Combining Beast Companions and Familiars - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 echelon_house Apr 20, 2009 20:57:09	Basically what the title says. The rules for beast companions presented in Martial Power are kind of bland and clumsy compared to those for familiars, which are much more interesting. The problem is that familiars are very limited in what they can contribute; I'd really like to find a way for them to participate more in combat. New Rules for Familiars Familiars are benevolent nature spirits who often become attached to specific individuals. If you are lucky enough to befriend one of these spirits, you will find that the link between you is not one of master and servant but rather one of twinned souls. You can decide your familiar's relevant details - its species, physical appearance, personality, and so forth. While most familiars choose to assume the form of an animal, you can feel free to make yours anything you like using the statistics presented below - for example, instead of a hawk your familiar could be a disembodied eye with wings. As shape-shifting spirits, familiars operate differently than other creatures. They can exist in two different states, which they can switch between as a minor action: active mode and passive mode. While in passive mode, your familiar cannot be attacked, but it cannot take any actions either. When you switch your familiar into passive mode, it teleports to your square and will usually hide somewhere on your person - curled in your pocket or perched on your shoulder, for example. In active mode, your familiar can interact more fully with the world around it, but by exposing itself it also becomes more vulnerable. An active familiar can move up to 20 squares away from you and even participate in combat, but it can be targeted and attacked by enemies like any other creature. Your familiar uses your defenses in combat and has HP equal to your bloodied value. If it is ever reduced to 0 HP, it simply dissolves into the æther from which it was formed. Don't worry, though: it can reform itself once you take a short or extended rest. Your familiar is considered an allied creature and can be affected by beneficial powers no matter what mode it is in. For example, it can be healed by a Cleric's Healing Hymn class feature. Whenever your familiar is in passive mode, you can also spend a minor action and a healing surge to restore your familiar to full health. As an allied creature, your familiar is also able to flank opponents with you. You and your familiar work so well together, that you are almost an extension of each other. You are connected by a powerful spiritual bond, which allows you to communicate telepathically. Using your actions in combat, you can control your familiar by issuing it mental commands. In situations where you can't command your familiar, it can act independently. For example, if you are unconscious, your familiar doesn't have to sit around waiting for you to wake up - unless, of course, that's what you want it to do. Attack (Standard Action): Your familiar makes a melee basic attack against an adjacent enemy of your choice, using your basic attack bonus and damage. Move (Move Action): Your familiar or both of you can move up to your respective speeds or shift 1 square each. Other Action: For any other miscellaneous action, you spend the required action and your familiar completes it. If your familiar is incapable of completing the command, the action is wasted and your familiar does nothing.
#2 collycauseschaos Apr 20, 2009 22:05:51	No. Just no. For a second I thought you were talking about animal companions, but if you're talking about familiars, no, no, and no. For a single feat, I could: -grant flanking to myself -gain 50% more HP instantly -gain a bonus to skill checks -gain another combat bonus, and out of combat bonus -attack while unconscious -heal the familiar with a minor action -use it to scout, spy, roleplay -make melee basic attacks at a range (using my own attack and damage) and then teleport the familiar back to myself. for one feat. Take it to the homebrew forum, bub!

Familiars are benevolent nature spirits who often become attached to specific individuals. If you are lucky enough to befriend one of these spirits, you will find that the link between you is not one of master and servant but rather one of twinned souls. You can decide your familiar's relevant details - its species, physical appearance, personality, and so forth. While most familiars choose to assume the form of an animal, you can feel free to make yours anything you like using the statistics presented below - for example, instead of a hawk your familiar could be a disembodied eye with wings.

As shape-shifting spirits, familiars operate differently than other creatures. They can exist in two different states, which they can switch between as a minor action: active mode and passive mode. While in passive mode, your familiar cannot be attacked, but it cannot take any actions either. When you switch your familiar into passive mode, it teleports to your square and will usually hide somewhere on your person - curled in your pocket or perched on your shoulder, for example.

In active mode, your familiar can interact more fully with the world around it, but by exposing itself it also becomes more vulnerable. An active familiar can move up to 20 squares away from you and even participate in combat, but it can be targeted and attacked by enemies like any other creature. Your familiar uses your defenses in combat and has HP equal to your bloodied value. If it is ever reduced to 0 HP, it simply dissolves into the æther from which it was formed. Don't worry, though: it can reform itself once you take a short or extended rest.

Your familiar is considered an allied creature and can be affected by beneficial powers no matter what mode it is in. For example, it can be healed by a Cleric's Healing Hymn class feature. Whenever your familiar is in passive mode, you can also spend a minor action and a healing surge to restore your familiar to full health. As an allied creature, your familiar is also able to flank opponents with you.

You and your familiar work so well together, that you are almost an extension of each other. You are connected by a powerful spiritual bond, which allows you to communicate telepathically. Using your actions in combat, you can control your familiar by issuing it mental commands. In situations where you can't command your familiar, it can act independently. For example, if you are unconscious, your familiar doesn't have to sit around waiting for you to wake up - unless, of course, that's what you want it to do.

Attack (Standard Action): Your familiar makes a melee basic attack against an adjacent enemy of your choice, using your basic attack bonus and damage.
Move (Move Action): Your familiar or both of you can move up to your respective speeds or shift 1 square each.
Other Action: For any other miscellaneous action, you spend the required action and your familiar completes it. If your familiar is incapable of completing the command, the action is wasted and your familiar does nothing.