With the advent of the revamped rules for Animal Companions and Paladin Mounts, will Familiars be getting a simlar treatment? One of my players is chewing my ear off about this. Thank you for your quick reply.
I'd be interested to see something along these lines if they got rid of 'improved familiar' as a feat. But, really, it's not like familiars have the kind of problems AC did.
Also, I was wondering if the effects of Familiar death are now gone (in keeping with other xp loss either disappearing -- as from spells and item creation -- or being redressable, as from resurrection)?
Those issues are gone, familiars are replaced roughly the way an arcane bond is replaced.
With the advent of the revamped rules for Animal Companions and Paladin Mounts, will Familiars be getting a simlar treatment? One of my players is chewing my ear off about this. Thank you for your quick reply.
At the risk of looking like a shameless bump, as a newbie on these boards, how long does it typically take to look at things that people have concerns about and offer solutions to playtest?
RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32, 2011 Top 16
|
With the advent of the revamped rules for Animal Companions and Paladin Mounts, will Familiars be getting a simlar treatment? One of my players is chewing my ear off about this. Thank you for your quick reply.At the risk of looking like a shameless bump, as a newbie on these boards, how long does it typically take to look at things that people have concerns about and offer solutions to playtest?
Well, over the last few playtest blocks, Jason B has come out with some alternate rules for some elements that needed major revisions within the 2 week time span of that playtest block. Things like revising barbarian rage, animal companions and the paladin class.
So far Jason hasn't given formal write ups on smaller issues, though for many of them his comments on the boards give a hint of what direction he's thinking.
Just because there's no feedback on the thread from Jason doesn't mean there won't be tweaks, changes, etc., but we might just have to wait until the final version of the rules comes out in 2009 to see what he comes up with.
(Now that this forum is open, I am going to "necro" this post)
The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Beta Playtest, page 49 says:
“At 1st Level, wizards forge a powerful bond with an object or creature. This bond can take one of two forms: The first is a familiar, following the standard rules for such creatures (see Familiars) and the second is a bond with an object, using it to cast spells and enchanting it with even greater powers.”
So, is the Arcane Bond ability of a 1st Level Wizard voluntary? The wording kind of implies that it is something a wizard must do.
The reason I ask, is that my wizard “Konrad” would like the option to wait to take the feat Improved Familiar (Pathfinder Beta p. 87)
I myself would like a revamp of the familiar, a little love wouldn't hurt.
Because Familiars are easily replaced now, and do not cause massive losses to the player character, he takes familiar...and when he takes improved familiar, swaps them out...its a tad bit more complicated than that, but not much. ;)
But you must cut out and eat your old familiar's still beating heart before you can get improved familiar.
We'll I posted a while back about making a familiar more a part of you. It may have once been a normal creature of something you made of your own blood, or pices of sticks and clay.
The ideal was to make the familiar wondrous and magical again. Once made it was a part of the caster a par of his very soul. It was not something you could just kill and it leveled with the caster.
Edit. I decide to repost this
Manifesting Familiar
Familiar many say the word with out understanding just what they are, most seem to think of them as magic pets and little more. They are wrong, familiars are a part of a spellcaster much as his arm or his very soul. There are two ways a familiar comes into being, the first the caster summons forth a normal animal and though arcane magic imparts a piece of his soul into the creature making it into a being of magic. The second method the caster takes his own blood and non magical materials, earth, rock, plants, metal and though arcane magic and long hours of craft work imparts a piece of his soul into it giving it form. Familiars created in such a away often have shapes such as metal crabs, small winged humanoids, fairies, and small dragons but function the same way as animal familiars.
Familiars however are no longer creatures of just flesh and blood but rather a part of the caster. A familiar has two states of being manifested and bonded. While manifested the familiar has a physical form and is visible. In this state the familiar may move about as normal, it may walk, fly, crawl or swim up to 30 feet per round as its form dictates this ability improves by 10 feet every 5 caster levels. As long as it stays within the range of its caster as defined by the casters level the caster the caster is granted all the benefits of the familiars bond. While is physical form the familiar has HP equal to the casters level+3 and an AC of 15+1/2 the caster level. A familiars BAB and saves are always are the same as there master. Damage is as animal type or 1d2. Any damage to the familiar that exceeds its HP causes its form to fractures and dissipates and it can not be called forth again for 24 hours. Further more the caster takes a -1 caster level for that time and looses the granted benefit. While bonded the familiar is apart of the casters body. A caster may bond with its familiar as long as he is touching it doing so is a move action. The second form is bonded. A bonded familiar is still active and can commutate with its master, however it is an incorporeal part of the caster, as much as his arm or heart. A bonded familiar can not move or act outside of his master body, it is a voice in his head. The caster still receives all benefits from the familiar that do not depend on it being separate.
Each familiar its own creature with it's own mind. While loyal to it's master it has it's own unique personality and should never be thought of as just an object. They often have there own quirks, likes and dislikes.
Benefits of a familiar.
Personality
Upon creating a familiar a part of the caster soul is imparted into it grating it a personality and the caster extra benefits.
You only gain one benefit.You gain the benefits as long as the familiar is active but not if it is fractured The familiar has an INT equal to the caster -2
Artist ------+3 bonus on Craft checks
Bully --------+3 bonus on Intimidate checks
Coward ---- +3 bonus on perception checks for avoiding surprise attacks
Friendly ----+1 step to starting attitude if at lest indiffent
Hero --------+2 bonus on Fortitude saves
Meticulous -+3 bonus on search perception checks
Nimble ------+2 bonus on Initiative checks
Observant ---may make a check to spot secret/concealed doors within 10 feet
Poised -------+3 bonus on acrobatics checks
Resolved ----+2 bonus on Will saves
Sage ---------+3 bonus on checks involving any one Knowledge skill the owner already knows; once chosen, this does not vary
Single-minded -+3 bonus on any one skill
Sneaky ------- +3 bonus on stealthy checks
Storyteller -+3 bonus on bluff checks
Sympathetic --+3 bonus on diplomacy checks
Or they may keep the bonus from there original form
Bat.... Master gains a +3 bonus on Listen checks
Cat.... Master gains a +3 bonus on Move Silently checks
Hawk... Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in bright light
Lizard. Master gains a +3 bonus on Climb checks
Owl ....Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in shadows
Rat ....Master gains a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves
Raven...Master gains a +3 bonus on Appraise checks*
Snake...Master gains a +3 bonus on Bluff checks**
Toad ...Master gains +3 hit points +1 per level
Weasel .Master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves
* A raven may speck 1 language know to its master
** use tiny viper for the stats
Improving familiars
Level---Ability
1st……….Alertness, telepathic link 5’Imporved evasion
2nd…........Share spells 5’ per 2 caster levels
4th……… Deliver touch spells
5th…… …Meta magic assistance I
6th……….Extend telepathic link 5’ per level
7th……….Speak with others
8th………. Deliver spells [1-2][1/day per 4 caster levels]
11th………Meta magic assistance II
12th……... Extend telepathic link 25’per level
14th………Deliver spells [3-4]
18th………Meta magic assistant III, telepathic link 50’ per level
20th………Deliver spells[5-6]
Alertness
A familiar grants the Alertness feat to it’s master while bonded .
Improved Evasion
While manifested if a familiar is subject to an attack that normally allows a reflex save for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.
Share Spells
At the master’s option, he may have any spell he casts on himself also affect his familiar. The familiar must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit.
If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the familiar again even if it returns to the master before the duration expires. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of "You" on his familiar (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself.
A master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar’s type
Metamagic assistance: The familiar grants a number of metamagic points which can be used to reduce the metamagic increase when preparing metamagic spells. The points may be spilt if you have more then 1, but never lower then 1 point. The points can not reduce the spell to lower then its spell level. Starting at 5th level the familiar grants 1 meta magic point. These increases to 3 metamagic points at 11th level and 5 metamagic points at 17th level The familiar must be bonded in order to cast the Meta magic spell.
Deliver spells:If the master is 8th level or higher, a familiar can deliver touch spells for him. If the master and the familiar are in contact at the time the master casts a touch spell, he can designate his familiar as the "toucher." The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master could. As usual, if the master casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.
At 8th level the familiar my deliver 1 and 2nd level spells. At 14th 3rd and 4th level spell. And at 20th 5 and 6th level spells. This ability is usable 1/day per every 4 levels of the caster.
telepathic link: The caster and familiar share a deep telepathic bond and can speak with each other without words. This bond works within a range of 5 feet. At 6th level the bond increase to a range of 5 feet per arcane caster level.. At 12th level the telepathic range increase to 25 feet per arcane caster level. And finally at 18th level this changes to 50’ per level of the arcane casting level
Speak with others: At 7th level a familiar gains the ability to speak any language its master knows.
Feats
Improved familiar
Your familiar gains a second personality trait, or animal form .You gain the benefits of both familiar personalities/forums. Your familiar personality adjusts and becomes a blend between all implanted personality fragments. Or if animal form an manifest as both forms
You can take this multiple times.
Hardy Familiar
This feat improves your familiars’ toughness. They gain benefits of the toughness feat also there natural attacks improve by 1 die.
Spell receptacle
The familiar bond with the caster allows him to store up to his INT mod of spell levels in his familiar the familiar remembers the spells and can transfer them to the caster .This is a move action
Perquisite
Improved familiar
Morphic familiar
You may alter your familiars form as a full round action and it must be bonded to you to do so. I t allows it to take on the form and movement type of a creature of similar size and HD
Improved manifestation
Your familiar becomes a tougher version of itself. Add the dire template to your familiar.
While manifesting
Perquisite
Hardy Familiar
Because Familiars are easily replaced now, and do not cause massive losses to the player character, he takes familiar...and when he takes improved familiar, swaps them out...its a tad bit more complicated than that, but not much. ;)But you must cut out and eat your old familiar's still beating heart before you can get improved familiar.
Yes. There is that minor issue of "Role Playing" with just swapping out a familiar.
|
Just because there's no feedback on the thread from Jason doesn't mean there won't be tweaks, changes, etc., but we might just have to wait until the final version of the rules comes out in 2009 to see what he comes up with.
But that's obviously somewhat disconcerting, firstly because if we really do have to wait that long, the changes won't have been widely playtested and secondly because we care about what the final game is like and are involved in this to help shape that end, so nasty surprises at the last moment (not just on this, but on a range of issues) are going to be, well, nasty.
So, one would hope for some relatively formal updates (as per the design focus threads on Barbarian, Paladin and Animal Companion)...
I would also like to see such updates
I would also like to see such updates
That's what I was hoping for when I started this thread.
I think they need a bit of work myself. But not every one agrees with that or just what needs done
I'm not sure if this has been covered in another post elsewhere but I do have question regarding familiars: Do sorcerers still have one?
In reading through the sorcerer write-up it does not reference a familiar (or if it does, I missed it); however, under the familiar section (p.50) there is reference to both sorcerer and wizards as having the ability to gain a familiar. The only place I see a reference to familiar under the sorcerer class is with the Arcane bloodline which references the Arcane Bond. Do only sorcerers with the Arcane bloodline have access to familiars now? Did I miss it?
I'm not sure if this has been covered in another post elsewhere but I do have question regarding familiars: Do sorcerers still have one?
In reading through the sorcerer write-up it does not reference a familiar (or if it does, I missed it); however, under the familiar section (p.50) there is reference to both sorcerer and wizards as having the ability to gain a familiar. The only place I see a reference to familiar under the sorcerer class is with the Arcane bloodline which references the Arcane Bond. Do only sorcerers with the Arcane bloodline have access to familiars now? Did I miss it?
Arcane bond can either be an object or a familiar, so sorcerers with the Arcane Bloodline do indeed have access to familiars. And yes, only sorcerers with that bloodline get familiars now.
I believe I found the answer to my question above in another post by Jason:
"I moved familiar out of the sorcerer class primarily due to the fact that I wanted to give them all powers that were more in theme with their bloodlines. That is not to say that what is proposed here is not a good idea, but giving them a familiar would limit what else they could gain at some levels.
I am, as always, open to thoughts on this matter."
Arcane bond can either be an object or a familiar, so sorcerers with the Arcane Bloodline do indeed have access to familiars. And yes, only sorcerers with that bloodline get familiars now.I'm not sure if this has been covered in another post elsewhere but I do have question regarding familiars: Do sorcerers still have one?
In reading through the sorcerer write-up it does not reference a familiar (or if it does, I missed it); however, under the familiar section (p.50) there is reference to both sorcerer and wizards as having the ability to gain a familiar. The only place I see a reference to familiar under the sorcerer class is with the Arcane bloodline which references the Arcane Bond. Do only sorcerers with the Arcane bloodline have access to familiars now? Did I miss it?
Thank you for the quick response.
Thank you for the quick response.
No problem, happy to help.