| 3 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
Heya Piazo Messageboards!
I need to know.. can I use Magic Jar on my Familiar? Meaning.. Can I cast Magic Jar, and send my familiar out to take over the body of those around me?
Just curious (Because it would be an Epic use of the spell- that's why!)
I think it's both legal and clever. I'm not looking at my books presently though.
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It doesn't look like you can unless the target description is the person that is placing their soul in the jar. If that is the case, then whoever you target with magic jar now has their soul in the receptacle and can possess at will. I would imagine that this is far more potent with an Eidolon than an animal companion or familiar.
On the other hand, if casting it places your soul in the receptacle and then your target is whoever you are trying to possess, then obviously the only soul that goes into the jar at casting is the casters, not the targets and then the awesome idea of yours ends. :(
The text says at the end of the first paragraph: 'when you transfer your soul upon casting'. This seems odd when combined with a target of 1 creature instead of 'you'.
I know spells that can normally ONLY effect the caster can work on a Familiar. (Anything with the Target of You).
However.. the 'Target' is one creature.. which leaves me a bit confused.
Magic Jar
School necromancy; Level sorcerer/wizard 5
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a gem or crystal worth at least 100 gp)
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Target one creature
Duration 1 hour/level or until you return to your body
Saving Throw Will negates; see text; Spell Resistance yes
By casting magic jar, you place your soul in a gem or large crystal (known as the magic jar ), leaving your body lifeless. Then you can attempt to take control of a nearby body, forcing its soul into the magic jar. You may move back to the jar (thereby returning the trapped soul to its body) and attempt to possess another body. The spell ends when you send your soul back to your own body, leaving the receptacle empty. To cast the spell, the magic jar must be within spell range and you must know where it is, though you do not need line of sight or line of effect to it. When you transfer your soul upon casting, your body is, as near as anyone can tell, dead.
While in the magic jar, you can sense and attack any life force within 10 feet per caster level (and on the same plane of existence). You do need line of effect from the jar to the creatures. You cannot determine the exact creature types or positions of these creatures. In a group of life forces, you can sense a difference of 4 or more HD between one creature and another and can determine whether a life force is powered by positive or negative energy. (Undead creatures are powered by negative energy. Only sentient undead creatures have, or are, souls.)
You could choose to take over either a stronger or a weaker creature, but which particular stronger or weaker creature you attempt to possess is determined randomly.
Attempting to possess a body is a full-round action. It is blocked by protection from evil or a similar ward. You possess the body and force the creature's soul into the magic jar unless the subject succeeds on a Will save. Failure to take over the host leaves your life force in the magic jar, and the target automatically succeeds on further saving throws if you attempt to possess its body again.
If you are successful, your life force occupies the host body, and the host's life force is imprisoned in the magic jar. You keep your Intelligence , Wisdom , Charisma , level, class, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, alignment, and mental abilities. The body retains its Strength , Dexterity , Constitution , hit points, natural abilities, and automatic abilities. A body with extra limbs does not allow you to make more attacks (or more advantageous two-weapon attacks) than normal. You can't choose to activate the body's extraordinary or supernatural abilities. The creature's spells and spell-like abilities do not stay with the body.
As a standard action, you can shift freely from a host to the magic jar if within range, sending the trapped soul back to its body. The spell ends when you shift from the jar to your own body.
If the host body is slain, you return to the magic jar, if within range, and the life force of the host departs (it is dead). If the host body is slain beyond the range of the spell, both you and the host die. Any life force with nowhere to go is treated as slain.
If the spell ends while you are in the magic jar, you return to your body (or die if your body is out of range or destroyed). If the spell ends while you are in a host, you return to your body (or die, if it is out of range of your current position), and the soul in the magic jar returns to its body (or dies if it is out of range). Destroying the receptacle ends the spell, and the spell can be dispelled at either the magic jar or the host's location.
Well... The Target is 'one creature'- which I suspect is meant to be the creature which the target over takes.
From the way this is reading- and the way to rules of the familiar reads.. I don't think you can (which is REALLY sad). :P
The spell description is broken. There is no target other than the gem you'll use as Jar. Once the spell is cast and your "life force" (or that of Fluffy) is inside the Jar, then can you start targeting other people.
The spell description is broken.
The whole spell is kinda broken if you ask me- but thats half the fun. :P
If you want to do the familiar magic jarring, then you need to play the beast-bonded witch that get the ability at lvl 10. However, they get to have a dead familiar that can magic jar at will.
It might be useful to FAQ the OP, so we can get a definitive answer: "who's the creature this spell targets?".