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I'm building an arcanist (home campaign, not pfs) and for flavor reasons this arcanist _really_ wants to have a pseudodragon familiar, even if it's not mechanically the best option. It can't happen by the rules until level 7, and if I'm reading the rules correctly, it requires one arcanist exploit and the Improved Familiar feat.
Do I want to use the level 7 feat and exploit for this so that the lower level feats can be used for things that are immediately useful? Or should these options be selected at first level? I would think that a character who badly wanted a pseudodragon familiar but did not qualify would probably take a lizard familiar until she qualified for the pseudodragon, any other ideas?
As I said, this is more a selection for fun/flavor rather than for mechanical benefit, but I don't want to hobble the character too badly.
Plan so far is for a human, stats are STR 12, DEX 15, CON 16, INT 20, WIS 12, CHA 13 after racial bonus (rolled stats, so they can be swapped, but not points added or subtracted)
I know. The point is, do I take the necessary feat and exploit at level 1 and make due with a lizard familiar until level 7, or wait to take the feat and exploit at level 7.
you could get the exploit soon but hold off on the feat because the feat dose nothing but the exploit dose give you a familiar
If it were my character, I'd wait to get both at level 7 so the pseudodragon could be my only familiar. It seems to make more sense to me story-wise to wait on both the exploit and the feat; part of me doesn't really like the idea of just saying "adios, familiar, the new guy's better". Different strokes for different folks, obviously, and there's not a ton of difference mechanically.
Or you could just flavor your lizard as a young psuedodragon who hasn't yet come into his full maturity until you take the improved familiar feat at Level 7.
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One thing to note: the arcanist exploits are almost identical to feats. You can always get another exploit with the Extra Exploit feat.
Up to (and including) level 7, you get 5 Feats and 4 Exploits (assuming no archetypes you didn't mention).
Which other feats and exploits do you want? That might be helpful in prioritizing them.
Take the familiar immediately. This will allow you to get comfortable with how your GM deals with familiars.
Look at what feats you are going to want. See if there is another one that also comes in at 7th level. If there isn't, wait until then. If there is, take the Improved Familiar earlier so you can get both at the same time.
Talk with your GM about how to transition from the normal to the improved familiar. There are a variety of ways people have done this story-wise.