cat
The cat is one of the cutest animals in Baldur’s Gate 3, and its claw attack does 3 damage. It can also meow to hide from enemies nearby. Not only does the meow ability have a long range (18m), but it also brings things closer to the cat.
The best way to use the cat is to group enemies together and then drop an area-effect spell on them, like Web or Fireball. This makes the cat kind of like a sacrifice lamb (kitty?). Of course, it’s likely that your poor cat friend won’t make it through the fallout. Thank goodness familiars are magical beings that you can easily call back to your side.
Let’s say that familiars don’t feel pain. That way, things are easier.
Raven
There are two familiars that can fly at high speeds and cover 18 meters. One of them is the raven. It’s a great scout for finding parts of the map you haven’t seen yet. The Raven can also scout and fight with its beak, which does 3 damage.
This ability, however, is much more likely to be used. It does only 1 damage but blinds the target for one turn. Putting enemies in the blind state is very cruel because it not only makes their attacks less effective, but it also makes your friends’ attacks against them more effective.
Imp
Only arcane users like Warlocks and Wizards can use the imp and the quasit as familiars. However, they are by far the best familiars in Tunnel Rush because they have access to stronger attacks, more hit points, and the ability to make themselves invisible.
You should fight with the imp because its sting attack does 1d4 + Charisma modifier pierce damage and 1d6 poison damage if you fail your Constitution saving throw. Also, it has a claw attack that cuts for 1d4 + Charisma modifier damage.
The imp has the best attack in Baldur’s Gate 3, and it can also fly quickly. So it can scout just as well as the raven. That’s even better, because the imp can make itself invisible while wandering, which gives it an edge on stealth checks.
To give the imp an edge on its first move in battle, being invisible is also helpful. Basically, you should never be able to see your imp.
Quasit
The quasit can also make itself invisible, just like the imp. But its claws are the only way it can hit, and they deal 1d4 + Charisma modifier damage. The quasit can’t do as much direct damage as the imp. But it does have a scare power that might make a target scared for two turns.
Creatures that are scared have a loss on their attack rolls, which makes them much less dangerous in battle. It’s easy to think that the imp is stronger than the quasit, but crowd control is often much more useful than more damage. Especially when there are a lot of dangerous enemies to deal with.
Another special thing about the quasit that not many people know is that it’s the only familiar that can interact with its surroundings, which means it can do things like open doors. The quasit is the best scout in dungeons. Because it can go anywhere by itself and won’t be stopped by something as simple as a door.
Overall, the imp and the quasit may be better familiars. But each one has its own uses based on how your party plans to play. If you don’t get too attached to one form, find familiar is one of the most useful spells in Baldur’s Gate 3.