Familiar death...

[I have a question...]

I have a question...

what happens to the spell caster when his/her familiar dies?

[Bobson]

I have a question... wrote:

I have a question...

what happens to the spell caster when his/her familiar dies?

He pays 200gp per level.

[url=http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/wizard#TOC-Familiars wrote:

Familiars[/url]]If a familiar is lost or dies, it can be replaced 1 week later through a specialized ritual that costs 200 gp per wizard level. The ritual takes 8 hours to complete.

[wesF]

I just learned that the wiz no longer takes damage when the familiar dies. That's a change from 3.5.

The wizard collects his familiars little body and puts it in a shoebox. The wizard and his friends have a very somber funeral over the shoebox and bury it in the backyard.

Or in the case of the monkey familiar they launch him into space.

[Abraham spalding]

Depends on class -- witch's lose more than wizards do.

[Mahorfeus]

When paying for the new familiar, who is being paid? Does the gold just magically vanish from your pockets? Same question for material spells with costly components and whatnot.

[Thefurmonger]

All in all the change is nice, but can get REALLY expensive, REALLY fast.

5th level shelling out an extra 1k in gold sucks.... Especialy after the 600 at 3rd....

[Thefurmonger]

Mahorfeus wrote:

When paying for the new familiar, who is being paid? Does the gold just magically vanish from your pockets? Same question for material spells with costly components and whatnot.

We do it that you use up magic..... um, Stuff? worth that much.

So you burn some really expensive incense and "Poof" a Monkey comes and says "Hey"

For my Raven I had to buy 1000Gp worth of Birdseed. (Not standard Birdseed mind you, like birdseed taken from seeds from heaven, and dried and toasted by 100 virgins, apperently you get some sweet birdseed for 1k)

[Greg Wasson]

Hey? can you help me out? I'm lookin to score some of that seed.

Greg

[Thefurmonger]

Greg Wasson wrote:

Hey? can you help me out? I'm lookin to score some of that seed.

Greg

^Awsome

[Devastation Bob]

Ok, i understand dies, but what about lost? And in the case of the improved familiar feat, do you just give your old familiar a pink slip? Seems kinda harsh.

[Josh M Foster]

Life for a familiar is really rough in Golorian. You can work 24/7, give your master Alertness, empathically warn him of danger, deliver his touch spells, and serve faithfully throughtout countless danger. You risk life and limb, then one day he sends you packing to pick up some imp half your age.

It's unfair, but it happens everyday... stupid jerk wizards have no consideration for the feelings of others. They don't care who gets hurt.

Clearly familiars need to unionize. It's the only way to stop this abuse!

[Thefurmonger]

Devastation Bob wrote:

Ok, i understand dies, but what about lost? And in the case of the improved familiar feat, do you just give your old familiar a pink slip? Seems kinda harsh.

What do you mean "Lost" like he just can't find you? as far as I know you just have a smart toad looking for you or a raven asking people for directions.

As for Improved... yeah more or less you fire your old one. As far as I know by the book (no I don't remember what book, 3.0-3.5 I think) the old famillier goes back to being just a normal animal.

One of my old GMs had the familier keep it's Int after I replaced him and from then on we (the party) had a new contact to talk to from time to time. Made me REALLY glad I had been nice to him for the last 8 levels.

[wesF]

Devastation Bob wrote:

Ok, i understand dies, but what about lost? And in the case of the improved familiar feat, do you just give your old familiar a pink slip? Seems kinda harsh.

Once They're dismissed they loose their Int. So they're just animals again. Ignorance is Bliss.

[Kalyth]

wesF wrote:

Devastation Bob wrote:

Ok, i understand dies, but what about lost? And in the case of the improved familiar feat, do you just give your old familiar a pink slip? Seems kinda harsh.

Once They're dismissed they loose their Int. So they're just animals again. Ignorance is Bliss.

The actually go to the island of neglected familiars. Here they secretly build clockwork-wizards to serve them and are forming some diabolical plan to gain control of wizards familiars on a global scale. From that point they plan to control the world.

The Brain (and sadly Pinky) are two examples of discarded familiars.

[LazarX]

Devastation Bob wrote:

Ok, i understand dies, but what about lost? And in the case of the improved familiar feat, do you just give your old familiar a pink slip? Seems kinda harsh.

I favor the pokemon evolution route myself :) Watch Fluffy the cat grow claws, wings, and a neat little sting!

[Thefurmonger]

Kalyth wrote:

The Brain (and sadly Pinky) are two examples of discarded familiars.

Oh man, do I have a new BBEG for the next campaign I run.

Thank you sir.

[ChrisO]

Alorha wrote:

Clearly familiars need to unionize. It's the only way to stop this abuse!

Have you read China Mieville's "Kraken"? If not, you clearly need to. Familiars have a union *and* go on strike! Hehehe...

[Bobson]

Devastation Bob wrote:

Ok, i understand dies, but what about lost? And in the case of the improved familiar feat, do you just give your old familiar a pink slip? Seems kinda harsh.

(Spoilered for mildly disturbing imagery):

Not as harsh as being ritually murdered by your best friend/master and your blood used to seal the binding to your replacement, which would probably be what would happen if the wizard could only replace you after you died.

It'd pretty much become an evil act to replace your familiar.

Good thing they can be dismissed without penalty!

[Thefurmonger]

I seem to remember some 3.? PRC that gave you (I think) an Imp as a familier, and (Again I think) the PRC actually said that the Imp came and ate your old one.

[Nymor]

Well, there's still something going that way in Bestiary II ;)

Spoiler:

"Chaotic evil spellcasters of caster level 7th who have the Improved Familiar feat can gain a cythnigot as a familiar—to
do so, the spellcaster must already have a Tiny animal as a familiar.
Infusing this familiar with the spores results in a cythnigot that is a loyal, if rather disgusting, minion of the spellcaster."

[Kalyth]

Bobson wrote:

Devastation Bob wrote:

Ok, i understand dies, but what about lost? And in the case of the improved familiar feat, do you just give your old familiar a pink slip? Seems kinda harsh.

** spoiler omitted **Good thing they can be dismissed without penalty!

Doh, didnt copy the spoiler text. My forum-fu is weak.

I dont think it would necessarily be an evil act to sacrifice a familiar. Ritual sacrifice is a large part of alot of religions. If one views the familiar not as a sentiant creature but as a animal serving as a vessel for a sentiance, then really its not really all that evil. It can even be views as a cycle of change. For one thing to be "born" something else must "die".

Distasteful? Sure. Evil? Not really.

[Devastation Bob]

Where are the familiar dismissal rules?