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View Full Version : Favorite Familiar/Animal Companion (3.5 DND)



BIRDMANﺕ
2010-03-22, 01:46 AM
I would have to say I like having a Megaraptor for an Animal Companion. Mostly because I love dinosaurs and the idea of riding a dinosaur into combat is pretty epic in my opinion.

HunterOfJello
2010-03-22, 02:00 AM
I played a drow storm sorcerer in a 4e game once. He had an Ooze familiar featured in one of the Dragon Magaizines.

I really liked the concept of a drow who had a familiar that resembled something you'd find in the underdark and was a type of familiar that he could constantly abuse without actually hurting it.

The ooze worked out well as a scout since it could hide well and move into any place. The drow liked to throw it at things to see if they were dangerous, like magical circles.

Greymane
2010-03-22, 02:03 AM
While it takes investing in Improved Familiar, the humble Imp will remain my favorite Familiar of all time.

I think the blasted thing was more memorable than any of the other characters, and just thinking about him gives the DM of the time headaches. :smallamused:

Kelb_Panthera
2010-03-22, 02:09 AM
I can never decide between cat and raven, at least when I'm not putting together a familiar-centric caster. That's why I almost always take the racial sub-level for my changeling wizards.

Harperfan7
2010-03-22, 02:23 AM
for familiars, I like weasels (ferrets) and a DM once let me have a falcon (+2 will saves)

for animal companions, I like timber wolves, then panthers (leopard), then white tigers.

A liger would be cool, especially a dire one.

If I could ever have a white legendary tiger, I believe I would be set.

@Kelb: Ever heard of a tressym? (I also like tressyms)

Kelb_Panthera
2010-03-22, 02:28 AM
for familiars, I like weasels (ferrets) and a DM once let me have a falcon (+2 will saves)

for animal companions, I like timber wolves, then panthers (leopard), then white tigers.

A liger would be cool, especially a dire one.

If I could ever have a white legendary tiger, I believe I would be set.

@Kelb: Ever heard of a tressym? (I also like tressyms)

That's the winged cat-thing from FRCS right?

Harperfan7
2010-03-22, 02:46 AM
That's the winged cat-thing from FRCS right?

Yep. CG intelligent owl-cats, how cool is that?

Vulaas
2010-03-22, 04:00 AM
My favorite is when I turned a T-rex into Godzilla with a draconic graft, Arcane Heirophant, and Fleshwarper to make it Gargantuan.

Ashram
2010-03-22, 04:05 AM
Even though it's in Pathfinder (Our DM is allowing 3.5 D&D material since they're almost completely compatible), my favorite familiars of all time are the fiendish tiny viper named Scourge that I had for my NE manipulator wizard, and the small water elemental I had for my water elemental-bloodline sorceress, named Spritz.

MachineWraith
2010-03-22, 04:43 AM
While it takes investing in Improved Familiar, the humble Imp will remain my favorite Familiar of all time.

This. I love my Imp. He's practically a mini-caster in his own right. Opposable thumbs + the ability to speak + wands = awesome.

senrath
2010-03-22, 05:12 AM
I like the Pseudodragon, myself.

PhoenixRivers
2010-03-22, 05:15 AM
Tigers! Rawr!

Eldariel
2010-03-22, 06:23 AM
Bears. Brown or Dire.

Leon
2010-03-22, 06:34 AM
Boars for Companions (and companion familiars)

A Raven named Quoth for a Familiar

Saph
2010-03-22, 06:37 AM
I quite like rats for my familiars. They're cute, they make good sneaks, and the bonus to Fortitude saves is never a bad thing.

Dusk Eclipse
2010-03-22, 08:53 AM
Normal familiar: Raven
Improved Familiar: Imp & pseudodragon
Dragon Familir: Sparky my blue wyrmling dragon familiar, he had quite a fun blasting my undead bodyguard. (I had to animate another skeleton after the first session thought)

Kuzimu
2010-03-22, 09:13 AM
Favorite Normal Familiar: Hummingbird (from DR 323) Since the bonus it provides, +4 to Initiative, appears to be untyped, it should stack with Improved Initiative!

Favorite Improved Familiar: Bat Swarm (DR 329) ... The pure flavor of this is epic! You have a chittering cloud of bats constantly surrounding you!

Noedig
2010-03-22, 09:58 AM
Familiar: toss up between raven and a small fire elemental
Companion: Falcon or Dire wolf.

Amphetryon
2010-03-22, 10:21 AM
Companion: Phrynxkin (sp?) from DLCS. 1st level Pounce. Mmmm.

Familiar: Winter Wolf via Improved Familiar. I love me some Hexblades.

Petrocorus
2010-03-22, 11:54 AM
If I could ever have a white legendary tiger, I believe I would be set.


What about a Golden Tiger (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Golden_tiger_1_-_Buffalo_Zoo.jpg)


Ever heard of a tressym? (I also like tressyms)

What book is this from? I didn't find it in FRCS.


What the Playground thinks of the celestial familiar from BoED?
I read a lot of good comments about the Eladrin Coure.

BIRDMANﺕ
2010-03-22, 12:47 PM
I wonder if anyone has had a liger for an AC...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_btG5pqnJpUU/SdVnrEdIidI/AAAAAAAAAhg/bpV8yvbYK6Q/s400/liger.jpg

Harperfan7
2010-03-22, 04:39 PM
What book is this from? I didn't find it in FRCS.

It's in the back with the animals.

RagnaroksChosen
2010-03-22, 04:42 PM
I'm a fan of the mephits

Elfin
2010-03-22, 04:47 PM
(...)for animal companions, I like (...)panthers (leopard), then white tigers.

I'm also quite attacked to both of these, as one of my favorite characters was a ranger I played who had both over the course of his career.

Iban
2010-03-22, 04:47 PM
A cat formerly owned by Schrödinger :smallbiggrin: Is it really there?

Seriously though: Cats 'cos they are simply cool :smallsmile:

Petrocorus
2010-03-22, 04:59 PM
It's in the back with the animals.

Thanks, finally found them.
I was looking for a particular entry. They are winged cats, i was thinking they were magical beast, not animals.

Is there particular rules to take them as familiar? What is the bonus they give?

BIRDMANﺕ
2010-03-22, 04:59 PM
You know what I think is really underrated as a familiar?

Bears.

I remember playing NWN2 I had a druid with 0 fighting prowess 0 useful skills other than spot and listen and he only had good ac cause he took 1 level in monk at lvl 30 on the flipside... he got all these animal companion buffs (feats and spells) and funny thing was... He could beat lvl 30 characters in PVP.

That was damn good bear!

Harperfan7
2010-03-22, 05:02 PM
Is there particular rules to take them as familiar? What is the bonus they give?

Beats me. They aren't listed in the Improved Familiar feat list, despite that being in the same book.

Petrocorus
2010-03-22, 05:25 PM
Beats me. They aren't listed in the Improved Familiar feat list, despite that being in the same book.

They are animals with 1/2 HD, they could be taken without improved familiar. No?

Amiria
2010-03-22, 05:33 PM
My falcon (hawk statistics). His name is Tristan. Just the right familiar for the noble wizard adventuress which I am.

Harperfan7
2010-03-22, 05:42 PM
They are animals with 1/2 HD, they could be taken without improved familiar. No?

Eh, they have a bit more than normal animals, namely intelligence and immunity to poison.

I don't know for sure, but I would allow them.

Petrocorus
2010-03-22, 06:10 PM
Eh, they have a bit more than normal animals, namely intelligence and immunity to poison.

I don't know for sure, but I would allow them.

Indeed, actually. Which makes me wonder again why they are animals and not magical beast.

Thefurmonger
2010-03-22, 06:30 PM
Fav Famillier?

A Raven named Trevor for my Beguiller, thanks to shared skills he was an excelent Diplomat.
Also due to the gods of Dice likeing a good joke as much as the next guy Trevor has gotten more Nat 20's on Spot and Listen then anyone in the party.
As a bit of extra fun it always seems to happen when everyone else rolls a 3.


Fav AC?

A Celestial Dire bear named Tiny for my Druid/Beastmaster. thanks to all the Buffs Tiny had a Strength score a tad north of the gods.
Crowning glory was Tiny (Fully Buffed) making a Retardedly High Jumpcheck and grappeling a great wyrm red Dragon. end result was a win for us.

HAd anyone ever targeted the druid I would have been boned as almost all my WBL went to Tiny.

Optimystik
2010-03-22, 06:48 PM
Psicrystal... am I doing it right?

Oh ok... Ghostly Visage

Deth Muncher
2010-03-22, 10:49 PM
Oh ok... Ghostly Visage

Yeah, pretty much this. I made a Dead Necromancer (that never got played :( ) and for the life of me I couldn't decide whether I wanted a Vargouille or a Ghostly Visage. Free fear effects for fun and profit is one thing, but flying bat-head-demon-things that make out with you to turn you into one of them are also win.

Yukitsu
2010-03-22, 10:53 PM
My favourite was Cael's staff. It was an item familiar that he had imbued with his effeminate side, which wound up being all his strong, agressive feelings for some reason. She wound up having a high enough ego score that he basically went around going by his familiars commands, though they generally agreed on what had to be done.

By the end of the campaign, due to a variety of problematic agreements with a celestial (She asked if she could have my child, in exchange for magical knowledge. My response was "But I haven't got a child. Hmm. I guess I need to go get one. How does one go about that?") the staff wound up getting shape changed into a humanoid form. Since they couldn't keep the shapechange up for 9 months, it was decided that Cael should get a belt of gender changing, and that the staff should do the fathering. My explanation as to why I did it this way was because he didn't care too much for imposing himself on others, and more importantly, both the DM and I knew the clause that stated that item familiars tend to be clingy and possessive.

Commented that I was the first male PC to be impregnated by a female item, and the first to equivocate a situation that badly.

BTW, my character was a crazed, yet kind hearted wizard theorist. I imagine this conversation came up some time after his child was born: http://xkcd.com/441/

From the last time someone posted this topic, because it's long enough to be a pain to type out. :smallwink:

Geiger Counter
2010-03-22, 11:01 PM
Favorite Familiar
Skeletal Minion from UA
Favorite Animal Companion
Monstrous Spider, with child of winter from ECS

Darth Stabber
2010-03-22, 11:29 PM
AC
Anarchic Rhino (crazy homebrew PRC)

Familiar
Either my pseudodragon that severed as the player character to the moron Sorc
or
my Dread Necro's Imp who carried my bag of onyx for me, and yet my character was LN. That being said i was a priestess of Wee Jas (just no cleric levels).

Akal Saris
2010-03-23, 12:32 AM
I quite like rats for my familiars. They're cute, they make good sneaks, and the bonus to Fortitude saves is never a bad thing.

Same here.

My favorite AC so far has been my dino-themed druid's anklyosaurus.