What's giving up a familiar worth?

[Dannyalcatraz]

In our campaigns, its typically worth 1-2 feats, depending upon the DM, and usually either a Metamagic or Item Creation one.

Works for us- several of the DMs in the group are notoriously anti-"pet."

 

[frankthedm]

He is wanting an extra feat as "compensation" for this lost ability. Is that a decent trade-off? The logic is that obtaining a familiar for a class other than sorc or wizard will cost you a feat, so maybe not having a familiar to begin with is worth one???

He is losing little, he deserves little. Eschew materials or alertness are fine choices for letting him trade out the familiar. Maybe some more skill points.

A familiar is both a boon for those who use them well and a liability for those who fail to do so. The 100gp cost is there more to make sure the caster does not feel obligated to have the living bulleye hooked to his XP total. Wotc has released many overpowered options to replace the familiar with. I recommend avoiding any that do not have a similar liability as a familiar does.

You'll notice the PHB has options for customising classes, pay attention to that signifigant abilities have to be traded of for other signifigant abilities. Like the fighter suggestion that accepts only Rogue Weapon and Armor Proficiency for

Class Skills
Add the following skills to the fighter's class skill list: Bluff, Gather Information, Knowledge (local), and Sleight of Hand. skill points per level equal to 4 + Int modifier (and has this number x4 at 1st level).

Which became... http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#fighterVariantThug

 

[atomn]

Unearthed Arcana has a variety of sub-specializations for specialist Wizards that give a special ability in place of having a familiar. Some of them are pretty good.

 

[Storyteller01]

It is worth a Wizard Bonus Feat or Eschew material components.

I'll third this.

Can we ask why they don't want the familiar? What do they hope to gain in return (which feat do they want)?

 

[Vurt]

In my games, we allow the wizard or sorcerer to replace the familiar with one of the following feats: Alertness, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Skill Focus, Toughness.

Cheers,
Vurt

 

[lukelightning]

Logically a familiar is worth a feat, since there is an "obtain familiar" feat.

I traded mine for eschew material components.

 

[SlagMortar]

Logically a familiar is worth a feat, since there is an "obtain familiar" feat.

This isn't very good logic. I could say, "Logically proficiency in one martial weapon is worth a feat since there is a Martial Weapon Proficiency feat." Then say, my fighter would like to trade his martial weapon proficiencies except for Composite Long Bow for feats. Then with one of them take spiked chain and with another bastard sword. Obviously this is much more one sided, but just because a feat exists to emulate a class ability does not automatically mean that the class ability is worth a feat to the class with the ability.

I play a sorcerer and happen to really like my familiar, but as Frank said there is a pretty big liability there. You can't kill your player's feat. I would say Eschew Materials, Still Spell, Silent Spell, or one of the saving throw feats would be a good trade.

 

[XCorvis]

I agree that it's worth a feat, but not for that reason.

Having a familiar gives you:
A slightly reduced version of Alertness.
A bonus that is exactly identical to a feat (+2 reflex is Lightning Reflexes, +3 HP is Toughness, etc...).
Ability to deliver touch attacks via familiar, use the familiar to spy/scout and several other things that don't get used too often.
The weakness of possibly loosing the familiar and being penalized for it.

I'd say the last two cancel out, so that's like 1 and 3/4 feats of bonus. They're weak feats, so let's just call that one decent feat. I allow my PCs to trade it for any wizard feat.

In most games I'm in, people only use familiars for the alertness and psuedo-feat bonuses, not for anything else. They hide the familiar in their pocket and pretend they don't exist so they don't get killed. As both a player and a GM, I'd rather just get a regular feat in place of the walking target that is a familiar.

 

[smootrk]

I would probably allow a number of different feats in exchange, possibly two feats. Another good option, is the Staff option that was located in a relatively recent Dragon Magazine. It exchanges familiars for a 'signature' staff that can produce special effects, effectively a Staff-Familiar (and gains additional hardness/hp as the caster increases in level). It even forms the basis for an additional feat tree based on the staff.

As to other feats: Alertness, Eschew, brew potion, Weapon Focus (touch, rays), Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, and a number of Forgotten Realms types (Tatoo focus, Shadow Weave, etc) because I tend to DM in the Realms.

 

[chaotix42]

There was a flaw printed in Dragon called Forlorn that makes you lose your familiar. You get a bonus feat in return, as per other flaws.