.
..
...
....
.....
Hail sexy citizens, have you done something new with your hair?
Beholden my new robes, crafted from the finest craftsmen! Just feel the lining, so soft, so smooth!
To business! Your humble, all-powerful leader requests an epic moment of your time...
...and a hug.
Background
I have a character with a Toad familiar.
*Not including Alertness, Improved Evasion, Empathic Link, Share Spells or +1 Natural Armour Class
Problem
:: How to make the most of a Toad familiar? It's slow, oh so slow and the damned thing can't even swim! Or breath underwater! How strange..
State of Play
-- It's got an insane stealth check
-- It's very very slow
-- It has scent (Does this benefit the owner?)
::
So, your thoughts/ideas/creative inspirations on the matter, if you please.
Thank you for your time.
I would give it a cloak of elvenkind to make its stealth even more obscene and a pair of boots of striding and springing to give it a movement rate as well as letting it jump, since the stats given are obviously for a lame toad.
That done, your toad is now styling and will be the ultimate spy for you.
You win the thread.
.
..
...
....
.....
You win the thread.
lol seconded.
Thank you Mr A, the sheer joy of envisaging an anthropomorphic amphibian mounted upon a feisty feline makes my toes curl!
I like where your mind is going Mr K...
::
- Can you equip familiars? I thought they were essentially animals with regards to their physiology - i.e in the toads case it would be unable to grip the reigns with it's claws (fingers?) or cat with it's damp thighs.
-- Idea: You could leave the familiar in a room and use it a 'bug' / use it to spy on people.
-- Apparently Toads can't breath under water. They can still swim though damnit...
-- My caster has a low dexterity, else he'd throw the toad at people or use Sleight of Hand to drop it in a some poor sods pocket while they shop for groceries.
-- Else, use it as a land mine: Leave it by a door way, hidden and wait until someone comes with 5ft - then have it crawl over and *BAM* deliver touch spells through it.
Toads are categorised as amphibians. It doesn't take a huge leap of logic to assume the amphibious subtype for them.
Also, you could try awaken.
I wonder if that would be legal in PFS..
You're basically trading in 2 points of Ac and Dex for 2 points of Con and a swim speed...
*rips through silly humans*
I shall serve as inspiration!
You sir, are my kind of nutter :)
|
.
..
...
....
.....You win the thread.lol seconded.
Thank you Mr A, the sheer joy of envisaging an anthropomorphic amphibian mounted upon a feisty feline makes my toes curl!
I like where your mind is going Mr K...
::
- Can you equip familiars? I thought they were essentially animals with regards to their physiology - i.e in the toads case it would be unable to grip the reigns with it's claws (fingers?) or cat with it's damp thighs.
-- Idea: You could leave the familiar in a room and use it a 'bug' / use it to spy on people.
-- Apparently Toads can't breath under water. They can still swim though damnit...
-- My caster has a low dexterity, else he'd throw the toad at people or use Sleight of Hand to drop it in a some poor sods pocket while they shop for groceries.
-- Else, use it as a land mine: Leave it by a door way, hidden and wait until someone comes with 5ft - then have it crawl over and *BAM* deliver touch spells through it.
The toad doesn't grip the saddle- he is strapped in and removed lovingly by his master when it is no longer necessary for him to be mounted.
The character in question was not permitted to go to a trial of an important NPC due to his tendencies of psychotic rage when exposed to Elves- so he sent Jeb the toad to keep an eye on the trial and report back just in case, hidden in another party member's backpack.
Do not underestimate Jeb the toad. He also finished off a major villain, once said villain had been polymorphed into a sheep. The rest of the party were mostly suffering from the effects of an Insanity spell, but Jeb the toad and his valiant steed stopped the villain getting away. Jeb killed a C15 archmage...
[threadjack]Years ago, in a 2E Greyhawk game, the GM foolishly handed out a magic dagger to my halfling fighter/thief. It was magic, but with no plus, however anything that recieved its killing blow from the dagger became a giant frog under the weilders command. One custom saddle (with boot stirrups) and halfling cav was born.
If cash was low, one visit to the cult of Wastri (the Hopping Prophet, god of human supremacy and amphibians), and a quick sale of one of the frogs would solve your money woes.
The only sad bit was giants frogs couldn't climb stairs or ladders and had to be left outside of dungeons. [/threadjack]
RPG Superstar 2013 Top 32, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16
|
*rips through silly humans*
I shall serve as inspiration!
Sounds like somebody needs a Frog-zerker!
|
Sounds like somebody needs a Frog-zerker!*rips through silly humans*
I shall serve as inspiration!
Thank you fellow dragon! Now I need not explain the horror Battle-Toad can inflict!
.
..
...
....
.....
You're all crazy.
There's hope for the species yet!
.
Problem
:: How to make the most of a Toad familiar? It's slow, oh so slow and the damned thing can't even swim! Or breath underwater! How strange..State of Play
-- It's got an insane stealth check
-- It's very very slow
-- It has scent (Does this benefit the owner?)
Dont have my books at hand, but IRC PF Familiars still gain Int as their owner levels meaning the familiar automatically Awakens at level ?? when their Int rises above 3. The often overlooked benefit is once intelligent, there is nothing in RAW preventing the familiar from selecting a Class!
Ergo Mr.K could become a rogue to further increase his insane stealth, enhancing his touch spell attacks via the weapon focus chain and sneak attack?
Alternately why wouldnt he mentor under his master to become a mage in his own right? Its unspecified in RAW but presumably the "share spells" feature is bi-directional, freeing the mentor to focus on combat while his familiar handles the low-level buffs.
Rogue?
Summoner Baby!
Go Toady go toady!
Have your wizard place his toad familiar on top of his head. Whenever someone asks about it have your character look at them quizzically and say, "What toad?".
I had a 3rd edition wizard with a beloved toad familiar. Rather then let his friend sink into obscurity as he climbed up in power, he crafted items for him, allowing him to partake in adventure with him. A crown that granted mage hand and launch cantrip at will. He also had a belt of salamander skin that granted him unseen servant spell, which was more then capable of lifting him up and about.
I kept crossbow bolts even though I didn't carry a crossbow so he could use the launch cantrip (his small size attack bonus made up for his poor dex), caltrops for mage hand, and of course alchemy materials and everburning materials for him to use. When magic item compendium came out with the 3/day attack items, I loaded him up further...
All hail the batrachian lords!
Have your wizard place his toad familiar on top of his head. Whenever someone asks about it have your character look at them quizzically and say, "What toad?".
..also, covering it with:
Aura strong transmutation; CL 20thSlot —; Price 2,400 gp (per ounce); Weight —
Description
This pale amber substance is thick and viscous. Because of its particular powers, it can be contained only in a flask whose inside has been coated with 1 ounce of salve of slipperiness, and each time any of the bonding agent is poured from the flask, a new application of the salve of slipperiness must be put in the flask within 1 round to prevent the remaining glue from adhering to the side of the container. A flask of sovereign glue, when found, holds anywhere from 1 to 7 ounces of the stuff (1d8–1, minimum 1), with the other ounce of the flask's capacity taken up by the salve of slipperiness. One ounce of this adhesive covers 1 square foot of surface, bonding virtually any two substances together in a permanent union. The glue takes 1 round to set. If the objects are pulled apart (a move action) before that time has elapsed, that application of the glue loses its stickiness and is worthless. If the glue is allowed to set, then attempting to separate the two bonded objects has no effect, except when universal solvent is applied to the bond. Sovereign glue is dissolved by universal solvent.
and either slapping it on the targets face or asking the rogue to use Sleight of Hand to place the Toad into a victims pocket/on their back whilst they were distracted.
Or cast Fly and pilot the toad onto the target from above.
...then the wizard would make liberal use of the Spell Conduit ability to repeatedly zap them with shocking grasp/misc touch spell...
Hmmm...
beholderbob: ..awesome, truly a Battle Toad! It's a shame that I can't craft things in PFS but still, i wonder - can a Toad quaff potions?
::
A bit more narrowly rules-based:
1) Your toad has Wisdom 15, Dexterity 12, low-light vision, scent, and the Skill Focus (Perception) feat.
2) Your toad familiar uses your skill ranks when attempting a skill he doesn't have at a better level. Acrobatics, Climb, Fly, Perception, Stealth, and Swim are his class skills.
3) Your toad is a sapient being (Int min 6, max 15, based on level). He can think, even when you're at 1st level, and take actions on his own initiative. He can certainly learn to intelligently recognize threats.
An obvious thing here is that dumping Wisdom on your wizard is not an excuse to skip taking ranks in Perception. Your toad has it both as a class skill and has Skill Focus in it. Your toad's Perception score is accordingly your ranks+8 (Wis bonus +2, +3 for Skill Focus, +3 for ranks in a class skill). He's also got low-light vision and scent, so keep him in a position to watch/listen/smell for trouble. This becomes even more useful at 5th level, when he can start telling you what exactly it is that he's seeing/hearing/smelling.
A bit more narrowly rules-based:
1) Your toad has Wisdom 15, Dexterity 12, low-light vision, scent, and the Skill Focus (Perception) feat.
2) Your toad familiar uses your skill ranks when attempting a skill he doesn't have at a better level. Acrobatics, Climb, Fly, Perception, Stealth, and Swim are his class skills.
3) Your toad is a sapient being (Int min 6, max 15, based on level). He can think, even when you're at 1st level, and take actions on his own initiative. He can certainly learn to intelligently recognize threats.
An obvious thing here is that dumping Wisdom on your wizard is not an excuse to skip taking ranks in Perception. Your toad has it both as a class skill and has Skill Focus in it. Your toad's Perception score is accordingly your ranks+8 (Wis bonus +2, +3 for Skill Focus, +3 for ranks in a class skill). He's also got low-light vision and scent, so keep him in a position to watch/listen/smell for trouble. This becomes even more useful at 5th level, when he can start telling you what exactly it is that he's seeing/hearing/smelling.
That's awesome. Thank you see - I was wondering how the scent/Skill focus could be used/if it could be used at all.
I did indeed put ranks into Perception, initially to represent the characters suspicious and sly nature. Now you've shown that the Toad can really make the most of them!
Awesome. On the head, shoulder, pocket goes the little fella!
Thank you :)
Okay, looking at the charsheet . . .
The toad is going to have the same Sense Motive check as you -- your ranks and +2 for Wis, while you have your ranks +2 for Alertness when he's near you. Trouble is, he doesn't have any languages, so that isn't going to amount to much. How's he going to know if you're being lied to?
His Swim skill will trail yours by one; you've got x ranks -1 (Str 9), while he's got X ranks -5 (Str 1) +3 (familiar class skill).
Everything else is Int-based, and he's only Int 6, so it's quite an uphill climb. You're far enough ahead that he'll never catch up, even though he gains Int at every odd level.
(Interesting effect. If a wizard advanced in Craft at every level, his toad would have a net +9 to crafting rolls at 9th level. This means the toad could, by RAW, take 10 on the craft roll and reliably forge, for example, full plate armor. It would take him 42 weeks to complete a suit, but, TOAD-FORGED ARMOR!)
Pure RAW, barding is twice as expensive as armor. Toads are "Tiny or smaller", and so pay half price for armor (doubled and halved, it works out even), and the armor bonus is also half that for the larger creature. So half plate, costing 600 gp, would give +4 AC. Unless, of course, not being a mount, he just pays the half price, no doubling for barding, but it's still 300 GP for +4. And, of course, the armor would be way too heavy for him to move in at Str 1.
Pure RAW, magical clothing and jewelry will resize to fit wearers, so, theoretically, you can deck your toad out with rings, amulets, cloaks, headbands, gloves, boots, and the like. Of course, they've also got official weights that don't say they change with size.
Pure RAW, magical clothing and jewelry will resize to fit wearers, so, theoretically, you can deck your toad out with rings, amulets, cloaks, headbands, gloves, boots, and the like. Of course, they've also got official weights that don't say they change with size.
Sings, "Froggy went a-courtin' and he did ride/sword and pistol by his side....mmm-hmm...."
Go to Alkenstar and get them to pimp out your toad with a pistol. It's completely period appropriate, at least if folk songs are to be judged by.
Who doesn't want a toad with a gun?
(...)-- It's very very slow (...)
I can only say one thing that came to mind:
Launching Crossbow! (Pf AA)
It's exotic but the -4 won't be that bad just to get it behind the enemy lines!
(...)-- It's very very slow (...)I can only say one thing that came to mind:
Launching Crossbow! (Pf AA)
It's exotic but the -4 won't be that bad just to get it behind the enemy lines!
o_O Who cruel! Who.. hmmm, Pf AA you say? :)
...another idea would be to use the Decanter of Endless water:
Bung decanter with toad. Activate command word. *Thunk* Aqua-amphibious mortar!
::
Thank you all for you thoughts, ranging from the helpful to the deliciously delirious!
I have learnt:
-- A Toad Familiar makes a good extra pair of eyes/spotter.
(Regarding 'How will the Toad communicate with you at 1st level: [i]Simple - If there's danger it soils itself, else it sounds-off a croak every couple of seconds, croaking quicker as detected enemies draw closer - like that motion detector in that mockumentary 'Alien'.
-- Toads can benefit from bling. Let's go shopping!
-- Toads are projectile weapons.
-- Toads are made of win.
::
Thanks all once again - happy hopping!
.
..
...
....
.....
and you can train it to steal from the locals, no one suspects the toad!
>.><.<
! Fiend! Such behviour would surely violate the Toad's Code of Pond, reducing it to a lowly Newt!
Why would you suggest such madness?
WHY!?
.
..
...
....
.....
my alignment is evil...
That's not excuse for naughtiness!