Familiars are a particular kind of summoned ally in Baldur’s Gate 3, most typically conjured by the spell of the same name. They typically resemble small or tiny beasts; in D&D, they are more useful outside combat than in it. However, they work differently in the video game format, where each kind of familiar has unique attacks and abilities, making them helpful in a fight.
The differences in familiar stats and features make some of them better than others. There are twelve creatures that are classified as familiars in Baldur’s Gate 3, using ten different stat blocks. Six are summonable via the spell Find Familiar
, while the others require more work to discover or unlock. These rankings will determine which are worth conjuring, considering that a player character can only have one familiar at a time.
10
The Spider Lack Both Defensive And Offensive Capabilities
A Disappointing Summon On All Levels
First up is the spider, one of the six basic models of familiar that the first-level spell provides. It’s a tiny creature with slightly more health than other options and a bite attack that has a chance to inflict poison damage. That all sounds pretty good, but a few important components make this the worst of the ten options in the game.
Related
Baldur’s Gate 3: All Secret Minions (& Where to Find Them)
Scratch and the Owlbear Cub aren’t the only NPC pets and minions players can recruit in Baldur’s Gate 3. Here’s how to get every hidden Minion.
First, Bladur’s Gate 3‘s spider has the lowest armor class of any familiar at 9, meaning it will get hit by basically anything. It has six hit points, better than other familiars, but still not enough to survive most attacks. The extra poison damage it deals can be nice, but it has a low chance of applying and does not apply the poisoned condition. While the spider can navigate webbed surfaces without a problem, it cannot create webs of its own, making the features of this summon disappointing as well as weak. All in all, the spider can do nothing better than any other familiar and has little going for it in terms of its unique abilities.
9
The Frog Leaps A Little Farther Up The Rankings
A Slightly Better Option At Lower Levels
The next is the frog, which, like the spider, has little in its favor to make it stand out. It has a single hit point to its name, and its attack can only deal a single point of damage. Still, there are a few factors in its stats to put it above the arachnid option. For one, its AC is 12, slightly higher and enough to make it possible for an attack against it to miss regularly.
The frog familiar has no jumping-related actions or features, and while that itself doesn’t make it worse, it is a disappointment on par with the spider’s lack of web abilities.
But the real thing that makes this familiar not the worst is its attack, a unique action called Bufotoxin. It forces enemies to make a constitution save, and on a failure, they take 1 point of acid damage and have disadvantage on its following dexterity saving throw. The damage is negligible, but giving enemies a disadvantage on saving throws is a rare and useful ability for caster classes like sorcerers and wizards. The frog functions a little better as a helper to those characters than the spider, though admittedly, not by much.
8
The Rat Has One Of The More Interesting Special Attacks
A Plain Familiar With An Exciting Feature
Regarding its stats, the rat has very little to speak about. With one hit point, an AC of 10, and a bite attack that deals a single point of piercing damage, this familiar is about as plain as it gets. That is, other than its special attack, one that makes it quite useful indeed.
The rat has an infectious bite, and when it attacks a creature, it has the chance to infect it with a disease. This disease gives creatures disadvantage on constitution saving throws and a -1 to their constitution score, potentially decreasing their hit point maximum. This effect lasts longer than the frog’s Bufotoxin and is more powerful since many spells rely on constitution saves to take effect. This is one of the only abilities in the game that relies on the diseased condition, making it special as far as Baldur’s Gate 3 attacks go.
7
Cats Have More Uses For Thieves Than Fighters
A Familiar Better Off Of The Battlefield
Cats in BG3 are more similar to familiars in D&D, being much more useful outside of combat than in it. These creatures have fairly high dexterity, as far as familiars go, making them better at sneaking and maneuvering difficult terrain. Plus, they have an ability called meow, which allows them to summon nearby creatures to investigate their area, much like the Minor Illusion
cantrip.
Related
Every Cat In Baldur’s Gate 3, Ranked By Personality
Baldur’s Gate 3 has plenty of interesting and adorable cats for the party to track down, each with their own unique personalities and quirks.
In combat, cats are not very useful at all. They have 12 AC and 2 hit points, and an attack deals with a pitiful 2 points of slashing damage. But they’re quite good as a distraction or a scout, and should not be undervalued just because of their low stats.
6
Crabs Have Some Powerful Claw Attacks At Their Disposal
The First True Combat Familiar
Cabs familiars are a bit of an odd case. One would think that a crab would favor its defense, but the crab has a lower-than-average AC of 11 and only 2 hit points. Now, the crab stands out in its offensive capabilities, which are better than most familiars. It can attack with its claws, dealing better damage than its peers and having another effect.
The crab familiar’s maiming pinch deals 2-5 points of piercing damage, and on top of that, it slows enemies down. This speed reduction of 10 feet is equivalent to the ray of frost cantrip, and unlike the negative effects of the frog and rat abilities, enemies do not get a saving throw to avoid it. Speed and movement are vital in BG3 combat, and slowing enemies down is one of the more powerful control effects in the game.
5
Quasits Are Strong, And In Some Cases, Crass
Shovel Stands Out As The Game’s Most Foul-Mouthed Familiar
Pact of the chain warlocks get two additional options for their familiar, one of which is the quasit. This little creature is slightly more beefy than typical familiars, with 7 hit points and an AC of 13, and their claw attacks can deal 4-7 points of slashing damage. On top of having more survivability, quasits can turn invisible at will, and attempt to frighten enemies once per short rest.
Pact of the chain warlocks also has a few abilities and invocations that strengthen any familiar they summon, meaning that familiars, in general, are most powerful in their hands.
One quasit in particular has become a fan-favorite: Shovel, the cheeky quasit of Moonhaven village. Shovel once belonged to a rogue Thayan necromancer named “Ily,” and a scroll to summon her can be found in his old underground laboratory. Shovel is mechanically identical to other quasit summons but has a distinct personality and voice lines highlighting her bloodlust. Any spellcaster can learn to summon Shovel by using her spell scroll, and she can be summoned once a day from then on.
4
Scratch Is A Joy To Have Around
A Good Boy With Good Stats
Everyone loves Scratch, the mail-carrying dog who can join the party’s camp early in Act One. He hangs around the campsite for a while, chasing his ball and meeting his new party, and eventually, he becomes a familiar option for the player character. He even has a unique method of summoning, as throwing his ball outside of camp will conjure him into existence on the map.
Related
One Bad Baldur’s Gate 3 Decision Is Actually The Best Choice
Baldur’s Gate 3 has lots of tough moral choices for the player to face throughout the game but in one case doing the wrong things is the best option.
Scratch is a bit sturdier than other familiars, with 14 AC and 5 hit points, and can use a bite attack that deals 3-8 piercing damage. He is also one of the only familiars that can take helpful action, getting prone characters back up or curing them of certain conditions. Beyond that, Scratch has unique uses outside of combat, as he will pick up on and locate hidden treasure chests around the world. Sometimes, Scratch’s curiosity in BG3 can put him in perilous positions, but for the most part, this lovable mutt is a great option for a familiar.
3
Boo Is Surprisingly Powerful For His Size
Don’t Underestimate This Miniature Giant Space Hamster
Boo is an especially unique familiar, available exclusively to one party member that does not even show up until act three: Minsc of Rashemen. This ranger is a returnee from previous Baldur’s Gate games, where he and his hamster are also featured as playable characters. While Boo resembles an ordinary rodent, he is described as a “miniature giant space hamster,” and appropriately has higher stats than most other familiars.
Boo has an impressive AC of 20, as well as 20 hit points, fitting for a summon that cannot be unlocked until later in the game. His bite attack deals the most damage of any familiar action, dealing 7-13 points of piercing damage, which can be significant even at higher levels. Boo’s unique feature is his throw ability, as he is immune to the damage objects and creatures normally suffer from being thrown, and he has a chance to blind creatures he is thrown at. Boo may be limited to a specific party member, but he is definitely worth summoning if players have the option.
2
The Raven’s Flight Makes It Stronger Than Most Other Familiars
Maneuverability Is Key In Baldur’s Gate 3
The final default option players can summon with the find familiar spell is the raven, the only option of the six with the ability to fly. Flight is incredibly powerful in Baldur’s Gate 3, greatly expanding a creatures’ mobility and allowing them to reach otherwise blocked-off areas of the map. The raven, therefore, makes a great scout and is highly effective during exploration.
A unique version of the familiar raven, Quothe, can be summoned using the raven gloves. It is mechanically identical to the basic raven, except that upon being killed, it has a chance to temporarily restrain its attacker.
It’s no slouch in combat despite having relatively low AC and hit points (12 and 1, respectively). Its rend vision attack deals a bit of piercing damage and potentially blinds targets, giving them a disadvantage on their attack rolls, taking their ability to make ranged attacks, and giving allies a better chance to hit them. It’s very helpful to have a reliable way of inflicting blindness, and the raven offers it.
1
Imps Reign Supreme As The Most Powerful Familiar Summons
The Game’s First Enemies Become Some Of Its Best Allies
Finally, the imp soars to the top of the list as the most powerful familiar in the game. This is another option only available for a part of the chain warlocks, and like the quasit, imps are significantly more durable than other options. With 13 AC and 10 hit points, they can survive a hit or two and still keep fighting, and their sting attack is fairly strong, dealing 4-7 piercing damage and 1-6 additional poison damage.
Related
Baldur’s Gate 3 Finally Makes One Beloved Character Canon (But It’s Easy To Miss)
A tiny NPC from a Dungeons & Dragons one-shot with the Baldur’s Gate 3 cast has now joined the game’s canon in the most unexpected but wonderful way.
Imps share the quasit’s invisibility feature, making them adept scouts and ambushers, but they possess an important ability that the quasit does not: flight. Imps are one of the only two familiars that can fly, and their mechanical superiority over the raven makes them the clear victors for the strongest familiars in Baldur’s Gate 3.