All around best Improved Familiar

Though I am bias, since I homebrewed it, for those looking for an interesting and flavorful Improved Familiar might I recommend this?

Phoenix, Alizarin
A small bird with red and orange plumage perches nearby. It looks towards you with an intelligence that would surprise some, and seems to have an aura of majesty around it as though it is something to be respected.

Though I am bias, since I homebrewed it, for those looking for an interesting and flavorful Improved Familiar might I recommend this?

Phoenix, Alizarin
A small bird with red and orange plumage perches nearby. It looks towards you with an intelligence that would surprise some, and seems to have an aura of majesty around it as though it is something to be respected.

Very interesting homebrew. Resurrection would be a very interesting ability for a familiar, as would it's other abilities.

Personally I felt I did a creative job in how I offered resurrection, especially when it comes to Alizarin Phoenix being familiars in how I tied it into the mechanics for getting a new familiar when the old is lost.

I'm truth. a member here on Paso that I respect helped me balance things and fall at least mostly in line with other Improved Familiar. I am personally around in how it turned out.

On the reasons of why I wanted to homebrew this, is the fact that in many works of fantasy you have a great wizard or other character with a phoenix as a pet or familiar... I thought to myself why can't we have any Fawkes or Philomena familiars.

Personally, if I was a player and was able to get permission from the DM to do so, I take this familiar over any of the others I'm a heartbeat.

Good to have some free phoenix familiar stuff out there, even if it will never be usable in PFS. ;)

(yes, a bit of a necro but the most recent and appropriate thread).

things have changed a bit in PFS as now the OrgPlay FAQ has a list of body slots, magic item usage, and sanctions changing Weapon Finesse out and retraining other feats. Some familiars can wield weapons but they don't have weapon proficiency beyond what is in their creature block description.

That posits the question of improved familiars WITH magic items and item usage vs those without {scroll down a bit on the AoN page}.

The following familiars can use spell trigger and spell completion magic items, including wands and scrolls, as well as magic items with a command word: arbiter, brownie, cassisian (in small humanoid form), calligraphy wyrm, faerie dragon, homunculus (if it can speak), imp, leshy (any), liminal sprite, lyrakien, mephit (any type), nosoi, nuglub, pooka, pyrausta, quasit, shikigami, soulbound doll, sprite, and zhyen.

I think the Faerie Dragon[all body slots] with a Spells Known list, CL3, fly speed, grtr invisibility, and 9 skills is probably the best arcane familiar. In PFS you are limited to 2 as it is on a chronicle {no spoilers as to exactly which one please}. In a practical manner you'll probably need a Share the Wealth(companion) boon to make use of the one from playing.

Imp devil[all body slots] is ever popular as it is powerful. The Lawful aspect helps in the RP arena.

Arbiter inevitable[eyes, hand, headbnd, wrst] is popular for its Elec Burst(Su), regeneration 2(chaotic), short sword, and Commune 1/wk, 6 skills. Sadly the defensive shock is only 3d6[elec] Rflx13 which won't bring down 3+HD creatures but is likely to kill its unconscious master.

Familiar Automation are interesting but are not currently & explicitly covered by the Org Play FAQ or Cmpgn Clrfctns for form or body slots etc. A common assumption that the listed cat form is the only PFS form allowed and "cat" will determine the body slots, spell usage and activation, etc. This makes it far less appealing.

Soulbound doll construct[all body slots] is a RP option(via a Chronicle) but skills are low. It is likely that Sage or Protector archetype would make this better.

an incomplete guide is here;
Guide to Familiars in Pathfinder by SunderedShadow.