I'm looking for advice on my air elemental familiar - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

I'm looking for advice on my air elemental familiar

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
heyhcw
May 02, 2011 15:28:53 I am playing a sorceress in third edtion. My group has been burning through levels quickly (though the dm says he will be slowing us down from now on) and gaming session before last i chose my familiar at level 9 with the feat improved familiar. I chose an air elemental ranger who was a npc on our previous campaign that we hired to -- well i pretty much paid her 100gold to watch the enterance to the hole we ended up going in.

anyway at the end of that session i decided to ask her to be my familiar (which apparently is uncommon?) and after beating her in a game of bar dice she accepted. Great. At the end of last session I advanced to level 12. I have been trying to work out with my dm how Aura (my elemental) will level up. Nobody in the party has really dealt with familiars in the past and mine is special besides.

Because she was a npc and already has ranks in ranger as well as her elemental abilties she is more of an aditional character than a familiar, so that adds in to the confusion.

(I have read on other message boards that air elementals (medium at that) are too powerful to have as familiars but the dm already took care of that by "dumbing her down" before he let me have her. He also took away her pebble to boulder sling that i reaaallly wanted)

So after all that probably mostly useless information my question is this: what is the best way to level her up?
#2
Novacat
May 02, 2011 15:33:43 What you're describing is not a familiar, but a companion, such as that provided by the Leadership feat.
#3
m4kitsu
May 02, 2011 22:57:07 I know this is off-topic, but... does anyone else read posts like these and first think "thank goodness I don't have a DM like that?"

...Because that seems to be my first reaction to 90% of the 3.X questions that come through this forum. Is it just me?

Anyway, on-topic: Novacat is right. That's not a Familiar, that's a Companion. Or a DMPC, depending on who's running her.

Best advice I can give is go and actually read how Familiars work, because it doesn't sound like you know. Once you know, you can explain it to your DM (who obviously can't be arsed to actually learn the rules of the game, otherwise you wouldn't be asking us) or just do it yourself.

And while you're at it, read up on Companion characters and the Leadership feat, just for contrast.
#4
salla
May 03, 2011 16:56:08
I know this is off-topic, but... does anyone else read posts like these and first think "thank goodness I don't have a DM like that?"

...Because that seems to be my first reaction to 90% of the 3.X questions that come through this forum. Is it just me?

No, it's not just you.
#5
m4kitsu
May 03, 2011 23:04:35 Oh good, so I'm either not crazy or not alone. I can live with either.
#6
slobo777a
May 08, 2011 14:10:32 If the DM has decided to waive the rules as written to get an idea to work, you are unlikely to receive much rules-based help. Your question is phrased as how you might use the rules to figure out what to do . . . the only reasonable response here is that you ask the DM, since it was him who decided to allow a break from the standard rules, and he has apparently tweaked the stats in an ad-hoc fashion in an attempt to get the power level right.

Personally I'd suggest you take the official "Air Mephit" stats, which is an allowed Improved Familiar. Then forget about the old Ranger background, or any concept of levelling up, except for roleplaying conversations and to choose the sort of behaviour the familiar has. If you do that, you'll be back in rulebook territory, which will save you and the DM loads of time.

#7
QuestorTelloc
May 09, 2011 23:42:24 I'm not too sure about 3.whatever, but it seems that looking at the rules for companions and familiars in detail would help.

As a familiar: perhaps, by agreeing to become your familiar, Aura somehow gives up the independence that gave her (it?) the NPC levels. This makes her simply an air elemental, and a simple one at that.

As a companion: Same thing, but to a lesser degree.

NPC / DMPC: Keep her as is, and while your character may call her a familiar, the mechanics could be something else.

4E recently had the idea of a henchman/minion. This seems to be, to me, the best fit. It was a month, give or take, ago, in either Dungeon or Dragon. Look at the article archive. Anyway, these rules could easily be adapted to 3.thingie if you want.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 heyhcw May 02, 2011 15:28:53	I am playing a sorceress in third edtion. My group has been burning through levels quickly (though the dm says he will be slowing us down from now on) and gaming session before last i chose my familiar at level 9 with the feat improved familiar. I chose an air elemental ranger who was a npc on our previous campaign that we hired to -- well i pretty much paid her 100gold to watch the enterance to the hole we ended up going in. anyway at the end of that session i decided to ask her to be my familiar (which apparently is uncommon?) and after beating her in a game of bar dice she accepted. Great. At the end of last session I advanced to level 12. I have been trying to work out with my dm how Aura (my elemental) will level up. Nobody in the party has really dealt with familiars in the past and mine is special besides. Because she was a npc and already has ranks in ranger as well as her elemental abilties she is more of an aditional character than a familiar, so that adds in to the confusion. (I have read on other message boards that air elementals (medium at that) are too powerful to have as familiars but the dm already took care of that by "dumbing her down" before he let me have her. He also took away her pebble to boulder sling that i reaaallly wanted) So after all that probably mostly useless information my question is this: what is the best way to level her up?
#2 Novacat May 02, 2011 15:33:43	What you're describing is not a familiar, but a companion, such as that provided by the Leadership feat.
#3 m4kitsu May 02, 2011 22:57:07	I know this is off-topic, but... does anyone else read posts like these and first think "thank goodness I don't have a DM like that?" ...Because that seems to be my first reaction to 90% of the 3.X questions that come through this forum. Is it just me? Anyway, on-topic: Novacat is right. That's not a Familiar, that's a Companion. Or a DMPC, depending on who's running her. Best advice I can give is go and actually read how Familiars work, because it doesn't sound like you know. Once you know, you can explain it to your DM (who obviously can't be arsed to actually learn the rules of the game, otherwise you wouldn't be asking us) or just do it yourself. And while you're at it, read up on Companion characters and the Leadership feat, just for contrast.
#4 salla May 03, 2011 16:56:08	I know this is off-topic, but... does anyone else read posts like these and first think "thank goodness I don't have a DM like that?" ...Because that seems to be my first reaction to 90% of the 3.X questions that come through this forum. Is it just me? No, it's not just you.
#5 m4kitsu May 03, 2011 23:04:35	Oh good, so I'm either not crazy or not alone. I can live with either.
#6 slobo777a May 08, 2011 14:10:32	If the DM has decided to waive the rules as written to get an idea to work, you are unlikely to receive much rules-based help. Your question is phrased as how you might use the rules to figure out what to do . . . the only reasonable response here is that you ask the DM, since it was him who decided to allow a break from the standard rules, and he has apparently tweaked the stats in an ad-hoc fashion in an attempt to get the power level right. Personally I'd suggest you take the official "Air Mephit" stats, which is an allowed Improved Familiar. Then forget about the old Ranger background, or any concept of levelling up, except for roleplaying conversations and to choose the sort of behaviour the familiar has. If you do that, you'll be back in rulebook territory, which will save you and the DM loads of time.
#7 QuestorTelloc May 09, 2011 23:42:24	I'm not too sure about 3.whatever, but it seems that looking at the rules for companions and familiars in detail would help. As a familiar: perhaps, by agreeing to become your familiar, Aura somehow gives up the independence that gave her (it?) the NPC levels. This makes her simply an air elemental, and a simple one at that. As a companion: Same thing, but to a lesser degree. NPC / DMPC: Keep her as is, and while your character may call her a familiar, the mechanics could be something else. 4E recently had the idea of a henchman/minion. This seems to be, to me, the best fit. It was a month, give or take, ago, in either Dungeon or Dragon. Look at the article archive. Anyway, these rules could easily be adapted to 3.thingie if you want. Hope this helps, and good luck!