Familiars and Magic Items

[accipiter]

One of my players is thinking about selecting a raven as a familiar. Assuming he does, and the raven can speak Common, can he give it a command word activated magic item to use? If so, how is this handled in combat? Does the familiar get its own turn and actions, or does it act as part of the PC's turn or actions?

I'd assume it would get its own turn and actions, and that if it can reproduce the sounds of the command word it can speak it (a lot like a druid's animal companion?). The player is fine with whatever the answer is, but I wasn't sure, and didn't see anything about it under 'Familiars'?

 

[Infiniti2000]

Language is immaterial to activating the command word. If language were important then no one could activate items with a "seemingly nonsensical word", which happens "more often." But, yes, the raven could activate it and would take actions as you normally handle it -- i.e. on its own initiative. If you don't already handle it this way, you'll see how problematic it gets pretty quickly (with cyclic combat, the wizard / familiar are not in lock-step, you'll have to decide how to handle the raven "riding" on the wizard).

The main issue about the raven using items, however, is that it will be hard to come up with an item it can 'hold'. You may decide it's not difficult, but I have a hard time buying that a raven could (e.g.) "wear" a necklace of fireballs.

 

[Hedgemage]

Numerous official sources have mentioned familiars wearing/utilizing magic items if they have an appropriate body slot or digits to wear or manipulate them respectively.
If all an item needs is a command word, and it is small and light enough for your raven to wear or hold, then it would be able to use it.
A necklace of fireballs would be a bad idea for a raven since he would have no way to throw the fireball sphere before it went off.

 

[accipiter]

If you don't already handle it this way, you'll see how problematic it gets pretty quickly (with cyclic combat, the wizard / familiar are not in lock-step, you'll have to decide how to handle the raven "riding" on the wizard).

This will actually be my first familiar as a DM (my wizard character had one, but it was of the invisible stay in pouch forgot I had one variety). So I should handle it like a druid's companion? It rolls its own initiative and acts completely separately, with the wizard dictating what it does?

A necklace of fireballs would be a bad idea for a raven since he would have no way to throw the fireball sphere before it went off.

Good point! I think the item in question is a necklace from the MIC that allows the wearer to summon a scorpion -- I forget the name (it's been a long day) but I think it'd be plausible.

Sure would like to see the look on a player's face when he had his familiar activate that necklace of fireballs, though.

 

[Jubilee]

In our games, we generally have familiars, companions, pets, and followers go on the main PCs initiative in order to lessen the book keeping. And honestly, most of the time such a critter will hold until the PC's turn, or hold for instruction, which won't come until the PC's turn.

 

[MarkB]

A necklace of fireballs would be a bad idea for a raven since he would have no way to throw the fireball sphere before it went off.

Aside from holind it in his beak, flying above his target, and dropping it.

 

[accipiter]

In our games, we generally have familiars, companions, pets, and followers go on the main PCs initiative in order to lessen the book keeping. And honestly, most of the time such a critter will hold until the PC's turn, or hold for instruction, which won't come until the PC's turn.

That makes a lot of sense -- I think that's how we'll handle it too! The druid character is already doing it that way, but he said that was a house rule, so I wasn't sure it would or should apply to familiars too.

Aside from holind it in his beak, flying above his target, and dropping it.

Why am I suddenly really hoping none of my players are reading this thread?

 

[Dross]

Good point! I think the item in question is a necklace from the MIC that allows the wearer to summon a scorpion -- I forget the name (it's been a long day) but I think it'd be plausible.

I have a mental picture of the raven summoning the scorpian as often as possible for something to eat, and then one scorpian stinging the wizard.