Valet Archetype for Familiars & Day Jobs


Pathfinder Society


1 person marked this as FAQ candidate.

Howdy! I have two questions about the valet archetype for familiars and day jobs. It's a pretty grey area, so I figured I'd ask first and get shot later. Anyway, here's the questions:

1.) Does a familiar with the valet archetype provide a circumstance bonus to day jobs, or does the restriction on the cooperative crafting feat for players also apply to the Able Assistant feature of the familiar?

2.) Assuming the first is valid, does this mean that a valet familiar can double the amount of gold earned for a day job check made for a valid crafting skill(per the expanded text of Able Assistant)?

Here's the full text of the Cooperative Crafting feat and Able Assistant archetype feature:

Able Assistant wrote:

A valet's master treats the valet as if it possessed the Cooperative Crafting feat and shared all Craft skills and item creation feats he possesses.

This ability replaces Alertness.

Cooperative Crafting wrote:
You can assist another character in crafting mundane and magical items. You must both possess the relevant Craft skill or item creation feat, but either one of you can fulfill any other prerequisites for crafting the item. You provide a +2 circumstance bonus on any Craft or Spellcraft checks related to making an item, and your assistance doubles the gp value of items that can be crafted each day.

The grey area for me comes from knowing that Cooperative Crafting is not a valid feat choice for a player character, as well as the duration restrictions on spells/effects that improve crafting skills. Before I get too invested into this line of play, is there any further input/rulings that can help me make the legal decision?


*bump*

Although day job money isn't a big deal, I'm still wondering what the correct way to calculate my day job check. A couple extra gold here and there can go an awfully long way. The first question seems to be positive for me - that is, a familiar is a long term assistant that (particularly with the archetype) can aid with day jobs. Improved familiars especially, but let's not muddle the core question yet. The second question is pretty murky, but there's precedent for other class features improving day job checks so I figure it's worth looking into.


I had the same question regarding using a Valet Archetyped Familiar in a PFS game (hence finding your post.) Personally, I would think the answer to the first one (1) has to be yes. Your Valet *is* a permanent bonus. He would be there assisting with your day job no matter how long it takes or how spread out the project is.

Additionally, if the answer to your question were "no", there is simply no benefit from the archetype in return for sacrificing Alertness otherwise. If this were the case, then the rules on this Feat should be changed for the archetype to something actually beneficial, such as sticking with Alertness(*). Another option that would be replacing it with Mobility (with the Dodge prerequisite not required); this would compliment all the "run, aid, and run" maneuvers that Valets get later on, especially given how many of the have reach 0. (I like this option best.) A third would be to allow the Valet to aid characters on any skill even if the Valet doesn't have the skill in question(***). This last one seems a little dubious mechanically to me, even though it's my suggestion.

There is precedent for replacing unallowed feats, which this becomes if you can't actually benefit from it. Classes who automatically get item creation feats as class features, such as Scribe Scroll, have them replaced with something else.

Your second question (2) I think should be "yes" or should at least help you in some way. I personally do not think that earning twice as much because you can knit twice the number of afghans in an afternoon as others is overpowered in the least. Those other, non-Valet having people have bonuses to skills while actually on the adventure, instead the downtime between them.

Though, I could see a negative ruling on this, one which states something about "the intent of less game down time to craft magic items in-between dungeons." If this is considered a little overpowered and unfair to the other players (uhm...) then it should at least bump you up a DC level on the Day Job Check Rewards table. (So if you rolled an 11, you would earn 10 gold instead of 5; while if you rolled a 27, you would earn 75 gold instead of 50.)

* Granted, the Alertness gained would be the master, and only then while with in arms reach, as per usual. (Picture of a squirrel sitting on your shoulder with a bow tie and a little vest(**) taps you, then points to the highly unclean (ew!) monster trying to sneak up on you.

** You did take Extra Item Slot (Chest) so that he could wear a little vest, didn't you?

*** (Picture of the same squirrel, tapping on the silver tea set to get your attention. "The hireling finished brewing your tea. I helped!")

Dark Archive

I'd bet dollars to donuts it doesn't let you double your dayjob gold.

Dark Archive 3/5

In PFS you don't replace alertness with cooperative casting, you just keep the alertness ability.
I asked the same thing when the book came out.

Grand Lodge 1/5

Mathwei ap Niall wrote:

In PFS you don't replace alertness with cooperative casting, you just keep the alertness ability.

I asked the same thing when the book came out.

Did I miss a ruling somewhere? The last I knew alertness was still replaced but cooperative casting was a dead ability(due to the no crafting rule). Also, they have not listed any such changes in the additional resources.


Mathwei ap Niall wrote:

In PFS you don't replace alertness with cooperative casting, you just keep the alertness ability.

I asked the same thing when the book came out.

Thank you for the information. Honestly, this is the simplest and sanest solution given their policies for not crafting stuff.

You don't by chance have a place I could look it up? I would love to have a reference I can show a GM in the further. If not, I'll just link to your response. :)

Sczarni 1/5

Link to Mike Brock's statement regarding Valet defaulting back to Alertness

Grand Lodge 1/5

Akinra wrote:
Link to Mike Brock's statement regarding Valet defaulting back to Alertness

Thanks for the link.

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