I have a raven familiar. I know the "wand weilding familiar" debate, but that's not what this thread is about.
I have a Muleback chord (+8 Str for carrying purposes only), so it has a decent strength for carrying stuff.
Any thoughts on how I can use my raven offensively other than wand weilding?
Strap a tiny siren to its legs. Tie a string around flasks of alchemist's fire that it can grasp with its talons. Name him Stuka.
Strap a tiny siren to its legs. Tie a string around flasks of alchemist's fire that it can grasp with its talons. Name him Stuka.
Love it.
Strap a tiny siren to its legs. Tie a string around flasks of alchemist's fire that it can grasp with its talons. Name him Stuka.
Sounds like an Anime reference with which I am unfamiliar.
Launch him from a sling?
Sounds like an Anime reference with which I am unfamiliar.
Not Anime, but history. WWII Dive Bomber "Stuka"
This aircraft had a siren (the "Jericho Trumpet") fixed to the landing gear to produce the characteristic screaming dive so as to frighten the enemy as well as drop the bomb.
Edit: spelling.
Any thoughts on how I can use my raven offensively other than wand weilding?
Depends on what you mean by "offense". If offense is "scouting out an enemy camp so we know the least guarded section", then that's easy to do. If you mean, "fire mah lazers and kill bad guys", eh, good luck with that. One volley of arrows or magic missiles will probably end the raven. Is it really worth wasting all that utility for an attack that probably isn't *that* helpful? And even if the attack were powerful (via spells like the shape spells), you'd typically have to invest in spells to keep the familiar alive.
The primary use of a familiar is utility. Utility used in the right context *is* offense.
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Well the obvious use is as a bomber. Alchemist fire, acid, smokesticks if you rig an impact fuse et multiple cetera. But the real use is as a scout and saboteur. Cast comprehend Languages on the birdie and have it hang out in the enemy camp. Send some vials of ingested poison with it to add to the enemies’ soup or drip onto their rations.
Even without any gear/spells it could frighten horses/pack animals. It might be able to untie knots with its beak. RL ravens can. Poof now the horses are running free, the tents are falling down and rain has gotten to the food stores as there is a strange hole in the tent roof. It can carry messages in its head and provide near real time battlefield intell by overflying enemy positions
Thinking further outside the box the bird could carry a rot grub and drop in into the commanders bed. Steal small items from troopers gear and plant them in other troopers gear. If an orc finds his bauble in another orc's gear will they think a bird stole it or will they try to kill each other? Done carefully enough the bird could promote factionalism and even mutiny
Any thoughts on how I can use my raven offensively other than wand weilding?Depends on what you mean by "offense". If offense is "scouting out an enemy camp so we know the least guarded section", then that's easy to do. If you mean, "fire mah lazers and kill bad guys", eh, good luck with that. One volley of arrows or magic missiles will probably end the raven. Is it really worth wasting all that utility for an attack that probably isn't *that* helpful? And even if the attack were powerful (via spells like the shape spells), you'd typically have to invest in spells to keep the familiar alive.
The primary use of a familiar is utility. Utility used in the right context *is* offense.
Offense is the act of attacking or assualting. Eye lazers are covered under this, Scouting is not.
The best/cheapest method I can come up with is having the familiar drop "bombs" like alchemists fire or something. I was hoping the community had some idea I hadn't thought of.
The spell Burning Gaze comes in handy for this. Its range is personal, so you can cast it on your familiar, and then it can ride around on your head.
The most dangerous hat.
... I don't know why I never thought of this. This is AMAZING.
Extra D6 fire damage every round doesnt suck. Plus if the familiar has an item of this it can wreak firey havoc on the enemies encampment at night.
A Raven carries a slew of Medium Lasers and either a SRM6 or a Narc Launcher already...
That was awesome...
On the offensive familiar front, how about using a delayed blast fireball, drops the bead onto the enemies... bit higher level, sure. But it certainly is offensive :).
it's actually for my summoner via the arcane bloodline. My spells are limited. I think I'll go with the dropping stuff thing, as best I can.
I have another character who is an Arcane Trickster with a monkey familiar. Will use some of these tactics.
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it's actually for my summoner via the arcane bloodline. My spells are limited. I think I'll go with the dropping stuff thing, as best I can.
I have another character who is an Arcane Trickster with a monkey familiar. Will use some of these tactics.
i'm about to run a life oracle with a thrust familiar via arcane bloodline feat and am looking at some of this too
For some reason the title of this thread make me think of the Implant Bomb feat.
The spell Burning Gaze comes in handy for this. Its range is personal, so you can cast it on your familiar, and then it can ride around on your head.
The most dangerous hat.
My turn for a pop culture reference!
Killer Hat.
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Have him drop propaganda leaflets written in Explosive Runes.
You know your raven is probably intelligent enough to realize you are selfishly sending him on a death mission, and is likely to go denounce your dirty secrets to the local good archpriest for this ?
What death mission? Minus the references to making him a suicide bomber, no one has made anything a death mission. Giving him offensive capability is hardly making it easier to kill him.
I have a raven familiar. I know the "wand weilding familiar" debate, but that's not what this thread is about.
I have a Muleback chord (+8 Str for carrying purposes only), so it has a decent strength for carrying stuff.
Any thoughts on how I can use my raven offensively other than wand weilding?
Is the raven intelligent enough and dextrous enough to light the fuse of a grenade? Because there are grenades on the Goods & Services page...
Other than that, if it's able to carry & drop a lead ball, that can inflict fall damage; but you only have one shot really...
You could use it as a defensive weapon; have it flying around you with an Aid Another set as a triggered action if an attack comes your way.
D&D 3.5 had an ability where familiars could deliver touch attacks. I don't remember exactly how it worked, but imagine this:
Night time. A lone sentry mans the guard tower over looking the pass leading to the bandits' lair. A gong on the platform near him. From the shadows alights a raven, landing on the shoulder of the bandit. The talons contact the guard and discharge the 'Ghoul Touch' spell readied by the familiar's wizard. The now paralyzed sentry never got near that alarm.
I would only use something like this stealthily, much like a sneak attack and not the main frontal charge.
Also, I'll second the "drop alchemical bombs" idea.
D&D 3.5 had an ability where familiars could deliver touch attacks.
Familiars still gain the capability to deliver touch attacks when the 'master' hits level 3.
The spell Burning Gaze comes in handy for this. Its range is personal, so you can cast it on your familiar, and then it can ride around on your head.
The most dangerous hat.
This is a great use for that spell. Thanks!
(And it's pretty close to eye lasers.)
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The spell Burning Gaze comes in handy for this. Its range is personal, so you can cast it on your familiar, and then it can ride around on your head.
The most dangerous hat.
This is a great use for that spell. Thanks!
(And it's pretty close to eye lasers.)
Reminds me of this.
(The link is work safe, but the website as a whole can be iffy. You're all been warned, and moderators please remove if I'm violating something.)
Create Spell: Vorpal Raven (Make sure it's reversible. You never know.)
Take Weapon Feats in throwing. Lots of them.
Flip that bird right at them.
And as a nod to LazarX:
"Maybe we should take a stand. Maybe we should say this is the one thing that must not be used for evil."
Giving him offensive capability is hardly making it easier to kill him.
Well guess you could argue about that.
If he has no offensive use whatsoever, what will you do? Most likely one of two things: a) keep him on your person at all time where he's save from attacks or b) send him up high in the air when trouble starts so he's save from attacks.Now he has offensive use. Chances are you are at least sometimes going to use him for that. I mean otherwise you'd not have researched this. Now he's not save from attacks anymore. Aka, easier to kill.
Giving him offensive capability is hardly making it easier to kill him.
It doesn't make him easier to kill, but it makes him a more prominent target.
Have him drop propaganda leaflets written in Explosive Runes.
I like this. Of course innocent NPC children (and stupid PCs) may pick them up accidentally, but that's just collateral damage. You could call them Cluster leaflets...
They have no cost, last indefinitely (until used), and can be created from 5th level. Something to do on those long voyages perhaps?
For some reason the title of this thread make me think of the Implant Bomb feat.
hehe. You are Evil.
Create Spell: Vorpal Raven (Make sure it's reversible. You never know.)
Take Weapon Feats in throwing. Lots of them.
Flip that bird right at them.
And as a nod to LazarX:
"Maybe we should take a stand. Maybe we should say this is the one thing that must not be used for evil."
Why not? There is 'Magic Fang' and 'Greater Magic Fang.' Why has there not been spells such as 'Keen Fang?' And if you get a sufficent caster level why not go for fiery burst and so on?
Take the raven, tie it to a hook and use it as bait to catch a shark, attach a laser to the shark's head.
OR
Wand for on a talon, ring of spell storing, Burning gaze for the eyes. But mainly: Shrink Item a bunch of boulders or alchemical siege shot.
However summoners do have something that no one else does...
A summoner level, which means taking the evolved familiar feat can land you a large familiar.
My wife is currently running a summoner I helped her with that has a cat like eidolon and a dweomercat cub familiar (that she got through the eldritch heritage feats and the improved familiar feat) that both currently wreck havoc on things (to large pouncing cats are nasty -- especially when you can get one to return to your side simply by casting a spell on it).
Though we may be stretching the intent of the evolved familiar feat a bit.
That was my thought. And unless you also boost him defensively, he ain't gonna last long.Giving him offensive capability is hardly making it easier to kill him.It doesn't make him easier to kill, but it makes him a more prominent target.
Ideally he'll be flying above and far away. Though There are already a lot of spells to make him more defensive. Basically anything that the caster could cast on themselves.
However summoners do have something that no one else does...
A summoner level, which means taking the evolved familiar feat can land you a large familiar.
My wife is currently running a summoner I helped her with that has a cat like eidolon and a dweomercat cub familiar (that she got through the eldritch heritage feats and the improved familiar feat) that both currently wreck havoc on things (to large pouncing cats are nasty -- especially when you can get one to return to your side simply by casting a spell on it).
Though we may be stretching the intent of the evolved familiar feat a bit.
The feat says it has to from the list of 1-point evolutions, so yeah :P
3.5 Libris Mortis has rules for stitched flesh familiars (like a flesh golem, but an animal, and undead instead of a construct). This being undead, I see no issues about using implant bomb and making it a suicide bomber. It's basically a zombie, after all.
Have you considered using an underside missile launcher with extra-dimensional space for reloads?
You mean the shrink item alchemical siege shot I mentioned earlier?
Aura of justice. Who expects a puny scavenger bird to attack, much less do anything with that pathetic peck of its?