Post/Author/DateTime	Post
High Octane 07-28-05, 02:42 AM	Since I just read and replied to 3 familiar threads today, I figured this was missing from the list. Familiars can be VERY useful if used correctly.... or even incorrectly. You dont need an improved familiar, you just need to figure out how to use your regular one creatively! I'll start. 1. WAKE UP! A familiar can wake a master who has fallen under the effect of a sleep spell. 2. He can sneak into the guards office and grab the keys for you if you want to escape jail. 3. A raven or owl can deliver a touch spell to some flying harpy or flying demon for you. 4. A ferret or rat can crawl into tiny narrow tunnels and find levers or even disable some mechanisms, if the master has ranks in disable device, so does the familiar! 5. Tie a message to its feet or neck and use it as your inconspicuous message delieverer. 6. Put a vial of alchemist fire in his beak and have him drop it over your enemy. 7. He could chew through the ropes that bind you. 8. He can soak up spells and effects that are hit die dependant (though that could always end badly) 9. A bats blindsense can help you out when you are in the radius of a darkness spell or your torch runs out. 10. Cast light on his tail or a feather or a claw and he can be your floating lantern keing your hands free. 11. In case your spell component pouch is stolen, owls and ravens provide the material component for feather fall. 12. Snakes are a good intimidation tool for a captive.
Highbulp Billy 07-28-05, 07:09 AM	13. Wearing an amber ring and having your cat familiar on your lap, you have the components for an impromptu lighting bolt just by stroking it. Of course, the resulting static electricity through the cat would probably leave it stuck to the ceiling for a few days but what-the-hey!
digoraccoon 07-28-05, 08:32 AM	14. While not a familiar, the party Ranger tends to put his wolf companion on look out duty during nightly camps. A nocturnal familair probably could do the same. :)
Lyinginbedmon 07-28-05, 08:48 AM	15. An equine familiar or companion could communicate with others of their species to form the primary component for a TND In other words, a Tactical Nuclear DonkeyWhich is essentialy any equine creature with a large barrel of explosives on their back and a fuse. Everyone runs from that heading your way!
LCD2YOU 07-28-05, 09:11 AM	16: Chick magnet. Have your seemingly normal cat or dog familiar revert back to a puppy or kitten.
Morka 07-28-05, 10:22 AM	Warning! Sensible souls, do not read... 17. If the party run out of toilet paper, a fluffy bunny familiar is quite useful...
Witchblade 07-28-05, 10:49 AM	18. A Weasel can be used as a keychain with his Attach ability.
DDogwood 07-28-05, 11:25 AM	19. Cast a touch spell through your familiar, and have it hold the spell until you need it. Great for casting Polymorph on allies who can't stay close by. It's like the cheap version of Contingent Spell. 20. Good for wizards who have multiclassed and have weak familiars: Protect your spellbook by keeping it at your castle/tower/lair. Your familiar stays near it, and turns the pages while you Scry your spells.
Red_Ninja 07-28-05, 01:20 PM	21. milk your viper familiar for poison -to add to your weapons... 22. frog and spider familiars can help keep your tent bug free! 23. a cat familiar is great for chasing down fleeing, wounded, wererats in (normal) rat form... 24. at low levels...with an "enlarge" spell, many familiars make fantastic guardians...read- condor sized raven/pony sized war dog/cheeta sized alley cat/ volleyball sized toad (ok maybe not that one :D ) 25. familiars can help you convince the townspeople you are not an evil sorcerror (look that witch has a fluffy white cat! she must not be the evil witch we've heard about...)or that you are in fact an evil sorcerror (ah! venomous snake!) 26. ferret and monkey familiars can become skilled pick pockets... 27. parrot familiars lend credibility to your disguise (pirate) checks 28. dog familiars can smell the orcs before you can see them!
Flushmaster 07-28-05, 03:21 PM	I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this one yet. 29. Cross an "impassable" pit by having your flying familiar attatch ropes to something on the other side. Just tie a loop in the rope, put it in the familiar's talons and tell them where to drop it. Repeat at a higher or lower evel and attatch your ends to something and you have a crude rope bridge.
tharivol266 07-28-05, 04:37 PM	30. duh spying on uggo number 27 lol. i really like number 17
PsychoSailor 07-28-05, 04:47 PM	Okay, here's another one...this isnt for the easily offended. 30. Snacking!!!! Most low level char's familiars can adequately feed 1 to 2 people...I suggest marinating in a bit of wine first, then adding various roots and veggies...the outdoorsy types are good for foraging and stuff...to the pot. Stew for a bit, then enjoy. Of course, as char levels progress, larger and more tastier familiars can be acquired. Bon Appetit!
WizardlyFriend 07-28-05, 04:54 PM	31. shields 32. tank, if you buff them right 33. revenge tactic. get your familiar to hit someone you don't like adn use the "he can't help it" routine. 34. message deliverer
TheErsatzFacsimileOfMe 07-28-05, 05:14 PM	Okay, here's another one...this isnt for the easily offended. 30. Snacking!!!! Most low level char's familiars can adequately feed 1 to 2 people...I suggest marinating in a bit of wine first, then adding various roots and veggies...the outdoorsy types are good for foraging and stuff...to the pot. Stew for a bit, then enjoy. Of course, as char levels progress, larger and more tastier familiars can be acquired. Bon Appetit! You beat me to it!
Evil Glowstick 07-28-05, 05:39 PM	21. milk your viper familiar for poison -to add to your weapons... I was waiting for some one to say that one. The improved familar feat is good for touch attacks. Bite/claw + touch spell=very hurt baddy
RavenoftheCrags 07-29-05, 07:30 AM	You can use rat familiars to carry an awful disease into a peaceful village. I once used a toad to catch every fly that went near a (small) monstrous spider's web so that the spider starved. It took ages...
Red_Ninja 07-29-05, 08:08 AM	35. hawk familiars can be awesome recon... minor fire elementals (improved familiar feat)- can... 36. power a forge 37. impromptu camp fire 38. dry your wet clothes 39. destroy all you secret documents when the authorities take you away for being an evil wizard... 40. barbeque duty and the party cook outs 41. hug attack other familiars in an embrace of death! minor water elementals (improved familiar feat) can... 42. serve as a sprinkler system during fires 43. save you if you are on fire by jumping on you! 44. water your garden of magical herbs 45. you can drink him if you are thirsty- but will you become possessed? 46. he can combine with other familiars to become a might morphing power familiar... combine with minor fire familiar to become !!!! ta-dah... super steam familiar! 47. you can sneak him into enemy strongholds in barrels (looks innocent), wineskins? 48. be moat guardian commander 49. you can sneak him into a base by drinking him, then peeing him out once you are inside! 50. puddle sneak attack in the courtyard of your keep! 51. clean out your gutter (heck- he can clean your whole house!) minor earth elementals can... 52. do your gardening 53. mine for gold in your back yard 54. poop gems 55. meld with the earth in a room to eavesdrop conversations minor air elementals can... 56. dust your house! 57. clear the pigeons off of your roof! 58. provide that needed breeze (say...in the desert...)
RavenoftheCrags 07-29-05, 08:22 AM	59. Heres a crazy idea... Er... Get your familiar to help in combat?
RavenoftheCrags 07-29-05, 08:23 AM	No, ignore that...
cambric 07-29-05, 08:56 AM	59. Heres a crazy idea... Er... Get your familiar to help in combat? Actually...the wizard in the campaign I'm running does that?!?! He has a pseduodragon and the personality he came up with: The little guy "thinks" he is a dragon and wants to "prove" himself...so he will go on in and attack. He uses his sting attack and "touch spells". The last battle, he did a "shocking grasp" onto the cleric, and since the cleric was way down on hit points, it was him that killed him. :rimshot: Now, that's one egotistical pseduodragon! :dragon: 60. Have the familiar scout out rooms, once the familiar sees them, the wizard could teleport without error into the room. Great for getting into castles and such. Cam
R-man 07-29-05, 09:16 AM	60) Make those knowledge skill checks, your familier uses your ranks in all the skills that you have. If your DM doesn't allow a seperate roll for a Knowledge check then get the familier to do the aid another task to give you a +2 to your check 61) Set up Flank and do the aid another task in combat a total of +4 to hit if successful. Remember your familier can share all of your spells that are personal or touch range with you. 62) Cast Mirror Image, your familier gets images of its own 63) Cast invisibility, your familier is also invisible 64) Whats that you are a Bard with the Obtain Familier feat and have maximum ranks in UMD, give your familier magical items that it can activate in combat. 65) Cast Polymorph self on yourself poly yourself and your familier into big nasty monsters, you followed it up with Tenser's transformation...MwaHaHa!
Xankh 07-29-05, 09:49 AM	66) Familiars can use aid another when in combat to give you or your allies bonuses. 67) Your improved familiar (quasit) is useful when dealing with evil outsiders. :devil:
RavenoftheCrags 07-29-05, 12:58 PM	Actually...the wizard in the campaign I'm running does that?!?! He has a pseduodragon and the personality he came up with: The little guy "thinks" he is a dragon and wants to "prove" himself...so he will go on in and attack. He uses his sting attack and "touch spells". The last battle, he did a "shocking grasp" onto the cleric, and since the cleric was way down on hit points, it was him that killed him. :rimshot: Cam That would make a great childrens cartoon "The Adventures of Little Dragon" or what have you, but that is the kind of thing in an RPG that makes me sick. :paradiddle:
RavenoftheCrags 07-29-05, 01:01 PM	68. Familiars are great subjects for tortur... I mean research. You can test your new weapons on them, or discover the effects of new spells. 69. You can cast flesh to stone on them and sell the cute little animal statues for money. :devil: HOMUNCULUS HOMUNCULUS HOMONCULI - gotta love em.
friedmad 07-29-05, 01:12 PM	70. Helps to convince your fellow party members that you are chaotic good instead of lawful evil (imp familiar feat, as LE, take Imp and note that its 2 'alter self' forms are a medium humanoid and a pseudodragon. evin in pseudodragon form it can still use its tail to sting and poison...*snickers evilly*)
RavenoftheCrags 07-29-05, 01:41 PM	*in 8 year old 'show and tell' style voice* I have a homunculus, his names erm... Jumping Albert and he's been through erm... two adventures with me *wipes nose with sleeve*. We go into many dungeons and erm... he eats bugs *chuckles*
Skrimshaw 07-31-05, 10:10 AM	Toads: Make great paper weights for scrolls! also you can get quite a buzz from licking your toad familiar !!
Need_A_Life 07-31-05, 03:47 PM	73. Levitate an enlarged familiar above an opponents head and dismiss the spell. Prepare to yell "AUCH!" due to empathic bond.
RavenoftheCrags 07-31-05, 06:01 PM	74. Kiss your toad familiar and hope it becomes a princes. If not cast create water and wash your mouth out.
peakaboojones 07-31-05, 09:41 PM	75. What familiar better than a cat to use for my kitten powered baby cannon?
Lao, Ninja of the Dragon 08-01-05, 11:15 AM	You know actually, most wizards would spoil their familiars more than most people spoil a cat. 76) A kitten is just plain cute, and once it can speak telepathically it gets a bonus in diplomancy because of the eyes. Enemies think "Aww, so cute" before they get fried by a touch attack.
Fanged Fremont 08-01-05, 01:23 PM	77. Cast Polymorph on them and turn them into something like this (http://www.lineage2-online.com/gallery/albums/wallpapers/Darkefl_E3_2003_4405X6046.sized.jpg) you know, for those lonely nights.
Red_Ninja 08-01-05, 04:15 PM	on that note #78 polymorph into...date for the king's ball #79 polymorph into...a burly bodyguard #80 polymorph into...your only friend! #81 polymorph into... the identity of a famous noble, who will vouch for you and get you into the king's court #82 polymorph into... a gigantic dragon who guards your tower of evil... but enough of abusing polymorph.... what happens if you clone your familiar and the original dies... do you still suffer the XP loss/ wrenching pain/ etc...-- I'd say yes... but you'd probably auto-bond with the clone familiar #83 create a clone army of your familiar so that your enemies will be unable to slay him- think Saddam's body doubles.... #84 bait #85 use you dog familiar to carry light loads (like your bundle of scrolls) #86 use your snake familiar as a biting whip #87 use your shocker lizard (improved familiar feat) to power minor electrical experiments... #88 use your shocker lizard as a stun gun... "here pet my lizard...he's totally tame... now boy- sic'em!"
Yruc 08-02-05, 01:07 PM	89. I'm surprised no one has mentioned the good ole:: Trap Detector Not sure a hallway trapped? Grap your party's familiar and toss it down the hall to find out! Warning: If familiar sets off a trap and dies, said wizard may try and turn you into some food for his next familiar. If familiar lives, said wizard may still try to turn you into food for his familiar.... 90. Posion detector. - Again using the party wizard's familiar to sample all your food (can say being nice and feeding it what you eat, but in reality you're making sure that evil rogue didn't lace your food with posion. 91. Free flying carpet (small) Strap a piece of buttered bread on the top of a cat, and drop from a small height. The butter side always lands down and the cat always lands on its feet, so it hovers above the ground a few inches, trying to decide which way to land.
Red_Ninja 08-19-05, 03:12 PM	92- put your spider familiar on an enemy to serve as a spy (make sure he doesn't get squished! 93- Your rat familliar could serve as a sewer scout 94- any bird familiar can serve as an emergency writing quill supply 95- a chameleon lizard familiar would also make a great spy!
DraconsNighthawk 08-19-05, 06:44 PM	Hmm.. I wonder if you cast a perment polymoprh to a animal to make them look like the man/woman of your dreams, then have a druid cast awaken on them, then use wish to make them your familiar. Lots of trouble, but would it be worth it?
The Amazing Dancing Bear 08-19-05, 07:09 PM	#whatever: false god. I was in the Forge of Fury with my caster buddy when he gave his weasel a lighted pebble and mage handed it down the tunnel to illuminate what was ahead. The troglodyte guards said, in Draconic, "What the heck is that thing?" My quick-thinkin' elf gentlemanly ninja jumped into action, striding down the tunnel and proclaiming him as Sly the Weasel-God. I fed the trogs a constant line of crap about him being the earthly avatar of Sly, who was a great friend and honored ally of Laogzed, how they were chosen to be great followers of Sly, etc. When we had pumped them for info, they started looking doubtful, so I gave them free wine, saying that Sly was a god of drink as well. Well, they revealed to us that there was a great treasure horde guarded by the mighty Cragzar and a giant lizard. We told them that they would have to take a test to prove their worthiness to Sly (By the way, my Diplomacy was +13 and my bluff was +7 :D ). Basically, we got two trog bodyguards. Then, we converted Cragzar by stroking his ego and saying his great might was due to Sly's blessing. We asked for a modest tribute, and got 1500 gold, which Cragzar carried. He bore it through the Forge and when he came to the rickety roe bridge, my friend levitated him, calling it "The holy power of Sly". Then, once we were out of the dungeon, my friend levitated him 200 feet up, and then dropped him for 40d6 (20d6 for the fall +20d6 for the weight of the HUGE BAG OF GOLD). The trogs wavered in their faith, and I stepped in (all this was off the top of my head; as Johnny Depp said, "Improvisation, dear boy, is a talent.") I remarked that Cragzar had been being carried off to eternal bliss by Sly, but his faith had wavered, and Sly had duly punished him. "That means that you," said Maladict, my ninja (borrowed from the vampire in Monstrous Regiment , Discworld fans know what I'm talking about), "are Sly's chosen, mightier even than Cragzar in your devotion. Now go back down into your city and convert the masses to the true glory of Sly. Hallelujah!" We got oodles of cash, oodles of roleplaying XP, and the satisfaction of possibly having started a major religion (our trogs were better outfitted than the others, and had moral conviction). This is what D&D is all about!
The Amazing Dancing Bear 08-19-05, 07:13 PM	Not to mention that you can get an imp or quasit with Improved Familiar, with one of it's alternate forms being a doppelganger or changeling, and dispense with Polymorph altogether. "I been lookin' for the daughter of the devil himself, I been lookin' for an angel in white." -The Eagles Exactly!
The Livewire 08-19-05, 07:52 PM	#i If your familiar has flyby attack, quick way to get your tank in play. Familair does flyby on BBEG, ends in adjacent square. a) Let the P-War cast a quickened Dimension Swap + Full attack. b) Cast either of the transposition spells to swap your familiar with your fighter. #i2 makes a good scout, espeically if it's a pseudodragon have it and your scout go ahead, let telepathy do the communication part.
tharivol266 08-20-05, 04:41 AM	2 words.........dust.....rag
Elrana 08-20-05, 10:41 AM	18. A Weasel can be used as a keychain with his Attach ability. :clap: My favourite so far! A soft furry familiar can make a convenient pillow for those cold uncomfortable nights sleeping rough. :)
ChaosSaber 08-20-05, 12:13 PM	91. Free flying carpet (small) Strap a piece of buttered bread on the top of a cat, and drop from a small height. The butter side always lands down and the cat always lands on its feet, so it hovers above the ground a few inches, trying to decide which way to land. :heehee Sig'd
RavenoftheCrags 08-20-05, 02:40 PM	You could always use your familiar for testing shampoos and cosmetics
Roreck 08-20-05, 03:16 PM	You could always use your familiar for testing shampoos and cosmetics If you do that the PETA will be ******. And DnD Peta was Druids, lots of Druids versus a wizard and perhaps an adventuring party (if they choose to help you). Take solice in know that the druids will take care of your familiar after they kill you.
Blackwind 08-22-05, 12:38 AM	Travel Rations
Snommelp 08-22-05, 01:42 AM	Marry your raven familiar. There might be a tax write-off or something, but even if there isn't, it's worth the expression on the cleric's face when the bird says "I do."
Kessalin Talira 08-22-05, 02:55 AM	Dinner... just make sure the wizard is sleeping, and you pick the fur out of your teeth before dawn.