D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5] Improved Familiar benefits?

[Clint]

Hey y'all.

My ninth-level wizard is taking the Improved Familiar variant feat on page 200 of the 3.5 DMG. Under the section "Granted Abilities", it begins:

Granted Abilities: In addition to their own special abilities, all familiars grant their masters the Alertness feat, the benefits of an empathic link, and the ability to share spells with the familiar.

My question is: what constitutes "their own special abilities"?

The pseudodragon (listed on p201) has the special ability of blindsense 60ft. Is this ability shared with the master? Likewise, what about the Imp (darkvision, fast healing, DR, immunity to poison, etc), the Celestial Hawk (darkvision, low-light vision, SR, etc), and the rest of them?

My gut says "No, of course not", but I don't understand that first clause of the sentence.

Thanks much,

-Clint

 

[AGGEMAM]

My gut says "No, of course not", but I don't understand that first clause of the sentence.

Your gut is correct. The clause means those special abilities that benefits it itself gain from being a familiar, it then continues by listing special abilities that it grants its master, and gains from the the masters presence, and the special link to its master.

 

[Wippit Guud]

Improved familiar don't actually grant an ability as normal familairs do. a Toad grans +3 hp because it's useless as a creature to do anything else. Having an Imp gives you a ton of stuff that the imp can do - fly, it's intelligent, has it's own spells...

It does grant you alertness/share/link, though

 

[Clint]

Great, it's like I thought. They could have worded it a little better.

Thanks much to you both.

-Clint