Suggestions for a familiar for a tea-drinking gnomish PFS Studious Librarian Bard?


Advice

The Concordance

Cup is a studious librarian bard, which means that she started at 1st level with a bonus feat in skill focus knowledge planes.

She has been a support bard for the PFS group that she's been playing with in Play by Post. She mostly inspires, offers people calming cups of tea, and in combat aids another with a whip.

I'd like to get her a familiar next level with Eldritch Heritage. I already have a thrush familiar on one PFS character and a monkey familiar on another, so I am not choosing either of those options.

I'd like some suggestions for another fun, helpful and possibly quirky familiar.

Since Cup does Play-by-Post, it would be great if this familiar would be an animal that would be fun to roleplay or write sound effects for. I wish that PFS allowed parrots to talk, because Parrots are awesome. Raven is the only other talking familiar that is allowed.

Right now, Raven, Owl and Wallaby (because it's so dang weird and bouncy) are in the lead for me, but I'd love to hear your suggestions for my very helpful and adventurous gnome librarian!

Grand Lodge

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

^ For those of you who know me, I'm Hmm, and this is my character.

Hmm


A raccoon could be a good choice. With their agile hand they could help with the team or retrieve books/scroll


are you considering or wanting any familiar archetypes?
Having a medium hedgehog (mauler) that curls up into it's big ball to block spaces seems funny. Or a mauler anything and provide flanking, and maybe intimidating things?


Ran in a couple scenarios with a gentleman who had a sloth as his familiar. I thoroughly enjoyed his roleplay of the sloth, in fact, my Shaman tried desperately to keep Reginald (the sloth) alive at one point when the party was being hammered by AoE and saving throw situations.

Plus, its a sloth. Cute and cuddly!


A thrush is PFS-legal I think and can talk too. Not that it's a big change from a raven. If you want sound effects though a monkey could be a lot of fun.
Missed the bit where you said you didn't want either of these, never mind.


Pathfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

I'd definitely go with some kind of bird - talking or not. That way you can claim to always have a writing quill to hand.

Grand Lodge

Studious Librarian is neat, I'll have to keep that in mind for future characters.

What level are you now?
The Decoy archetype will let any familiar speak at effective wizard level 5.
I feel like the Sage archetype would also work well, although they probably don't stack because they both add Class Skills. Maybe have it specialize in Nature-y Knowledges like Nature, Geography, Dungeoneering?

It might be too many Disney cartoons, but I really like the image of a Squirrel running around being helpful.

If you can afford another feat for Improved Familiar (technically, your full Bard levels qualify for the Arcane Spellcaster level! ;)) then the Calligraphy Worm (which can still take the Sage archetype) from Legacy of Dragons feels like a good fit for this character.

The Concordance

Given that I am an amazing bard with bardic knowledge and many skill ranks in knowledges, I think I'd lose out with a sage familiar. It's better for the familiar to be able to share my knowledges.

I'm actually seriously considering a mascot, which means that I need a creature that can possibly make 10 for aid another. The owl is looking better and better for that, though the wallaby is still in contention.


I think for your kind of bard an owl would be a wonderful choice.

Grand Lodge

Cup wrote:

I think I'd lose out with a sage familiar. It's better for the familiar to be able to share my knowledges.

I'm actually seriously considering a mascot...

Fair enough, Mascot looks neat, and I've been having a lot of fun with Figment.

I feel obligated to point out that between the Int buff, the Knowledge skill buff and the Class skill buff, a Sage with 1 rank in a knowledge skill has as good or better bonus as sharing it at max ranks from the master.

The Concordance

If I got a sage, it would have to be a talker though, in order to school me in proper etiquette, which means only ravens and thrushes, right? Because I'm not sure how a sage would work with a non-talking familiar.

Damn. I wish they had just let parrots talk. That missing asterisk in familiar folio was so wrong. Parrots give bonuses in linguistics, and they talk in real life. They should talk in pathfinder.

Grand Lodge

I agree on Parrot, it's weird oversight. It's kind of ambiguous in Familiar Folio too, where it calls out that Toucan's use Raven stats but can't talk, but doesn't really say one way or the other on parrots.

It can talk to you at level 5 from Speak with Master. Having chittering discussions no-one else can understand with your Owl familiar is an amusing image.

I hadn't looked at the Sage's Guidance feat before. That could actually be a nice group buff if you're willing to risk the familiar getting stabbed.

You also have the option of buying it a Gold Nodule ioun stone for 5k, since familairs can use Ioun stones in PFS. It's pretty steep though. I bought one for my Eyebiter's eyeball familiar because I *had to* have a talking eyeball chatting with people at the table.


Seconding the Improved Familiar Calligraphy Worm when you get high enough level

In the meantime I must recommend Goat due to comedic value

Sovereign Court

Pathfinder Starfinder Society Subscriber

How about a Scarlet Spider named Charlotte?

A Figment familiar would be appropriate for a character come-to-life.

Grand Lodge

Pipefoxes sound especially cute as an improved familiar. I'm trying to get one for my Shaman when she gets to 7th... just got to run Deep Market Deception at that point.


Not sure what a parrot would do, or even if it's allowed. But you could make it say Library-esque things it may have overheard people saying and then immediately shush itself.
*Rawk* ...
"Dewey-Decimal System! Shhh!"
"Check the Lost and Found! Lost and Found! Shhh!"
"This is a library! Shhh!"
"You're overdue! Shhh!"
"The good pages are dog-earred! Shhh!"
"Shut up, parrot! Shhh!"
"Hiring the gnome librarian was a favor I owed! *rawk* Had to outfit the place with bigger step-ladders for her to reach the top shelves! Shhh!


Dewey is the reason most people associate cats with book stores.
Koko Koko love gnome. Koko speak GSL (gnome sign language).
Knowledge seekers take the form of foxes (and having to hand out a snack everytime you wanted it to do something would be amusing. Any animal familiar could be really one of these in disguise. :)
I really like the Charlotte idea, but don't forget the rat was the one who when out to 'find the perfect' word. That's some terrific, radiant, huuuumble pig. (bonus points if you bard performs barbershop quartet). (Just don't ask about reskinning).
Nevermore.
The parrot example above is also pretty good (mostly we figure that as 'yes')
And of course Lassie never said a word, but that one bark could mean anything. Therefor any familiar can 'talk' if your are willing to code whistles listen.

FWIW The ruling on parrots is based on their mimicry ability. It is not the same as talking (see Koko argument above). (disregard previous lassie argument.)

Scarab Sages

I think a rat or ferret would be great, when you offer tea to someone she could fetch the ingredients, take a bite from the sugar cube before dumping them in the cup.

The Concordance

Actually, it looks like I was mistaken and parrot familiars can talk.

* RAAWWWK! *

I think I may have found my familiar.

The Concordance

Oh and thank you for the calligraphy wyrm suggestion. I do believe that my parrot thinks its a dragon that has somehow lost its true form. I am thinking of naming it Longjing after the popular green tea known as "Dragon Well."

There are ink wells. Why not dragon wells for a Calligraphy Wyrm?

"Longjing want a cracker! *Rawwwwwwk!*"

Thanks to all that have helped my on my familiar quest.

Hmm


Аnd Pipefox can be worn instead of a fur collar...

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