Improved Familiar, et al. Feat

[atomn]

Many of the feats that let you obtain a special familiar have the requirement of "Able to acquire a new familiar". Since you have to be at least a 3rd level arcane spellcaster that would mean that your familiar is dead and you haven't gotten a new one or you've dismissed your familiar and not obtained a new one. Which mean that once you take such a feat, you have to wait "a year and day" until you can actually get your new familiar. (SRD: "A slain or dismissed familiar cannot be replaced for a year and day.") Am I misreading it or has it been errata'ed?

Thanks for any help!

PS: Please set aside any "Taking the Improved Familiar feat is stupid and a waste of a feat because familiars are just targets for draining XP from the spellcaster" arguments. Tanks!

 

[Crothian]

In Dragon somewhere there is a feat that allows one to get a new familiar.

 

[Heckler]

I simply didn't summon a familiar until I got the feat and was high enough level to get the familiar I wanted.

 

[atomn]

In Dragon somewhere there is a feat that allows one to get a new familiar.

The problem with that is that it takes another feat and if you go with Heckler's suggestion of waiting to get that new familiar, you'd still have to wait until you gain another feat (so three more levels) before you could get your new familiar. It seems like it should just replace a familiar, otherwise it's useless.

 

[atomn]

I simply didn't summon a familiar until I got the feat and was high enough level to get the familiar I wanted.

That's probably the best solution. But it stinks that you'd have to wait so long to get what you wanted while losing the use of your familiar to begin with.

 

[lukelightning]

I'd just houserule that the new familiar replaced the old one. Goodbye Muffy the Toad, hello Sam the Imp!

Or perhaps Muffy the toad was an imp all along!

 

[atomn]

Yeah, that's what I'd ask for if I ever took such a feat.

 

[Stockdale]

Negotiate with our GM.

I have been successful with this approach. It seems illogical that a 1st level spellcaster has muffy the toad and a 12th level wizard, still, has Muffy the Toad. This realisticlly aught to scale as well as a matter of grace. For example, a new driver starts out with a beater car, but as you progress in life, the car is progressly less crappy, until your driving a cadillac. Same logic with familiars.

Otherwise, I've also put off taking a familiar until I can get the feat.

Stockdale

 

[Dross]

I'd just houserule that the new familiar replaced the old one. Goodbye Muffy the Toad, hello Sam the Imp!

Or perhaps Muffy the toad was an imp all along!

Sam the Imp ate Muffy the Toad alive.

 

[lukelightning]

Sam the Imp ate Muffy the Toad alive.

I'd allow that too, without penalizing the wizard. It's a friggin' feat, not a punishment for wanting to have a cat when you are 1st level.

Heck, I'd even ignore the xp penalty for dead familiars but say you have to wait a week to get a new one or something.