How do I get more out of my familiar? [Archive] - Wizards Community

How do I get more out of my familiar? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
ginawhy
10-02-06, 09:15 PM I've had my familiar for about six lvls. At first we used him to scout, and deliver touch spells, etc, but now the party is about 11 lvl. Slowly, the usefullness seems to out way the risks of having the familiar die. We don't use him to scout anymore, because a rogue joined our group. He has come close many times to lizard heaven. The last baddie we fought killed my familiar (and myself) in a couple well placed AOE spells. A resurection brought us back.

Is he doomed to be a trophy familiar; do I just bring him out for parties? I don't really understand all of the sudden what the point for a familiar is, if I'm too scared to use him. Would some of the spells that buff a familiar be any use to a sorcerer. I was thinking about Imbue Familiar with Spell Like Ability. Would it be worth it? Is there a point in time where you just ditch the cuddly animal? :confused:
PhaedrusXY
10-02-06, 09:17 PM With the "How to get the most out of your familiar" (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=193357&page=1&pp=30) thread, of course. ;) The "Clever uses of Shared Spells (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=4781786)" thread in my sig has some handy suggestions in it, also.
Nikeratos
10-03-06, 10:43 AM First of all, I don't think a lizard is a very good option for a familiar. I have had a raven (with a halfling diviner/sorcerer), and I prefer it because it combines all the good features: flight good for spying + black feathers help in hiding + body small enough + can speak from 1st level.

A lizard is more problematic, but it can be improved. There are several creative ways to share spells. For example, when we were exploring a vampire dungeon, I directed a Disguise Self spell to my raven so it could enter and spy in the guise of a bat. Later, when the spell ended and we saw it captured in grapple, I shared Reduce Person with it so it had an easier chance for squeezing out.

If you want to use your lizard in combat, you will want it to deliver touch spells. But you must protect it first. Start by sharing Mage Armor, Shield, Blink, or all of them if you can. When you have made sure it won't be killed easily, how about some polymorphing? It's harder to fight a lizard-turned-bear that can deliver touch spells and rip your flesh at the same time. The same spells that improve the combat abilities of summoned creatures (Magic Fang, Bull's Strength, Rage) can be used to improve your familiar in combat, with the addition of some tricks like a shared Enlarge Person.

If you prefer stealth, then your options are Improved Invisibility and Silence, and your familiar will still be able to attack. But if you like surprises, then nothing's better than sending an innocent-looking lizard into enemy territory with a Contingency spell attached to...
Lunar_Shadow
10-03-06, 10:47 AM If you have Dragon Magoc you can take the Drakken Familiar class feature and add the drakken template to your lizard, I think.
Wuggadad
10-03-06, 11:30 AM A familiar can be an excellent secretary. When the wizard is working on something that takes an 8 hour chunk: writing down a spell, crafting a magic item, casting identify, it is nice to have someone or something trustworthy to communicate that to friends who would disturb the wizard.

Early on, the familiar can be used for relatively long distance communication. Just simple stuff like, Wizard to familiar: "Give three head bobs. That is our signal that we are in position to attack/start the distraction".

The problem at higher levels is that the familiar's skills do not advance. If their animal senses and stealth and/or athletic type skills advanced as the wizard did, that would be a different matter. A weasel familiar that could increase Search and Survival skill points in order to be a good tracker would be useful for a long time.
danielinthewolvesden
10-03-06, 12:46 PM In PHII, there is a Feat where you can take one hot for your familair, or the other way around. That way, the Familiar can save your life once a day.:cool:
JaronK
10-03-06, 05:58 PM Something important to remember... your familiar has your skill ranks. As a result, he can do an Aid Another action for any skill you can use... such as spellcraft and knowledge skills.

Worth using.

JaronK
Nikeratos
10-03-06, 06:20 PM Something important to remember... your familiar has your skill ranks. As a result, he can do an Aid Another action for any skill you can use... such as spellcraft and knowledge skills.
JaronK

I can't see how this can be done. Your familiar is an extension of yourself, so it won't know anything you don't know already. There's no way your familiar could have even learned those things in the first place. So Spellcraft and Knowledge skills couldn't be aided in this way. Several skills are just out of an animal's capacities, and most Int skills belong to this group.
DarkNick
10-03-06, 06:51 PM Maybe you could upgrade your familiar? Not sure what the rules are like in 3ed but in 2ed you could use your familiar to create a homunculous (spelling?). If there is no way to do it rules wise then perhpas you could ask your dm if you could make up a new feat, like greater familiar or something that allows you to change it to something a bit more powerful. If you could get a quazit, psuedo dragon, imp etc that would be fantastic.

Personally I am not that fond of familiars, they are like an extra dependant you could do without and just another weakness that can be exploited. Also they seem more suited to witches and hedge wizards. Sometimes they are good fun though and they do give you some options.

Play it for roleplaying benefits, give it a personality, ask the ladies if they want to touch your lizard (yes, bring it out at parties). Grumpy and protective old familiars seem to work well. Start taking on the familiars characteristics or talk about the familiar as if you were refering to yourself in the third person "Amos does not like it when you talk that way, take it back or he will get mad". Just some ideas to play a familiar up.

Consider your familiar as an extra option you can use rather than something you have to use. Most of the time it could be quite happy sleeping in your cloak. Maybe it is time for it to take a back seat.
PhaedrusXY
10-03-06, 09:16 PM I can't see how this can be done. Your familiar is an extension of yourself, so it won't know anything you don't know already. There's no way your familiar could have even learned those things in the first place. So Spellcraft and Knowledge skills couldn't be aided in this way. Several skills are just out of an animal's capacities, and most Int skills belong to this group.The rules do not agree with you, and DMs that second guess every tiny little thing like this are annoying as hell. Why not just go along with the rules as written, unless something truly disruptive comes up? (There are plenty of really game breaking things to worry about. This isn't one of them.)

I mean seriously. The druid has an animal companion that could rip your face off, and you're worrying whether letting the mage's mostly useless companion give him a +2 boost on skill checks is a problem? Utterly preposterous.
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi
10-03-06, 09:21 PM Improved Familiar gives you a better familiar (duh!). A route I'd like to explore more fully is Improved Familiar + Share Spell + Tenser's Transformation. Even with a regular familiar: attack of the killer weasle!
PhaedrusXY
10-03-06, 09:33 PM Improved Familiar gives you a better familiar (duh!). A route I'd like to explore more fully is Improved Familiar + Share Spell + Tenser's Transformation. Even with a regular familiar: attack of the killer weasle!This would work very well with a Loremaster who buys a Wand of Shield Other and uses it on his/her familiar. Your very own pocket tank. :D You could also use Alter Self, Polymorph (Any Object), or Shapechange on it to turn it into something more combat effective, rather than "wasting" a feat on Improved Familiar. If you have a cleric cohort, get him/her to cast the Shield Other, instead of your frail mage self.
pyropetey9
10-04-06, 05:27 AM a familiar is not an extension of the master! it is an animal, albeit an unusually smart and tough animal. while difficult to use for more than purely roleplaying purposes at higher levels, if used creatively, a familiar can be a valuable asset in any party. send messages, take a circuitous path to unexpectedly deliver an attack. it can be a large investment of time, but it's worth it.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ginawhy 10-02-06, 09:15 PM	I've had my familiar for about six lvls. At first we used him to scout, and deliver touch spells, etc, but now the party is about 11 lvl. Slowly, the usefullness seems to out way the risks of having the familiar die. We don't use him to scout anymore, because a rogue joined our group. He has come close many times to lizard heaven. The last baddie we fought killed my familiar (and myself) in a couple well placed AOE spells. A resurection brought us back. Is he doomed to be a trophy familiar; do I just bring him out for parties? I don't really understand all of the sudden what the point for a familiar is, if I'm too scared to use him. Would some of the spells that buff a familiar be any use to a sorcerer. I was thinking about Imbue Familiar with Spell Like Ability. Would it be worth it? Is there a point in time where you just ditch the cuddly animal? :confused:
PhaedrusXY 10-02-06, 09:17 PM	With the "How to get the most out of your familiar" (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=193357&page=1&pp=30) thread, of course. ;) The "Clever uses of Shared Spells (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=4781786)" thread in my sig has some handy suggestions in it, also.
Nikeratos 10-03-06, 10:43 AM	First of all, I don't think a lizard is a very good option for a familiar. I have had a raven (with a halfling diviner/sorcerer), and I prefer it because it combines all the good features: flight good for spying + black feathers help in hiding + body small enough + can speak from 1st level. A lizard is more problematic, but it can be improved. There are several creative ways to share spells. For example, when we were exploring a vampire dungeon, I directed a Disguise Self spell to my raven so it could enter and spy in the guise of a bat. Later, when the spell ended and we saw it captured in grapple, I shared Reduce Person with it so it had an easier chance for squeezing out. If you want to use your lizard in combat, you will want it to deliver touch spells. But you must protect it first. Start by sharing Mage Armor, Shield, Blink, or all of them if you can. When you have made sure it won't be killed easily, how about some polymorphing? It's harder to fight a lizard-turned-bear that can deliver touch spells and rip your flesh at the same time. The same spells that improve the combat abilities of summoned creatures (Magic Fang, Bull's Strength, Rage) can be used to improve your familiar in combat, with the addition of some tricks like a shared Enlarge Person. If you prefer stealth, then your options are Improved Invisibility and Silence, and your familiar will still be able to attack. But if you like surprises, then nothing's better than sending an innocent-looking lizard into enemy territory with a Contingency spell attached to...
Lunar_Shadow 10-03-06, 10:47 AM	If you have Dragon Magoc you can take the Drakken Familiar class feature and add the drakken template to your lizard, I think.
Wuggadad 10-03-06, 11:30 AM	A familiar can be an excellent secretary. When the wizard is working on something that takes an 8 hour chunk: writing down a spell, crafting a magic item, casting identify, it is nice to have someone or something trustworthy to communicate that to friends who would disturb the wizard. Early on, the familiar can be used for relatively long distance communication. Just simple stuff like, Wizard to familiar: "Give three head bobs. That is our signal that we are in position to attack/start the distraction". The problem at higher levels is that the familiar's skills do not advance. If their animal senses and stealth and/or athletic type skills advanced as the wizard did, that would be a different matter. A weasel familiar that could increase Search and Survival skill points in order to be a good tracker would be useful for a long time.
danielinthewolvesden 10-03-06, 12:46 PM	In PHII, there is a Feat where you can take one hot for your familair, or the other way around. That way, the Familiar can save your life once a day.:cool:
JaronK 10-03-06, 05:58 PM	Something important to remember... your familiar has your skill ranks. As a result, he can do an Aid Another action for any skill you can use... such as spellcraft and knowledge skills. Worth using. JaronK
Nikeratos 10-03-06, 06:20 PM	Something important to remember... your familiar has your skill ranks. As a result, he can do an Aid Another action for any skill you can use... such as spellcraft and knowledge skills. JaronK I can't see how this can be done. Your familiar is an extension of yourself, so it won't know anything you don't know already. There's no way your familiar could have even learned those things in the first place. So Spellcraft and Knowledge skills couldn't be aided in this way. Several skills are just out of an animal's capacities, and most Int skills belong to this group.
DarkNick 10-03-06, 06:51 PM	Maybe you could upgrade your familiar? Not sure what the rules are like in 3ed but in 2ed you could use your familiar to create a homunculous (spelling?). If there is no way to do it rules wise then perhpas you could ask your dm if you could make up a new feat, like greater familiar or something that allows you to change it to something a bit more powerful. If you could get a quazit, psuedo dragon, imp etc that would be fantastic. Personally I am not that fond of familiars, they are like an extra dependant you could do without and just another weakness that can be exploited. Also they seem more suited to witches and hedge wizards. Sometimes they are good fun though and they do give you some options. Play it for roleplaying benefits, give it a personality, ask the ladies if they want to touch your lizard (yes, bring it out at parties). Grumpy and protective old familiars seem to work well. Start taking on the familiars characteristics or talk about the familiar as if you were refering to yourself in the third person "Amos does not like it when you talk that way, take it back or he will get mad". Just some ideas to play a familiar up. Consider your familiar as an extra option you can use rather than something you have to use. Most of the time it could be quite happy sleeping in your cloak. Maybe it is time for it to take a back seat.
PhaedrusXY 10-03-06, 09:16 PM	I can't see how this can be done. Your familiar is an extension of yourself, so it won't know anything you don't know already. There's no way your familiar could have even learned those things in the first place. So Spellcraft and Knowledge skills couldn't be aided in this way. Several skills are just out of an animal's capacities, and most Int skills belong to this group.The rules do not agree with you, and DMs that second guess every tiny little thing like this are annoying as hell. Why not just go along with the rules as written, unless something truly disruptive comes up? (There are plenty of really game breaking things to worry about. This isn't one of them.) I mean seriously. The druid has an animal companion that could rip your face off, and you're worrying whether letting the mage's mostly useless companion give him a +2 boost on skill checks is a problem? Utterly preposterous.
Omnirahk, half-Rahkshi 10-03-06, 09:21 PM	Improved Familiar gives you a better familiar (duh!). A route I'd like to explore more fully is Improved Familiar + Share Spell + Tenser's Transformation. Even with a regular familiar: attack of the killer weasle!
PhaedrusXY 10-03-06, 09:33 PM	Improved Familiar gives you a better familiar (duh!). A route I'd like to explore more fully is Improved Familiar + Share Spell + Tenser's Transformation. Even with a regular familiar: attack of the killer weasle!This would work very well with a Loremaster who buys a Wand of Shield Other and uses it on his/her familiar. Your very own pocket tank. :D You could also use Alter Self, Polymorph (Any Object), or Shapechange on it to turn it into something more combat effective, rather than "wasting" a feat on Improved Familiar. If you have a cleric cohort, get him/her to cast the Shield Other, instead of your frail mage self.
pyropetey9 10-04-06, 05:27 AM	a familiar is not an extension of the master! it is an animal, albeit an unusually smart and tough animal. while difficult to use for more than purely roleplaying purposes at higher levels, if used creatively, a familiar can be a valuable asset in any party. send messages, take a circuitous path to unexpectedly deliver an attack. it can be a large investment of time, but it's worth it.