Improved Familiars

[UltimaGabe]

Two questions regarding Familiars gained by the Improved Familiar feat...

1. Do Improved Familiars grant their masters any special abilities, such as the Toad's +3 Hit Points of the cat's +2 bonus on Move Silently checks? If so, what Improved Familiars grant what ability? Would it be feasible, for example, to make a Wizard's Shocker Lizard familiar to grant him the same ability that the Lizard familiar grants?

2. If an improved familiar already has an intelligence higher than 8 (I don't know if any do, but I don't see why it wouldn't be possible), does the familiar's intelligence change when the caster takes the feat (assuming he takes it at 6th level, when he meets the prerequisites, and therefore would have a familiar with an intelligence of 8)? I'm assuming it wouldn't go down- but would it be possible to make the set numbers for the Intelligence column into simply a bonus to the creature's existing Intelligence score (such as the Natural Armor bonus)?

Also, one more question regarding familiars in general- if you take a prestige class that improves your caster level for Sorcerer or Wizard, I'm assuming it doesn't advance your Familiar at all, correct? Does this apply to Improved Familiars as well?

 

[Crothian]

1) unless the famiar says you get a bonus, you do not

2) Keep the higher Int of the two

3) Unless the prestige class says the familiar improives, it does not

 

[blargney the second]

If an ancient green dragon takes a level of sorcerer and Improved Familiar, can he get an air mephit with hundreds of hit points? I want to do this to my players in an upcoming campaign.. *grin*

-blarg

 

[Crothian]

Ya, that works

 

[Hypersmurf]

1) unless the famiar says you get a bonus, you do not

Yeah. In general, the improved familiar is the bonus

Check out some of the spells (like Elemental Familiar, Planar Familiar, and Undead Familiar) in the WotC website Spellbook feature, as well - from memory, you keep the bonus from the base creature even after they transform.

-Hyp.

 

[robberbaron]

If an ancient green dragon takes a level of sorcerer and Improved Familiar, can he get an air mephit with hundreds of hit points? I want to do this to my players in an upcoming campaign.. *grin*
-blarg

Nice!

 

[Tessarael]

Do Improved Familiars grant their masters any special abilities, such as the Toad's +3 Hit Points of the cat's +2 bonus on Move Silently checks?

According to the 3.5E DMG they don't, but I believe they should. In particular, Celestial and Fiendish versions of the standard familiars are not substantially better, and there is no reason why they shouldn't.

However, if you look at other d20 source books such as Relics and Rituals by Sword & Sword, Improved Familiars are handled very differently. The Greater Familiar spell summons an improved familiar, the cost of the spell is 50 XP per class level. There is no feat cost. I like this much better. AD&D always had funky familiars, they were cool flavor. Improved Familiars are funky, but I honestly don't think they can hold their own in a high level party unless they have class levels: i.e. good flavor, but is it really worth spending a feat? These greater familiars result in you losing 250 XP per class level or 300 XP per class level (Fortitude save DC 18 for half).

Anyway, as examples from Relics and Rituals, Greater Familiars:
Celestial/Fiendish Monkey: +8 Climb
Celestial/Fiendish Wolf: +4 Listen, Track feat if accompanied by familiar
Sentry Crow: speaks 2 languages, +4 Spot

Fantastic familiars:
Air Elemental, Small: Air mastery, Fly 1/day
Earth Elemental, Small: Earth mastery, pass through solid rock and earth at 1'/round
Fire Elemental, Small: Fire resistance 20, cast fire spells at +1 caster level
Water Elemental, Small: Water breathing, 30' base movement speed in water
Blink Dog: Dimension Door 1/day
Imp: Regeneration as per Imp
Lantern Archon: +4 save vs. poison, petrificiation immunity, electrical resistance 20
Pseudodragon: Spell resistance 19
Quasit: Regeneration as per Quasit

These fantastic familiar abilities are very good, and definitely worth the investment of a feat. They also have cool flavor in my opinion. I recommend Relics and Rituals as a good book for D&D 3E.

Just my thoughts ...

 

[Oscar carramiñana]

If an ancient green dragon takes a level of sorcerer and Improved Familiar, can he get an air mephit with hundreds of hit points? I want to do this to my players in an upcoming campaign.. *grin*

-blarg

Very cool

 

[blargney the second]

My plan is to have the air mephit familiar be the teacher of planar lore at the academy where the characters play. (Shared skill ranks with the master.. muhaha!) He'll also spy on any activity in the place so the dragon knows what's going on.

-blarg