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View Full Version : Targeting my Wizard's Familiar



aeauseth
2010-08-18, 05:13 PM
The rules about targeting a familiar are a bit unclear to me.

For discussion purposes lets say I have a level 10 wizard with 40 hit points, with a hawk familiar with 20 hit points.

If an enemy sorcerer casts a fireball your direction what happens with the familiar. Obviously the PC wizard makes a reflex save, if he fails his reflex save then he takes 10d6 for 35 pts of fire damage. Does the familiar also have to make the reflex save if it is sitting on the wizard's shoulders?

Can that enemy sorcerer cast a maximized (metamagic rod) magic missile at the hawk? That would be 24 pts, which will kill the familiar outright. That just seems wrong. Makes the familiar a liability.



BTW: We have a house rule that consideres a familiar on a wizard to be considered "equipment" and can't be targeted (except maybe by sunder rules). Also makes familiar immune to area attacks unless wizard rolls natural 1 on reflex save. I'm just trying to determine if our house rule is RAW or truly a house rule.

Shadowleaf
2010-08-18, 05:15 PM
It's a seperate creature. Think of it as the party's halfling sitting on your shoulder.

Own saves, always. Yes, even then. Yes, it can be targeted. Yes, a maximized Magic Missile can kill it.

Tharck
2010-08-18, 05:18 PM
But it can live within the confines of your robe. It can also wear a brooch of shielding.

jiriku
2010-08-18, 05:21 PM
This is why smart wizards don't use familiars without favorable house rules.

Lord Vampyre
2010-08-18, 05:23 PM
I've always played that it is a matter of etiquette for wizards not to attack each other's familiars. However if a wizard is using his familiar in a combative fashion, then it becomes fair game.

Even so, there are ways for wizards to safe guard their respective familiars.

Jack_Simth
2010-08-18, 05:26 PM
Yes, it makes it's own saves and such. Yes, it can be killed with a Maximized Magic Missle. HOWEVER:

1) In general, it should really only be hit by area-effects and multiple-target effects - unless you've invested quite a few feats and spells into your familiar, all killing it does is weaken you slightly (potentially one lost level, a few relatively minor bonuses gone).
2) It's got Improved Evasion - which means it takes half damage or less from most area effects, and shouldn't really perish any more often than you do (less often, as it's less of a target).
3) You did Share Spells on all your self-buffs with your familiar, right?

Greenish
2010-08-18, 05:27 PM
Makes the familiar a liability.There's a reason they're often referred to as "time bombs". Yes, the default familiar for a normal (ie, squishy) caster is a liability, especially if steps aren't taken to protect it.

ToySoldierCPlus
2010-08-18, 05:52 PM
Familiars tend to be liabilities, unless you actively boost them. Feats like Improved Familiar, sharing spells, keeping your familiar hidden within your robes (so it won't be noticed and targeted) or otherwise away from the action, burning some gold/XP on magic items for it, all of these help keep it alive. If you can't (or won't) take these steps, I recommend an alternate class feature replace the familiar.

dsmiles
2010-08-18, 05:55 PM
Makes the familiar a liability.

Does more even need to be said on this topic?

bloodtide
2010-08-18, 06:09 PM
A familiar is it's own creature and can be targeted and makes it's own save. It does have a natural armor class(Your hawk example has an AC of 22). It does get the casters base save though. And it does have Improved Evasion and the casters buff spells.

And note that your hawk example, with just one more level at 11th, gets a spell resistance of 16.

Any familiar with an INT of 5 or so, just stays out of combat....they can just hide.

And if your in 'mass combat familiar killing' games 24/7 you might want to up grade to a Improved Powerful Familiar, maybe even a Dragon.

Ernir
2010-08-18, 06:14 PM
Hmm, if you're worried about your familiar biting the dust, cast Familiar Pocket. Makes it safe unless you get dispelled, and if someone manages to dispel a 1st level spell away from you, you're likely to be in deep **** anyway. :smalltongue: