Questions reguarding familiars

[keaton13]

I'm trying to decide on my familiar, I'm thinking of picking up improved familiar and I'm trying to remember, I read something about familiars being able to take UMD any suggestions for which familiars are best for this?

[pendothrax]

The usual suspects are imps, mephits, and quasits as the have a better charisma and are fully tool using. And small enough to share your space while using wands, scrolls, ect.

[Quandary]

If you play PFS, they have a specific, more restrictive list for Familiar usage of magic items
(at least by the comments of the PFS director, the actual FAQ doesn't really accomplish what they think it does).
That list isn't really about UMD per se, it's about activating magic items, period, whether or not UMD is used.
Really, the list is inexplicably narrow, since equivalent form/ability/power Familiars exist which aren't on the list.

As far as normal RAW for the game, d20pfsrd.com has a table from Animal Archive which gives the basis of how Wands may be used:
it indicates which types of creatures can 'grasp', and the other part of using Wands is speaking (language ability).
The first part boils down to 'biped:hands' body-types (including many outsiders, elementals, fey), and also dragons and birds being Wand-compatable...
although to be clear, that is expressed as a 'guideline' with explicit mention that the GM may diverge from that.
(But by that rule, the non-Improved Familiar Raven should work fine for UMD'ing Wands, by RAW... PFS excludes that for balance reasons, IMHO)

Relatedly, the Faery Dragon doesn't even need to use UMD to use Wiz/Sorc Wands, as they have 'real' Sorceror casting themself.
(and because being dragons, they can grasp Wands, and can speak language in order to activate Wands at all)
They are PFS legal, and in fact on the PFS list of 'expanded item slots/magic item activation-capable' list.
I still prefer Pseudodragons for Reach and continuous Blindsense 60' vs. self-only Grt. Invisibility SLA 3/day.

[Rerednaw]

Alternatively if you spend the ranks for UMD, you can use a Lyrakien Azata, as they use their stat modifier which for them is a Charisma of 20.
And they have a few nice other abilities as well.

My top 3 picks are Azata and the two dragons. (If good-aligned).

Of course I rarely take the feat anyway... :)