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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 6208218" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Issue 341: March 2006part 3/6Forging friends: Familiars got a fair number of articles in previous editions, but this seems to have dropped off lately, with Issue 280 being the last big one, 5 years ago. Which is funny, given how much easier it is to customise stuff in in 3e. Oh well, they're back again, with a whole bunch of variant familiars that you build, rather than summon. It may cost you more, but greater power and hopefully loyalty is probably worth the price. Copper Asps spit good ol' con draining poison on anyone who disses their master. Which means you can act dignified and disapproving while still teaching people a serious lesson. Muahaha. Crystal Cats take their cues from Hellcats, being so transparent they're near invisible, which makes them pretty handy as spies. It does make them even more fragile than most familiars though. All cats demand attention, I guess these are no exception. Erudite Owls are one of the highest level of these, and get quite handy divination spell-like abilities of their own to add to yours. With a high Wisdom as well, they might well spot problems that you would miss on your own in both exploration and social situations. Glass Dragonflys are all about the flying speed. Oh and color spray from their prismatic wings. Not as stealthy as the cats then, but still able to get away from most pursuers. Mercurial Spiders are your own tiny T-1000, able to slip through the smallest crack or disguise themselves as any inanimate object of similar size and look really cool while changing shape. They're another poisonous one too, so they can really do some damage if they catch an enemy unawares at night. Razor Hawks use their sharpened wings to make fly-by attacks, which'll make killing them a matter of holding your action to strike as they pass. They'll still go down pretty quickly if you do get a solid hit though, like most familiars. Salvage Rats aren't made of a particular type of metal, the important thing is the symbolism of rescuing it from the scrapheap. They have the lovely power to rust enemy armor, which makes them stand out quite nicely. And indeed, I think all of these have enough finesse in their tricks to make up for their lack of physical power if played smartly. Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are SUBTLE and quick to anger. Full frontal nerdity gives thanks for Janet Jackson's breasts. My, they are topical quite frequently in here. Automatons for Amateurs: Golems continue to be one of those iconic monsters everyone knows about, and has a million amusing variants. However, it is true that they tend towards high level, so it's a bit tricky to fill a whole campaign with them the way you can undead, fiends or dragons. (if you count pseudodragons, lesser drakes, etc) Since that does sound like a cool theme for an adventure path, so let's hope these guys do indeed fit the bill and let us go for achievable challenges right from 1st level. Fungus Golems appeared in issue 255, in a rather more specific and interesting form. Oh. It's going to be one of THOSE sorts of articles is it? :Sigh: Junk Golems are the big brothers of Salvage Rats, and are quite handy because they can self-repair by incorporating stuff from the people they fight. They also get a rusting ability, which always pisses off gearhead adventurers. Muahaha, as per standard.Paper Golems sound only slightly more threatening than chocolate or plush golems, and indeed, they are CR1, which means they'll go down in a single hit against scissors or fire. Just don't be silly and try bludgeoning attacks, because they'll just bend around them. Tin Golems appeared in issue 156, where they were big toy soldiers in classic april tradition. This time round, they're all serious and boring, with their most distinctive feature being greater manual dexterity than the average golem. Yawn. Another reminder of what we've lost over the years. Wax Golems let you do the creepy animate dummy thing which has been used to great effect in TV shows like Dr Who. I doubt experienced players will be caught flat-footed though, since it's hardly an uncommon occurrence. Wood Golems previously appeared in issue 119. This appears to be yet another case of independent evolution though, as they don't share and features statistically or fluffwise. So it goes, when it's such an obvious material to use. This article definitely isn't winning any awards for originality or inventiveness from me.</blockquote>

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