For a home game no one is all that enthused about running a PC with scouting capabilities at this time.
So I was considering running a PC with a pet to handle that role. My initial thoughts were on druid animal companions. But the intelligence of animal companions is so low, communication problems, and what you can teach them with tricks really limit their capability there even though some have really high stealth and perception skills.
So I’m thinking more along the lines of a familiar or eidolon now.
Familiars:
Tiny size really helps stealth
Many have good stealth some have good perception and they are class skills for them. (Do familiars base number of skill points increase as their intelligence goes up?)
Communication - empathic link at level 1 and speak with master at level 5.
Master will have to take the skills to get the familiar very good at it. This isn’t horrible since they are useful skills, but it will be a drain on the masters skill points.
Some of the improved familiars have hands to make use of disable device.
Some of the improved familiars have magic abilities that would help with scouting.
Master can still be a primary caster (wiz or sorc) or anything else (eldritch heritage arcane).
Eidolon
Can be small size to help with stealth
Speak all languages of master so no communication problems right from level 1
Have skill points and evolutions that can be arranged as desired to help with stealth, perception, and disable device.
Can be given arms to use disable device.
Master does not have to take the skills.
Master is limited to summoner which isn’t a great caster, but can summon monsters if dismiss eidolon. And if the eidolon is really built for scouting it probably won’t be much use in a fight anyway.
So I think I can get the ‘best’ scout with eidolon if I want to be a summoner. If I don’t want to be a summoner, I think a familiar can be a pretty good scout.
So which familiar do you think would make the best scout and why? (Bothe the initial base familiars and the later improved familiars.)
If you were building an eidolon just for scouting, how would you go about it? Which body type, skills, and evolutions would you start with and what ones would you add in which order? (I would assume serpentine with arms added, but not really sure about that.)
Can you combine the Fetchling Shadow Caller and the Evolutionist archtypes?
My favorite character is a Master Summoner who uses his/her eidolon specifically as a scout so I think I can be of some help here. If you're thinking about using an eidolon as a scout, then Master Summoner is absolutely the way to go (since you can have a Summon Monster out at the same time as your eidolon or have multiple instances out at once if not). You don't need very many evolution points to create an excellent scout.
Some additional benefits:
An eidolon can have very high levels of Perception and Stealth even at very low levels.
Eidolons have darksight.
Eidolons communicate telepathically with their masters, meaning constant silent communication over distance.
Eidolons can have flight by 5th level.
Significant downside:
It can really irritate some GM's who can't effectively plan (or don't wish to) for the utility it offers.
As far as building it, I like the Serpent (for Climb speed starting at 1st level) or the biped (for higher speeds which allow for more effective perception checks and faster flight). Biped is my favorite.
I don't have my level-by-level eidolon build in front of me at the moment, but you'll want to go Half-Elf to make it as effective as possible. You'll want the Skilled evolutions for Stealth and Perception right off, adding arms and the evolutions for Disable Device (still can't disarm magical traps) and Use Magic Device (for wands) later if that's the direction you wish to go. Wings as soon as possible (5th level as mentioned). In our Skull n Shackles campaign my eidolon could swim and breathe underwater as well as fly, so you'll want to consider your environment as well.
With the familiar, two of the most inconspicuous options, the raven and the thrush, actually have the ability to speak a language from level 1 based off of a couple of foot notes on the familiar charts. They are small, common enough to be beneath notice, and they fly. This spells out a rather decent scout to me.
Another option might be a single level dip into witch. This might seem odd, but the witch has a hex called feral speech. This hex allows you to speak to any one broad grouping of animals (as in mammals, birds, fish, etc) like you had speak with animals effect on. And since it does not have the highly defined limits you find in other hexes that mimic spells (such as the minutes per level per day of flight), it is possible that there is no time limit. That makes any familiar, and possibly even some animal companions(even if they belong to someone else), into viable scouts. The fact that you are also a spell caster that has a decent enough spell list for wands and access to the extra hex feat for some other abilities that are not so level dependent is just a plus.
@ Wiggz
I had totally missed the Link (Ex) for mental communication. That does sound rather ideal. Especially when you pair that with share senses.
I don't know if my GM will allow the master summoner archtype. There are so many threads and people who say it is horrifically overpowered, that he may not want it.
Though personally, I think this would be an ideal way to do it. Since the major complaint seems to be that you can have your eidolon out while using the summon monster ability. Since a specialized scout eidolon doesn't have much combat utility, that fact that it is still out in combat won't have much effect.
But that is just my opinion, he may still not like it.
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@ lemeres
It is true that those 2 familiars can communicate at first level. I guess they didn't occur to me since they don't seem terrible sneaky to me. But even if not sneaky, they are pretty inconspicuous. So they would probably work pretty good as long as not underground (birds often get inside building).
I don't know how I forgot about the witch's feral speech. I tend to not like dips if not absolutely necessary for the build. But I could just make it an actual full witch.
Wouldn't it be easier to hire a Halfling with a dog?
@ Wiggz
I had totally missed the Link (Ex) for mental communication. That does sound rather ideal. Especially when you pair that with share senses.
I don't know if my GM will allow the master summoner archtype. There are so many threads and people who say it is horrifically overpowered, that he may not want it.
Though personally, I think this would be an ideal way to do it. Since the major complaint seems to be that you can have your eidolon out while using the summon monster ability. Since a specialized scout eidolon doesn't have much combat utility, that fact that it is still out in combat won't have much effect.
But that is just my opinion, he may still not like it.
There are people who say pretty much every class (other than Fighter, Rogue or Monk) is over-powered. The Master Summoner has moments where it can shine yes, but so can any other well-built character.
If you want to go make a character with a scout-type pet and you can't use a Master Summoner, I'd recommend against using a standard Summoner in that role... you'd totally be cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Wouldn't it be easier to hire a Halfling with a dog?
Historically, we have difficulty keeping hirelings alive unless we work so hard at protecting them that we're better off without them.
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There are people who say pretty much every class (other than Fighter, Rogue or Monk) is over-powered. The Master Summoner has moments where it can shine yes, but so can any other well-built character.
If you want to go make a character with a scout-type pet and you can't use a Master Summoner, I'd recommend against using a standard Summoner in that role... you'd totally be cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Actually, I'm seriously considering the Fetchling Shadow Caller combined with Evolutionist. As far as I can tell, the 2 archtypes do not conflict.
The shadow creature template and shadow evolutions just go very well thematically with the sneaky scout theme.
But I do like the master summoner concept a whole lot. And you are correct, 1/2 evolution points should be sufficient for a scout.
@ lemeres
It is true that those 2 familiars can communicate at first level. I guess they didn't occur to me since they don't seem terrible sneaky to me. But even if not sneaky, they are pretty inconspicuous. So they would probably work pretty good as long as not underground (birds often get inside building).
I don't know how I forgot about the witch's feral speech. I tend to not like dips if not absolutely necessary for the build. But I could just make it an actual full witch.
The secret to being stealthy is to not look like you are being stealthy. If the enemies full on throttle attacked every bird at the windowsill, they would have little time to plot the end of the world.
If I had to pick, the thrush would be the better choice. It is not some evil looking bugger like the raven, it is even smaller so it has a total +12 to stealth due to size modifiers, and it gives a +3 to a more useful skill, for what that is worth.
If the dip into witch has any advantage over going eldritch heritage, it is that the familiar remains level 1. This is an advantage due to the very.... unfortunate.... fact that it is much cheaper to replace (well, 500 gp since it is witch, but still fairly cheap).
(I understand you are going with the eidolon here, but hey, others might read this thread for tips)
Actually, I am not set on the summoner eidolon. I don't know what exactly the rest of the group is taking yet. Just that no one seems to want to be a scout.
If we don't have any casters and lots of martial characters, I will probably make a sorc or witch and use a familiar for scouting. (Although now that I think about, using a witch's familiar for scouting could be risky since it is also the spell book.)
If there are a bunch a caster and no martials, I will probably take some fighter or barbarian type with eldritch heritage.
If we have some casters and some martials, then that is when I would most likely take a summoner.
So I am still interested in what would make the best scouting familiars. I think I am agreeing with you that the thrush might be the best for the first few levels.
What improved familiar do you think would make the best scout?
I had a thrush familiar in the beginning of Kingmaker, who made a pretty useful scout when outdoors. (After a few levels, even hawks can talk to their masters.)
A lot of the underground-dungeon type familiars are much bigger than a natural creature would be (a scorpion the size of a housecat would probably be suspicious), but bats and toads are diminutive. Bats can fly and have blindsense, but toads have a bonus to stealth.
As far as improved familiars, small earth elementals make decent scouts because they can earth glide into all sorts of places, they have darkvision and tremorsense, and they have hands. They only speak terran, however. They're Small, so, properly equipped, they're not too bad as flanking buddies, either -- might not be half bad for a Carnivalist.
Faerie dragons have telepathy, fly and swim, and can turn invisible although not for that long. (Although, being dragons, they could wear a ring for that.)
ETA: If you don't mind being evil, an Imp is probably the best scouting familiar possible. Hands, flying, change shape, all-day invisibility, telepathy...
Hard to say, since so many are alignment specific choices. Any with invisibility at will obviously have an advantage though.
Nosoi are often overlooked since they are not one of the humanoid choices, but they have invisibility as well as several uses of speak with the dead per day. Their resistances and DR help make them durable too. It can also change shape into a raven or songbird...which is nice for previously mentioned reasons (well, when you have to interact with it in public at least; invisibility trumps it against anything that lacks detect invisible or similar defensive senses). They also have a modest score in knowledge (planes and history) in their own right, so they could always give a crack at it even if you do not invest in the skill yourself. Always nice to have a second roll for things like that. Overall, they are useful tools for a neutral spellcaster.
*edit* took a while to figure out, but it also seems like Nosoi have a specialized version of blindsight called "spirit sense" that allows them to find and distinguish living and undead within 60 feet. Another useful ability.
Silvanshee are good too since they are again inconspicuous and they also have truespeech, allowing them to listen to any enemy chatter.
Unfortunately, the 'optimal' choice would probably be the imp, since it has invisibility and a humanoid form, allowing for wands. They also have constant detect magic and even commune and augury (which could be used for obvious situations like "should I send my familiar in there to scout?")
Another, less optimal, but flavorful choice for an evil caster would be the Raktavarna, which can change shape into a tiny living object. Its advantages come from its constant comprehend languages and detect thoughts, as well as the "master's eyes" ability (which basically lets you see through the rakshasha's eyes, with full sense suit, at will with no range restrictions as long as you concentrate)
Actually, I am not set on the summoner eidolon. I don't know what exactly the rest of the group is taking yet. Just that no one seems to want to be a scout.
If we don't have any casters and lots of martial characters, I will probably make a sorc or witch and use a familiar for scouting. (Although now that I think about, using a witch's familiar for scouting could be risky since it is also the spell book.)
If there are a bunch a caster and no martials, I will probably take some fighter or barbarian type with eldritch heritage.
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Considering that, I just wanted to throw this out there - this is a devastating martial build I put together for our RotRL campaign. He's an absolute terror on the battlefield and just happens to make an excellent scout as well.