Reksew_Trebla |
So I know I would allow this in one of my games, but I was wondering if others would do the same.
To start, I’ll be an Aasimar Celestial Sorcerer with a Bloodline Emissary (Cayden Cailean) Lap Dog (they use Fox statistics, which are an eligible Familiar option) Familiar, and my 1st level feat will be Celestial Servant (granting my Familiar the Celestial template). My 3rd level feat will be Improved Familiar. Here is the 1st question: Would you allow me to make my already existing Celestial Lap Dog a Celestial Entropic Lap Dog, or would I have to dismiss my Familiar and gain a new one?
Assuming you would allow the free upgrade without having to abandon my friend, let’s move to the next question: At level 7, would you allow my Celestial Entropic Lap Dog to change into a Celestial Caypup? I believe there is a feat that can simulate this, by making the Caypup their true form, but IIRC, it also allows them to continue going back to the previous form. However, I want this to be a case of my buddy actually being a pre adolescent Caypup, so that means being able to change back into a Celestial Entropic Lap Dog, would be counterproductive to what I am trying to do.
I’d appreciate any and all input on this.
MrCharisma |
Regarding the flavour - if the result is the same I don't have a problem with reflavouring a "New" familiar to be an "upgraded" exisiting familiar. I think that kind of thing should be encouraged, as it lends more permanence to the familiar, which makes the player more invester in the characters and the story.
As for the mechanics, I'm super unfamiliar with familiars (haha), but I assume Mysterious Stranger is probably correct, and that you're not meant to stack templates.
Flavour yes, Mechanics no (under the assumption that Mysterious Stranger knows what s/he's talking about - and s/he usually does).
Diego Rossi |
I agree with the others that there is no problem if, for flavor, you want your new familiar to be an evolution of your original familiar.
Multiple templates are possible, as there are several examples of creatures with multiple templates in AP and modules. "The number of adjectives shows how strong it is." and "It is a giant, enhanced, advanced, blending creature." are recurring jokes about non-standard hard monsters (that started after meeting in a published adventure a giant, armored, advanced, and another couple of adjectives, spider).
That notwithstanding I would scrutinize with a lot of attention what the templates do and to what/who they can be added.
Some templates can be only applied when a creature is conceived before it was born, some can be added only to an animal, or a magical beast, or at an outsider, some can be added to a living or unliving creature, some to a corporeal or incorporeal creature.
So, I would require that the end creature follow an acceptable path to reach the final stage, applying each template to a valid target (with some leeway for flavor) and that the templates don't clash with each other and, possibly, adjusting some effect if there are overlaps.
In a home game that has a longer time frame for the story than the typical AP, I would require some time for the creature's growth. "Magic" is a powerful explanation, but my cub tiger becoming a fully grown adult in two days isn't something I feel appropriate.
Reksew_Trebla |
Um, people, you can stack the templates. That part isn’t even a debate. Celestial Servant (feat) makes any Animal Companion and Familiar you have gain the Celestial template. Improved Familiar (also a feat) allows you to take a non Improved Familiar with the Entropic template. Since all Familiars you possess have the Celestial template, this means it is both RAW and RAI to have a Celestial AND Entropic Familiar.
So with that said, what I’ve gathered is that the majority would allow the free upgrade. So thank you for your input.
Sysryke |
I don't object to stacking templates, but I can see why others might. I am curious why Mysterious Stranger has an issue with this particular combo. I may be mistaken, but isn't Celestial the default "good" template and Entropic the chaotic one? There are plenty of chaotic good creatures, including either the angels or devas I think. So, why not these two templates together? Not saying right or wrong, just curious.
Flavor wise, I love this progression. I love familiars in general.
ErichAD |
Looking at this, you have a bloodline fox familiar. You add two templates. Then later you want a caypup bloodline familiar that would benefit from the celestial servant feat.
Yeah, no problem. You have an unusual narrative for how you got the familiar you have, but your outcome is still mechanically normal.
It is weird that your familiar would be a magical beast rather than an outsider, but that hardly matters. It's possible that "celestial servant" is only intended to work with familiars that would typically be animals, but I don't see a problem with it.
zza ni |
so.
start with fox(or foxlike) and use feat for template. so far no problem.
level 3 get improved familiar to get entropic X animal. used for same fox(or dog). still shouldn't be a problem, you now have a 'celestial entropic X'.
level 7 one can take improved familiar and pick "Caypup" as one. since you already took the feat, i would let you use the ritual to gain\replace a new familiar to 'evolve' your older 'entropic celestial x' into a 'celestial Caypup'.
won't need to waste a feat, will loose the entropic but keep the celestial. and cost you a bit of gold.
side note. emissary archtype is ok, some other archtypes can't be improved familiar for loosing speaking with animals of same kind (like valet etc).
Diego Rossi |
I don't object to stacking templates, but I can see why others might. I am curious why Mysterious Stranger has an issue with this particular combo. I may be mistaken, but isn't Celestial the default "good" template and Entropic the chaotic one? There are plenty of chaotic good creatures, including either the angels or devas I think. So, why not these two templates together? Not saying right or wrong, just curious.
Flavor wise, I love this progression. I love familiars in general.
Celestial template = Inherited
Entropic template = InheritedInherited Templates: Some templates, such as the halfdragon and half-fiend templates, are part of a creature from the beginning of its existence. Creatures are born or created with these templates already in place, and have never known life without them. These types of templates are called “inherited templates.”
A creature can't acquire an Inherited template. It must have it from birth.
Reksew_Trebla |
Sysryke wrote:I don't object to stacking templates, but I can see why others might. I am curious why Mysterious Stranger has an issue with this particular combo. I may be mistaken, but isn't Celestial the default "good" template and Entropic the chaotic one? There are plenty of chaotic good creatures, including either the angels or devas I think. So, why not these two templates together? Not saying right or wrong, just curious.
Flavor wise, I love this progression. I love familiars in general.
Celestial template = Inherited
Entropic template = InheritedQuote:Inherited Templates: Some templates, such as the halfdragon and half-fiend templates, are part of a creature from the beginning of its existence. Creatures are born or created with these templates already in place, and have never known life without them. These types of templates are called “inherited templates.”A creature can't acquire an Inherited template. It must have it from birth.
aonprd.com says they are acquired.
Diego Rossi |
Caypup CG Small outsider (native)
Native
This subtype is applied only to outsiders. Creatures with this subtype are native to the Material Plane. These creatures have mortal ancestors or a strong connection to the Material Plane and can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be. Unlike true outsiders, native outsiders need to eat and sleep.
Celestial Creature (CR +0 or +1)
Celestial creatures dwell in the higher planes,
Entropic
Creatures with the entropic template live in planes where chaos is paramount
Native doesn't seem compatible with Celestial and Entropic.
Diego Rossi |
Diego Rossi wrote:Sysryke wrote:I don't object to stacking templates, but I can see why others might. I am curious why Mysterious Stranger has an issue with this particular combo. I may be mistaken, but isn't Celestial the default "good" template and Entropic the chaotic one? There are plenty of chaotic good creatures, including either the angels or devas I think. So, why not these two templates together? Not saying right or wrong, just curious.
Flavor wise, I love this progression. I love familiars in general.
Celestial template = Inherited
Entropic template = InheritedQuote:Inherited Templates: Some templates, such as the halfdragon and half-fiend templates, are part of a creature from the beginning of its existence. Creatures are born or created with these templates already in place, and have never known life without them. These types of templates are called “inherited templates.”A creature can't acquire an Inherited template. It must have it from birth.aonprd.com says they are acquired.
:(
I was so convinced it was inherited that I misread.Reksew_Trebla |
Caypup CG Small outsider (native)
Quote:Native
This subtype is applied only to outsiders. Creatures with this subtype are native to the Material Plane. These creatures have mortal ancestors or a strong connection to the Material Plane and can be raised, reincarnated, or resurrected just as other living creatures can be. Unlike true outsiders, native outsiders need to eat and sleep.Quote:Celestial Creature (CR +0 or +1)
Celestial creatures dwell in the higher planes,Quote:Native doesn't seem compatible with Celestial and Entropic.Entropic
Creatures with the entropic template live in planes where chaos is paramount
That’s not a good argument. Neither the Celestial template nor Celestial Servant feat say they can’t be applied to Native Outsiders. Furthermore, Celestial, Fiendish, Resolute, and Entropic do not give the Extraplanar subtype, which they would have to for your argument to have any merit, as all creatures not Native to the Material Plane automatically gain it, no exceptions, when on the Material Plane.
Diego Rossi |
That’s not a good argument. Neither the Celestial template nor Celestial Servant feat say they can’t be applied to Native Outsiders. Furthermore, Celestial, Fiendish, Resolute, and Entropic do not give the Extraplanar subtype, which they would have to for your argument to have any merit, as all creatures not Native to the Material Plane automatically gain it, no exceptions, when on the Material Plane.
Extraplanar
Source Bestiary 6 pg. 304, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary pg. 312, Bestiary 2 pg. 307, Bestiary 3 pg. 306, Bestiary 4 pg. 306, Bestiary 5 pg. 306
This subtype is applied to any creature when it is on a plane other than its native plane.
The only thing that matters for the Extraplanar subtype is if the creature is in its native plane or not.
An Elf in Elysium has the Extraplanar subtype, an Azata in Elysium hasn't.
Reksew_Trebla |
Reksew_Trebla wrote:
That’s not a good argument. Neither the Celestial template nor Celestial Servant feat say they can’t be applied to Native Outsiders. Furthermore, Celestial, Fiendish, Resolute, and Entropic do not give the Extraplanar subtype, which they would have to for your argument to have any merit, as all creatures not Native to the Material Plane automatically gain it, no exceptions, when on the Material Plane.Quote:Extraplanar
Source Bestiary 6 pg. 304, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary pg. 312, Bestiary 2 pg. 307, Bestiary 3 pg. 306, Bestiary 4 pg. 306, Bestiary 5 pg. 306
This subtype is applied to any creature when it is on a plane other than its native plane.The only thing that matters for the Extraplanar subtype is if the creature is in its native plane or not.
An Elf in Elysium has the Extraplanar subtype, an Azata in Elysium hasn't.
We aren’t talking about Elves or Azatas in Elysium. We are talking about Celestial template creatures on the Material Plane. What I said stands true.
Diego Rossi |
We aren’t talking about Elves or Azatas in Elysium. We are talking about Celestial template creatures on the Material Plane. What I said stands true.
No creature gets the Extraplanar by default. They get them when they are on another plane.
A Celestial creature on the Material Plane gets the Extraplanar subtype, a native outsider in an Outer plane gets the Extraplanar subtype.
A Celestial creature in its native plane doesn't get the Extraplanar subtype, a Native Outsider in the material plane doesn't get the Extraplanar subtype.
The Bestiary assumes that the PCs live on the material plane, so it shows the Extraplanar subtype on some monster, but that applies only if that assumption is true.
Extraplanar
Source Bestiary 6 pg. 304, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary pg. 312, Bestiary 2 pg. 307, Bestiary 3 pg. 306, Bestiary 4 pg. 306, Bestiary 5 pg. 306
This subtype is applied to any creature when it is on a plane other than its native plane.
A creature that travels the planes can gain or lose this subtype as it goes from plane to plane.
Monster entries assume that encounters with creatures take place on the Material Plane, and every creature whose native plane is not the Material Plane has the extraplanar subtype (but would not have it when on its home plane).
Every extraplanar creature in this book has a home plane mentioned in its description. Creatures not labeled as extraplanar are natives of the Material Plane, and they gain the extraplanar subtype if they leave the Material Plane. No creature has the extraplanar subtype when it is on a Transitive Plane (the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, or the Plane of Shadow).
Reksew_Trebla |
Reksew_Trebla wrote:We aren’t talking about Elves or Azatas in Elysium. We are talking about Celestial template creatures on the Material Plane. What I said stands true.No creature gets the Extraplanar by default. They get them when they are on another plane.
A Celestial creature on the Material Plane gets the Extraplanar subtype, a native outsider in an Outer plane gets the Extraplanar subtype.
A Celestial creature in its native plane doesn't get the Extraplanar subtype, a Native Outsider in the material plane doesn't get the Extraplanar subtype.The Bestiary assumes that the PCs live on the material plane, so it shows the Extraplanar subtype on some monster, but that applies only if that assumption is true.
Quote:Extraplanar
Source Bestiary 6 pg. 304, Pathfinder RPG Bestiary pg. 312, Bestiary 2 pg. 307, Bestiary 3 pg. 306, Bestiary 4 pg. 306, Bestiary 5 pg. 306
This subtype is applied to any creature when it is on a plane other than its native plane.
A creature that travels the planes can gain or lose this subtype as it goes from plane to plane.
Monster entries assume that encounters with creatures take place on the Material Plane, and every creature whose native plane is not the Material Plane has the extraplanar subtype (but would not have it when on its home plane).
Every extraplanar creature in this book has a home plane mentioned in its description. Creatures not labeled as extraplanar are natives of the Material Plane, and they gain the extraplanar subtype if they leave the Material Plane. No creature has the extraplanar subtype when it is on a Transitive Plane (the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, or the Plane of Shadow).
Celestial template creatures do not get the Extraplanar subtype on the Material Plane. It says they dwell on higher planes, not that they are from the higher planes.
In fact, even if they were born on a higher plane, being born on a different plane doesn’t make you native to it. The Caypup description very clearly calls out Cayhounds birthing them on both the Material Plane and Elysium, but even if they are born on Elysium, they still have the Native subtype, because that has to do with genetics, which in this case, is the fact that they have Material Plane dogs as one of their parents.
If you are to continue with this, then you must do the following: Show a statblock or an explicit statement that Celestial template versions of Material Plane creatures have the Extraplanar subtype (which they would if you were right, because the game almost always assumes you are on the Material Plane). Failure to do so is admittance that you are wrong.
Mark Hoover 330 |
Maybe I'm dumb but here's my question: why take Celestial Servant for the Celestial template and ALSO take Entropic? Unless I miss my guess, the benefits are:
- 60' Darkvision (identical bonus from 2 different sources doesn't stack)
- Resist Acid/Cold/Electricity/Fire 5 (will increase over time)
- DR 5/Evil, DR 5/Lawful (will increase over time)
- SR = creature's CR +5 (would you use the familiar's effective hit dice instead?)
- Smite Evil 1/day
- Smite Law 1/day
First off, would a weapon have to be both Evil AND Lawful to cut through the familiar's DR, or could it be one or the other? Second, could the familiar use both Smite abilities at the same time and deal x2 damage, or would it just have to be one at a time?
I don't see a feat that gives the Caypup its original, double-templated shape, but there's Shapeless Familiar that lets the familiar change shape per Beast Shape II, though it has to be the same Size as the current familiar, so the Caypup would turn into a Small sized creature per the Beast Shape spell.
Reksew_Trebla |
1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I’ll try to answer your questions here.
Maybe I'm dumb but here's my question: why take Celestial Servant for the Celestial template and ALSO take Entropic? Unless I miss my guess, the benefits are:
- 60' Darkvision (identical bonus from 2 different sources doesn't stack)
- Resist Acid/Cold/Electricity/Fire 5 (will increase over time)
- DR 5/Evil, DR 5/Lawful (will increase over time)
- SR = creature's CR +5 (would you use the familiar's effective hit dice instead?)
- Smite Evil 1/day
- Smite Law 1/dayThe logic is that Cayhounds, who make up one of the two parents of Caypups, call out that they are more good than chaotic, but let’s be real, all pre adolescent creatures somewhat based on nature are more chaotic than when grown up, and I want the Lap Dog to (in fluff/flavor) be the pre adolescent form of a Caypup. I understand it isn’t optimal, but I want to do it this way to bridge the gap a tiny bit more between the Celestial Lap Dog and Celestial Caypup. Basically, pure flavor.
First off, would a weapon have to be both Evil AND Lawful to cut through the familiar's DR, or could it be one or the other?
Both at the same time, because it is two overlapping DRs. They don’t stack, but both still exist. So just because you are attacking with an aligned Evil weapon, doesn’t mean you overcome the DR/Lawful, and vice versa.
Second, could the familiar use both Smite abilities at the same time and deal x2 damage, or would it just have to be one at a time?
Maybe. I feel like there was some sort of FAQ for having multiple kinds of Smites active on the same target at the same time, but I can’t seem to find the Pathfinder 1e FAQ page.
I don't see a feat that gives the Caypup its original, double-templated shape, but there's Shapeless Familiar that lets the familiar change shape per Beast Shape II, though it has to be the same Size as the current familiar, so the Caypup would turn into a Small sized creature per the Beast Shape spell.
I was misremembering Spark of the Uncanny and sort of combining it with Shapeless Familiar. It’s been 6 months since I last played with a Familiar, so I’m not that fresh on some of the feats. My bad.
Mark Hoover 330 |
Honestly I love familiars. My biggest source of joy when building PCs/NPC's is making "mean weenies; taking the supposedly "worst" or "weakest" races, classes, feats and such and seeing just how powerful I can get 'em. Familiars then with their static stats and lack of combat advancement except in a couple very specific builds have always been an enjoyable challenge.
Looking at how these templates overlap, or even just re-reviewing some of these templates yields another interesting avenue for optimization. Like, imagine a "CR 4" threat composed of a Kobold Adept 5/Warrior 2 flying around on a Mauler Rhamphorhynchus with the Fiendish template. The mauler has Medium size, a 14 Str, BAB +4, and a bite that deals 1d6+2. Meanwhile it's got DR 5/Good, Resist Cold and Fire 10 and SR 10, not to mention Smite Good 1/day that adds +5 to damage against one good PC.
The one thing that's always frustrated me? Pack Flanking only works with Animal Companions...