Like a picture of your pets... without the picture. Lol.
I am interested in your Familiars... what they look like, their stats, virtual HD, abilities, archetypes, feats, personalities, how you use them... all of it.
Somewhere in Reign of Winter there is an EX-Familiar, and way back when in 3.0(?) Tome of Blood, there was something about EX-Familiars being treated as their Master's level minus 2.
I am hoping get enough information to do something fun with the concept, but I have very little actual experience with Familiars and leveling them.
As a quick example... at master's level minus 2.... the EX-Familiar to a 20th level caster would have a +9 natural armor bonus and an Intelligence of 14. An Ambassador Familiar would have a Charisma of 14... which is enough to pursue something like Medium, Paladin, or Dandy Ranger.
Not saying that is the plan, just options I am exploring.
I'll have to see if I can hunt up his stats later, but I'm dying to share "Pip" with you. 3rd party and a smidge of house rules, but a more memorable character in many ways than his master.
What I recall for now.
Pip: Mouse familiar to Laytryc (Sparct Sorcerer of Light: Homebrew fey race)
Stats ported over from a 3.x Dragon Magazine article with expanded list of basic familiars.
Granted a +2 bonus to either move silent or stealth (There was another splat book, with alternate stats, can't recall name.)
Pip the mouse was an acquisitive little klepto with a penchant for snagging small shiny things, and an equipped fine size tail blade (Stinger) to enforce his claims. He could be persuaded to scout or "button" press for the party, but usually with much snarky back squeak or bribery involved.
His little stinger could do 1 pt. of damage (which was just a perverse desire of mine, that he have some mostly pointless offensive option.) But every once in awhile he'd get to "Sting" someone. As a mouse, fine sized, his bonuses to stealth were absurd. There also became a running party gag that when any new person joined the party, PC or NPC, Pip would automatically steal a GP. Both the sting and the theft came to be known as "getting Pipped".
Somewhere along the way we acquired an old and desiccated skull in a crypt. Pip claimed it as his lair, declared he was a re-incarnated dragon, and this was the receptacle of his "horde" (all of the loose coins, gem bits, and loose keys the party had collected).
The details are fogged with the haze of time, but near the conclusion of the campaign (much silliness involved), Pip somehow became the new mouse Pope of the mouse messiah "Cheesus".
All ridiculous I know. But, the game, the character, and definetly the familiar was a blast.
Cancellations at work, leave time for copious word regurgitation on threads. Sorry to front load your thread. You asked for numbers, and I promise to try and find the character sheets when I get home. For now though . . . .
Jarzum the baby Mastodon (approximated from a pig familiar; spirit animal or Ymmgror the Gestalt Orc Shaman/Skald)
Jarzum jogged to the opposite end of the familiar size spectrum, at small. A sweet baby mastodon with a penchant for leaning in "hugs", stepping up in melee, and delivering the occasional well deserved trunk slap to characters acting a fool.
Only house rule on this little guy aside from the fact it was a Gestalt campaign was that the GM allowed be to turn the pigs bite into a more thematically appropriate slam. All same dice and numbers, just bludgeoning only (so a bit of a downgrade).
Jarzum was sweet and loyal. Think a shaggy Dumbo, with the temperment of a comfortable older dog. At some point he was gifted with the counter-bell from a shop we'd helped out. He loved to chime it to entertain himself, and accompany the Skald's horn blows. At some point, the chime also became an acceptable alternative to the slap, something between a rim-shot and a trumpet's "Wha Wha" on the commentary spectrum. Jarzum had great comedic timing; rather a fun and emotionally engaging companion overall. When his master died (the first time) he cried giant mastodon tears out of his fuzzy lidded eyes, and got the whole party to sniffle a little bit.
Sneaky Bastard (racoon familiar to our gestalted White Haired Witch/Barbarian Changeling)
Name says most of it. He liked to live in a burrow nest in her hair. I'll have to get permission from the player to see if we can find her old sheet. Funny little chap, mostly comic relief in downtime. The player is less of an animal enthusiast than I am, but she made the attempt in order to play the witch she wanted. Think he'd occasionally pop out to scratch or bite at enemies grappled in her hair, when he wasn't snuck off scavenging food and trash from the inn.
Walter, Figment Familiar Thrush with evolution bonus in rotating knowledges.
Eldu Derino (or Dude if you’re into that whole brevity thing) works with his companion to compensate for his lack of intelligence and concentration. Walter is quite angry and takes some talking to walk him down off of the ledge, which takes Eldu down strange paths in conversations, especially when Walter is disguised as a tattoo.
Pele, a spirit animal for a 17th lvl flame spirit shaman (from a completed Ironfang Legion game):
Stats:
Pele CR –
Fox (Pathfinder RPG Ultimate Magic 112)
CG Tiny magical beast (animal)
Init +2; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +24
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Defense
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AC 23, touch 14, flat-footed 21 (+2 Dex, +9 natural, +2 size)
hp 90 (1d8+1)
Fort +6, Ref +7, Will +11
Defensive Abilities improved evasion; Immune fire; SR 22
Weaknesses vulnerability to cold
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Offense
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Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +13 (1d3-1)
Space 2½ ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks deliver touch spells
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Statistics
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Str 9, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +12; CMB +12; CMD 21 (25 vs. trip)
Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Acrobatics +2 (+14 to jump), Diplomacy +15, Fly +19, Handle Animal +10, Heal +2, Linguistics +9, Perception +24, Spellcraft +19, Survival +8 (+12 to track by scent); Racial Modifiers +4 Survival to track by scent
Languages Common, Goblin; speak with animal (same kind only), speak with master
SQ empathic link
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Special Abilities
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Deliver Touch Spells (Su) Deliever master's touch spells.
Empathic Link (Su) You have an empathic link with your master.
Immunity to Fire You are immune to fire damage.
Improved Evasion (Ex) No damage on successful reflex save; half on failed save.
Low-Light Vision See twice as far as a human in dim light, distinguishing color and detail.
Scent (Ex) Detect opponents within 15+ ft. by sense of smell.
Scry on Familiar (Sp) Master can scry on you once per day.
Share Spells Spells with a target of "You" can be delivered by a familiar with a range of touch.
Speak with Animals of its Kind (Ex) You can communicate verbally with animals similar to yourself.
Speak with Master (Ex) You can communicate verbally with your master.
Spell Resistance (22) You have Spell Resistance.
Vulnerability to Cold You are vulnerable (+50% damage) to Cold damage.
Pele is surrounded by a nimbus of flame, and sheds light like a candle.
She has a tendency to exclaim things like, "You will perish in flames!" (in fox language), whenever her master uses a flame spirit ability or casts a spirit spell.
In 2e I had a half-elf "pirate wizard" using a kit. He had terrible stats but still multi-classed as a fighter/magic user. His name was Armand of the Red Cape, and he was a beautiful disaster, from his weak Str score to my abysmal luck with dice rolls.
Somehow he survived until 10th level and the campaign ended. I mostly credit 'Enri, his parrot familiar. 'Enri was played with a shockingly bad French accent and acted far more wise than Armand ever was. Where Armand maintained this self-image as some Errol Flynn type swashbuckler with magic to boot, 'Enri often pointed out the boy's... challenges.
More recently there was a PF character a few years ago that only made it to level 3 but her name was Argentica Silverhair. Raised by a clan of nefarious travelers, Argie' had 3 levels in Wizard but gained Stealth and Perception from Traits. Most of her spells were buff spells so her role in the party was as a force multiplier but also as a scout, so there were times she was 1 Surprise round away from the rest of the party.
To help in all these situations was her Owl familiar, Mr Nails. The bird was part scouting partner, part buff recipient. I gave him the Valet archetype to help with crafting scrolls as well. He was never much of a talker but Mr Nails was fond of condescending looks, tapping his signature talons in answer to questions or just to show his disdain or boredom.
The goal of Argie's build, at higher levels, was to capitalize on the shared Teamwork feats and enhance both of their defenses while the bird acted as Argie's "Touch Attack Delivery System." The GM let me swap Mr Nails' starting feat for Flyby Attack, plus he would eventually get a similar ability with non-damaging Touch spells, so down the road I'd load up on expensive, metamagic'd Touch attack scrolls or cheap buffs, then load up Mr Nails to deliver the "payload" at the end of his talons.
Cherry on top - I played Argie with a British accent, so there was something so Bond-Villain-esque saying "And this... is Mister Nails" and having the bird flex its black talons.
I have an arcane trickster (heading into eldritch knight next level). She had an owl, for literally eight years of very occasional PFS play. I was originally planning on having it drop bombs, but they stopped that. Then I was going to use it for clutch touch-delivery spells, but that hasn't really come up. And of course it could be a useful flanker with one Enlarge person... but that hasn't really come up either. So bye bye fluffy, you're being retired in favour of a Hedgehog, because failing will saves is bad. This did raise the question of whether to archetype. I considered Elemental (air) so my hedgehog could also be a flying scout, and Protector because AC is nice, but settled on figment because a) it can flank with a Reach evolution, and b) I'll be more willing to take risks with something that will come back tomorrow.
Right now I am toying with a build to absolutely max out a Familiar using:
Eldritch Guardian Fighter 2/
Carnivalist UnRogue 6/
Soulbinder Wizard X
Probably using a Poppet Familiar for the modifications available to it... and the little breath weapon is adorable.
It can share Combat Feats and Sneak Attack with its master, gets like three feats of its own for which it qualifies, and the actual personality of a dead person. So much going on with that...
I like to think Fluffy has moved on and is raising some tiny intelligent owlets somewhere, telling them stories about the silly elf who kept nearly dying. :)
VoodistMonk wrote:
Right now I am toying with a build to absolutely max out a ...
Probably using a Poppet Familiar for the modifications available to it...
That is amazingly creepy and I love it! You have a creepy doll hanging around with you that's possessed by the spirit of your dead friend/lover/family member, and you do murders together!
The Migrus is an arguably craftable Familiar.
Always wanted one and to build a Trompe L'oeil of it and an Alter Ego too. Make sure on of them has a Tulpa version of itself just because.
Then use them to harass a mid level party of adventurers. Flower pots from high windowsills. Ritualistically gruesome displays of dead rats in their bed rolls. Bad smells are awful noises that keep the party from proper rest. Accusation of theft when stolen items go from town to the party's camp.
Just a pack of cat liches giving the heroes a hard time.
Either a Wysp (for Kineticists with that pair of Wild Talents that grants one as an Improved Familiar), or a Sprite (for everyone else) Improved Familiar, with the Sage archetype, and the feat Sage’s Guidance. You now have a Fairy Companion from the Legend of Zelda games, with the feat being basically the Z-Targeting ability from Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask.
For the Kineticist version, it is simply a better version of the Z-Targeting ability, since Wysps grant a +1 bonus to Kineticists who share their element, on attack and damage rolls. Sprites, however, are probably more accurate to Zelda Fairies, since they are humanoid in appearance, but can become glowing balls of light depending on the Zelda game, just like the Luminous ability of Sprites.
I mean, the Sage's Guidance feat is a nice +2 on attacks for the PC, but if you want to take advantage of that +2 for everyone the familiar needs to share the same square as the enemy. That can be nerve-racking. Still, if you pull that off you've just effectively given your entire party a quick buff for a round without spending of your own PC's actions.
Personally I like the Sage's Guidance on a Magus' familiar when said familiar has either Small size or bigger, or otherwise has Reach. While riding the Magus in melee the Sage familiar that can affect a foe 5' away can deliver a +2 to attack for a round with Sage's Guidance on a Knowledge check and still deliver an Aid Another bonus as a Full Round action. Now the Magus has +4 to hit on their first attack, and +2 on any other attacks made that round.
And, of course, there's the added bonus of having a wand jockey...
My Skald Malric's familiar Goat is quite the butt kicker. He started as a normal semi-intelligent goat, driven to rage by Malric's song. At low levels, he was a great flanking partner and triggered Amplified Rage for some pretty effective attacks. He was eventually blessed by Sarenrae and turned into a Fire Mephit.
Now, at 17th level, he's basically a high level Barbarian:
26 Str while raging, DR 5/Magic, Fast Healing 8 while raging and FH 2 out of combat hanging out in a fire.
Wielding a Furious Bloodsong Fauchard for big crits.
A nice mix of Rage Powers (Strength Surge, Savage Dirty Trick, Unexpected Strike, Flesh Wound, Guarded Life)
Solid combat feats from Eldritch Guardian (Power Attack, Outflank, Coordinated Charge, Improved Dirty Trick, Greater Dirty Trick)
I haven't gotten to play with him since picking up Improved/Greater Dirty Trick. Skalds basically rage cycle every round once they get sift action perform at 13. So he's using Strength Surge (+15!) + Savage Dirty Trick for a pretty debilitating and almost guaranteed Blind every round, Flesh Wound basically negating one hit a round, and Outflank + Fauchard picks up a lot of extra AoOs. He's also usually the trigger for Coordinated Charge, which is a great way to give martials (or Malric, depending on what he's up to at the start of the fight) an improved Pounce.
I haven't had a chance to play the character yet, but I'm going to have a Magus that uses an Arcana to get a familiar. It's going to be a rhamphorhynchus that is 100% convinced that it's a dragon. And nothing is ever going to be able to change its mind. The Magus quickly learned that arguing the point was a waste of time.
I'm debating whether to use the Mauler archetype or the Arcane Amplifier. I can't decide on whether I want a bitey boi or a spelly boi.
I have another character that I want to put a familiar on, but I'm not sure if he has the feats to spare or if a level dip would be good. He's a kitsune that has Fox Shape. His familiar would be a Snow Fox. I was thinking that when the Kitsune goes into his fox form, he's also a snow fox so that no one is quite sure which one is the familiar and which one is the actual PC.
Both ideas sound quite fun. I'd go spelly boi with your first one. If he's convinced he's a dragon, then his inherently magical nature should serve as evidence of that fact. Depending on how the character develops, you could always get improved familiar down the road. Maybe he was right all along.
Both ideas sound quite fun. I'd go spelly boi with your first one. If he's convinced he's a dragon, then his inherently magical nature should serve as evidence of that fact. Depending on how the character develops, you could always get improved familiar down the road. Maybe he was right all along.
Good point. Having him be better with spells would make him more convinced that he's a dragon.
Both ideas sound quite fun. I'd go spelly boi with your first one. If he's convinced he's a dragon, then his inherently magical nature should serve as evidence of that fact. Depending on how the character develops, you could always get improved familiar down the road. Maybe he was right all along.
Good point. Having him be better with spells would make him more convinced that he's a dragon.
Of course, giving your Ramphy the Elemental Familiar archetype with the Fire version could help him play the role of a dragon, since he's spitting 1d4 Fire damage/3 levels, every 1d4 rounds.
Or, once you hit level 3 you could use Improved Familiar to just get a Pyrausta, which is a fire-spitting Diminutive dragon anyway.
Both ideas sound quite fun. I'd go spelly boi with your first one. If he's convinced he's a dragon, then his inherently magical nature should serve as evidence of that fact. Depending on how the character develops, you could always get improved familiar down the road. Maybe he was right all along.
Good point. Having him be better with spells would make him more convinced that he's a dragon.
Or, once you hit level 3 you could use Improved Familiar to just get a Pyrausta, which is a fire-spitting Diminutive dragon anyway.
One thing I've always wondered: what if you don't WANT to take Improved Familiar instead of Spark of the Uncanny? Like, what if, for some reason at level 5 you want to keep your Owl (Valet) familiar? The feat says at that level the familiar takes it's "true form," but what if you never intended its form to change? Does it just turn into a SLIGHTLY different owl then?
I have no idea on the RAW, but it would seem you should be able to keep the critter you want. For power, maybe be allowed to add a template, so you don't lose out on the "upgrade".
I don't remember the name, but my 3.X Freeport game had a mysterious quest-giver who would talk from the rooftop shadows of an alley behind the inn where the PCs stayed, offering various incentives to do odd missions around town. The 'quest-giver' turned out to be a raven (ex) familiar whose master had gotten petrified by a cockatrice, and was 'lost' (and the familiar had zero desire to go find and rescue him...). The familiar had a ring of invisibility, and kept hidden while getting various people to do stuff for her (with the various people having all sorts of theories about who the 'hidden master' really was, and none of them being even remotely close).
I think I cheated by letting her gain 3 levels of sorcerer or wizard or something, after years of being a (mostly ex) familiar, since her master wasn't coming back any time soon...
Eye usually lives in Ira's forhead (via the Mutant Eye trait) but when he's well behaved, he gets pulled out to fly around and scout. Nothing too mechanically interesting here, but if you don't see the awesomeness ins arguing with your floating eyeball, I don't know what to do for you.
Eye is a Decoy familiar, so he can speak (somehow) all of Ira's many languages, and turn into and exact duplicate of Ira for up to 11 minutes at time. He hasn't been able to play with that much though. He's also got a Cracked Vibrant Purple prism Ioun Stone and a Regular Vibrant Purple Prism, to throw around a couple of spells in combat when he's bored. Deja Vu is particularly handy for keeping Murderous Command targets down an extra round. Oh, he can also communicate telepathically with Ira out to a mile, which is handy.
Eye had one crowning moment: Fascinating a would-be assassin in the middle of a crowded market, preventing the murder and letting the group get through the crowd. I had one level of sorcerer, and took a bloodline familiar so his effective wizard level kept up. But this also gave him the Fascinate bardic performance. Which he's used twice.
That reminds me: Cracked Purple Prisms are a great buy for familiars. There are a lot of solid 1st levels spells that come in very handy if your familiar doesn't do much in combat. Remove Fear, the lowly CLW, Watchful Eye, Moment of Greatness, Deja Vu, Obscuring Mist, they can all do a lot!
Both ideas sound quite fun. I'd go spelly boi with your first one. If he's convinced he's a dragon, then his inherently magical nature should serve as evidence of that fact. Depending on how the character develops, you could always get improved familiar down the road. Maybe he was right all along.
Good point. Having him be better with spells would make him more convinced that he's a dragon.
Or, once you hit level 3 you could use Improved Familiar to just get a Pyrausta, which is a fire-spitting Diminutive dragon anyway.
One thing I've always wondered: what if you don't WANT to take Improved Familiar instead of Spark of the Uncanny? Like, what if, for some reason at level 5 you want to keep your Owl (Valet) familiar? The feat says at that level the familiar takes it's "true form," but what if you never intended its form to change? Does it just turn into a SLIGHTLY different owl then?
Wouldn't work with the Pyrausta example we're talking about, as they are different sizes, but Shapeless Familiar is as close to perfect as you are going to get.
Both ideas sound quite fun. I'd go spelly boi with your first one. If he's convinced he's a dragon, then his inherently magical nature should serve as evidence of that fact. Depending on how the character develops, you could always get improved familiar down the road. Maybe he was right all along.
Good point. Having him be better with spells would make him more convinced that he's a dragon.
Or, once you hit level 3 you could use Improved Familiar to just get a Pyrausta, which is a fire-spitting Diminutive dragon anyway.
Hm. My Magus IS a Wyvaran. He speaks Draconic. Would Rhampy get to keep the extra language if I do bring in Improved Familar?
Sort of. They don't keep it, but do gain the languages of their new Improved Familiar form, so they can possibly regain it, and Pyraustas know Draconic.
Most recent familiar: Brandt's Familiar/Companion Brent. Brandt is a bat-kin skinwalker who's always in Bat Form. Brent is his very similar looking bat familiar/packmate (via Eldrtich heritage.) They're both good boys.
Brent uses a Ring of Eloquence to speak now, which is nice. He really picks on person in the group to hang out on and help. He used to be an Emissary familiar, able to cast guidance at will, and 1/day Bit of Luck. But after a series of dreamland adventures, he became a Figment familiar! Which mostly makes him a really good scout/guard. (Flying Foxes get Skill Focus[Perception], Figment gives him Skilled (Perception) as an evolution.) He's got a bandolier of various Oils that he uses in combat to help his chosen PC. At lower levels, he could be as effective as Brandt, but now the basic Oils are somewhat less cool. Oil of Enlarge Person is a rockstar though! Being able to apply it as a standard (instead of a 1 round cast) from a familiar helps out melee types a ton. But he's used Cure Light Wounds, Holy Weapon Balm, Bless Weapon, and Shield of Fait to good effect as well. He should probably grab some Vanishes too.
He was mostly a joke to have twin bats, but I've been pleased at how much he can help in combat. I think an Ioun stone or two (maybe with Watchful Eye?) would go a long way if I ever play him again.
There is a PFS 1E scenario that can grant a boon allowing your PC to take a wyrmling nightmare dragon as an Improved Familiar, but its alignment is changed to CN. I ran it, so applied it to my CN heavens shaman, and when he leveled up enough, he took Improved Familiar and replaced his spirit animal. A nightmare dragon is already creepy and not-quite-real-looking, so with the star-map pattern all over her from being a heaven spirit animal, she looks like a tiny dragon-shaped rip in space filled with stars--plus she glows when she flies.
Her innate draconic abilities are never going to improve, so she's not worth risking in combat. Instead, I gave her the sage familiar template to help contribute to any knowledge skill checks the party needs to make--which my shaman definitely doesn't have the Int or skill points to do on his own. And even if there is an investigator or the like at the table, the dragon still makes a solid "backup brain."
She makes for some fun role-playing, especially when we meet other dragons, but now that my shaman is Seeker-tier, I haven't played the pair of them in a while.
