Post/Author/DateTime	Post
HeNeedsAName 07-05-07, 10:06 AM	The Item Familiar variant in Unearthed Arcana has intrigued my players. But since we at times tend to use unusual and odd combinations of supplemental rules, I'd like to know a bit more... Would you allow a character to take more than one item familiar? Assuming they spend a feat for each of them, and do not stack the effects (for example, you can only invest life force into one item, only invest spell slots into one item, and so forth), it doesn't seem too unbalanced, though the feat seems to be made to only be taken once in terms of flavor. What would you say might happen if an already intelligent item is made a familiar? Upon reaching 7th level, does the item's personality and alignment shift to match the character's, as a normal item familiar which would gain sapience at this point? Should the gain of intelligence maybe be substituted with a different bonus, like another special ability (maybe a fixed one to avoid powergaming)? Would you allow a legacy item to be made an item familiar? The purpose of that variant is to have an item that scales a bit with character level, yet legacy items already do that (even to a larger extent). On the other hand, there's little in the RAW that speaks against it. If this is allowed, would you count the item's numerous legacy abilities (and maybe even the status of being a legacy item itself) into the item's ego score when it gains sapience? This would result in a very high ego score - but granted, something as powerful and old as a legacy item is probably a quite self-important personality in either case. ;) Also, with the item familiar always working primarily for the wielder's cause, a high ego score would not cause an actual problem for the player, as it might happen with a normal intelligent item.
Jafre 07-08-07, 05:00 PM	Would you allow a character to take more than one item familiar? No. A mage can only have one familiar, and this rule is playing off that concept. There are so many other magic item options, that having two item familiars really tweaks the character's skills and feats to the characters detriment. What would you say might happen if an already intelligent item is made a familiar? Upon reaching 7th level, does the item's personality and alignment shift to match the character's, as a normal item familiar which would gain sapience at this point? Should the gain of intelligence maybe be substituted with a different bonus, like another special ability (maybe a fixed one to avoid powergaming)? This seems to be covered by the item familiar rules already. Would you allow a legacy item to be made an item familiar? The purpose of that variant is to have an item that scales a bit with character level, yet legacy items already do that (even to a larger extent). On the other hand, there's little in the RAW that speaks against it. If this is allowed, would you count the item's numerous legacy abilities (and maybe even the status of being a legacy item itself) into the item's ego score when it gains sapience? This would result in a very high ego score - but granted, something as powerful and old as a legacy item is probably a quite self-important personality in either case. ;) Also, with the item familiar always working primarily for the wielder's cause, a high ego score would not cause an actual problem for the player, as it might happen with a normal intelligent item. I don't see why not. A legacy item is based on religion, and requires its own set of prerequisites. Scaling with levels is only part of either the legacy weapon or the item familiar, and the bond between the item and the 'owner' is key to both. I would definitely count ego scores as defined by what an ego score it, with each ability and factor being counted. The item familiar serves a cause, and should (not required) be aligned with the player, but there are specific RAW rules covering this. If the character fails to meet the requirements, the item familiar ceases to function as a familiar, and a legacy weapon has it's own provisions for an unmatch.