Familiar intelligence, once again...

[Midnight_Angel]

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Sorry if this topic has been answered before, but I couldn't find an authotitative answer:

Assume I take a Quasit Familiar (available via Improved Familiar, at Level 7).

Now, with an Int of 11, a standard quasit isn't exactly the brightest bulb in the socket... but what Int will my Quasit familiar have?

Will it be dumbed down to 9 (as the Familiar by Level Table states)?
Will it retain its 11 forever (the special entry overwriting the Table entry)?
Will it retain its 11, until the Familiar Table indicates a higher number (going up to 12 at Level 13)?
Will it start at 11 (rather than the usual 9 at level 7), going up by 1 for every odd level I take?
Will it be hyper-intelligent, treating the table entries minus two (to compensate for the usual 2 Int of animals becoming familiars) as a bonus to Int, thus starting with 18?

[Happler]

I FAQ'ed this due to being curious as to the official.

But having said that, I could see it starting at 9. After all, it somehow got roped into being the familiar instead of living a free life. Also, from what I read on it, there are only 2 exceptions to the improved familiars in the book:

• if the creature's type is something other than animal, its type does not change
  
• improved familiars do not gain the ability to speak with other creatures of their kind (although many of them already have the ability to communicate).
  

Neither of them change the intelligence of the familiar.

[tonyz]

I'd say it retains its normal Int until the familiar table boosts it higher.

[blackbloodtroll]

That's right.
Creatures do not get stupider because they are your familiar.
It retains it's normal int until you are high enough level to boost it higher.

[Ninjaxenomorph]

Happler wrote:

But having said that, I could see it starting at 9. After all, it somehow got roped into being the familiar instead of living a free life.

Technically, Quasits are birthed directly onto the material plane, and do not exist before becoming a familiar.

[Happler]

tonyz wrote:

I'd say it retains its normal Int until the familiar table boosts it higher.

while I agree that sounds like the RAI, currently the RAW supports the Familiar starting with a lower then average int for it's race.

[Happler]

Ninjaxenomorph wrote:

Happler wrote:

But having said that, I could see it starting at 9. After all, it somehow got roped into being the familiar instead of living a free life.

Technically, Quasits are birthed directly onto the material plane, and do not exist before becoming a familiar.

okay, but that does not answer about the poor Brownie or Lyrakien azata

[Happler]

blackbloodtroll wrote:

That's right.

Creatures do not get stupider because they are your familiar.
It retains it's normal int until you are high enough level to boost it higher.

As much as I believe you are right, there is no RAW that I can find to back that up. In a PFS game, what happens?

[wraithstrike]

In PFS I think RAW takes over so the familiar gets dumber.