Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Argo 05-17-07, 01:06 PM	I'm searching for the best familiar for a level 10 Wizard? I'm thinking a bird of some kind, but I'm not married to it. Core books only, please. What should I pick?
CantripN 05-17-07, 01:11 PM	I usually go with a Raven, just because those can speak. Otherwise, the +2 to a save ones are fancy. Non-Core, there's a bird that gives you a bonus to Initiative that stacks with Imp. Initiative and the Octopus that grants you a bonus on Grapple Checks.
Argo 05-17-07, 01:19 PM	Okay, cool. I was leaning toward the Raven anyway. Thanks.
Kouk 05-17-07, 08:55 PM	Besides talking they can fly overhead and scout for you.
Malakai_Demonos 05-17-07, 09:10 PM	If you take improved familiar, an imp or quasit would be cool. It also never says your familiar can't use wands or scrolls. So... And imp flying around healing you or maybe buffing your allies. Or, blasting the bad guys, whatever you can afford.
Gamili 05-17-07, 09:17 PM	If a normal Imp could use them, I don't see any reason why a familiar Imp couldn't.
Fireclave 05-17-07, 09:33 PM	Assuming you're not planing on investing in the Improved Familiar feat, I agree with CantripN that a raven is probably the most useful choice. Right behind the raven, I'd place the bat. 20ft blindsense means it automatically spots any within range, and since its has good manuverability, it can follow you into cramp dungeon spaces. The addional +2 size bonus to AC over most other familiars is also a decent bonus as well.
kjenks 05-17-07, 09:57 PM	A raven can activate magic items, using your ranks in Use Magic Device if necessary. It can say command words so it can use a Cape of the Mountebank; this lets you get out of all sorts of trouble.
tyrecian 05-17-07, 10:02 PM	not sure why people are married to ravens, they can make speech in one language (very useful i might add, very useful indeed at many times), but at 5th level the familiar can speak with the master anyways. Insofar as telling the party things i suppose its OK (ok, depends on situation, but at 10th level use message a 0 lvl cantrip and dont let your familiar go on runs about the town talking to the party), but having a familiar doing too much can draw attention to it and that makes it usually end up dead. still all in all i favor the flying familiars, but i like the Owl and the Hawk. They are the same size and it really depends on what you are doing, but they each lend an addition to your spot check, as well as having great skills as a base. An owl gets a +14 to listen, meaning it can say to you "I hear something ahead" and therefore you dont get caught off guard in surprise round, and can warn the party, adding +3 to your spot as well. The owl also has a 17 move silently, so it can make a great familiar for staying out of the way. The Hawk receives a +8 racial bonus to spot, making its spot +16, and can also talk to you. This also means that your party will thank you for saying, "my hawk spots 3 medium sized creatures in the bushes up ahead." It also lends +3 to spot checks (both the owl and hawk spot bonuses are conditional, but their checks are not) made by you. The raven is OK at listenning (5) and spotting (7), and can speak a language, but the owl and the hawk dramatically defeat it in terms of dungeon crawl usefulness. If you have a stickler DM who is difficult with your party and you need a talking familiar you can have your owl and hawk learn tricks that the party will recognize anyways, and by 10th level your fammy has a 10 intelligence, so presumably it can pretty much get its message across if pre-ordained. SO i guess at 10th level, i would take an owl or a hawk over the raven, because you are high enough level now that the skills will help your wizzy better than the 1 language it can learn. I would suggest the Owl, because it has the 2 very high skills, but i use the Hawk because i always like the nature loving Grey (+high) elf core wizard race for my wizards, and i play em to love nature and the outdoors, but for most dungeon crawls the Owl is the bomb. If you have a well lit party, the owl and the hawk are pretty equal though. PS the using of command words by a raven is shady and a DM call at best. I would not think that it could use any of the magic items that were attended by you, even if it knew the command words, simply being that no other creature can. Depends on what your DM says, but if that is the way it is played, then a Raven's usefulness is far better than any other, but that is stretching i think Mr. Jenks :D
Raveni 05-17-07, 10:54 PM	Oh no, the raven uses the magic items that it is attending to. Since it can speak it can use command word activated items. If you have UMD, it even has a chance to use spell-trigger and other items, because it has all of your skills. What? You've never seen a raven wearing a cape? Or holding a wand? :)
runestar 05-17-07, 11:05 PM	Hummingbird gives a bonus to initiative, IIRC.:)
pmurray@bigpond.com 05-17-07, 11:45 PM	Net time I play a Wiz, I'm going for a staff familiar.
tyrecian 05-18-07, 12:00 AM	never seen one doing either, in my life, but in D&D it would be possible i suppose... I am guessing that unless your DM houserules "resizing" then you either have a raven that can't fly (as the cloak is pretty big and heavy for a 'tiny' creature) or you simply would have to build it for the bird with wondrous item creation in the first place (not completely unfeasible/infeasable whichever)
Nathreet 05-18-07, 12:19 AM	A raven can activate magic items, using your ranks in Use Magic Device if necessary. It can say command words so it can use a Cape of the Mountebank; this lets you get out of all sorts of trouble. Nope, the raven has to also be wearing the cape to be able to activate it. Command word items are activated by the person holding them. It takes a standard action to activate, btw. All you do is say a single word. It's even possible to activate an item you hold saying the word accidentally. The rules don't say why it suddenly takes so long to say a single word when normally you could say 25 no problem. I'd speculate that you could say the command words to 25 magic items but only the first magic item would activate. After all, you're still allowed per the rules to say a command word and 24 normal words. Likewise, a tape recording or magic mouth could speak a command word but nothing would happen. The item is somehow connected to you, and that's part of the activation. Conciously you just need to say the command word; the rest of the process is automatic.
Thane26425 05-18-07, 03:30 AM	Raven is a good choice because you can talk to it from level 1. You can explain to it what to do and what to look for and it will do it and give a report when it comes back. Very helpful too if you get lost because it can fly up high and get some bearings for you, maybe even see the place you are looking for. When you get high enough level, it can also talk to local birds, and most places adventurers go, there will be birds around, at least outside the dungeons.
Rerecros 05-18-07, 03:48 AM	If you did take improved familiar, I'd suggest an eyebal beholderkin :behold:
Raveni 05-18-07, 10:23 AM	never seen one doing either, in my life, but in D&D it would be possible i suppose... I am guessing that unless your DM houserules "resizing" then you either have a raven that can't fly (as the cloak is pretty big and heavy for a 'tiny' creature) or you simply would have to build it for the bird with wondrous item creation in the first place (not completely unfeasible/infeasable whichever) I was attempting sarcasm. I fail. :surrender A raven can "carry" a wand just fine. But the idea is there. There are a lot of small items that are very potent, but only if they are carried by something that can activate them. The raven is the only PHB familiar that can do this.
lukelightning 05-18-07, 10:41 AM	Bat, rat, or weasel. Bats are great for scouting. Rats and weasels are pretty good too (scent is great), plus they give save bonuses.
Empirate 05-19-07, 07:24 AM	I second the eyeball improved familiar: It's magical ray lets you transfer touch spells as a ranged touch attack by the eyball, it can fly, it has all-round vision (alerting you to stuff going on behind you), it has some rather useless spell-likes it can use at will against commoners getting on your nerves... It's evil, OK, but that don't mean it ain't a good familiar for an evil wizard (pun very much intended, couldn't resist)!
PhaedrusXY 05-19-07, 04:08 PM	never seen one doing either, in my life, but in D&D it would be possible i suppose... I am guessing that unless your DM houserules "resizing" then you either have a raven that can't fly (as the cloak is pretty big and heavy for a 'tiny' creature) or you simply would have to build it for the bird with wondrous item creation in the first place (not completely unfeasible/infeasable whichever)All magical garments (except armor) resize to fit their wearer by default. This isn't a house rule. Size And Magic Items When an article of magic clothing or jewelry is discovered, most of the time size shouldn’t be an issue. Many magic garments are made to be easily adjustable, or they adjust themselves magically to the wearer. Size should not keep characters of various kinds from using magic items. There may be rare exceptions, especially with racial specific items. Armor and Weapon Sizes Armor and weapons that are found at random have a 30% chance of being Small (01-30), a 60% chance of being Medium (31-90), and a 10% chance of being any other size (91-100).
penchant 05-20-07, 05:16 AM	Always give your castoff magic items to your familiar! I do. As for normal familiars, Owl for spot and night watchman (he has a better spot than everyone except the rogue and is nocturnal) Cat for stealth and spying. Improved Familiar HAS to be the Lantern Archon. Permanent magic circle against evil, detect evil at will and self only greater teleport. Plus DR 10/evil and magic, Tongues, immunities... They just tend to get preachy sometimes. What a tradeoff for your own byte... I mean... archon.
Senko 05-20-07, 10:29 AM	Shame you limited it to core books as my favorites in MMII I take improved familiar and select a grimalkin, it talks, shapeshifts and looks cute in its normal form.