Replacement for a familiar or a mount?

[Pielorinho]

In a campaign we're starting, one of our rules is that nobody gets any additional characters to control: no paladin's mounts, no animal companions, no leadership feat, and no familiars.

The first character likely to bump into these restrictions will be a wizard who's going to want a familiar. Does anyone have any ideas for an alternate class ability a wizard could get to compensate for the lack of a familiar?

What about for a paladin, to compensate for no mount?

Daniel

 

[DanMcS]

For the wizard, a staff that gives him a bonus feat (ala familiar) and progresses a little in utility as he goes. For inspiration check out the crystal guys that psions have; you can eventually poke them under a door and see through their, um, crystals, for instance. Grant Eschew Materials while he uses it after 5th level or so. That kind of thing.

For a paladin? I'm not sure. Divine inspiration maybe, he can ask one question a day of his god, or use it as a temporary empowerment from god, a 1 minute/level buff or something.

 

[DaveStebbins]

I agree that some form of compensation is called for. My opinion is that if a player chooses to ignore a class ability, that's their option, but if I as DM make some ability unavailable, I should provide some sort of compansation. However, since I haven't thought about denying the use of familiars or mounts, I don't have any good ideas to offer.

Don't forget druids and rangers and their animal companions (unless you consider them NPCs) and make sure the players know the Leadership feat won't be used.

There were separate threads on alternatives to both mounts and familiars a couple of months ago or so. A search should turn up lots of previous ideas.

Hmmm... not very helpful. Sorry.
-Dave

 

[Mac Callum]

Unearthed Arcana has a list of abilities that Specialist Wizards can trade in for their familiar ability. I don't have the book in front of me, so I can't recall what they are, but they should provide a guide as to what WotC thinks is a fair trade.

I like the idea of a Wizard's staff becoming progressively more powerful. It's very Wizardy.

 

[Pielorinho]

Thanks for the thoughts! This is a round-robin game: I'm running the first half-dozen or so sessions, at which point I'll bring the game to a good stopping point, introduce my PC, and let someone else DM for awhile. The game is a planes-hopping game, and we decided it would be more fun if we didn't have to worry about extra hangers-on.

I'll be playing a wizard, which'll be the first PC entitled to such a hanger-on, but we've still go awhile to go.

Daniel

 

[Neo]

I like the idea of a Wizard's staff becoming progressively more powerful. It's very Wizardy.

You could get that via the Item Familiar feat from Unearthed Arcana. Whole point of that is for a permanent magic item that grows and develops with the character becoming more powerful. Better yet any class can take it too

 

[Storyteller01]

Some OGL book had a rather evil feat that could be taken. Basically, you asorbed your familiar. You lose out on the Alertness and familiar progression, but the bonus you gained (+2 to move silently if your familiar is a cat, for example) became permanent. You were never allowed another familiar, however....

 

[Old Gumphrey]

So it cost a feat and gave you the same bonus as Skill Focus, but you lose your familiar? Basically you paid a feat to lose your familiar. Nobody would take that, it had to do something else.

I really dig the staff idea.

 

[Pielorinho]

I'm not really wanting to pick up Unearthed Arcana, although I might flip through it if one of my gaming friends has it. Meanwhile, what about this idea?

A wizard who gives up a familiar may take one of the following two benefits:
1) A spell focus feat; or
2) A bonus to spellcraft, knowledge (arcana), and Use Magic Device equal to the wizard's class level.

Are these too powerful? Not powerful enough?

Daniel

 

[Kisanji Arael]

Have you considered giving them Unearthed arcana's item familiar? It wouldn't be sentient, but would have those fun trade in a skill point option