feat and skill advancement for familiars?

[Plane Sailing]

I love the new rules for animal companions for druids and rangers, and the advancement that the animals get. I also love the way that the animals increasing HD give it additional skill points, feats and attribute points.

That set me to wondering - should familiars get these benefits too? As the familiar increases in virtual HD along with its creators level should it get additional skill points, feats and attribute points along the magical beast schedule?

I don't think I've seen anything in the rules which says that they do, but I don't recall anything that specifically disbars it either. It might be an interesting idea and allow wizards to have more differentiation between their familiars.

I've got no difficulty with instituting this as a house rule for my own games, naturally, but I wonder whether anyone else has already addressed this or thought about it...

Cheers

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

The answer is surely no.

The Animal Companion entry explicitly states that the animal gains full benefits from increasing HD; the Familiar rules do not mention this at all.

Familiars already explicitly advance in effective BAB, HD, HPs, base saves, and skills through their masters. Differentiation of familiars is through species choice, Improved familiar feat, and the master's skill choices. If you want more than that, I think most DMs would be open to suggestions if the master is willing to spend one of his own feats to accomplish it.