I'm making an Elvish Wizard Conjurer and I'm not sure where to take an arcane bond or a familiar. I like the idea of an arcane bond, plus I have a really good backstory idea for the bond. Familiars are a little complicated, but I'm afriad I'll lose my bonded item. Treantmonk's guide to Wizards said familiars are better. What should I pick?
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familiars are good for the assistance and extra actions/checks. Items are good for a splash of versatility. Depends on what you want, both have pro's and con's.
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I generally prefer the bonded item and find it to be more powerful, but it loses it's use as you reach higher level. Still it can be a nice "signature" item for your character.
If your GM is evil enough to take your bonded item or make you lose it and never give it back he's a jerk and he'll probably kill your familiar anyways (one Fireball and that owl becomes dinner).
But it's all personal choice really, I would consider what you would rather RP with than what is better min/max wise.
Realistically, only BBEG or their Dragons are smart enough to look for your bonded item, and then only after they realize that you're a major threat. (It's usually much easier to just kill you.) If a BBEG takes out your bonded item, well, be more careful next time. : D (Real wizards plan for that event.) Of course, if you're captured by the BBEG, expect to be parted from your bonded item. (Real wizards don't--what is the phrase--come quietly.)
Take the ring as a bonded item. Wear it. Now wear a ring on every other finger you have. Wear several on each finger if you can get away with it. Put rings on your toes. Put false auras on the fake rings. If you're really paranoid, actually craft them into inexpensive rings whose benefits you won't receive due to doubling up. As long as you put your entire caster level into the enchantment (for many items, this doesn't cost extra at all), it'll look just as strong as your arcane bond to detect magic. Now they don't know which ring to sunder, and you're less likely to randomly lose the important ring to a botched save.
Talk to your GM. Put a crafting on your arcane bond that makes it self-destruct or otherwise damage anybody who picks it up but you. There are some existing spells that can work as traps, like a symbol of death on the inside of your ring. Turn your weakness into an advantage.
Worst case: If you survive, you can always make another.
If you are into managing multiple "friends" and your own character at the same time, pick a familiar. Common uses include scouting, UMD, diplomacy for some of them, translator, touch spell delivery etc. Mine, I use as a front liner alongside a ranger and a barbarian, and he's doing well so far.
If you are not that kind of player that plays 5+ combat participants at a time, or plan ahead to always have a decent spell for each situation, pick the bonded item. It does make life easier, but protect it even more than your book. Pick it if you think you won't be using the familiar as well, some players have animal companions or familiars and never think of using them.
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I'd say go for a wand as your bonded item. Having a wand is a great way to effectively carry around an extra bevy of spells per day. If the wand runs out of charges you can craft it into a new wand with a differen spell, meaning that the enemy who figures out that the wand of Grease was your bonded item will be looking for a wand of Grease next time he fights you, and will ignore the wand of Mage Armor. There's also the added extra that enemies who use Detect Magic will find the wand, but ignore it because all wands are magic.
I'd say go for a wand as your bonded item. Having a wand is a great way to effectively carry around an extra bevy of spells per day. If the wand runs out of charges you can craft it into a new wand with a differen spell, meaning that the enemy who figures out that the wand of Grease was your bonded item will be looking for a wand of Grease next time he fights you, and will ignore the wand of Mage Armor. There's also the added extra that enemies who use Detect Magic will find the wand, but ignore it because all wands are magic.
But then you have to brandish a wand every time you cast anything.
Same thing if you make it a weapon.
I find that bonded items get more powerful as you go up in level. You can craft it without needing a feat, which is handy. You can pick more and more spells for your once/day use of it, and they get more and more powerful -- at 1st level it's one extra first level spell each day, at 11th level it's one extra SIXTH level spell each day.
Familiars are better for low-level scouting, and higher level extra actions. But arcane bonds are very very good.
I like rings. Wear gloves, and they're very hard to steal. Also, magic rings are expensive, and being able to enchant yours makes it extra nice, once you have the time and money to do so.
I prefer familiars. Arcane Bonded items add a slight measure of versatility and an Ace-in-the-Hole moment to the game. IME however I've actually seen where familiars have been able to provide the same (situational but still) and they have some nifty in and out of combat uses.
Plus, if you get bored with the initial one and have a feat to burn you could always buy yourself a new one with some snazzy new powers. Me personally I get pretty connected to my familiars in game and end up designing my whole character around them, but there you go.
Barring everything else and looking just at fluffy value: a fancy ring is just another fancy ring on a 9th level wizard, but a talking owl with a wand of quickened ray of frost and unique fetters of protection, now THAT'S kinda cool!
If you enchant a magic ring with "Glamered".... does it still count as brandished?
If you enchant a magic ring with "Glamered".... does it still count as brandished?
Rings/amulets are worn. Wands, weapons, staves are brandished. One of the reasons amulets and rings are better.
I almost exclusively go with the familiar. They're just so cute!
Could you use a spiked shield as a bonded item?
It is a weapon as well as a shield.
And if you can use it will you be able to add both armor and weapon enchants or only weapon enchants to it?
I'm thinking about a fighter with eldrich heritage arcane
The shield spikes are a weapon, not the shield itself. It's an important distinction.
So you have to weild/brandish the shield every time you cast or take penalties. It may or may not be RAW, but I'd allow it as a DM. Keep in mind the arcane spell failure chance though. The idea seems counterintuitive, but if it's what you want more power to you.
Somone has been watching Captain America. ;-)
The shield spikes are a weapon, not the shield itself. It's an important distinction.
Actually, light and heavy shields have entries in the weapons list; spiked and unspiked.
Shields can indeed be used as weapons, even unspiked, dealing 1d3 for the light one and 1d4 for the heavy one (medium size). link
For the purpose of penalties on attack rolls, treat a heavy shield as a one-handed weapon and treat a light shield as a light weapon.
I stand corrected.
Somone has been watching Captain America. ;-)
You did, it seems.
For me it's quite normal for a fighter to use a shield.I'm thinking about a fighter with eldrich heritage arcane
I don't think arcane spell failure will be such a big problem.
Somone has been watching Captain America. ;-)You did, it seems.
For me it's quite normal for a fighter to use a shield.I'm thinking about a fighter with eldrich heritage arcaneI don't think arcane spell failure will be such a big problem.
I've seen a lot of Avengers previews lately.
My personal favorite for arcane bond is the staff. You can enchant it as both weapon and staff. Of course, the risk to a staff is alot higher than with a ring or amulet but the reward is pretty nice in the long run. Especially since I believe that Craft Staff is a pretty large waste of a feat usually (how many people have more than 1 staff?)
- Gauss