Familiar alignments

[Elf Witch]

Can a lawful neutral mage have a lawful evil familiar?

 

[Artoomis]

Sure, why not? It may not be the best choice for him, as the evil familiar will likely want to heavily influence the actions of its master, and not in a good way.

 

[Elf Witch]

I would prefer to play lawful evil but one of the players in the group is saying he will quit if there are any more evil characters one's enough. I want an Imp for my familiar and this is the way around this sticky wicket.

 

[Magic Slim]

I don't know if they are equivalent to one another, but you could also take a homunculus instead of an Imp. Homunculi are neutral.

Slim

IMP
Tiny Outsider (Evil, Extraplanar, Lawful)
Hit Dice: 3d8 (13 hp)
Initiative: +3
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 50 ft. (perfect)
Armor Class: 20 (+2 size, +3 Dex, +5 natural), touch 15, flat-footed 17
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/–5
Attack: Sting +8 melee (1d4 plus poison)
Full Attack: Sting +8 melee (1d4 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Alternate form, damage reduction 5/good or silver, darkvision 60 ft., fast healing 2, immunity to poison, resistance to fire 5
Saves: Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +4
Abilities: Str 10, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 14
Skills: Diplomacy +8, Hide +17, Knowledge (any one) +6, Listen +7, Move Silently +9, Search +6, Spellcraft +6, Spot +7, Survival +1 (+3 following tracks)
Feats: Dodge, Weapon Finesse
Environment: A lawful evil-aligned plane
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 2
Treasure: None
Alignment: Always lawful evil
Advancement: 4–6 HD (Tiny)
Level Adjustment: — (Improved Familiar)
In its natural form, an imp stands almost 2 feet tall and weighs about 8 pounds.
Combat
Imps are craven, but not so timid as to pass up an opportunity for a surprise attack using their invisibility and alternate form ability. In its natural form, an imp attacks with the wicked stinger on its tail. It quickly flies out of reach if a foe manages to strike back effectively.
An imp’s natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as evil-aligned and lawful-aligned for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 13, initial damage 1d4 Dex, secondary damage 2d4 Dex. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
Spell-Like Abilities: At will—detect good, detect magic, invisibility (self only); 1/day—suggestion (DC 15). Caster level 6th. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Once per week an imp can use commune to ask six questions. The ability otherwise works as the spell (caster level 12th).
Alternate Form (Su): An imp can assume other forms at will as a standard action. This ability functions as a polymorph spell cast on itself (caster level 12th), except that an imp does not regain hit points for changing form, and an individual imp can assume only one or two forms no larger than Medium. Common forms include monstrous spider, raven, rat, and boar.

HOMUNCULUS
Tiny Construct
Hit Dice: 2d10 (11 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 20 ft. (4 squares), fly 50 ft. (good)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 size), touch 14, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +1/–8
Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d4–1 plus poison)
Full Attack: Bite +2 melee (1d4–1 plus poison)
Space/Reach: 2-1/2 ft./0 ft.
Special Attacks: Poison
Special Qualities: Construct traits, darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision
Saves: Fort +0, Ref +4, Will +1
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 15, Con —, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 7
Skills: Hide +14, Listen +4, Spot +4
Feats: Lightning Reflexes
Environment: Any
Organization: Solitary
Challenge Rating: 1
Treasure: None
Alignment: Any (same as creator)
Advancement: 3–6 HD (Tiny)
Level Adjustment: —
A homunculus is a miniature servant created by a wizard. These creatures are weak combatants but make effective spies, messengers, and scouts. A homunculus’s creator determines its precise features. Homunculi are little more than tools designed to carry out assigned tasks. They are extensions of their creators, sharing the same alignment and basic nature. A homunculus cannot speak, but the process of creating one links it telepathically with its creator.
It knows what its master knows and can convey to him or her everything it sees and hears, out to a distance of 1,500 feet. A homunculus never travels beyond this range willingly, though it can be removed forcibly. If this occurs, the creature does everything in its power to regain contact with its master. An attack that destroys a homunculus deals 2d10 points of damage to its master.
If the creature’s master is slain, the homunculus also dies, and its body swiftly melts away into a pool of ichor.
COMBAT
Homunculi land on their victims and bite with their venomous fangs.
Poison (Ex): Injury, Fortitude DC 13, initial damage sleep for 1 minute, secondary damage sleep for another 5d6 minutes. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +2 racial bonus.
CONSTRUCTION
A homunculus is shaped from a mixture of clay, ashes, mandrake root, spring water, and one pint of the creator’s own blood. The materials cost 50 gp. The creature’s master may assemble the body or hire someone else to do the job. Creating the body requires a DC 12 Craft (sculpting) check or a DC 12 Craft (pottery) check.
After the body is sculpted, it is animated through an extended magical ritual that requires a specially prepared laboratory or workroom, similar to an alchemist’s laboratory and costing 500 gp to establish. If the creator is personally constructing the creature’s body, the building and ritual can be performed together.
A homunculus with more than 2 Hit Dice can be created, but each additional Hit Die adds +2,000 gp to the cost to create.
Craft Construct, arcane eye, mirror image, mending, caster must be at least 4th level; Price — (never sold); Cost 1,050 gp + 78 XP.

 

[welby]

My true neutral wizzy has an imp familiar...and loving it. Having a relationship with an evil being is a good roleplaying angle. Although, I have to admit, the two of us *may* have done a few evil things together, but I swear those peasants should have had more hitpoints.

 

[Henrix]

With the Improved Familiar feat you may have a familiar with an alignment up to one step from yours on each axis.
So a lawful evil familiar for a lawful neutral, or even true neutral, master is ok.