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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 6715310" data-attributes="member: 4937">Yes, they do.  "When choosing a familiar, the creatures listed below are also available to the spellcaster. The spellcaster may choose a familiar with an alignment up to one step away on each of the alignment axes (lawful through chaotic, good through evil)."  They go on to say other things, but they begin with stating the basic rule.Yes, they say that too, and I also fully agree with the implication.  But all that really means is calling out that "Rule 0" applies here.  The guidelines given by the feat are not sufficient for the player to work out ahead of time what sort of creature is a "possible improved familiar" nor work out what the minimum caster level for taking such a creature could be.  "Rule 0" isn't really a rule.  It's an appeal, just as you state it is, to work with the DM outside of the rules.  "Suitable" is not precisely defined, and unless otherwise indicated the rules in the first two clauses are still in force.Does "Anything goes" imply that I can select an Ancient Gold Dragon as a familiar?  Ok, so it's too big, then how about an Ancient Pixie Dragon?  Of course not.  Those aren't reasonable.  Ok, how about a Mud Slaad?  And even if reasonable, what caster level do you need to be?  Even if the table agreement is "anything goes", we still need to define "suitable".Now, the feat could precisely define the list of all possible familiars, using something like the following:1) Add any one legal template to a legal animal familiar which adds no more than +1 CR to a creature with 5 or fewer HD, and which has LA of +3 or less.  Caster level must be 3rd or higher.OR2) Choose any medium sized or smaller animal with up to 3 CR.  Caster level must be 3rd or higher.OR 3) Choose any non-humanoid tiny or small creature of 1-3 CR and no more than +3 LA as a cohort.  If the creature is not an outsider, dragon, undead, or a fey, caster level must be at least 3rd or higher if the creature is 1 CR, 5th or higher if 2 CR, or 7th or higher if 3 CR.  If the creature is an outsider, dragon, undead or fey, caster level must be at least 5th or higher if the creature is 1 CR, 7th or higher if 2 CR, or 9th or higher if the creature is 3 CR.But the feat doesn't provide a definition of a suitable familiar.   It only provides one 'standard list' and a second 'optional list', then resorts to rule 0.  Incidentally, even my 'precise' definition (though IMO fairly solid and hard to break) would probably want refining and an appeal to Rule 0 in the opposite direction along the lines of, "The DM retains the right to approve or reject any suggested familiar."</blockquote>

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