Familiars... what would you want in a supplement about them?

[Crothian]

I'd like to see more concrete instructions on what goes into getting the familiar. What is the money used for? Are there ways to vary this or would different familiars require different processes to get.

I'd also like to see a Familiar Wizard prestege class. A wizard who has multiple familiars and all of them have additional abilities beyond the average familiar.

How about a prestige class made for a familiar? I think that would be a very potent idea.

 

[Bagpuss]

I'm thinking of writing up a supplement on familiars (for publication) and was wondering if:

1) Anyone would be interested?

2) What you would like to see in such a book?

Jaldaen

1) Yes.

2) Me.

 

[Kichwas]

Originally posted by jaldaen
[qb]I could see a whole avenue of exploration along the theme of Sorcerer's who have intered into soul or blood pacts with their familiars in order to tap into magical powers themed to the animal. Especially with infernal or celestial familiars, but even with normal animal familiars.[/qb]

Hmmm... now that I might consider, but than again I would probably end up doing something similar for wizards... ;-)

You shouldn't for two reasons:

1. The Sorcerer just needs things that are unique to it alone.

2. Wizards learn their magic. Sorcerers get it from blood or 'infernal / celestial' deals. Making pacts to improve or customize it is something that should run in their blood.

What I'm talking about is making that pact operate in some way through the familiar.

Not all sorcerers are just 'Dragon Blood' (in fact none that I've seen in play have used this dull concept).

Getting your magic from the same thing that granted you your familiar and thus in some way tying the two together is something that's really up their alley but not so with the Wizard.

The Wizard class already has way more than enough toys as it is. There's no reason to give it ones that fit the Sorcerer concept better.

 

[Kichwas]

Originally posted by jaldaen You might say, but you said you'd take a look at Spells and Spellcraft, etc... Yes I did, but that is because such is released under OGL

My only concern here is that you make your rules compatible.

If I have to choose between different rulesets I will only choose one. Most of us already own FFG's book.

I had this conversation with some people over d20 Supers as well. If two publishers make the same concept but don't make themselves compatable they each only get half the sales. If they are compatable they're likely to be able to share sales and both benifit.

That was the whole idea with d20 to begin with; and currently a LOT of the d20 market has forgotten this; which is resulting in a lot of unsold product showing up at game stores...


I could care less if you use their stuff over again. In fact I'd rather you didn't.

But if you're not compatable you may lose my sale on that fact alone.

That's why I want you looking at what other publishers have done with familiars.

 

[jaldaen]

I'd like to see more concrete instructions on what goes into getting the familiar. What is the money used for? Are there ways to vary this or would different familiars require different processes to get.

I'd also like to see a Familiar Wizard prestege class. A wizard who has multiple familiars and all of them have additional abilities beyond the average familiar.

How about a prestige class made for a familiar? I think that would be a very potent idea.

These are things that will most likely be appearing in the book if the proposal I send gets accepted ;-)

Jaldaen

 

[jaldaen]

My only concern here is that you make your rules compatible...

That I will try to do ;-)

That was the whole idea with d20 to begin with; and currently a LOT of the d20 market has forgotten this; which is resulting in a lot of unsold product showing up at game stores...

I agree... I think more compatibility would be great... the only thing that really is problematic is who to be compatible with? ;-) Seeing as so many publishers have gone their own ways that is a difficult thing to decide...

I could care less if you use their stuff over again. In fact I'd rather you didn't.

I would also prefer not to ;-)

But if you're not compatable you may lose my sale on that fact alone.

That's why I want you looking at what other publishers have done with familiars.

I too want to and that is what I meant by the above statement... I meant that b/c Spells and Spellcraft are OGL I feel more comfortable using their OGL rules as a base than I would something put up in the House Rules section...

Jaldaen

 

[Kichwas]

So far there's only one area of incompatability in familiars in d20.

WotC made a feat called improved familiar (FRCS or Magic of Faerun -I think-) and Sword and Sorcery made near the same thing as a spell (Relics and Rituals).

The choice on these is easy: the WotC version is not OGL.
FFG's Spells and Spellcraft is confusing in it's OGL application.

It says all the text is closed content but the rules derived from the SRD are open. This is not very clear in exactly which rules are open and which aren't and I suspect they do this to force you to contact them over it.

Kalamar is not an OGL product but a Dungeons and Dragons one. Nothing in any Kalamar book is OGC.

However it's very easy to be compatable with what they do to familiars.


I would wager the real goal is compatability with Spells and Spellcraft simply because that is the most detailed and complete version. It's the only book that goes through familiar design in detail. It's just missing a few key items like how to make 'normal familiars'.

 

[jaldaen]

I would wager the real goal is compatability with Spells and Spellcraft simply because that is the most detailed and complete version. It's the only book that goes through familiar design in detail. It's just missing a few key items like how to make 'normal familiars'.

I flipped through it today at the shop and thought that was kind of funny myself... but then again who wants a normal familiar ;-)

j/k

Jaldaen

 

[Kichwas]

Well by normal familiar I mean perhaps rules for making Cats into familiars. Of course we already have cats...

But we don't have monkeys, penguins, gerbals, pigeons, racoons, squirrels, lemurs, -insert animal here- and so on...

I've heard that they actually wrote a beta version of such rules; but it got cut from the project.

Now I have to tell you that the first person who publishes such rules in a format that CAN recreate the currently published familiars found in the PHB, FRCS, and Dragon 280 will win my money.

If they have other items of interest in that book then I'll be even more 'sold'.

But those rules are something I've been waiting for since August 2000.

 

[jaldaen]

Now I have to tell you that the first person who publishes such rules in a format that CAN recreate the currently published familiars found in the PHB, FRCS, and Dragon 280 will win my money.

If they have other items of interest in that book then I'll be even more 'sold'.

But those rules are something I've been waiting for since August 2000.

We will see if I can make that waiting worth it ;-)

Thanks,
Jaldaen