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Message: <blockquote data-quote="DrSpunj" data-source="post: 1353459" data-attributes="member: 994">Well, as the DM, you are privy to a lot more information to base your decision on. As the player in question, given that I took the Wizard level at character level 2, the familiar and I have had 3 "levels" to figure out a system that works for us, so I would hope we would've worked out all the kinks we could have during that time to make this as smooth as we could. Specifically, as a Ranger with Favored Enemy-Orcs, if the Owl finds them within 1 mile of my position, I expect I'd get an emotional response of satisfaction or happiness or anger (or whatever you feel is appropriate coming from the Owl) through the Empathic Link. Now, with an Intelligence of 6, I hope the Owl could then fly back to me and either lead me or fly towards or point me in the direction I need to go to get to them. Assuming they haven't moved much (which they hadn't, they'd set up camp), I'd hope the Owl could find them rather easily. Rinse & repeat until I get close enough to them. Now, if they'd continued moving during the time it took the Owl to fly between their constantly changing position and mine (to help lead me in the right direction), that might be enough for them to elude the Owl, even unknowingly. With them staying put I think it would be fairly easy. Is this method easier or faster than simply using Track with my +2 for Favored Enemy? Maybe, maybe not. I was trying to do that at the same time but we (both Nail & I) kind of dropped that aspect of things when we started hammering out how things with the Owl & Empathic Link should work. I originally thought the Empathic Link would give me a rough approximation of direction of, and perhaps distance to, the Owl, but the 3.5 PHB doesn't relay anything of the sort. I think I was remembering the vastly enhanced abilities outlined in Tome & Blood regarding the Empathic link (which I'm too lazy to type here since they're trumped by the 3.5 PHB material anyway). Anyway, what got me to post was not what happened last night (though I admit, it'll be good for later sessions to have things better spelled out between us), but my thinking on the way home that I'm going to have to deal with this exact issue in a few months in the game I DM. A Wizard there is planning on taking the Improved Familiar feat (hasn't decided on what creature yet), and I'd like to have thought things through before being faced with that at the table. Thanks.</blockquote>

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