Familiar HD

[AGGEMAM]

Luckily the T&B clears this mess up in saying:

From the T&B, page 10

Master Level

It is the masters level that determines what familiar abilities a creature gains; in this case, your level in a class that can have a familiar. If you have levels in two such classes, you add them together.

 

[dcollins]

Yet on the vey same page it says (in the table)... Table: Familiar Special Abilities... Master Class Level

Hit Dice are not a "special ability", and do not appear anywhere in that table. Nor is this altered in any way by the Tome & Blood text you quoted.

 

[AGGEMAM]

Sorry guys, it seems you are right after all

 

[Marshall]

Sorry guys, it seems you are right after all

So which is it? Is my Celestial Cat a 14HD critter or 5HD?

 

[Brown Jenkin]

So which is it? Is my Celestial Cat a 14HD critter or 5HD?

Not entirely sure what you mean but I will take a shot anyway.

Do you mean you have a Celestial Cat that was made a Familiar with Improved Familiar, and it was a 5 HD creature before it became a familiar. I also am guessing by 14 HD you mean you are a 14th level Wiz/Sor.

What I think you would have is still a 5HD cat with respect to celestial template abilities, and a 14 HD cat with respect to other HD dependent effects. It would also have all special abilities associated with being the familiar of a 14th level wizard.

Just as regular familiars don't get regular HD advancement just HD equivilencies, So too would creatures with the Celestial/Fiendish templetes. Otherwise who wouldn't take a Celestial/Fiendish creature.

 

[Caliban]

Not entirely sure what you mean but I will take a shot anyway.

Do you mean you have a Celestial Cat that was made a Familiar with Improved Familiar, and it was a 5 HD creature before it became a familiar. I also am guessing by 14 HD you mean you are a 14th level Wiz/Sor.

What I think you would have is still a 5HD cat with respect to celestial template abilities, and a 14 HD cat with respect to other HD dependent effects. It would also have all special abilities associated with being the familiar of a 14th level wizard.

Just as regular familiars don't get regular HD advancement just HD equivilencies, So too would creatures with the Celestial/Fiendish templetes. Otherwise who wouldn't take a Celestial/Fiendish creature.

I agree with Brown Jenkin.

 

[Dakhran the Dark]

I think the only time that the familiar's effective HD comes into play is when determining the effects of spells upon it. It would be rather upsetting if your 14th level wizard walked through a Cloudkill spell with a little bit of acid burn, only to sense that his pet parrot has "ceased to be" -- Cloudkill would kill it instantly, no save, if it were still considered a 1 HD critter...

 

[Marshall]

Not entirely sure what you mean but I will take a shot anyway.

Do you mean you have a Celestial Cat that was made a Familiar with Improved Familiar, and it was a 5 HD creature before it became a familiar. I also am guessing by 14 HD you mean you are a 14th level Wiz/Sor.

To be more specific, My CLR9/WIZ5 has a cat familiar. At level 10-12(I dont recall exactly when) I cast the "Planar Familiar" spell on it.

What I think you would have is still a 5HD cat with respect to celestial template abilities, and a 14 HD cat with respect to other HD dependent effects. It would also have all special abilities associated with being the familiar of a 14th level wizard.

Just as regular familiars don't get regular HD advancement just HD equivilencies, So too would creatures with the Celestial/Fiendish templetes. Otherwise who wouldn't take a Celestial/Fiendish creature.

Whats the difference? Your familiar either gets the HD or it doesnt. While the description specifically mentions spell effects, HD also effects BAB, saves and Template based special abilities.

By your reasoning my cat would be :
1/2 HD for Celestial Template
5 HD for Wizard Abilities
14 HD for spell effects
Any of the above for BAB and Saves(No source is really definitive on this)

Hmmm, time to get out a new character sheet for my familiar.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

To be more specific, My CLR9/WIZ5 has a cat familiar. At level 10-12(I dont recall exactly when) I cast the "Planar Familiar" spell on it.



Whats the difference? Your familiar either gets the HD or it doesnt. While the description specifically mentions spell effects, HD also effects BAB, saves and Template based special abilities.

By your reasoning my cat would be :
1/2 HD for Celestial Template
5 HD for Wizard Abilities
14 HD for spell effects
Any of the above for BAB and Saves(No source is really definitive on this)

Hmmm, time to get out a new character sheet for my familiar.

I am not familiar (so to speak) with the Planar Familiar spell. What does it do?

Your cat would be:
? HD for Celestial Template (Don't know the spell)
Have special abilities per a familiar for a 5th level wizard
14 HD when calculating spell effects on it.
HPs equal to half of your characters total (Character level)(as per regular familiar rules)
BAB, Saves, and Skills equal to your characters (Character level) unless they are natturaly better (as per regular familiar rules)

 

[Marshall]

I am not familiar (so to speak) with the Planar Familiar spell. What does it do?

Its in the spellbook on the WotC site.

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20011020a

Your cat would be:
? HD for Celestial Template (Don't know the spell)
Have special abilities per a familiar for a 5th level wizard
14 HD when calculating spell effects on it.
HPs equal to half of your characters total (Character level)(as per regular familiar rules)
BAB, Saves, and Skills equal to your characters (Character level) unless they are natturaly better (as per regular familiar rules)

Problem is, Is it a 14 HD animal for determining 'Natural' BAB and Saves or is it the HD of the Base Creature(in this case 1/2). I understand how to determine the bonus, Its unclear what to base it on.

My reading would be a 14HD animal(magic beast?) with respect to Base BAB, Saves, Template and skills? with 5 'levels' in Familiar.