Pseudodragon 5e: Stat Block & Familiar Guide

Last Updated on November 20, 2023

What Is a Pseudodragon?

A Pseudodragon is a cat-sized creature with sharp teeth, horns, wings, and reddish-brown scales that resembles a tiny dragon. However, they tend to be of neutral-good alignment, with playful, reclusive, and wary personalities.

Their natural magic resistance (which, in earlier editions, a pseudodragon could transmit to its companions by touching them), telepathic abilities, and the powerful poisonous sting in their tails (which, in 1e, had the power to put a character in a coma for 1d6 days with a 25% chance of death) make them one of the best options for a magic user’s familiar. 

Pseudodragon Stat Block Discussion

Let’s break down their stat block. 

First of all, for a tiny creature, the pseudodragon has a pretty solid array of stats that wouldn’t go amiss on a 1st-level player character.

With the exception of its Strength score, everything either has a bonus or is a wash, and the pseudodragon’s innate buffs to its Perception and Stealth rolls make it thoroughly respectable when it comes to scouting.

A little dash of blindsight also doesn’t go amiss. 

However, it’s the pseudodragon’s Keen Senses that make it the perfect sentry to watch a warlock or wizard’s back while they take a short rest to get back some much-needed spell slots. 

In combat, most familiars are pretty simple to direct: you park them next to your party’s melee damage dealer and have them take the Help action for maximum effect.

However, a pseudodragon can actually hold its own and, against the right kind of enemy, might be worth deploying as a combatant in its own right.

While the creature’s bite is fine, there’s very little reason you won’t pretty much always be going with the sting attack. It does the same amount of damage and has a pretty solid chance to poison low-Constitution enemies.

You may even knock the odd one out for an hour, allowing you to take a prisoner or just set up an easy kill. 

Two Ways to Get a Pseudodragon Familiar

There are two ways to get a pseudodragon familiar in D&D 5e. 

The first option is probably the most straightforward. To be able to summon a pseudodragon familiar, play a warlock and take the Pact of the Chain at 3rd level.

This powerful class feature, among other things, lets you learn the Find Familiar spell and cast it as a ritual.

When you summon your familiar, in addition to the usual forms, you can choose that it takes on the form of an imp, quasit, sprite, or pseudodragon. 

The second, more complex option, is to go out into the multiverse and convince a pseudodragon to become your familiar.

There’s no set way to do this, of course, and much like setting out to get your hands on a particular magic item, whether or not you can track down a pseudodragon is largely up to your dungeon master. 

Of course, most dungeon masters will happily turn a character goal like this into an option for a side quest, a reward, or the weight behind a complex decision for your character. 

A few ways you could come across a pseudodragon on your travels could include… 

• Rescuing one from a cage in an exotic pet shop. 
• Buying one from an exotic pet shop. 
• Being gifted one by a powerful wizard patron as a reward for completing a quest. 
• Meeting one in a forest, cave, or another forgotten corner of nature.  
• Meeting one in another plane, like Limbo or the Feywild. 

However you come into contact with a pseudodragon, it’s important that you remember that they’re independent, somewhat willful creatures.

They must be befriended and convinced to become your familiar — perhaps through food, medical attention if they’re sick, or some other means.

Once they become someone’s familiar, they tolerate no cruelty, mistreatment, or manipulation, and they will abandon a companion who they no longer care for at a moment’s notice.  

Basically, treat a pseudodragon the way you’d treat a poisonous, telepathic flying cat (with great respect and mild terror), and you should be fine.