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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Samurai" data-source="post: 4280730" data-attributes="member: 3850">Thanks for the replies!  a)  If your Int bonus increases permanently, you may choose 1 additional skill or language.  Temporary increases do not provide any bonus.  b)  Half elves are widely considered to be underpowered (and I agree), and I HATE the bonus to ally's skills within a zone.  They make no sense, they impinge on that character's niche, and people will forget to add a +1 bonus from another character, who may or may not be within 5 or 10 squares from your character.  The Ref bonus makes much more sense, IMO.c)  Cleric - Remember that Divine Fortune is a Personal prayer, it only affects the cleric, not the whole party.  So a +1 bonus to attack rolls or saving throws, only for the Cleric, until the end of next round (2 attacks/powers or 2 rounds of saving throws) is not that extraordinary a power IMO.  Other races get constant (or very common) bonuses to attacks, such as the Ranger, Fighter, and Rogue.  A +4 Wis to a single attack would actually be a bigger bonus than +1 to 2 attacks.Wizard - I considered giving the familiar HPs of his own (probably only a few points), or just have him use the Wizard's HP, but that creates problems with area attacks either killing him automatically, or hitting the Wizard twice (once when it hits the wizard himself, and again when it hits the familiar who is linked to the Wizard).  Since Disarm and Sundering are no longer allowed, though, a Wizard's other Implements are effectively immune to attacks as well (except from Disintegrate), thus the Familiar should be no different.  Any attack or effect that could destroy or remove a wand, staff, or orb, I'd rule would also work against a familiar.  But in general, most attacks will target the Wizard himself, not his Implements, whether it's a wand or a ferret.As for it gaining magical adjustments for free, it only gains them at the level at which a Wizard could build his own Implement.  Most Wizards would already have a magical Implement before this time however, since you find magic items 1 to 5 levels higher than your own level, not your level or lower.  So while a 1st level Wizard might well find (or buy) a +1 Wand or Staff, a wizard with a familiar will have to wait until 3rd level to get his +1 bonus.  Yes, he'll get it free, and the Familiar need only be within 10 squares, not in his hands, but he's going to get that bonus about 2-3 levels later than another Wizard.  (Though, there's nothing preventing a Wizard from using an Implement he doesn't have Mastery in... it just means that he can only use that special bonus when using the proper Implement.  So a Wizard with Familiar Implement Mastery could use a Staff +1 that he finds, but he wouldn't get any additional AC  bonus or staff Mastery ability)  Also, a Wizard can only use 1 Implement for any 1 particular spell.  A +1 Familiar and a +1 Staff only lets him use a single +1, not combine them for +2.So the real benefit of having a Familiar is what ability the Implement Mastery gives you.  Instead of an attack bonus like the wand, or extending the duration of sustainable effects like an orb, it lets the Wizard cast the spell through the familiar, as if he were in some other square within 10 squares, after the familiar has moved there, once per day.  This works well for a Burst or Blast effect that he doesn't want to roast his buddies with, but also doesn't want to run around their protective wall to get close to the enemy to cast it.  It's a unique bonus, very useful for a Wizard, that also meshes well with familiar rules of old, so I think it's well balanced, in all.</blockquote>

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