any way to keep the promethean alchemist’s homunculus small?

[Nester Reese]

Ok, I really fell for the picture in the book introducing the promethean alchemist - the homunculus is just so CUTE!...

And I realize that the archetype really sucks, to please no need to point out that it's not the best choice for a PC...

But then I noticed that as the PC hits 4th level, the homunculus grows up (size medium...) kind of like the way Animal Companions do... but there is no mention of NOT taking the 4th level advancement.

Is the

4th-Level Advancement:

Size Medium; Speed 30 ft., fly 40 ft. (average); Attack bite (1d6 plus poison), 2 claws (1d6); Ability Scores Str +4, Dex -2; Special Attacks poison (bite-injury frequency 1/minute for 60 minutes, effect sleep for 1 minute, cure 1 save, Con-based DC with a +2 racial bonus).
wait... it gets a Poison bite, with " Con-based DC with a +2 racial bonus", but has a "CON --"...wha..?

required? or is there some way of avoiding it? (I guess I could always just switch off to leveling in a different PC Class - and then maybe a Prestige Class?)

anyway - any way to avoid the Size Increase for the homunculus?

[Nester Reese]

Would this line from the rules on Druid Animal Companions apply?

"...Instead of taking the listed benefit at 4th or 7th level, you can instead choose to increase the companion's Dexterity and Constitution by 2." ?
Link to Druid.

the line above is the last one in the section under the heading "Animal Choices"...

Edit: part of the problem with this would be the fact that the Homunculus actually has a CON of "--" so how do you add +2 to that?

[David knott 242]

That would be the most logical way to handle it, but the archetype makes no explicit reference to a Druid's animal companion. Of course, that would make this the only "pet" class/archetype with no option for keeping the pet the same size that it started out as indefinitely.

[Nester Reese]

David knott 242 wrote:

That would be the most logical way to handle it, but the archetype makes no explicit reference to a Druid's animal companion. Of course, that would make this the only "pet" class/archetype with no option for keeping the pet the same size that it started out as indefinitely.

Yeah - and thus my concern. This would be for a PFS PC, so I can't exactly just "ask my GM" - and realizing that I seem to bring out the worst in many Judges I guess I'll just table this PC idea... or maybe just create one and play them on "Slow" - then "Retire" when the Companion "grows up"... or figure something else out...

I do really like the Art Work though.

Thanks for the reply David.