So, I always loved "Golden the Clockwork Cat" from Dragon Magazine #299 and so I was converting him to Pathfinder when I realized it would be easier to just take the standard cat in the book, but switch stuff around to make it a construct.
So, in doing that I now wonder, how much more powerful is a construct animal than a living animal? There are pros and cons to being a construct, but do they even each other out?
Oh, also what do you think of giving him the actual clockwork template? As a familiar it would have the arcane bond to make it intelligent, though still have the other drawbacks of being actual clockwork.
Conversion Forum is where you need to ask this.
I don't think so. Reason being, this isn't so much a question at this point of converting from 3.5 to Pathfinder, as much as it's a question of whether a construct cat is worthy of Improved Familiar.
Unless I misunderstand about the "Conversion Forum" being about converting 3.x to Pathfinder, then in that case you may be right.
EDIT: Ok, yeah I double checked and this is a question about "Improved Familiar" being necessary or not, it has nothing to do with conversion of the clockwork cat from 3.5 at this point.
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Hmmm... While there are totally are a number of different Pathfinder clockwork creatures in the Bestiary 3, I don't see anything in them from my looking over of the PRD that shows how to build something out of them like that. I had thought there was something that might substitute in easily like a Homunculus or maybe a Clockwork Spy as a basis and merging it into just more of a cat-like form.
Either way your likely looking at an Improved Familiar at most tables you find. A construct is reasonably more powerful then a normal animal.
Hmmm... While there are totally are a number of different Pathfinder clockwork creatures in the Bestiary 3, I don't see anything in them from my looking over of the PRD that shows how to build something out of them like that. I had thought there was something that might substitute in easily like a Homunculus or maybe a Clockwork Spy as a basis and merging it into just more of a cat-like form.
Either way your likely looking at an Improved Familiar at most tables you find. A construct is reasonably more powerful then a normal animal.
Hmmm, ok yeah thanks. The reason I wondered though is the various things like no healing (except special circumstances), death at 0 hp, can't be resurrected.
I have no problem with taking Improved Familiar, as when I used Golden back in 3.5 a GM made me take it even though Golden's write-up gives no mention that it's required.
Just now looking at clockwork animals now as a GM, I wanted some others' advice and thoughts. :)
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Pathfinder AP 63, The Asylum Stone has game statistics for clockwork familiars in the bestiary section. In short, "A spellcaster of at least 7th level who takes the Improved Familiar feat can select a clockwork familiar as a familiar." Note that any character who meets the requirements* can create a clockwork familiar, but only those who also take Improved Familiar gain the class benefits of a familiar (i.e., Alertness, Share Spells, etc.).
Of course, having a bunch of intelligent (11 Int), self-willed Tiny mechanical creatures not having a mystical relationship with the character can be... complicated.
*- "The creator of a clockwork familiar must start with crafted clockwork pieces worth 500 gp."
Clockwork Familiar
CL 12th; Price 14,500 gp
Construction
Requirements: Craft Construct, geas/quest, make whole, creator must be at least caster level 12; Skill- Craft (Clockwork) DC 20; Cost 7,500 gp"
Pathfinder AP 63, The Asylum Stone has game statistics for clockwork familiars in the bestiary section. In short, "A spellcaster of at least 7th level who takes the Improved Familiar feat can select a clockwork familiar as a familiar." Note that any character who meets the requirements* can create a clockwork familiar, but only those who also take Improved Familiar gain the class benefits of a familiar (i.e., Alertness, Share Spells, etc.).
Of course, having a bunch of intelligent (11 Int), self-willed Tiny mechanical creatures not having a mystical relationship with the character can be... complicated.
*- "The creator of a clockwork familiar must start with crafted clockwork pieces worth 500 gp."
Clockwork Familiar
CL 12th; Price 14,500 gp
Construction
Requirements: Craft Construct, geas/quest, make whole, creator must be at least caster level 12; Skill- Craft (Clockwork) DC 20; Cost 7,500 gp"
OMFG haha nice thanks... I haven't looked much at those AP yet, though I do own them.
Though I must say, one thing I hate about Improved Familiar is having to get rid of your old familiar. That's always been an issue that annoyed me. :(
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I never liked that either, so I usually come up with some reason for the familiar to change into the new form.
For instance, my wizard in Shattered Star has a raven familiar and is eventually going to get a clockwork familiar. My GM and I decided that my current raven had some kind of accident prior to becoming my familiar, and I'm prolonging his life (and giving him familiar abilities) by replacing his injured body parts with clockwork and magic.
Once I hit 7th, his organic body will finally fail, forcing me to do the full conversion on him.
Here's the art for him at his earliest level of construct-ification
I never liked that either, so I usually come up with some reason for the familiar to change into the new form.
For instance, my wizard in Shattered Star has a raven familiar and is eventually going to get a clockwork familiar. My GM and I decided that my current raven had some kind of accident prior to becoming my familiar, and I'm prolonging his life (and giving him familiar abilities) by replacing his injured body parts with clockwork and magic.
Once I hit 7th, his organic body will finally fail, forcing me to do the full conversion on him.
Here's the art for him at his earliest level of construct-ification
Cool idea. :)
It is not clear for me:
To get a clockwork familiar I must have:
- get the improved familiar feat (wiz lvl7, this is okay)
- get 500 gp crafted clockwork something
or...
- wait until lvl 12 and get all this things? (Craft Construct, geas/quest, make whole, creator must be at least caster level 12th; Skill Craft (clockwork) DC 20; Cost 7,500 gp) ?
So I can get the feat at level 7, but I have to wait until level 12? Or how does this work?