Some familiar attributes are based on those of the Master, so when the Master levels up and gains more hit points, since a Familiar's hit points are half the Master's hit points, the familiar gains hit points as well. See the Familiar Basics section of the CRB in the section on the Wizard class.
For other abilities, find the Familiar Ability Descriptions table further down in the CRB in the section on the Wizard class
Familiar Ability Descriptions: All familiars have special abilities (or impart abilities to their masters) depending on the master's combined level in classes that grant familiars, as shown on the table below. The abilities are cumulative.
Here are most of the rules on familiars.
|
To address your specific questions,
No, the familiar doesn't get their own feats or skill points as the master increases in level. They only get the familiar abilities listed on the table, and any improved numbers that they borrow from the master (like the HP).
The sage familiar is an exception in that it has a specific ability that gives them two skill points for every level the master gains. (Note: the familiar's changing intelligence does not affect the number of skill ranks the familiar gains because they're not based on the familiar's own HD.)
The sage's skill ranks, and their Knowledge skill bonus, can be really good for characters that don't normally have a lot of skills. A sorcerer with a sage familiar basically doubles their skill ranks and the familiar quickly becomes better at their Knowledge skills than a sorcerer could be. It's a less useful archetype for a wizard, because wizards have more skill points (higher Int) and are better at Knowledge skills than sorcerers, so they don't benefit as much from having their familiar do those things for them. It's still not a bad choice, but you may get more use out of for example the valet, which is quite handy if you do any kind of item crafting and also allows you to exploit teamwork feats like Escape Route or Shake It Off by making sure your familiar is in a position to grant you the benefits of those feats.
So I am playing a wizard for the first in pathfinder but I am not sure how to level one up.I know there level is based on there master but what does the Familiar get when I levels up like to they get feats and skills?
No. The only feats and skill ranks of its own a familiar ever has are what it starts with. (Since they inherit their master's skill ranks that's not so bad but the impossibility of giving them feats can be very frustrating at times!)
I want use the Sage familiar but is it any good?
First I'll note that the Sage is an exception to what I just said about familiars not gaining more skill ranks of their own. That said, IMHO the Sage archetype is a fine one for classes that don't get many skill ranks, don't put many into Knowledge normally, and/or have lowish Int. Wizards only get 2+Int ranks/level but since they have very high Int that's actually a lot. I'd say you're better off taking a different archetype (or the base familiar is fine by itself) and putting your own ranks into some Knowledge skills. Since your non-Sage familiar will share those it can still be helpful with Knowledge, just not in ones you don't have yourself.
Of course, if you have a character concept that calls for a wizard ignorant of things non-wizardly who relies on his familiar to guide him around, ignore all that and just take the Sage anyway. It's not such a bad fit that's it going to hose you or anything.
|
|
What I meant - and could have stated more clearly - is that it doesn't affect the sage's skill ranks the familiar gains from the master's increased levels (that is, a sage with a 12 Int doesn't have 3 ranks for each of its master's levels) because those ranks aren't based on the familiar's own HD.
There is an argument you would increase the skill ranks the familiar does get from its actual HD, which I believe for a standard animal means one extra rank when their Int hits 10 and every 2 points thereafter.
However I was trying not to confuse the OP.