What happens to the familiar when the Eidolon is dismissed?
I was considering that possibility for a while myself. The most reasonable approach would be for the familiar to be summoned, dismissed, and banished whenever the eidolon is.
What would happen to an called outsider's familiar when it is dismissed/banished/what heve you?
What would happen to an called outsider's familiar when it is dismissed/banished/what heve you?
As far as I know it would stick around, but still be the outsider's familiar. This of course offers some interesting issues -- the summoner controls the eidolon... when summoned, and therefore could have the eidolon control the familiar while summoned, but once the eidolon is dismissed it would seem to me the indirect control would be harder to enforce.
the summoner should have a much higher CHA than the familiar, so I don't think getting it to do what you want it to do is a problem (at least if the eidolon and thus the familiar doesn't have alot of the relevant 'resisting' social skills maxed out), especially as it's certainly aware of your relationship to it's technical 'master'* so would see you as 'the boss of it's boss'. The main difference would be that none of the share senses, empathic link type abilities would work as they would if the familiar was yours directly.
* AFAIK masters don't directly 'control' their familiars, they just have easier means to communicate with them via the special abilities and them now being magical beasts / whatever improved familiar they are. the player/ PC 'controlling' the familiar is really just for GM's convenience AFAIK, not anything dictated by rules. this probably does have implications for familiars turning non-friendly/loyal, an implication probably not often enough explored.
That's kind of where I was too Quandary.
yeah... i always play with the 'master' player controlling the familiar, simply for ease of gameplay (assuming empathic and other communication means make most 'orders' easy to convey) but the GM may 'inject' things that the familiar does (without being ordered to, appropriate to their personality and alignment), which end up adding alot more character to the familiar (and hopefully the player themself can also RP the Familiar independent from the Master). The fluff for Imp Familiars pretty much doesn't make sense if the Caster truly had total control over them.
The fluff for Imp Familiars pretty much doesn't make sense if the Caster truly had total control over them.
It makes sense for me, but only because I'm willing to allow them a much more subtle evil bent.
"Master is hurt? Here is a spell that will heal your wounds!" (teaches the 'master' infernal healing)
"Master is in dire need? I know a guy that can get you a deal on some wishes!" (introduces an infernal contract broker)
"Master shouldn't have to worry about dying before he can escape his contract! Here is a ritual for becoming a lich!" (doubles down on the damnation -- what's a few centuries/millennium to something that lives forever... especially when it gives more time to suggest more evil acts)
I think its pretty cool to thinkof the familar as the "avatar" of the eidolon - sort of a representative that stays around when the eidolon is away. Not supported rules-wise, but an interesting flavor option.
Suffice it to say, a Familiar 'of' an Eidolon isn't particularly* any more or less likely to take suicidal action than a Familiar 'of' a Summoner (directly). Maybe they will, if the action/scenario is in line with their morals and the owner has proved themselves worthy (or conversely if serving the master is so against their morals that suicide is better), but there isn't any fundamental difference IMHO. Not much difference to if the Familiar just happens to be out of Range of all special Familiar communication abilities.
* any more than any other NPC with no supernatural control over their actions is more likely to take suicidal actions when their ally/friend/employer/etc is immediately present vs. when they are in a far separated area/plane/etc.
How does an Eidolon gain a familiar? O.o
Feats, it can take Skill Focus: Knowledge(any) and then Eldritch Heritage: Arcane Bloodline.
How does an Eidolon gain a familiar? O.o
I was wondering that as well :P
Feats, it can take Skill Focus: Knowledge(any) and then Eldritch Heritage: Arcane Bloodline.
Eldritch Heritage requires Character Level 3rd.
Eidolons are not characters, so you would have to find a different method. (or Houserule)Plus if an Eidolon's character level is zero your eldritch heritage bloodline would have an effective level of negative 2, lol.
well, maybe not, i'm pretty sure that HD count as character level.
if that's not true, then they can't take it... (via that method)