Are special familiars factored into CR?

Pseudonym · May 12, 2003

Would a 10th level wizard with an imp or pseudodragon familiar be of the same CR as the same level wizard with a cat familiar? Is there an offical ruling, or failing that, any good advice for adjusting things?

kreynolds · May 12, 2003

Pseudonym said:
Would a 10th level wizard with an imp or pseudodragon familiar be of the same CR as the same level wizard with a cat familiar?

Yes. The first wizard had to take a feat to get the cooler familiar. It evens out (in theory).

Pseudonym said:
Is there an offical ruling...

Not that I know of, but you could email the Sage or CS.

Pseudonym said:
...or failing that, any good advice for adjusting things?

You don't need to adjust anything. The Improved Familiar feat should take care of that. Do you ask because fo a situation other than the improved familiar feat being taken?

Caliban · May 12, 2003

Pseudonym said:
Would a 10th level wizard with an imp or pseudodragon familiar be of the same CR as the same level wizard with a cat familiar? Is there an offical ruling, or failing that, any good advice for adjusting things?

The CR doesn't change. It's assumed that if they didn't spend the feat for Improved Familiar, they would have spent it on another feat that increases their power (or on a prerequisite for a Prestige Class that increases their power).

Murrdox · May 12, 2003

It's sort of similar how you don't count the CR of the animal companion of a Druid or Ranger into an encounter - they're sortof automatically accounted for - or so I've assumed.

I did count a beast in the CR of an encounter from a Wizard who had a Ring of Animal friendship though. Since Animal Friendship isn't a class ability for him, I increased his CR for his Dire Boar he had.

kreynolds · May 12, 2003

Murrdox said:
I did count a beast in the CR of an encounter from a Wizard who had a Ring of Animal friendship though. Since Animal Friendship isn't a class ability for him, I increased his CR for his Dire Boar he had.

Shouldn't the cost of the ring take care of that?

Murrdox · May 12, 2003

Hmmm... perhaps you're right... the Dire Boar should have probably counted as "equipment" in an odd sort of way, and then it simply would have been automatically figured into the cost of the NPC's treasure value.

I'll have to remember that for next time.

I have an upcoming encounter in my campaign that I'm very much looking forward to running that has a LOT of animal companions in it.

The PCs are running into a solitary Drow Ranger they need to get some information out of. The ranger has a Dire Lion animal companion, in addition to 4 Displacer Beasts. It raises the displacer beasts from cubs, and uses them as his spies in the forest. They aren't "animal companions" in the traditional sense of course. One of them is the "Lead Mother" and has more hit dice than the others.

Since the PCs are most likely going to stumble into his controlled area during the day, the Ranger is going to tolerate their presence when he is informed of them (players will have a spot DC to see the Displacer Beasts watching them from a distance). He'll then wait until nightfall and the PCs camp for the night to take advantage of his superior darkvision. After warning them away, he'll send all his animals to attack the party, while using rapid shot and his boots of flying to stay out of visual range of the party.

It should be an interesting and nasty encounter. The Dire Lion is factored into the Ranger's CR, but the Displacer Beasts are extra.