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the witch class has guidelines for replacing a dead familiar.
but what happens when a witch takes the improved familiar feat?
for a dead familiar, she looses all spells known, gains two spells per spell level, and the bonus spells granted by the witch's patron.
but if the familiar didn't die, and was just dismissed or replaced with improved familiar, would the witch still lose all spells? or keep the ones she already had learned in her familiar?
From the APG, page 69:
A familiar is an animal chosen by a witch to aid her in her spellcasting and grant her special powers. This uses the same rules as the wizard’s arcane bond class feature (see pages 78 and 82 of the Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook), except as noted below.
From the Core Book, page 82:
If a familiar is dismissed, lost, or dies, it can be replaced 1 week later through a specialized ritual that costs 200 gp per wizard level. The ritual takes 8 hours to complete.
From the APG, page 69:
If a familiar is lost or dies, it can be replaced 1 day later through a special ritual that costs 500 gp per witch level. The ritual takes 8 hours to complete. A new familiar begins knowing all of the 0-level spells plus two spells of every level the witch is able to cast. These are in addition to any bonus spells known by the familiar based on the witch’s level and her patron (see patron spells).
The FAQ on Improved Familiar:
Sorcerer/Wizard: Can I dismiss my familiar so I may select a new familiar?
This isn't addressed in the rules anywhere, but yes, you should be able to dismiss a familiar if you want to select a new one. However, you must still wait 1 week and pay 200 gp for the 8-hour ritual. Dismissing a familiar is ending a link between your soul and it, so it should probably take about an hour.The exception to the above is if you take the Improved Familiar feat, which allows you to immediately replace your familiar with the new familiar, at no cost or time required (it is assumed this occurs during whatever preparations you make while leveling up).
Once dismissed, an animal familiar is just a normal animal of its type (a special familiar from the Improved Familiar feat reverts to a normal creature of its type). Whether or not it wants to remain with you is up to your GM and probably based on how you treated the creature while it was your familiar.
—Sean K Reynolds, 07/14/11
It doesn't address whether a witch would retain spells in the familiar, just that via taking the feat, the Witch wouldn't have to pay a cost or spend time.
I assume that the feat wouldn't penalize the witch, and they would just retain the spells already accumulated so far. Just seeking confirmation on this.
Given the right situation ( multiple witches ), the old familiar could teach its spells to a second witch's familiar before being dismissed, and then conceivably gain two new spells per spell level, getting a benefit out of the feat.
This is one of those cases where the RAW fails and it is up to best interpretation.
Personally I'd rule the witch keeps their spells and the force that makes the familiar more than just an animal transfers over - there is nothing in the rules to support it but it is the easiest way to say 'taking this feat will benefit you' which is what taking a feat is supposed to do.
A you-are-now-much-less-useful-than-you-were-before-you-took-it feat would make little sense.
If my party witch ever takes improved familiar I will probably rule that either she transformed her current familiar into new one through some sort of magic ritual, sacrificed it to conjure new one (not probably, she likes that bird) or it was the same familiar all the time, only polymorphed and masking oneself (like the other GM did in 3.5 game, when the Bahamut-worshipping, claiming to descend from her god, Dragon Disciple-becoming Sorceress' familiar decided that he has enough mascarading as squirrel and returned to copper wyrmling shape). Either way, the Improved Familiar will know all the spells know by the former familiar as I agree with Mighty Squash on that.
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Since the APG quote specifically references familiars that are lost or die, and does not mention those that are deliberately dismissed (or replaced via Improved Familiar), I'd agree that the Improved Familiar gains the spells stored in the previous familiar as the 'Familiar-ness' transfers over from the cat/bird/whatever to the Improved Familiar.
Whether it's the familiar itself transforming from mundane animal to something funkier, or the magical essence that makes it a familiar travelling to a new host, I'd leave that up to the player, since it's not mechanically important, and more a matter of flavor.
Since Witch's familiars are even more connected to some unknown force than the wizards, it can sort of be interpreted as an extension of the patron or a messanger or herald or something like that. Then at some point the witch has prooven herself to be a powerful asset and the familiar gets more powerful as well, to help more.
Or you can say "Ok the old familiar retains the spells for 24 hours, in that time it teaches the new familiar all the spells it knows".
I personally do this :
Part of the ritual to summon the new familiar includes the old familiar and the new familiar staring at each other for a few hours, trading knowledge. Then the old familiar vanishes in a flash of smoke, to go off and find a new adolescent burgeoning witch to train.