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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arkhandus" data-source="post: 3784366" data-attributes="member: 13966">They're just made too inconsequential most of the time in 3E.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....The familiars that various sorcerers have gained in my Rhunaria campaigns have been fairly frequently used; Carillus for example, is often doing one thing or another in any given scene, and if he isn't scouting, he's giving his master tidbits of advice on the spirit world, or he's hunting fish or birds, or something else.  Since I never just forget about familiars, I have 'em participating even when the players aren't actively using them.  And my Rhunaria homebrew has several feats and even a few prestige classes that directly or indirectly boost familiars, animal companions, or special mounts, so they can be more useful.In my Thursday game (3.0e like all the ones I DM), the party's druid generally has his two polar bears do 75% of the fighting for him, while he heals them and throws out the occasional Animal Growth, Greater Magic Fang, Flame Strike, or Poison.  He's Awakened his monkey animal companion, too, so now it's going to start gaining Swordsage levels and become his ninja monkey minion.....Unfortunately, it seems that the designers will just make familiars and animal companions even more inconsequential in 4th Edition, relegating them to some minor critter in the background that provides its master with some minor skill bonuses, a damage shield, or somesuch.</blockquote>

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