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The chronicle gives a boon of Riddywipple the faerie dragon as a potential improved familiar for a spell caster. As far as I can tell, there is no benefit to this boon - any PFS character who takes the feat and meets the other requirements could have a faerie dragon as a familiar.
Or am I missing something entirely? Is it that one could not normally obtain such s creature at all, or have to buy one at exorbitant cost, whereas Riddywipple is free?
Also, it seems from the module that the players are not supposed to learn that Riddywipple is a faerie dragon until they meet him. They asked me (well, their characters asked Ignizi) flatly what he is, so I answered truthfully, but it just seemed wrong. Any thoughts?
Anyway, this module is a lot of fun to GM. The characters' speeches are entertaining.
Under Additional Resources for Bestiary 3 it states that all familiars on pages 112-113 plus the carbuncle and the sprite are available for play. Unfortunately the Faerie Dragon is not on that list, so it is not a legal familiar regardless of what it says in the actual entry for the little critter.
I too think it is supposed to be a surprise that Riddywipple is a faerie dragon. I foresaw that players would ask Ignizi what Riddywipple is, so I had her refer to him by a pet name, "Old Man Riddywipple", during role play. This was apparently just enough to circumvent any questions. For fun and for a foreshadowing effect I had Riddywipple use his silent image ability to create a figment of a red cap sharpening his scythe at the top of a hill to lure them into his bramble trap.
I too think it is supposed to be a surprise that Riddywipple is a faerie dragon. I foresaw that players would ask Ignizi what Riddywipple is, so I had her refer to him by a pet name, "Old Man Riddywipple", during role play. This was apparently just enough to circumvent any questions. For fun and for a foreshadowing effect I had Riddywipple use his silent image ability to create a figment of a red cap sharpening his scythe at the top of a hill to lure them into his bramble trap.
This further reinforced the "Old Man" descriptor; and boy were the players surprised when he disappeared and an invisible faerie dragon appeared.
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It has nothing to do with what the Bestiary lists, it has to do with what's listed in the Additional Resources.
Ahhh...
The Faerie Dragon is in the Bestiary, so it exists in PFS; however, the Bestiary does not specifically list the creature as a familiar, so a character cannot take one as a familiar.
Yes, the faerie dragon can be found in Bestiary 3, and in the entry for it can be found conditions to have one as an improved familiar; however, that would be for a regular game and Pathfinder Society is not a regular game. Pathfinder Society is dictated by the Guide to Pathfinder Society Organized Play and the list of Additional Resources.
For some reason the developers do not want the faerie dragon to be available as an improved familiar. Maybe they had the Sanos Abduction in mind when they published the Bestiary 3 and wanted the faerie dragon to be a special, exclusive award for succeeding in that scenario.
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Maybe they had the Sanos Abduction in mind when they published the Bestiary 3 and wanted the faerie dragon to be a special, exclusive award for succeeding in that scenario.
While I do not think that they have ever actually come out and said this, that was one reason Mike Brock has mentioned for not allowing certain items in Additional Resources. Originally he was going to do this with prestige classes too until he was talked out of it. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this was the reason.
And let me just say - after playing a session with Riddlywipple as an Improved Familiar - this is one of the best boons I have ever gotten. I have never had so much fun playing my witch before.
My players had a blast that scenario with Riddlywhipple, but they had 1 issue with him being a 'named' familar.
They would like the familiar, but then thought of the following scenario: "Hey Bob! I see you have a faery dragon familiar, just like I have! How much a coincidence. What is it's name? Riddlywhipple? Well, what a coincidence again! So is the name of mine!...wait...Bill...your faery dragon familiar is named the same too? Hmn..."
Ah well...
Yeah, I wondered about that too; however, even if you change the name, if two faerie dragons show up at the same table everybody's going to know what's up. It's kind of like the back story on any adamantine crowbars that show up.
Named loot can both hinder and facilitate immersion. I guess each player will decide which way he will be affected by it.