Improved Familiars

[Gunn]

So I was looking at the improved familiars and was underwhelmed. The biggest let down I saw was that none of the improved familiars gave any bonus to me. I'm hoping that I'm wrong here, and it just wasn't listed where I was looking. Regular familiars will give a bonus to the caster. Do improved familiars do the same? If they do and someone could give me a link to the info, I would greatly appreciate it.

[Sean Mahoney]

They do not give you bonuses in the same way that normal familiars do. Instead you have a familiar that has greater functionality and survivability.

If you are just looking for more bonuses to your own character than this isn't likely the route for you...

Sean

[Mergy]

Benefit to you includes stuff like able to use more items, SLAs, and differing unique abilities.

[Jeraa]

The greater usefulness of the improved familiars is the benefit they grant the master.

[tEF]

The invisible familiar scouting or delivering that much needed touch attack at range is just soooo nice imo.

[moon glum]

If you don't want to bother with your familiar most of the time and just want it sitting in your pocket, then don't take improved familiar. There are other good feats. However, if you want something that can detect magic/evil/good/etc. see in darkness, turn invisible, commune 6 questions a week, heal you, cast stabilize on you, and/or provide you with a refreshing diddly, then improved familiar can be a good feat. You still get alertness from it (its still a familiar).

[Kybryn]

Might I suggest Crouching Monkey Hidden Toad? It's a 3rd party supplement to 3.x and it will literally blow your mind.

[Gunn]

Mind. Blown.

[Steelfiredragon]

step one: improved familiar
step two: Evolve familiar

[Kybryn]

gotta catch em all steelfiredragon?