Familiar Tweaking

[Iron_Chef]

I got this idea from reading Quintessential Wizard's Craft Magic Book feat and from Citizen Game's WAY OF THE WITCH hardcover. The idea of familiar feats and the advancement table is from Witch and most of the familiar feats from Witch and QW.
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NEW RULES FOR FAMILIARS

As PHB except the following changes are applied:
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FAMILIAR ADVANCEMENT TABLE

Master
Level Familiar Special Ability
1-2 Familiar Feat x2, Improved Evasion, Empathy, Int 8, Wis 11, AC bonus +3
3-4 Familiar Feat, Int 9, Wis 12, AC bonus +4
5-6 Familiar Feat, Int 10, Wis 13, AC bonus +5
7-8 Speak with creatures of its type, Int 11, Wis 14, AC bonus +6
9-10 Familiar feat, Int 12, Wis 15, AC bonus +7
11-12 Familiar feat, Int 13, Wis 16, AC bonus +8
13-14 Rebuke creatures of its type (as a cleric of half its master’s level), Int 14, Wis 17, AC bonus +9
15-16 Familiar feat, Int 15, Wis 17, AC bonus +10
17-18 Familiar feat, Int 16, Wis 18, AC bonus +11
19-20 Familiar feat, Int 17, Wis 19, AC bonus +12
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FAMILIAR FEATS
Any of the Familiar feats from other books plus the following:

Absorb Item: The master can store one item of tiny size or two items of Fine size or less inside his familiar. The
master can retrieve this item later as a free action that provokes attacks of opportunity. Only the master can remove
the item. If the familiar is slain, any stored items are destroyed.

Alignment Focus: The familiar imparts to its master the ability to cast spells with the same alignment descriptor as
its master at +1 caster level, so a LE caster would cast evil or lawful spells at +1 caster level, and spells that include
both descriptors at +2 caster level.

Research Assistant: The familiar enables its master to learn one additional spell each time a new class level is
gained. If the wizard is a specialist, this bonus spell must be from the school specialized in.

Spell Book: The familiar acts as a portable spellbook, holding up to 100 pages worth of its master’s spells (a spell
takes up 2 pages per spell level). The familiar can impart the information needed to cast any spells stored within it at
a rate of 5 minutes per spell level.

Spell Caster: The familiar gains the ability to cast three 0-level spells and one first level spell (which must be taught
by its master) once per day each as a sorcerer of half its master’s class level.

Store Spell: The familiar can store one spell of a level equal to one half the highest level its master can cast (rounded
down) and hold it for up to 1 day per master’s class level. The familiar cannot cast the spell itself but merely stores it;
imparting it to its master is a standard action that provokes attacks attacks of opportunity. The spell is used up as if it
were cast for the day the master places it in storage; it does not count against the number of spells the master can cast
on the day he retrieves it. If the spell is not retrieved before its expiration, it dissipates harmlessly.

Ward: The master can place one spell on the familiar that he knows and can cast of 3rd level or less that with a
range of touch or personal and the spell is set to trigger the next time the familiar is touched by anyone other than its
master (the normal duration does not apply until it is triggered).

 

[Maximillian]

I like those feats a lot, but what's the idea behind making the familiar MORE powerful... what do you lose in this system?

 

[Iron_Chef]

Beats me. They just made 'em way cooler is all. Too powerful?

 

[haiiro]

I think the combination of the advancement table (which gives out familiar feats much too often, IMO) and dubious/overpowered feats (Alignment Focus stands out, as does Research Assistant if it applies to a sorcerer's familiar as well) make this variant too powerful.

The familiar-enhancing feats from other sources -- like Dragon #280 and Tome & Blood -- are all taken by the character, not the familiar -- which makes them a lot less twinky, IMO. Maybe witches don't get many other abilities, and strong familiars are one of their biggest assets (I've never seen the book), but for wizards and sorcerers I don't think this variant is even close to balanced.

I've never really liked Mongoose's approach to things, though, so put a big grain of salt next to my opinion.

Edit: typo, and boy am I tired.

 

[SamuraiY]

I like these feats a lot, but they seem to powerful in some cases. I think the table gives them out to often too, and I have noticed that the familiar gets more familiar feat slots than there are familiar feats. Is this an error, or would the familiar take a standard feat?

 

[Iron_Chef]

Well, I'm remembering the Citizen Games Way of the Witch familiar advancement table from memory as it was too expensive to buy and I preferred Green Ronin's Witch's Handbook for $10 less (nice book, even if you don't use the with core class or PrCs, thanks to new spells, items and feats).

I'm positive I have the table right through 7th level, after that, I just extrapolated.

It's my opinion that there are too many feats and a wizard can't afford to waste any on familiar enhancing, not even improved familiar to get a lousy imp. I've never found the familiar to be that interesting or more than minimally useful anyway, being generally limited to some lame bird or toad or whatever.

The mongoose feats referenced above from QW are designed for immobile (on their own) objects that can serve as familiars (such as a demon amulet). They don't get construct immunities because there is a real spirit inhabitating the object that can be fooled and has Int and Wis scores.

As to there being more feat slots than feats, it says the familiar can take any familiar feat from any other source.

I suppose it's too powerful, which is why I immediately said, "Oh freakin' cool! I want one!"