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View Full Version : What races can be a familiar as well as a PC?



Gnaritas
2010-11-29, 01:42 PM
I got this idea from a different thread, a PC that used to be a poweful wizard's familiar. But i wonder what are my options?

Scarey Nerd
2010-11-29, 01:51 PM
Quasits? Imps? Pseudodragons? Maybe awakened animals?

Comet
2010-11-29, 01:59 PM
Fantasy stories and folklore are full of magical creatures who were once animals in shape but have since transformed/ been turned into men or women to better serve/protect humanity or some greater cause.

Dunno, maybe something to consider?

Halae
2010-11-29, 02:00 PM
how about a coure eladrin? they're about on par with imps and quasits, I'm guessing

HunterOfJello
2010-11-29, 02:05 PM
There was an artifact similar to the Deck of Many Things in one of the books that had several cards in it that changed the person's race when it was drawn. If a familiar was convinced by their wizard to draw a card and they picked one of those, they'd become a human, elf or whatever.

~

I'll try to find the name of the artifact. Maybe someone here will know it.

Deck of Transformations from Races of Eberron. It can change the person who draws the card into another race.

There's a version of it here (http://eberronunlimited.wikidot.com/deck-of-transformations), although I'm not sure if it's the official version.

Edge
2010-11-29, 02:08 PM
It's a minor artefact in Races of Eberron, but I forget the name of it.

The artefact is one option, as are the outsider familiars. There's also the option of convincing your DM to let you play an awakened animal.

Gnaritas
2010-11-29, 02:10 PM
I do not want an awakened animal, nor a humanoid body.
The imps, quasits and eladrin i will have to look into. They need to be none evil so i am not sure the first two will apply.

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Oh, i am currently looking at Petal Fey from MM2. Not listed as a familiar or PC but it does fit what i am looking for.

Sir Swindle89
2010-11-29, 02:22 PM
Would an Improved familiar work? or an awakened construct familiar? That opens up a lot of options.

The H@#$%&**% from Oriental Adventures could transform into little animals, and i know some of them were on the familiar list. That could work with a little fluffing.

Gnaritas
2010-11-29, 02:24 PM
Yeah, any improved familiar, exalted familiar, anything that could be a familiar even if it isn't legally but fits flavorwise (like the Petal Fey).

The Dark Fiddler
2010-11-29, 02:24 PM
I do not want an awakened animal, nor a humanoid body.
The imps, quasits and eladrin i will have to look into. They need to be none evil so i am not sure the first two will apply.

Fun fact: "always evil" does not actually mean "always evil". In fact, WotC made a Succubus Paladin once for an article demonstrating exactly that. Just something to note.

gorfnab
2010-11-29, 02:31 PM
Beguiler from Shining South. In a short campaign I was involved in I played a Beguiler Beguiler who was a former familiar.

Halae
2010-11-29, 02:32 PM
Fun fact: "always evil" does not actually mean "always evil". In fact, WotC made a Succubus Paladin once for an article demonstrating exactly that. Just something to note.

yeah, it just means something like 99.999% of the race is that alignment. that's why demons and the like can usually just be slaughtered outright, even by redeemer paladins

Coidzor
2010-11-29, 02:49 PM
Mephits only have cohort LA and small elementals don't even have an LA. But they're both sapient and capable of using items if willing to finagle with 'em.

The Dark Fiddler
2010-11-29, 03:02 PM
yeah, it just means something like 99.999% of the race is that alignment. that's why demons and the like can usually just be slaughtered outright, even by redeemer paladins

I remember it being cited as 95%, actually.

...to be specific.

Zaq
2010-11-29, 03:14 PM
The Muckdweller, from Serpent Kingdoms, is both an LA 0 race AND an option for a familiar. So you can be a Muckdweller with a Muckdweller familiar.

Urpriest
2010-11-29, 03:54 PM
Beguiler from Shining South. In a short campaign I was involved in I played a Beguiler Beguiler who was a former familiar.

Seconding this one: Beguilers are furry magical creatures, pretty much the quintessential familiar. They look like Pikachu.

gorfnab
2010-11-30, 01:30 AM
Seconding this one: Beguilers are furry magical creatures, pretty much the quintessential familiar. They look like Pikachu.
Beguiler Incarnate with Lightning Gauntlets Soul Meld would be fairly close to a Pikachu. Here is an entertaining Beguiler (race) based build of the Pikachu knock-off Ling Ling from Drawn Together (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=1276.0).

Mastikator
2010-11-30, 01:52 AM
A low level wizard apprentice.

nyarlathotep
2010-11-30, 02:21 AM
Muckdweller from *drum roll* what else but Serpent Kingdoms. LA +0 with zero penalties to intelligence +6 to dex and can be obtained with improved familiar at level 5.

Coidzor
2010-11-30, 02:51 AM
The Muckdweller, from Serpent Kingdoms, is both an LA 0 race AND an option for a familiar. So you can be a Muckdweller with a Muckdweller familiar.

Those guys are tiny-sized, aren't they? So one could use leadership+cohorts+followers+all those familiars to become a swarm of wizards and their familiars? Or even just have wizards with wizards for familiars with wizards for familiars. :smallconfused::smalleek:

PlzBreakMyCmpAn
2010-11-30, 03:53 AM
Those guys are tiny-sized, aren't they? So one could use leadership+cohorts+followers+all those familiars to become a swarm of wizards and their familiars? Or even just have wizards with wizards for familiars with wizards for familiars. :smallconfused::smalleek:Not sure if the space rules allow that. Its definately RAI tho.

hamishspence
2010-11-30, 04:33 AM
I remember it being cited as 95%, actually.

...to be specific.

Not sure where that figure came from- Savage Species has it as "either unique or one in a million" for anything with Always X Evil in its statblock.

However- not all fiends are Always X Evil. At least one type (cambions from Expedition to the Demonweb Pits, are only Often Chaotic Evil, and Usually Evil- and their description specifies that 10% are Neutral or Good.

The MM isn't very clear- it simply says "either unique, or rare exceptions".