Do familiars get darkvision/lowlight vision

[Thanee]

Hmmm...

A sorcerer can call a familiar. A familiar is a magical, unusually tough, and intelligent version of a small animal. It is a magical beast, not an animal.

It doesn't say anything about an animal, that becomes enchanted to be a familiar or something, it just says, that the familiar is a magical beast, not an animal.

Familiar Basics: Use the basic statistics for a creature of its type, as given in the Monster Manual, but make these changes: ...

This might mean, that you just use the basic animal type and apply the changes mentioned, but it does not change the familiar's type, which is magical beast, not animal.

But even then, the MM definitely gives all animals (which the basic creatures are) low-light vision, so all 'animal-like' familiars should have low-light vision at the very least. This would only be countered by the owl's special ability being redundant then.

Well...

Bye
Thanee

 

[AGGEMAM]

Actually a familiar is neither a true magical beast or animal.

Animals have low-light vision, yes, and magical beasts have both low-light vision and darkvision. But familiars have neither unless specified.

That is because the base creature is the creature listed in the animal section but the creature type qualities is not counted in since it is not an animal at all.

EDIT: Besides the MM says 'unless noted otherwise' and I dare say that the notice in the PHB is excately that.

 

[Thanee]

But where does it say, that familiars are not as much magical beasts as the ones listed in the MM?

Bye
Thanee

 

[Orclicker]

Kenzers Kingdoms of Kalamar Players Guide, and the VIllain Design Handbook have a series of Enhance Familiar feats that allow a spellcaster to buy additional abilities for their familiars.

 

[Chun-tzu]

Kenzers Kingdoms of Kalamar Players Guide, and the VIllain Design Handbook have a series of Enhance Familiar feats that allow a spellcaster to buy additional abilities for their familiars.

Spells and Spellcraft also has rules for buying additional abilities for familiars.

 

[Stalker0]

I think the owl's low light gives the MASTER low light vision. But every familar gets the normal stuff for a magical beast.

 

[Thanee]

That'd surely be nice, but I think the owl has low-light vision, not grants low-light vision.

Also, this would be a little much compared to the cat. The owl is already better without that bonus.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Hypersmurf]

That'd surely be nice, but I think the owl has low-light vision, not grants low-light vision.

You mean my snake doesn't grant me a poisonous bite?



-Hyp.