Improved Familiar

[Zhure]

The Improved Familiar feat is on the list for my sorcerer, but he's happy with his current familar, just wants to upgrade it to Celestial. (Yes, I am aware this isn't the greatest use of a feat.)

The feat says it's for new familiars, but I don't want my character to have to kill his current familiar, wait a year, then get a new one, for obvious role-play and roll-play XP penalty reasons.

Is there any precedent for allowing the change by just investing in the feat?

Greg

 

[Maitre Du Donjon]

i have not heard of a precedent, but if one of my players asked me such a thing, i certainly wouldn't play it "you wake up next morning and your rat now has an aureola"... I'd probably set up some sort of quest, not so much diffrent from a paladin's mount quest, to explain the sudden amelioration of the familiar's condition.

I don't think by the rules you can "upgrade" your familiar other than by yourself going up in levels...

Maitre D

 

[yennico]

I have only an idea for the fiendish template.
Your PC have to get some blood from a demon or a devil. This blood must be treated by some strange alchemicals and magic. The product of this procedure, a very special blood will be used a infusion for the familiar. The process to transform your familiar into a fiendish familiar is cruel and evil and there is also a chance you kill or loose your familiar.

Just my 2 cents
yennico

Edit: I´m no person who in real life wants to torture any animals.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

If you're a Good wizard, there's a relatively easy rules-sound way to get your current familiar the Celestial template. It won't even cost a feat.

Go to the Wizards "Spellbook" feature on their website, and check the archives for a spell titled "Planar Familiar." You'll need to get yourself a scroll of Limited Wish scribed with a 500xp cap (so it'll be a tad more expensive than normal.) Use the scroll to mimic Planar Familiar. If you're Good aligned, *BAM!* Instant Celestial familiar.

 

[Artoomis]

The spell may not be allowed for you (it came out before teh Improved Familiar faet).

If it's not allowed, then petition you DM to allow your familiar to become celestial with the feat. It should involve something rather dramatic, of course. This would probably invovle your church, etc.

I'd allow it.

 

[Lord Pendragon]

The spell may not be allowed for you (it came out before teh Improved Familiar faet).

If it's not allowed, then petition you DM to allow your familiar to become celestial with the feat. It should involve something rather dramatic, of course. This would probably invovle your church, etc.

I'd allow it.

A good point, though I'd petition my DM to allow the spell. After all, a celestial cat or raven is no match for the pseudodragon you can get with the Improved Familiar feat.

 

[Chun-tzu]

The spell may not be allowed for you (it came out before teh Improved Familiar faet).

Actually, I think it came after the feat.

Improved Familiar was in Tome & Blood, dated July 2001 (according to Amazon.com). The spellbook entry page is "sb20011020a", which I take to mean the entry from October 20, 2001.

This spell is more directly applicable than the feat, and it still requires the player to research the spell and to pay an XP cost on top of that. That seems like plenty to me.

 

[Li Shenron]

The Improved Familiar feat is on the list for my sorcerer, but he's happy with his current familar, just wants to upgrade it to Celestial. (Yes, I am aware this isn't the greatest use of a feat.)

The feat says it's for new familiars, but I don't want my character to have to kill his current familiar, wait a year, then get a new one, for obvious role-play and roll-play XP penalty reasons.

Is there any precedent for allowing the change by just investing in the feat?

Greg

I generally never apply the Celestial and Fiendish templates to living creatures, as well as many other templates that I use only as a birth consequence (native to an outer plane), but if in your campaign it's possible to be "promoted" to outsider state then it's ok.

Althought the feat doesn't seems to allow it, I think you shouldn't worry and just give your player the chance to upgrade her familiar without dismissing the previous. I agree to the suggestion about delaying the benefit until completion of a sub-plot quest.

 

[Karanaj]

If you're a Good wizard, there's a relatively easy rules-sound way to get your current familiar the Celestial template. It won't even cost a feat.

Go to the Wizards "Spellbook" feature on their website, and check the archives for a spell titled "Planar Familiar." You'll need to get yourself a scroll of Limited Wish scribed with a 500xp cap (so it'll be a tad more expensive than normal.) Use the scroll to mimic Planar Familiar. If you're Good aligned, *BAM!* Instant Celestial familiar.

Acutally I believe they also have the spells "Celestial Familiar" and "Fiendish Familiar". The "Planar Familiar" was just used to changed your present familiar into an elemental (as I recall. I could be wrong).

 

[Zhure]

In this case, I'm the player and not the DM. As a DM I'd allow the change with a feat purchase and some kind of quest. I'm just doing advance research; it won't come up for another three levels. (I had to take Craft Magic Arms & Armor at 6th, but my 9th level feat isn't dedicated yet.)

Greg