Extended list of familiars in D&D 3.5

Posted in RPG on 2018-01-20 — last updated 2018-03-16

The following lists are of creatures in D&D 3.5 which, according to official published sources, may be chosen as a familiar.

1. Standard familiars
2. Standard familiars, Pathfinder
3. Improved familiars
4. Improved familiars, Pathfinder
5. Special familiars
   1. Celestial familiars
   2. Darkness familiars
   3. Dragon familiars
   4. Planar familiars
   5. Class prerequisites
6. Familiar feats
7. Familiar spells
8. Not familiars
9. Creating new familiars
10. Updates

Standard familiars

These familiars can be taken by any wizard, sorcerer, or other character who has the ability to gain a familiar.

Notes:

• Some of these stats have been updated to D&D 3.5.
  • Pick Pocket became Sleight of Hand
  • +2 Constitution became +3 hit points
  • +2 to a skill became +3 to a skill
• Creatures marked “T” are available to Tiny or smaller characters, while creatures marked “H” are for Huge and larger characters.

Standard familiars, Pathfinder

The following familiar appear in Pathfinder sources, which, while not official Dungeons & Dragons material, are largely compatible with D&D.

Improved familiars

These familiars require the Improved Familiar feat.

Notes:

• The alignment shown is that of the familiar; the caster’s alignment must be within one step on each axis, e.g. any caster can take a True Neutral (N) familiar. (Later D&D books confirm this interpretation.)
• An exception is where it says “only”, in which case the caster’s alignment must match exactly, e.g. only a NE caster can have a sanguine imp familiar, and only LG, LN or LE casters can take a modron familiar.
• Casters must also meet the level requirement listed. Those marked “B” require the caster to also have a base attack bonus equal to the level requirement, e.g. a wizard must be level 6 to reach the +3 base attack necessary for a worg familiar.
• Characters with a type or subtype may take a familiar of that type/subtype, even if they don’t meet the alignment requirements.
• “Standard familiar” refers to any animal on the standard familiar list that the caster could normally take.
• Guardian familiars (Complete Warrior p118-121) have special rules, including that they must be crafted by the caster as per a magic item.
• This list is not exclusive. Any creature of approximately the same power of an existing improved familiar could be an improved familiar.

Improved standard familiars: Dragon #331 features rules giving improved special abilities to characters who take the Improved Familiar feat but keep their standard familiar.

Improved familiars, Pathfinder

The following familiar appear in Pathfinder sources, which, while not official Dungeons & Dragons material, are largely compatible with D&D. This list is not necessarily complete.

Special familiars

These familiars have some special requirements other than the Improved Familiar feat.

Celestial familiars

The following familiars require the Celestial Familiar feat (Book of Exalted Deeds, which largely duplicates the effect of Improved Familiar, except that your alignment must match your familiar’s exactly.

Darkness familiars

The following familiars require the Darkness Familiar feat (Dragon #322). The source listed describes the book in which those monsters appear.

Dragon familiars

The following familiars can be taken with the Dragon Familiar feat (Draconomicon). Your alignment must match exactly.

Planar familiars

The following familiars specifically require the Planar Familiar feat (Planar Handbook), even though this feat has essentially the same effect as Improved Familiar and nearly every creature on the planar familiar list is already available with that feat.

Class prerequisites

The following familiars are available to members of a certain class or prestige class, or are gained as a class ability.

Familiar feats

The following feats affect familiars, or allow the acquisition of non-standard familiars.

Familiar spells

The following spells specially affect familiars.

Not familiars

The following variant rules allow trading your familiar for something else:

Notes:

• Specialist Wizard Variants appears in Unearthed Aracana as well as the SRD.

Creating new familiars

In general, any creature with approximately the same statistics as a standard familiar is acceptable as a familiar. In general, that means a 1HD animal no larger than Tiny.

Any creature which does not appear in the rulebooks can be represented using the stats for another existing familiar.

A familiar’s bonus should generally be either +3 to a non-class skill, +3 hit points, or +2 to one saving throw. The ability should match the creature, such as a cat granting Move Silently.

Anything more powerful or unusual than this requires the Improved Familiar feat. In that case, existing improved familiars should be used as a benchmark. Approximately, any CR3 or lower creature of any type is suitable, as long as it is no larger than Small and has no abilities beyond a normal character at the level where they can be acquired, and no abilities that would be game-breaking in the hands of a player character.

Any standard familiar with the Celestial or Fiendish template or another template based on those (e.g. Axiomatic, Pseudodatural) is probably suitable as an improved familiar.

Updates

2018-03-16: Added familiars from Stormwrack, Frostburn, Sandstorm, Monsters of Faerun, Serpent Kingdoms, Shining South, Serpent Kingdoms, Monster Manual II, Monster Manual IV, Monster Manual V, Complete Scoundrel, and Complete Warrior. I’m grateful to this thread for bringing several sources to my attention.