1)Can a familiar share my space?
2)Can it sit on my shoulders and move as I do? (i'm thinking like a snake scarf)
3)If yes, does that impose any penalties to my movement or combat?
4)Does that prevent it from attacking?
5)Does it threaten the squares around me?
6)Can I keep a familiar in my backpack or pocket?
1) Yes, familiars usually share the space of their master. Those who don't often get killed.
2) If you mean can it ride around on you and be moved as you move, then yes.
3) No, it doesn't impose any sort of penalty to you.
4) No, but you probably shouldn't. In my experience both as a GM and as a player, a familiar who does anything is about to be a dead familiar.
5) No, but only because most familiars are tiny sized (or smaller) category creatures and as such have a reach of 0 feet. To attack anything that have to enter the creatures square (and they provoke an attack of opportunity for doing so).
6) Yes, they even have this.
1) Yes, familiars usually share the space of their master. Those who don't often get killed.
2) If you mean can it ride around on you and be moved as you move, then yes.
3) No, it doesn't impose any sort of penalty to you.
4) No, but you probably shouldn't. In my experience both as a GM and as a player, a familiar who does anything is about to be a dead familiar.
5) No, but only because most familiars are tiny sized (or smaller) category creatures and as such have a reach of 0 feet. To attack anything that have to enter the creatures square (and they provoke an attack of opportunity for doing so).
6) Yes, they even have this.
That's all excellent, can a small familiar threaten and sit on my shoulder?
No, a small and medium creature cannot share a space barring special rules. They could still "mount" you, but they'd be large enough they need to sit on your back rather than your shoulder, which is obviously going to cause problems when the mount is a biped.
No, a small and medium creature cannot share a space barring special rules. They could still "mount" you, but they'd be large enough they need to sit on your back rather than your shoulder, which is obviously going to cause problems when the mount is a biped.
Well that's less excellent, and I just checked theres no "small" snake in the srd, only tiny, medium, and large. *sadness*
What kind of special circumstances would allow two creatures to share a square? (other than mounts)
A Pseudodragon, although tiny, does threaten at 5' with its tail.
You can wear a Cassisian Angel.
A Pseudodragon, although tiny, does threaten at 5' with its tail.
1) Holy crap that's awesome, do any other familiars have an exception like that?
2) Do inquisitor levels allow me to get an improved familiar?
Any familiar can get 5' reach (or the pseudodragon can get 10' reach) with the Evolved Familiar feat, as there is a Reach evolution. Try not to think too hard about what using it looks like ingame.... And as Claxon mentioned, this is a great way to get foes to target your familiar.
Familiars tend to be very squishy (unless it's a Mauler familiar).
I really don't recommend trying to weaponize one. As a GM, I will not hesitate to kill it as a full combatant.
In games I run animal companions and familiar are usually left alone so long as they don't actually make any offensive actions. Once they do they become fair targets. Targets that are usually killed rather quickly.
If you really want a strong familiar, either go Mauler Familiar or play a class that gets an animal companion instead.
That's excellent! I dont actually care about it attacking in combat, i just want to make sure it can threaten, such is the path to shenanigans...
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Shenanigans will get it killed even faster.
That's excellent! I dont actually care about it attacking in combat, i just want to make sure it can threaten, such is the path to shenanigans...
If you're taking advantage of the Bodyguard feat, that also makes it fair game to be targeted by an enemy.
One possible solution to this would be the figment familiar archetype, since it makes your familiar dying a pretty trivial loss.
That's excellent! I dont actually care about it attacking in combat, i just want to make sure it can threaten, such is the path to shenanigans...
I'm not sure what shenanigans you intend...but that is also typically a bad idea.
If you elaborate I think we would be happy to consider how likely your GM is to throw a book at you.
If you elaborate I think we would be happy to consider how likely your GM is to throw a book at you.
I'll explain once i've worked out the details, it wont be massively broken. Can a familiar sit on anyone (or any willing creature's) shoulders as easily as it does mine without inhibiting their movement / combat etc?
If you elaborate I think we would be happy to consider how likely your GM is to throw a book at you.I'll explain once i've worked out the details, it wont be massively broken. Can a familiar sit on anyone (or any willing creature's) shoulders as easily as it does mine without inhibiting their movement / combat etc?
I think at worst, you might get a GM annoyed with a tiny familiar on a small character.
I think at worst, you might get a GM annoyed with a tiny familiar on a small character.
Nah, I was thinking of it perched on top of a summoned creature, probably medium or larger.
To clarify, familiars have no special ability to share a space, tiny (and smaller) creatures can share a space with another creature.
Most GMs would certainly allow such a creature to be carried as well, on a shoulder or whatever, although for a small character especially encumbrance could be a problem. The mounted combat rules in Pathfinder are not very strong even for the normal cases of a guy on a horse, and really start to get weird when used with intelligent bipeds as the mount. I would suggest at most using them to allow the familiar to move with character. Generally speaking, there shouldn't be much of a practical mechanical difference between a familiar being carried and one moving under its own power and sharing your space.
This would apply to any character, not just a familiars master.