Improved familiar: My stupid fairy dragon

[Erikkerik]

So my 8th level withc will pick up improved familiar next level and I have finally landed on the fairy dragon. It's intelligence in the bestiary is 16, but according to the rules for familiars it should be 9. So is my fairy dragon a very stupid one of its kind or am I missing something? RAW it really seems its intelligence should be 9, but it doesnt feal right.

Also: the fairy dragon is a 3rd level sorc. Should it always come with the spells in the bestiary or could it come with others?

I guess both of these are GMs call, but hearing some opinions (and perhaps some har rules if available) would be nice.

Thanks.

[Mergy]

Technically it would seem he is the beauty school drop-out of faerie dragons.

[Tiny Coffee Golem]

I'd let the player go with whichever was higher. Making it stupider isn't exactly a good enticement to be a familiar.

[Lincoln Hills]

I'm fairly sure that the RaI is that a familiar should have either the base creature's intelligence or that listed in the familiar table, whichever is higher. But I doubt that it was specified in the RaW.

As for spell selection - that'll be the GM's call. He'll probably stick with those listed in the base monster stats - or he might make up the list himself. Since the fairy dragon was an independent NPC before becoming your familiar, the odds are you won't be able to choose its spells. I hope your GM is merciful; otherwise your familiar's spell list might end up with animate rope, detect undead and hold portal. Each handy in their appointed hour, but not exactly the sort of selections you'd make for a sorceror's main arsenal. ;)

[Enlight_Bystand]

Huh. Never noticed that before. Int probably should be one of the exceptions in Improved Familiar. Certainly I'd never force a PC's familiar to be dumber than stated.

[Mergy]

Unfortunately, the RAW is clear, but I'm pretty convinced that it shouldn't be that way; any non-PFS game should be encouraged to houserule allowing the higher of the two stats to take precedence.

As for spells, there's really no answer, so talk to the GM and maybe he'll let you pick some or all of its spells. The spell list it comes with in the bestiary is pretty nice, in any case. Sleep is the only one I'd change, personally, as you're likely to be fresh out of 4HD foes by the time you pick up your improved familiar.

[LazarX]

The standard rules are intended to raise the Intelligence of standard animals which is generally 1 or 2 to something on the sentient level, not perform a lobotomy on special familliars.

Your faerie dragon remains at it's stock Bestiary specs.

[wraithstrike]

I think the RAI would be to not make the monster less intelligent, but there is no rules support for it. I would FAQ it since this question has come up before.

In a home game I would allow the higher intelligence, but in a PFS game the lower one is what I would enforce.

[Erikkerik]

Mergy wrote:

The spell list it comes with in the bestiary is pretty nice, in any case. Sleep is the only one I'd change, personally, as you're likely to be fresh out of 4HD foes by the time you pick up your improved familiar.

Yeah I agree, sleep is the only spell I'd want to change. Man, the fairy dragon is an awsome familiar, I can't wait to get it. Asking to change the 1 useless spell would probably be pushing the envelope ;)

Anyway, thanks for your inputs all.