Is it possible to have two familiars?

Question

Out of curiosity, is it possible to have two familiars?

As far as I know there are two possible ways to obtain familiars. One is with the find familiar spell; the other is to find a creature with the familiar variant option.

In the first instance, the rules specify that you can't have more than one familiar, but the way is worded seems to be referring to the find familiar spell:

You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes an animal form you choose.

The familiar has the statistics of the chosen form, though it is a celestial, fey, or fiend (your choice) instead of a beast.

You can’t have more than one familiar at a time. If you cast this spell while you already have a familiar, you instead cause it to adopt a new form.

But in the variant case you don't have a spirit per-se; you have the actual living thing and it does not change forms (as in the spell). Also, there is nothing in the variant rules that seems to rule out the option of having two familiars:

Variant: Quasit Familiar

[...]

The quasit can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a telepathic bond with its willing master. While the two are bonded, the master can sense what the quasit senses as long as they are within 1 mile of each other. While the quasit is within 10 feet of its master, the master shares the quasit's Magic Resistance trait. At any time and for any reason, the quasit can end its service as a familiar, ending the telepathic bond.

And, as far as I know, there is no limit on how many telepathic bonds you may have, if the telepathic communication and "possession" is considered a telepathic bond.

Therefore, is it really possible to have two familiars, particularly using both rules, the find familiar and the variant option, or I missing something?

Answer 1

There's nothing in the rules that prevents you from having the service of two creatures with the Familiar variant.

What you have to remember is that variant monsters, like monsters, are designed for the GM to use to make enemies more interesting. The Familiar variant is a monster variant, just like the troll's Loathsome Limbs variant or the Genie Powers variant. They're for GM use rather than player use.

The Mage NPC in Appendix B of the Monster Manual also has a Familiar variant, which says:

Any spellcaster that can cast the find familiar spell (such as an archmage or mage) is likely to have a familiar. The familiar can be one of the creatures described in the spell (see the Player’s Handbook) or some other Tiny monster, such as a crawling claw, imp, pseudodragon, or quasit.

So the Familiar variant is for GMs to create more interesting NPCs, rather than to provide players with additional options. Of course, with your GM's permission, you could obtain one of these familiars. This would probably involve actually finding such a creature and somehow forming a bond with it. But this relies solely on your GM to allow and arbitrate.

Needless to say, if even getting one familiar this way is entirely up to your GM, getting two is, even more so. There's nothing in the rules to prevent it, but you'll have to talk your GM into it if you want to have a quasit on each shoulder.

Now for combining Find Familiar with the Familiar variant: The interpretation that causes the least difficulty is that the variant Familiar isn't actually a familiar, it just "serves you as a familiar". In this case, there's no interaction between Find Familiar and the Familiar variant, and everything is fine.

However, if the variant Familiar is a familiar, well...things get weird. If you have your familiar from casting Find Familiar, and you then bond with one from the Familiar variant, there's no way to tell what happens. You "can't have more than one familiar at a time", so you've already put the game in a paradoxical state. Your original familiar might vanish, or your new one might die, or, well, anything, really.

If you have a familiar from the Familiar variant, and you cast Find Familiar, then by the rules (when using the interpretation that variant familiars still count as familiars), you get to change the form of your variant Familiar. You probably don't want to do this, since all the forms you could change it to are weaker than the one you've got, but there it is.

The fact that these rules break down completely when faced with each other is just more evidence - the Monster Manual is not meant as a player resource. Sorry, but it's not. Every spell or ability (like Wild Shape) that would require a player to look at the Monster Manual says "your DM has the stats" or something similar. The Familiar variant was never meant for players to see. It belongs to the GM.

Answer 2

Short answer; yes, it is possible.

Practical answer: Work with your GM.

The Monster Manual familiar is a creature under the control of the GM.

• If your GM is happy to let you work them both as a familiar, then roll with it.

• If not, then be aware that you don't control the MM version: you have to role play more to keep that familiar in your camp, and that can be great fun. There could even be some interesting drama as the spirit familiar and the monster familiar vie to see who is "most loved" by the player character.

  • Owl: 'I'm his favorite."
  • Imp: "No, I'm his favorite!"
  • bickering ensues
  • Wizard: "You two are pissing me off. I'm making a homunculus to avoid all of this drama."

Again, work with your GM.

Answer 3

While perhaps not the intent of the question, it is possible to have more than two familiars, using the spell Flock of Familiars from Lost Laboratory of Kwalish.

Answer 4

No.

From the spell's description:

You can’t have more than one familiar at a time.

A "Familiar Variant" of any creature listed in the Monster Manual shows how the monster is modified if it is an NPC spellcaster's familiar.

Answer 5

For the purposes of the spell Familiar has a particular meaning (that given by the spell Find Familiar), but creatures with the Variant: Familiar trait are not actually familiars by that definition, so you can have both

The definition of what a familiar is in game terms (for the purposes of this spell at least) is (emphasis mine):

You gain the service of a familiar, a spirit that takes an animal form you choose.

The variant familiar stat block sections state (emphasis mine):

The [creature] can serve another creature as a familiar, forming a telepathic bond with its willing master.

[...]

At any time and for any reason, the [creature] can end its service as a familiar, ending the telepathic bond.

Where [creature] is substituted for the specific creature with this trait.

*Note: The imp's familiar service is determined by a contract, but it can be ended if the contract is violated showing that it is still a voluntary arrangement*

Importantly this wording does not turn the creature with this trait into

a spirit that takes an animal form you choose

But instead allows it to act as a familiar and provide similar services that a summoned familiar would.

Since creatures with the Variant: Familiar trait are not familiars (as defined by the spell), the spells restriction on number of familiars:

You can’t have more than one familiar at a time.

Does not cover these creatures and their service to the caster. Similarly the spells clause on what happens if you cast the spell while you have a familiar:

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

Also would not affect or transform these creatures in any way.

Caveat

If you are a Pact of the Chain Warlock which allows the find familiar spell to expand the forms available via the find familiar spell:

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.

Those special forms are still affected by the restrictions and definitions of the find familiar spell (because those special forms still fit the definition of a familiar as defined by the spell). In particular they do not have the "Variant: Familiar" feature.