Why are there so few options for Bonded Objects (via Arcane Bond)

[Drachasor]

Familiars have a ton of options, give you a feat, give you something equal to a feat (and stacks with feats), and gain cool stuff as they level. You can take Improved Familiar to buff them up notable.

If you go with a Bonded Object it seems like there's almost nothing to help you flesh out that option beyond standard item creation rules (which cost as much money as a normal item, though you don't need a feat). There ARE a few mediocre items (I say mediocre because they are rather expensive, and one requires generalist wizard), but beyond that nothing.

Does this seem strange to anyone else?

[DM_Blake]

The bonded item also gives you one extra spell per day that you don't need to prepare. This is nearly invaluable to my wizard. In fact, I am involved in 4 different campaigns, and there are two casters with familiars and two casters with bonded items (counting me as one of those) and both bonded items get used far, far more than either familiar. Maybe that's just different players, but when the familiar stays under the caster's hat all day, all night, every day, never doing anything other than making the caster a little more alert, well, it seems nearly useless - and when he did let it out from under the hat it almost died a couple times, so now it's there forever.

Everyone's mileage varies, but I choose the bonded item every time.

[Drachasor]

I'm not saying it isn't useful -- though Familiars can be extremely useful too. I'm saying it is weird there aren't aren't ANY feats and so few magic items for bonded items.

Obviously if you never use the familiar for anything ever then it is better to go with a bonded object. I myself went with one because my DM has felt a bit hassled of late and I didn't want him stressing over a familiar with UMD or the like.

[Marc Radle]

Check out The Expanded Battle Scion from Kobold Press. In addition the class itsf, there are a number of feats that add to and/or expand on Arcane Bond!