Warlock & Familiars [Archive] - Wizards Community

Warlock & Familiars [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
kyros_the_spawnslayer
11-05-07, 06:55 PM Alright I have a gut feeling somewhere on the forums this question has been asked and got an answer.

I was wondering if a Warlock's caster level mets the requirements for the Obtain Familiar. Also I am guessing if it does then I am pretty sure they can't share invocations. So does anybody know the answer?
navar100
11-06-07, 01:34 AM A warlock can take the feat, but it won't do him any good. Invocations are spel-like abilities and cannot be shared.

Pity.
InkBlot
11-06-07, 09:09 AM Without being able to share invocations, the familiar you get will be pretty weak. You might want to look into using Leadership to get a magical beast cohort instead. The cohort, unlike the familiar, will gain real hit dice as you level up. And you can just not recruit followers if you don't want them.

If you'd rather have a normal animal instead of a magical beast, there's also the Wild Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) feat.
kyros_the_spawnslayer
11-06-07, 10:15 AM I guess that would work out with leadership. Though does anyone thing it would be too game breaking to make a warlock variant of the feat to allow invocations to be shared.

If so it would mean your familiar would have some very interesting abilties if it did have to fight to survive and make it no so fragile when compared to a wizard/sorcerer's familiar, assuming it would be fine to let your familiar be able to fire off an eldritch blast for the turn instead of the warlock.
LSMFT
11-06-07, 10:34 AM I guess that would work out with leadership. Though does anyone thing it would be too game breaking to make a warlock variant of the feat to allow invocations to be shared. I probably wouldn't allow it for flavor reasons, but I don't think it would be broken.

Even with regular casters, the shared effect is broken if the familiar moves more than 5' away.

So, the familiar could use Devil's Sight, but you have to keep reinvoking it if you or the familiar is mobile.

If so it would mean your familiar would have some very interesting abilties if it did have to fight to survive and make it no so fragile when compared to a wizard/sorcerer's familiar, assuming it would be fine to let your familiar be able to fire off an eldritch blast for the turn instead of the warlock.Even regular familiars can't cast spells. They can only share spells the caster has placed on himself.

Familiars can deliver touch spells, but the EB isn't a touch spell.

Familiars are weak:
Period.

They have half the caster's hp.
Sharing spells doesn't really change that. I mean, great, you can have a +4 armor bonus when I cast Mage Armor, but really, if I want you to live, I'm better off sending you away from the danger rather than keeping you by my side.

If I want you to be useful, i.e. further than 5' away, I will cast the spell on you directly, and with U.M.D., a warlock can still do this.

An inability to share spells doesn't make your familiar that much weaker than they normally are.

An inability to deliver touch spells is really best for buffing allies, and warlocks don't really do that anyway.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
kyros_the_spawnslayer 11-05-07, 06:55 PM	Alright I have a gut feeling somewhere on the forums this question has been asked and got an answer. I was wondering if a Warlock's caster level mets the requirements for the Obtain Familiar. Also I am guessing if it does then I am pretty sure they can't share invocations. So does anybody know the answer?
navar100 11-06-07, 01:34 AM	A warlock can take the feat, but it won't do him any good. Invocations are spel-like abilities and cannot be shared. Pity.
InkBlot 11-06-07, 09:09 AM	Without being able to share invocations, the familiar you get will be pretty weak. You might want to look into using Leadership to get a magical beast cohort instead. The cohort, unlike the familiar, will gain real hit dice as you level up. And you can just not recruit followers if you don't want them. If you'd rather have a normal animal instead of a magical beast, there's also the Wild Cohort (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) feat.
kyros_the_spawnslayer 11-06-07, 10:15 AM	I guess that would work out with leadership. Though does anyone thing it would be too game breaking to make a warlock variant of the feat to allow invocations to be shared. If so it would mean your familiar would have some very interesting abilties if it did have to fight to survive and make it no so fragile when compared to a wizard/sorcerer's familiar, assuming it would be fine to let your familiar be able to fire off an eldritch blast for the turn instead of the warlock.
LSMFT 11-06-07, 10:34 AM	I guess that would work out with leadership. Though does anyone thing it would be too game breaking to make a warlock variant of the feat to allow invocations to be shared. I probably wouldn't allow it for flavor reasons, but I don't think it would be broken. Even with regular casters, the shared effect is broken if the familiar moves more than 5' away. So, the familiar could use Devil's Sight, but you have to keep reinvoking it if you or the familiar is mobile. If so it would mean your familiar would have some very interesting abilties if it did have to fight to survive and make it no so fragile when compared to a wizard/sorcerer's familiar, assuming it would be fine to let your familiar be able to fire off an eldritch blast for the turn instead of the warlock.Even regular familiars can't cast spells. They can only share spells the caster has placed on himself. Familiars can deliver touch spells, but the EB isn't a touch spell. Familiars are weak: Period. They have half the caster's hp. Sharing spells doesn't really change that. I mean, great, you can have a +4 armor bonus when I cast Mage Armor, but really, if I want you to live, I'm better off sending you away from the danger rather than keeping you by my side. If I want you to be useful, i.e. further than 5' away, I will cast the spell on you directly, and with U.M.D., a warlock can still do this. An inability to share spells doesn't make your familiar that much weaker than they normally are. An inability to deliver touch spells is really best for buffing allies, and warlocks don't really do that anyway.