(A) There's a feat in Complete Arcane that matches what you have (although it requires 4 ranks in Know: Arcana, I think).
(B) The simplest solution would be to swap out his bloodline level 1 ability for the Arcane bloodline level 1 ability.
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(A) There's a feat in Complete Arcane that matches what you have (although it requires 4 ranks in Know: Arcana, I think).
(B) The simplest solution would be to swap out his bloodline level 1 ability for the Arcane bloodline level 1 ability.
(A) Does that mean its balanced as a feat or does it need something?
(B) That would dampen the appeal of the alternate bloodline, wouldn't it?
(B) That would dampen the appeal of the alternate bloodline, wouldn't it?
Exactly!
We have a sorcerer in a similar situation. We discussed it for 10 minutes (whilst walking in the sun - it's been beautiful here today!) and came up with a feat as the best option.
It could be a feat open to any spellcaster. I mean, how unbalancing is a familiar? Taking a cue from the Expanded Psionic Handbook and the psicrystal familiar, we came up with a simple feat that gives access to the familiar class feature, the only prerequisite being caster level 1+. This means that Bards and Clerics (and other additional classes) could get one. It opens up options and everyone loves options. Plus historically/in fantasy literature heroes of all types get familiars.
Of course, it should not be available to PCs with another 'type' of familiar e.g. paladin's mount, ranger/druid's animal companion etc.
Any thoughts?
Peace,
tfad
What if you just allowed a feat that gave a (or an extra) familiar?
The one I always think of is Ursula, from The Little Mermaid. She had a couple of eel familiars, which were nasty creepy little things.
I mean, come on, it's not like having an extra familiar is suddenly going to make foes beatable... all anyone uses them for is delivering messages, scouting terrain, and getting a +2 on Perception checks.
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There's a feat in PHB 3.0 called Extra Familiar. Other useful feats are: Improved Familiar, Obtain Familiar and Item Familiar. I have rolled Improved Familiar and Obtain Familar in one feat, that is, if you already have that class ability, you don't need the feat. In Steven Brusts Jhereg there's a great description of summoning an improved familiar (pseudodragon variant). I woud recommend it for reading. In my campaign, if you wish to summon an improved familiar, you have to pay the cost in gold - a lot of gold - for components used in a ritual. Also, my campaign's familiars are closer to the ADnD. They give +1 caster level and their master shares some of their's special abilities, like magic resistance. That's why players want to bond with familiars in the first place. In ocult tradition familiar was a conduit for greater power as well.
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There's a feat in PHB 3.0 called Extra Familiar. Other useful feats are: Improved Familiar, Obtain Familiar and Item Familiar.
You must have a different 3.0 PHB than I do.
Improved Familiar is in Tome and Blood (I have that one). The Kalamar Player's Guide has feats for improving individual familiars. Where do you find the other ones?
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I think it sounds good. I'm converting a sorcerer over to Alpha 2 as well, and although he has a familiar, I want something else besides the Arcane bloodline (not really interested in metamagic feats at this point).
If you want to make it a little more like the Complete Arcane feat, but not wait until 3rd level, just add a lower prerequisite:
Obtain Familiar
You possess a familiar.
Prerequisite: Knowledge (arcana) 1 rank, arcane caster level 1st, you cannot already have access to a familiar as a class ability.
Benefit: You gain a familiar in the same way as a Wizard or a Sorcerer with the Arcane Bloodline.
I don't think you need to halve the sorcerer's level; a familiar isn't that powerful, and spending a feat on it is cost enough.
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Sorry, Extra Familiar is in Dragon #280, as well as other cool familiar feats, like Construct Familiar and Undead Familiar. There's a bunch of familiar feats, and I have most if not all of WotC dnd stuff, so I can get confused where did I exactly found something. Item Familiar is from Complete Arcane.