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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kigmatzomat" data-source="post: 542122" data-attributes="member: 9254">I don't have any wizards with familiars in my game, but I do have characters with animal companions (druid, cleric w/animal domain) and are high enough level to have speak with animal items and/or awakened animals.  They keep their smaller creatures alive with tactics.  small creatures do scouting but not combat.  The dogs make excellent scouts and can also detect invisible or well hidden foes (scent).  They will fight animals and beasts but can tell that abherrations, outsiders et. al smell way too much like freaky predators to attack without great reason.  The birds are primarily scouts but will also make flank attacks against unexpecting foes.  They've been trained/directed to work opposite the rogues first.  So what if the d3-2 doesn't hurt the target; the 6d6 sneak attacks will make short work of many foes.The awakened badger won't attack something bigger than Large, despite being a psychotic little barbarian.  He will often use stealth (tunneling) to hide or sneak up on opponents.  Northing like 30lbs of angry teeth and claws exploding out of the ground behind you in a flanking position.  From my own experience as a wizard with familiars, away from their master they should use cover and concealment.  Trees can provide 9/10th cover, while uncut grass and underbrush gives 9/10th concealment.  I've also been known to cast spells directly on the familiar and provide them with magic items (armor, resistance, darkvision,  dex boosts, invisibility, etc). And, while the whole "pocket providing protection" thing bothers me as a GM (why doesn't the gnome ride in the ogre's backpack and get full cover too?)  instead I rule that wizardsautomatically interpose themselves between the familiar and the spell, providing full cover as long as the familiar was in the same 5' square.  The familiar also automatically leaps/flys/whatever in the direction most helpful (due to the empathic link).</blockquote>

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