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I don't know what would be considered "creative," but the best, I suppose was a CN female Drow wizard with a pseudodragon familiar. She was masquerading as an elderly human male but my character (a LN monk/kensai saw through her illusion and was the only party member to know who she was for a good long time). Anyway, Mako (as the pseudodragon was named) was extremely well rounded, and had just as much use and importance as every other member of the party (we also had a cohort in the party who was equally important, rather than a disposable character as some play them). Mako could scout, translate, act as liaison with other dragons, he had knowledge, he could allow the group to communicate remotely through telepathy, and much else. He also didn't blindly do what his master wanted, they were partners. At one point he threatened to abandon the wizard when she was uncertain about undertaking an important, but dangerous, quest that he believed strongly in. It was actually a really tense moment after all we'd been through as a party.
Anyway, familiars are intelligent creatures, and while they may have different ways of thinking they are still effectively "people" and should be treated as such. The game is enriched in so many ways by doing so. One game I was playing a Cavalier (who I was playing more or less like a paladin) and very early in the game we confronted a gnome thief who had stolen something from the inn we were staying at (we were attempting to establish our innocence by catching the real culprit). Anyway, his familiar was an owl, and while they party wanted the thief alive they had no similar care for his familiar. I was below the big lug with the axe in the initiative order (I was planning on grabbing the bird as it was effectively harmless on its own), but the big lug cut the poor thing in half. After the dust had settled my character took the bird's body behind the inn and gave it a burial. The Sea Witch (who had a lizard familiar of her own) was the only one who really seemed to care what I was doing and questioned why I was doing it. I responded by saying something to the effect of "as I understand it, a familiar is a life-long companion. That fellow may have been a thief, but he has now lost his closest friend. I think about how I'd feel if Entressa (that was my Cavalier's horse) were cut down like that. I know I would want someone to give her a proper rest." This made the player suddenly think of their familiar as something other than a play mechanic and the character began to treat her familiar less like a class ability and more like a companion.
Anyway, that's my thought on the matter.
Did the GM play the familiar in that case?
I love wizard familiars.. i really do.
I hate witch familiars.. i really do.
Nothing says awesome like a pseudo dragon with wands and scrolls bustling aruond the battle field buffing and healing the group while the wizard master does likewise.
Nothing says "Oh )(@#$)(*" like the DM telling you to make a fort save for your spellbook or asking "hey, whats your familiar's AC again?".
I really do like my witch's familiar but I feel rather hamstrung having to max out my stealth skill just to keep the bugger safe, not to mention never using it in combat for fear that it'll die. (and with it, 95% of my spell selection). i really wish they hadn't tied spellbook to familiar, for the witch.
-S
I really do like my witch's familiar but I feel rather hamstrung having to max out my stealth skill just to keep the bugger safe, not to mention never using it in combat for fear that it'll die. (and with it, 95% of my spell selection). i really wish they hadn't tied spellbook to familiar, for the witch.
I am the same way with my Witch familiar - he is always hidden except at night in the safety of my Inn room.
In Kingmaker, my lyrakien familiar Tyali is the kingdom's diplomat (one of the kingdom roles for kingdom building) and frequently uses wands and other devices (we have a Staff of Life, so she can pop anyone for 110 healing, which is very nice) or just fires shots at the enemies.
The arrogant elven wizard has a thrush familiar, and he refuses to talk in Common except through the thrush.
I really do like my witch's familiar but I feel rather hamstrung having to max out my stealth skill just to keep the bugger safe, not to mention never using it in combat for fear that it'll die. (and with it, 95% of my spell selection). i really wish they hadn't tied spellbook to familiar, for the witch.
I am the same way with my Witch familiar - he is always hidden except at night in the safety of my Inn room.
I don't think mine's ever been singularly attacked- its always been incidentally hit by AOE's. The DM tried once to, but the stealth check was so high he couldn't see it. (one good thing about tiny familiars.. they have insane stealth bonuses).
Am thinking aboutgetting a familiar for the next campaign I'm in just so I can have one i'm not so afraid to use. Not that I'd be hap-hazard with one, it'd just be nice to have one I wasn't scared to have a monster sneeze at.
-S
The most creative use of a familiar?
Having a familiar that can fly (and carry things), Purchasing Alchemist's Fire/Acid Flasks, and using them as an Air Strike tool.
Great for low levels, when you can incinerate/corrode the hoards of creatures (or the big bad guy).
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A lot of GMs I've played with ignore the familiar more than Vaarsuvius does in early Order of the Stick.
In a campaign years ago, the wizard's imp would often feed his master healing potions when the chips were down, and even convince him to cast magnificent mansion because the food was better than rations. One time my cleric convinced the imp to open his master's bedroom door so he could cast create water above the bed he was sleeping in.
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i play a dwarf earth wizard, my goat familiar carries my beer kegs.
i play a dwarf earth wizard, my goat familiar carries my beer kegs.
I like your character.
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I like your character.i play a dwarf earth wizard, my goat familiar carries my beer kegs.
Not me, it really gets my goat!
Greg
I have mentioned this many times on these boards, but my absolute favourite thing to do with a familiar is cast Shadow Projection on it. Suddenly it is combat-viable, with a built in fail-safe to avoid dying.
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I have mentioned this many times on these boards, but my absolute favourite thing to do with a familiar is cast Shadow Projection on it. Suddenly it is combat-viable, with a built in fail-safe to avoid dying.
That.. that is awesome...
Anyway, my favorite use is as a scout; a magpie(raven) flying at 1000ft has a vastly bigger sight range than any earthbound critter. Advance warning that enemy warbands are on the move allows us to decide whether we'll fight.
Selgard, you know my solution for vulnerable familiars by now. An improved familiar with either regenerate, the ability to make itself invisible, or merge with you. :D
- Gauss
The nature of the familiar depends on the character, I'd say. Sadly, in my case, it's also at the whims of the DM until I manage to get him to back the hell off. My character's familiar is technically an extension of my character, and I have every right to RP them both. An exception to this might be something like an Imp, which of course plots to send its master or mistress to Hell anyway.
But going back to the "depends on the character" part, one of my characters would see the familiar as a means to an end in most cases but secretly be rather fond of the critter. Another one would treat it like a pet (unless it doesn't like said treatment), and the third would treat it as an adventuring companion who is held just as high in regard as his or her fellow adventurers. I might even have a character who occasionally mistreats the familiar, but I'd rather not make such a character not only due to personal preference, but also due to the consequences of such. It's just common sense.
My witch is very protective of her cat. Of course, she also suspects that it's more than just a cat even despite being her patron's liason. (Which it will be, in a few levels when she gets Improved Familiar.)
She hasn't gotten much opportunity to interact with her in-game, but that's more due to both the GM and I expecting the other to play the cat.
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Personally, I really like the Psicrystal as a familiar from Dreamscarred Press' Psionics Unleashed.
It can't wield wands, but it gets a bunch of cool abilities like flight and telepathy that makes it very useful for coordinating the party.
The psicrystal can also speak to its master telepathically and is diminutive, which makes it a perfect scout. When it gets killed, you can restore it 24 hours later for free.
My arcane trickster has a monkey familiar (jack II) that he likes to charge up with Shocking grasp and let him sneak up on enemies. Small creature + my stealth ranks he's nigh invisible. It's been useful.
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The next wizard I am going to play is going to seriously consider a viper familiar. Since its HD are treated as the same as my wizard's, the DC for its poison will continue to grow.
"Monkey Shock away!"
lol sounds funCould familiars with hands beable to learn to say work lock picks?
Just how int. is that 6 or higher
Great thanks I got 'Shock the Monkey' stuck in my head.
Familiars with ranks in Disable Device (or with masters who have ranks in Disable Device) and the means to manipulate things (i.e. hands) would indeed be able to pick locks.
This is one of the resons I picked a familiar with thumbs.
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I like familiars with thumbs because after you do something awesome he or she can give you a rockin' thumbs up!
Although, truth be told, I don't think I've ever played a character who had a familiar with thumbs...I did play a witch with a giant house centipede (the creepiest and awesomest of centipedes) that could probably use a few dozen legs as hand proxys.
I think I may do a Pirate them character with a monkey familiar with a mini Cutlass.
He won't be profescent, but that doesnt mean he can't carry it around.
Think Aladdin "Hes got a SWORD! U idiots you all have swords..."
I see it has character flair if there was a way to give him the feat I would, but it be cool to see the reactions .
beast bound witch or specially made magic sword.
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I love my monkey familiar Maxwell, and find them the most useful of the non-improved familiars out there.
For fun the very first thing my witch did was buy him a masterwork silvered light pick (tiny) for him. He usually use it on his walnuts but occasionally when I Slumber a target I'll drop him on top of it's head so he can coup de grace it. That was a BIG help at first level when the hex didn't last long enough for me to do it.
(if you don't get it this youtube link will explain Maxwell's Silver Hammer)
Best thing he ever did is in a recent session the party bit off more than we could chew with a bunch of skeletal champions and all of us were bleeding out (highest party member had negative 3 HP's) and the party wipe was imminent. Out pops Maxwell to frantically start stabbing party members with my wand of invernal healing (mostly unsuccessfully) and pouring potions down throats. He got macadamia nuts for that.
I love my familiars.
In game years ago one of the players asked the GM privately if he could have a pseudodragon familiar to replace a recently lost familiar of little consequence. During the same time frame another player had just lost a character and asked the GM if he could play something different and exotic. So during the summoning ceremony preformed for the wizard’s new familiar a new character was introduced, a brand new pseudodragon familiar (the GM even gave it class levels if I remember correctly so it could advance as a character for the other player). It worked out famously as the player playing the familiar was still bound the wizard, but now the wizard got very interactive, and very powerful, familiar. It led to many great roleplaying sessions.
So hopefully they can lead to role playing, but I think mostly they are relegated bonuses. After all, how does one role play a toad? You just hide that bad boy in your robes and get on with the game! Of course the GM could make all the difference by forcing interactions with the familiar.
My 2 coppers for what they are worth.
...stuff about a toad...
Touché, sir. Although that is using a toad as comedy prop, much like Carrot Top would use a rubber chicken, but a good tool none the less.
Some day I would like to have a witch/wizard with a Pig/Goat familiar, cast reduce person on myself and ride around on it casting spells/cackling.
What is the most creative use of a familiar you have witness?
Familiars are awesome. I love how they add so much flavor to a character and a game. They make excellent scouts -- that's mostly how I've seen them used. I remember in 3.5 a wizard with a bat familiar used its blindsense/blindsight (whichever) to good effect spotting hidden monsters. A flying familiar with invisibility and the ability to communicate with its master makes a heck of a nice scout -- just have it retreat if it gets discovered or attacked.
If buffed with protection spells, familiars can also deliver some nasty touch spells, such as ghoul touch, vampiric touch, bestow curse, etc. This ability also lets the caster buff allies that are too far away or in too dangerous a combat situation for the caster to reach them himself, especially if the familiar can fly.The Grimoire Viperian from Magic Skull Games has a few prestige classes involving familiars.
Check these out:
Serpentine Necromancer prestige class: A serpentine necromancer is a practitioner of the black arts who specializes in serpentine undead. One of his abilities allows him to temporarily turn his snake familiar into an undead creature, giving it the undead type and the immunities that come with it.
Serpent Warlock prestige class: This prestige class is all about a caster who can turn into snakes, take on aspects of snakes, and summon them. If he has a familiar, it must be a snake, and he has access to several new spells which can be used to buff his familiar and summoned/controlled snakes (see below).
Winter Warlock prestige class: This prestige class gains a winter wolf familiar. The class also gains shapechanging abilities, so it can fight alongside (or flanking with) its familiar.
New spells affecting familiars:
The Grimoire Viperian also includes the Deathly Familiar spell which temporarily transforms and undead creature under the caster's control into his familiar.
Ghost Serpent makes a snake incorporeal for awhile, letting it pass through barriers and serve as a scout or assassin.
Speed of the Mamba hastes snakes and snake-like creatures, so if you have a suitable creature as your familiar it can be hasted. Since the spell only works on very limited types of creatures, it's lower level than the standard haste spell.
Virulent Venom improves the poison potency of snakes and snake-like creatures, so if you have a suitable creature as your familiar, such as a viper, its poison bite will be more effective.
I agree with the witch and hating its familiar. I asked my GM if I could play the bonded witch from the ARG and he said no because I'm not a half elf. I'm pretty irritated as the class mechanics are completely separate from the class and the only mention of half elves is the flavor description before the class but it's his call I guess.
In a previous witch character I never did anything with the familiar mostly out of fear and then because it didn't come out in combat it basically got summarily forgotten.
I hate witch familiars.. i really do.Nothing says "Oh )(@#$)(*" like the DM telling you to make a fort save for your spellbook or asking "hey, whats your familiar's AC again?".
I really do like my witch's familiar but I feel rather hamstrung having to max out my stealth skill just to keep the bugger safe, not to mention never using it in combat for fear that it'll die. (and with it, 95% of my spell selection). i really wish they hadn't tied spellbook to familiar, for the witch.
-S
Good points, Selgard -- what can you do to further protect your witch familiar?
How about an Improved Familiar? That would be pretty cool IMHO.
I'm also confused a bit by the Improved Familiar feat prerequisites which state you can only get an improved familiar if "you could normally acquire a new familiar."
I assume this means only when your current familiar dies? Or can a witch dismiss a new familiar in favor of a new one? What happens to the witch's spells when her old familiar is gone or replaced?
Improved Familiar feat:
This feat allows you to acquire a powerful familiar, but only when you could normally acquire a new familiar.
Prerequisites: Ability to acquire a new familiar, compatible alignment, sufficiently high level.
My current familiar is the illustrious Carbuncle named Mafyrcl (or "Bunky" as he's often called).
One of the fun uses I had for him, was (after buffing it up with flying and hiding magic) using it to explore more hexes in Kingmaker. I would send it out with several Prying Eyes spells, which, when combined with a liberal ruling based off of the share spells and empathic connection, allowed me to send him to scout one hex while we scouted another, and, at the end of the day, when he returned to me, I suddenly got all the memories from the eyes, and then used a detect thoughts to go through his as well (while feeding him copious amounts of fruit for all the hard work of flying and looking at things!).
Anyway, that was pretty fun.
My current familiar is the illustrious Carbuncle named Mafyrcl (or "Bunky" as he's often called).
One of the fun uses I had for him, was (after buffing it up with flying and hiding magic) using it to explore more hexes in Kingmaker. I would send it out with several Prying Eyes spells, which, when combined with a liberal ruling based off of the share spells and empathic connection, allowed me to send him to scout one hex while we scouted another, and, at the end of the day, when he returned to me, I suddenly got all the memories from the eyes, and then used a detect thoughts to go through his as well (while feeding him copious amounts of fruit for all the hard work of flying and looking at things!).
Anyway, that was pretty fun.
Extremely liberal interpretation of empathy, but you could do the same trick by simply going through his memories (and those of the prying eyes) via detect thoughts (3rd round version of a very willing participant) or telepathy or some other mind magic.
Yes it was liberal, but not too extremely so.
It was a ruling based on both "share spells" and "empathy" - the short version is that since I share the same connection with a location that it does, it, too, shares the same connection with a location (or in this case, with a spell) that I do. In other words, it doesn't matter if I go out of the range of the prying eyes spell (one mile) or the empathy feature, so long as the spell and familiar start within range. Thereafter a spell effect that relies on my presence could follow my familiar.
Also, I didn't get the update until the critter got back, and I did use detect thoughts as well as prying eyes. The prying eyes got me most of the information, but detecting his thoughts allowed me to round out my sensory experiences (with smells, sounds, and tastes, for example).
It helped that I had a permanent telepathic bond with the little guy.