Tetsubo
First Post
All this talk of familiars has me thinking. I'm rather disappointed
with how 3E goes about choosing a spellcasters familiar. I have no
problem with any of the other rules governing familiars. But the choices
available to a spellcaster seem so... mundane.
"Oh look, an gnome with an owl, must be a spellcaster."
"Why is that rat looking at us? Must be a familiar, kill it."
In my last campaign *every* familiar was unique. Even if they looked
mundane they weren't. We only had two arcane spellcasters during the
campaign (we had quite a few divine spellcasters though). One had a
familiar that was sort of naga-like. It had a snake like lower body (no
legs), bat wings, for spindly arms (three fingered hands) and a monkey
like head with cat ears. It was spider monkey sized. Strawberries got it
drunk and shellfish would kill it. The master could store spell levels
of power in it for later use. The other familiar was a snake that had an
electrical attack and at rest melded into the spellcasters body like a
tattoo.
I always saw the ability to acquire a familiar as being vastly
mystical. 3E seems to have made it more of an ordinary activity. When a
caster wanted to gain a familiar I had the ceremony open a Gate. A
portal to *somewhere* else. It could be a gate to a building next door
or anywhere in the Multiverse. I'd play it up, make the event a
memorable experience. Crafting each familiar made the player feel more
special in my opinion.
Here's a write up in 2E format.
SEPTAPED
Climate/Terrain: Any
Frequency: As per spell
Organization: Pride/Clan
Activity Cycle: Diurnal
Diet: Omnivore
Intelligence: Low (5)
Treasure: nil
Alignment: same as caster/bondmate
________________________________________________________________________
Number Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 7 (see description)
Movement: 3, Fl 24 (A), can lift 5 lbs.
in
flight
Hit Dice: 1 (see description)
THACO: 20 (see description)
Number of Attacks: 1
Damage Per Attack: 1-2 (bite)
Special Attacks: spell level storage, see description
Special Defenses: THACO and saves as if greater HD, see
description
Magic Resistance: nil
Size: S (3' long, 3' wingspan)
Morale: Elite (14, Fearless 20 with bondmate)
Experience Value: not applicable
Description: Physical description- picture a spider monkey, now give it
bobcat-like ears (little tuffs of hair and all), give it a second set of
arms
and stretch the torso accordingly, from the pelvis down the body becomes
serpentine, fleshed on the bottom or inside and furred elsewhere and
finally
give it a set of bat-like wings mounted at the shoulder blades.
Coloration
is a dark tan running to a rich brown at the extremities (i.e., hands,
wing
tips, tail and muzzle). For lack of a better term the creature is called
a
Septaped (four arms, two wings and one tail = septaped or seven limbed).
The
Septaped has a keen sense of hearing, binocular vision and great
(for a non-sentient) manual dexterity. The tail/lower body is prehensile
and
rather dexterous in it's own right, the grip of the tail is equal to a
Strength of 10.
Special abilities: The Septaped's AC starts at 7 and is lowered one
point
for every even level gained by it's bondmate (i.e., AC 6 at 4th
level,
AC 5 at 6th level, etc.) The Septaped starts with one HD (1-8 hp
plus one
per caster level) and gains one hit point for each level of
experience
increase of the caster. When the hit point level reaches 1 HD + 4
the
Septaped is considered a 2 HD creature for THACO and saving throws,
at
1 + 8 the Septaped equals 3 HD, 1 + 12 = 4 HD, etc. The caster may
"store" magical energy within the Septaped for future use. One spell
level of energy may be stored for each level of the caster (i.e., 3
levels
at 3rd level). This energy must be "cast" into the Septaped
expending the
casters memorized spell allotments. This energy does not dissipate
until
used by the caster. The bondmates must be in physical contact for
this
ability to function. See spell description for Find Familiar (Phb,
pg. 134) for further details.
This is a familiar being used in my latest FR campaign. I only use
unique familiars, though they may appear quite normal. This one
obviously doesn't. I use the Find Familiar spell as a sort of
selective
Gate spell. It opens a portal through which the casters familiar
arrives. The area the portal opens onto is up to the GM. Could be
next
door or Dimension 8. When the PC mage cast the spell that got this
familiar he also pulled through the alien being hunting it! The
whole
party got involved in shoving the unwanted visitor back into his own
world. The parties lone fighter lost his right hand when the portal
closed on it. He now wears a mithril fist and renamed himself, Dack
Silverfist. The most recent development is that this familiar just
gave birth. The party is currently trying to figure out how it
pulled
that trick off without a mate.
with how 3E goes about choosing a spellcasters familiar. I have no
problem with any of the other rules governing familiars. But the choices
available to a spellcaster seem so... mundane.
"Oh look, an gnome with an owl, must be a spellcaster."
"Why is that rat looking at us? Must be a familiar, kill it."
In my last campaign *every* familiar was unique. Even if they looked
mundane they weren't. We only had two arcane spellcasters during the
campaign (we had quite a few divine spellcasters though). One had a
familiar that was sort of naga-like. It had a snake like lower body (no
legs), bat wings, for spindly arms (three fingered hands) and a monkey
like head with cat ears. It was spider monkey sized. Strawberries got it
drunk and shellfish would kill it. The master could store spell levels
of power in it for later use. The other familiar was a snake that had an
electrical attack and at rest melded into the spellcasters body like a
tattoo.
I always saw the ability to acquire a familiar as being vastly
mystical. 3E seems to have made it more of an ordinary activity. When a
caster wanted to gain a familiar I had the ceremony open a Gate. A
portal to *somewhere* else. It could be a gate to a building next door
or anywhere in the Multiverse. I'd play it up, make the event a
memorable experience. Crafting each familiar made the player feel more
special in my opinion.
Here's a write up in 2E format.
SEPTAPED
Climate/Terrain: Any
Frequency: As per spell
Organization: Pride/Clan
Activity Cycle: Diurnal
Diet: Omnivore
Intelligence: Low (5)
Treasure: nil
Alignment: same as caster/bondmate
________________________________________________________________________
Number Appearing: 1
Armor Class: 7 (see description)
Movement: 3, Fl 24 (A), can lift 5 lbs.
in
flight
Hit Dice: 1 (see description)
THACO: 20 (see description)
Number of Attacks: 1
Damage Per Attack: 1-2 (bite)
Special Attacks: spell level storage, see description
Special Defenses: THACO and saves as if greater HD, see
description
Magic Resistance: nil
Size: S (3' long, 3' wingspan)
Morale: Elite (14, Fearless 20 with bondmate)
Experience Value: not applicable
Description: Physical description- picture a spider monkey, now give it
bobcat-like ears (little tuffs of hair and all), give it a second set of
arms
and stretch the torso accordingly, from the pelvis down the body becomes
serpentine, fleshed on the bottom or inside and furred elsewhere and
finally
give it a set of bat-like wings mounted at the shoulder blades.
Coloration
is a dark tan running to a rich brown at the extremities (i.e., hands,
wing
tips, tail and muzzle). For lack of a better term the creature is called
a
Septaped (four arms, two wings and one tail = septaped or seven limbed).
The
Septaped has a keen sense of hearing, binocular vision and great
(for a non-sentient) manual dexterity. The tail/lower body is prehensile
and
rather dexterous in it's own right, the grip of the tail is equal to a
Strength of 10.
Special abilities: The Septaped's AC starts at 7 and is lowered one
point
for every even level gained by it's bondmate (i.e., AC 6 at 4th
level,
AC 5 at 6th level, etc.) The Septaped starts with one HD (1-8 hp
plus one
per caster level) and gains one hit point for each level of
experience
increase of the caster. When the hit point level reaches 1 HD + 4
the
Septaped is considered a 2 HD creature for THACO and saving throws,
at
1 + 8 the Septaped equals 3 HD, 1 + 12 = 4 HD, etc. The caster may
"store" magical energy within the Septaped for future use. One spell
level of energy may be stored for each level of the caster (i.e., 3
levels
at 3rd level). This energy must be "cast" into the Septaped
expending the
casters memorized spell allotments. This energy does not dissipate
until
used by the caster. The bondmates must be in physical contact for
this
ability to function. See spell description for Find Familiar (Phb,
pg. 134) for further details.
This is a familiar being used in my latest FR campaign. I only use
unique familiars, though they may appear quite normal. This one
obviously doesn't. I use the Find Familiar spell as a sort of
selective
Gate spell. It opens a portal through which the casters familiar
arrives. The area the portal opens onto is up to the GM. Could be
next
door or Dimension 8. When the PC mage cast the spell that got this
familiar he also pulled through the alien being hunting it! The
whole
party got involved in shoving the unwanted visitor back into his own
world. The parties lone fighter lost his right hand when the portal
closed on it. He now wears a mithril fist and renamed himself, Dack
Silverfist. The most recent development is that this familiar just
gave birth. The party is currently trying to figure out how it
pulled
that trick off without a mate.
