Summary
Find Familiar is a staple spell for veteran players of Dungeons & Dragons, so it only makes sense that the spell would see a rendition inBaldur’s Gate 3. However,Find Familiarworks quite a bit differently in BG3 than it does in the D&D 5e source material.
In D&D, familiars cannot attack on their own and are most often used to provide allies with the Help action, giving them advantage on their next attack. BG3 flips this equation on its head, allowing familiars to make their own attacks but preventing them from providing the Help action. Even more exciting, each familiar comes with its own unique attack and, sometimes, other abilities. Let’s review.
Updated on Januar 21, 2025, by Alfredo Robelo:Familiars are weak yet useful creatures, allowing you to perform all sorts of strategies involving numbers. We’ve updated this list with the sources of each familiar, as well as adding the highly exclusive Boo, attainable in Act 3 of the game.
Exclusive to
Ranger
Minsc
Much like Scratch is an exclusive summon for the character that holds his ball, Boo can only be summoned by his faithful friend, Minsc. This makes Boo exclusive to the final act of the game, hence why he has more health than your average familiar.
Beyond that, he doesn’t have any noteworthy skills, beyond being an extra member of the team. He has an interesting interaction when thrown, since he has a chance of blinding enemies, so you could include him in a barbarian throw build and toss the little guy to your enemies.
Unlocked with
Arcane Trickster, Eldritch Knight, Ranger, Warlock, Wizard.
Level up
The rat comes with an infectious bite attack that deals one damage and has a chance to infect creatures. An infected creature has a disadvantage in Constitution saves and also has their Constitution score reduced by one for the next two turns.
To find out in detail what roll is required for each spell, just hover over the spell in question and you can examine it.
Consequently, the rat is best used alongside spells and abilities that force a target to make a Constitution saving throw. Examples of some spells that force Constitution saving throws includePoison Spray,Ray of Sickness,Thunderwave,Blindness,Heat Metal,Moonbeam, andShatter.
Instead of inflicting a status condition, the spider’s bite has a chance to deal more damage if the target fails a Constitution saving throw. The bite deals one damage + 1d4 poison on a failed save.
Spiders also have access to a unique movement option in the form of the arachnid jump, which can cover a total distance of 18m. If you want to explore some really high places, try casting theJumpspell on your Spider familiar to triple its arachnid jump to 54m.
The crab has an ability that inflicts a debuff as well as damage over time, which is something that’s rarely seen in the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop game. Crippling pinch deals one + 1d4 slashing damage and inflicts the pinched condition.
A creature suffering from pinched takes two piercing damage at the beginning of each turn and has its move speed reduced by three meters for the next two turns. Reducing an enemy’s movement speed can be surprisingly helpful, especially when you’re dealing with a foe that relies on melee attacks.
The frog doesn’t have a true attack option; however, it does have the bufotoxin ability, which has a chance to impose a disadvantage on the target’s Dexterity saving throws. This is the most common saving throw in the game, so giving an opponent a disadvantage to them is arguably better than hurting any other statistic.
Some ofthe highest damage output spellsin the game, likeBurning HandsandFireball, require Dexterity saving throws. Even better, movement-inhibiting spells, includingWeb,Hunger of Hadar,Grease, and more, also target Dexterity saving throws.
Like the spider, the frog also has an extended jump option called Frog Jump that covers 18m as well.
Aside from being one of the cutest beasts in the game, the cat’s claw attack deals three damage, and it has a meow ability that can distract nearby enemies. The range of the meow ability is rather impressive too, as it draws creatures within 18m of the cat closer.
Not all creatures can be lured by the Cat. For example, Dror Ragzlin and his entourage will continue their ritual regardless of how many meows they hear.
This makes the cat somewhat of a sacrificial lamb (kitty?) as the best way to use it is to group enemies together before dropping an area-of-effect spell on them, such as Web or Fireball. Of course, chances are your poor feline friend won’t survive the aftermath. Thankfully, familiars are fey spirits that you can simply summon right back to your side.
Let’s just assume familiars don’t feel pain. It makes things easier that way.
Level up, Raven Gloves
The raven is one of two familiars that has access to a flying speed, with a range of 18m. This makes it a great scout for exploring parts of the map you’ve yet to uncover. On top of scouting, the Raven also has a beak attack that deals three damage.
However, you’ll much more likely use its rend vision ability, which only deals one damage but blinds the target for one turn. Blindness is a brutal status condition to inflict on enemies as it not only gives them a disadvantage in their attacks, but gives your allies an advantage in attacks against them as well.
Any
Scratch’s Ball
Scratch is a familiar that can be summoned by any class as long as you invite the dog to your camp in Act One. Since he counts as a familiar, he can’t be summoned alongside the other creatures on this list; therefore, he deserves to be mentioned.
When compared to the other animals available, Scratch has no special abilities or movements during combat, although he can use the Help action, which is something unique to him. He can also search for treasure while out of combat, pointing you in the direction of many secrets (or combat encounters).
Warlock
Pact Boon
While the imp and the quasit are familiars only accessible to arcane casters like Warlocks and Wizards, they are also the best familiars in the game by a long shot thanks to their access to more powerful attacks, higher hit point pools, and their ability to cast invisibility on themselves.
The imp is your best combat familiar as its sting attack deals 1d4 + Charisma modifier piercing damage + 1d6 poison damage on a failed Constitution saving throw. It also comes with a claw attack that deals 1d4 + Charisma modifier slashing damage.
On top of being the best attack in the game, the imp also has a flying speed making it just as capable of scouting as the raven. In fact, it’s even better at scouting as the imp can cast invisibility on itself while exploring, giving it an advantage on stealth checks.
Invisibility is also useful for providing the imp with an advantage on its first attack in combat. Basically, your imp should always be invisible.
Pact Boon, Scroll of Summon Quasit
Like the imp, the quasit can also cast invisibility on itself. However, its only attack option is its claws, which deal 1d4 + Charisma modifier damage. While the quasit can’t deal as much raw damage as the imp, it does have a scare ability which has a chance to frighten a target for two turns.
The frightened condition gives a creature a disadvantage on its attack rolls, making it a much less formidable combatant. While it’s tempting to write the quasit off in favor of the imp,crowd control is often much more powerfulthan additional damage, especially when facing multiple dangerous foes.
If you want your own Quasit, but you aren’t a Wizard or Warlock,you can gain one in Act one.You can even talk to that Quasit and change its name.
Another lesser-known unique quality of the quasit is that it’s the only familiar capable of interacting with the environment, giving it the ability to do things like open doors. This makes the quasit the ultimate scout in dungeon environments, as its solo travels won’t be impeded by something as simple as a door.
The imp and the quasit may be better familiars on the whole, but each familiar has its uses depending on your party’s strategy. Don’t get too attached to any one form, and you’ll find that Find Familiar is one of the most multifaceted spells in the game.
