[3.P] Greater familiar

[Helldog]

Can a caster have a familiar that's an even more powerful creature then the ones that you can take with Improved Familiar feat?
Or at least can someone show me the guidelines on how to assess what caster level you need to take a certain creature as a familiar? For example a nymph.

[TheLooker]

Can a caster have a familiar that's an even more powerful creature then the ones that you can take with Improved Familiar feat?
Or at least can someone show me the guidelines on how to assess what caster level you need to take a certain creature as a familiar? For example a nymph.

Hmm...not sure about this one. The IF feat is supposed to be the maxhoused familiar. You usually can't get one better than that, because a caster is supposed to have a familiar, not an animal companion. Although, a nymph sounds more like a cohort. If that is what you want, I would recommend that you take the Leadership feat (being a Druid would work the best). I don't believe that there are specific guidelines for caster level limits, just the creatures stated in the books.

[missmvicious]

Not as far as I know.

However, there are Planar Familiars and Dragon Familiars, and the Improved Familiar Feat says you can have any Familiar of similar power... so based on that interpretation, it's not so much a a stretch to say you can have a Fey Familiar, but you may have to downsize it's HD to the more standard 2 HD to calm the DM.

[Silva Stormrage]

Well Dread Necromancers can choose a Ghostly Visage as a familiar at 7th which I feel is stronger than normal familiars. Thats probably not what your looking for.

I would suggest taking leadership only take the cohort and refluff it as a greater familiar feat.

[Helldog]

The nymph was just an example.
I'm talking about familiars, not cohorts.

So I will have to homebrew a Greater Familiar feat or come up with a guideline to take greater familiars with IF. I was hoping there is something official out there.

[Urpriest]

Improved Familiars have caster level requirements already. There is absolutely no reason for a Greater Familiar feat to exist. If you think other creatures are appropriate as familiars, just add them to the Improved Familiar list.

[Helldog]

Then what CL will I need to take a nymph as a familiar?

[The Glyphstone]

6th level and the Leadership feat, most likely. Humanoids, particularly ones that advance via class levels like the nymph, are the realm of cohorts, not familiars.

[Urpriest]

Then what CL will I need to take a nymph as a familiar?

That's your decision. I'm just telling you there's no reason to make it a separate feat.

Frankly, I don't think nymph is a good choice for a familiar. They're Medium sized and humanoid in shape, when almost all familiars are either Small or smaller or nonhumanoid in shape.

If you're going to go for it, be aware that the familiar is supposed to have abilities that are handy but not directly significant. Nymphs have 7th level druid casting, so you'll need to be high enough level that that isn't very combat-applicable. I'd recommend at least 12th, maybe higher.

[Helldog]

6th level and the Leadership feat, most likely. Humanoids, particularly ones that advance via class levels like the nymph, are the realm of cohorts, not familiars.
I'm talking about familiars, not cohorts.

[gbprime]

If you're going to go for it, be aware that the familiar is supposed to have abilities that are handy but not directly significant. Nymphs have 7th level druid casting, so you'll need to be high enough level that that isn't very combat-applicable. I'd recommend at least 12th, maybe higher.

Higher, IMO. You need 7th level and an Exalted Feat for a Courre Eladrin, for example, which can use magic missile and sleep, plus Tongues, Magic Circle, and has an incorporeal form. A nymph has other useful abilities plus 7 actual caster levels, and that's significantly more major.

[Thurbane]

Complete Warrior (page 100) includes rules for more physically powerful/larger Improved Familiars (based on the master's level/BAB). It also has Guardian Familiars, page 118.

[gbprime]

Complete Warrior (page 100) includes rules for more physically powerful/larger Improved Familiars (based on the master's level/BAB)

which is great for the "buff a familiar" line of spells, but terrible because you lose XP when they die. Use with caution.

Though the idea of having a hippogriff tucked away in a familiar pocket is just excellent.

[The Glyphstone]

I'm talking about familiars, not cohorts.

And I'm saying that a Nymph probably wouldn't even be eligible for a familiar at any caster level. But let's say it is.

Nymphs are Int 16, so you'd need to be a 20th level wizard to not have taking a Nymph as a familiar the equivalent of giving it a lobotomy. That might be a little high.

Looking at CR, you can get any CR 1/8 animal as familiar from level 1, you need to be Caster level 3rd to get a CR1/2 creature, CL5th to get a CR1-2 creature, and CL7 to get a CR3 creature (Hell Hounds, Winter Wolves, and Hippogriffs are the only listed exceptions). A Nymph is CR7, so if we use this very small sample pool as the 'scaling', you would have to be a 15th level caster to be eligible for a Nymph as a familiar (and lowering her Int by 3 in the process).

[Mystral]

Improved Familiars keep their INT if the one listed in the familiar section is lower then theirs.

[The Glyphstone]

Improved Familiars keep their INT if the one listed in the familiar section is lower then theirs.

That's why I had thought at first, but I couldn't find it as an actual rule anywhere in the PHB, DMG, or CW. Where is it?