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Just to make sure I understand a few PFS rules.
You can only have one 'pet' active at a time. Correct?
So, if I have a build with both an eidolon (or animal companion) and a familiar, I would have to dismiss the eidolon to have the familiar do something. And I would have to put the familiar in my backpack (or whatever) while my eidolon is summoned. Correct?
Summoned Monsters do not count as pets. So I can have my one pet out and active while I begin summoning earth elementals. Correct?
I was thinking of a concept. Summoner with eidolon speced for tank/bodyguard. Take Eldritch Heritage to eventually get Improved Familiar for a familiar that makes a good scout (I would have to take ranks in stealth, perception, and disable device).
If the group has no scout, I wouldn't summon the eidolon. I could use the familiar as the scout, cast buff spells, and summon monsters at need.
If the group has no melee front liner, I would summon the eidolon to act as front line tank. I could cast buff spells and if the eidolon goes down I can start summoning monsters.
If the group has both front liners and a scout, I could summon the eidolon as my personal body guard. Then I could cast buff spells. Or I could not summon the eidolon and use the familiar as a wand monkey to double up on buff actions and summon monsters.
Does this sound reasonable? Is it something you would like to see at your table?
I could do something very similar with a druid, except I can't switch between the animal companion and the familiar as quickly.
Note: I will be organized and reasonable with the summoned creatures. I have everything I can possibly summon preprinted, I have tokens to use, and I would not summon 45 unneeded creatures to bog down the table.
(Though one time a group did ask my sorcerer to keep summoning lantern archons as fast as possible for as long as possible. It was a very close fight.)
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From the FAQ
During the course of a scenario, you may have one combat animal and as many noncombat animals as you like. Noncombat animals (ponies, horses, pet dogs, and so on) cannot participate in combat at all. If you have so many noncombat animals that their presence is slowing a session down, the GM has the right to ask you to select one noncombat animal and leave the rest behind. A summoner's eidolon is considered an animal companion for the purposes of counting combat and noncombat animals. If you have more than one class-granted animal companion (or eidolon), you must choose which will be considered the combat animal at the start of the scenario. In general, a mount, a familiar or mundane pet, and your class-granted animal(s) are acceptable, but more than that can be disruptive.
Bold is mine. Generally you can have a mount, a familiar and a animal companion out at the same time.
Venture-Captain, California—Sacramento
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I am also not sure if that should read:
In general (a mount or a familiar or mundane pet) and your class-granted animal(s).
or:
In general (a mount and (a familiar or mundane pet) and your class-granted animal(s))
I assume mount above means a mundane mount, since a cavalier's mount is both a mount and a class-granted animal.
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I'm pretty sure at my local, everyone thinks it means I should only have the familiar OR the pet. I will discuss with them. But I don't want to hog the table either. Maybe if we have a small group. Of course the scenarios scale for smaller groups. Hmm... I will probably just stick with 'OR' not 'AND' for this guy, unless the whole group says they want both out and about.
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Just make sure you figure out before your turn comes up what you want your pets and summons to do. You might get dirty looks from the other players if you spend 2 minutes deciding what each is going to do while they are waiting to get a chance to play again.
Absolutely. It is rare that anyone has to wait on me figuring out my actions at the table. I have even put myself on delay while I pondered if necessary.
Part of the reason I prefer spontaneous casters is that they have a limited number of spells. So I know well what I can or can't do with all of them. (I also tend to not pick some of the more complex/judgement spells like illusions and shadow magic. Those always seem to stop the game while people discuss what is legit or possible and what it's effects will really be.
Unless circumstances are weird, my other summoning caster has a very small number of creatures that he typically summons and they are very easy to run. Lantern archons have been his staples. Occasionally it is different if circumstances warrant. Something casting spells from the water got a crocodile dumped on him. The escaping guy got air elementals chasing him. But mostly lantern archons.
Venture-Captain, Germany—Hamburg
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You are allowed to have one of each of the following:
- A mundane mount that doesn't participate in combat.
- A familiar or mundane pet that doesn't participate in combat.
- A combat pet. This may be an animal companion, eidolon, or mundane animal purchased with gold. If it's also your mount, you can't have the mundane mount.
In short, only one of your permanent animals (also counting eidolons) may particpate in combat at a time.
This means you could also have both an eidolon and an animal companion, but you are only allowed to send one of them into combat.
Lastly, summoned creatures never count against this limit, because they only stay for a small amount of time and use up spells (or limited uses of a spell-like ability) to be summoned.
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I appreciate that restatement. It is very clear.
That shows it could potentially be an issue for my proposed concept since the familiar I was planning would be both a scout and wand monkey.
So I will stick with my plans to only have one or the other out at a time.
For PFS I think you still you need one of the improved familiars on a list to be a wand monkey for you (ironically enough, not including the monkey)
The faq used to have a list of familiars that can use wands. Now it has (i think mostly the same) list as the biped hands section of the chart, which gives
The brownie, faerie dragon, imp, lyrakien azata, mephit, quasit, sprite familiars, granted by the Improved Familiar feat, use the Biped (hands) section of the chart. The carbuncle and voidworm protean, familiars granted by the Improved Familiar feat, uses the Serpentine section of the chart. If you do not own a copy of the Animal Archive, your animal companion may only use barding and neck-slot items.
hmmmm.. I don't know if i missed a deliberate change or if the wording got changed and changed more than it intended. Looking at JUST that the monkey would be able to use a wand.
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Can my animal companion or familiar wear or use magic items?
It is intended that animal companions or familiars can not activate magic items. An animal companion could benefit from an item with a continuous magical effect like an amulet of natural armor if its master equipped the item for the animal companion. Animal companions of any type may not use manufactured weapons.Animal companions are also limited by their individual anatomies. In Pathfinder Society Organized Play, animal companions always have access to barding and neck-slot items so long as they have the anatomy. For example, a horse and pig can always have access to barding and neck-slot items. A snake does not have access to either. However, an item called out to be used by a specific animal is usable by that animal regardless of slot.
Additionally, animal companions have access to magical item slots, in addition to barding and neck, as listed on the inside front cover of the Animal Archive so long as they select the Extra Item Slot feat. The Animal Magic Item Slots table found in Animal Archive is not a legal except under the following conditions. First, an animal companion, familiar, or bonded mount, may choose one slot listed under its body type when taking the Extra Item Slot feat (this feat may be taken multiple times, each time selecting a different available magic item slot based on the creature’s anatomy). Second, access to specific magic item slots may be granted at a later date by another legal source. If you do not own a copy of the Animal Archive, your animal companion may only use barding and neck-slot items.
An animal or familiar has to have an intelligence of 3+ to activate an ioun stone. If the animal or familiar has less than a 3 intelligence, they may not activate an ioun stone.
The brownie, faerie dragon, imp, lyrakien azata, mephit, quasit, sprite familiars, granted by the Improved Familiar feat, use the Biped (hands) section of the chart. The carbuncle and voidworm protean, familiars granted by the Improved Familiar feat, uses the Serpentine section of the chart. If you do not own a copy of the Animal Archive, your animal companion may only use barding and neck-slot items.
Wow, that's bad. I know of several people that will have their characters invalidated by this. Wand monkeys seem to be fairly common. Especially since Animal Archive came out. I don't think anyone has noticed this. Certainly, I've never heard anyone say anything about it.
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Like I said, there was a list of familiars in that faq that could use wands that seems to have been lost in the shuffle.
sweet! I know a lot of people this will make happy. go-go Valet archetype. Although 'tomorrow' in Brockian terms is getting worse every day =D
On second reading, Mike Brock says the Fairy Dragon can use a wand, not any other familiar. The problem is that he didn't define for other types which can use them. RAI, it looks like any familiar with an appendage (hand, tail) that can manipulate a wand should be able to use a wand (there are numerous monsters with UMD and no hands).
Unfortunately, with PFS, expect table variation
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If I have a familiar and an AC, can I have the familiar delivering touch spells (or just granting me teamwork feat bonuses?) while the Animal Companion is doing his business?
I would say that's two combat pets. I don't mind if the pocket toad is sitting in your shorts providing the extra hitpoints bbut the weasel running around the map loaded up with a shocking grasp, your animal companion biting people and you casting whatever spell you're casting are three people in 1, which is what the rules are supposed to avoid.