I'm wondering what fun could be had with a Beast-Bonded Archetype Witch? Even with using Improved Familiar to get a more interesting familiar, I'm at a loss to how giving a Familiar feats could be more fun or helpful than using those feats yourself.
(All I can think of is that with the new feat Evolved Familiar you could combine Magical Aptitude, Skill Focus (UMD), and the 1-point evolution Skilled (UMD) for an obscenely high UMD skill.)
Perhaps it does something special combined with the new spell Familiar Melding?
Any ideas?
Part of of my problem might be having very few ideas about how to use a normal familiar well. So of course I also have few ideas about how to use a better familiar well.
In 3.5, I played a character that used her familiar as part of a disguise. She was well-known among the wrong circles as a Rainbow Servant, so she re-invented herself as pair of sisters, one (her) that could be seen casting arcane magics, the other (her familiar under polymorph) that could deliver all of the divine touch spells. The hardest part of getting that to work was the feats for proficiencies. Something like this would have been a godsend; I ended up having to use some 3rd party piece of cheese.
In 3.5, I played a character that used her familiar as part of a disguise.
Perhaps the silliest thing I have thought to do with an Outsider kind of Improved Familiar is combine the standard familiar "Share Spells" ability with a Ring of Chameleon Power. Ta da! Use the Disguise Self spell on the familiar at will to make it look like any Outsider (since Disguise Self can change creature subtype but not creature type).
(Doing this with a normal familiar would also work, but a little Outsider seems sillier than a little Magical Beast.)
Moreover, it alters size by up to a foot. Tiny creatures are at least one foot long/tall. So a 1' 1" familiar could be "hidden" by being made to look only 1" tall.
In non-combat situations I use familiars for skill and role playing. Turn it in a human with alter self when in town. And keep it safe in dungeons and dangerous locations.
If I fail, for example, a Knowledge check, there's a probability for my familiar to know it. Or some other things.. Sense motive. Appraise.
Well, not so many things <<" But he can do every skill check with my ranks, so he can be useful.
Oh, Spellcraft too, yay.
Anyway I like familiars and when I can choose to get it or not.. I'll get it.
I like the Beast bonded archetype, but I can't see really cool things to do with Transfer Feats. I prefer have my feats for me.
Fox familiar forever~
(A familiar in human form can speak..? I always wonder. In my games we say yes, but maybe we're wrong.)
The best part of witches having familiars is that they can deliver touch spells. Congrats, you have targeted ranged heals at third level. Giving such a familiar Mobility seems like a good investment.
A familiar delivering targeted ranged heals.. I like it, but I would never do it. Intelligent monsters would kill it easily.
And a witch without familiar is meat for monsters..
Aw, familiars are fantastic but weak.
Doh, just saw that they don't get Invisibility on their list. I miss playing my familiared bard....
The best part of witches having familiars is that they can deliver touch spells. Congrats, you have targeted ranged heals at third level. Giving such a familiar Mobility seems like a good investment.
There is a better option for flying familiars. The monster feat Flyby Attack has no prerequisites.
A familiar delivering targeted ranged heals.. I like it, but I would never do it. Intelligent monsters would kill it easily.
And a witch without familiar is meat for monsters..Aw, familiars are fantastic but weak.
Well, the Inevitable is squishy but regenerates, so it will come back unless hit by something chaotic. So the Lawful Neutral Witches could do targeted ranged heals fairly safely.
The best part of witches having familiars is that they can deliver touch spells. Congrats, you have targeted ranged heals at third level. Giving such a familiar Mobility seems like a good investment.There is a better option for flying familiars. The monster feat Flyby Attack has no prerequisites.
But it doesn't actually protect against AoO. And delivering a touch heal spell is a free action, so you really don't need flyby.
But it doesn't actually protect against AoO. And delivering a touch heal spell is a free action, so you really don't need flyby.
Delivering a touch can be a free action? I thought all touches were standard actions.
I imagined the witch-healer standing safely behind the allied melee combatants. Each turn the familiar would receive a healing spell from the witch, fly to an ally and deliver the healing, then fly back to be ready for the next round and safely away from combat. Since the familiar never goes adjacent to an enemy, then AoOs do not matter.
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Casters get a free touch attack with touch spells, I thought.
Also, unless I missed some rule that will break this build, my Beastbonded Warlock with pig familiar gives both his starting feats to his familiar. Those feats become "Armour Prof. (Light) and (Medium).
Pig Knight (with Shocking Grasp touch attacks at 3rd level [thanks, elements patron]!) Bacon jokes abound!
They're free actions in the turn they're cast, which means it can happen between two move actions, or even during one move action, which would leave the familiar time to aid another on its turn.