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| Czahkiswashi04-21-04, 10:36 PM | Welcome to: The Familiar Foundation This is a place for members to discuss all things Familiar. Members can post stories about their Familiars, or let us know about any tricks or spell combos that they know of involving Familiars. This is also the place for general discussion and debate on the Familiar, suggested changes or house rules involving Familiars, and topics relating to new Familiars (those Familiars that are animals not presented in the PHB). For those of you not as familiar with the Familiar (couldn't resist!) this is also a place to ask questions about the Familiar, and learn all the good stuff about them. This is also the place for help when deciding what Familiar your character should take (if you should take one at all.) I would also like to compile on this post a list of all the classes, prestige classes, feats, spells, skills, etc. that are related to the Familiar. So please post if you know of any not already on the list. Finally, I will try to post links to threads on these boards and other web pages about the Familiar. Members I} Czahkiswashi II} Cambric (& II.V Methia) III} Thermanshs (& III.V Manyx) IV} Haldrik V} Elrana (& V.V Canth) VI} Hot Rod (& VI.V Aron) VII} Wdarkk (& VII.V Scruffy) VIII} Shadezz0fHades IX} Agudo Archmage (& IX.V Lady Hoot) X} Turalisj XI} Von Crown (& XI.V Verath) |
| Czahkiswashi04-21-04, 10:38 PM | Classes Adept (Dungeon Masters’ Guide) Fist of God (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=217038)* (BlaineTog) [See the Divine Spellcasting Ability] Hexblade (Complete Warrior) Mage (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=3243577)* (Thomar of Uointer) [Toward bottom of thread] Sorcerer (Players’ Handbook) Wizard (Players’ Handbook) *indcates homebrew classes Prestige Classes Alienist (Tome and Blood) [Familiar gains Pseudonatural template] The Arachne (Faiths and Pantheons) [Summon a Spider Familiar] The Bufonid (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=263053)* (Shadezz0fHades) [PrC specializing in toad familiars] Dancer of Sharess (Dragon Magazine #290) [Summon a Cat Familiar] Demonologist (Book of Vile Darkness) [Summon a Quasit Familiar] Diabolist (Book of Vile Darkness) [Summon an Imp Familiar] Divine Wanderer (Magic of Faerun) Familiarist (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=292334)* (Adrez Nesnsid) Nar Demonbinder (Unaproachable East) [Summon an Imp or Quasit Familiar] The Summoner (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=131876)* (Maraxus) Vermin Lord (Book of Vile Darkness) [Summon a Vermin Familiar in addition to your normal Familiar] *indcates homebrew prestige classes Feats Alertness [+2 bonus on Listen and Spot checks] (Players’ Handbook) {Granted by familiars when in arms reach of their masters} Attuned Familiar* [Familiar gains elemental qualities] (SeanKReynolds.com (http://www.seankreynolds.com/rpgfiles/feats/elementsavantattunedfamiliar.html)) Celestial Familiar [Allows master to obtain certain Celestials as Familiars] (Book of Exalted Deads) Composite Familiar Fix (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?threadid=236384)* [Feat to gain a Familiar] (Haldrik) Construct Familiar [Call a construct Familiar] (Dragon Magazine issue 280) Dragon Familiar [Choose wyrmling dragon as new familiar] (Drconomicon) Enspell Familiar [Increases range of Share Spells] (Dragon Magazine issue 280) Extra Familiar [Gain a additional Familiar] (Dragon Magazine issue 280) Familiar Spell [Familiar can use one of your spells as a spell-like ability] (Epic Level Handbook) Familiar Spell [One extra spell per day stored in familiar's mind] (Underdark) Improved Familiar [Allows master to obtain more powerful Familiars] (Dungeon Masters' Guide) Token Familiar [Familiar can become a small token] (Dragon Magazine issue 280) Undead Familiar [Call an Undead Familiar] (Dragon Magazine issue 280) *indcates homebrew feats Spells Animate Dead Familiar [Raises slain familiar as an undead] (Spellbook (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20030504x)) Augment Familiar [Toughens an buffs-up Familiar] (Complete Warrior) Elemental Familiar [Changes familiar into a tiny elemental] (Spellbook (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20030504x)) Planar Familiar [Aligns Familiar to your patron deity] (Spellbook (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20030504x)) Other Content Constuct Familiars [Mechanical constructs that take the place of a familiar] (Complete Warrior) Item Familiars [Magic items that take the place of a familiar] (Unearthed Arcana) Links to other posts about Familiars The SRD: The Familiar (http://www.wizards.com/d20/files/v35/ClassesII.rtf) (Link to the Classes II page which includes all basic information on the Familiar) A feat to get a Familiar (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?threadid=228331) The Book of Familiars (http://trolllord.com/familiars_m.htm) Should the Sorcerer class include a Familiar? (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=225021) How valuable is the Familiar? (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=223093) What happens when the master and familiar die? (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=294207) |
| cambric04-22-04, 06:14 AM | When I get some time, I will add some stories! Cam |
| Thermanshs04-22-04, 07:02 AM | Me and Manyx wanna sign up |
| Haldrik04-22-04, 08:08 PM | I wrote some historical info about the Viking's concept of a Familiar. The Viking spellcasters often had one. But also the Viking "Barbarians", known as the berserks, often had one. The essay explains the role of the Familiar in a Barbarian's life. Awesome flavor text! It shows the larger spiritual context of the Familiar. The Berserk and the Animal Spirit by Stein Atle Vere The Berserk Becomes the Animal Spirit The notion that a Viking is a fur-wearing barbarian howling into battle ... is not a Viking. But it does exist. Among the highly civilized Vikings, there is a certain kind of warrior called a berserk. The English phrase to go “berserk” rightly comes from here! The berserk is equivalent to the Barbarian class with a Norse Viking flavor. Each one shares a special affinity with a certain sacred animal. Often a group of berserks share a common animal spirit. Each wears a personal item made out the animal, usually its fur, and bond with it spiritually. The Bersek can spiritually become the Animal Spirit: Animal Affinity like Bull's Strength, Bear's Endurance, ... The name in Old Norse is ber-serk-r. The name is a contraction of the Old Norse words for “bear-shirt” (bjor-sark). The group gets this nickname from the strange custom of wearing a shirt made out of bear fur. They also wear the skins of other animals. They wear bear fur to spiritually become the strength of a bear. They wear wolf fur to become the ferocity of a wolf. There is even a story connecting to a dragon. It is appropriate to don dragon leather to become the terrorism of a dragon. The Chronicles of the Kings of Norway (Heim’s-Kringla) reports King Harald III of Norway has an elite fighting unit of berserks. King Harald’s Saga calls these berserks the “wolf-coats”. Grettir’s Saga calls them the “wolf-skins”. This nickname the “wolf-coats” is ironic because they wear the furs of a “wolf” INSTEAD OF the “coats” of chainmail that the other warriors wear! Ynglinga’ Saga says the berserks especially worship Odin, the Norse god of inspiration. The god possesses them with beastly fury. They fly into battle “without coats of chainmail, and act like rabid wolves”. These wolf-wrapped shock troops become the ferocity of the animal spirit. The Berserk can Wildshape into the Animal Spirit The berserks have the power to wildshape into the special animal. A shapechanger is literally called a “shape-leaper” (ham-laup-r), leaping into the shape of the animal almost instantaneously. Egil’s Saga mentions a berserk called Ulf, a shapechanger who turns into a wolf every evening. “But every day, as it came towards evening, he would get so ill-tempered no one could speak to him. It was not long before he would go to bed. Then there came the talk about him being a shapechanger, and people called him Kveld-Ulf”. They rename him Kveld-Ulf (“evening-wolf”) because he wildshapes into a “wolf” every “evening”. The power to shapechange into an animal comes from the human “spirit” (hamingja). The human spirit is so powerful it has the power to transform the physical body. It even spiritually soaks personal belongs. The more people feel attached to something the more their spirit unites with it. The berserks become one with their animal skin. So much so, their spirit’s power to shapechange into that animal actually saturates that skin. There is even a story in Volsunga’ Saga how Sigmund and Sinfjolti steal a couple of wolf furs from a pair of berserks. They use their furs so they too can shapechange into wolves and go “berserking”! The Berserk can Astral Project in the shape of the Animal Spirit The spirit of the berserk becomes the animal spirit. The berserk's spirit can even exit their own bodies in the animal form. Landnama’ Bok mentions Storolf and Dufthak who were both “shapestrong” and got into an argument. They challenge each other to a duel to the death. Each one goes into astral projection and combats the other in the Astral Plane while in animal form. “One evening about sunset, a man with the gift of second sight saw a great bear go out from Hval. And a bull from Dufthak's-Farm. They met at Storolf-Vell-r and fought furiously. The bear had the best of it”. The spirits duel. Only the psychic with “second sight” True Sight can see them. Yet their spirits also have physical power! “In the morning, a hollow could be seen in the place where they met, as though the earth had been turned over. This is now called Oldugrof”. The more powerful the spirit is, the more it can influence the physical world. Hrolf's Saga recounts the time Bodvar Bjarki sends out his spirit in bear form. Bodvar is a warrior of King Hrolf. When King Hrolf goes to war against King Hjorvard, Bodvar retreats back to the camp to hide his body and propels his spirit out as a bear. His spirit is so strong, his bear form fully materializes to rip apart King Hjorvard’s army. “Men saw that a great bear went before King Hrolf's men, keeping always near the king. It slew more men with its forepaws than any five of the king's champions. Blades and weapons glanced off it, and he brought down both men and horses in King Hjorvard's forces. Everything which came in its path it crushed to death with its teeth, so that panic and terror swept through King Hjorvard's army”. Bodvar’s bear form even manifests the berserks’ immunity to weapons, that is, Damage Reduction. Finally, the Berserk can summon the Animal Spirit as an Animal Familiar Not only can the berserk’s spirit cause the body to shapechange into an animal. Not only can it physicalize outside the body as an animal. It can even manifest as an independent animal with a life of its own. This is the meaning of the concept of an Animal “Familiar” (fylgja). The Familiar is a physicalization of the berserk’s own spirit. This animal is BOTH a normal animal AND a form of astral projection. Sometimes the berserk goes about not really aware of the animal. Sometimes the berserk meditates and then can see through the Familiar’s eyes and direct it as an extension of self. It is DnD's sense of Familiar in every way. Before the berserk actually summons the familiar, it may appear in dreams, visions, and even physically. In a Viking flavor campaing, the animal spirit will tend to be the following: bear, wolf, boar, cow/bull, cat, badger, otter, falcon, eagle, swan, elk, reindeer, goat, salmon, narwhale, snake, and so on. The snake can be draconic and firebreathing, coldbreathing, or poisonbreathing, but is (usually) serpentine without limbs or wings. Each berserk always manifests a single animal spirit: and all Wildshapes, Astral Projections, and the Familiar are of this Animal Spirit. The Familiar can dematerialize back into spirit and rematerialize again. |
| Czahkiswashi04-22-04, 09:22 PM | ok Thermanshs, ill sign up you and Manyx Haldrik- AWESOME!! Thanks for all the information there, its really fasacinating, and I never knew the history of familiars before- I always just believed them to be a fantasy literature creation!Barbarians with familiars would be so fun to play! Have you made this into a class yet? I think that the berserk would make a great varient barbarian. Also- are you joining the foundation? Cambric- please do! and do you want to join the foundation too? |
| cambric04-22-04, 09:38 PM | Of course!! That was my heading..."Add me in" to the foundation!! |
| Czahkiswashi04-22-04, 09:48 PM | Doh! *hits self in head* How could i not notice! |
| Haldrik04-22-04, 10:30 PM | Yeah, count me in! |
| Czahkiswashi04-22-04, 10:37 PM | Just wanted to make you aware of the Book of Familiars (http://trolllord.com/familiars_m.htm) There are two sample pages on this site, and the book looks to be good! providing alternate Familiar rules, additions, and rules for each class to to gain a familiar. Check it out! |
| Haldrik04-23-04, 08:56 PM | The two major complaints about the Familiar are: the xp threat and the fragile hit points. If you could make one of these problems go away, which would it be? Is letting the Familiar have the same hitpoints as you too much? Is simply removing the xp threat too much? How would you improve the Familiar? |
| cambric04-23-04, 09:44 PM | Thanks for starting this...no need to smack self...just remember I was next to sign up!! :D I'll get some stories of me and my familiar together, busy week-end. Cam |
| Czahkiswashi04-24-04, 12:50 AM | I would rather see the HP boosted then the XP penalty removed. The XP penalty makes sure that the character is concerned for the well-being of his familiar. I'd like to see the Familiar's HP= your HP rolls, but with his con mod applied. One idea I had for the XP penalty though, is that maybe spells such as raise dead, ressurection, etc. would restore some of that XP to you if your faimliar was raised. What do you guys think? ___________________ cambric- Thanks, and don't worry, you are #II on the members list! I'm looking forward to seeing those stories of yours. |
| Silmarien Aldalome04-24-04, 12:58 AM | :cool: foundation. I gotta Hawk Familiar. When I first saw V3 rules, I was spewing that the Familiar didn't transfer Improved Evasion to its master. Does anyone have house rules which grant this variation? |
| Elrana04-25-04, 06:31 PM | Please ad me to the list. My familiar is a pseudodragon named Canth. More useful than a corkscrew in a wine cellar and better company than the Swedish synchronised lap-dancing team! Will post some tales, advice etc. soon. |
| Czahkiswashi04-25-04, 07:58 PM | ok, i added u and canth on. |
| Elrana04-25-04, 08:41 PM | Thanks. I shall endeavour to make contributions as and when necessary. |
| Hot Rod04-26-04, 05:07 AM | I had a pickled familiar once... My owl (Aarun Aaruna - Swift Storm in Elven, usually just called "Aron" for short) died (I was a L2 mage at the time) and I wanted to preserve him until we returned to civilization and I could (hopefully) have him raised. We were far from populated lands (the town we were in was decimated by an unknown force we were investigating) so I stuck him in a small keg of whisky I found till we got back. I managed to get him raised a day before the 'deadline' (*ow* that was unintentional, honest :) ) and he learned to stay out of the way even if he did have more HP than me. As a house rule, the familar got to keep his HP if they were higher than what he got as a familiar, and as wild owl he had 1HD, (the 8HP was more than 1/2 mine till close to 5th level, I roll bad)) (I like () can't you tell? ) In hindsight I don't think anyone (especially me) mentioned to him the pickling incident after he was raised... Btw, is there ANY (official) PrC's that grant familiar advancement? As a Loremaster my PC offended another mage (Higher level LM) when the DM described that mage's Owl familiar as "Much better than yours..." My reply... " Oh, so sorry that the studies to become a LM were such a trial for you. I can't imagine taking so much longer to get in ..." :) (once he realized familiars don't get better from LM levels he decided to retract the statement :cool: ) OTOH To replace the table in the book with one based on HD I recommend the planar familiar spell from WotC's Spellbook. Add Celestial, Axiomatic, Fiendish, or Anarchic template depending on your alignment. Its a cleric spell (!) so emulate it with limited wish. (costs 500xp, (IIRC) so you pay that instead of Lim wish's cost) Axiomatic is my fav (only one I've tried actually). It lets you become not flat-footed on your familiar's initiative if its better than yours (and vice versa). The anti-spell protections are sweet too. (Anarchic has best physical defences IIRC) I've read Familiars: Crouching Monkey, Hidden Toad from Encyclopedia arcane but didn't really find anything usable in a regular campaign. :( I'll have to check out that other one you mentioned :) |
| Elrana04-26-04, 08:49 AM | If you enter a PrC but still want a more advanced familiar I recommend the improved familiar feat. The familiar that you may call is based on spellcaster level not wizard or sorcerer level. Therefore Canth has all the abilities of a 7th level wizard's familiar despite the fact that I have only three levels in wizard! Short of that the only way to buffer your familiar is by certain spells, such as fortify familar and such, and then permanency them. I have given Canth a brooch of shielding on a chain (seeing as it fills the amulet slot I thought it may a well be an amulet!) and that has been very very useful! I had to have him raised after three enemy sorcerer's all MMed him and I was not chuffed. I did kill all three of them however, and then went on to kill the rest of their guild and all their friends! |
| Czahkiswashi04-26-04, 07:48 PM | Hot Rod, i've added you to the members list, and in response to your questino on PrC's, ive compiled a little list. Just look at the compendiendum on the top of this thread. Also, while the failiar you can receive from the improved familiar feat are based on arcane spellcaster level, the abilities they gain are not. If you want a PrC that grants continuing familiar abilities, i think you're gonna have to either chose one of the ones on the list above, or settle for a non-official one. |
| cambric04-26-04, 08:12 PM | I have a pseudodragon familiar, Methia, and he's a brave little dragon. I'm currently playing a wizard/rogue. We're in a dungeon and Methia loves to move ahead and scout with me, though he will many times go further ahead, he's tiny, but has a huge brave heart. In his exploration, he found a empty cave, about 20x15 room, nothing at all...scouted it out and informed me. I was able to "see" it by sensing his thoughts and communicating with him. Now, about an hour later, he and I are scouting together, and thankfully, I ask him to return to my cloak, I have created an extra dimensional space inside of my cloak, just for him. (From the splat book on spell casters.) I had a "gut" feeling something was wrong or about to happen and when I've had that "feeling" before, I was right, so Methia agreed. About 20 minutes later, I turned down a long corridor and find myself trapped...cave trolls and one medium sized black dragon!! Behind me, some drow had been well hidden...my rolls were poor...ran into the "dead dice" syndrom and couldn't roll above a 5 for about 7 or 8 consecutive rolls...ouch!! Anyhow, my DM smiles and askes what I'm going to do...I say my magic word, "yikes" and my "poof and gone" spell goes into effect...where you go invisible for 2 rounds...I quickly dove into a small alcove that he had described...and had that evil grin going and says, "ok, you're in there, apparently safe...for now ..." :smirk: I smile and cast teleport...(we are on a HUGE mission, the rest of my team had decided to split up and check another part of the dungeon, and we weren't allowed to leave the dungeon yet...(long story)). He looks at me funny and asks "where?" I said, to the little cave that Methia had spotted...since he has seen it, I get to go there without error, as if I have seen it. The look on his face was priceless!! And thanks to Methia, I was saved!! My DM later told me, he thought he had me, as soon as I would've casted a long spell, the drow where going to shoot me with their darts, and figuring I would fall asleep...or even worse...the dragon would've breathed. He didn't want the party to know about the large group that I stumbled across...now, we went in prepared!! Thanks to Methia's careful search of the cave!!! Cam (More to come later...I have honestly been helped by my familiars so often, that I wouldn't trade them for anything...especially Methia, he really rocks!!) |
| Elrana04-26-04, 08:18 PM | Originally posted by Czahkiswashi Hot Rod, i've added you to the members list, and in response to your questino on PrC's, ive compiled a little list. Just look at the compendiendum on the top of this thread. Also, while the failiar you can receive from the improved familiar feat are based on arcane spellcaster level, the abilities they gain are not. If you want a PrC that grants continuing familiar abilities, i think you're gonna have to either chose one of the ones on the list above, or settle for a non-official one. Firstly Improved Familiar is DMG (p200) not PHB as the list states, that is more to help people who will search for it and search for it and not find it than anything else! Secondly the feat allows you to pick a familiar based on your spellcaster level. So a Wizard III/MotAO IV has a spellcaster level of VII. This allows him to choose a pseudodragon amongst other things. Within the feat description are stat blocks for the familiar types. Within the stat blocks are the abilities and etc. of the creature. These include special abilities of familiars that may be beyond that which the master's Wizard level may have otherwise allowed. Unless the master then increases his Wizard (for example) level the familiar does not continue to gain abilities but it still allows you to pick up certain abilities that you would otherwise not be eligible for. That is what I meant to say, not that the familiar continues to gain from then on as I think you may have interpreted it. |
| Czahkiswashi04-26-04, 08:28 PM | Hey, thanks for the correction, I'm still working out of the the 3.5 SRD (hehe, not enough $ to buy new core books) So double check me on this stuff. And yes, I was referering to the actual familiar abilities in my last post. |
| Elrana04-26-04, 08:39 PM | Cam, I agree one hundred per cent about pseudodragons being bigger on the inside then they are on the outside. Last night (Sunday) I proved that the pseudodragon is harder than the broken drow shadowdancer! We had pretty much decimated the six drow rogues and the truly horrid umberhulk that stumbled through the cavern wall into our battle (damn was he surprised!) all that was remaining was the drow leader, a shadowdancer with a ring of greater invisibility. He was getting right on my nerves! No one could find him after he had shadow stepped, the dwarf had 30' blindsight from a magic item (and who wouldn't like that?) but he moved further away than that. Fortunately I have an elven artefact, an intelligent sword with 120' blindsight and telepathy. The sword told me where he was, about 80' away hiding invisibly in a corner. At the time I was flying about at the ceiling (40' up and too far for ranged sneak attacks, I'm not stupid!) so having lots of movement, and having already failed several penetration checks I charged the bugger using my other sword (icy burst +3 short sword of flaming burst, a present from Corellon's sister). The rest goes like this: DM: Okay roll to attack. Elrana: Okay, that plus that, plus 2 for charging... 30 something. Other player: Is that a crit threat? Elrana: No. Other player: You're a mage! How can you do that? There's something wrong with you! Elrana: Yeah, I know! DM: Roll me a miss chance. Elrana: 96. DM: Well done, you feel your sword slice into something you can't see, roll damage please. Elrana: 6 regular, 3 cold and 2 fire. DM: You're going to be so upset. Elrana: I left the bastard on 0 didn't I? DM: I can't tell you (with a look on his face that says it all) but it's the third time you've done it this fight! Elrana: Git! (Rolls a die) Does 25 hit? DM: You charged, you don't have a second attack. Elrana: Canth is going to bite the bastard. DM: It does, can you roll me a miss chance. Elrana: No. DM: Why not? Elrana: Blindsense. DM: Fair enough, Canth hits, roll damage. Elrana: Canth bites the drow for one damage. DM: The drow falls over. Elrana: Wahay! Canth downs the bad ass drow shadowdancer! I therefore declare, based on empirical evidence, that the pseudodragon is harder than the broken drow shadowdancer! All hail Canth, tell him what a clever pseudodragon he is and pay him some attention before he gets in a strop! |
| cambric04-26-04, 08:50 PM | Nice job!! I love their "sleep" attacks...13 DC or so, but hey, anything helps. He put to sleep a guard for me...and I love the "touch" attack spells!! Ghoul touch...wow!! Cam |
| Elrana04-26-04, 10:51 PM | Although I think all familiars have their plusses I have a real bias toward pseudodragons. The DC may be low, but every 20th level fighter with a horrendous fort save has 5% chance of rolling a 1! On top of their physical attributes just their cat like nature and humour value alone makes them worthwhile to me. Canth being funny: The city having been attacked and badly mauled with a great loss of life by a green dragon I sent Canth to hide in the Arcane Order campus as the locals may not be too friendly toward dragon types at present. The dragon having been vanquished (sort of) we head back home and I pick up Canth on the way. Following previous instruction to the DM, and after having rolled an 4 in total on a disguise check the DM describes... "As you are riding home a bird appears and flies toward Elrana, can you all roll a spot check. As he nears you you all recognise the bird as being Canth with some feathers stuck all over him. He lands on Elrana's shoulder." At which point I took over, "Canth looks at you all and telepathically you hear him say "tweet tweet"!" We all found it very funny and 100 bonus XP for humour factor always goes down well! |
| ronyon04-28-04, 10:15 AM | Has any one built/played a character based around familiers? Any Prestige classes based on familiers? Seems like the following spells(Chain of Eyes(DotF p84,Familiar’s Form(DR280 p63),Undead Torch(MoF p129) ,Familiar’s Sense(???), could be the basis of a good build. I know this aint the C.O. board but i thought it still on topic... I especially want to build a necromantic familier build, so i can use undead buffs, familier buffs,self only buffs,and "anyman "buffs ,all together... |
| Elrana04-28-04, 10:42 AM | Just for sh*ts and giggles I thought I'd post this. It occurred to me while reading a post about the lack of power, too much power, usefulness, uselessness etc. of familiars and should the game include methods by which they can be made more powerful, feats and so on. Elrana’s Exploding Familiar Evocation (Fire) Level: Sor/Wiz 1 Components: V, S, M Casting Time: 1 standard action Range: Up to one mile Area: 30 ft. radius spread Duration: Instantaneous Saving Throw: Reflex half Spell Resistance: Yes Elrana’s Exploding Familiar is a spell for that last ditch attempt when the caster has no choice but to make a desperate act in a hopeless bid for survival. Upon casting the caster’s familiar, if within one mile, immediately explodes dealing 1d10 points of fire damage per caster level (no maximum) to every creature within the area. You simply instruct your familiar to make his way to a particular point and once he reaches it clap your hands together. The force of the explosion is so great that it even deals damage to objects within the area and all creatures and loose objects are blown to the edge of the area of effect (a successful reflex save halves the damage and negates the involuntary travel). The familiar suffers immediate death upon the casting of this spell and the caster suffers all the usual penalties connected with such an unhappy occurrence (see PHB page 54). This spell is compatible with all Metamagic feat effects except Repeat Spell (aside from when two or more casters cast this spell in conjunction using the Cooperative Spell feat. Even in these circumstances a second familiar must be present for the repeated effect to occur). Eschew Materials may not be applied to this spell. Material Component: A familiar. :D |
| Thermanshs04-29-04, 08:08 PM | Elrana click the "user cp" button on the top of your screen to check your private messages tab |
| wdarkk04-29-04, 10:33 PM | Me (and Scruffy) would like to join. One PrC you missed: Alienist (gives familiar Pseudonatural template). Oh, and as to the HP/XP thing, I'd like to be able to get the XP back by raising the guy. They're already very difficult to kill if you're smart. |
| Elrana04-30-04, 07:58 AM | Originally posted by wdarkk Me (and Scruffy) would like to join. One PrC you missed: Alienist (gives familiar Pseudonatural template). Oh, and as to the HP/XP thing, I'd like to be able to get the XP back by raising the guy. They're already very difficult to kill if you're smart. Aaargh!!! Don't say that! Before we know it this will turn into the 'a feat to get a familiar' thread and we'll all have to run away to a new thread and hide so that Haldrik can't find us again! :D |
| wdarkk04-30-04, 09:32 AM | Sorry. |
| AngrySloth04-30-04, 11:40 AM | questions about Raven Familiars............... well first off they can learn 1 language ..... drow sign language is a language. 2nd) they can use my perform sing check if they have common if i am a sorceror / bard that makes for one insane performance no? |
| Elrana04-30-04, 01:06 PM | Originally posted by AngrySloth questions about Raven Familiars............... well first off they can learn 1 language ..... drow sign language is a language. A raven may speak one language. Sorry, no can do Drow but could do undercommon. 2nd) they can use my perform sing check if they have common if i am a sorceror / bard that makes for one insane performance no? Fantastic! A familiar that can give you an assist on your perform checks! That is the way that I would rule it. And yes, that sounds like an awesome performance. I'll have two front row seats please! |
| Thermanshs04-30-04, 03:11 PM | that perform boosting familiar sounds cool...although ravens aren't famous for their shreaking voices...try making a nightingale familiar...or an exotic parrot familiar |
| AngrySloth04-30-04, 03:17 PM | well i was mainly to point out the fact that you could have a raven get a 30+ on a perform check which is mad insane.... |
| cambric04-30-04, 05:09 PM | Raven could enhance a performance...but no way on the drow sign language. The drow use their digits on their hands, something that a raven couldn't do. Cam |
| Hot Rod05-21-04, 05:43 PM | Familiars get to use their masters skills, Speak Language is a skill, If I buy a half dozen languages for my loremaster, shouldn't my owl get to speak them too? (well, at the very least he should understand them, a raven should speak all of them though...) |
| wdarkk05-21-04, 10:57 PM | Going into d20, Legends and Lore has "Spells and Spellcraft" with a really great set of familiar abilities. Some of which are actually broken (spend 9000xp once, familiar gets Wish 1/day forever). PS - you need to put me in as member VII (and Scruffy as VII.V). |
| Haldrik05-23-04, 09:04 PM | Check out the *Composite Familiar Fix* in my sig. It creates a new feat to get a Familiar called *Adopt Familiar*. (Sorry about the feat, Elrana. ;) ) The new Psion's "Familiar", the Psicrystal, is likewise a feat, and this seems to be the direction WotC is going. Anyway, the main advantage of having a feat is the Familiar is truly part of your own lifeforce, so as long as the adopter is still alive the Familiar is never truly dead. Currently, the Composite Familiar Fix handles the death of a Familiar as follows. If it dies (or is divorced) the adopter gains a negative level (and does not actually lose experience points) until the adopter can perform the meditation to adopt a new Familiar. The meditation removes the negative level. Have a look at it. It is a "composite" fix, meaning it tries to get an overall consensus about what the Familiar should be. Everybody's suggestions are important. Those who would rather not have the Familiar as a feat might have to look at it hypothetically. If it were a feat, what should the feat be like in order for you to take it. |
| Shadezz0fHades05-29-04, 12:13 PM | Familiars are so cool! I like toad familiars, but they dont get attacks. =( poor toads. So, I stick with a kitty, or a rat. I once had a rat familiar and it was off scouting, when it fell down a pit. There were some mysterious big bad guys down there (they eventually turned out to be golems), but the rat got stepped on and its last words (or rather.. um.. telepathic communications) were: Throw down some... Cheese... It was so sad. |
| Silmarien Aldalome05-31-04, 07:50 PM | Anyway, the main advantage of having a feat is the Familiar is truly part of your own lifeforce, so as long as the adopter is still alive the Familiar is never truly dead. This is cool. I'm reading a book called The Northern Lights - and it's a "Multiverse" themed book, set in a pseudo-Earth world with important differences. It's a magical world with witches and daemons (Familiars). Has anyone read it - cause if you love familiars - you'll love it. Familiars have many of the same powers as 3.5. The inverse effect to the quote has also been developed in the book, that being that if your familiar cops it, you die immediately. wdarkk sounds broken *chuckles* in the nicest possible way! |
| Azer Firelord05-31-04, 07:55 PM | Yes, Northern Lights is a great book- daemons are interesting. Even better, there are two more in the series, the Subtle Knife and the Amber Spyglass, and they are just as good. Unfortunately for the boards, a lot of good stuff in Northern lights is highly religious/political in nature, so I'll leave it be. That said, Silmarien, have you got to the armoured bears yet? They need statting! |
| Silmarien Aldalome05-31-04, 08:08 PM | Originally posted by Azer Firelord Yes, Northern Lights is a great book- daemons are interesting. The author gets at the symbiotic nature really well. When I thought Lyra was going to suffer the Intercision (that's severing you from your Familiar folks) - I nearly threw the book against the wall and was goint to toss it in. Even better, there are two more in the series, the Subtle Knife and the Amber Spyglass, and they are just as good. I'm looking forward to getting into them. Unfortunately for the boards, a lot of good stuff in Northern lights is highly religious/political in nature, so I'll leave it be. It's OK to comment on the mystical - as long as it does not have hidden meaning to normal religion. Deities and Demigods, Faith and Pantheons, Corellan and Co and such - all about gods and things. That said, Silmarien, have you got to the armoured bears yet? They need statting! About to - we're in the balloon with the flying witches. Pantalaimon (Lyra's familiar) is safe and sound. Has anyone ever created or seen a Shape-Shifting Familiar? Sil |
| Azer Firelord05-31-04, 08:19 PM | Well, it is very easier- you just need to be able to cast Alter Self, and it works on your familiar too! The Complete Warrior has a spell, Augment Familiar, that works a bit this way- makes it a size category larger etc. Yes, I know fantasy politics/religion is ok. But Northern Lights- and even more so the Subtle Knife, and absolutely definitely the Amber Spyglass, is selling a particular message with a real-world agenda behind it, which I wouldn't be able to discuss without a)giving away the plot, and b)getting very angry. It is great literature though. |
| BlaineTog05-31-04, 08:36 PM | Originally posted by Silmarien Aldalome It's OK to comment on the mystical - as long as it does not have hidden meaning to normal religion.Pullman's books actually are trying to comment on a RL religion: Catholicism. Apparently, he's given seminars against it. Although I do like the idea of a daemon (instead of a Familiar) for the Sorcerer. It makes infinitelly more sense. |
| Elrana05-31-04, 09:12 PM | According to olde worlde legend witches and warlocks had a third nipple from which they suckled their familiars. Very unpleasant. :) |
| BlaineTog05-31-04, 09:17 PM | If you'll excuse me, I need to Visit a Bard so he can Modify away my Memory of this. *can't find bard* *gets desperate* *Coup de Gras' self* "Aahhhhh.... Much better. :D" |
| Silmarien Aldalome05-31-04, 09:31 PM | Originally posted by BlaineTog Pullman's books actually are trying to comment on a RL religion: Catholicism. Apparently, he's given seminars against it. Although I do like the idea of a daemon (instead of a Familiar) for the Sorcerer. It makes infinitelly more sense. [GM-Voice]...what an author does and what we do are two separate things. Many many authors make religious comments - but what we do here is talk geek-stuff and game-familiar stuff. As long as the emphasis remains on the magic and the game-concepts - there is no problem. So make sure we stay focussed on game materials only.[/GM-Voice] |
| Azer Firelord05-31-04, 09:40 PM | (Bows before the appearance of Silmar-Gm-ien) Quite. I was just warning this is one of my sensitive spots. Now, armoured bears identify with their armour quite closely. It is a sort of 'familiar' or 'daemon' for them. I wonder if anything similar could be done for D&D armour/familiars... |
| Silmarien Aldalome05-31-04, 11:42 PM | Armoured Bears seem to have some sort of "familiar-like" link to their armour. Even though the armour is inert. I guess it's a good question: does a "familiar-like" relationship need to be with a living familiar? cheers stav |
| Azer Firelord06-01-04, 12:04 AM | Well, it can certainly be with a Construct- the Complete Wariior has three new familiars which are normally made by their owners from metal and spellcraft. I'd say an 'intelligent' item could be a familiar as well... |
| wdarkk06-01-04, 01:34 AM | Originally posted by Silmarien Aldalome wdarkk sounds broken *chuckles* in the nicest possible way! The ability mentioned is one of many abilities you can pay XP to give to your familiar, such as flight and DR (they don't specify wish, but spell-like abilities have no xp costs and you can do any wiz/sor spell of any level you want, so why not take the biggest and baddest). |
| Elrana06-01-04, 03:37 AM | Originally posted by Azer Firelord Well, it can certainly be with a Construct- the Complete Wariior has three new familiars which are normally made by their owners from metal and spellcraft. I'd say an 'intelligent' item could be a familiar as well... The connection to armour doesn't seem inherently different to a kensai's connection to his weapon or the exalted deeds ancestral relic feat, maybe you could work something from there. I've always fancied the idea of being able to take a familiar/cohort hybrid thing and thus have a sorcerer staff to complement my wizard PC. (I've mentioned this elsewhere I think.) That would be a familiar of serious value! (And Blaine, that way there'd be no need for the you know what that it can thingummy off. :bigeyes: ) |
| bgt06-21-04, 05:54 PM | The Spellbook (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20030504x) articles has two spells that affect familiers, Elemental Familier andAnimate Dead Familier The His Dark Matireals trilogy were some of the best books I ever read; I even made the aliethometer (hope that's spelled right) and the subtle knife artifacts in my campaign. |
| Shadezz0fHades06-24-04, 11:08 AM | Have you guys seen my Bufonid PRC, its about a toad familiar. Anyone have any requests for other familiar PRC I'm feeling bored. |
| Czahkiswashi07-01-04, 07:53 PM | Ok, updated the frotn page a little, and Shadezz0fHades, I could use a PrC for a bear familiar (yeah, so its a little bit big for a familiar....). If it helps the bear is a polar bear. Thanks |
| Agudo Archmage07-12-04, 06:42 PM | ((OOC Some reason I cant get the art work to show on this board? O well enjoy the happy face of Lady Hoot)) :angel: May I Lady Hoot a familiar join? I would like to add my own wise advice, on how to handle your master. :D:: |
| Atarmalake Stormspire07-20-04, 01:15 PM | Originally posted by Azer Firelord Well, it can certainly be with a Construct- the Complete Wariior has three new familiars which are normally made by their owners from metal and spellcraft. I'd say an 'intelligent' item could be a familiar as well... I have seen an 'Item Familiar' feat within the last week or so... but for the life of me I can't remember what book it was in. There was a picture of a woman with a glowing sword as her familiar, but this last week I visited Borders and read through 5 or 6 books that I dont own so I am unsure as to where the information is. sorry... Lake:( :( |
| Silmarien Aldalome08-03-04, 07:50 PM | Hi Ho Agudo, Atalamke, Cz, shades, bgt, elrana, wd., and Azer (i.e. posts since my last post). Agudo - of course you can join - welcome aboard. Sil smiles at Lady Hoot and Swiftflight (an ordinary Hawk) chats in avian words with the Owl. "Animate Dead Familiar" *chuckles* If you can have an undead familiar - then, a Weapon or Magic Item familiar should also be do-able. I've been looking at the Psionics equivalent of Familiars - the Personality stuff, which seems to also suggest that "familiars" are a very broad concept. If I had to organise Lore around the "what" of a familiar - here's what I'd suggest: Familiar Concepts 1. The presence of a strong bond between any one being and a sceond beings (or consciousness - such as a "hive"). 2. The Familiar must be not only consious, but self-aware. 2. The *sharing* of powers between Familiar and "Master" is made possible by the Bond. 3. The presence of strong feelings of grief, despair and helplessness when Familiar and Master are separated. 4. The presence of strong feelings of trust and reciprocity when the Familiar and Master are together. 5. The presence of loyalty, fidelity and duty of each pair in the partnership towards the other. How does that sit guyz? stav |
| turalisj08-03-04, 08:44 PM | sign me and my pheonix up! |
| Silmarien Aldalome08-03-04, 09:05 PM | G'day Turalisj - right on and welcome aboard I reckon we need a Member Listing and Products List! Who's gunna do it? stav |
| Von Crown08-11-04, 12:31 AM | First of, the Item Familiar Rules are in Unearthed Arcana Secondly, I am currently working on guidlines for what all could be taken with the improved familiar feat 1. The minimum spellcaster level for a given familiar is equal to its Level Adjustment (NOT ECL) 2. Size is unimportant, but you must be able to keep it around for the 24 hour bonding ritual, and it can't be currently trying to rip your head off (or otherwise kill and/or harm you) 3. It's alignment must be within one step of yours Feedback is appreciated, and sign me up P.S. A pheonix familiar! that's CR 21+! are you epic? |
| Von Crown08-11-04, 12:32 AM | Oops, double post... |
| turalisj08-11-04, 05:11 PM | basically the pheonix is a raven-fire elemtal hybrid. it gives +5 saves against fire attacks along with the ravens normal stuff. its la is +4 and its alignment is always cg. its size is small. it also has a few specks. carrying capcity=infinte. the pheonix can carry any wieght. (even a lead golem) flame travel= the pheonix can go through any none magical flames and appear anywhere the is a flame. healing tears= a pheonixs tears have the same structure and properties of a cure moderate wounds potion. immortal-the pheonix is immortal and will reapear as a young chicken when it is reborn. -so wat'ya think? overpowered? just right? |
| cambric08-11-04, 05:29 PM | The being able to lift any weight? Unless you're talking EPIC here, I think that's a bit much to ask. Flame travel could be too much too: For instance, how would the Phoenix know where to reappear? Can Fire Elementals do that? If they can't, then I don't see how a bird could, even being this special. I like the rest of it, the +5 to fire saves isn't overpowering at all...and the phoenix is known to be reborn...though you could say it takes 1d4 days to regain it's abilities? And how long will it live before needing to be reborn again? Cam |
| turalisj08-11-04, 05:36 PM | thanks, ill be sure to add that. and howa bout can lift 1k lbs? and the pheonix has to have been to the place its going to in order to travel. |
| cambric08-11-04, 05:40 PM | That's more reasonable. I know they have amazing powers, but they do have to be "reasonable" compared to other Familiars. Nice job! |
| turalisj08-11-04, 05:44 PM | thanks. i was going to add heat metal, but then i thought it might be a bit overpowered. |
| Silmarien Aldalome08-11-04, 06:14 PM | First of, the Item Familiar Rules are in Unearthed Arcana Welcome! If it's not too much - can you paraphrase, summarise or if you're partial, type in the rules verbatim? I don't have an Unearthed Arcana and would love to see how they adapt the Familiar concepts to items. @Turalisj - hi there - I love the Phoenix familiar. What happens after the young chicken grows up? (if you cook it in a fire, does it rise from the ashes....erm, hopefully not when your eating it.) @Cambric - I take your point. Carrying any weight seems like a pretty darned good supernatural ability. stav |
| turalisj08-11-04, 06:22 PM | it grows 1 age catagorey every 5 days at one size increase per age until it is small sized again. since the pheonix is half a fire elemtal it is immune to all flames.the only way to kill 1 for good is to strike it with a +4 blade of freezing and pour its ashes into the water plane. |
| Adrez Nesnsid08-13-04, 07:11 PM | I've recently made up a Prestige Class which gives a wizard (or whatever)'s familiar increased abilities, at the expense of some spellcasting advancement for the familiar's master. Here's a link to it if you want to check it out: The Familiarist (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=292334) |
| Von Crown08-13-04, 09:01 PM | Sorry, I can't tell you the Item Familiar rules because I don't have the book, I just know what book it's in, my friend has it... So, any comments on the improved familiar rules? P.S. Sry, I thought you meant the Pheonix from the MM2 |
| Von Crown08-17-04, 01:17 AM | I guess I forgot, but sign me and Verath up! (I waited 'till like lvl 50ish, and got an Abyssal Greater Basilisk) :devil: |
| Von Crown08-17-04, 01:18 AM | Oops, looks like ANOTHER double post. Sorry. |
| turalisj08-17-04, 02:57 AM | a basilisk.......:eek: great |
| taltamir08-22-04, 05:15 PM | with improved familiar, one seems to be able to take familars which are sentient and or magical creatures. The druid spell awaken can make an animal a sentient magical creature. An awakened animal should be able to take other creatues as familiars if they are wizards or sorcerers. An awakened animal should be able to take a human/humanoid as a familiar if they have the feat improved familiar. |
| Czahkiswashi10-02-04, 01:29 PM | Well, i remember we were talking about daemon...so i tried making a feat to give you one...here it is: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=4522446#post4522446 what do u guys think? |
| ebaatezu05-17-05, 12:33 AM | does anyone know if there have been any new posts dealing with familiars on this site? it is one of my favorite aspects about a wizard so i am constantly seeking more about them. thanks :) |
| Agudo Archmage05-17-05, 01:26 PM | If you read the post baove you can see the date last posted....and....well...no there is nothing going on here :( |
| kyros_the_spawnslayer09-22-06, 11:03 AM | May I and my lizard familiar Jum-Jum join? Jum-Jum is the familiar for my new sorcerer character Kiros Dracir I've been planing to use in a game next month. Pretty much Kiros is an archaeologist and a polymorph-user to make him into a "rator" (know I could choose a whole lot more of forms but this just makes it easier). Also, being a transmuter any buff spells he would cast onto himself, like Enlarge Person or Bull's Strength would also affect Jum-Jum, right? Also I got two familiar questions. (1) Is there any way functionallity wise to turn a familiar into a draconic version of itself or just get one that is draconic before the ritual to bond the little fella to you? (2) How exactly would someone make a Improved familiar his magical counterpart for the sake of story (summon monster spells)? |