Hating on familiars
- Thread starter werk
- Start date
Voadam
Legend
UA specialist wizard familiarless variants
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm
ChimericDream
First Post
Having seen (in one or two books, IIRC) a feat specifically for obtaining a familiar (appropriately called "Obtain Familiar"), I gave my players the option of simply choosing any other feat they qualified for at 1st level. It's not game-breaking, and it lets them decide whether they want to deal with a familiar or not.
Mistwell
Crusty Old Meatwad
If familiars were simply invulnerable when on your person, they would make more sense. It's the risk of death for what amounts to a feat that bothers me about them. Better yet, if the death of a familiar was sort of like a summoned creature, and they were just unavailable for re-summoning for a day or something without any other harm (other than burning a spell slot to get them back), that would work better.
Then again, I have seen some great builds that use a familiar....
Then again, I have seen some great builds that use a familiar....
Last edited:
Li Shenron
Legend
Mistwell said:
I think it's a fair risk.
However if you don't want the risk, consider that there are other options beside asking the DM for a replacement of the whole summon familiar ability:
- Bring the familiar with you in your adventures, but not in combat: the main bonus granted works within 1 mile, so leaving the familiar outside of the dungeon for example may often mean that you don't lose that bonus. The price to pay is to lose Alertness (something you can live without) and the possible aid of the familiar during combat (which you wouldn't do anyway because of the risks).
- Leave the familiar at home: you lose all benefits during adventures, but sometimes you may use them when doing something within the town. Furthermore, remember that combat is only one of many uses for a a familiar: there's messenger, scout, tracker, alarm... all of which threaten it less than a fight.
- Look for spells and items (e.g. in T&B) specifically designed to protect the familiar.
roguerouge
First Post
familiar builds
Can you give a thread or an example of these killer familiar builds which you allude to?
Can you give a thread or an example of these killer familiar builds which you allude to?
Kurashu
First Post
Hexblade/Duskblade With Improved Familiar. I'm actually contemplating a Hexblade/Dragon Disciple build with a Worg/Winter Wolf/something decent familiar. Full base attack full arcane caster progression and practiced spellcaster. Toss in a little Marshall for some extra cheese. I just wished Gnomes didn't take a Str penalty.
Or Arcane Heirophant. That'd be a good one too. Familar + Companion. Plus you get some other stuff which is flipping sweet.
The variants from UA are alright too.
Or Arcane Heirophant. That'd be a good one too. Familar + Companion. Plus you get some other stuff which is flipping sweet.
The variants from UA are alright too.
Jack Simth
First Post
You can do useful things, completely Core, with a well-selected familiar. Really. At low-levels, at least.
Bat familiar: Very small, put it inside your clothing, where it sleeps while you adventure. Your clothing is attended (by you), so you take the consequences of anything that attempts to get to your familiar must get through you first (familiar has total cover, so can't be targetted by all but a handful of effects; you're attending your clothing, so except for a handful of effects and natural-1's on saves, you take any damage your clothing otherwise would - like, say, a Burning Hands spell you get caught in). Why a bat? Well, it's got Blindsense, it can sleep during the day, and it doesn't need to rest and regain spells. It's really, really hard to hide from blindsense (Incorporeal, certain non-core feats). Sure, it's only Blindsense-20, so someone with a bow can still give you a nasty surprise, but it's also got a really good Listen score. Taking 10, the move Silently DC to keep a bat from hearing you is 18. You can get a reasonable chance of beating that at low levels.
Owl: Same as the bat, really, although instead of blindsense, it's got a Listen check of +16, and a Spot check of +8 (with a +8 racial bonus in areas of shadowy illunination - like, say, at night, when you're sleeping).
Hard to beat a rat for overall stealth - Hide +16, Move Silently +12;also has a climb and swim speed, so can get around most obstacles. Mind you, a Toad with a Silence spell can beat the rat for overall stealth... but that requires a 2nd level Clerical spell, and the toad has a move of 5.
And to top it off, familiars are intelligent. By default, they understand common, even if they can't speak it. You can tell your familiar to wake you if anything potentially dangerous comes by.
Bat familiar: Very small, put it inside your clothing, where it sleeps while you adventure. Your clothing is attended (by you), so you take the consequences of anything that attempts to get to your familiar must get through you first (familiar has total cover, so can't be targetted by all but a handful of effects; you're attending your clothing, so except for a handful of effects and natural-1's on saves, you take any damage your clothing otherwise would - like, say, a Burning Hands spell you get caught in). Why a bat? Well, it's got Blindsense, it can sleep during the day, and it doesn't need to rest and regain spells. It's really, really hard to hide from blindsense (Incorporeal, certain non-core feats). Sure, it's only Blindsense-20, so someone with a bow can still give you a nasty surprise, but it's also got a really good Listen score. Taking 10, the move Silently DC to keep a bat from hearing you is 18. You can get a reasonable chance of beating that at low levels.
Owl: Same as the bat, really, although instead of blindsense, it's got a Listen check of +16, and a Spot check of +8 (with a +8 racial bonus in areas of shadowy illunination - like, say, at night, when you're sleeping).
Hard to beat a rat for overall stealth - Hide +16, Move Silently +12;also has a climb and swim speed, so can get around most obstacles. Mind you, a Toad with a Silence spell can beat the rat for overall stealth... but that requires a 2nd level Clerical spell, and the toad has a move of 5.
And to top it off, familiars are intelligent. By default, they understand common, even if they can't speak it. You can tell your familiar to wake you if anything potentially dangerous comes by.
