PDA

View Full Version : arcane casters with familiars other than wizard/sorcerer



yilduz
2009-06-08, 11:38 AM
What other arcane casters, other than wizard and sorcerer, are there that gets a familiar?

wadledo
2009-06-08, 11:41 AM
Hexblade can get a sort of familiar, if I recall correctly, and they're actually usefull in combat, to.

Dread Necro is the only other one I can think of, and that's from a very small list.

Kaiyanwang
2009-06-08, 11:42 AM
Actually, any, even a Wu Jen if takes the proper feat from complete arcane. (Obtain Familiar, IIRC).

yilduz
2009-06-08, 12:27 PM
Hexblade can get a sort of familiar, if I recall correctly, and they're actually usefull in combat, to.

Dread Necro is the only other one I can think of, and that's from a very small list.

Those seem to get familiars pretty late, and their spellcasting is slow.


Actually, any, even a Wu Jen if takes the proper feat from complete arcane. (Obtain Familiar, IIRC).

I'm not sure if she'll want to spend a feat on it.

This question is actually for my wife. She loves druids, but she likes the idea of geomancer, and also arcane hierophant. Also, she isn't all about making the character as powerful as she can and optimizing to be the strongest character possible, she just likes playing and likes certain abilities and the way things work.

We're all only level 2 right now and both of her levels are druid. What she's thinking of doing is taking 4 levels of sorcerer (or maybe 3 levels of wizard), getting her druid levels up 1 more, then going arcane hierophant for a level (or maybe a few), but then going into geomancer. She's just not too sure if she likes wizard or sorcerer, so I was looking for an alternative.

wadledo
2009-06-08, 12:32 PM
A level in sorcerer or wizard and ...... what's the feat?
Precocious Apprentice?

The one that gives you a second level spell.
Done.

CheshireCatAW
2009-06-08, 12:33 PM
Talk to the GM.

One of the nicest things to give your players as quest rewards is a rp flavored feat. Ask if he could give her the feat since she's an unoptomized character if she does a quest for someone, probably a Mage or Sorceror that has a familiar. Maybe the Wiz/Sorc dies and leaves the familiar to your wife?

I regularly do this with some of the weaker feats that no one ever takes and they're almost always appreciated. Getting a familiar doesn't seem that game breaking to me, especially since she's not getting it so that she can break the game intentionally.

That way, she can go with whatever class she actually wants!

Alternatively: Is the reason that she wants a familiar because it's a pre-req for one of the PrC's she wants to go into? Ask the DM to waive that requirement instead. Granted, I have no clue how that will impact the PrC, but it might just be easier.

Sstoopidtallkid
2009-06-08, 12:33 PM
There's a feat, Obtain Familiar, that gets any arcanist a Familiar based off of their caster level. Other than that, though, you basically just have Dread Necromancers and Hexblades.

Ninja'd by the OP. Basically, Wizard works best for Arcane Heirophant, but any arcanist with Obtain Familiar will work. I recommend the Bard variant that gets an Animal Companion, personally.

yilduz
2009-06-08, 12:47 PM
As for the prerequisites, she wants the familiar because of the ability that the first level of arcane hierophant gets. Basically, she dismisses the familiar and the companion gets the abilities of both the companion and the familiar. Rather than dismissing one, she wanted to see it as them combining into one magical animal.

wadledo, I think that would be perfect for her. Fortunately the DM did not show up last night, so this character has not been played yet. We can work a couple of things around so she can start as a sorcerer/druid with that feat. Then she can take a couple levels of druid and be ready for geomancer.

CheshireCatAW, that's an awesome idea. I'll write that idea down for the time I run a campaign (some day).

Thank you, everyone. :)

Thurbane
2009-06-08, 10:44 PM
The Adept NPC class gets a familiar, but they are divine casters...