Familiar and multiclassing


Advice


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

How can I get a familiar for my character? He's a Draconic Bloodline sorcerer. Is multiclassing into Wizard or Witch the only way?

If I must multiclass, how exactly does it work when you have multiple casting classes? Do you combine the spell slots somehow?


Thomas Keller wrote:
How can I get a familiar for my character? He's a Draconic Bloodline sorcerer. Is multiclassing into Wizard or Witch the only way?

There are multiple single-class way. Bloodline Familiar is probably the best way for you, in exchange to your first level bloodline power (the claws, no big loss), plus delaying your bloodline granted bonus spells by a level, you gain a familiar of your choice. The Familiar Bond feat grants a familiar, but you wouldn't get some of the benefits, and you have to take Iron Will first. The Wasp Familiar feat, only aviable to chaotic neutral worshipers of Calistria, grants a predetermiend familiar, although a very good one. The Hand's Detachment feat can turn your hand into a familiar, but it costs three feats where the first two are of little use for you. Very Addams Family, though. Lastly, the Variant Multiclassing option for Unchained, if allowed by the GM, grants basiclaly class feature form a secondary class in exchange for half your normal feats, without halting your level progression in any way, and the Wizard and Witch option both grant a familiar (at 3rd level each). The Magus option could also grab a familiar at 7th level via the Familiar arcana.

Thomas Keller wrote:
If I must multiclass, how exactly does it work when you have multiple casting classes? Do you combine the spell slots somehow?

No, they'd be completely seperate. A Sorcerer 6/Wizard 4 for instance has the casting of a 6th level Sorcerer (3rd level spells but not 4th level spells, caster level 6 for those spells), plus the casting of a 4th level Wizard (2nd level spells but not 3rd level spells, caster level 4 for those spells). You never combine any class feature progression unless explicitly said so.


Another way would be the Eldritch Heritage Feat (Arcane). It would get you Arcane Bond, which can be a familiar. It would require a Skill Focus(Knowledge(any)) feat as a prereq and the familiar would be at character level – 2.


There's also a few magic items. A migrus locker, a periapt of temporary familiar, and depending on what exactly you want it for things like figurines of wondrous power might work for you.


In some ways, Familiars advance based on your Character Level. All your levels in Familiar-having Classes stack for your Familiar level. And there might be some abilities in other classes that might work with your Familiar even if they don't stack.


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Bloodline Familiar seems ideal (wasn't planning on doing any melee stuff anyhow). Thanks so much!


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

Also, concerning the familiar special abilities, do they make the skill they modify a class skill for the PC?


Nope. Getting a +2 bonus to a skill is just that, it doesn't make the skill modified a class skill as well.


Thomas Keller wrote:
Also, concerning the familiar special abilities, do they make the skill they modify a class skill for the PC?

The really good familiar options are going to be ones that either bump up an important save like Fortitude or Will, or Initiative. I recommend considering the Eldritch Heritage(Arcane) route simply because it also adds Spells Known to your list and lets do some metamagic goodies.


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Scavion wrote:
Thomas Keller wrote:
Also, concerning the familiar special abilities, do they make the skill they modify a class skill for the PC?
The really good familiar options are going to be ones that either bump up an important save like Fortitude or Will, or Initiative. I recommend considering the Eldritch Heritage(Arcane) route simply because it also adds Spells Known to your list and lets do some metamagic goodies.

It doesn't say anything in the description about adding Spells Known or metamagic. It just says you get the first level bloodline power.


Eldritch Heritage is a feat chain. Improved and Greater are solid feats as well.

Sovereign Court

Per this FAQ, Improved Eldritch Heritage(Arcane, New Arcana) doesn't work unless the spells chosen were already on your list to begin with.

FAQ wrote:

New Spells Known: If I gain the ability to add a spell that is not on my spell list to my list of spells known, without adding it to my spell list, can I cast it?

No. Adding a spell to your list of spells known does not add it to the spell list of that class unless they are added by a class feature of that same class. For example, sorcerers add their bloodline spells to their sorcerer spell list and oracles add their mystery spells to their oracle spell list. The spell slots of a class can only be used to cast spells that appear on the spell list of that class.

The Exchange

Firebug wrote:
Per this FAQ, Improved Eldritch Heritage(Arcane, New Arcana) doesn't work unless the spells chosen were already on your list to begin with.

Right, and the OP is playing a sorcerer. The New Arcana ability only allows you to pick spells from the sorcerer/wizard list anyway, so anything he could pick he could cast.

Now, is it worth a feat to add one spell (maybe two or three) to your spells known? Probably not.


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

I'd like to have the familiar from the start of the game, so Eldritch Heritage doesn't work anyhow.


Belafon wrote:
Now, is it worth a feat to add one spell (maybe two or three) to your spells known? Probably not.

Especially since Expanded Arcana is a thing that exists.


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Derklord wrote:
Belafon wrote:
Now, is it worth a feat to add one spell (maybe two or three) to your spells known? Probably not.
Especially since Expanded Arcana is a thing that exists.

But, that only adds one spell as well.


Thomas Keller wrote:
I'd like to have the familiar from the start of the game, so Eldritch Heritage doesn't work anyhow.

Either play a Human or a Half-Elf, problem solved. Level 1 you take Skill Focus: Knowledge (insert Knowledge skill here) as your bonus feat and Eldritch Heritage as your level 1 feat. Boom; you have a Familiar. Only problem is that you get the bloodline ability at a -2 character level penalty for using that power. I don't know if that means the familiar is at -2 character level advancement or what, but you might have to get Boon Companion at 3rd level or higher.


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
Mark Hoover 330 wrote:
Thomas Keller wrote:
I'd like to have the familiar from the start of the game, so Eldritch Heritage doesn't work anyhow.
Either play a Human or a Half-Elf, problem solved. Level 1 you take Skill Focus: Knowledge (insert Knowledge skill here) as your bonus feat and Eldritch Heritage as your level 1 feat. Boom; you have a Familiar. Only problem is that you get the bloodline ability at a -2 character level penalty for using that power. I don't know if that means the familiar is at -2 character level advancement or what, but you might have to get Boon Companion at 3rd level or higher.

Half-elves don't get a bonus feat. Also, character level 3 is a prerequisite for Eldritch Heritage.


Half-right; half-elves get a bonus skill focus feat by default. You can't get EH until L3 tho', that's true. Since you're getting the bloodline familiar this method shouldn't be an issue anyway.


Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber
avr wrote:
Half-right; half-elves get a bonus skill focus feat by default. You can't get EH until L3 tho', that's true. Since you're getting the bloodline familiar this method shouldn't be an issue anyway.

Oops! Yep, that's right on the Skill Focus feat. My first half-elf, as if you couldn't tell. ;)

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