|
| 8 people marked this as FAQ candidate. 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I have had some difficulty understanding the alignment restrictions for the Improved Familiar feat. I understand that some require a specific alignment, but the way I read it is that the spellcaster could be one step away on EACH AXIS. That means, as a LN caster I could take a Pseudodragon familiar,righ?
LN would be two steps from NG. For a pseudodragon the caster must be LG, NG, CG, or true neutral. LN would mean one step towards lawful then one step towards neutral; the steps cannot be diagonal.
Here's the alignment chart:
LG - NG - CG
LN - NN - CN
LE - NE - CE
|
LN would be two steps from NG. For a pseudodragon the caster must be LG, NG, CG, or true neutral. LN would mean one step towards lawful then one step towards neutral; the steps cannot be diagonal.
Here's the alignment chart:
LG - NG - CG
LN - NN - CN
LE - NE - CE
Um... but LN to NG is still one step on EACH axis: From Lawful to Neutral on the L-N-C axis, and from Neutral to Good on the G-N-E axis.
TWO steps would be from CN to NN to LN.
From NN to CG is one step in the Chaotic direction and one step in the Good direction.
So, the adjacent diagonal is exactly one step in each direction, which WOULD allow a NG Pseudo Dragon to be a Familiar to a LN Wizard.
Per the SRD regarding Alignment Steps:
Occasionally the rules refer to “steps” when dealing with alignment. In this case, “steps” refers to the number of alignment shifts between the two alignments, as shown on the following diagram. Note that diagonal “steps” count as two steps. For example, a lawful neutral character is one step away from a lawful good alignment, and three steps away from a chaotic evil alignment.
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/alignment-description/additional-rules
| 1 person marked this as FAQ candidate. |
Just quote the Feat Already... Improved Familiar "...Benefit: When choosing a familiar, the creatures listed below are also available to you. You may choose a familiar with an alignment up to one step away on each alignment axis (lawful through chaotic, good through evil)."
So yes, a Lawful Neutral Character can have a Neutral Good Familiar, as that is one set on each axis.
Um... but LN to NG is still one step on EACH axis: From Lawful to Neutral on the L-N-C axis, and from Neutral to Good on the G-N-E axis.
TWO steps would be from CN to NN to LN.
From NN to CG is one step in the Chaotic direction and one step in the Good direction.
So, the adjacent diagonal is exactly one step in each direction, which WOULD allow a NG Pseudo Dragon to be a Familiar to a LN Wizard.
Just quote the Feat Already... Improved Familiar "...Benefit: When choosing a familiar, the creatures listed below are also available to you. You may choose a familiar with an alignment up to one step away on each alignment axis (lawful through chaotic, good through evil)."
So yes, a Lawful Neutral Character can have a Neutral Good Familiar, as that is one set on each axis.
The wording may be strange, but think of it like a chess/checkers board:
LG - NG - CG
LN - NN - CN
LE - NE - CE
Pseudodragons are NG by default. One step from NG towards neutral would be NN, one step from NG towards lawful would be LG, and one step towards chaotic would be CG. Moving from NG to LN requires two steps because two steps are required for diagonal movements.
If you have any doubts, mark a post as FAQ and we'll see what the developers say.