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Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
Familiars and feats
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<blockquote data-quote="AbsintheCurdle1" data-source="post: 1132081" data-attributes="member: 14007"><p><span style="color: blue">Wow, two posts in a row that perfectly relate to what I'm working on. My "Witch" is a spontaneous-casting druid with a familiar instead of an animal companion- both for flavor and to tone down the class, but if I use KaeYoss' idea maybe I can ramp familiars up just a bit. I like it. Judging the power depends a lot on whether you use your "bonus familiar feats" idea, or whether they need to come from general feats. Personally, I'd add some of these to automatic level-based abilities, and require a regular feat for others. My comments will be based on that assumption:</span></p><p> </p><p><strong>2nd thought) </strong>per the ongoing discussion, allow familiar to maintain control of a spell 1/3 the caster level of the master. lv/5 times a day, for up to lv/2 rounds.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: blue">Maybe an INT requirement for the familiar? I'll have to look at the "ongoing discussion"; must've missed that. Certainly feat-worthy.</span></p><p> </p><p><strong>off hand) </strong>familiar can channel a touch spell without ever being near his master (you are in a pub, when your cat reaches a guard. you cast vampire touch, the cat rubs his leg, viola!)</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: blue">I think it says somewhere that held touch spells are visible, which is why I guess you'd want this. Maybe require the familiar be in line-of-sight; at least <em>some</em> range requirement. Feat-worthy.</span></p><p> </p><p><strong>2nd pair of eyes)</strong> familiar makes his own perception rolls instead of just giving you awareness. Note: I assume the alertness feat represents the familiar aiding other to your perception rolls, rather then granting sharpened senses. This would mean the familiar can either give you alertness OR make its own perception checks, but not both at the same time.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: blue">I dislike this as a DM; adding yet another spot roll to every situation is not a direction I want to go.</span></p><p> </p><p><strong>eye to eye) </strong>caster level/5 times a day, sense through your familiar while retaining your own senses, lasts lv minutes, requires 2nd pair of eyes</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: blue">I've already put this as a level-dependent part of having a familiar, coming after verbal telepathic communication, <em>not</em> letting you retain use of your own senses (for one thing, I can't imagine simultaneously having two sets of perceptions), with no duration limit. (See below). It's such a classic ability in fiction...</span></p><p> </p><p><strong>lethal little friend) </strong>when your familar attacks, you can sacrifice a spell/spell slot as a free action (limit 1 spell per round), adding d3/spell level damage to a single attack of your familiars. If the spell had an energy descriptor, so to does the familiar's attack.</p><p><strong>Killer Kat)</strong> as per lethal little friend, except it does d6/spell level damage and requires lethal little friend. Limit is now 1 spell per attack</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: blue">Ouch. Doesn't seem too unbalanced, though.</span></p><p> </p><p><strong>Little Buddy)</strong> heal that sweet little pal of yours, you can sacrifice a spell/spell slot as a free action (limit 1 spell per round), to heal (by touch) your familiar, healing 1d3/spell lv damage.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: blue">Sure, okay.</span></p><p> </p><p><strong>Best Friends) </strong>your little friend can now return the favor. 1/day per 4 levels, cast shield other between you and familiar (either can be target). As a move action, sacrifice a spell or spell slot, the shield other lasts for # rounds = spell level. Requires little buddy.</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: blue">This one I don't like, since familiar hit points are already based on the mage's. </span></p><p><span style="color: blue">Double-dipping or something. Maybe it's just me.</span></p><p> </p><p><strong>Come to Me) </strong>you can, 1/day and as a partial action, teleport your familiar (no further then 300’ + 10’/LV) to your current location. </p><p> </p><p><span style="color: blue">Another one that I'm not sure if I like the flavor of. Doesn't seem unbalanced, though. If I used it, I'd use standardized Long range (400' + 40'/level) and specify <em>only</em> the familiar's body, not anything worn or carried.</span></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>1st: would this be worthwhile?</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: blue">Sure, variety is always worthwhile! <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></span></p><p> </p><p>3rd: the names of the feats are not too grand, suggestions?</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: blue">Heh. No, all mine are worse.</span></p><p> </p><p>4th: other feats to add to the list</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: blue">This is what I have for level-based automatic powers for a Witch's familiar:</span></p><p><em><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="color: blue"><em><strong>Deliver Touch Spells (Su):</strong></em> </span></span></em><span style="font-size: 10px"><span style="color: blue">As normal.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong><em><span style="color: blue"><strong><em>Speak with Witch (Ex):</em></strong> </span></em></strong><span style="color: blue">If the witch is 5th level or higher, the familiar can communicate verbally with the witch as if the witch understood its language. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><em><span style="color: blue"><em><strong>Speak with Animals of Its Kind (Ex):</strong></em> </span></em><span style="color: blue">as normal.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong><em><span style="color: blue">Telepathic Link (Su): </span></em></strong><span style="color: blue">At 9th level and above, the witch and her familiar may communicate verbally without speech, to a distance of one mile.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"><strong><em><span style="color: blue">Sensory Link (Sp):</span></em></strong><span style="color: blue">If the witch is 13th level or higher, she or her familiar may choose to perceive through the other's senses if they are within one mile of each other, and both are willing. This takes full concentration on the part of the one doing the borrowing.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 10px"></span> </p><p><span style="color: blue">Note, no scrying. And since a familiar shares its masters' skills, it already understands any language the master speaks, so I changed that ability. I just like the image of a witch carrying on (apparently) one-sided conversations with her familiar... </span></p><p> </p><p>5th: what about a prestige class arcanist who develops a more powerful familiar?</p><p> </p><p><span style="color: blue">I don't think it would be popular enough to justify making one, but if ya want...</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="AbsintheCurdle1, post: 1132081, member: 14007"] [color=blue]Wow, two posts in a row that perfectly relate to what I'm working on. My "Witch" is a spontaneous-casting druid with a familiar instead of an animal companion- both for flavor and to tone down the class, but if I use KaeYoss' idea maybe I can ramp familiars up just a bit. I like it. Judging the power depends a lot on whether you use your "bonus familiar feats" idea, or whether they need to come from general feats. Personally, I'd add some of these to automatic level-based abilities, and require a regular feat for others. My comments will be based on that assumption:[/color] [b]2nd thought) [/b]per the ongoing discussion, allow familiar to maintain control of a spell 1/3 the caster level of the master. lv/5 times a day, for up to lv/2 rounds. [color=blue]Maybe an INT requirement for the familiar? I'll have to look at the "ongoing discussion"; must've missed that. Certainly feat-worthy.[/color] [b]off hand) [/b]familiar can channel a touch spell without ever being near his master (you are in a pub, when your cat reaches a guard. you cast vampire touch, the cat rubs his leg, viola!) [color=blue]I think it says somewhere that held touch spells are visible, which is why I guess you'd want this. Maybe require the familiar be in line-of-sight; at least [i]some[/i] range requirement. Feat-worthy.[/color] [b]2nd pair of eyes)[/b] familiar makes his own perception rolls instead of just giving you awareness. Note: I assume the alertness feat represents the familiar aiding other to your perception rolls, rather then granting sharpened senses. This would mean the familiar can either give you alertness OR make its own perception checks, but not both at the same time. [color=blue]I dislike this as a DM; adding yet another spot roll to every situation is not a direction I want to go.[/color] [b]eye to eye) [/b]caster level/5 times a day, sense through your familiar while retaining your own senses, lasts lv minutes, requires 2nd pair of eyes [color=blue]I've already put this as a level-dependent part of having a familiar, coming after verbal telepathic communication, [i]not[/i] letting you retain use of your own senses (for one thing, I can't imagine simultaneously having two sets of perceptions), with no duration limit. (See below). It's such a classic ability in fiction...[/color] [b]lethal little friend) [/b]when your familar attacks, you can sacrifice a spell/spell slot as a free action (limit 1 spell per round), adding d3/spell level damage to a single attack of your familiars. If the spell had an energy descriptor, so to does the familiar's attack. [b]Killer Kat)[/b] as per lethal little friend, except it does d6/spell level damage and requires lethal little friend. Limit is now 1 spell per attack [color=blue]Ouch. Doesn't seem too unbalanced, though.[/color] [b]Little Buddy)[/b] heal that sweet little pal of yours, you can sacrifice a spell/spell slot as a free action (limit 1 spell per round), to heal (by touch) your familiar, healing 1d3/spell lv damage. [color=blue]Sure, okay.[/color] [b]Best Friends) [/b]your little friend can now return the favor. 1/day per 4 levels, cast shield other between you and familiar (either can be target). As a move action, sacrifice a spell or spell slot, the shield other lasts for # rounds = spell level. Requires little buddy. [color=blue]This one I don't like, since familiar hit points are already based on the mage's. [/color] [color=blue]Double-dipping or something. Maybe it's just me.[/color] [b]Come to Me) [/b]you can, 1/day and as a partial action, teleport your familiar (no further then 300’ + 10’/LV) to your current location. [color=blue]Another one that I'm not sure if I like the flavor of. Doesn't seem unbalanced, though. If I used it, I'd use standardized Long range (400' + 40'/level) and specify [i]only[/i] the familiar's body, not anything worn or carried.[/color] 1st: would this be worthwhile? [color=blue]Sure, variety is always worthwhile! :)[/color] 3rd: the names of the feats are not too grand, suggestions? [color=blue]Heh. No, all mine are worse.[/color] 4th: other feats to add to the list [color=blue]This is what I have for level-based automatic powers for a Witch's familiar:[/color] [i][size=2][color=blue][i][b]Deliver Touch Spells (Su):[/b][/i] [/color][/size][/i][size=2][color=blue]As normal.[/color] [b][i][color=blue][b][i]Speak with Witch (Ex):[/i][/b] [/color][/i][/b][i][/i][color=blue]If the witch is 5th level or higher, the familiar can communicate verbally with the witch as if the witch understood its language. [/color] [i][color=blue][i][b]Speak with Animals of Its Kind (Ex):[/b][/i] [/color][/i][color=blue]as normal.[/color] [b][i][color=blue]Telepathic Link (Su): [/color][/i][/b][i][/i][color=blue]At 9th level and above, the witch and her familiar may communicate verbally without speech, to a distance of one mile.[/color] [b][i][color=blue]Sensory Link (Sp):[/color][/i][/b][i][/i][color=blue]If the witch is 13th level or higher, she or her familiar may choose to perceive through the other's senses if they are within one mile of each other, and both are willing. This takes full concentration on the part of the one doing the borrowing.[/color] [/size] [color=blue]Note, no scrying. And since a familiar shares its masters' skills, it already understands any language the master speaks, so I changed that ability. I just like the image of a witch carrying on (apparently) one-sided conversations with her familiar... [/color] 5th: what about a prestige class arcanist who develops a more powerful familiar? [color=blue]I don't think it would be popular enough to justify making one, but if ya want...[/color] [/QUOTE]
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