matthew thomson's page

We'll soon see Dire Sharks with freakin' laser beams attached to their heads?

Maybe we'll also experience debates with the Venture Captain who sent us out on who shot first?

I doubt we will see any sharks with laser beams. They will most likely just be ill tempered sea bass. :P

You can use a rod with a spell that has been memorized with metamagic added to it. Just not two rods together.

I agree Quandary,

However since it is a feat. Thus meaning being able to do something extraordinary. Would it allow the caster to pick a familiar they wouldn't normally be able to?

It is a conflicting set of rules. And I'm not saying that they are trying to trump each others rules. I do believe a clarification is in order. Otherwise it would come down to a GM making a ruling at table.

And I do play in society. The original poster does too. We began this conversation on FB and he wanted to get some feedback from the boards.

From the cleric entry:

Alignment: A cleric's alignment must be within one step of her deity's, along EITHER the law/chaos axis or the good/evil axis (see Additional Rules).

From the IF entry:

Benefit: When choosing a familiar, the creatures listed below are also available to you. You may choose a familiar with an alignment up to one step away on EACH alignment axis (lawful through chaotic, good through evil).

I'm sorry but either and each do not mean the same thing. And the cleric entry does say "within one step" the familiar entry does not.

Whale_Cancer wrote:

Weirdo wrote:

Elzedar of Kyonin wrote:

So, as a neutral wizard, my understanding is that I can get the Azata, because that is one step toward chaotic, and one step toward good and I am allowed one step of each types.

That's not how the "one step" rule works. "One step" means in either alignment direction, not both. So a NG or a CN character would be one step away from CG; a TN character is one step away from NG, LN, CN, and NE.

The text quoted in OP says "one step away on each alignment axis"; the plain English understanding of this is that - barring other restrictions - a N caster can get any familiar.

It means you have to be able to make the alignment requirements in one step, you can make that step either along the updown or left right, but if you can't make that requirement in one step, then it's a no go.

By your statement a LG caster could not select a N dire rat as a familiar. I don't see why any caster would have a problem with a neutral familiar. Another example would be an elemental. They are neutral also.

Familiars are not deities. They are servants of the caster. I use servant loosely in the case of devils and demons, who will probably consume the casters soul upon death. That being said the familiar doesn't have to be perfectly in line with a casters ideals, it just needs to be willing to serve them.

I disagree with your interpretation of the step rule. It is not the same as the cleric deity rule.

LazarX, that is part of my point, though. On the Improved Familiar list, Pseudodragons are listed as available to Neutral Good, not Chaotic Good. But they're also available to other steps, depending on the will of the Pseudodragon. the "Within one step of Chaotic Good" text that you quoted is for Faerie Dragons. Faerie Dragons require no more boon than any of the other "sentient" familiars who have to be wooed.

The table lists the alignment of the creature, and where you start counting steps from on Familiars who allow steps.

Matthew Thomson: As far as Dire Rats, any spellcaster could take a Dire Rat familiar. Lacking specific text on their ability to be granted as a familiar restricting the alignment (see Lyrakien, Voidworm, etc. for examples), they follow the normal rule. Thus, like Elementals, Dire Rats can be up to one step away from TN on each axis.

Ambassador, I'd think possible explanations for the wording difference:

Different Writers

Trying to avoid monotony

If you look at another example from that book:

Bestiary 2 wrote:

A 7th-level spellcaster can gain a cacodaemon as a familiar if she has the Improved Familiar feat.

This one has no alignment restriction, meaning it defaults to general rules of one step on each axis from NE. If they mention specifically that they're available to spellcasters of specific alignments, they're available to those alignments. Full stop.

What would confuse me would be ones that say they are available to Neutral spellcasters, like the Carbuncle.

Bestiary 3 wrote:

A neutral spellcaster with the Improved Familiar feat can gain a carbuncle as a familiar at 5th level.

Is that indicating TN only, or any Neutral alignment? Also, Bestiary 3 should be the accurate measurement, being more recent than AP volume 31, which was its first appearance.

I agree,

I was not saying that there are no restrictions. I was being a bit rhetorical in my statement. These books were written by different authors at different times. The question I think everyone can agree on here is which rules trump when you have conflicting entries. In the lyrakians case, there is no "must be" in the text. Whereas others from the bestiarys do have that restriction. Also, ultimate magic was written after (I believe, correct me if I am wrong) bestiary 2 where the lyrakian entry is. So then does the updated IF list loosen the restrictions, and expand the familiar choices for spell casters, or does it simply increase the feats choices with existing restrictions in place.

I am arguing that in the case of ambiguous entries, such as the lyrakian, the greater choice allowed by the expanded IF list would win.

I will give you one example. The entry for a dire rat says neutral. It's alignment from the bestiary is neutral. Does that mean only neutral casters can take it as a familiar?

Faire dragons are different and the require a boon granting them if I'm not mistaken.

The original feat text reads:

Benefits:
When choosing a familiar, the creatures listed below are also available to you. You may choose a familiar with an alignment up to one step away on each alignment axis (lawful through chaotic, good through evil).

This feat allows two steps one in each direction.

The alignments on the table are the familiars alignments. NOT the casters.

I don't recall him wanting to play a dark wizard. He's neutral, which implies neither dark nor good. I believe it would be for UMD as the Lyrakien has the highest charisma of all the familiars.

Lyrakiens, are on the updated improved familiar list in ultimate magic. If you own that source a neutral caster should be able to select it using the feat rules.