Familiar / AC "activate magic items" clarification


Pathfinder Society

Grand Lodge 3/5

I'm thinking of various spell storing and spell casting options and trying to figure out which ones are legal for a familiar or animal companion on Society. The FAQ says:

Quote:

It is intended that animal companions or familiars can not activate magic items. An animal companion could benefit from an item with a continuous magical effect like an amulet of natural armor if its master equipped the item for the animal companion. Animal companions of any type may not use manufactured weapons

...
An animal or familiar has to have an intelligence of 3+ to activate an ioun stone. If the animal or familiar has less than a 3 intelligence, they may not activate an ioun stone.

So, let's say I've got an Ape Animal Companion, Int3, decked out with:

Cracked Vibrant Purple Prism Ioun Stone
Amulet of Mighty Fists of Spell Storing
Leather Armor of Spell Storing

If he claws someone, can he allow the amulet to cast the spell?
Can he activate the Ioun Stone to cast it's held spell?
If I punch him, can he allow the armor to cast it's spell on me?

Basically, do these choices count as activating an item? And does the bit about being able to activate ioun stones cover unloading a spell from a Purple Prism?

I don't even want to try to wade into when a wand might be usable.

5/5 5/55/55/5

No
No.
And no.

All three require conscious effort on the part of the animal to activate the magic item, and thus under pfs rules won't work.

Grand Lodge 3/5

Even though there's a specific exception for Ioun Stones?

5/5 5/55/55/5

Markov Spiked Chain wrote:
Even though there's a specific exception for Ioun Stones?

The animal can set the ioun stone around its head to get the passive effects but I'm pretty sure activating the spell storing property violates the

From the faq: It is intended that animal companions or familiars can not activate magic items. An animal companion could benefit from an item with a continuous magical effect like an amulet of natural armor if its master equipped the item for the animal companion. Animal companions of any type may not use manufactured weapons.

Most ioun stones are passive once you activate them, thats what I believe animals can make use of.

Grand Lodge 5/5

I thought that animals couldn't use Ioun stones, when was that reversed? Or am I missing something?

Grand Lodge 4/5

Viskous wrote:
I thought that animals couldn't use Ioun stones, when was that reversed? Or am I missing something?

They cannot use Ioun stones unless you've boosted their Int to 3 or higher, in which case they're golden.

Sczarni 5/5 5/55/5 ***

There is a list of Improved Familiars somewhere that can activate wands (only), but other than that the answers to all 3 questions above would be "no".

When I told a player at a Convention that his Lyrakien Azata could use a wand, but not the First Aid Gloves he had given her, he was less than happy, so at least you're asking first.

5/5

1 person marked this as FAQ candidate. 1 person marked this as a favorite.

The system is a bit draconian, and honestly could afford an over haul.

There is also the problem that right now there is a significant number of critters from Bestiary 4 that have not had body types assigned to them and therefore can not have ANYTHING but the two generically allowed slots.

Also I think the spell storing weapons work because it is not the creature activating the weapon. It is an affect that happens when the weapon hits.

Grand Lodge 5/5

Where is the ruling on ACs with int 3 using Ioun Stones?

Ioun stones must be activated and the only rules in PFS I see is that they cannot activate magic items (with the imp familiar limited wand list exception).

5/5 5/55/55/5

From the FAQ

An animal or familiar has to have an intelligence of 3+ to activate an ioun stone. If the animal or familiar has less than a 3 intelligence, they may not activate an ioun stone.

Grand Lodge 5/5

What FAQ ?
seeker of secrets specifically says animals may not use ioun stones.

And I just read the pfs FAQ and it didn't see that. Please link to this FAQ.

I may have missed it. And will look again as well

5/5 5/55/55/5

1 person marked this as a favorite.
Viskous wrote:
What FAQ ?

The pathfinder society FAQ (link should take you right to the critter quesion)

Quote:
seeker of secrets specifically says animals may not use ioun stones.

Normally yes, because they require sentience. Most animals are int 2 though, int 3 critters are apparently sentient enough to work/

Grand Lodge 5/5

Found it, missed it earlier. At work so I get a little distracted.

Though Seeker of Secrets specifically does deny access to animals whether they have int +3 or not.
PFS faq overrides that though.

Now my owlbear will have a cloud of orbiting stones around his head!

5/5 5/55/55/5

Ioun stones only float when sent spinning around the head
of an intelligent (Int 3+) creature; otherwise they are as inert
as common stone. They have no effect on animals, mindless
constructs, and other non-sentient creatures

Yes it specifically says animals, but assumes that they have an int of 2 or lower. The difference is between your standard, run of the mill animal and your preternaturally smart animal companion.

Silver Crusade 2/5

Viskous wrote:

Found it, missed it earlier. At work so I get a little distracted.

Though Seeker of Secrets specifically does deny access to animals whether they have int +3 or not.
PFS faq overrides that though.

Now my owlbear will have a cloud of orbiting stones around his head!

Animals have been limited to an intelligence of 2 or lower. Originally, if the animal gained an INT of 3, it became a magical beast. Now, however, Animal Companions can gain an INT of 3 and remain animals. I believe that wasn't the case back in Seeker of Secrets' day.

Shadow Lodge

Just to throw this out there.

What if as a Sylvan Sorcerer, I use Monstrous Physique to turn my AC into a Doppleganger, giving it the mimicry ability. In my case, my AC has a whopping 6 intelligence btw.

Would it still be unable to activate magical items? Kicker, would it still be unable to use weapons?


The rule about the inability to do specific things is based on their Type, not their shape. So your Ac under the effects of a monsterous physique is still an animal.

Theres one spell which makes them Humanoid i think for the duration bt i cant remember its name. However, you loose alot of your natural attacks and such.

Cant remember the name.

5/5 5/55/55/5

Anthropomorphic animal?

Shadow Lodge

Mojorat wrote:
The rule about the inability to do specific things is based on their Type, not their shape. So your Ac under the effects of a monsterous physique is still an animal.

I was under the impression that monstrous physique, as a polymorph spell, changed a creature's type, in this case to monstrous humanoid.

5/5 *****

Polymorph spells do not change your type.

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