School Familiar


Rules Questions


Is a School Familiar an archetype option for any Wizard, or do you have to take the feat (forget the name) just to have the archetype? If you do need the feat, does this mean your Familiars abilities suddenly change over when you take the feat?


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Familiar archetypes are a decision you make as you get that particular familiar. You don't require a feat in order to benefit from them.


You don't need the feat, but the feats provide most of the benefit of the archetype.

Designer

You do need the feat. It won't be apparent if you're looking it up on d20pfsrd because of the way they laid out the information, but it's clear in Familiar Folio, where it says "the following feats enable characters with an arcane school to gain school-specific familiars". The feat benefit is "You can apply the school familiar archetype to your familiar". The school familiar archetype gains some of its benefits without trading them out for other familiar abilities.


I know the Greater School Familiar feat allows your familiar to use the greater school power; what does the base feat (still can't remember name; just School Familiar?) give it?

Designer

RaizielDragon wrote:
I know the Greater School Familiar feat allows your familiar to use the greater school power; what does the base feat (still can't remember name; just School Familiar?) give it?

It's the benefit I listed above: "You can apply the school familiar archetype to your familiar."


Thanks Mark; that was why I was wondering. It's listed along with all of the other archetypes, and nothing in the archetype itself seems to imply that you need a feat to use the archetype. But since that was the benefit of the feat, the implication seemed to be that you couldn't just take the archetype without taking the feat.

I guess my only follow-up question would be: can a VMC Wizard have a School Familiar? My guess is no because I believe the character needs the "Arcane School" class feature, and the VMC Wizard just gains "School", but doesn't hurt to check.

Designer

RaizielDragon wrote:

Thanks Mark; that was why I was wondering. It's listed along with all of the other archetypes, and nothing in the archetype itself seems to imply that you need a feat to use the archetype. But since that was the benefit of the feat, the implication seemed to be that you couldn't just take the archetype without taking the feat.

I guess my only follow-up question would be: can a VMC Wizard have a School Familiar? My guess is no because I believe the character needs the "Arcane School" class feature, and the VMC Wizard just gains "School", but doesn't hurt to check.

Where are you looking at it? In Familiar Folio, it's not listed with the other archetypes but is in its own section with the special rules and feats up front, and all the other familiar archetypes are in a different section.

Liberty's Edge

Mark Seifter wrote:
You do need the feat.

...OR the Familiar Adept archetype of course.

Designer

CBDunkerson wrote:
Mark Seifter wrote:
You do need the feat.
...OR the Familiar Adept archetype of course.

Indeed!


I was referring to d20pfsrd; I was at work and didn't have the book in front of me. It is indeed in it's own special section in the book.

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