"Hit Dice: For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the master's character level or the familiar's normal HD total, whichever is higher."
So is gaining feats an effect of hit dice?
No.
Correction: No, but I wish.
Nope, that line is mainly to protect the familiar against spell-effects that are HD dependent. Things like sleep, color spray, and holy word have effects based on HD. So your 10th level wizard doesn't have to worry about his raven familiar plummeting out of the sky to its death because of a 1st level spell.
Would it be game-breaking to allow familiars to get feats based on hit dice?
Welll, in our rise of the runelord game my rogue has a brownie familiar. Skill focus UMD would (because shes treated as having 10 ranks of umd due to my rogue) would give her +6 to umd.
Really depending on the familiar it would be hugely powerful.
There is a witch archtype that allows you to do this however.
It give the already powerful wizard another NPC. I am sure problems could be created if it were allowed. The wizard is versatile enough. If he has a companion taking care of things for him that is just less stuff he has to focus on, which makes him even stronger as a class.
There is no reason you couldn't switch out the base feats/skill ranks that it gets from its first hit die.
A hawk familiar, for example, could take Skill Focus (perception) rather than Weapon Finesse.
But that's not the same thing as getting extra feats and skill ranks from its "virtual" hit dice.
So what is the point of a familiar? In 1e the idea was a pet/scout. As editions stacked up these things became more and more passe; formalized skills to replace their perceptive abilities, kits and later PrC's and feats to make thieves more viable at low levels, and finally in 3x and PF you have animal companions, certain feats and summoners' eidolons to completely remove all use of these things.
In many threads people have made the comments that playing a wizard that keeps spells and items handy for enhancing their familiars are not feasible citing huge resource expenditures for not a lot of payoff.
In a few threads I've posted on the subject of familiars I've been told: 1) they can't have class levels despite the fact that a worg (magical beast/Int 8) can be trained in levels of barbarian or warrior because of their unique advancement, 2) as is stated in this thread they don't earn any additional feats, and 3) the very first ability of Empathy is vague and only an emotional reaction so not worthwhile as a scout: your cat moves ahead then transmits fear about the way ahead, but only because it smelled the scent of a bunch of rats, and nothing to do with the fact that there's a door w/a demon head carved on it waiting to breathe poison on you all.
So I ask again...what is the point? I'm HONESTLY asking because I'm convinced there's got to be a way to make them relevant and worthwhile, not just flavor. I personally like giving my wizards a familiar and try to use them often but I've had some pretty vindictive GM's who've decided "your guy is too powerful; it must have something to do with that owl/scout you have and nothing to do with the minute meteor signature spell gauntlets I let you have...IT DIES TONIGHT!" Please respond if nothing else just to convince me I'm not crazy!
So what are they for? Rogues beat them nowadays as scouts, you spend a ton of resources for not a lot of payoff making them viable combatants plus if you wanted that take a dip into druid for an animal companion, and they can't perform half the skills you have since they don't have hands, so they can't help you craft/use magic items other than wearing something. So...why does the game offer familiars as an option?
I'm honestly asking. I love the flavor of them and have tried to conceive many ways to make them worthwhile. If someone has an answer please share it so I know I'm not crazy.
So what are they for? Rogues beat them nowadays as scouts, you spend a ton of resources for not a lot of payoff making them viable combatants plus if you wanted that take a dip into druid for an animal companion, and they can't perform half the skills you have since they don't have hands, so they can't help you craft/use magic items other than wearing something. So...why does the game offer familiars as an option?
I'm honestly asking. I love the flavor of them and have tried to conceive many ways to make them worthwhile. If someone has an answer please share it so I know I'm not crazy.
weird; my first post didn't show, hence the 2nd shorter one; now I LOOK crazy too!
I use my familiar a cacodaemon to great effect during most runs. Telepathy fixes the speaking issue for early on and it makes a fantastic scout with constant invisibility. Commune is amazing. Deliver touch spells can be fantastically useful in the right situation. As you can see I'm a fan of the improved familiar feat. I chose him for pc reasons, while there are many better for most other set ups.
Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
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I use my witch's fox familiar to:
And that's just off the top of my head.
On that note for the reg familiars an orc party is much more likely to chase a spotted rogue than a fox.
But non-improved familiars, the kind you start out with first? I'm first level and I have an owl. Owls are extremely wise; I wanted to give him a level of Inquisitor but that's a negatory good buddy. Right now I've relegated him to the following; backup scout (if needed), guard duty at night and giving him Ant Haul at the beginning of a dungeon off a scroll. My character is a smallish wizard with not much gear; with the spell on him my owl can carry me as medium encumberance. He's lifted me up to a high ledge for cover in a fight scene and carried me across a chasm.
But really? A Tiny owl relegated to glorified levitation? I don't want to lose the animal for character flavor but the only other useful thing I can think of is delivering touch attacks (since it's Tiny I'll either have to constantly enlarge it to Small or suffer attacks of opportunity every time he attacks for entering an enemy's square) or to sit on my shoulder and use my Knowledge skills in case I miss one for monster lore.
If familiars could take class levels then it would add quite a bit more power to every class that could acquire one and then unbalance the class roles further.
You seem to have a pretty good grasp on what a reg familiar does. It gives you a very good spy and aids you in your rolls. For its cost I'm inclined to think they are very effective.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
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But non-improved familiars, the kind you start out with first? I'm first level and I have an owl. Owls are extremely wise; I wanted to give him a level of Inquisitor but that's a negatory good buddy. Right now I've relegated him to the following; backup scout (if needed), guard duty at night and giving him Ant Haul at the beginning of a dungeon off a scroll. My character is a smallish wizard with not much gear; with the spell on him my owl can carry me as medium encumberance. He's lifted me up to a high ledge for cover in a fight scene and carried me across a chasm.
But really? A Tiny owl relegated to glorified levitation? I don't want to lose the animal for character flavor but the only other useful thing I can think of is delivering touch attacks (since it's Tiny I'll either have to constantly enlarge it to Small or suffer attacks of opportunity every time he attacks for entering an enemy's square) or to sit on my shoulder and use my Knowledge skills in case I miss one for monster lore.
Familiars aren't meant to be combat buddies. That's what animal companions are for.
Don't forget that your Owl is giving you Alertness for free, plus another +3 to Perception on top of that, which is basically two feats worth of bonuses.
It seems to me like your Owl has been incredibly useful so far, just not in the way you were expecting him to be useful. I can understand that frustration. If you're not having fun with the familiar, absolutely ask your GM if you can switch to a bonded item.
Either that, or hold out for Improved Familiar at 7th level, and pick up something like the Nosoi Psychopomp (which I suggest because it's sort of owl-like, to fit with your theme).
I cast shapechange onto my familiar, have him turn into a dragon, and fly me around the world. Together we watch our enemies burn beneath us.
Absolutely they can, as can anything with a 3+ intelligence score. Paizo has even published a Worg Barbarian in the NPC Guide.
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Contributor, RPG Superstar 2010 Top 8
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I know this is off topic but, how can Worg's be barbarians or fighters? I'm curious on the location of that rule.
Right Here, in the Monster Advancement rules section.
