No familiar, thanks.

[devilbat]

One of my players would like to play a Wizard without a familiar for an upcoming campaign. He tells me there is an alternative option for the class, but he's unable to provide a source. I'm at work, and can't access my books.

Would someone please point me to the source?

 

[Pbartender]

Unearthed Arcana Variants in the SRD...

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#sorcererWizard

 

[Storm Raven]

One of my players would like to play a Wizard without a familiar for an upcoming campaign. He tells me there is an alternative option for the class, but he's unable to provide a source. I'm at work, and can't access my books.

Would someone please point me to the source?

Unearthed Arcana has alternate features for all of the specialist wizard subclasses, including features that replace the wizard's familiar.

 

[Ciaran]

Unearthed Arcana has alternate features for all of the specialist wizard subclasses, including features that replace the wizard's familiar.

I thought that was in Player's Handbook II?

 

[Bardsandsages]

Familiars have always been a non-issue in the games I run. Most wizards/sorcerers don't bother to take one, as they are too terrified of what happens if it dies. The benefit of a familiar just doesn't justify the risk.

 

[el-remmen]

As far as I am concerned, having a familiar can be as much a liability as it is useful, so choosing to not have one does not need any options or alternatives.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

As far as I am concerned, having a familiar can be as much a liability as it is useful, so choosing to not have one does not need any options or alternatives.

That is the way I looked at it too.

 

[Festivus]

Dragon magazine not too far back had an option for a staff familiar (Dragon #338) which is kind of interesting option for a familiar that is non-traditional.

 

[TheAuldGrump]

Hmmm, given that my campaigns tend to be less combat driven than some, and more investigative than most, the arcane casters in my games find familiars to be invaluable. But I can see how losing your familiar everytime an enemy spellcaster shoots off Fireball can be a tad annoying.

PHB II does indeed also have an alternate starting ability to Familiars, granting a spell-like ability based on School.

The Auld Grump

 

[wingsandsword]

I also see very few wizards actually bother with a familiar, too many liabilities.

The only time I ever see familiars taken is in a certain style of game, where the player wants the bonus it grants, and then kinda handwaves away the familiar and never really acknowledges it (unless it becomes really important), and the DM agrees and never brings up that the familiar is actually there. (Kinda like V in OotS).

Personally, in 3.75/4e/whatever comes next, I'd rather the familiar be replaced with several options, one of which can be a familiar, and give alternatives. Heck, it was optional in 1e and 2e since it was a spell you had to find and cast to even have a familiar at all (and in my experience even fewer bothered with, since most DM's I knew made it hard to get new spells, and familiars have always been huge potential liabilities).