Looking for suggestions on which familiar to work toward.
I want the familiar primarily for a scout, secondarily for a wand monkey to help cast buffs on the rest of the group. Any magic or qualities that the familiar has to sneak or buff others would be appreciated.
I would really prefer to not have an evil familiar for this PC.
This would be for levels 5-7 (whenever actually qualify for that familiar) up through level 11. Not sure if this character would be one that I would chose to play beyond 12 or not.
So my PC would keep max ranks in stealth, perception, and UMD (if I have some left over I would put them in disable device, but I don't think I will have any to spare).
This is for PFS and I have the potential to get the Faerie Dragon if that is a good choice.
Do the dragon shapes allow the use of wands? I always thought they did, but someone said they do not.
Thoughts, ideas, or concerns?
I like Faerie Dragons. They are 3rd level sorcerers so by RAW they could use scrolls up to CL3 without caster level checks, wands with spells from their spell list, etc. just like a spontaneous arcane caster. If you're looking for a scout they're not too shabby either.
So you agree that a dragon form can use wands and scrolls even though they don't have actual hands?
Our group usually get Brownies for improved familiars, they have 16 cha for UMD and can mirror image or dimension door themselves away if they get threatened. You can get them at 5th level according to the text and 7th according to the chart. You may run into trouble but I haven't found anyone who tried to argue the text is in error, just people who don't like companion characters in general. They also speak Common, Elven, Gnome and Sylvan so having them communicate isn't an issue (not that it is for the other common choices.)
So you agree that a dragon form can use wands and scrolls even though they don't have actual hands?Why wouldn't it? In the pictures of faerie dragons that I've seen, they look capable of holding wands and/or scrolls as needed.
I have heard at least 2 people say they were going to take the faerie dragon until they heard that dragon shapes couldn't use wands, scrolls, and thieves tools.
But I have not been able to locate any such rule.
Well, the PFS FAQ says that faerie dragons fall under the Biped(hands) section of Animal Archive for magic item purposes, so I'd take that as basic evidence that they can hold things.
But I think you have to own Animal Archive to use that ruling.
I do happen to have that book. =)
1. Take a Faerie Dragon as a familiar
2. Make a Tiny sized handy haversack
3. Fill said haversack with as many scrolls and wands as it will hold by volume
You now have a scroll/wand jockey who throws buffs, minor damage or heals (UMD for this) all over. It's kind of like having a second quickened spell every round. Bonus: your 2nd level scrolls are all CL3. The familiar is CL3. It can use your scrolls and toss out Bulls Strength, Fog Cloud or Mirror Image for you. Your round, with the right feats/traits could conceivably be:
1. Have a potion in your hand
2. Swift/quickened spell
3. Move drink a potion
4. Standard cast a spell
5. familiar uses scroll/spell/wand
That's potenially 4 solid actions in a single round. You might at this point have fireballed, fire breathed, burning gazed and burning hands'ed that ice elemental over there, before the fighter even got to it. Not a bad round...
The Efficient Quiver is actually better for storing wands which are clearly by description legal for use with the quiver. Your DM may have to OK this and it may not be kosher for PFS, but removing the wands would be a Free Action. I don't know if there is a FAQ on that though.
As for choosing your Improved Familiar, it would be better for those of us doing so to know your alignment as that actually plays a big role in deciding what options you have. Given what we know though, yes, the Faerie Dragon is a no brainer, but probably so much so that it isn't very original.
Not sure if the Nosoi is available to you (maybe, if you're Neutral good since the text suggests that might be possible), but with at-will invisibility, flight and darkvision, they make excellent scouts and have a fair few other excellent abilities. You would lack wand usage, but with a 16 CHA, they'd be excellent with other UMD sorts of items. Scroll use given their mastery at writing them seems particularly fluffy.
A Salt Mephit with its nasty, nasty Glitterdust 1X hour is certainly worth considering. They also fly, have darkvision, and Stealth +12 so they'd be pretty solid scouts in their own right. Most all of the Mephits are worth looking at tbh.
Will probably be either a NG or CG Peri-Blooded Aasimar Summoner or a Garuda-Blooded Aasimar Druid. I suppose I could be just Neutral for this character. But I usually prefer playing some sort of good. Especially for my first Aasimar.
Either will be probably be getting the familiar from Eldritch Heritage.
Then either the Boon Companion feat to bring it up to full level or the Ascendant Recollection trait to only be down 1 Cl for the familiar.
I'm not sure why, but the memphits never occurred to me. I've got some re-reading to do.
Can a PFS familiar carry an Efficient Quiver or Handy Haversack. I don't think you can make ones of different sizes for PFS.
Probably not since they would have to be crafted for a small or tiny being. The solution would be to wear it yourself and just let your familiar snag stuff as needed.
Sounds like you intend to have an entire adventuring party of buddies (familiar, eidolon, etc.). ;)
... Sounds like you intend to have an entire adventuring party of buddies (familiar, eidolon, etc.). ;)
Might be fun with a Master Summoner. That would probably not be too fun for the other guys at the table. Plus not supposed to for PFS.
I'm actually looking at possible alternates.
If the party has no melee guy, I would use the meat shield eidolon and put the familiar in my back pack (or guarding the horses, whatever).
If the party has no scout, I would use the familiar and not summon the eidolon.
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Bah, go with a Homonculus familiar and invest a bit of cash in customizing it. Every 500-3000GP you spend on it gives it an extra spell like ability it can use 1x a day.
Grab one with Invisibility, Mage Armor, Ill Omen, True Strike, etc., and then give him a cheap wand of Recharge Innate Magic.
Boom, the ultimate stealth familiar who has enough in/out of combat magic powers to do anything you want.
Homonculi are by far the best Improved Familiar in the game if you can afford it.