I'm looking at the kitsune's star orb familiar and it seems to have two drawbacks with no payoff, no natural speed and one of its familiar abilities is locked into innate surge. The inanimate object aesthetic is amazing and innate surge is thematic to the ancestry but that ability doesn't even come online until level 5.
Am I reading this correctly or this there a mechanical advantage I'm disregarding, like maybe with the familiar being a tiny object instead of an animal?
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Normally familiars are forced to take any abilities it naturally has, like a fly speed. The only thing you lose is the base speed of 25 over say, a bird for example.
The benefit of the feat is that you can take feats like Killing Stone, so they decided there should be a small downside of not having a speed. It can still do stuff without a speed btw, it just can't do anything that requires a speed.
Also note that it's intended that you carry the stone with you, which is why it's only a light bulk. If you get it you should invest in Sleeves of Storage.
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Yep, it has 1/10th the bulk of a normal tiny familiar and if you weren't planning on putting your familiar in danger it's a good deal. And as Cordell Kintner pointed out, you often have to take an ability the familiar would have but this time it's a master ability and a good one at that. In addition, it's an object so you can protect your orb in a bag of holding [an item doesn't need air to breathe], it doesn't need any special treatment when you go underwater, into poison gasses, go near diseased/infected areas, ect.
If I had an issue, it'd be kitsune don't have a lot of innate spells to use innate surge without having to lean on Versatile Heritages.
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Yes its unclear if the Star Orb familiar needs to eat or breathe or exactly how it would intereact with the Sleeves of Storage.
It is a stone, not a plant/animal, and it has no move at all unless you pay for it. Can it even move in and out of the Sleeves by itself? Does it even need to worry about needing to breathe. It is a stone after all.
Then there is a question as to even if most of the normal familiar rules apply to it, as they are gated by the term animal. Its not even clear if it has to pay for the Innate Surge, it may well get it regardless.
Your GM will have to make a decision. That is going to totally depend on his style and approach to the rules.
Its a nice concept and I'll have fun with it. But its a total rules nightmare. Thank you Paizo.
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Huh, I never noticed that Innate Surge isn't immediately relevant. More of a long term investment I guess.
Here's the line for what Gortle pointed out about the term animal and its relevance to the Star Orb being classified as not an animal, but a Tiny stone:
Each day, you channel your magic into two abilities, which can be either familiar or master abilities. If your familiar is an animal that naturally has one of these abilities (for instance, an owl has a fly Speed), you must select that ability. Your familiar can’t be an animal that naturally has more familiar abilities than your daily maximum familiar abilities.
On top of that, other familiar feats, like the Azarketi's Marine Ally and the Sprite's Corgi Mount are quite deliberate when it comes to a familiar ability taking up an ability slot. Along with the animal thing, I can see Star Orb's ability being read as not counting against the ability limit as normal. It's a bit on the cheeky side, but I think you have a case for your GM.
I keep forgetting that objects have decent innate protection with most spells unable to damage or target them. Considering how master abilities work, star orbs can be kept comfortably hidden away from danger while having its benefits still function unlike with sleeves of storage. That's something less convenient for animal familiars, and I'd only need sleeves of storage if I need full protection.
Alright, I'm starting to see the payoff now. Thanks everyone.
I'll keep those ruling loopholes in mind though. Good to know for when I'm feeling greedy.
That's actually an interesting point. Star Orb says "it always has" rather than some variation of telling you you have to take it. Wonder if that's intentional.
That's actually an interesting point. Star Orb says "it always has" rather than some variation of telling you you have to take it. Wonder if that's intentional.
I honestly didn't catch it until I read the other two familiar feats. As far as I'm aware, it's the only familiar feat with a granted ability that doesn't point out the ability limitation.
I also wanted to add that the Baba Yaga witch patron is another way to get a non-animal familiar. It offers the witch an option to designate an inanimate object as a familiar, giving it the same speed and movement limitations as the Star Orb.