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I'm currently playing a Warlock, and at 3rd level, I picked Pact of the Chain as my Pact Boon. I then, using one of the special forms provided by Pact of the Chain, summoned a Sprite familiar:

When you cast the spell, you can choose one of the normal forms for your familiar or one of the following special forms: imp, pseudodragon, quasit, or sprite.

At 4th level, I plan to use the optional rule Eldritch Versatility (TCoE, p. 70) to change from Pact of the Chain to Pact of the Tome.
Would that affect my existing familiar's form? Or would my familiar stay as a sprite?


Additionally, if my familiar were to drop to 0 hit points and I cast Find Familiar again, would the familiar stay as a sprite?

The resummoning section of the Find Familiar spell description does not state any change in the form of your familiar when revived:

When the familiar drops to 0 hit points, it disappears, leaving behind no physical form. It reappears after you cast this spell again.

Only when casting it with a familiar already active does the spell description state any change to form:

If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form.

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    \$\begingroup\$ I’ve added the [dnd-5e] tag since you quoted several of the 5e warlock’s class features. There are lots of RPGs out there, and we handle all of them on this site, so we need to be specific about what game we’re playing. That said, welcome to the site, take the tour and review the help center articles for more info about the site. \$\endgroup\$ Sep 15, 2021 at 9:35
  • \$\begingroup\$ Regardless of the answer to this question, you should note that if your familiar is ever killed after you switch pacts, you won't be able to re-summon it in the same form. In fact, I'm not even certain you would retain the ability to cast Find Familiar at all. (That would make another good question, if it hasn't already been asked here.) \$\endgroup\$ Sep 15, 2021 at 11:23
  • \$\begingroup\$ @RyanC.Thompson: Pact of the Tome warlocks can add it to their Book of Shadows if they have the Book of Ancient Secrets invocation (potentially even learning it as 1 of their 2 "free" rituals when they take the invocation): "You can now inscribe magical rituals in your Book of Shadows. Choose two 1st-level spells that have the ritual tag from any class’s spell list [...]. The spells appear in the book and don’t count against the number of spells you know. With your Book of Shadows in hand, you can cast the chosen spells as rituals. [...]" Otherwise, warlocks can't normally learn the spell. \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast
    Sep 17, 2021 at 23:54

1 Answer 1

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You lose the ability to cast find familiar when you change pacts.

Pact of the Chain says:

You learn the find familiar spell and can cast it as a ritual.

So Pact of the Chain is the source of find familiar. If you switch from Pact of the Chain to Pact of the Tome, you lose the ability to cast find familiar familiar. So the question "what happens when I recast it after changing pacts" is moot since you cannot cast it at all.

Your familiar will hang around after you switch pacts, but once it drops to 0 hit points or you "dismiss it forever" it is gone for good, unless you somehow gain the ability to cast the spell again. However, it should be noted that it is entirely reasonable for a DM to rule that the services provided by the familiar are part-and-parcel to your current pact agreement, and changing terms would cause your familiar to vanish.

If you later find a way to recast find familiar, you may only choose one of the usual options, not the options provided by Pact of the Chain.

This part is quite simple: Pact of the Chain is what gives you the ability to choose one of the special forms. Without Pact of the Chain, you may not select one of the special forms. You always select from the available forms when you cast the spell, since the spell says:

You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes an animal form you choose: bat, cat, crab, frog (toad), hawk, lizard, octopus, owl, poisonous snake, fish (quipper), rat, raven, sea horse, spider, or weasel.

The phrase "it reappears after you cast this spell again" is simply indicating that you must cast the spell again to reacquire the services of your familiar - it isn't bypassing the rest of the spell description.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ One of the Eldritch Invocation tied to Pact of the Tome is Book of Ancient Secret, which lets Warlocks learn ritual spells and cast them as such. There also the option of just finding/buying Find Familiar spell scrolls. \$\endgroup\$ Sep 15, 2021 at 12:18
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    \$\begingroup\$ @PipiruPiru The answer is the same - it will keep its form until the spell ends (by being reduced to 0 hp or when you "dismiss it forever". Thereafter, even with Book of Ancient Secrets, you would be limited to the "regular" find familiar options. \$\endgroup\$ Sep 15, 2021 at 12:23
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    \$\begingroup\$ This answer is technically correct but since the familiar is a consequence of which pact you chose, I'd certainly rule that changing the pact means your familiar immediately vanishes -- you're giving up the pacts of the chain and everything that came with it! \$\endgroup\$ Sep 15, 2021 at 14:28
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    \$\begingroup\$ @DarthPseudonym That might have been true if the pact boon actually summoned the familiar for you. It simply allows you to cast the spell, with additional choices, and as far as I'm concerned, you don't lose a familiar granted by, say, a spell scroll when said scroll is consumed. \$\endgroup\$ Sep 15, 2021 at 22:52
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    \$\begingroup\$ @KogarashiKaito Right, I think Darth’s point was that with a strict reading of the rules, your familiar hangs around, but from a narrative/lore perspective, losing your familiar when you change pacts makes sense. \$\endgroup\$ Sep 15, 2021 at 22:59

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