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The point of familiar-fu is that as a wizard/bard/sorcerer, you're usually pretty squishy and don't have a very high attack bonus. However, your voidworm familiar has size bonuses to AC and attack, as well as weapon finesse. As you level up, he uses your BAB and base saves. So for delivering a touch spell, for example, your familiar is both quicker (50 ft. fly speed) and probably has a higher attack bonus. Putting him into melee range isn't as dangerous as going in yourself, because he can easily fly out of it.
As to optimizing your familiar:
-Casting buff spells on him will be a huge help for you. You can cast mage armor and shield on him to up his AC, cast invisibility (preferably greater) so he can get into melee range without taking attacks of opportunity, and casting bear's endurance or false life to up his hit points. If you cast haste or another multiple-target spell, make sure you include your familiar as one of the targets.
-If your GM is reasonable, he should allow your familiar to use magic items (a voidworm could wear a few rings on his body, for example, or have a tiny belt of dexterity). If you're going to buy or craft a combat-oriented item, try buying it for your familiar instead of yourself.
-Your familiar has improved evasion and good dexterity, so don't worry too much about casting area of effect spells while he is in the area.
-If you cast invisibility on yourself (not greater invisibility) and use deliver touch spells, you aren't technically attacking. Thus you can use your familiar to help you stay invisible longer, even while doing damage to the enemy.
-As a shapechanger, your voidworm has the potential to do a lot of sneaking. Using share senses or (at higher levels) scry on familiar, you can easily gather information. Or you can just let him tell you what he sees.
Hope this helps!
I've heard that Wizards can get a lot of mileage out of a familiar if they know what they're doing. I've tried to figure it out, and I've done google searches, but I haven't been able to figure out what's so incredibly useful about them. Best use of my familiar (a Voidworm) thus far has been having him squeeze through a keyhole and utilizing Share Senses to figure out what was on the other side.
Well you've discovered the first and most obvious use of the familiar. They make excellent scouts. Rats, Bats, Cats, and dogs can get into many places and he senses they share with you can prove invaluable. Part of your problem in this case is that you chose a familiar without opposable thumbs.
Yes, opposable thumbs are amazing. It gives you a familiar who can pass you things, fetch things easily, throw tanglefoot bags, administer potions,give rude gestures, and anything else you can imagine using hands for.
Also having one with spell-like abilities as you do is a way to pop out more spells per turn. You get a free commune once per week plus a number of decent spell like abilities to toss out there.
The Familiars proximity also gives you two free feats, Skill Focus, Lightning Reflexes, Great Fortitude, or Iron Will and Alertness. In your case it;s just alertness but I'll sacrifice one of those others for everything you just gained.
LAstly it gives your touch spells a range of about a mile using your bab and it's probably better stats.
Your voidworm also has one ability you absolutely cannot over look. The ability to shapechange into tiny animals. Do you know what is tiny? A monkey. Do you know what a monkey has? Opposable thumbs.
So you have a shapechanging, spellcasting, critter that gives you free feats, flies, heals itself, detects law constantly, and can shape change into a monkey to make use of wands (because they use YOUR umd to use them) hurl poo or otherwise convince your GM that improved familiar is just plain broken.
Miles? Hell, you can get hundreds out of them.
Miles? Try light years -- TarkXT is just giving you the tip of the iceberg --
My Silvanshee has lay on hands based on its hit dice -- you know what it uses to determine effects based off of hit dice? That's right my caster level.
So at level 10 it has pounce, three natural attacks, and can use lay on hands 6 times a day for 5d6 each time. In addition it has a 90 ft fly speed, several supernatural powers and spell like abilities, can talk and use magical items, and use any skill I have at my ranks in it.
I know this is really old. and it's 3.5 but This has always helped me.
Miles? Try light years -- TarkXT is just giving you the tip of the iceberg --
My Silvanshee has lay on hands based on its hit dice -- you know what it uses to determine effects based off of hit dice? That's right my caster level.
So at level 10 it has pounce, three natural attacks, and can use lay on hands 6 times a day for 5d6 each time. In addition it has a 90 ft fly speed, several supernatural powers and spell like abilities, can talk and use magical items, and use any skill I have at my ranks in it.
How does your familiar have so many hit dice? Is there a feat I'm unaware of or class ability? I would really like one for a concept I'm working on.
My Silvanshee has lay on hands based on its hit dice -- you know what it uses to determine effects based off of hit dice? That's right my caster level.How does your familiar have so many hit dice? Is there a feat I'm unaware of or class ability? I would really like one for a concept I'm working on.
I am bolding the relevant sentence.
Although Abe slightly goofed, and the Familiar rules actually say ´character level´ determines effective HD for Familiars, which means non-Caster levels help (actually granting more HPs than Wizard levels) and no Caster Level buffs can boost this. To get a Silvanshee you will need Improved Familiar, but ALL Familiars use the same basic rules re: effective HD (it´s just that Improved Familiars are the only ones with special abilities tied to HD, as opposed to the basic animals).This is the very first thing under ´Familar Basics´ in the Familiar rules.
Familiars are the #1 benefit for Arcane Bloodline Sorcerors IMHO.
(metamagic is very nice, but doesn´t come into it´s own until the game is half-way over, while Familiars are great from Level 1)
Maguses should always pick up a Familiar.
Q: Is there a PRPG method for a Bard to get a Familiar?
And I will not reveal details, but there are some AMAZING spells that you can get off via your Familiar. (Touch/Personal)
Yes -- there are a few ways.
The Noble Scion feat from the old campaign settings gave you an imp familiar at later levels.
Also a few of the bard archetypes get access to a familiar.
Ah, I overlooked the Sea Singer archetype granted that, albeit only 2 basic animal choices...
Probably a bit too campy flavor-wise for me, so I didn`t really read the whole thing :-)
The first time I read Magician, I mis-read the Arcane Bond and thought you COULD gain a Familiar, but likewise for the Arcane Duelist, you have to select the Item Bond... :-( Perhaps a Feat to turn one`s Item Bond into an Animated Object/Inevitable Familiar?
Magician is still really strong IMHO, so I can`t really complain...
Ah, I overlooked the Sea Singer archetype granted that, albeit only 2 basic animal choices...
Probably a bit too campy flavor-wise for me, so I didn`t really read the whole thing :-)
The first time I read Magician, I mis-read the Arcane Bond and thought you COULD gain a Familiar, but likewise for the Arcane Duelist, you have to select the Item Bond... :-( Perhaps a Feat to turn one`s Item Bond into an Animated Object/Inevitable Familiar?
Magician is still really strong IMHO, so I can`t really complain...
Yeah I like the magician -- it's not over the top and can make for a really mean NPC, without making you feel like you're going to trounce your players unexpectedly.
I think I'm going to have to start stating up and putting up NPCs for people to use -- I'll be the first to admit my best talents lay in design, play and tactics, not narration.
A friend of mine and I used to run a joint campaign -- I did all the background work and ran encounters/dungeons he handled everything else.
It really worked well for us since we were so in sync on what we wanted and our strengths complemented each others so well.