Synergist Witch question

[haremlord]

I've been wanting to make a character that can turn into a spider and I made one as a synthesist, but I remembered the Synergist witch archetype so I wanted to try that one out.

Unfortunately, I'm unclear how it works if your familiar is not an animal (such as a vermin, or if you had improved familiar).

Here is the text where I get confused:

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/base-classes/witch/archetypes/paizo---witch -archetypes/synergist-witch-archetype wrote:

At 5th level, during symbiosis the synergist gains any abilities the familiar possesses that are listed under beast shape I, except flight.

It doesn't _say_ that you use beast shape I to turn into your familiar or anything like that. Just that you get the abilities listed under it.

Does that mean if your vermin (or outsider or whatever non-animal type) familiar has any of the listed abilities, you get them even tho you couldn't actually use Beast Shape to turn into it?

Also, does the witch look different or do they just get the abilities?

[kestral287]

Appearance-wise, the Synergist has this to say: "The symbiosis causes the synergist to adopt some basic physical features of the familiar"

So yes, you look different.

No part of Synergist references an animal. The type of familiar that you possess is irrelevant to the ability. Of course, any ability not in the Beast Shape line of spells isn't available to the Synergist, so a Vermin or Improved familiar might not have good synergy.