Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Stormborn 04-02-07, 11:38 AM	My CN (leaning toward CG often)Battle Sorcerer just got the XP to move to 6th and is seriously considering Improved Familiar. The GM has said that if I acquire it though gameplay and thus be willing to delay obtaining it until during the next adventure rather than starting with it I can likely have one normally only available at 7th. My thoughts are air elemental, air mephit, or psuedodragon. Any other ideas such as templated creatures or things from other supplements?
tarkin 04-02-07, 12:17 PM	Acquiring it through game play pretty much means you have to look at what the DM offers you.
Gaia 04-02-07, 12:22 PM	There are some other options in Complete Warrior.
Burdell 04-02-07, 12:37 PM	I plan to get the Air Elemental for its Flyby attack, combined with huge movement rate. While that doesn't eliminate the Attack of Opportunity that generates from the foe, I could imagine hanging a nice Touch attack spell on it (like Combust) along with a few defenses and maybe Invisibility so it doesn't get a return hit, and using it in a surprise round before casting any other spells. Note that the touch spell will stay active till the toucher touches something, so you could cast the touch spell when you enter the dungeon, and as long as you dont cast anything else it would stay "charged up" on the familiar. In this case, being an air elemental, it doesn't need to land or touch anything again till it attacks. I'll have to see how that works out in practice. :)
kjenks 04-02-07, 12:47 PM	What role do you want your buddy to play in your adventures? If you want somebody to activate magical devices, sharing your ranks in Use Magic Device, a pseudodragon is pretty nice -- arguably nicer than a raven. If you want role-playing stuff, again, the p-dragon wins. If you want it to do air mephit stuff like Gust of Wind or that wimpy breath weapon, well, choose the air mephit. BTW, there's something there you should ask your DM about: "Breath Weapon (Su): 15-foot cone of dust and grit, damage 1d8, Reflex DC 12 half. The save DC is Constitution-based and includes a +1 racial bonus." When a "save DC is Constitution-based" that usually means you calculate it as 10 + HD/2 + Con modifier. For a familiar, its HD are treated as your character level for most effects. Ask your DM if the save DC increases according to that formula. Also note the Monster Manual errata which gives an extra feat to pseudodragons. The air elemental's Flyby Attack feat can be used for doing things other than slam attacks. It can move in, activate a magic item with Use Magic Device, then move out again. This could be really nice for a battle sorcerer if you use it to activate a Wand of Fear. All living enemies in the area are automatically shaken for a round, getting a -2 penalty to their saves, and they're panicked if they blow the DC 16 Will save. Since fear effects stack, your sorcerer could cast a fear effect spell and make the creatures even more frightened. Or your sorcerer could take advantage of the -2 on all enemy saving throws in lot of other ways, like casting Chain Spell + Unluck. Loads of fun. The reason the Flyby Attack feat is nice here is that your familiar (and your expensive wand) won't end up out there among the enemies, but can end its turn back in your area. You can use this Flyby Attack/fear thing with other magical devices, too, like Eyes of Doom.
Stormborn 04-03-07, 08:43 AM	Thanks, great suggestions and discussion. Although so far its really reinforcing things I was already thinking. Any "outside the box" ideas for a familiar?
obrysii 04-03-07, 08:59 AM	Eyeball Beholderkin. You can play the paranoid wizard with a multi-eyed being floating near you to 'see all' ... Alternatively, it can lose one of it's eye-stalk spells to gain the ability to turn any of your melee touch spells into Ray spells. I suggest losing Daze.
Tichondrus 04-03-07, 09:11 AM	Another good option is the Qasit or the small Devil whose name i dont remember bcasue both regenerate. Now personally I've had a pseudodragon and you'll be AMUSED of how useful the spell "haste" becomes once you have it. You spped up the familiar as well as you. Both get better ACs The familiar gets an extra atack per round. Cast chill touch. Each time the dragon hits, you get the spell to work and the enemy has to make a save DC14 or be fast asleep. All in all, I've killed hydras, solo'd mages of 5 levels more than me just by surviving and letting my familiar with her AC of 25 do the work by sleeping the enemy, slept half a dozen creatured in one single battle against 7 enemies, and basically ruled every single battle thanks to my synergy with my familiar. The DM asked me to repick the feat and let my familar go as a sidenote.
kjenks 04-03-07, 10:48 AM	A familiar with Flyby Attack can deliver touch spells with relative safety. This is an enormous benefit for a spellcaster who buffs up his own party. It also enables some really nice touch attack options that are usually too dangerous for wizards. Long before the battle, the wizard casts Greater Invis, designating the familiar as the toucher. The familiar holds the charge indefinitely. In the first round of combat, the familiar tags himself with Greater Invis, then the wizard casts a touch spell, designating the familiar as the toucher. Again, the familiar holds the charge. (The order is important here. If the wizard casts a spell before the familiar tags someone with its Greater Invis, the Greater Invis dissipates.) In the second and subsequent rounds, the familiar uses its Flyby Attack feat to move in invisibly, tag someone with a touch spell, then move back to the wizard. The wizard can cast another touch spell, again designating the familiar as the toucher. Since the familiar is touching enemies while Greater Invis, it gets +2 to attack and the enemy is denied his Dex bonus to AC. This virtually ensures that the familiar will succeed at the touch attacks most of the time. As attack spells, touch spells are particularly dangerous because they usually do not allow a saving throw. This is especially important at high levels when the bad guys have really big saving throw bonuses. Many of the best party buffing spells are touch spells. Fires of Purity is excellent for your fighters, especially one who has lots of attacks per round. Greater Invis is great for your rogues. Displacement and Greater Invis will help anybody who wades into melee; at high levels, the bad guys often have such a huge attack bonus that the defender's AC hardly matters, but a % miss chance is almost always effective. Stoneskin is sweet (but expensive). Brilliant Blade is excellent against armored foes. Energy Immunity is especially nice against dragons. Your Flyby Attack buddy can also toss tanglefoot bags, which cause cause almost any creatue (size Large or smaller) to be entangled. "An entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity. An entangled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a Concentration check (DC 15 + the spell’s level) or lose the spell." That penalty to Dex means a -2 on Reflex saves, so your wizard can do a better job with his attack spells, and it lowers the enemy's touch AC for future touch spells.
kjenks 04-03-07, 10:59 AM	Each time the dragon hits, you get the spell to work and the enemy has to make a save DC14 or be fast asleep. That save DC is Constitution-based, so it should increase as your familiar's effective HD increase. DC 14 is the save DC for the 2 HD base creature (10 + 2HD/2 + 1 Con modifier + 2 racial bonus). Although its actual HD remain the same, the familiar's effective HD increase with your level, like this: SRD === Hit Dice: For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the master’s character level or the familiar’s normal HD total, whichever is higher. === So at level 7 (the minimum for a p-dragon familiar), your p-dragon's poison save DC should be: (10 + 7HD/2 + 1 Con modifier + 2 racial bonus) = DC 16 You could invest in an Amulet of Health for the thing, too, further increasing its poison save DC (but having no effect on its HP).
liquidhypnotic 04-27-07, 12:04 AM	I play a multiclassed Wizard/Cleric/Mystic Theurge, and having an invisible flying healing birdie is GREAT. And since it's handing out CSWs instead of attacking "foes", you can use regular old 2nd level Invisnibility, too. Hot. Cast Silence on him and have him fly around as well, maybe near the most isolated guard while the ranger takes him the hell out with a long shot, and then move your way around camp, sniping your way in. Mmm, familiars.
Valoy_Muniz 04-27-07, 03:00 PM	If you want the air elemental see if the gm will let you buy a scroll of with Elemtal familer fround here (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20011109a). This is a vaild spell if your dm alows spells form the web site. He is alittle smaller but will still be good four your touch attack trick. It would cost you about 2875g (2500 just from the 500xpx5g part). This would save you a feat and give you a +3 to your intitve.
Thrincold 04-27-07, 03:38 PM	If you want the air elemental see if the gm will let you buy a scroll of with Elemtal familer fround here (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20011109a). This is a vaild spell if your dm alows spells form the web site. He is alittle smaller but will still be good four your touch attack trick. It would cost you about 2875g (2500 just from the 500xpx5g part). This would save you a feat and give you a +3 to your intitve. Nice, but one nitpick, isn't that a 3.0 spell? Not a big deal, but it may be a deal breaker for the OP. If you can swing it, I'd go for it and save that feat for something else.
lint trap 04-27-07, 04:06 PM	Nice, but one nitpick, isn't that a 3.0 spell? Not a big deal, but it may be a deal breaker for the OP. If you can swing it, I'd go for it and save that feat for something else. Unless specifically errated, 3.0 is perfectly valid for a 3.5 game. And I think it's the best option I've seen in this thread yet.
Fireclave 04-27-07, 04:11 PM	You might want to check out my familiarist PrC for more familiar options.
Thrincold 04-27-07, 04:32 PM	Unless specifically errated, 3.0 is perfectly valid for a 3.5 game. And I think it's the best option I've seen in this thread yet. I know this, and you know this. I just know quite a few DMs that either don't like online content, consider all 3.0 content dead, or both. I like the option quite a bit myself, and may use it for my Eldrich Theurge in an upcoming game.
Valoy_Muniz 04-27-07, 04:48 PM	Nice, but one nitpick, isn't that a 3.0 spell? Not a big deal, but it may be a deal breaker for the OP. If you can swing it, I'd go for it and save that feat for something else. To be honest I do not rember if it is a 3.0 spell or a 3.5.