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Bearthazar's House of Familiars $9.99
Average Rating:4.6 / 5
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Guy A. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 10/04/2023 12:15:13

So let me say this is cute and fun. The art was pretty much as I expected and the I was impressed by how well it was written, though there really is not a lot of text, just some fun comments mostly. My disappointment is in that several entries referenced back the the Monster Manuel but with an added ability instead of giving the full stats AND the price is pretty steep for what we get. If I could recommend anything, it would be to expand this pamphlet to a full sized book and double or even triple the content. Go for a full listing of possible familiars (with full stats of course), both published by TSP and homebrew like you have, but keep the cute and fun format.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Colin S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 06/22/2021 12:24:37

A super fun resource - the familiar "It Watches" became a key part of one of the characters in a campaign that lasted over two years, and featured heavily in the climax. A great mix of useful and entertaining.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Ian K. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/05/2020 22:36:05

I got a copy of this book for my boyfriend and it is absolutely fantastic! The art is great, the flavor text is clever, and it seems well thought out.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Daniel H. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/05/2020 09:42:24

Oh my gosh everything about this is adorable and amazing! I've often liked the idea of my players having other options for familars and this book offers fantastic option beyond my wildest imagination. All of the creatures inside are just amazing. They really bring something unique with them, and my players will definitely go crazy over some of the ones in here. (Not that I want to name any in a review). Even the presentation of the book is fantastic, the way it's all organised as almost like a little shop with all the prices and humourous quotes from the owner. I really think a lot of work was put into this and it definetly shows.

For anyone that's looking to add some extra familiar options to your game, look no further. This book is a gem, and I am so glad i ordered a copy.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Creator Reply:
I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKE IT. Mr Bearthazar was fun to write, I'll pass this along to my co-writers. O
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Seb W. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 12/11/2019 20:02:56

This is a wonderful book of wonders.

It's not often I curse a DMs Guild product for being too long and addictive that I was up reading past my bedtime, and still had a lot left over for perusal today.

So, we have the book presented in a beautiful and homely ye olde style, with the amusing proprietor, the eponymous Mr Bearthazar taking you on a tour of his emporium of pets with benefits. The flavourful insights and asides are as wonderful as the creatures themselves, and genuinely had me smiling wide and goofily, chortling and laughing out loud all the way through.

The familiars themselves are a work of genius, ridiculousness and just plain dumb cornyness that gives Master Clegg's work that je ne sais quoi. The mammoth amount of critters (60ish by my estimation) are divided into three categories: Curiosities, Rarities and Wonders, which roughly equate to the Uncommon, Rare and Mythic rarities in Magic: The Gathering.

The beguiling beasties are further categorised with badges denoting, whether they are appropriate as Ranger Companions - New Animal Companion options, Find Familiar

  • able to be summoned by the spell or rituals provided (more on that later), Pact of the Chain - a selection of more powerful familiars for the doting Warlock (Unfortunately, those of the PETA Patron have been banned from the store for prestidigitating paint on Bearthazar...), Dangerous - not for the faint hearted and with the possibility of causing carnage to all, including their owner, and finally, Unbound - Unique creatures not bound by spells and rituals. The limited edition Funko Pops of this establishment.

Each creature has its own page with its name, subtitle, description, individual statblock or reference to the base creature and the magical and mystic additions, price tag, optional upgrades that are witty, helpful and ridiculously apropos, summoning components (for all but the Unbound) to be used in ritual summoning, which is a simple and fun way to dial up your pet, especially after it inevitably dies again and again, the appropriate badges, and a fabulous rendering by Tallulah Cunningham, evoking some olde timey Victorian woodcuts that are just delightful.

There are so many different creatures from aberrations to undead and everything in between. I was trying to pick one, but that turned out impossible, so here are a few honourable mentions: Doris, a Volatile Pigeon, Binkers, sloth that wants to cuddle, Grumio, a Toad in the Hole, an Infernal Duck, Cecil, a Catoblepossum, which truly speaks to me as my pet name for my partner is possum and she one shotted me with a Cotoblebas not too long ago, Damian, the Emotional Support Imp, and so many more. I just adore them so much!

Another way to look at this is as another monster manual with all manner of creatures you can populate your world with, plan encounters and adventures around and just giggle and snort over how devilishly ridiculous some of them are. So what I'm saying is, this is far more than just a supplement for Rangers and Magic Users. I already feel inspired to create my own adorable abominations intuiting the process Oliver has gone through in changing and augmenting existing creatures and inventing his own.

This is truly a magical little (but loong) book fully of silliness and joy, well worth every penny. I picked up the PDF, which is lovely, but the printed copies look that little bit extra special and twee.

I want to address the price of $9.99 for the PDF, $14.99 for the softcover and $19.99 for both, as I saw someone posting about this being overpriced, which is frankly ridiculous for such a quality product. At the very least five people working hard to create a 76 page supplement with a tonne of original art, editing and design, and 60ish creatures to add to the game, is a LOT! I wouldn't have been surprised if it as more and would still be more than worth the money. Folx need to understand that putting the time and effort in to create a unique and top quality product costs money and that's fair. This is what people do to earn money and that needs be respected.

Rant over.

My only criticism, which Mistress Clegg is certainly needed to keep his head from expanding in correlation with his ascendancy on the DMs Guild charts, would be that the tags can be a little difficult to read at times. But that's it, the single blemish that adds a human touch to this perfection in every other way.

Keep up the awesome work. I am on tenterhooks to see what you do next!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Lena M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/20/2019 11:00:26

I adore everything about Bearthazar's and would like to only shop for familiars with him from now on. I love every single one of them. Help me.

(I showed the book to my mother, who now wants to adopt Mr Tums. She's a dog person. Help me.)



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Leon B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/11/2019 08:56:10

I didn't take find familiar right away when I first played a Wizard, because I looked at all the familiars available to me, and none of them were as fun as, say, taking the spell grease, or even as useful as taking something like shield. I wish, as a Wizard, I had an opportunity to stop at a place like Bearthazar's House of Familiars to find a companion that fit the tone of the campaign I was playing in.

The creatures in this book really are as madcap as the book says they are. Each one is not only stylistically but mechanically unique, which means making your selection is a lot more fun than deciding between a weasel and a cat. While these familiars do tend to beef up abilities like Wizard's Find Familiar, Beastmaster's Animal Companion, and Warlock Pact of the Chain, I find that a lot of times those abilities need beefing up anyway.

I absolutely recommend getting the softcover if you can. Your familiar-loving players will thank you for something physical to look through at the table. But, also, thumbing through this book really gave me that lovely feeling of going to the animal shelter, locking eyes with the one that was just right for me, and saying, "This one. This one is perfect."

Except they're all perfect.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Amanda L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/10/2019 11:52:19

I bought this as soon as it came out because I was very excited about the product from description alone. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through these familiars and cannot wait to include them in a game. Heck, I'm excited just to have it as a coffee table book. The ideas for these familiars are extremely clever with every detail clearly closely considered from personality traits, to price, to stats, to summoning materials. In addition, the art and layout of this book is thematic and consistent giving the feel of a true buyers guide. On top of that, Bearthazar has a personality of his own with the flavor text. I would love to see the addition of an NPC guide on including Bearthazar himself in a campaign.

My only critique is that I quickly noticed some editing/typo style issues, but none of them were distracting or confusing. So, overall, not a bit deal.

Anyone and everyone should buy this book and I will be purchasing more from these creators ASAP.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Haley P. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 09/04/2019 11:10:28

This is an amazing and hilarious resource! The layout makes it easy to use. The art and design really add flair. Cannot wait to start using this and I will recomend it to everyone! Well worth the price consdering the obvious amount of effort that went into this.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Jason M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/28/2019 12:31:20

This is a very fun product. I already have a player in my home game requesting an Emotional Support Imp. I highly recommend it if you're looking for something to spice up the find familiar spell.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by John N. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/25/2019 13:27:15

I had a good chuckle while reading this book. I will definitely introduce these to my players in our next session as a treat. One request I'd like to see: hi-res images of the familars.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Michael G. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/24/2019 17:03:08

The ideas kinda cool but the price is steep for what it is.



Rating:
[3 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Matthew B. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/24/2019 15:47:00

As I recall, this project came about as a bit of a gag on Twitter but I'm very glad that the author and creators decided to make it a reality. The content is really fun and doesn't take itself too seriously, and the artwork is fantastic and justifies the price all by itself. If people are complaining about something being pricey, they need to realize that creators deserve to be paid fairly for creating high-quality work like this and adjust their expectations accordingly.

The one bit of constructive feedback I'd offer is that it would have been nice to have the base stat blocks included with all the familiars, but these can all be easily found with little effort even if a person doesn't own the monster manual.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Trevor T. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/24/2019 13:00:10

What a fun read! An awesome tool for Dungeon Masters to use when coming up with awesome familiars for and with their players! Awesome opportunity to roleplay fun and quirky creatures to accompany you throughout all of your adventures and HEY! Who could resist the possibilities of interacting with a TALKING BEAR! Highly suggest this book :) Short read that is quick to give you the information you need to have a blast while still giving you the want for more! Loving this supplement!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Bearthazar's House of Familiars
Publisher: Dungeon Masters Guild
by Kyle C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 08/22/2019 16:35:58

This is such a fun book! There are so many creative story threads to go alongside the unique mechanics. I can't decide whether my wizard will be summoning a bookworm or a teacup chimera first. Great work! 5/5



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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