Familiars and Animal Companions. Should they stay?

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

It would very much make sense for the skills to be the same if the familiars were animals in which a small chunk of the caster's own soul resided...

All of them? We're talking a small chunk of soul into a creature that's (usually) far less intelligent than the mage.

I think it should have its own skills. They could even have useful skills, but they should be their own. I don't know if I've ever seen anyone get a cohort having the exact same skill set.

 

[FungiMuncher]

... When I play a spellcaster with a familiar, I generally make good use of it, and hardly ever leave it just inactive in the background. Vaeron was always sending his hawk out to scout, or sending it to fight enemy familiars while he assisted with spells, or had the hawk assist him in entertaining folks with tricks, or had the hawk help out a tad in combat, or had it carry around small objects that Vaeron had cast Light upon, or carry messages....

If given the chance, I like playing familiars like this. However, my current DM really frowns on this use of them, so I haven't bothered. Therefore, I'd like having a familiar to be an option, not a built in feature. And, yeah, they should be more viable. For one, replacing or upgrading them shouldn't take a year and a day.

 

[Nahat Anoj]

I like animal companions and familiars, so I hope they stay. I'd be okay if they were handled *very* abstractly - so much so that they were more extensions of a character as opposed to separate characters in their own right.

For example, in the Beastmaster movie, the beastmaster has a couple of ferrets who can filch items for him. Basically, the ferrets let the Beastmaster use his Sleight of Hand at range - they're extensions of the Beastmaster as opposed to entities in their own right.

 

[Rechan]

I like animal companions and familiars, so I hope they stay. I'd be okay if they were handled *very* abstractly - so much so that they were more extensions of a character as opposed to separate characters in their own right.

For example, in the Beastmaster movie, the beastmaster has a couple of ferrets who can filch items for him. Basically, the ferrets let the Beastmaster use his Sleight of Hand at range - they're extensions of the Beastmaster as opposed to entities in their own right.

So how would the tiger/panther be handled? Would it be allowed one of his attacks? A way for him to flank?

The Hawk clearly let him make a much more comprehensive spot check.

 

[Exen Trik]

I'd like to see them kept as an option, but with their use and mechanics strongly revamped. Make them useful and cool, dangit! Being less prone to random squishing would be nice too.

And for wizards, I'd love to see an option to use familiars as implements, instead of wands and the like.

 

[Rechan]

And for wizards, I'd love to see an option to use familiars as implements, instead of wands and the like.

Question is, which implement would be appropriate? I don't see "I use my familiar to blow something up" making a lot of sense.

 

[Simplicity]

Keep familiars and animal companions. Make them non-combat creatures (always flee or hide in the face of combat). And if they die, make them resummonable without penalty 1/day.

 

[Exen Trik]

Question is, which implement would be appropriate? I don't see "I use my familiar to blow something up" making a lot of sense.

I expect blasting wouldn't be a focus of that path. Divinations, enchantments, using familiars for touch attacks, etc. Plenty of angles to go at, which would be easier to brainstorm about if I knew what implements actually did.

But it could be blasty! Imagine a wizard with a raven familiar casting fireball, and instead of shooting out a pellet of fire, he instead charges is raven with the fire energy. The raven shoots off through the battlefield like a phoenix and directs itself around any obstacles to its target. When it gets there the raven erupts into a fiery explosion, nuking the area and everyone in it. Moments later the raven reappears on the wizards shoulder, none the worse for wear - save for shaking off a few stray bits of ash.

 

[Klaus]

Best familiar use ever: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klarion

Every inhabitant of Limbo Town (a subterranean community reminiscent of Puritan villages) has a draaga (a "familiar"). There are several types of draaga, including ravens, lizards and mini-dragons. In every generation, one of the draaga types has only one representative (in this generation, it's Klarion's cat, Teekl).

Klarion can see through Teekl's eyes, and they can talk to each other even at a distance. As a unique ability he gained from the Submissionaries, Klarion can merge with Teekl to form a gestalt hybrid called Horigal. Its body is covered in Teekl's orange fur, their head is a mash-up of both their faces (Teekl's face on Klarion's forehead) and they have four arms and four legs, all clawed.

 

[billd91]

All of them? We're talking a small chunk of soul into a creature that's (usually) far less intelligent than the mage.

I think it should have its own skills. They could even have useful skills, but they should be their own. I don't know if I've ever seen anyone get a cohort having the exact same skill set.

Yes, but if you want a cohort, get a cohort. I don't think a familiar should be looked at in the same way as a cohort.