Questions about Improved Familiar

[Greenfield]

I was reading the Improved Familiar feat description in the DMG, and I have a few questions.

It lists a number of sample Improved Familiars. It says the Familiar's alignment may be no more than one step away from the caster's.

It also lists a number of alternates, which are to be determined by type/subtype.

We have a player (The "problem child") whose character us Human with an aquatic subtype. (It's a template from Stormwrack, sort of the Human version of a Sea Elf.) He's chosen a small Air Elemental as his Improved Familiar.

I don't know the character's alignment. I suspect that he didn't care about that, nor about they type/subtype rule associated with that table, and just chose what he wanted.

How should this be ruled, in your opinion?

 

[N'raac]

Have to admit an air elemental seems odd for an aquatic character. It doesn't seem like a big deal, though.

 

[Celebrim]

Not the problem child again.

No. I wouldn't allow it.

I rewrote 'Improved Familiar' in a variety of ways, including how you qualify for a familiar, in part for this very problem. But you aren't using my rules, and I'm not inclined to be sympathetic to this player and let him break rules. Looking over the RAW version it seems clear the way you are intended to qualify for a particular improved familiar.

By RAW, it appears that the intention is that air elementals could only be the familiars of creatures with the air subtype. Thus, his improved familiar ought to have the Aquatic subtype, or perhaps very generously the Water subtype. In my opinion, he should not be allowed a familiar with the air subtype unless he invests in some sort of Air related character building resource. And that wouldn't even be RAW. That would be a concession. The RAW answer is, "No."

 

[Ranes]

Well, it may not be a big deal but the DMG explicitly states that the table in which the air elemental improved familiar appears is one based on familiars assigned by type or sub-type. If your player's PC has the aquatic sub-type, his choice of familiar is not by the book. Having said that, I don't think it's a huge issue, actually, especially as a small water elemental and a small air elemental are considered equivalently powerful.

Depending on the nature of the PC's race (whether it lives on the seas, by the sea or under the sea, for example), it might be so closely associated with the air (storm winds and weather in general) that an air-based familiar is actually quite easy to justify. I wouldn't be inclined to think so if his species spent more than half their lives beneath the water's surface.

In other words, I think that how it's justified is a bigger deal than whether it's by the book or not, at least in this case.

He's already got the familiar, right? The DM's made the call. But, if you're just keeping tabs on his tendency to fold, spindle and mutilate the rules to his advantage, well, from what you've told us in the past, I don't blame you for that.

 

[Celebrim]

Having said that, I don't think it's a huge issue, actually, especially as a small water elemental and a small air elemental are considered equivalently powerful.

That's just the thing... by RAW, he's not even qualified for the Small Water Elemental. He's got the Aquatic subtype. The elemental has the Water subtype. The two aren't the same thing. If he was qualified for the water elemental, and if he had asked to substitute the water elemental for the air elemental, and if he was a player who wasn't normally the sort to bend rules to his advantage, then it might not be a huge issue. But by RAW he's not qualified for either the water elemental or the air elemental, but something like a sea otter or a snapping turtle. Of course, both of those being animals requires improved elemental. There are probably some 1-2 CR, diminutive or tiny creatures, with the aquatic subtype (Nixie?), that he could reasonably ask to take using Improved Familiar, but that's not what he's done. He continually assumes that he can stretch the rules without asking, and usually stretches the rules in ways that aren't really logical for the character, and he quite clearly doesn't care what other people think.

An air elemental is vastly more powerful/useful than a water elemental if only because it can fly with perfect maneuverability with a 100ft movement rate. I know perfectly well why he wants the air elemental. Because he doesn't want his aquatic race to be tied to an aquatic environment. He wants a familiar that excels in most situations because air is usually something that is around, and it is a rare occasion that the party is swimming. Maybe if he'd started with a humble request to qualify for a water elemental based off of his aquatic subtype, I would have seen that (particularly with this player) as being comparatively reasonable. But at this point, even allowing the water elemental is a concession that rewards his rule breaking.

Personally, at a very high level I agree that Improved Familiar is too restrictive in how you qualify for familiar. I'm sympathetic to the idea, "I should be able to get an air elemental as a familiar without needing to be a Djinn or something." In my game, his character concept translates to something like taking the feats Seafolk Blood, Elementalist (Air), Find Familiar and Improved Familiar (Small Air Elemental). It's relatively easy to do, already pre-approved, and a power gamer like him would probably just geek out over all the cool stuff that gives you (because really, in the RAW, having a familiar is more of a drawback than an advantage).

I tend to be a DM that wants the player to have a "cool" character. I also tend to be a DM that expects that respect for the player's desires to be repaid with respect for the fact this is my table, and not just try to run roughshod over me and by extension all the other players. You want to do something that isn't in the agreed upon rules, then you have the common courtesy to ask first. And about the third time I have to remind you of that, I get more than a little bit concerned about your ability to play a cooperative social game. And about the third time you ask for something dumb with pure powergamer motives, I'm going to be like, "I didn't write a 500 page house rules document carefully listing all the approved character building options because I liked arguing with players over what sort of concepts they could build."

Greenfield runs a game with multiple DMs and very carefully agreed upon table rules. In that situation, since there is no one authority over the table, respect for the agreed upon rules is even more important. How this problem child has managed to stay in game like that while flagrantly insulting everyone else the table repeatedly, I have no idea. It would be one thing if this was just basic immaturity as a player, but he learned from his mistakes. But he keeps doing the same basic disrespectful things over and over again. That, and not the elemental itself, is the huge thing.

 

[delericho]

How should this be ruled, in your opinion?

Improved Familiar is an optional feat in the DMG, so the DM needs to approve it before use. Though your group may very well have an "anything goes" convention in place.

However, as regards the choice of familiar, I'd say he's fine on this one - the Air Elemental is Neutral and the feat description says you're allowed a one-step change in each access. So whatever his alignment, he's at most one step away.

The bit about matching creatures by type is a suggested alternative. So, again, if your group has an "anything goes" convention (or he's had DM approval), I'd say he's fine. Unless you've pre-established some specific rules for this feat at you table. And I presume you have not.

We have a player (The "problem child")...

For this guy, I'd generally go with the strictest interpretation of the rules. But, this time, I do think he's technically within those rules. Assuming Improved Familiar is available at all.

Besides, it's generally a bad idea to try to use a rules fix to solve a player problem.

 

[N'raac]

By the book, any creature of similar size and power can be an appropriate familiar, and there may or may not be a restriction based on types or subtypes or alignment or something else. I think Greenfield`s table needs to set the rules for their games. For me, if there`s a half decent backstory explanation, go with it. Maybe his L1 familiar died while he was on the Elemental Plane of Air, and he summoned a familiar. What else would show up? Maybe the wizard who trained him in this new ritual specialized in air magics. We don`t restrict water spells to water subtypes.

"The list in the table above presents only a few possible improved familiars. Almost any creature of the same general size and power as those on the list makes a suitable familiar. Nor is the master’s alignment the only possible categorization. For instance, improved familiars could be assigned by the master’s creature type or subtype, as shown below."

 

[Celebrim]

The bit about matching creatures by type is a suggested alternative.

Yes, but the bit about even having an elemental as a familiar is also a suggested alternative that depends on and is part of first accepting the suggestion of matching creatures by things other than alignment. Strictly speaking, if matching only by alignment, only the creatures on the "Table: Improved Familiar by Alignment" are available. Anything else requires explicit permission to expand the table "Improved Familiar by Alignment" using the DM's judgment that it is suitable. It is reasonable to assume without asking, provided you know Improved Familiar is an approved feat that you can without asking take a familiar on the Table: Improved Familiar by Alignment provided you qualify. It is not reasonable when you aren't the DM to add to that table without first asking if the DM agrees that the familiar is suitable.

The fact that the feat is associated with the DMG doesn't help the case, as it suggests that the primary purpose of Improved Familiar would be providing appropriate familiars to non-human NPCs such as extraplanar spellcasters or liches. After all, many of the types and subtypes listed in the Table: Improved Familiar by Master's Type/Subtype, are not particularly accessible to PC's.

 

[delericho]

The fact that the feat is associated with the DMG doesn't help the case...

As I said, the feat may well be off the table entirely - the player presumably didn't get DM buy-in, so unless their table convention is "anything goes", he's stuck.

But...

Yes, but the bit about even having an elemental as a familiar is also a suggested alternative that depends on and is part of first accepting the suggestion of matching creatures by things other than alignment. Strictly speaking, if matching only by alignment, only the creatures on the "Table: Improved Familiar by Alignment" are available.

The rules of the feat don't say that. In fact, they specify that "The list in Table: Improved Familiar by Alignment presents only a few possible improved familiars." The implication there is that the player should work with the DM to choose a suitable familiar (and, indeed, get agreement that the feat is available at all), but if the table convention is "anything goes" (see my first paragraph above) then, well, anything goes.

 

[Celebrim]

The rules of the feat don't say that.

Yes, they do. "When choosing a familiar, the creatures listed below are also available to the spellcaster. The spellcaster may choose a familiar with an alignment up to one step away on each of the alignment axes (lawful through chaotic, good through evil)." They go on to say other things, but they begin with stating the basic rule.

In fact, they specify that "The list in Table: Improved Familiar by Alignment presents only a few possible improved familiars."

Yes, they say that too, and I also fully agree with the implication. But all that really means is calling out that "Rule 0" applies here. The guidelines given by the feat are not sufficient for the player to work out ahead of time what sort of creature is a "possible improved familiar" nor work out what the minimum caster level for taking such a creature could be. "Rule 0" isn't really a rule. It's an appeal, just as you state it is, to work with the DM outside of the rules. "Suitable" is not precisely defined, and unless otherwise indicated the rules in the first two clauses are still in force.

Does "Anything goes" imply that I can select an Ancient Gold Dragon as a familiar? Ok, so it's too big, then how about an Ancient Pixie Dragon? Of course not. Those aren't reasonable. Ok, how about a Mud Slaad? And even if reasonable, what caster level do you need to be? Even if the table agreement is "anything goes", we still need to define "suitable".

Now, the feat could precisely define the list of all possible familiars, using something like the following:

1) Add any one legal template to a legal animal familiar which adds no more than +1 CR to a creature with 5 or fewer HD, and which has LA of +3 or less. Caster level must be 3rd or higher.
OR
2) Choose any medium sized or smaller animal with up to 3 CR. Caster level must be 3rd or higher.
OR
3) Choose any non-humanoid tiny or small creature of 1-3 CR and no more than +3 LA as a cohort. If the creature is not an outsider, dragon, undead, or a fey, caster level must be at least 3rd or higher if the creature is 1 CR, 5th or higher if 2 CR, or 7th or higher if 3 CR. If the creature is an outsider, dragon, undead or fey, caster level must be at least 5th or higher if the creature is 1 CR, 7th or higher if 2 CR, or 9th or higher if the creature is 3 CR.

But the feat doesn't provide a definition of a suitable familiar. It only provides one 'standard list' and a second 'optional list', then resorts to rule 0.

Incidentally, even my 'precise' definition (though IMO fairly solid and hard to break) would probably want refining and an appeal to Rule 0 in the opposite direction along the lines of, "The DM retains the right to approve or reject any suggested familiar."