Let's say you gain a new familiar via the feat.
Let's say that instead of dismissing the old familiar, you keep it and sacrifice it to your diety, Bokrug.
And maybe eat it after. And maybe share some with the new familiar.
Is that an evil act?
I'm having a hard time envisioning how you'd justify it NOT being evil!
thumbs down to this one
Well, it's a sacrifice. So, not like on a whim or anything. Rather than letting the critter just run around in the wild - and probably get killed - sacrifice seems like a fitting end if the caster worships Bokrug.
Bokrug is a CN Great Old One Lizard God. Worshipped by lizardfolk, among others, who are True Neutral, I believe. Not an evil deity but worshippers do commit sacrifices to him (it?), which are sometimes sentient creatures (which I would call an evil act).
If the ex-familiar were a lizard, would this improve things? What if the ex-familiar didn't so much mind?
If the sacrifice happened and the eating didn't, would this improve things?
I don't think whether or not you ate the creature is relevant to how evil the act was.
How did you kill it? Was it a merciful, quick death? Or drawn out and torturous?
I don't think whether or not you ate the creature is relevant to how evil the act was.
How did you kill it? Was it a merciful, quick death? Or drawn out and torturous?
Course not. I'm thinking let the critter have its fill of wine/grog, fill up on its favorite food, then a sleep spell and snicker snack - off with its head.
He's not talking about a regular familiar, though I would still say thumbs down to it. He's talking about a familiar that you got through the Improved Familiar feat, which are all intelligent creatures. So they're intelligent even if you have dismissed them.
To most societies, sacrificing an intelligent being is an evil act. Lizardfolk are a little different in that I don't think they really have a concept of good or evil. Regardless, I don't really see the familiar really going along with it, familiar or not.
Hang on, we're talking about the ex-familiar, which was not an intelligent being to start with. I meant the "normal" unimproved familiar you need to dismiss to get the improved one.
No, I'm pretty certain he is talking about sacrificing his regular familiar once he has replaced it with his improved familiar.
As to the evil of the act...
A voluntary sacrifice, which is to say, if the sacrifice itself volunteered, would not particularly be considered evil. Involuntary...
No, I'm pretty certain he is talking about sacrificing his regular familiar once he has replaced it with his improved familiar.
As to the evil of the act...
A voluntary sacrifice, which is to say, if the sacrifice itself volunteered, would not particularly be considered evil. Involuntary...
That leads us into an interesting debate, wherein the former familiar, once a non-sentient animal, has gained sentience and shares the master's religious beliefs. Even has enthusiasm, since, as an actual reptile, the familiar is closer to "God" than the master him/herself.
Knowing that it will be replaced, the familiar might be perfectly willing to be sacrificed rather than end up a "Charly Gordon" dumb animal again.
However, once it loses familiar status, it goes back to being an animal, right? So now it loses recognition of higher divine authorities and of the very concept of prior consent. Is it still okay to sacrifice it, even though the familiar knew this was coming and agreed (or even had the idea to be sacrificed) ahead of time?
Ah, my mistake. That's what I get for reading the boards at work and splitting my attention.
If you're a lizardman, I could see the sacrifice being kosher. For the vast majority of other folks, not so much.