Wizard Familiars

[raistlin807]

Ok, I've seen the familiar discussed lightly in othr threads but never in detail. What is the true worth of that little skulking thing you picked to sleep in your pocket and poop on your shoulder? My personal preference is to take the Forlorn trait to sacrafice the little bugger for an extra feat at first level but I'm open to other thoughts. What's a powergamer's familiar? What are your personal favorites?

[Keld Denar]

The Familiar's Handbook (http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=875062)
How to get the maxiumum out of your familiar (http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-193357)

And of cource, look into UA and the PHBII for alt class features you can pick up in place of your familiar. You can always get it back with a simple feat (Obtain Familiar, Complete Arcane).

[BlueWizard]

I allowed a player once to have a wolverine. This has also been used by druids for their pal too.

Evil wizards and the imps are good.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

There are a few things you can do with a Familiar. They can use your skills, with their own abilities, so they make great scouts(make the Rogue sit in a corner). They can take actions in combat, like Aid Another or UMD a Wand. Familiar Spell can let them cast. Improved Familiars get other, similarly good abilities. They're also great for fluff. Pick a Raven to sit on your shoulder, who says 'you are going to die' to everyone you meet. Snag a serpent, then offer to show everyone your snake. Pick a Small Familiar, then play a Slight Build Kobold to ride it.

That said, there are usually better replacements, like Rapid Summoning or Abrupt Jaunt. In fact, it's usually better to lose it, then spend the Feat on Obtain Familiar so it scales better, or snag the feat on a caster other than Wizard, since Beguilers get better skill points, and Warlocks have awesome UMD.

[Stormageddon]

My next character is going to have a big white fluffy cat, to make him appear like a James Bond evil master mind.

[derfenrirwolv]

The bat

20 feet of blind sense and they're already nocturnal? You'll never have to post watch again. Its an obscure feat required to even TRY to sneak up on them.


They're good for spotting invisible creatures, at least close enough to let you know where to toss the glitterdust. They also give a whoping +5 to YOUR listen score (3 from the familiar ability and 2 from alertness)

[Gorbash]

My personal favorite is Rat. You could rule that it's some cuter rodent, such as a hamster, if you're disgusted by rats.

+2 on fort saves, combined with high con score and accessibility of a nifty spell called Greater/Superior Resistance, you'll end up with higher fort save than a barbarian. :smallbiggrin: It has Scent also!