Imp Animal Companion + Imp Improved Familiar?

[Wiggz]

I'm browsing through the Hell's Vengeance Player's Guide and checking out some of its recommended Archetypes and Prestige Classes, never before having had the occasion to investigate some of them.

The Wizard archetype 'Egorian Academy Infernal Binder' requires you to take an Imp as your Improved Familiar while the Diabolist prestige class (a natural evolution from the Infernal Binder) grants you an Imp as an Animal Companion for whom your PrC levels and your caster levels stack. I haven't plotted it out but this would presumably work out to some pretty different stats and abilities... I don't mind the variation, but is it reasonable to assume that, if one goes this route, they will in fact have two imps at their command?

[Wiggz]

Quick confirmation, anyone? I'd be surprised if it was RAI, but I can't see how it wouldn't be given the classes in question...

[Rysky]

Seeing as how one is classified as an Animal Companion and the other a Familiar then yes, by RAW you would have both.

That may not necessary have been the intention, but until an official says otherwise you can have two annoying infernal bastards following you around.

[Wiggz]

Rysky wrote:

Seeing as how one is classified as an Animal Companion and the other a Familiar then yes, by RAW you would have both.

That may not necessary have been the intention, but until an official says otherwise you can have two annoying infernal bastards following you around.

That's how it looked to me. I know that there are often instances in the rules where its explicitly stated (for instance) that a particular feat or class feature does not allow one to have a familiar and a bonded item, but no such language appears in this case.

[Rysky]

*nods*

They author may have just wanted to give you a very durable imp and just didn't think about the ramifications of going about it in the way they did.

Or they did and said "F#+@ it! Imps are awesome!"

*shrugs*

[Mighty Squash]

I am currently building a PFS character toward the Diabolist prestige class, just to briefly have two imp before retirement.

Though I am using the Asmodean Advocate for the "free" Imp familiar, as I'd missed the EAIB.

So hopefully the rule does not get changed.

[Lorewalker]

They are separate things. One is an animal companion which does not stack with any other class, and the other is a familiar.

Class level portion of the Animal companion table is determined by this...

"This is the diabolist's class level plus her highest caster level. This does not stack with class levels that grant an animal companion."
So, each Diabolist level is worth 2 levels on the chart(as it also increases your CL) and if you have full CL from your previous levels... your imp will be "strong" already.

The imp familiar would stop advancing whenever you stop taking levels in a class which gives familiars.

That gives you two imps, one significantly stronger than the other. That could make for some fun roleplay.