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The Ardhika -Become more familiar with your familiar! - New Prestige Class

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Liberty's Edge
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It seems familiars are often shoved into backpacks and forgotten as soon as they're selected in nearly every game I've ever played or run. With the advent of summoners' eidolons and arcane bonds, it seems like witches and adepts will soon be the only people you'll ever see with a crooked-tailed cat or warty toad sticking out of their pocket. Well, I want to change all that. Familiars are cool and they deserve some respect.

Years ago, in the early days of 3.0, I tried my hand at creating a prestige class for wizards and sorcerers who wanted to focus on their relationship with their familiar. Well, I dug up the old Word Doc containing the rules for the class and updated it for Pathfinder. You're welcome.

By the way, Ardhika is the Sanskrit word for 'partner.' I was inspired by the Hindu vahana when I was trying to come up with a name for the class.

Ardhika (pronounced Ard-heekah, I think, if anybody out there actually speaks Sanskrit maybe you could better inform me)

Fluff:
Ardhika are spellcasters who form a powerful bond with their familiars. These magical creatures are more than just tools or an extra set of eyes for the ardhika, they're valued friends, confidants and, often, mentors and voices of reason when the ardhika is too angry or foolish to listen to anyone else. Over time these spellcasters and their familiars learn to work with such precision and harmony they nearly become one creature. Obviously, wizards, witches and adepts are the most common classes drawn to the path of the ardhika. However, any arcane caster with the Obtain Familiar feat from Complete Arcane and a healthy love of familiars could join the club.

Role:
Ardhika fill the usual niche of wizards but their familiar-bonded abilities give their familiars greater resiliency and capability as scouts, combatants and helpers. The ardhika himself will greatly benefit from the familiar's ability to aid him in and out of combat. The increased prominence of the familiar brought about by this class also gives the DM a useful tool for dropping hints or advancing the plot

Alignment:
Most ardhika's are animal lovers to begin with so most tend to be good at heart. However, there are those who have either been twisted by long years spent with only their familiars for company or, worse, ardhikas who have been manipulated by their familiars to perform dark deeds.

Hit Dice: d6
Requirements:

Animal Affinity
Knowledge Arcana: 4 ranks
Handle Animal: 5 ranks
Spellcraft: 4 ranks
Special Requirement: Must have had the same familiar for a period of no less than one year.
Familiar must possess Speak with Master ability

Class Skills:

Handle Animal (Cha)
Knowledge Arcana (Int)
Perception (Wis)
Spellcraft (Int)

Skill Ranks per level = 2+Int mod.
Class Features:
Weapons and Armor: An ardhika gains no new weapon or armor proficiencies.
Spells per day: When an ardhika gains a new level he gains new spells per day as if he had also gained a new level in a spell casting class he belonged to prior to becoming an ardhika. He does not gain any other abilities associated with that class save those mentioned below. If the character has more than one spell casting class he must decide to which class he will add a level of casting ability.
Familiar abilities: Ardhika levels count toward determining familiar special abilities. Therefore, a Level 6 wizard/level 2 ardhika is treated as a level 8 wizard for purposes of determining the familiar’s abilities.

Level 1.
Ardhika's Little Helper (Ex):
At first level, an ardhika’s rapport with his familiar is so strong he automatically gains an additional +1 on any skill check for which his familiar succeeds on an Aid Another roll for a total +3 bonus. DMs have final call on what skills a familiar can use to aid the character, but good examples are:
Craft – the familiar offers advice or serves as a gofer
Escape Artist – the familiar chews through ropes or nets
Knowledge – the familiar shares stories or information it’s picked up
Profession – as Craft
Sleight of Hand – the familiar distracts the character's target
Survival – the familiar uses its senses to locate food, water, etc.

Got Your Back (Ex):
A first level ardhika’s familiar grants the character the Skill Focus: Perception feat as long as it is within arm’s reach and can actually perceive its surroundings (stuffing your familiar into your backpack gets you squat.)

Level 2.
One Sole (Su):
A second level ardhika leaves the tracks of his familiar when traveling on foot (get it? One 'Sole' I kill me.) This occurs whether or not the wizard is wearing footwear. He may not cancel this effect though spells may be employed to mask the tracks. He also leaves the scent of his familiar for purposes of tracking. This effect may not be cancelled though implements may be used to cover up the scent.

Level 3
Shared Experience (Ex):
An ardhika’s familiar benefits from its close relationship to its partner by gaining an increase to brainpower. The familiar gains a +1 inherent bonus to INT at 3rd, 6th and 9th level and an additional feat for which it qualifies at 4th and 8th level. As always, DMs have final say on what feats a familiar may take.

Level 4.
One Body (Su):
At fourth level, an ardhika may transfer his own hit points to his injured familiar and vice versa via physical contact as a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity. Either the ardhika or the familiar may sacrifice enough hit points to reduce them to -1 hit point at which point they fall unconscious and stabilize. If the use of this ability is interrupted by an attack, spell, etc., the ardhika must make a Spellcraft check equal to 10+damage dealt+1 per 10hp transferred (i.e an ardhika struck for 20 points of damage must roll a 31 to transfer 10hp.) Unfortunately, this level of the ardhika’s bond with his familiar also makes both susceptible to diseases and poisons affecting the other. Whenever either the ardhika or the familiar is poisoned or diseased, the other must make a Will save at the same DC or suffer the same effects.

Level 5.
One Mind (Su):
At fifth level, the ardhika’s empathic link with his familiar becomes a telepathic link, allowing communication between the two over any distance so long as they are on the same plane. Furthermore, if the wizard succeeds at a spellcraft check (DC 20 plus 1 for every 10 miles between the pair,) he gains access to one of the familiar’s senses and may see, hear, smell, touch, or even speak through the familiar. The character gains access to one additional sense per every increment of 10 by which he beats the DC (i.e. a character within 10 miles of his familiar must succeed at a DC30 spellcraft check to gain two senses.) Furthermore, whenever the ardhika fails a Will save against a mind-affecting effect, he may make one reroll attempt one round after the first saving throw using his familiar’s Will save and vice versa.

Level 6.
Extension of Self (Su):
An ardhika of level 6 or higher gains the ability to cast spells through his familiar at a distance. This ability functions as the Deliver Touch Spells ability except the ardhika need not be in contact with the familiar at the time of casting. The range of this ability at 6th level is 60 feet and increases by 15 feet per ardhika level thereafter to a maximum of 120 feet at Level 10. Furthermore, any spell cast by the ardhika with a target of “You” also affects the familiar (for good or ill) so long as it is within this range. As with One Body, this ability comes at a cost. At this stage of the ardhika’s bond, any spell or effect targeting the familiar that requires a Fort save will also affect the ardhika unless he succeeds on a Will save at the same DC and vice versa.

Level 7.
Separate But One (Su):
A seventh level ardhika and his familiar may use their One Body ability over a distance equal to the ardhika’s Extension of Self range as a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunities on the initiator (i.e. the ardhika provokes attacks if he uses this ability to transfer hit points but the familiar does not unless it also uses the ability to transfer hit points to the ardhika.)

Level 8.
Dweomer-bonded (Su):
The familiar of an eighth level ardhika gains the ability to cast a small number of spells chosen from the ardhika’s spell selection. The familiar gains the spells per day of a second level wizard and progresses to the ability of a fourth level wizard by the time the ardhika reaches class level 10. These spells are counted against the number of spells the ardhika can prepare per day and are cast at half the ardhika’s caster level. The familiar cannot cast spells that require a focus or have a gp cost. The familiar needs no material, somatic or verbal components to cast spells granted to it by the ardhika and the ardhika need not fill every slot in the familiar’s arsenal. Keep in mind, the familiar’s INT still affects the number of spells it can cast per day. The familiar need not be within range of the ardhika’s Extension of Self ability to cast these spells.

Level 9.
One Thought (Su):
By ninth level, an ardhika and his familiar have reached such an intimate level of closeness that no Spellcraft checks are required to use their One Mind ability and they receive a +10 bonus to Spellcraft checks to maintain concentration while performing One Body or Separate but One. Furthermore, neither the ardhika nor the familiar can be flanked or caught flat-footed so long as they both remain within an arm’s length of each other and neither is helpless. The combined strengths of their minds also increase the power of their spells. Any spell cast by either the ardhika or his familiar gains a +1 to caster level and DC as long as they remain within range of the ardhika’s Extension of Self ability.

Level 10.
One Soul (Su):
The culmination of the ardhika’s bond is the combining of his soul with the spirit of his familiar. Should the ardhika die, his soul will enter the body of his familiar allowing him to control its body. While in the familiar’s body, the ardhika loses any abilities associated with his familiar except for empathic link, one sole, and one mind. He gains the familiar’s abilities of improved evasion, speech with animals of its kind and spell resistance and may cast spells normally so long as his form can manipulate any necessary material components or he possesses the Eschew Materials feat. The ardhika uses the familiar’s physical ability scores, natural armor and movement type but keeps his own feats, skills, base saves and BAB. He does not gain access to any of the familiar’s feats or skills. If the ardhika’s familiar dies, the familiar’s spirit inhabits the ardhika’s body. The ardhika loses all of his familiar-related abilities except alertness, empathic link, got your back, one sole and one mind, but gains the ability to polymorph into the form of his familiar for a number of hours per day equal to 10+ his CHA modifier + the familiar’s CHA modifier. The ardhika also gains a +2 to Reflex and Fortitude saves while the familiar’s spirit occupies his body. Either creature can be resurrected or raised normally, thus restoring all previously held abilities, but a familiar cannot be reincarnated.

Handling the death of an ardhika's familiar:
Should the character’s familiar die before he reaches 10th level as an ardhika, he loses all of his ardhika abilities and has two options if he wishes to continue in this prestige class. He may spend another year bonding with a new familiar or he may have his original familiar raised. Animals normally cannot be raised by divine magic but the bond between an ardhika and his familiar is so strong, the creature can be restored to life provided the ardhika devotes an entire day to concentrating on his lost friend while the proper divine spell is cast. The price of raising an ardhika’s familiar equals the base price of the spell +10% to cover additional ritual costs. Keep in mind a familiar cannot be reincarnated.

BABFortRefWill
+0 +0 +0 +1
+1 +1 +1 +1
+1 +1 +1 +2
+2 +1 +1 +2
+2 +2 +2 +3
+3 +2 +2 +3
+3 +2 +2 +4
+4 +3 +3 +4
+4 +3 +3 +5
+5 +3 +3 +5

Thanks for posting this. It looks interesting and may be of use to me in the future.
Dark Archive

One of the Scarred Lands books (Lost Tribes?) has a 'Channeler' option for Wizards and a PrC to follow up with it that focusses on Familiar abilities. I don't have the books handy, but the PrC allows the Wizard to eventually have two or three or, IIRC, even four familiars, while the channeling option strengthens the wizards arcane bond to his familiar so that he gains a +1 to his caster level when in contact with his familiar, no bonus or penalty if it's within 100 ft, and a -1 caster level if it's more than 100 ft away (or dead, until he replaces it!).

The book also introduced a bunch of feats that enhance your familiar, either giving it a new ability, or allowing you to bond with it or share hit points with it or cast a spell into it and let it go deliver it to someone else far away or something, and, in some cases, if you had multiple familiars, purchasing the feat once might allow you to apply the benefits to *all* of your menagerie.

I've always thought that this sort of thing made perfect sense. Before blood maguses or candle casters or whatever, PrCs that take one class ability (such as the familiar or turn undead or lay on hands) and focus on it, at some expense to other class abilities, would be awesome.

Thanks to the old Halloween episode of Star Trek, where the crew are being chased around by a giant cat, I've always wanted a spell that only affects one's familiar, but increases it to size Medium, Large or even Huge (depending on CL), for combat applications, without using the standard size increase templates, which tend to nuke the critters Dex score (as opposed to larger Dire versions of similar critters, which usually have the same, or, sometimes, even *higher* Dex scores). That sort of thing might be a neat spell-like ability for this PrC.

A lower level version might even allow the Ardikha to transfer size to his familiar, lowering himself to size Tiny to make his Hawk familiar size Medium (and therefore allowing himself to fly away on it's back!).
Liberty's Edge

That sounds like a book I might like to look at. I think the ardhika is fairly well balanced as is, but this version hasn't had any play-testing. When I developed the original version, I came up with a bunch of new feats and spells to give the caster and the familiar more options. One of them basically turned your familiar into a hengeyokai.

The idea you've got for an "enlarge familiar" or size swap ability intrigues me and I may draft up a spell for it instead of making it a class feature. If I come up with any more familiar related stuff I'll post it here.
Dark Archive

i think it needs a few more class skills, like craft, some more knowledges and maybe like 2 more.

otherwise i like this class. good job
Dark Archive
Velcro Zipper wrote:
One of them basically turned your familiar into a hengeyokai.

Ooh, that's neat. One to do the Summoner 'merge with Eidolon' trick and turn the caster and his familiar into a single merged entity like a hybrid form lycantrhope could be funky as well.

A spell that causes your body to explode into a number of duplicates of your familiar and function as a swarm, and allows you to escape in a mad flurry of dozens of hopping toads or scurrying rats or fluttering ravens could be fun.
Dark Archive
Set wrote:
Velcro Zipper wrote:
One of them basically turned your familiar into a hengeyokai.

Ooh, that's neat. One to do the Summoner 'merge with Eidolon' trick and turn the caster and his familiar into a single merged entity like a hybrid form lycantrhope could be funky as well.

A spell that causes your body to explode into a number of duplicates of your familiar and function as a swarm, and allows you to escape in a mad flurry of dozens of hopping toads or scurrying rats or fluttering ravens could be fun.

a bunch of monkeys!!!!!!

Dark Archive
Name Violation wrote:
a bunch of monkeys!!!!!!

A barrel-full, possibly!

Or leapin' lizards!

An entire parliament of owls?

You could literally become the crazy cat lady!

I really like this concept. Sometime over the next 48 hours you can expect a PDF hosting of it on scribd.
Liberty's Edge
Name Violation wrote:
i think it needs a few more class skills, like craft, some more knowledges and maybe like 2 more.

I thought the same thing as I was writing it up but I looked at the skill list and didn't see anything that screamed familiar-loving mage. Maybe Knowledge Nature possibly Survival, but the concept isn't really about bonding with nature or being an outdoorsmage. Craft doesn't have any practical application for developing a strong bond with an animal. Sense Motive might, but Handle Animal is really a better skill for dealing with animal psychology. I suppose if I were going to add some skills I'd go with Know Nature and Survival since the character would gain a better perspective on life with/as an animal as they gain ability with this class. Writing it up, I figured the character would already be bringing a bunch of Knowledge skills, craft and profession, etc. from their wizard, witch or adept levels and cross-class skills are no longer much of an issue with Pathfinder.

TAD wrote:
Sometime over the next 48 hours you can expect a PDF hosting of it on scribd.

That sounds neat.

Set wrote:
A spell that causes your body to explode into a number of duplicates of your familiar and function as a swarm, and allows you to escape in a mad flurry of dozens of hopping toads or scurrying rats or fluttering ravens could be fun.

Dragon Magazine #280 (which contributed to the inspiration for this prestige class) contains a spell named Swarm Form, which allows a caster to polymorph into a swarm of tiny or smaller animals. It would need some updating but I think it's what you're looking for.

Liberty's Edge

Hey Set. I came up with a spell you might like. It's like Transformation for your familiar. It's not exactly the ability you were describing, but it gives the familiar some punch and the ability to serve as a mount if necessary.

Grimalkin’s Accretion
School transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 6, witch 6
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a mummified cat’s paw)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target Caster’s familiar
Duration 1 min./level
Saving Throw Fortitude negates (harmless;) Spell Resistance yes

Description:
This alteration enlarges the caster’s familiar by three size categories, granting a +12 size bonus to Strength and a +12 size bonus to Constitution (and thus an extra 6 hit points per HD), and imposes a –6 size penalty to Dexterity. The creature’s existing natural armor bonus increases by +9. The size change also affects the animal’s modifier to AC, attack rolls, and its base damage. The familiar’s space and reach change as appropriate to the new size, but its speed does not change. If insufficient room is available for the desired growth, the creature attains the maximum possible size and may make a Strength check (using its increased Strength) to burst any enclosures in the process. If it fails, it is constrained without harm by the materials enclosing it—the spell cannot be used to crush a creature by increasing its size. All equipment worn or carried by the familiar is similarly enlarged by the spell, though this change has no effect on the magical properties of any such equipment. Any enlarged item that leaves the enlarged creature’s possession instantly returns to its normal size. Multiple magical effects that increase size do not stack.

This is an exceptional notion!!!

Please continue to elaborate

A succubi and her 6 improved imp familiar's are verry intrested.
Dark Archive
Velcro Zipper wrote:
Grimalkin’s Accretion

Accretion is an interesting word to use there. It's not wrong, just, interesting. :)

The Familiar mechanic of 'half the masters hit points' makes the +12 Con = +6 hp/die thing a bit wonky. I would keep the +6 hit points / HD thing, but make them explicity temporary hit points gained at the time of casting, since, technically, the familiar wouldn't gain (or lose) any extra hit points, no matter what happened to it's Con score.
Liberty's Edge

Accretion may not be quite correct, but I didn't want to use "enlargement" or "growth" and I couldn't find anything else that sounded as good with grimalkin. I wanted to keep that part of the name in there since it references the monster that can shapechange from a wee kitty to a large hunting cat. If you come across something better, I'd be happy to use it.

You're right about the HP being a bit of a concern. My thinking is that the familiar may only get half the HP of the wizard, but it is treated as a creature of the master's HD for purposes of effects based on the HD of a creature. A 12th level wizard = a 12HD familiar so a 12HD cat familiar gets an additional 72 hp added to its normal HP of 1/2 the master's total for the duration of the spell. As soon as the spell ends, the increases to STR, CON, AC, etc. go away so these hit points go away as well. Much of the language for the spell comes directly from the description of the Animal Growth spell, which doesn't explicitly state the HP gained are temporary but (I believe) implies they are.

Maybe Grimalkin's Favor would be a better name?

By the way, the focus component for the spell is actually a reference to the Star Trek episode you mentioned ("Catspaw" was the title of the episode.)

Also, Zotpox, I would limit the amount of familiars affected by the abilities of an ardhika to one in my games. To me, the bond is between a caster and that one special creature who has been with them through thick and thin. This wouldn't mean a caster could only have one familiar. You could still takes feats that increase your number of familiars. You just wouldn't be able to bond with all of them. That's me. If you or your DM wants to use the class and make changes to it, go for it.

Velcro Zipper: Have you done anything further with this class since you last posted? Also, is this OGL or are you keeping it a bit more informal?
Liberty's Edge

Sorry. I only just noticed your post, Caedwyr.

I haven't touched this prestige class for awhile, but I think of it often and about what I can do to build on it. For the most part, I think the prestige class is done. At this point, I'm thinking more about stuff I can add to the concept; familiar-related spells, feats, etc.

I came up with the original Ardhika class back in 3.0 because I wanted to play a familiar-focused wizard and none existed. While I'd certainly appreciate some credit if somebody were to use the thing, this isn't a published OGL thing. I come up with monsters, prestige classes, etc. as a hobbyist who just likes to create and play with the ruleset. Feel free to use, adapt, adjust anything you see here. If anyone does use the class, I'd love to read about the results.

It might be worthwhile to consider submitting this to Wayfinder the next time they open up submissions. What with the Sanskrit name, I could see tying this into Jamelrey/Vudria.

I see what you're saying about no other skill screaming "familiar-loving mage," but the ardhika is still a mage, too. Give him Craft and Profession because almost everyone has them, Knowledge (Nature) and maybe (The Planes)... for a Wizard entering this class, there just aren't many options.

Then again, with the way class skills changed in PF, maybe that doesn't matter as much as it would have in 3.5. I do like the class though, and have a friend who will definitely be interested.
Liberty's Edge
Tim4488 wrote:
...with the way class skills changed in PF, maybe that doesn't matter as much as it would have in 3.5...

That's also kind of what I was thinking. Wizards and Witches already have those skills. Adding it to the prestige class does nothing for them. Granted, they've got Knowledge Arcana and Spellcraft as well, but I didn't want to just give the class two skills...

Oooo, howabout this...

Class skills:

Handle Animal (Cha)
Knowledge-Arcana
Perception (Wis)
Spellcraft (Int)
Survival (Wis)
+ any skills the familiar possesses due to its species

This would mean the Ardhika gains Acrobatics, Swim, Climb or anything else the creature might have that he doesn't.

A cat familiar, for instance, grants the Ardhika its Climb and Stealth skills. This might make some familiars seem better than others for the purpose of this class (weasels have Stealth, Escape Artist, Climb and Acrobatics while ravens only have Fly and Perception,) but I hope somebody who wants a raven familiar will still choose one despite this.

It's a thought.

I like the class, but could you update the spells and feats you mentioned? They sound pretty interesting too.
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