Stretching Familiar Benefits

[Terraism]

I'm currently running a druid fellow, and he's soon to be picking up a familiar. (Yes, a familiar - not an animal companion. Well, one of those, too, but it's not the topic of the conversation.) Because of his heftier-than-normal hit points and BAB, as compared to a wizard or sorcerer, it seems possible, anyway, to have the familiar assist in combat, at least in some fashion. At 4th level, I'm running at just under 50 hp, so the familiar is still better off with half my hit points than your average 4th-level wizard.

Now, here's my question. I've considered supplementing the familiar with animal growth at some point in the future, thus allowing it to contribute more meaningfully when necessary, but the spell only works on animals, not magical beasts such as the familiar. That said, I believe I can get around that via the Share Spells ability between master and familiar. If I become a valid target for animal growth, I should be able to share it. Is that the case - can a familiar benefit from a spell he wouldn't otherwise be targetable by through the Share Spell feature? Or does the ability only allow it as an additional target?

[Edit] Answered via the SRD, "A master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar’s type (magical beast)."

Assuming that I can, in fact, share such a spell with the familiar, I now have a halfling-sized raven who likes to peck at eyeballs, which leads to some great theoretical fun. Except that if I move more than five feet from the familiar, he loses the effect of the spell. Is there any way to increase that range - feat, spell, PrC ability... anything? I'm going with the familiar no matter the answer, because it should be grand fun from a roleplaying perspective, but I'd love to eke out of it what I can. Thanks.

 

[UltimaGabe]

I don't think you'd be able to share spells if the familiar isn't a viable target of the spell. Familiars are Magical Beasts for a reason.

 

[Terraism]

I don't think you'd be able to share spells if the familiar isn't a viable target of the spell. Familiars are Magical Beasts for a reason.

Not the least being that it wouldn't normally come up? That said, I did some digging and answered the first part of my question.

A master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar’s type (magical beast).

So that's moot; I'll edit the original post. Moving on, we have any ideas about extending that shared range? I don't need much, but more than five feet would be nice.

 

[Hejdun]

Aspect of the Wolf (Druid 1 from Spell Compendium) changes your type to Animal.

 

[Terraism]

Yup. I love that spell, and I've been abusing it wholeheartedly since level 1. Enough, anyway, that the DM decided to nerf the free trip attack the wolf gets on a hit. (Which is fine, because it felt broken even playing it.)

 

[avr]

If Share Spells is a supernatural ability & you're using the Tome of Magic, you could get the Extend Supernatural Ability feat there (prereq 4HD & a supernatural ability). Unfortunately doubling the range only gives you 10', but you could then start pleading with your DM for mercy.