Hey folks. Another weird question for you all: Can a monkey familiar carry a shield in his hands?
From a RAW perspective there isn't much that would contradict this as even when non-proficient you can carry a shield. The only issue might be that the monkey with 3 STR might feel hard pressed to hold a shield...
I know there is an FAQ which specifically disallows Familiars to carry weapons in PFS but it does not mention shields.
My intent as always is malicious: I want to aquire a Valet Familiar and pick up the Shield Wall Feat to improve my shield bonus to AC.
How come? He doesn't have to be proficient to do so and it's not a weapon as that's the limitation of the PFS specific FAQ. The monkey also has hands.
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How come? He doesn't have to be proficient to do so and it's not a weapon as that's the limitation of the PFS specific FAQ. The monkey also has hands.
The intent of the FAQ is to keep animals from being kitted with weapons and such. While a Shield is not "JUST" a weapon, a shield must be "wielded". So the intent applies to the Shield as well. Animals don't "wield" anything, because they are animals.
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The Monkey cannot equip a shield, but not for the reasons Andrew Christian is outlining. He is correct in that a monkey cannot wield a shield as a weapon, though. That was outlined in the Monkey See, Monkey Do blog.
A Monkey cannot equip a shield because that requires the Monkey to have the Shield Slot available. Monkeys in PFS by default only have Armor Slot and Neck Slot.
If you were capable of giving your Monkey the Extra Item Slot feat, for Shield Slot, then it could equip a shield. You're paying an extra cost, you get the extra benefit.
Also, a Monkey can "carry" a shield just fine, the same as it could carry a banana.
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The Monkey cannot equip a shield, but not for the reasons Andrew Christian is outlining. He is correct in that a monkey cannot wield a shield as a weapon, though. That was outlined in the Monkey See, Monkey Do blog.
A Monkey cannot equip a shield because that requires the Monkey to have the Shield Slot available. Monkeys in PFS by default only have Armor Slot and Neck Slot.
If you were capable of giving your Monkey the Extra Item Slot feat, for Shield Slot, then it could equip a shield. You're paying an extra cost, you get the extra benefit.
Also, a Monkey can "carry" a shield just fine, the same as it could carry a banana.
A monkey cannot wield a shield. That completely goes against the intent of the FAQ regarding animals wielding things.
Venture-Captain, Germany—Bavaria
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If we were talking about a monkey animal companion Andrew would be correct, based on the FAQ alone:
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
Unfortunately Nefreet is also kinda incorrect, it is true that a monkey can get the shield magic item slot, and then gain the full benefit from magic shields, but technically this does not prohibit an a familiar from wielding a properly sized non magical shield .
A character can use as many shields as he wants, but only only the magic properties of one magic shield per character will be usable.
It seems very much against RAI though.
Most of the confusion comes from the fact that some sentences only mention animal companions and others mention animal companions, familiars ...etc.
You could even argue that without access to the animal archive, your familiar has all the item slots since the FAQ only changes the Extra item slot feat for them.
I really advise against planning a character on the basis of this reasoning, and hope that the wording of the FAQ will be revisited at some point. Frankly I am not sure if some familiars are supposed to be able to use weapons - the availability of properly sized weapons aside - some of the bestiary descriptions mention weapons.
EDIT: They monkey see, monkey do blog does not seem to apply since the only mention of familiars (which are magical beast as opposed to animals) is only made regarding the awaken spell.
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Andy is right here because of the FAQ.
An Intelligence of 3 does not grant animals sentience, the ability to use weapons or tools...
A shield is both a weapon and a tool in this context, even if used for defense. If you have questions, refer to the Smashing Board.
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As Sebastian pointed out, that FAQ is referring to Companions, not Familiars.
That does throw a bit of a wrench into what I was saying earlier, though.
While that's true, it's important to remember that:
Only a normal, unmodified animal may become a familiar.
and mechanically:
It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was, but is now a magical beast for the purpose of effects that depend on its type.
The ability to use a shield is not an effect that depends on its type - that wording refers to things like Favored Enemy. At the end of the day, the familiar is still an animal, even if it has been retyped for effects that depend on type.
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No. Monkey familiars are size tiny. You can only buy small, medium and large equipment. So you cannot buy a shield for him, making the point moot.
Actually, there are a couple of ways to resize both weapons and armors that are pfs legal. An enchantment and a wondrous item are both of particular note. Relatively cheap too.
Now, if anyone here wants to argue that any familiar that was once just an animal now is only an 'itelligent animal' then I will remind you that wizards, sorcerers or anyone else who acquires a familiar would need to use handle animal to make use of them. As this is never noted anywhere, I would suggest that they are considered sentient. (In fact, ultimate campaign lists them as sentient but almost none of that book is legal)
If you are not arguing that familiars are just 'intelligent animals' then they would be able to use a shield or a weapon. As use of manufactured items is limited only due to 'animal intelligence' and body type. Though, still would not be able to activate magical items. They also would not be able to use Ion stones if lower than 3 int... which should not normally be the case.
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You can only buy small, medium and large equipment. So you cannot buy a shield for him, making the point moot.
You can only buy small, medium, and large weapons, because we have no guidance on how to price anything sized differently.
We do have rules for purchasing tiny-sized armor and shields, however.
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Venture-Captain, Germany—Bavaria
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I just want an Eldritch Guardian fighter going around with a monkey familiar in a tiny version of his armor with tiny copies of his weapons. And he shall be called...Mini-Me."Monkey see, monkey do."
Give him the mauler archetype.
The availability of appopriately sized weapons is only on of the problems involved here.