Shadow Projection upon familiar: what is retained?

[Marcella]

Hello,

My Neutral wizard ("Willie") is going to cast "Shadow Projection" and share the spell with his improved familiar, a CG faerie dragon ("Farley"). What abilities of a familiar and/or dragon carry over to this undead manifestation, and which are replaced with a shadow's?

Q1: Will Shadow-Farley remain Tiny-sized, with the improved stealth and reduced attack (1d3 STR damage, not 1d6) that come with it? Or will he become Medium-sized in accordance with the standard shadow stats?

Q2: No breath weapon, of course, but will Shadow-Farley retain the telepathy and spell-like abilities that faerie dragons get? (According to James Jacob's unofficial errata, shadows can speak, so that should cover the Verbal and Somatic components of casting real spells.)

Q3: Can Shadow-Farley deliver touch spells, share (other) spells, get improved evasion, and communicate via empathic link, because he is a familiar?

Q4: Can an incorporeal shadow endowed with Mage Armor or Ablative Barrier still pass through solid objects?

Q5: Does Shadow-Farley keep his own class skills from being a faerie dragon and a familiar? Or does he switch them for an undead type's class skills? I assume he keeps his feats & mental stats but gets a shadow's physical stats.

Q6: Can an onlooker distinguish the shape of a shadow? "(Hmmm, that shadow is shaped & sized like a tiny dragon, so it must be a projected familiar.")

Q7: Would Farley (who is Chaotic Good) reject the spell because it's evil, or like it because it allows mischief?

Q8: I think that in PFS a (non-shadow) familiar can have only one magic-item slot. Or is it only one magic-item worn at a time? Can it wear mundane items (like a Beneficial Bandolier) on other item slots?

Thank you for your thoughts.

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/s/shadow-projection/

https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/dragons/dragon-faerie/

[Belafon]

I'll start with the obvious question: how does a (N) wizard have a faerie dragon as a familiar?

Faerie Dragon wrote:

Faerie dragons sometimes ally with spellcasters, serving as curious, occasionally reckless, but always true familiars. An arcane spellcaster of at least 7th level with an alignment within 1 step of chaotic good who has the Improved Familiar feat may select a faerie dragon as a familiar.

Q1: Tiny, shadow projection is not a polymorph spell or otherwise changing your size. However the strength damage of a shadow's attack is a negative energy effect and is not size-based.

Q2: Yes, you don't lose any of your normal abilities.

Q3: Yes, you don't lose any of your normal abilities.

Q4: Yes, the spells would be incorporeal as well. (This one can be debated for particular spells)

Q5: You don't lose any of your normal abilities or gain anything beyond what is listed in the spell.

Q6: Maybe? It would probably require K: religion (to identify it as a shadow) followed by K: arcana (to identify it as a familiar and a faerie dragon). GM sets the DC

Q7: Up to how you roleplay him. He isn't a divine caster, so [evil] spells aren't an automatic no-no for him.

Q8: PFS item slot rules are MORE restrictive than normal. The inside of the Animal Archive lists what slots are available to each body type of animal. Unfortunately Improved Familiars aren't listed there. However PFS categorized all the familiars, including putting the faerie dragon as Biped (hands) which means it can use all the same items a humanoid can. No limit (outside PFS) for the number of items at once. Side note: beneficial bandolier is a magic item, not mundane. Doesn't matter per previous, just noting it.

[Azothath]

Shadow Projection:N4. Not a polymorph.
Shadow undead CR3
One assumes the gear stays on the body and the Shadow can only interact with items that have Ghost Touch, are a [Force effect], or that can go incorporeal.
It's highly likely that a Faerie Dragon would run from his master's shadow. They're not known for their bravery or consorting with Undead. I guess the only prank you could play would to shine a light on them and say "I warned you you'd just be a shadow of yourself one day".

[Mysterious Stranger]

How does a Neutral wizard have a faerie dragon familiar? You have to be within 1 step of chaotic good. If you are true neutral, you are 2 steps away. Diagonal alignments are considered two steps, not one.

If you are true neutral Farley would not have become your familiar. If you are chaotic neutral or neutral good that would be different.

https://aonprd.com/Rules.aspx?Name=Alignment&Category=Basics