Alienists' Familiers

[mo]

I'm wondering whether people think that an Alienist's levels stack with Wizard levels for the purposes of working out familier abilities.

The SRD states: All familiars have special abilities (or impart abilities to their masters) depending on the master’s combined level in classes that grant familiars, as shown on the table below. The abilities given on the table are cumulative

Now that means that levels in most wizarding Prestige Classes don't give the familier additional abilities (and the Alienist description says an Alienist does not gain abilities other than spell levels).

However, an Alienist at fifth level gets to apply the pseudo natural template to their familier "in addition to the powers and abilities normal for a familier of the appropriate level".

Maybe I'm missing something but what is this appropriate level being spoken of - is it the wizarding levels, or a combination of wizard and Alienist?

 

[Knightcrawler]

I've always used combo of all spellcastinmg levels unless the PrC specificaly states that it does not give +1 cast level gor each level. Unless it specificly states that they don't count towards familiar levels, count em.

 

[Cheiromancer]

Say I'm a 6th level wizard and a 5th level alienist. I add the pseudonatural template to the familiar in addition to all the powers and abilities normal for a 5th level familiar.

Since they specifically say that alienist levels don't count toward improving the familiar, they don't.

 

[Tessarael]

Yes, only Wizard and Sorcerer levels advance your familiar. If someone knows of some other prestige classes that do, let me know.

I really wish there was either a mechanism (e.g. a feat) for maintaining familiar/animal companion/mount progression at your character level, or some progression from prestige classes for familiars et al. (e.g. caster level).

My 17th level character with one level in Wizard has a familiar. It's not deal that the familiar doesn't have some of the special abilities, but spell resistance and improved AC would be very useful to increase its survival chances.

 

[Olive]

The SRD states: All familiars have special abilities (or impart abilities to their masters) depending on the master’s combined level in classes that grant familiars, as shown on the table below. The abilities given on the table are cumulative

Now that means that levels in most wizarding Prestige Classes don't give the familier additional abilities (and the Alienist description says an Alienist does not gain abilities other than spell levels).

However, an Alienist at fifth level gets to apply the pseudo natural template to their familier "in addition to the powers and abilities normal for a familier of the appropriate level".

I think I've got it. The alienist doesn't grant a familiar. It changes a familiar. Say, for arguments sake, that you obtained the PrC through a class that didn't give a familiar, some home brewed core class. That would mean that the alienist wouldn't get to use that particular ability of the class as he would have no way of getting the familiar in the first place.

The SRD text you are talking about only would apply if the alienist had an ability called summon familiar. The text "combined level in classes that grant familiars" doesn't apply to the alienist because it only alters a familiar, it doesn't grant one.