Hi Paizo Friends,
My high-level (13th) wizard has an Imp familiar which she adores. But I'd like to find a way to possibly customize my Imp if the cost to do so is reasonable. My main issue is, I'd like to swap out the Imp's 1/day Suggestion (Sp) (DC 15) for another more useful 3rd level wizard spell such as Collaborative Thaumaturgy or Channel the Gift. At 13th level, Suggestion at DC 15 just doesn't have any viable offensive use in my campaign and unnecessarily exposes him to being attacked in retribution.
There's no game mechanic in the Pathfinder or 3.5 rules that I know of that will allow me to change or "swap out" this Suggestion (Sp) for a familiar. I was hoping there'd be the equivalent of 3.5's Dark Chaos Shuffle (which does feat-swapping) for (Sp)'s, but there is none. {sigh} ...
So I'm coming to all of you to see if you have any possible ideas I can float to my DM to accomplish this task. Yes, this is houseruling territory. And my DM prefers mission goals like these to be sensible and use existing game mechanics and resources as much possible to make it come to fruition. Perhaps using a Wish spell in some capacity would work? I'd love some creative opinions from any of you fine folk. :-)
I honestly wouldn't just let you trade out something useless for something useful.
I would though be open to giving the imp custom magic items. A 1/day Collaborative Thaumaturgy item should cost around 6000 gp, 3000 gp to make which should be pocket change for a 13th level wizard. I would probably be open to making it part of the imp (like a custom magic tattoo) which would normally double the price, for free at the cost of the Suggestion (sp) ability. Basically the flavor being some crazy alchemist or something has a means of cannibalizing the mojo that powers a spell like ability into a custom matrix that changes the what the enchantment does, for the cost of a slotted item that would do the same thing.
Basically it works out to trading away the 1/day suggestion for about 6000 gold, which is also fair.
I think a Wish would absolutely do what you want (as long as you don't aim too high for the replacement---another 3rd level spell should be fine, though), considering it is 9th level and costs 25000 gold. You might be able to Wish for Suggestion's DC to scale with your level instead, but that could be more powerful than a replacement so it might be a no-go. Finding someone willing and able to cast Wish for you may be challenging, of course. But maybe your GM would prefer to make it a bit of a challenge anyway.
Why not propose a random third-level wizard spell each day? That's a lot more equitable than picking the ideal spell.
The problem is that the Imp's ability isn't meant to be particularly strong.
Changing it out for other 3rd level spells, ones that are used to buff instead of used offensively increases its value for you as a player and a lot less for the Imp.
Both the spells you suggest are much more powerful than suggestion and are only useful to the wizard character and not the Imp. There is no reason an Imp should have those spells and SLAs.
As a GM I would be open to changing the SLA, but not to ones that only have utility to you as the wizard master of the imp familiar.
She wants to exchange the imp's Suggestion for a different spell - by spending her wizard's resources. She's looking for potential/possible costs and methods to collaboratively discuss with her GM. Not an equal exchange of spells for no cost whatsoever or a cheat to the game's mechanics. Besides, this is a once a day 3rd level spell-like ability we're talking here. That's chump change at 13th level of game play.
I think it's a fair question regarding house rules to ask. Especially since many of us always look to exchange or upgrade our character's lower grade assets for higher-grade assets as we level up and gain gold.
Her general goal can be accomplished by taking ranks in UMD, handing the imp a wand or scroll and asking them to activate it.
Sure it's not a once per day ability, it's actually usable a lot more often.
True. That's why a request of this nature (a SLA upgrade for a familiar) and power-level is something I wouldn't charge her a ton for. Definitely not the cost a Wish spell. Since familiars die quite easily, that should factor into the cost too.
On a related note - if you recall, there is quasi-precedence for her request. Take a look at WotC's 3.5 hardback book, Fiendish Codex II (the Devil one). There's a page in the book that talks about the GM mechanically swapping out a devil's spell-like ability spell selection for another spell. It's extremely limited (like only 1 option for a given spell) and intended to be a very linearly balanced swap. While this option is not a direct match for her request, it does give one some more clues as to how a process like this can be mechanically accomplished.
So you'ld have a shoulder devil, and a shoulder ... devil. XD
The Imp's casting stat for the Spell-Like-Ability is Charisma.
Give the imp a headband of +2X charisma for a +X to the DC.
/cevah