Now I have drawn you in with the clickbaity title, I can get down to business
While most of thest topics of "Best ____ " end up devolving into a P***ing competition, they are handy for research through google fu. A quick search for BEST PALADIN build quickly brings up a lot of information that contains a few golden nuggets of information. As well as the usual, and very helpful guides.
Except...
There is not however anything really about Familiar Archetypes
So I really want to hear what all of your opinions are on the range of familiar archetypes. I am currently growing fond of the Figment Familiar for its potential flexibility in having a different daily build if need be
What do you think?
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They are all situational, usually based on what else you are playing.
Mauler is great if you’re an eldritch guardian or want an unusual mount for a small character, but that’s about all they are good for.
Protector is great if you have an easy means of healing the familiar.
Arcane Amplifier is amazing for buffing and healing builds.
Crafting characters do real well with valets, dumb sorcerors can benefit from sage familiars, bloodragers enjoy maulers, and alchemists with figment tumor familiars amuse me.
I'd like to throw Decoy in the wrong. The RP potential of a familiar that can perfectly mimick your voice and can even look like you is amazing. Probably best for a Bard or Rogue that can pick one up.
My vote goes to the Protector archetype, though each other has their own use. Simply being able to DOUBLE your available HP (at 11th level) goes a long way to keeping a character alive. The more HP you have, the more distinct this usefulness grows.
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I will go through those that I like and have used.
Arcane Amplifier: your familiar becomes the most versatile greater meta magic rod in the game. When you combine this with Rhamphorhynchus that has flight, initiative bonus, and Sudden Swoop.
(Ex) If a rhamphorhynchus makes a charge attack while flying, it does not provoke attacks of opportunity when it enters an opponent’s space to make a melee attack. It also gains a +2 bonus on damage rolls with its bite attack when it makes a sudden swoop.
You have truly amazing familiar.
Figment: it stacks with sage. Which means you can have it gets its own skills then add +8 racial to some of those skill. Hawks have broken perception. Beyond that there are plenty of powerful uses.
Mauler: spirit binder wizard, eldrich guardian, or most 3/4 bab caster. There are two tricks here make sure you have the spell support to keep damage output up. Skald rage some, or spell share goodness. Next use shield companion even with maulers endurance the familiars can be a little squishy. With shield companion you buff their AC saves and turn them in to a huge hp soak.
Parasite: um free dominate person.
Protector: other have covered but with a channeling cleric you split damage more ways. If you are using shield other you spread damage over 3 targets making channeling much more efficient. The loss of evasion can be a problem so buy a familiar satchel.
Valet: there are many used for sharing teamwork feats. There are several build on the boards. The first that comes to mind exploits amplified rage.
Not used but thinking about.
Mascot: I think there is a way to use the group spell share with polymorph wizard spells and cleric or bard buffs to make a monster but I have not tested it yet.
Protector: other have covered but with a channeling cleric you split damage more ways. If you are using shield other you spread damage over 3 targets making channeling much more efficient. The loss of evasion can be a problem so buy a familiar satchel.
Or pick a Rhamphorhynchus to be your Protector, since it comes with Evasion already. Or any other familiar that does as well.
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Protector: other have covered but with a channeling cleric you split damage more ways. If you are using shield other you spread damage over 3 targets making channeling much more efficient. The loss of evasion can be a problem so buy a familiar satchel.Or pick a Rhamphorhynchus to be your Protector, since it comes with Evasion already. Or any other familiar that does as well.
Still a down grade from improved evasion but a huge help. Good call.
With the sage does it get two skill ranks plus its Intelligence modifier or is it just 2 every level?
Sage is still pretty ok if you happened to dump intelligence though. But it would be better if it was nice for intelligent characters too
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Which evolutions are not available? Just those determined by body type And those that require more than 3 points right? It is a familiar not and eidolon.
3rd level, a figment is shaped by its master’s dreams. Each time the master awakens from a full night’s rest, he can apply to the figment 1 evolution point’s worth of eidolon evolutions that don’t have a base form requirement. At 7th level, he can apply 2 points’ worth of eidolon evolutions; at 13th level, he can apply 3 points’ worth of eidolon evolutions.
At this point most threads I have seen say that any archetype that has speak with animal of your own kind is unavaliable to improved familiars.
It is compatible with sage for a few outrageous knownledge checks 8+ class skill + 1/2 level + ranks. Not broken very useful for some fighter and bloodragers to give them non combat things to do.
It also has the distinction of being the only familiar that can die every day without it being an issue.
Figment is pretty good when combined with a tumor familiar and the die for your master feat.
I’m not really sure what evolutions would be good for it, but the only evolutions it doesn’t qualify for are the ones with prerequisites.
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Extra Feat and Shared Evolution are popular illegal figment familiar options, along with Figment Improved Familiars.
That seems to be mostly a problem with that other website leaving the prerequisites off. I’m sure lots of non-twinned eidolons have taken those evolutions by now too.
Can you put a skill point into a Sage Familiars Linguistics to learn common?
Certainly, but it may lack the anatomy to speak.
You can take the spark of the uncanny feat if you really want your familiar to be able to speak.
What are the best evolutions for a Figment Familiar?
Apart form the Skilled (Ex) of course, because that is obviously pretty good
What are the best evolutions for a Figment Familiar?
Apart form the Skilled (Ex) of course, because that is obviously pretty good
Limbs (2pt) are good if you want a familiar to be able to use wands or other magic items (combined with Skilled [Use Magic Device]). Once you have arms and hands, you suddenly have new magic item slots available (ring, hands, wrists).
Reach (1pt) is good for familiar that want to stay out of reach when delivering a touch attack.
Immunity [energy type] (2 pt) is good for numerous things, such as not being afraid to fireball a spot where you familiar is.
Sacrifice (3pt) is somewhat good if you want your familiar to be able to heal you if you take a blow that would otherwise incapacitate you.
If you already have a monkey familiar, Weapon Training (Simple) (2pt) might be good to get a laugh out of the group when you give him a quarterstaff and let him play the Monkey King.
There are a lot of decent ones that you can build a familiar around to make more useful than otherwise would be.
Sacrifice would pair very well with a fast healing familiar, like a life spirit shaman. But with an actual life spirit shaman, I'd probably rather have a protector or arcane amplifier.
Sacrifice would pair very well with a fast healing familiar, like a life spirit shaman. But with an actual life spirit shaman, I'd probably rather have a protector or arcane amplifier.
Well, there is really no choice on the matter. Shamans, witches, and other casters that use their familiar as part of their spellcasting class skill are forbidden from taking the figment familiar. The BEST chance to make use of that is through an Alchemist (or Aberration bloodline) tumor familiar, or a Oracle with the Spirit Guide archetype, and the life spirit.
Its not all bad about losing access to the Protector archetype. An Oracle can eventually imbue their familiar with the shield other spell (via Imbue with Spell Ability, or similar spells) and have the familiar cast shield other on themselves to share damage. You just don't get that tasty 100% more HP (only 25% with the Figment). I'd advise against it unless you have Life Link and keep your familiar linked all the time, so that you don't .. kill it on accident.
Here is a guide I found Link
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The mascot used to be amazing*, now it’s just decent for a lot of group compositions. I got a lot of use out of my falcon mascot by having him bond to the cleric in the group. He could then function as a toucher for all of the cleric’s healing spells. You can do similar things for other classes that don’t normally get familiars. A speedy familiar with the ability to move around delivering anyone’s touch buffs/heals is quite good.
*In Ultimate Wilderness the mascot’s Share Spells and Deliver Touch Spells features were updated to function at its master’s caster level -2 while in Familiar Folio it was its level -2. The old wording led to two uses which probably weren’t intended but were awesome: 1) A multiclassed team member could deliver touch spells much higher than her own caster level and 2) A halfling wizard could use the FCB to crank the level for delivering touch spells.
So what base familiar do you think works best with the Figment Familiar?
Raven/Thrush? Monkey? Bat? Rat?
So what base familiar do you think works best with the Figment Familiar?
Raven/Thrush? Monkey? Bat? Rat?
Depends on your intended use of the familiar. I usually pick the familiar based on the bonus it gives it master. Do you need a boost to your saving throws? Initiative? Skills? Armor?
So I have started coming up with a few "Packages" lets call them, for the Raven or Thrush
- Rogue - Limbs + Skilled (Disable Device)
- Needs healing - Undead Appearance
- UMD - Limbs + Skilled (UMD)
- Scout - Skilled (Stealth) + Skilled (Perception)
- Water - Gills & Swim (x2)
- Immune - Immunities (Any)
- Seeker - Tremorsense or Blindsense
- Thief - Skilled (Sleight of Hand) + Reach?
- Survival - Skilled (Survival) + Skilled (Perception) + Scent
- Extra Pair of Eyes - Skilled (Spellcraft) + Skilled (Perception)
- Scholarly - Skilled (Spellcraft) + Skilled (Knowledge: ANY) + Skilled (Linguistics)
See anything wrong with these?
Have any other ideas yourself?
Tremorsense on a flying creature with minimal land speed may not be a great idea.
3 evolution points implies either a 13th level master, or at least 7th+, Int 13+, Cha 13+, and a feat spent on evolved familiar (which would give you 2 points free and a 1 point fixed evolution.) The latter probably doesn't need packages as such either, there's a fairly limited number of good combinations to remember.
If you are combining the figment and sage archetypes, you may eventually want to pick up the Figment's Fluidity feat. You start out with the Skilled evolution for any single Knowledge skill (changeable 1/day at 3rd level) and expand it to two skills at 7th level (either of them changeable 2/day, total). At 13th level, you take Ability Increase (Intelligence) and Skilled (any single Knowledge skill) -- and you can swap out the latter up to three times per day.
Also keep in mind that you can change your familiar's evolutions every day if desired.
Figments Fluidity is a cool Feat indeed
Technically not Archetypes but the Celestial and Destined Bloodline Familiars are pretty neat for a Sorcerer. Destined is really good - it's essentially Spell Focus: Touch Spells. Celestial is an okay healer at low levels, and doesn't have the weird restrictions of the healing power you trade out.
While there are not a lot of stand out options. Creating packages sure does ease the burden as to preparing spells etc for the day. So here you are.
I also wrote up a
Archetype Stacking Comparison Table.