Anything official on Ioun Wyrd tumor familiars?

[VoodooMonkey]

I've looked for and read a lot of arguments on this but have yet to find something official.

Leading "No" responses are mostly along the lines of the text saying "vaguely resembling a kind of animal suitable for a familiar (bat, cat, and so on)"

But, as I understand it, the tumor familiar was created before "unusual" familiars came to existence and is meant to be general guideline text.

Another is that Ioun Wyrds are constructs, but the tumor familiar text specifically says -"The alchemist creates a Diminutive or Tiny tumor on his body" so the feat accounts for construction. Maybe the alchemist grafts an ioun stone on the tumor at the point of creation...?

Is there any Official word on whether an ioun wyrd can be a tumor familiaror not?

If a character takes a level of wizard to get an ioun wyrd as a familiar, can he then advance in alchemist, take the tumor familiar discovery just so he qualifies his alchemist levels for the "Levels of different classes that are entitled to familiars stack for the purpose of determining any familiar abilities that depend on level" rule?

If a character has the funds when he/she obtains and creates an ioun wyrd familiar, can they construct it as a Commando construct and add construct modifications to it?

Any other relevant question/input anyone can think of?

[willuwontu]

1. ​Only animals.

2. IIRC, because of how tumor familiar works, it actually makes a separate familiar.

3.

Familiar Rules wrote:

Only a normal, unmodified animal may become a familiar.

Can't make a commando construct familiar

[Theaitetos]

willuwontu wrote:

1. ​Only animals.

That is not true. There is this undying myth that "only animals" can become familiars.

Here's the introduction of familiars from the Core Rules:

Quote:

A familiar is an animal chosen by a spellcaster to aid him in his study of magic. It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was, but is now a magical beast for the purpose of effects that depend on its type. Only a normal, unmodified animal may become a familiar.

... and here are some non-animal familiars available these days, like Greensting Scorpions, Butterflies, Cockroaches, Centipedes, Crabs, Isopods, Slugs, Locusts, Dragonflies, Spiders, Starfish, Tardigrades, ... (Vermin, not Animals), Creeper Ivy, Dweomer Cap, Flowering Lattice, Petrifern, Suture Vine, Razor Fern, Tumbleweed, ... (Plants, not Animals) to the list of acceptable familiars. And the Ioun Wyrd (Construct).

The Familiar Folio book says:

Unusual Familiars wrote:

While most familiars are Tiny animals or magical beasts, spellcasters may acquire larger or more unusual creatures during their travels, which impart certain rules effects that should be considered at the table.

Small familiars threaten the areas around them like other Small creatures, and can be used to flank enemies—though both familiars and their masters are generally loath to employ such tactics, as the result is often a dead familiar. Small familiars are also harder to keep on a master’s person than Tiny or smaller familiars; some form of magic item, like a bag of holding, is usually required.

Construct, plant, and vermin familiars gain an Intelligence score, and they lose the mindless trait if they had it. If such familiars lack a language, they communicate with their masters and other creatures of their kind (greensting scorpions with other scorpions, mobile plant creatures with other mobile plant creatures, and so on) by way of a strange combination of behaviors, slight changes in coloration, and sometimes even the excretion of scents or pheromones. Other types of creatures can’t understand this communication without magical aid.

Outsiders and undead creatures are normally available only with the Improved Familiar feat, and require no other special rules.

The Tumor Familiar was introduced in the Ultimate Magic book (published 2011), while the Familiar Folio book (which introduced non-animal familiars) was published 4 years later. At the time of the publishing of Ultimate Magic, there were no non-animal familiars available, which is why it is impossible for the writers to have meant "only an animal familiar"; instead the Tumor Familiar rules text references the general way of speaking about familiars as animals - just like the introductory text in the Core Rules.

Familiar Folio then expanded the suitable options for familiars, without making any statements like "these new non-animal familiar options are not suitable for Tumor Familiars" or the sort.

So unless the writers were able to see into the future, the Tumor Familiar text means any option suitable as a familiar:

Quote:

the alchemist can have the tumor detach itself from his body as a separate creature vaguely resembling a kind of animal suitable for a familiar

As a GM, I'd have the Alchemist buy an Ioun Stone that is worth at least as much as the amount of gold required to replace the familiar. The first one could be a Dull Gray.

[Lelomenia]

Theaitetos wrote:

willuwontu wrote:

1. ​Only animals.

That is not true. There is this undying myth that "only animals" can become familiars.

Here's the introduction of familiars from the Core Rules:

Quote:

A familiar is an animal chosen by a spellcaster to aid him in his study of magic. It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was, but is now a magical beast for the purpose of effects that depend on its type. Only a normal, unmodified animal may become a familiar.

... and here are some non-animal familiars available these days, like Greensting Scorpions, Butterflies, Cockroaches, Centipedes, Crabs, Isopods, Slugs, Locusts, Dragonflies, Spiders, Starfish, Tardigrades, ... (Vermin, not Animals), Creeper Ivy, Dweomer Cap, Flowering Lattice, Petrifern, Suture Vine, Razor Fern, Tumbleweed, ... (Plants, not Animals) to the list of acceptable familiars. And the Ioun Wyrd (Construct).

The Familiar Folio book says:

Unusual Familiars wrote:

While most familiars are Tiny animals or magical beasts, spellcasters may acquire larger or more unusual creatures during their travels, which impart certain rules effects that should be considered at the table.

Small familiars threaten the areas around them like other Small creatures, and can be used to flank enemies—though both familiars and their masters are generally loath to employ such tactics, as the result is often a dead familiar. Small familiars are also harder to keep on a master’s person than Tiny or smaller familiars; some form of magic item, like a bag of holding, is usually required.

Construct, plant, and vermin familiars gain an Intelligence score, and they lose the mindless trait if they had it. If such familiars lack a language, they communicate with their masters and other creatures of their kind (greensting scorpions with other scorpions, mobile plant creatures with other mobile plant

...

there was a FAQ written after the Familiar Folio:

FAQ wrote:

tumor familiars, as lumps of flesh in the shape of animals, can’t become Improved Familiars

which appears to clarify that the ‘animal’ language in Tumor Familiar is viewed as a intended rules restriction, not poorly future-proofed fluff, in which case it’s hard to see why it wouldn’t apply to Ioun Wyrd. FAQs do not address soft-cover rulebooks, so there is nothing official specific to that topic, but for the ‘wizard ioun wyrd + tumor familiar’ question i might look to the rules for handling stacking of animal companions between classes with different Companion restrictions (i’ve forgotten how that works unfortunately).

[Theaitetos]

That FAQ only says "Tumor Familiars can't become Improved Familiars". It has no bearing on what can become a Tumor Familiar.

When I say "A corpse, being a dead lump of flesh, cannot vote.", then I do not imply that only dead lumps of flesh can become a corpse [e.g. skeletal remains].

It's called a non-restrictive appositive.

[Lelomenia]

Theaitetos wrote:

That FAQ only says "Tumor Familiars can't become Improved Familiars". It has no bearing on what can become a Tumor Familiar.

When I say "A corpse, being a dead lump of flesh, cannot vote.", then I do not imply that only dead lumps of flesh can become a corpse [e.g. skeletal remains].

It's called a non-restrictive appositive.

i accept your metaphor, but not your interpretation.

From your corpse voting rule text, i would see an implication that “lumps of dead flesh” in general can’t vote, and that it is the general rule upon which this specific example is being judiciated,

Where your interpretation would argue that text as providing no indication on whether, say, lifeless flesh in the form of a disembodied foot retains the right to vote (unless it becomes reattached to the original body, at which point any voting rights are clearly disenfranchised).

[VoodistMonk]

It's called a kidney stone...

[Theaitetos]

Lelomenia wrote:

Where your interpretation would argue that text as providing no indication on whether, say, lifeless flesh in the form of a disembodied foot retains the right to vote (unless it becomes reattached to the original body, at which point any voting rights are clearly disenfranchised).

You're going into a completely false direction.

The sentence of the FAQ makes absolutely no statement about what can become a Tumor Familiar; it only makes a statement about what can become an Improved Familiar. The part in the middle is a non-restrictive appositive.

You, however, make this into a sentence about Tumor Familiars, which it is not.

"A car, that is green, cannot become a child."
becomes
"only non-green things can be cars"
in your world.
That is silly.

[Lelomenia]

Theaitetos wrote:

Lelomenia wrote:

Where your interpretation would argue that text as providing no indication on whether, say, lifeless flesh in the form of a disembodied foot retains the right to vote (unless it becomes reattached to the original body, at which point any voting rights are clearly disenfranchised).

You're going into a completely false direction.

The sentence of the FAQ makes absolutely no statement about what can become a Tumor Familiar; it only makes a statement about what can become an Improved Familiar. The part in the middle is a non-restrictive appositive.

You, however, make this into a sentence about Tumor Familiars, which it is not.

"A car, that is green, cannot become a child."
becomes
"only non-green things can be cars"
in your world.
That is silly.

Disagree. In English in that construction, ‘as’ means ‘because’.

Compare:
Charles, a British Prince, cannot publicly comment on political matters. (Here we know this Charles is a British Prince, but we do not know why he can’t comment on political matters. Perhaps he is mute, or ignorant)

Charles, as a British Prince, cannot publicly comment on political matters. (Here we not only know this Charles is a British Prince, we also know why he cannot comment publically on political matters: it is because he is a British Prince).

[Mark Hoover 330]

Tumor Familiar wrote:

vaguely resembling a kind of animal suitable for a familiar

Lelomenia wrote:

there was a FAQ written after the Familiar Folio:

[quoe=FAQ]tumor familiars, as lumps of flesh in the shape of animals, can’t become Improved Familiars

Ioun Wyrd wrote:

This strange creature appears as a floating swarm of gemstones surrounding a larger stone that pulses with dim light.

You want to argue that a tumor familiar doesn't have to BE an Animal type creature, in that it can be a spider or a centipede, fine.

I don't know of any animals or vermin that "resemble" a swarm of gemstones, surrounding a larger stone, that pulses with dim light.

If a player wanted an alchemist with an Ioun Wyrd familiar, I'd make them spend a Feat on it. The benefits specific to this Familiar are Construct Traits, Tiny size, Blindsight, +1 Natural AC, a 30' Fly and the ability for the Alchemist to use extra Ioun Stones. These benefits are worth spending a Feat for.

[Theaitetos]

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

I don't know of any animals or vermin that "resemble" a swarm of gemstones, surrounding a larger stone, that pulses with dim light.

You can implant ioun stones in your character or familiar already, even in PFS.

Putting a stone inside you and then detaching it again seems much less weird than detaching a flying bat tbh.

https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ocg0?Implanted-Ioun-Stones

[VoodooMonkey]

VoodistMonk wrote:

It's called a kidney stone...

Or a Calcium Deposit...

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

If a player wanted an alchemist with an Ioun Wyrd familiar, I'd make them spend a Feat on it. The benefits specific to this Familiar are Construct Traits, Tiny size, Blindsight, +1 Natural AC, a 30' Fly and the ability for the Alchemist to use extra Ioun Stones. These benefits are worth spending a Feat for.

If they already have to spend a feat for it AND pay for the stones as normal, then why would you force them to spend another feat?

[ErichAD]

So the idea is that you grow a tumor on your body in the shape of a floating collection of stones about the size of a desk top globe weighing as much as a large bowling ball, enchant your tumor as a contruct, give it an ioun stone, and then let it fly around from time to time? Or do you just grow a construct without needing to enchant your tumor?

If you don't have to enchant it or provide materials, then you could make some pretty good money removing your sentient tumor and selling it at a 1300gp profit every week. Though I'd predict an angry mob of abandoned sentient tumors in your future.

[VoodooMonkey]

"According to Guinness World Records, the biggest tumor ever removed intact from the human body weighed in at 303 pounds (137.6 kg) and measured 3 feet (1 m) in diameter. The tumor, located on the right ovary, was removed in 1991 during an operation performed by Professor Katherine O’Hanlan at Stanford University Medical Center in California."

Kidney stones can reach exceptional size. In December 2003, a kidney stone weighing 356 g (12.5 oz) was removed from the right kidney of Peter Baulman of Australia. At its widest point, the stone measured 11.86 cm (4.66 in). (Google is cool!)

The feat doesn't say it weighs the same as the "animal"-simply stating "vaguely resembling" and has all of its abilities. And we are talking about fantastical situations in this case...you know where beings manipulate magic and cast magical spells, create and use magical items...bond magically with mundane and exceptional beings...install demonic implants and elemental augmentations and ioun stones in themselves...etc.

To discount the concept of the practical possibility of the present subject matter in the fantasy world realm of thought seems awfully pedantic to me.

And since we are on this train of thought, with the wording of the whole feat-the alchemist can have the tumor detach itself from his body as a separate creature vaguely resembling a kind of "animal" suitable for a familiar (bat, cat, and so on) and move about as if it were an independent creature-it doesn't say that it actually IS a true familiar anywhere in the text.
So, does it count as a familiar in the area of thought of only being able to have one familiar, or having a familiar and a bonded object since it is not a true familiar...
AND...if it is actually a created part of yourself which can detach and have its own set of independent actions-is it considered enough of a part of your being to where a thrush or raven tumor familiar can speak a command word for you on its independent action...?

I abuse ellipses...and post grammatically incorrect and run-on sentences that often make little or no sense...

[avr]

The animal bit was originally fluff IMO, but the FAQ uses it to establish a rule. Unless you reject the FAQ (which is something some people have done for other FAQs) you're out of luck here. Kidney stones aren't actually relevant to this FAQ.

[Mark Hoover 330]

Theaitetos wrote:

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

I don't know of any animals or vermin that "resemble" a swarm of gemstones, surrounding a larger stone, that pulses with dim light.

You can implant ioun stones in your character or familiar already, even in PFS.

Putting a stone inside you and then detaching it again seems much less weird than detaching a flying bat tbh.

https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ocg0?Implanted-Ioun-Stones

Right, but that stone inside your familiar doesn't resemble an animal suitable to be a familiar. Get the Ioun Wyrd the ability to change it's shape from day 1, I'll let it be a Tumor Familiar.

[Mark Hoover 330]

VoodooMonkey wrote:

VoodistMonk wrote:

It's called a kidney stone...

Or a Calcium Deposit...

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

If a player wanted an alchemist with an Ioun Wyrd familiar, I'd make them spend a Feat on it. The benefits specific to this Familiar are Construct Traits, Tiny size, Blindsight, +1 Natural AC, a 30' Fly and the ability for the Alchemist to use extra Ioun Stones. These benefits are worth spending a Feat for.

If they already have to spend a feat for it AND pay for the stones as normal, then why would you force them to spend another feat?

A Tumor Familiar is an Alchemist Discovery, which they get at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter. The Tumor Familiar essentially becomes a Class ability. I'm saying that they should spend that Discovery on something else if they want an Ioun Wyrd and spend a feat on Eldritch Heritage for the Arcane Bloodline and get the Familiar that way.

[Name Violation]

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

VoodooMonkey wrote:

VoodistMonk wrote:

It's called a kidney stone...

Or a Calcium Deposit...

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

If a player wanted an alchemist with an Ioun Wyrd familiar, I'd make them spend a Feat on it. The benefits specific to this Familiar are Construct Traits, Tiny size, Blindsight, +1 Natural AC, a 30' Fly and the ability for the Alchemist to use extra Ioun Stones. These benefits are worth spending a Feat for.

If they already have to spend a feat for it AND pay for the stones as normal, then why would you force them to spend another feat?

A Tumor Familiar is an Alchemist Discovery, which they get at 2nd level and every 2 levels thereafter. The Tumor Familiar essentially becomes a Class ability. I'm saying that they should spend that Discovery on something else if they want an Ioun Wyrd and spend a feat on Eldritch Heritage for the Arcane Bloodline and get the Familiar that way.

That also requires skill focus, so that's a 2 feat tax

[Mark Hoover 330]

So, play a half-elf or Human from level 1, use the free feat to get the Skill Focus needed.

The standard animal type familiars, or even the vermin familiars which I think or interpret for my home games to be the RAI of the FAQ above, have no special defenses besides natural armor. Some have Scent, Darkvision or Low-Light Vision, and only one that I recall has Blindsense. In other words, these creatures carry with them a standard amount of fragility baked into them.

The upside though is that they can be healed right alongside all the other PCs from a wand of CLW or similar magic.

An Ioun Wyrd comes with Blindsight meaning it is not subject to Gaze attacks, takes no penalty from Blinding attacks, Deafening attacks deliver no penalty since the Ioun Wyrd is not called out as using hearing as part of Blindsight, this sense works in Darkness, Underwater or even in a vacuum, and Blindsight also negates Displacement and Blur effects.

Also

An Ioun Wyrd is immune to Death effects, Diseases, Mind-Affecting effects, Necromancy effects, Paralysis, Poison, Sleep, Stun, or any effect that requires a Fort save (unless the effect works on objects or is harmless). They're not subject to Non-Lethal damage, Ability damage/drain, Fatigue, Exhaustion, or Energy Drain. It's ALSO not at risk from death from massive damage (not that it'll likely be an issue for a Familiar, but still).

Also

This Familiar begins at Tiny size with a 4 Str. If you took an archetype that allowed it to change to, say, Medium size, that Size change would mean that at Medium it begins with a 10 Str. That's not the STRONGEST Tiny sized Familiar, but many Tiny sized ones begin with a Str 2.

ALSO

As the character levels with this much-more-indestructible-than-usual Familiar and adds Ioun Stones to it, those stones remain attached to the Familiar but benefit the character, even technically when the tumor is embedded in the PC. This ability continues to function at a distance of 30'.

Oh yeah, and that one drawback about Constructs only being healed by special magic or a skill and Feat combo plus GP in order to repair their construct body? The nature of the Tumor Familiar Discovery would negate that one flaw.

So... by virtue of a Class ability, one use of the 9 the PC gets across 18 levels, this PC gets ALL of the benefits of such a well-defended Familiar without ANY of the normal penalties that any other Familiar-gaining PC would suffer with the same Familiar choice.

No. In my humble opinion, based on the RAI of the FAQ and the extreme power level of the Ioun Wyrd in comparison to other Familiars, in my home games a Tumor Familiar doesn't get to be an Ioun Wyrd. Pick 2 Feats to get it instead, and heal it in the normal ways everyone else has to.

[Theaitetos]

i.e. all your reservations are based on perceived "power level" rather than RAW.

p.s.: Plant familiars have the same immunities, familiars are a poor choice sending into combat, the STR score is worthless on a single weak attack, ioun stones can be embedded in the character for free anyway, ...

p.p.s.: For 2 feats you get an Improved Familiar, that is far more powerful than the Ioun Wyrd.

[ErichAD]

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

Theaitetos wrote:

Mark Hoover 330 wrote:

I don't know of any animals or vermin that "resemble" a swarm of gemstones, surrounding a larger stone, that pulses with dim light.

You can implant ioun stones in your character or familiar already, even in PFS.

Putting a stone inside you and then detaching it again seems much less weird than detaching a flying bat tbh.

https://paizo.com/threads/rzs2ocg0?Implanted-Ioun-Stones

Right, but that stone inside your familiar doesn't resemble an animal suitable to be a familiar. Get the Ioun Wyrd the ability to change it's shape from day 1, I'll let it be a Tumor Familiar.

Seems easy enough. First World Caller with VMC aberrant sorcerer and aberrant tumor feat, choosing ioun wyrd familiar gives us a tumor that's an animated clump of stones, a construct that counts as fey and animal instead of magical beast for type specific targeting effects, and it can turn into 1 humanoid form. I'm going to say canopy troll that you wear like a backpack. We've even turned the creature into an animal to help shape up the tumor familiar text.

At least you aren't pooping out a torble familiar.

I'm still pretty sure the animal term is intended to constrain tumor options some what, but ignoring the word and seeing how weird we get is also entertaining.

[Mark Hoover 330]

Theaitetos wrote:

i.e. all your reservations are based on perceived "power level" rather than RAW.

p.s.: Plant familiars have the same immunities, familiars are a poor choice sending into combat, the STR score is worthless on a single weak attack, ioun stones can be embedded in the character for free anyway, ...

p.p.s.: For 2 feats you get an Improved Familiar, that is far more powerful than the Ioun Wyrd.

Correct, all my reservations ARE based on perceived "power level" rather than RAW... except where I noted RAI in regards to the FAQ several times. RAI is not RAW however and we're in the Rules section, to I've specifically called out how this is how I run it in home games. YMMV.

PS: a Plant familiar wouldn't be eligible as a Tumor Familiar in my game for the same reasons. Yes, the Str score is weak for a single weak attack on an Ioun Wyrd, the same as it would be for, say, a Raven (Str 2, Size Tiny), making them both inferior to, say, a Hawk as a melee attacker, but I brought up the Str thing based on the Mauler Archetype. A Raven would grow to Medium with a Str score of 8; an Ioun Wyrd would become Medium with a Str of 10; a Hawk would be Medium with Str of 12. However, an Ioun Wyrd would suffer -1 to attack/damage and have only one Slam attack as opposed to the Hawk but would have all of the above defenses I've pointed out upthread.

Also Implanted Ioun Stones, in other words stones that are stuck IN the PC in some way, are actually a lengthy and potentially dangerous process that requires GP and time. The Ioun Wyrd Tumor Familiar gives you the benefit of that for free. This is not to be confused with those stored in a matrix such as a Wayfinder, which is different from what I'm talking about.

PPS I know that ONE feat, if you already have a Familiar, gets you an Improved Familiar as there is a PC making great use out of them in 2 of my 3 current campaigns. I'd love it if an Ioun Wyrd were in fact a level 3 Improved Familiar, but by RAW they're not so there you go.

[Petemethean]

I know this is an old thread, but I think something very important is being missed here.

The Tumor familiar takes the shape of the "animal" but does not actually become it. Its still a mass of flesh and blood you grew from your body. The abilities allowed come from mimicking the shape of the "animal". A blob of flesh shaped like a bat can fly like a bat because it has wings and is light enough to use those wings to flap mechanically to fly about. A cat Tumor familiar can pounce and scratch because it has hind legs and clawed paws like a cat.

The abilities come from the shape of the familiar, not from magic imbued into it.

Construct traits come from it being solid material like stone or metal, and its inherent lack of flesh and bones to be vulnerable.

If you want your tumor to take the shape of a Wyrd... fine. It can look just like a blob of rocks, you might even argue it can calcify itself to become hard and mimic some construct traits.

But it wont fly, and it wont absorb Ioun stones at all, because those are magical effects that don't come from the shape of Wyrds. Ioun stones are the same material as a typical Wyrd, which is why it doesn't care that they are now added to its body. Nothing about a tumor familiar makes it turn into stone, or grants it the magic needed to float around.

Tumor familiars are special because they are a mass of flesh and blood, and get typical animal abilities because they can mimic the physical form of whatever animal you choose. Even poisons or venoms are ok because you can mimic a venom sac and produce a biological liquid to mimic that kind of snake bite or whatever.

I know its borderline hypocritical, because its goop that's been magically animated and given an intelligence it really shouldn't... but at its core its ALCHEMY not arcane magic. Its chemistry and biology, not arcane magic. Just like Alchemists aren't true spellcasters, your tumor familiar isn't magically a construct just because it looks like one.

[Diego Rossi]

Quote:

As a standard action, the alchemist can have the tumor detach itself from his body as a separate creature vaguely resembling a kind of animal suitable for a familiar (bat, cat, and so on) and move about as if it were an independent creature.

"vaguely resembling a kind of animal suitable for a familiar" is pretty clear. It can become only something like a "kind of animal suitable for a familiar". A Ioun Wyrd is a construct, so not a "kind of animal suitable for a familiar".

To make something a valid form for a tumor familiar you need a rule saying so, not arguing about "but, if, then I can".

BTW, the Scarlet spider and the House centipede were introduced in Ultimate Magic and they are Tiny vermin familiars, so the argument "non-animal familiar were introduced 4 years later that the tumor familiar" doesn't hold water. They were introduced at the same time as the tumor familiar.

[VoodistMonk]

If the table is playing with the CRB, Familiar Folio, and Ultimate Magic books... then, yes. It appears there is nothing stopping an Alchemist with the Tumor Familiar Discovery from selecting an Ioun Wyrd.

Personally, I would make replacing the Ioun Wyrd Tumor Familar involve the same ritual as socketing an Ioun Stone... just for fun. This ritual always automatically passes for Wyrwood characters. Lol.

You could even make the Ioun Wyrd Tumor Familiar option race-specific for Wyrwood Alchemist that take the Tumor Familiar Discovery. Or give Wyrwood Alchemist with Ioun Wyrd Tumor Familiars Ioun Resonance as a bonus feat... just for fun.

[Azothath]

Petemethean wrote:

...

you are talking about 'reskinning'. Essentially you pick an animal/plant form and restyle its appearance. There can be no mechanical benefit. A GM has to approve the changes. So this is Home Game territory. Tumor familiar discovery text implies that only animal type is acceptable (not plant).

The normal path is animal -> magical beast as a familiar. A construct type IS a benefit (of sorts) as is the undead type. Those expanded types are ONLY found as Improved Familiars at the cost of a Feat. Pretty much the debate ends there.
IMO you could choose Turtle, Spiny Starfish, Hedgehog and reskin it to meet this desire.

[VoodistMonk]

But, according to the Familiar Folio:
"Construct, plant, and vermin familiars gain an Intelligence score, and they lose the mindless trait if they had it. If such familiars lack a language, they communicate with their masters and other creatures of their kind (greensting scorpions with other scorpions, mobile plant creatures with other mobile plant creatures, and so on) by way of a strange combination of behaviors, slight changes in coloration, and sometimes even the excretion of scents or pheromones. Other types of creatures can’t understand this communication without magical aid.

Outsiders and undead creatures are normally available only with the Improved Familiar feat, and require no other special rules."

Construct, plant, and vermin Familiars are all listed as equals. Outsiders and Undead and mentioned separatetly as being related to the Improved Familiar feat. Thus, we have pretty clear and official evidence that the Construct type is no different than the Plant or Vermin types when it comes to Familiars, and that the Construct type does not immediately warrant requiring the Improved Familiar feat to access.

[Azothath]

VoodistMonk wrote:

But, according to the Familiar Folio: ...

that resource has been superseded and your quote DOES appear in RAW. It was a softcover and got pulled into the main line of products via other resources. I went through the 'live' issues in PFS as the changes rolled out (thus the reference to 'blog posts'). I did love it and bought several copies, gave some away at PFS games as prizes as it granted access to the expanded lists. Kudos to the original writer for creating an important product that got reworked into the main product line. IMO this is where feedback from PFS help shaped future product.

If you examine the RAW resource on AoN (link above) you can see there are only animal, plant, & vermin familiars (I didn't say "vermin" the first time). I linked to RAW so readers can read it themselves and it covers any omissions I might make. You can verify that constructs only appear in the Improved Familiar listing.
Your quote does appear under Unusual Familiars with the preface "While most familiars are Tiny animals or magical beasts, spellcasters may acquire larger or more unusual creatures during their travels, which impart certain rules effects that should be considered at the table.". That means these are guidelines for the Home Game GM. There's a lot that's left unsaid. It's not as simple as scaling numerical bonuses on magic items as templates have varying CRs and immunities.

If you want to do something else in your Home Game that's fine. It is a place to be creative and have fun. Reskinning falls within RAW.

[Java Man]

AoN still lists Ioun Wyrd (a construct) as a basic familiar.

[Azothath]

Java Man wrote:

AoN still lists Ioun Wyrd (a construct) as a basic familiar.

Thanks - I did miss that and I scrolled up and down looking at the list. (reaching for cloth to remove egg). Caught it as I ran out of edit time. [nonPFS]Ioun Wyrd.

hmmm... as it is in RAW it is possible with GM consideration as it's not an Animal(as per Tumor Familiar) but is on the Familiar listing. Again my personal feeling is that it's a borderline case, a Home Game decision and the non-PFS ruling means it needs careful consideration.

[Trokarr]

Just going to point out here that nowhere within the text of the tumor familiar discovery does it ever state what the tumor familiar is actually composed of only that the Alchemist creates the tumor on their body. It could be composed of anything that the body can produce. Bone, teeth, hair, kidney stone, calcium deposit, are all technically possible. It’s not impossible that the body could produce a tumor with a rocky appearance at all. That said the discovery only mentions the animal type in its text so I think for PFS anything other than animal is a no-go but I think it’s pretty reasonable for a home game. It’s kinda moot anyway since an alchemist with tumor familiar could take a 1 level dip in Clocksmith Wizard and make any tumor familiar into a construct anyway.