Familiars - can someone give me a quick overview?
- Thread starter GlassJaw
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Ktulu
First Post
I wouldn't say it's "drastically" different, just different. The biggest changes are:
No loss of xp/level for losing a familiar (they're almost expendable, as it's treated more like a spirit/entity that posesses the cat/book/skull)
You still get bonuses associated with the creatures, and most have some sort of ability that can be used once per encounter (one shoots eye rays, one has the ability to perform thievery checks, one dies (poor francis)).
It'd likely be easy to port the newer stuff backwards, though since wizards are already slightly ahead of the power-curve in 3.x, that might end up giving them another added boost.
No loss of xp/level for losing a familiar (they're almost expendable, as it's treated more like a spirit/entity that posesses the cat/book/skull)
You still get bonuses associated with the creatures, and most have some sort of ability that can be used once per encounter (one shoots eye rays, one has the ability to perform thievery checks, one dies (poor francis)).
It'd likely be easy to port the newer stuff backwards, though since wizards are already slightly ahead of the power-curve in 3.x, that might end up giving them another added boost.
cdrcjsn
First Post
They have an active and passive status.
Passive means they can't be attacked and gives you a marginal bonus (bonus to skill, extra language, etc).
Active means they can affect combat in some meaningful way (i.e. attacks can originate in their square, foes don't have concealment when adjacent to it, etc.)
Each animal gives a different active/passive bonus.
There are also a slew of feats that you can take that grants additional abilities that are sort of like multi-class swap feats. There's one for example that can replace your utility feat (I think 6th level). It'll allow your familiar to sacrifice itself to take your damage for you for one attack.
Your familiars are more spirits/energy than real flesh and blood animals, so they just reform after a rest.
Most of them are pretty flavorful, and come with fun role playing quirks.
They also run the gamut from normal animals (bats, cats, ravens) to the unusual (flaming skull, fire demon, etc).
Cedric
Passive means they can't be attacked and gives you a marginal bonus (bonus to skill, extra language, etc).
Active means they can affect combat in some meaningful way (i.e. attacks can originate in their square, foes don't have concealment when adjacent to it, etc.)
Each animal gives a different active/passive bonus.
There are also a slew of feats that you can take that grants additional abilities that are sort of like multi-class swap feats. There's one for example that can replace your utility feat (I think 6th level). It'll allow your familiar to sacrifice itself to take your damage for you for one attack.
Your familiars are more spirits/energy than real flesh and blood animals, so they just reform after a rest.
Most of them are pretty flavorful, and come with fun role playing quirks.
They also run the gamut from normal animals (bats, cats, ravens) to the unusual (flaming skull, fire demon, etc).
Cedric
They do not level up, though they derive their abilities from you, and you level up. They are functionally spirits that you have hanging around you, and who can go out and do things. When they're just hanging around, you get some passive bonus, and when they're out doing things they function much like other conjured spirits, under your direction.
Some can run about and do more interesting things than others. Some have better passive bonuses. Some can attack. Others cannot meaningfully attack. Some can't attack, but can harass enemies in various ways.
Without typing up the rules for familiars (I believe you can hunt them down on WotC's site in preview form, if you want full details), the best way to think of them is a conjuration that you always have around.
Some can run about and do more interesting things than others. Some have better passive bonuses. Some can attack. Others cannot meaningfully attack. Some can't attack, but can harass enemies in various ways.
Without typing up the rules for familiars (I believe you can hunt them down on WotC's site in preview form, if you want full details), the best way to think of them is a conjuration that you always have around.
I haven't seen what familiars are available in Arcane Power, but the Familiar article (meant as a companion to Arcane Power) from Dragon Magazine lists quite a variety of new familiar types. Here's a list of the different types presented in the article:
Heroic-tier bonus familiars:
Heroic-tier bonus familiars:
- Arcane eye;
- Badger;
- Canine construct;
- Disembodied hand;
- Fire lizard;
- Lightning lizard;
- Ooze;
- Parrot;
- Rootling (a tiny plant-thing);
- Scout homunculus (a flying construct);
- Skull;
- Toad;
- Weasel;
- Air mephit;
- Arcane wisp;
- Beholderkin;
- Blackspawn darkling;
- Bluespawn nimblespark;
- Earth mephit;
- Fire mephit;
- Grayspawn shortfang;
- Greenspawn banespike;
- Ice mephit;
- Rakshasa claw;
- Redspawn spitfire;
- Stone fowl (resembles a cockatrice);
- Whitespawn snowstepper;
- Blazing skull;
- Chaos shard;
- Gibbering pet;
- Shadow incarnate.
WarlockLord
First Post
Any arcane caster can, if they take the feat.
cdrcjsn
First Post
But if that paladin reaaaaally wants that familiar, he can multi-class into warlock or some other arcane class and then take the familiar feat, since the MC feats allow you to be considered as being that class for purposes of abilities and other feats.
Betote
First Post
I've liked what I've read so far about 4e familiars (I don't have a DDI subscription, so "what I've read" means "what people posted here on ENWorld), and they don't seem too difficult to export to my PFRPG/3.x games.
I particularly like the options of having weird familiars as the chopped hand or the floating eye, and how they solved the "forgetableness" of D&D familiars (V's raven, anyone?). Paragon and Epic tier familiars could easily be solved with "Improved Familiar" feats with certain lever prerequisites, so I'm all in
I particularly like the options of having weird familiars as the chopped hand or the floating eye, and how they solved the "forgetableness" of D&D familiars (V's raven, anyone?). Paragon and Epic tier familiars could easily be solved with "Improved Familiar" feats with certain lever prerequisites, so I'm all in
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