What would you do with a bat? (or, Help! My familiar is proving relatively useless)

[Keith]

Well, In terms of relative scouting usefulness, I think it is worth keeping in mind that if an owl shows up and flies around checking things out, I’d have to say that most people ought to think “Ah, a familiar”. Owls simply don’t behave that way. Bats, on the other hand, do. There is no reason a bat scout would be suspicious under most circumstances. Underground or indoors, this is hugely magnified- there is just little likelihood of a normal owl appearing in such places. Yes, the odd barn owl, but they don’t fly around inside the way a bat may, and they are pretty unlikely to appear in caves, where again the bat is probably one of many.

Perhaps, in caverns, the familiar could trigger a swarm of bats at an opportune moment?

 

[Rel]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I'm going to make it a point to have him do something at least, in every game from now on, even if it's just for flavor, to remind the GM and the other players he's there.

I think he tends to be forgotten during the game and i think that may be part of the problem. I like the idea of using him to get into small places, and I think he probably does look less suspicious than the owl.

As for personality traits, he's supposed to be curious, slightly moody and afraid of water. I'm going to try and do something with that, again, even if only to remind people he's there.

I concur with what's been said above about how useful they are for invisibility detection. IIRC, they are also incredibly maneuverable flyers, so having him fly into buildings to scout is more viable than it would be for an eagle or something like that.

As far as personality goes, maybe have him take a dislike to one of the other party members. Nothing drastic, maybe he just doesn't like the way the other character smells. Then play up how Rasputin disagrees with things the character says or make fun of him if he fails a roll spectacularly. You don't need to beat it into the ground, but, like you said, bringing it up once per game session on average will give him more life and personality.

 

[Shaele]

Useful spell

I can't find the source, I believe it was a Dragon magazine from a year or two back. My sorcerer uses it with his raven familiar.

---
Familiar's sense (paraphrasing here)
Level 2
Divination
Range Unlimited
Duration 1 min/level

Allows the caster to exchange his sense for one of his familar's senses. She can change the sense utilized once per round as a move equivilant action, allowing her to see through it's eyes one round, and hear what it hears the next.
---

This spell, and a few buffs on your familiar (I like invisibility), and he's one of the best scouts around. Hopefully somewhere here will remember the source, or your DM would let you research a similiar spell...

Cheers
Shaele

 

[Cedric]

This is going to sound really silly...because it is silly. But my 1st edition cleric/magic-user had the find familiar spell and rolled for a familiar (back in the good ole no choosing your familiar days).

Well...I rolled a toad. The only thing the toad gave you was "wide angled vision". Ok...everyone ooh and ahh with me.

So, I made a point of it, when we were in tense situations, expecting an ambush or the like to tell the GM. "I look around with my Wide Angled Vision." ...doing so while mimicking big lenses by my eyes with my hands.

The group chuckled at first, but eventually it became hilarious. While your bat doesn't have to necessarily earn it's spot in the group as source of laughs...you could make a point of saying something like, I have my bat look around with his Sonar Sense!

*shrugs*

Good luck helping Rasputin find his place in the group though!

Cedric

 

[Aeolius]

...you could make a point of saying something like, I have my bat look around with his Sonar Sense!

And occasional outbursts of "Guano!" might prove amusing

 

[Greatwyrm]

And occasional outbursts of "Guano!" might prove amusing

If you keep careful track of spell components, a ready supply of bat crap could be useful. That assumes, of course, you're using a lot of fireballs .

 

[Djeta Thernadier]

As far as personality goes, maybe have him take a dislike to one of the other party members. Nothing drastic, maybe he just doesn't like the way the other character smells.

I don't know why but this made me laugh out loud, much to the dismay of the cantankerous , grumpy woman who sits across from me at work..



That is a good idea though. I like it. I think tonight I'm going to write a page or so of Rasputin...maybe write up something about our last session as seen through his eyes.

 

[Rel]

I don't know why but this made me laugh out loud, much to the dismay of the cantankerous , grumpy woman who sits across from me at work..

The question then becomes, do you have a laugh like silver bells dancing in a summer breeze, or like a braying donkey? If it's the latter, I can see whay she's so grumpy.

Glad you liked the suggestion.

 

[dagger]

I have a 18th level wizard that has had an owl familar named Lok Nar (no MY Lok Nar!) from the beginning.

He doesnt do that much but ever yonce in awhile he gets his moment in the sun. I have used him to scout ahead with the party scout(s), it is useful because he is very silent and it is a quick way or relaying info back to the party from the scouts.

You just have to work with what you have and make the best of it.

He had a crit on an orc once and did like 2 damage or something and killed the orc. I was a proud wizard that day!

 

[Alaric_Prympax]

I know this has been mentioned already but I'd just like to give you my experiences with a bat familiar IMC set in GH.

It belongs to Nightfall, an NPC 6th Sorcerer (yes named after my friend here on the boards ) a Scarlet Brotherhood agent. I use the bat, sorry I never got around to naming it, as a scout. Everytime the party sees a bat they think their being followed so have gone out of their way to kill any bats they spot. Nightfall has a Short Sword that sheds Darkness instead of Light the familiar lets him engage the party as he "sees" fit.

Currently the party is in Ahlissa traving to Sunndi, and from Prymp to Hexpools at least one of the party members have spotted a bat at different times and its driving them crazy because they don't know where or when they're going to be attacked by their old enemy Nightfall and his brother Nightstrike, a 6th Monk, yeah, another Scarlet Brotherhood agent.

Oh, and the bat also gives him his supply of guano too. I just love it when a plan comes together!