D&D 4E 4e Familiars more than just a skill buff ?

[Silent Cartographer]

Bob is teh 4w3$0m3!!!

 

[Nebulous]

I like familiars quite a bit, in concept anyway, but they really need to be removed from the battle arena. There's no reason why one should ever get into a fight. Whether this makes them spiritual "immune" creatures, or sidekicks that stay at the wizard's tower, or maybe they just hang around somewhere safe until after a scuffle.

Ars Magica had a great system for summoning and using familiars, but i don't recall the exact details right now. My impression is that it felt like a *truly* mystical process, gaining this magical ally.

 

[Driddle]

Playing with a familiar requires a level of subtlety of which many gamers are incapable or that they simply don't care about. And I refer to "subtle" because a familiar, by its concept and design, shouldn't be forced into a combat role. A small, unimpressive and nonpowered animal will fail spectacularly in D&D-style combat. But it is perfect for use as an extension of the mage for handling objects and providing sensory input from a distance. In other words, a familiar is a permanent, semi-intelligent cantrip -- "Bigby's Fingers," so to speak, or a "Looky Around the Corner" spell or "Carry This Note to Bob" cantrip. Darned useful, but only if you're imaginative enough or willing to play that way.

 

[Mistwell]

I always wanted a Wizard with an army of little familiars, like the Alchemites in David Wenzel's "The Wizard's Tale":

 

[Mighty Halfling]

My first way would be to focus it on this. Familiars teach you spells. The spells you learn from a cat are different from the spells you learn from a toad, which are different then the spells you learn from a weasel.

Number two would be to focus on their otherworldly nature. Make them part of another plane by default, the Feywild or the Shadowfell or Somewhere Else. They gain magical abilities related to thier particular planar connection as they level up.


Number Four would be to make them free. You don't loose XP if they die. You don't spend gold to get one. They're just *there*. Though if you loose it, perhaps you can't learn as many new spells on your own.

Number Five would be to make them active NPC's in the character's story. They are sagacious otherworldly beings, let them use their knowledge and their connections to help the PC's get there. Familiars are guides on other planes, diplomats in front of delicate NPC's, they know other wizards, they serve as the spellcaster's connection to their college, etc.

Highlights mine. I think those ideas are the best path for familliars. The thing is, even with all these ideas, what would those who opt to take on a familliar get in return?

I think you're on to something though. When you adopt a familliar, you get some neat ability, but when you lose the familliar, you struggle, but you don't take immediate HP loss or an EXP drain, and it's all reversed when you get your pet back.

Finally, I don't think familliars are neccessarily a wizard's teacher or mentor. Just as often, they are an assistant, maid, bodyguard, laborer or sentry. It all depends on the source material. No matter, the key here is they supplement the wizard, not replace him in a fight.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Make them cool then make them a feat (or perhaps a familiar TALENT TREE!!)

That works.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

From what I remember of HP, Hedwig neither had a magical emotional bond, an ability to share spells, or the ability to speak to her master - I'm pretty sure that she'd fall into the "pet" catagory.

Look over the list from HP1 of allowed pets: Owls, rats, cats and toads. Each of them appears on the PHB familiar list -- from every edition -- because they're traditional witches' and wizards' familiars from legend and superstition.

The trope is what's important, not trying to wring gameable stats out of novels. The only novels that one can consistently do that with, IMO, are generally ones not worth reading.

The concept of familiars are, well, familiar to modern readers, whether they read Harry Potter or the Golden Compass. They should be present but optional in 4E.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

If you think outside the box with them… You can do a lot...

Even inside the box, you have two familiars (raven in PHB, thrush in DMG) that can speak a language starting at level 1. A flying, speaking pet? I'm pretty sure most players can figure out a ton of things to do with that.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

Even inside the box, you have two familiars (raven in PHB, thrush in DMG) that can speak a language starting at level 1. A flying, speaking pet? I'm pretty sure most players can figure out a ton of things to do with that.

Yeah, familiars make excellent advance scouts and/or watchers at low levels, especially when outdoors. Unfortunately, they are all too vulnerable for area effects...

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Yeah, familiars make excellent advance scouts and/or watchers at low levels, especially when outdoors. Unfortunately, they are all too vulnerable for area effects...

Yeah, like druids and, to an extent, rangers, the dungeon environment really sucks for familiars. Familiars are great in urban campaigns, though. My gnome illusionist/bard's thrush has been a real key player in our campaign.