Spell Storing Familiar

[Freesword]

The discussion of the Witch's familiar acting as a spellbook got me to thinking that a Wizard's familiar could have more practical magical use as well. I came up with the idea of having a Wizard able to store spells in a familiar as if it were a virtual scroll. Here is my initial draft:

Familiar Spell Storing:

A wizard may store up to 5 levels of spells (1 5th level, or 1 4th level and 1 1st level, or 5 1st level, etc.) in his familiar as virtual scrolls. Doing so requires that the wizard has the Scribe Scroll feat and has the spell to be stored prepared, and requires the same material components as scribing a scroll. The inks are consumed in a ritual that stores the spell in familiar. Casting the spell from the familiar is a standard action which provokes an attack of opportunity. Casting the stored spell requires the wizard to commune with the familiar in order to "read" the virtual scroll. Casting a spell in this way cannot be done defensively unless the wizard is in physical contact with the familiar. Once the stored spell is cast it is effectively erased just as if casting from a scroll. No one except the wizard can cast the spells stored in the familiar.

A new spell may be stored overwriting an existing spell, however the spell being overwritten and it's cost to store it are lost.

Witches or Sorcerers who have a familiar may also use this ability.

Any suggestions or concerns regarding this idea are welcome.

[Quandary]

Why couldn't the Familiar itself cast it, given it can cast from the Witch's slots themself?

I don't really see this as being available to non-Witches: besides the fact that's what's on the table to be discussed, I think the UNIQUE advantages of Familiars for Witches should be emphasized, not passed around equally.

If something like this was done, I think it would use Craft Potion/Cauldron (but allow any spell) with the flavor that you juice up' your Familiar with this Spell-Potion.

However, although I agree with your over-all direction here, I think the fact they (eventually) can cast the Witch's own spell slots directly kind of supersedes the need for this. That ability might be clarified such that once they can cast spells (from your pool) they ARE a spellcaster and so can use your scrolls normally without UMD.

[Freesword]

My intent is to allow wizards to use their familiars as living scrolls. I want them to be functionally more than just a pet that can be scried on or used as a scout. At the same time I don't want it to cut in on the additional abilities that a witch's familiar gets.

You do have a point about witches' familiars and imbue spell. I'm thinking of adding in that a witch's familiar with imbue spell can cast the stored spells as well, provided they can be imbued with a spell of that level, treating it as a caster in it's own right and an extension of the witch. This way while it costs the witch a feat to use this ability, they still get more from it due to the unique relationship with their familiar.

I also should add in that 0 level spells count as 1/2 for determining the scroll capacity of the familiar.

As I said, this is an initial draft and I want people to find the problems with it.