Familiars: Why Empathic Link before Speak with Master?

[Magus Coeruleus]

I don't get it. At first level, a sorceror/wizard can "communicate telepathically" with her familiar. At fifth level, "the familiar and master can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language."

The former ability seems more powerful, and to make the latter completely obsolete. Verbal language has a more limited range, is subject to eavesdropping with magical translation, and can be blocked by silence, etc. The empathic link seems to allow the same communication without any of these vulnerabilities or restrictions.

I could venture a guess that the empathic link allows a more limited degree of communication, but there's nothing in the PHB to suggest that you can't convey all the same information with empathic link that you can verbally. It just reminds you that the intelligence and instictive/motivational perspective of the familiar limits its communication and understanding capabilities. While this note is not repeated under the Speak with Master ability description, I see no reason why the same limitations wouldn't apply.

What am I missing here?

Thanks,

 

[DungeonKeeperUK]

I could venture a guess that the empathic link allows a more limited degree of communication, but there's nothing in the PHB to suggest that you can't convey all the same information with empathic link that you can verbally.

I know when I describe an empathic link theres is no way the familiar can convay the same info as an epathic link... Say the Hawk a familiar of a Sorceror is checking out a woodland path and there are 20 Orcs and 2 Ogres coming up the path, with Speak Language it could return and say "Blimey theres a group of Orcs and Ogres with big gnarley weapons and pointy sticks coming down that path, run Charlie, run for your life"... but with an Empathic Link the sorceror would only have a feeling of fear coming from the Hawk, however this may also be down to a Kestral thats attacking the Hawk for coming into its nesting area or a particularly nasty headwind knocking the bird off its flight path, but the Sorceror would only feel fear coming from the Hawk...

Thats how I use it anyway, hope it helps...
Andrew

 

[hong]

As DungeonkeeperUK said, empathy is not the same as language use. Empathy allows the familiar to convey emotions and sensations, but not complex thoughts or reasoning.

 

[RigaMortus]

Here is another great example...

You are in combat and need to relay a crucial message to your familiar. You can use "empathic link" to mentally talk to the familiar, but the empathic link is treated as a Supernatural Ability. You can only use Supernatural Abilities as a Standard Action. Which basically means you need to give up MOST of your actions on your turn to communicate telepathically with your familiar.

Now Speak with Master allows verbal communication that only the familiar and master can understand. So this is 1) a free action (verbal speaking in combat is a free action) and 2) is not prone to "normal" eavesdropping as only the Master and Familiar can understand each other.

Hope this helps!

 

[Cymsdale]

I have heard two explanations for the reason, both of which I think are true, only one I actually use.

1) Speak with Master is not a supernatural ability, that way it cannot be blocked out by an anti-magic field (and you know how many millions of those players tend to run across *rolls eyes*)

2) SPeak with Master requires a standard action to use, and cannot be used as a free action. I only pseudo-follow this one, because it means using the familiar as a touch attack would require a whole extra turn. I really hope someone proves me mistaken about this one.

Once the speak with master ability comes into play, you don't have to worry about the rules that much.