Get Familiar

While they have made familiars more appealling in 4e, in this article they introduce Paragon and Epic familiars.

One of my criticism is that while I feel the concepts are good, I can't help but feel that you'll be doing the same thing as casting aside one familiar for a new improved one. Even though it's very likely that your Skull Familiar you replaced with a Blazing Skull, is just the old one upgraded. I know that technically you could just say your Cat became an Arcane Wisp, but some might feel that the familiars they thematically want as certain animals, are behind always these "newer and better" Paragon and Epic Familiars. A couple I can see a clear progression from Arcane Eye to Beholderkin to Gibbering Pet, or Disembodied Hand to Rakshasa Claw, but others there's no clear progression from tier to tier if they want to do such a thing.

As for things about familiars, well they really have some interesting choices. My favourite being the Disembodied Hand, as you can literally have Thing from the Addam's Family as your familiar. Skull makes another interesting choice, especially for anyone who likes Planescape (it's your Mimir) or companion like Morte from Planescape: Torment. Arcane Eye's and Beholderkin definitely interesting choices. All of the Epic Familiars such as the Chaos Shard, Shadow Incarnate, and Gibbering Pet, are all neat ideas.
 

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I really like the Eye of Kilrogg-- I mean, uh, Arcane Eye. :)

I'm curious about Arcane Power now because of the Book Imp, which is just mentioned in this article. I like the idea of a brave wizard who commands a cowardly imp to hold his tome for him in the midst of battle.
 

Have not read it yet. I'm looking for something special.

My kid at one point summoned a water elemental with a gold fish in it.

I need to find a way to make that his familiar. In such a way that it could grow and one day be a water elemental with a shark in it.
 

Have not read it yet. I'm looking for something special.

My kid at one point summoned a water elemental with a gold fish in it.

I need to find a way to make that his familiar. In such a way that it could grow and one day be a water elemental with a shark in it.

Simple enough.

"You have a water elemental. It has a goldfish in it. It is your familiar."

"Congratulations on Level 11. The goldfish has grown into barracuda."

"Congratulations on Level 21. The barracuda has grown into a shark."

Done.
 

New familiars article up

Dragon 374: Get Familiar

Amazing, they've actually managed to get me to like familiars.

The list of quirks is the best part:

Badger
✦ Digs a hole and goes to sleep when bored

Canine Construct
✦ Appears to be made of junked spellbook covers
✦ Tries to play fetch with your arcane implement

Lightning Lizard
✦ Is sad when the weather isn’t stormy

Ooze
✦ Warps to look like a caricature of you when talking

Rootling
✦ Grips its roots to objects when it doesn’t want to leave

Scout Homunculus
✦ Inadvertently sneaks up on people and scares them

Skull
✦ An illusory humanoid face surrounds it when excited
✦ Is a master of macabre humor

Toad
✦ Turns to stone when scared
✦ Wants to jump in every puddle of water it sees

Air Mephit
✦ Blows out candles and small fires for fun

Arcane Wisp
✦ Tries to be attacked so it can teleport away

Blackspawn Darkling
✦ Creates tiny clouds of acid when it sneezes
✦ Hides inside a pouch while it’s light out

Earth Mephit
✦ Takes its stone head off and juggles it

Fire Mephit
✦ Cooks your food by breathing on it

Grayspawn Shortfang
✦ Jabs tail spikes into furniture and hangs from them

Greenspawn Banespike
✦ Likes to frighten small animals and insects

Redspawn Spitfire
✦ Brags about how powerful you (and it) are

Stone Fowl
✦ Tries to practice flying, but never gets any better

Ice Mephit
✦ Throws harmless snowballs at enemies during combat

Whitespawn Snowstepper
✦ Tells you to use cold attacks, regardless of your target

Blazing Skull
✦ Likes to burn up used scrolls and read messages

Gibbering Pet
✦ Occasionally says a perfect sentence, but days too late
 




Simple enough.

"You have a water elemental. It has a goldfish in it. It is your familiar."

"Congratulations on Level 11. The goldfish has grown into barracuda."

"Congratulations on Level 21. The barracuda has grown into a shark."

Done.

He starts out as Nemo and ends up as Bruce... :D


I like how the Arcane Wisp on the cover page is "bit" from TRON.
 

I haven't been excited about familiars since my ill-gotten pseudodragon died circa 1983. But this has me excited about familiars again:

Blazing Skull: "This skull is wreathed in fire and holds knowledge about many things—mostly flammable things."
 

Pets & Sidekicks

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