Poll : Aside from Toad, which familiar in PHB is popular in your play group?

[Shin Okada]

In my group, Raven. Speaks one language is good both for role playing and gaming purpose. A flying messenger is really useful.

 

[Jeremy]

Female gamers in our group. A rare breed but occasionally predictable.

Can't infect them with any good munchkin traits though so far, so they keep choosing cats over Drizzt's.

 

[dragonsworn]

My Clr3/Wiz1/Rgr2 had a hawk familiar and it worked great until it was swallowed by a Black Dragon in the Forge of Fury.

Cat is also popular in our gaming group.

 

[Deset Gled]

Most of the magic users in my group have a fairly classical mindset of what wizards are like. They also tend to take a lot of spells, PrCs, etc, for flavor rather than power. The result: owls.

 

[Crothian]

Even if you included toads (which I have yet to see chosen) weasels are still the most populiar I've seen. Actually, none is the most populiar choose. Some reason people don't seem to take them.

 

[Kraedin]

No one I've met so far has a familiar. They felt that the risk of its death was to great, when compared against the granted abilities.

 

[Deadguy]

No one I've met so far has a familiar. They felt that the risk of its death was to great, when compared against the granted abilities.

Interesting.... is this a matter of trust, I wonder? I mean, do they not trust their DMs enough to show a little care to one of their (expensive) class features? Or is it that their idea of how to use a familiar means always putting it in harms way, with the inevitable serious risks of demise?

Third Edition has gone a long way towards making the fictional idea of the Familiar useful to the player. But players and DMs need to talk how they practically see Familiars in the specific game. If the DM says "oh, they make good scouts, that's how people usually use 'em", and then takes every opportunity to kill of a familiar whenever it leaves the presence of its master, well it's no wonder he doens't get anyone wanting familiars! I guess I am saying that the Wizard / Sorcerer / Adept players need to settle the contract in advance.

 

[Li Shenron]

I have seen a Toad and an Owl, but most players are scared about the possible Xp loss if the familiar dies, and usually they don't want to have one. Or they tend to leave it at home, losing the benefit of Alertness and any other usefulness except the granted power (which IIRC works anyway only up to 1 mile away).

I know more than one DM with the attitude of purposefully bring trouble to this kind of character feature. I wonder why, but those DMs seem to feel compelled to wreck the Familiar, to steal the Spellbook, to prevent use of every story-spoiler Divination or alignment detection, and more. It was one of the reason why I decided to be the DM when we started playing (I mean, to prevent such behaviour), until someone else proved to be a reasonable DM.

 

[Simulacrum]

Absolute FAvorite of just about everyone I met is Imp & quasit that you can choose with the improved familiar feat.
The Imp is just awesome, the polymorph self ability alone makes it it worth the feat, not to mention it's invisibility and poison

 

[Gez]

We have two PCs with familiar (out of 3 campaigns that features sorcerers or wizards), and these two are both owls.

I know no one would consider a toad familiar. Just too ugly and useless (except for that boost in Con -- but even a boost in Con is not worth being nicknamed "Neville Longbottom").

Cat and raven are being considered, as well as fox (that would give +2 on reflex save).