Snakes moving silently

[Li Shenron]

Just to let you know... The reason why I noticed this is exactly that I am choosing a Familiar and I was considering the Snake (Tiny Viper). It has no use in combat (speed 15ft, reach 0ft, 1 point of damage) but it can deliver a poisonous bite. So I was kind of imagining it could exploit good Hide and Move Silently skills to poison an unsuspecting victim. Eventually I can only hide it somewhere on the ground, especially if we are admist the grass, where it would just stay still and wait for a foe to step in his square then bite him (maybe with an AoO if the foe doesn't stop in the square), it gives 1d6 Con damage as primary and secondary damage. But also the snake itself would be killed soon afterwards by the angry victim...

 

[Darklone]

A druid I knew usually had a viper animal companion in his backpack... 3.0 animal companions though (where every druid was supposed to have a zoo!)

 

[thalmin]

Just to let you know... The reason why I noticed this is exactly that I am choosing a Familiar and I was considering the Snake (Tiny Viper). It has no use in combat (speed 15ft, reach 0ft, 1 point of damage) but it can deliver a poisonous bite. So I was kind of imagining it could exploit good Hide and Move Silently skills to poison an unsuspecting victim. Eventually I can only hide it somewhere on the ground, especially if we are admist the grass, where it would just stay still and wait for a foe to step in his square then bite him (maybe with an AoO if the foe doesn't stop in the square), it gives 1d6 Con damage as primary and secondary damage. But also the snake itself would be killed soon afterwards by the angry victim...

Remember, tiny creatures don't threaten adjacent squares.

 

[Li Shenron]

Remember, tiny creatures don't threaten adjacent squares.

That's the main reason why it is not effective in combat, not even to deliver the poison: since it has reach 0ft it must move into the target's square and provoke an AoO for moving, which is likely to get it killed together with the AoO it provokes when going away, even if using the Withraw action (unless the victim has reach 0ft too).

At least if it was good in hiding AND moving silently it could have got the victim surprised (no AoO unless Combat Reflexes), and with a lucky initiative could have been able to come back to the master with no AoOs at all.

Now I can think of letting the familiar hide in the grass and hope some victim steps in its square without noticing him, so the snake gets an AoO when the victim leaves its square. In any case, it will have too few HP to run the risk of close encounters with any foe.