DMs: how do you integrate familiars into the game?
- Thread starter Plane Sailing
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trentonjoe
Explorer
I have my dog familiar, Rusty, sniff everyone I meet to make sure they are not terminators. I tried to get the party I was with to give Rusty a vote in some decision but that didn't work. Rusty is a little jealous of the bear that follows around are halfling druid. I am trying to get our fighter to teach him how to trip too!
Basically, Rusty is there for my amusement. He keeps guard every now and then but that's it.
In a game I run, a wizard has a crow. The crow pretty much scouts and comes back providing cryptic information. Alot of the time the crows makes fun of the 1/2 orc barbarian and tries to eat the dead guys the PC's just killed.
Basically, the crow is there for my amusement.
Basically, Rusty is there for my amusement. He keeps guard every now and then but that's it.
In a game I run, a wizard has a crow. The crow pretty much scouts and comes back providing cryptic information. Alot of the time the crows makes fun of the 1/2 orc barbarian and tries to eat the dead guys the PC's just killed.
Basically, the crow is there for my amusement.
Gospog
First Post
Hoppus Maximus
The only current familiar in my PCs' group and it is a collabrative effort on the part of the GM (me) and a player playing a Sorceress.
Because Sorcerors "teach themselves" spells, instead of learning from a book, this player decided that her toad "telepathically" taught her spells.
Of course these spells involve lots of toad-appropriate behaviors that the Sorceress must learn in order to get the spell to go off. (hopping about, croaking etc...)
This does not become disruptive during the game (far from it) and I thought it was quite imaginative. (xp bonus for the player)
In our last session, Hoppus Maximus (the toad) got his time in the spotlight, as the local toads of a nation (Led by the Lord of the Frogs), asked him to translate (using his Sorceress) for them when speaking to the queen of that nation. The queen had recently lost her familiar, and the toads had held a series of contests (strength, speed, wit and tougue length were all factors) to determine who would be presented to the Queen as a new familiar.
In this instance, I used Hoppus as an NPC, and let the PC get some "spotlight time" for putting some work into her familiar.
It worked great, and barely took any time away from the main plot.
Tom
The only current familiar in my PCs' group and it is a collabrative effort on the part of the GM (me) and a player playing a Sorceress.
Because Sorcerors "teach themselves" spells, instead of learning from a book, this player decided that her toad "telepathically" taught her spells.
Of course these spells involve lots of toad-appropriate behaviors that the Sorceress must learn in order to get the spell to go off. (hopping about, croaking etc...)
This does not become disruptive during the game (far from it) and I thought it was quite imaginative. (xp bonus for the player)
In our last session, Hoppus Maximus (the toad) got his time in the spotlight, as the local toads of a nation (Led by the Lord of the Frogs), asked him to translate (using his Sorceress) for them when speaking to the queen of that nation. The queen had recently lost her familiar, and the toads had held a series of contests (strength, speed, wit and tougue length were all factors) to determine who would be presented to the Queen as a new familiar.
In this instance, I used Hoppus as an NPC, and let the PC get some "spotlight time" for putting some work into her familiar.
It worked great, and barely took any time away from the main plot.
Tom
Cyronax
Explorer
When toads' go bad....
Toad familiars are popping up a lot aye? A +2 to Con is a horrible thing to waste
Well I voted for "player plays familiar like a bundles of bonuses."
I've ranted at the sorcerer in our group quite a bit about this. He never really roleplayed the toad, in part because he always kept it hidden on his person. The sorc's lawful evil, and he thinks that even his friends in the party could use the toad against him.
He's parinoid and evil, but along the lines of Ender's brother in Ender's Game. Meaning he wants to gain power and influence with persuasion and subtley rather than fear. The sorc wants to be respected and basically use the adventuring group as a means to gain influence with the rulers of the campaign region.
The character roleplays fairly well, but he never roleplayed his toad. Just used the toad, the sorc's own high con., and a toughness feat to make the sorcerer nearly equal to our party's fighter in hit points.
Anyway, the problem finally alleviated itself when the sorc realized that he had reached level where the toad finally could speak to him telepathically. Well, I ended playing the toad for whatever reason, and now the toad is actually an annoyance to the usually restraiend player. Whereas the sorc is a subtle and patient Lawful Evil, the toad (who's voice in the sorc's head sounds like a demonic version of Mr. Burn's from the Simpsons) is much more of the domineering and overtly ambitious type of LE. The toad in effect has become the "little devil" on the sorcerer's shoulder; advising the sorcerer to do all sorts of blatant acts of domination and evil. Add the fact that the toad's intelligence isn't that high yet, and the player of the sorcerer is already regretting letting me flesh out the "talking toad's" personality).
C.I.D.
Toad familiars are popping up a lot aye? A +2 to Con is a horrible thing to waste
Well I voted for "player plays familiar like a bundles of bonuses."
I've ranted at the sorcerer in our group quite a bit about this. He never really roleplayed the toad, in part because he always kept it hidden on his person. The sorc's lawful evil, and he thinks that even his friends in the party could use the toad against him.
He's parinoid and evil, but along the lines of Ender's brother in Ender's Game. Meaning he wants to gain power and influence with persuasion and subtley rather than fear. The sorc wants to be respected and basically use the adventuring group as a means to gain influence with the rulers of the campaign region.
The character roleplays fairly well, but he never roleplayed his toad. Just used the toad, the sorc's own high con., and a toughness feat to make the sorcerer nearly equal to our party's fighter in hit points.
Anyway, the problem finally alleviated itself when the sorc realized that he had reached level where the toad finally could speak to him telepathically. Well, I ended playing the toad for whatever reason, and now the toad is actually an annoyance to the usually restraiend player. Whereas the sorc is a subtle and patient Lawful Evil, the toad (who's voice in the sorc's head sounds like a demonic version of Mr. Burn's from the Simpsons) is much more of the domineering and overtly ambitious type of LE. The toad in effect has become the "little devil" on the sorcerer's shoulder; advising the sorcerer to do all sorts of blatant acts of domination and evil. Add the fact that the toad's intelligence isn't that high yet, and the player of the sorcerer is already regretting letting me flesh out the "talking toad's" personality).
C.I.D.
The one wizard in my group has a Toad and is a dwarf so has a con from hell compared to others.
Most of the time he keeps the Toad active in the game. He does stuff like takes him for walks and such, makes sure he gets fed and etc. I have run one session were the familiar saved him by leading the other characters to were he had been arrested.
Lately he has forgotten him but I am about to bring him up since they just left a swamp so I'll spend a session making rude Toad comments about not being let out to roam or being useful etc.
Should be funny as hell.
Most of the time he keeps the Toad active in the game. He does stuff like takes him for walks and such, makes sure he gets fed and etc. I have run one session were the familiar saved him by leading the other characters to were he had been arrested.
Lately he has forgotten him but I am about to bring him up since they just left a swamp so I'll spend a session making rude Toad comments about not being let out to roam or being useful etc.
Should be funny as hell.
When I DM I treat familiars companion animals and the like as NPC's.
They have thier own minds and if the PC doesn't take good care of them, well Trouble.
OTOH I treat familiars, Paladins Warhorses and Link Wolves (campaign specific thing) about two points smarter than the lited numbers
They have thier own minds and if the PC doesn't take good care of them, well Trouble.
OTOH I treat familiars, Paladins Warhorses and Link Wolves (campaign specific thing) about two points smarter than the lited numbers
Wolfspirit
First Post
In the games I've run, noone's had any familiars yet, so I'm not positive how I'll run them (and the psion's not high enough for the crystal to do much. Yes, I've got a caster light group).
In the games I play in, I personally think that familiars are wasted. The two people that have them (cat and owl) basically have them sit in their backpack/ shoulder, only using the owl to scout or tail people, and for the occasional "umm, I rolled a 1 on my spot check while on guard... what does the cat see?!?"
Aside from that, we did get amusement with the weasel familiar, especially when she didn't have a name for it yet. "I take out my weasel" (at least it wasn't a snake).
In the games I play in, I personally think that familiars are wasted. The two people that have them (cat and owl) basically have them sit in their backpack/ shoulder, only using the owl to scout or tail people, and for the occasional "umm, I rolled a 1 on my spot check while on guard... what does the cat see?!?"
Aside from that, we did get amusement with the weasel familiar, especially when she didn't have a name for it yet. "I take out my weasel" (at least it wasn't a snake).
Holy Bovine
First Post
Angelsboi said:
LOL (and choking to death!!!)
Omigod was that funny!
"Everybody do the Michigan rag!"
Ye Gods I'm going to be smiling about this one for days! Thanks Angelsboi!
*Ahem* Now that's out my system a little I tend to allow the PCs to dictate how their familiars act. I try to give them some persoanlity when they are asked questions or the PCs try to get it to do something damgerous (not that that happens all to often). I really have been lacking in this area for my current campaign - my next one will have much more dynamic familiars that's for sure.
Heh, dancing frogs....
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