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So my I am playing a barbarian and just got my familiar via Familiar Bond and I am planning on grabbing at 7th level Improved Familiar. I am looking mostly at the Fey familiars (and the Cat Sith & Dweomercat Cub) for flavor reasons, What do you think is the strongest option?
I personally thought that the Pooka and Brownie are the top front runners considering they will have my Full BAB and half my hitpoints: I am lvl 6 with 98 hp.
Also, how does the Familiar bond feat interact with the new familiar archetypes? Do I need to get Improved Familiar bond before being able to apply an archetype?
Half Orc Amplified Rage and Valet Familiar. Screw flavor. Smash Face.
It's a bit off from fey, but the Faerie dragon is one of my favorite improved familiars. Since they cast spells as a sorcerer, some GMs will let you choose the spells they have, and if your's will, you could grab enlarge person, and a couple of other nice spells.
It also means your familiar can use most arcane wands and scrolls, which is very useful. I've always wanted to give one a wand of enervation, and watch him give a BBEG negative levels every round.
I am rather...iffy on how improved familiars and the archetypes stack up.
I've heard arguments that improved familiars lack the 'speak with their kind' ability, but mauler (which is perfect for a barbarian's familiar, by the way), but the same ability goes on and on about removing speech even if the base creature could do so (which usually doesn't apply to the default animal familiars). I am of the mind that improved familiars still have the abilities to trade for archetypes, they are simply not able to use those abilities.
But it is a definite fact- familiar bond alone would not qualify you for most familiar archetypes.
But there is good news- the feat does let you gain full familiar abilities and use your HD for your wizard level if you multiclass into a class with familiars. This is important, since Familiar Folio also gave us Eldritch guardian archetype for fighters.
This archetype allows you to share any combat feats you have with your familiar as long as it can see and hear you. So grab the 2 fighter levels, and you can get a fully scaling familiar and you can give it your various feats like power attack or combat reflexes, adding a lot more utility to your familiar.
This makes Pookas a fantastic options for a mauler, since they can already use simple weapons (you can give them armor too if the armor check penalty is 0). With a base 16 strength in battle form (with scaling strength bonuses as you go up in level), you suddenly have a crazy mute bunny girl stabbing people with spears or smashing their heads in with maces (and she still keeps tricky abilities like at will invisibility and flight)
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The Nycar is invincible so it can be on the enemy providing Aid Another support and risk-free scouting. Look at Valet archetype.
My Witch has one and it approached a Huge magma elemental and kept it at bay while the rest of us took down the second. The magma elemental was too busy with "What the hell is this invincible Tiny lizard that is trying to cast magic without worry!?"
I really like earth elementals. You can speak with them and they have tremorsense 60' and Earth glide. I don't think they get enough love.
I really like earth elementals. You can speak with them and they have tremorsense 60' and Earth glide. I don't think they get enough love.
Certainly true. And they can actually be battle ready without going into archetypes and fighter archetypes. They come with 16 str, as well as power attack and improved bullrush. Enough to do some basic melee.
I always have to wonder- can they be humanoid shaped at that size? Because elementals get simple weapon proficiency depending on shape.
Overall, a nice package with a lot of options for scouting and combat.
I really like earth elementals. You can speak with them and they have tremorsense 60' and Earth glide. I don't think they get enough love.Certainly true. And they can actually be battle ready without going into archetypes and fighter archetypes. They come with 16 str, as well as power attack and improved bullrush. Enough to do some basic melee.
I always have to wonder- can they be humanoid shaped at that size? Because elementals get simple weapon proficiency depending on shape.
Overall, a nice package with a lot of options for scouting and combat.
I would hope so. They should be able to take any form you can think of. I would think humanoid I don't know many other shapes.
I really like earth elementals. You can speak with them and they have tremorsense 60' and Earth glide. I don't think they get enough love.Certainly true. And they can actually be battle ready without going into archetypes and fighter archetypes. They come with 16 str, as well as power attack and improved bullrush. Enough to do some basic melee.
I always have to wonder- can they be humanoid shaped at that size? Because elementals get simple weapon proficiency depending on shape.
Overall, a nice package with a lot of options for scouting and combat.
They look humanoid and in the text
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/elemental/eleme ntal-earth/small-earth-elemental
I really like earth elementals. You can speak with them and they have tremorsense 60' and Earth glide. I don't think they get enough love.
OMG they are immune to sneak attack, almost all conditions, and the don't need to breath sleep or eat. You are a mad man the earth elemental is becoming one of my favorite VERY quickly. Tremor sense and earth glide. Talk about scout and fire watch at night.
Is their any way to increase their size? And are gravity elemental same real thing?
They look humanoid and in the text
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/elemental/eleme ntal-earth/small-earth-elemental
There is room for debate on that.
Most earth elementals look like terrestrial animals made out of rock, earth, or even crystal, with glowing gemstones for eyes. Larger earth elementals often have a stony humanoid appearance.
Most look like terrestrial animals, and BIGGER elementals often have humanoid forms. Just going off of the bestiary entry, I could see a GM saying 'no' for anything below large earth elementals.
IMO if you are going for something with a cat theme for flavor reasons go with the Silvanshee. It can lay on hands as a Paladin and with you being a Barbarian it is always going to be helpful to have that healing. It has a ton of useful abilities and special qualities. With it's Heroic Strength ability it would couple nicely if you are able to grant your Rage to it with a Rage Power. It could make for a good Mauler Archetype familiar as well.
They look humanoid and in the text
http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/elemental/eleme ntal-earth/small-earth-elementalThere is room for debate on that.
Most earth elementals look like terrestrial animals made out of rock, earth, or even crystal, with glowing gemstones for eyes. Larger earth elementals often have a stony humanoid appearance.Most look like terrestrial animals, and BIGGER elementals often have humanoid forms. Just going off of the bestiary entry, I could see a GM saying 'no' for anything below large earth elementals.
Look at the small elemental picture, and text. It clearly says humanoid. And looks humanoid. How is that a debate?
IMO if you are going for something with a cat theme for flavor reasons go with the Silvanshee. It can lay on hands as a Paladin and with you being a Barbarian it is always going to be helpful to have that healing. It has a ton of useful abilities and special qualities. With it's Heroic Strength ability it would couple nicely if you are able to grant your Rage to it with a Rage Power. It could make for a good Mauler Archetype familiar as well.
Dosent look like the LOH levels with you. Only as a 2nd level pally
I had been told that it levels with you though I could not find a ruling on that. Does anyone know if they LoH levels with you for a Silvanshee familiar?
I had been told that it levels with you though I could not find a ruling on that. Does anyone know if they LoH levels with you for a Silvanshee familiar?
It originally did. That got errata'd when enough folks freaked out about it.
@ Protoman -- and that's why we can't have nice things for our familiars. Though it still builds off charisma so you can increase the number of times per day by increasing your familiar's charisma score up.
Protoman: Ah. I see. I figured as much. Well, that blows.
Abraham spalding: Yep. True. :) So not completely terrible. I stand by my original statement. ...just not as solidly.
Where would one find a condensed list of all Familiars available to a PFS character?
Not yet. I'm hopeful it will be soon, but I have no idea how long it may take.
I just noticed Familiar Folio. Is it Society legal?
Not yet. It came out last week and typically takes a while until it hits the Additional Resources page. Usually first or second Friday of the month I think.
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a miniature giant space hamster...
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a miniature giant space hamster...
Darn things are always going for the eyes...
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Well my DM said that he would be cool with a Silvanshee's LoH being the same as her HD rather than being stuck at lvl 2 paladin.
This being the case, is there any reason to take a Pooka over a Silvanshee? I really like the Pooka for flavor reasons but the Silvanshee does seem stronger?
I plan to use my familiar as an advanced scout, light combat (it will have a ton of HP and full BAB), and in the case of a Silvanshee, Healing.
In the campaign I am playing in magic is VERY limited so wands & UMD aren't really a thing.
Silvanshee -- free healing and lots of it is a big thing.
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Can a Silvanshee hold her own in combat with a full BAB? She gets pounce but 1d2-4 is lame (how does that even work? How does she do -3 or -2 damage on a successful attack)
Also, a Pooka gets Fast Healing 2, which with Share Healing and the Valet archetype would net my barbarian Fast Healing 1, which is basically infinite out of combat healing.
Can a Silvanshee hold her own in combat with a full BAB? She gets pounce but 1d2-4 is lame (how does that even work? How does she do -3 or -2 damage on a successful attack)
Also, a Pooka gets Fast Healing 2, which with Share Healing and the Valet archetype would net my barbarian Fast Healing 1, which is basically infinite out of combat healing.
WTF?
Shared healing doesn't even pretend to work that way:
Benefit: When you and your companion creature have this feat, your companion creature is adjacent to you or sharing your square, and you receive the benefit of a healing spell (whether from yourself or another source), you can divide the hit points healed evenly between yourself and your companion creature.
Fast healing is not a spell and would not share with this feat in any way shape or form. I'm not sure why you would even think it would (unless you simply didn't correctly remember what it said, and then hey, we've all been there).
For healing the Silvanshee wins if it's allowed to have LOH at it's effective hit dice. At level 10 that's 5d6 5 times a day swift action on itself, and more uses available if you increase its charisma, which also helps its save throws.
The pooka's ability to use weapons is its biggest advantage (due largely to ranged combat).
IF you want the silvanshee to be a combatant you will need to increase its size. The once per day strength boost would help carry it then but the bigger it gets the more of a target it will of course be. Animal Growth grants a +8 size bonus to strength which would stack with its once per day strength boost taking it up to a 19 strength. This would over course be an 8 point increase in damage and a 6 point increase in attack numbers. An amulet of the mighty fist would help as well, and you'd probably want some barding for it too.
Honestly getting it to large size and using it as a mount would be pretty rocking if you could figure out how to do it.
Honestly getting it to large size and using it as a mount would be pretty rocking if you could figure out how to do it.
A dip into witch let us pick the Animal Patron and the Animal Patron Familiar to go with it. This gives us Speak with Animals back to our familiar, since improved familiars trades this out.
We also pick up the Mauler Archetype for our familiar.
We advance our familiar to the third level, either by two more levels of a familiar granting class or any of the many feats. This is for the Mauler's battle shape ability (granting it at-will medium size!).
We then pick the Undersized Mount feat for ourselves. Muleback cords or Heavyload belt for the familiar might be needed.
Then we can enjoy riding on our Silvanshee, Rabbit, Fox or any other little creature!
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I like dust Mephits and faerie dragons.
Both can use wands which is awesome.
Dusty has blur 1/hour and wind wall 1/day. Those are pretty good SLAS
But give either one cheap low level wands: enlarge person, lead blades, protection from X.
I haven't fooled around with the familiar folio but im sure the new archetypes made some familiars better then before. I just dont like putting mine into melee.
Honestly getting it to large size and using it as a mount would be pretty rocking if you could figure out how to do it.A dip into witch let us pick the Animal Patron and the Animal Patron Familiar to go with it. This gives us Speak with Animals back to our familiar, since improved familiars trades this out.
We also pick up the Mauler Archetype for our familiar.
We advance our familiar to the third level, either by two more levels of a familiar granting class or any of the many feats. This is for the Mauler's battle shape ability (granting it at-will medium size!).
We then pick the Undersized Mount feat for ourselves. Muleback cords or Heavyload belt for the familiar might be needed.
Then we can enjoy riding on our Silvanshee, Rabbit, Fox or any other little creature!
I meant as a barbarian -- since that's what the OP is using, yeah if we can grab caster levels and spells suddenly the whole idea gets much easier.
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Well I decided to just stick with the Silvanshee, you are right about the LoH, its too strong to pass up. Plus my DM was extra cool and is letting the Silvanshee shapechange into a humanoid in exchange for it becoming Fey and gaining Cold Iron vulnerability.
All in all I am pretty stoaked about the familiar. She is currently just a regular cat familiar (lvl 6 and hasnt revealed that she has more to offer). Currently she is driving the Barbarian crazy because she wont shut up but everyone else just thinks she is meowing and purring.
I meant as a barbarian -- since that's what the OP is using, yeah if we can grab caster levels and spells suddenly the whole idea gets much easier.
The Eldritch heritage feats or the (Improved) Familiar Bond feat works to pick up a familiar. Without the Witch dip we can't have a Improved Familiar acting as a Mauler, but a normal familiar will still do the trick.
For example:
Barbarian 5
1st level feat: Skill Focus (something) - needed for the next feat.
3rd level feat: Eldritch Heritage (any) - Use Arcane Bloodline or the Bloodline Familiar option. Pick the Mauler Archetype for the familiar.
5th level feat: Undersized Mount - Ride creatures at your size.
Would give us a familiar (any normal) with a master that has an effective wizard level of 3. This gives the familiar the ability to take Medium form at will. We can ride this due to our feats. No spells needed!
Someone did not read the thread...
Someone did not read the thread...
I did. Then you asked for a way to make said familiar useful as a mount - which I provided (dip witch and get the Mauler archetype).
Clearly my mistake and I am sorry for that.