I don't know if the rules are specific enough.
I lean towards yes, because the wording of storing spells under the familiar section of the Witch description keeps using the term "teach", "know" and "learn" when referring to the familiar itself. This suggests to me that if the consciousness of the familiar is transferred, the spells would be too.
However, there is nothing to mechanically support this beyond suggestive wording. Other wording says a familiar "stores" spells, but it doesn't say whether the spells are stored in the familiar's consciousness or somehow just stored in the body itself.
I like the idea though. The familiar represents a potential Achilles heel for the witch.
Yes, its the Achilles heel, and there's nothing that says you can't do anything against it, like ressurect the familiar or clone it. There's even Raise Animal Companion which includes Familiar in its list. (which actually implies that a normal Raise Dead would work too, alas alot more expensive)
I mean Wizards are allowed to make backups of their spellbooks for when they lose it, Witches have alot more issues when their spellbook dies.
I wonder if clones or simulacrum of a tumor familiar could be coupled with die for your master...
Okay, today I talked with my DM about it. We houseruled it, so it works for familiars and saves your spells.
I guess this is quite balanced, because clone has a 1000 gp material component and the familiar "gains" two negative levels.
If you have the spell cast by an NPC than it will cost about 2200 gp. Quite a price to save your spells.
Not really, when you think about what it costs to replace a familiar normally. 500 gp/witch level. So at level 5 its already more expensive, and then you lost all spells too.
As for the negative levels:
a) you could argue that a familiar is still first level, it never actually gains any levels. So it would get 2 Con drained, but a single Restoration spell will fix that.
b) Even if it gets the negative levels 2 Restoration spells will fix it too (alot more costly though)
So lets see what you need:
- Get 15th level NPC wizard to cast Clone: 2250 gp
- Get 7th level Cleric to cast Restoration twice: 1280*2 = 2560 gp
total: 4810
Not really that much for what it gets you really.
Of course you need to do this 2d4 months before your familiar dies :)
If you don't find the casters, the wizard might be especially problematic, you need to do it yourself.
Scroll of 8th level spells cost 3000gp, plus 1500 for material and focus.
Or... you find a 9th level Druid (or 13th level ranger or paladin)to cast Raise Animal Companion on your dead familiar, if you got its corpse still.
1400 or 1450 gp plus the 2 restorations.