Multiclassing and 1st level only familiar ability stacking.

[kadance]

Between Bloodline, Patron, and Shaman familiars, there's a lot of nonstandard abilities for familiars out there.

How do the various nonstandard familiar options play together?

If a shaman takes a level of witch, can s/he add a patron ability to it?

Next level is in sorcerer or bloodrager, can they stack a bloodline ability on it?

Does an improved familiar retain the special ability (or all of them if they stack)?

[JDLPF]

Levels of different classes that are entitled to familiars stack for the purpose of determining any familiar abilities that depend on the witch’s level. If a witch possesses such levels, her familiar always uses the witch rules for familiars, not those provided by other classes, such as wizards or sorcerers with the arcane bloodline.

If you take a level of Witch, your familiar is treated as a standard Witch familiar. It loses any and all special abilities from other classes and just uses the witch rules for familiars, though the other class levels stack to determine the witch familiar's abilities.

[Zarius]

You can have one familiar. You can have one Animal Companion. There are certain classes that will ADD to the levels of one or the other (such as JDLPF's example with the Witch familiar, or the Boon Companion feat), but you can't take the first level perks from three different classes. Not unless you also take the Extra Familiar feat for each one past the first (Third party feat, http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/3rd-party-feats/kobold-press/general-feats-3r d-party-kobold-press/extra-familiar/ ).

That's it. Sorry, man.

Improved familiars work the same way, they just also get whatever special stuff the base improved familiar gets.

[kadance]

@JDLPF: Actually, the shaman class supersedes the witch in regards to familiars.

Rules Quote:

Levels of different classes that are entitled to gain familiars stack with shaman levels for the purpose of determining any spirit animal abilities that depend on the shaman's level. If a shaman possesses such levels in other classes, her spirit animal always uses the shaman rules for spirit animals, not those used for familiars of other classes (such as witches, wizards, or sorcerers with the arcane bloodline). If the shaman has witch levels, her spirit animal also serves as the conduit to her patron and stores her witch spells. The shaman's spirit animal is treated as a familiar for the purposes of all spells, effects, and abilities that affect familiars.

@Zarius: As each class's first level familiar ability intrinsically refers to the first level taken in that class and not the first character level, how do you support your position that multiple first level only familiar abilities cannot be taken?

[Samasboy1]

Zarius wrote:

You can have one Animal Companion.

This is not a rule, though it is a campaign rule for PFS.

You can have multiple animal companions.

[kadance]

Three month bump!

[James Risner]

Not sure how you are getting two familiar?

Or is your question how it works when more than 1 class modify how the familiar works?

[kadance]

Aye, it's all for 1 familiar.