A different kind of familiar...

[Pbartender]

Here's a thought...

What if we just ditched the familiar "template", including all of it;s related abilities, and just treated them as Awakened Animals, according to the spell? Allow them to take levels in non-magical classes (barbarian, fighter or rogue) at a rate of one level for every two (arcane spell-casting) levels that their master has?

 

[Crothian]

Well, they'd have more HPs then normally. Their Int would be set as a number instead of increasing so they could be good or bad. You'd have to et rid of shared saving throws and shared skills as they would have plenty on their own. Overall, they would be a lot more powerful.

 

[Mordane76]

It's an interesting idea, but I think it misses the point of what a "familiar" is supposed to engender. I guess it really depends on how you think about familiars and what that word means to you in this context.

I think the present familiar rules work nicely for familiars. I think Awakened animals are more the province of rangers and druids.

 

[Pbartender]

Crothian... That's right. If I used Awakened creatures, then all the usual familiar abilities get thrown out the window. Plus, skills would be limited to those usable without opposable thumbs. The creatures would still be Tiny (no threatened area). They'd gain no extra natural armor, nor any Spell Resistance.

Anyway, I'm just thinking of a different type of familiar. Something that would give fewer bonuses to the Master, and be a more useful in its own right... I want a familiar that's a servant and companion, not one that is nothing more than a living magic item.

The rate that the familiar gains levels could always be slowed down.

Also, some of the "usual" familiar abilities... like Share Spell, Touch, Empathic Link, Speak with Master, Scry on Familiar... could be turned into Feats that both the familiar and the Master would have to take to gain the ability.

 

[AGGEMAM]

You could also just take the Leadership feat and get the awakened familiar as a co-hort.