I am running an adventure path: Rise of the Runelords. I am about to start Chapter 3: Hook Mountain Massacre. I know my players will have no trouble taking out the ogrekin "Mammy", However, I see opportunity to user her familiar to make it harder. I can see it taking 20 inside the house to stealth. I can see it being used by Mammy to keep her informed of the whereabouts of intruders and to spy on her "boys". Due to its terrible attack bonus, I can't see using it to pull off a touch attack easily/successfully. Otherwise, I'd have it Ghoul Touch one of the PCs.
Anyway, I'm looking for creative suggestions on how you have used or seen familiars used in the past, potentially making this encounter more interesting for all.
Thanks in advance
You can't really take 20 on a stealth check, taking 20 would imply you let yourself get spotted 19 times before finally hiding.
Well now that there is the familiar spell metamagic feat I have been waiting for the chance to send a high level wizard's familiar with the party to ensure the wizard's interests are seen to.
You can't really take 20 on a stealth check, taking 20 would imply you let yourself get spotted 19 times before finally hiding.
While that wasn't what I was asking about, thank you, but you are incorrect.
Paizo SRD:"Taking 20: When you have plenty of time, you are faced with no threats or distractions, and the skill being attempted carries no penalties for failure, you can take 20. In other words, if you roll a d20 enough times, eventually you will get a 20. Instead of rolling 1d20 for the skill check, just calculate your result as if you had rolled a 20.
Taking 20 means you are trying until you get it right, and it assumes that you fail many times before succeeding. Taking 20 takes 20 times as long as making a single check would take (usually 2 minutes for a skill that takes 1 round or less to perform).
Since taking 20 assumes that your character will fail many times before succeeding, your character would automatically incur any penalties for failure before he or she could complete the task (hence why it is generally not allowed with skills that carry such penalties). Common "take 20" skills include Disable Device (when used to open locks), Escape Artist, and Perception (when attempting to find traps)."
The familiar has all day to find a nice hiding place and can take 20. Failure has no penalty (i.e. the toad won't fall to it's death, set off a trap or other wise suffer harm because it's stealth result "fails") as stealth has no chance of failure, it's opposed.
Can anyone else think of a smart use for a familiar I could apply?
Stealth is an opposed check. You don't know if your stealth attempt is good enough to avoid being seen until you are either seen or not seen. The player may get an idea of how successful their roll was, but the character just believes they're being stealthy, whether it's the trained assassin who knows how to make creaky floorboards not creak, or Krunk the half-Ogre who thinks being quieter about his external internal monologue is sufficient.
Since being seen is very definitely a consequence for failure in being stealthy, you can't take 20.
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Having an NPC familiar go after a PC's familiar sounds like fun to me.
Stealth is an opposed check. You don't know if your stealth attempt is good enough to avoid being seen until you are either seen or not seen. The player may get an idea of how successful their roll was, but the character just believes they're being stealthy, whether it's the trained assassin who knows how to make creaky floorboards not creak, or Krunk the half-Ogre who thinks being quieter about his external internal monologue is sufficient.
Since being seen is very definitely a consequence for failure in being stealthy, you can't take 20.
Except....
Master can Take-20 Perception to spot the familiar after a stealth check. Takes 10 rounds. Repeat 20 times for the familiar trying for the perfect stealth. [Don't forget the Alertness only applies if the familiar is close.]
As a GM, I might limit it to a roll from the Take-20 Perception to the possible max Stealth, because anything that beats the perception has the same effect and the familiar won't know which position is best of those that make it.
Another option:
Familiar has lousy attack bonus, but may be able to Aid Another for attack or defense, as well as be a flanking buddy.
/cevah