|
The Animist has obvious similarities and inspiration from the PF1 Shaman. I was wondering if people think if the typical familiar feats should be added as feat options to the class or perhaps even tacked on to a future subclass alongside channeler and sage or if adding a familiar at all would make the class feel too much like a Witch.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Make sense it have a familiar but familiar feats occupy a space that could be used for better feat so I don't know.
It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world but it doesn't really seem like a priority. There's nothing thematically or mechanically that really feels like they especially need to have an in-class familiar.
|
| 5 people marked this as a favorite. |
I feel like Animal Companion and Familiar Master from the APG just make it so easy if you want your character to focus on familiars.
There are also so many races with free familiars.
I am not against it or anything. Just feel they did such a good job with these archetypes anyone can easily grab one.
Of course the downside is it delays using any other archetypes.
The issue that I run into with the class is that I have no good way to personify the apparitions if I want to. Nobody can see them and there's no vessel to put them in. The flavor of the class is that the apparitions can only interact through you, but they just hand over their lores for the day and go sit in the corner until pulled out to sustain a spell or something.
I don't really know that stapling a familiar onto the class is the way to go, though. Most of what a familiar does doesn't fit, and if the apparition is in your familiar, you wouldn't get getting that apparition's knowledge or spells. (This isn't a Witch situation where your familiar is a conduit for spells, or if it is, then we're just back at Witch.)
It probably isn't a mechanical issue to solve, since the apparitions shouldn't be getting stats and "having a different point of view" is mostly a matter of roleplay. I might make an Animist with several masks on their belt that the individual apparitions can speak through.
|
|
I feel like Animal Companion and Familiar Master from the APG just make it so easy if you want your character to focus on familiars.
------------------------------------------------------
Of course the downside is it delays using any other archetypes.
Yeah, this is my main reason for wanting built-in familiar feats. I'm not gonna campaign for it but it feels somewhat appropriate if they have the page space available.
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I feel that the Animist would be pretty busy already (both thematically and mechanically) handling the magical interaction with their Apparitions to not so easily deal with yet another magical creature.
Just like the Summoner, who does not get a class feat gor Familiar either.
And neither does the Cleric, which is the other class quite close to the Animist.
Actually, only Wizard, Witch, Magus, Sorcerer and Thaumaturge get a Class access to a Familiar.
I hope they get the option for a familiar, but I don't really think they need any special interaction with them. Witch already covers the "fancy familiar" niche; but an animist having a familiar also just "feels right", even if they aren't special compared to a wizard or sorc.
I just like having a cute lil buddy
|
|
I hope they get the option for a familiar, but I don't really think they need any special interaction with them. Witch already covers the "fancy familiar" niche; but an animist having a familiar also just "feels right", even if they aren't special compared to a wizard or sorc.
I just like having a cute lil buddy
Familiar Master is a thing for all the 21 classes (current playtest included) that like having one and do not get it as part of their class.
Familiar Master is a thing for all the 21 classes (current playtest included) that like having one and do not get it as part of their class.I hope they get the option for a familiar, but I don't really think they need any special interaction with them. Witch already covers the "fancy familiar" niche; but an animist having a familiar also just "feels right", even if they aren't special compared to a wizard or sorc.
I just like having a cute lil buddy
See, if archetypes didn't lock down your feats if you wanted a different archetype, I would absolutely agree with this.
But, like exemplar and Sentinel, it does lock your feats, and in both cases, for something that feels like is should be available "in house"
Thematically I don't think it is the best idea. One Familiars are even more book keeping for this class to consider and I don't know what unique features they'd bring to the table.
Taking the familiar idea and running in a different direction. I do like the idea of them potentially having a summoning branch though focusing on summon spells. Much like the avatar forms later the spirits you control being able to take on a physical form thanks to their connection with you for a while based on what kind of spirit they are?
Actually, only Wizard, Witch, Magus, Sorcerer and Thaumaturge get a Class access to a Familiar.
Alchemist!
That said, more broadly... I think it would be cool for Animist to have some way for their spirit-friends to express themselves physically int eh world, but I'm not convinced that "be a familiar" is it. Familiars tend to complicate an already complicated action economy, and they're also largely a way of sacrificing effectiveness for RP opportunities. From a practical standpoint, they're just not worth the feats... and Paizo has repeatedly demonstrated that if you can figure out a way to make them worth the feats, they'll apply the nerf bat as necessary to keep the little blighters below water.
|
|
Actually, only Wizard, Witch, Magus, Sorcerer and Thaumaturge get a Class access to a Familiar.Alchemist!
That said, more broadly... I think it would be cool for Animist to have some way for their spirit-friends to express themselves physically int eh world, but I'm not convinced that "be a familiar" is it. Familiars tend to complicate an already complicated action economy, and they're also largely a way of sacrificing effectiveness for RP opportunities. From a practical standpoint, they're just not worth the feats... and Paizo has repeatedly demonstrated that if you can figure out a way to make them worth the feats, they'll apply the nerf bat as necessary to keep the little blighters below water.
Good point about the Alchemist.
TBT I feel Apparitions being able to incarnate (before Avatar) would steal too much of the Summoner's theme.
TBT I feel Apparitions being able to incarnate (before Avatar) would steal too much of the Summoner's theme.
Actually I think it might be able to work like Stalker in Darkened Boughs if you gave them things closer to animal forms to shapeshift into on a particular tree. As from my experience with the game you hear about slime form because of crit immunity and general druid shapeshifting. What about abberant form? Or Slime? Or Elemental? Maybe along with avatar they could have a lesser form the animist could incarnate into?