Familiars - Advantage or Disadvantage?

[Olaf the Stout]

I was having a discussion with one of my players about familiars. He thinks that the disadvantages of them far outweigh their benefits. i.e. "Wow I get a whole +3 to my climb check. And I only lose 1000 xp if it ever gets killed. It has 5 HP's. That should be more than enough." I on the other hand think that they are useful and worth the potential XP loss should the familiar happen to be killed.

In the campaign that I am currently running there are 2 PC's that could have a familiar if they wanted. One PC is a Sorcerer 1/Wizard 5 and has decided not to take a familiar. The other PC is a straight Sorcerer. He has a raven familiar but it was only just the other day that I realised that he hasn't actually used it for anything at all in the campaign. It reminded me of the OotS comic where Vaarsuvius' familiar "magically" reappeared after someone asked what happened to it.

So do the Wizards or Sorcerers in your campaign have a familiar? Does it get used much or mainly forgotten about? Do you think that they give enough benefits to offset the potential XP loss?

Olaf the Stout

 

[Hunter In Darkness]

i like em use the ones i have often yeah u loose 1000 xp; if it dies but it can share spells and scout and roleplaying can be great..recall how dihearted and moody i played a wizard once after his died ..was some great roleplaying there ... yeah its rolep;laying u use what u have not everything needs to be powergamed after all

 

[Michael Silverbane]

I play a lot of wizards... and the occassional sorcerer. In all of the time that I've been playing... including 1st and 2nd edition, exactly 3 of those characters have had familiars. On the other hand, I have blown a feat to take the Wild Cohort feat which grants you a modified animal companion.

It's just not (usually) worth the risk.

Later
silver

 

[Klaus]

Best use I've seen of a familiar was when a PC's cat familiar pounced on a NPC's rat familiar. Boy was that duergar pissed!

Familiars can be very good for warrior/mage types, since they have the BAB and base saves of the master and half of the master's HD. If you use the Improved Familiar list from Complete Warrior, you might have a hippogriff familiar!

 

[Sejs]

Something to keep in mind: your familiar has 1/2 your hit points, regardless of how many hit dice it has. You have 60 hp, your familiar has 30.

It's not exactly tough, but at least it's not stuck at 5hp forever.

 

[Rl'Halsinor]

I have played 2 wizards since 1e and one had a familiar and the other didn't. Though there are definite roleplaying opportunities and some neat skill opportunities, as Michael Silverbane so amply stated, the risk isn't worth it.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I don't like them.

I have an aversion to wimpy allies. I don't like having 1st-level commoners carry my stuff; if I can't carry it, it isn't worth looting or carrying on adventures. I don't want to protect the wimps either. I understand that at least some 1e groups might gasp at such a statement. I also have an aversion to equal-levelled allies; go adventure by yourselves. And I have an aversion to powerful allies, because of all the negatives that go with overpowered DMPCs. I want to adventure with the other PCs, played by the other players, and no one else.

Worse, unlike animal companions, they aren't pets. They're intelligent and (eventually) can talk, or something akin to talking. So you're supposed to RP with them beyond "I use my laser pointer spell to tease my cat familiar" ^^ But I don't want to RP with something that can't decide if its an NPC or PC or whatever. I'd rather RP with important NPCs and with the other PCs.

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Something to keep in mind: your familiar has 1/2 your hit points, regardless of how many hit dice it has. You have 60 hp, your familiar has 30.

It's not exactly tough, but at least it's not stuck at 5hp forever.

You make good points about BAB and hit points. I had missed that when I read about familiars in the PHB. It certainly makes them a little more hardy. However 1 good spell is still enough to take a lot of them out. Of course that is one good spell that isn't used on the party.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Depends on the character concept and familiar, and how the player plays the familiar. Sometimes it's an advantage, sometimes not.

 

[Crothian]

I always have familiars. They are a lot of fun. I don't look at them like a stat block though.