3.5 Pet Questions

[Honeko]

I'm going to be playing a Druid 3/Wizard 3/Beastmaster 1/Arcane Hierophant X in a group with a Sorcerer and a Rogue. So I want a lot of focus to be on my pet as it will not only be the rogue's flank buddy, but also the party meatshield, while I either ride said meatshield, or staying back slinging healing and summoning spells among others. I will be playing more of a support role, buffing and healing, while the Sorcerer will be utilizing the flashy damage type spells.

So then as my build will be getting an Effective Druid Level of 8(At AH 1) and an Effective Wizard Level of 4(At AH 1), The Familiar Companion(Assume Level-0 Tier) will have +2 Nat Armor, 7 Int, Alertness, Improved Evasion, Share Spells, empathic link and deliver touch spells, Plus +4 Bonus HD, +4 Nat Armor, +2 Str/Dex, 3 Bonus Tricks, Link, Share spells, Evasion, and Devotion. That means that since Share Spells is the same thing, I only keep one, and Improved Evasion is better than Evasion, I drop Evasion, and get a total of +6 Nat Armor, and everything else?

Hmm? "and determine the Intelligence bonus and special abilities of your animal companion accordingly", so no Nat Armor Adjustments for Familiar Companions from Familiar stats? The Arcane Hierophant Statblock seems to support this... But the Nat Armor Adjustment is on the same referenced table, and the text mentions the familiar being tougher because it is a familiar.

Now, the tricky parts... Natural Bond, Practiced Spellcaster, Improved Familiar, and the like, how do they react with this build in reference to the pet? Natural Bond +3 Effective Druid Levels, so +2 Bonus HD, +2 Nat Armor, +1 Str/Dex, +1 Bonus trick, and a new special, or a Level-9 Tier AC? Does Practiced Spellcaster improve Familiar boni or just add to your CL with the chosen class? The text in Complete Divine seems the latter. And as far as I can tell Improved Familiar just gives you a wider array of creatures to choose as your familiar, and doesn't actually improved them in anyway?

And then what happens if I take Exalted Companion before my AH levels? Is my Familiar Companion, if say a Giant Eagle, still considered an Augmented Animal subtype, and does it actually lose Int(from 10 to 7)? Or at that point does the Int actually turn into a bonus, in my case +7 Int (17 Int in the case of a Giant Eagle)?

For that matter would it be possible to give my Familiar Companion Vow of Poverty? Seeing as it doesn't get a share of the loot unless I give it to it, and it will normally hunt it's own food, correct? So the only down side to VoP would be the no magic items thing...

Which leads to my next question, Bonus HD, since my Familiar Companion has an Int of at least 7, can these Bonus HD be from a class, or must they implicitly be "Animal" HD? And if you run out of Advancement HD, though Bonus HD, do you have to trade up(Like a Wolf to a Dire Wolf), or at that point would you be able to take class levels? Or does this not apply as Bonus HD are not the same as Advancement HD?

Or is all this way too complex, convoluted and whatnot? Just go Druid X/Beastmaster 1 with Natural Bond to get a rather effective Animal Companion and still buff and heal and get a cohort meatshield? Or just add a Cohort to make it more convoluted.

Thanks for any and all advice/help in advance.

[KillianHawkeye]

I can't answer everything, but for these parts....


Does Practiced Spellcaster improve Familiar boni or just add to your CL with the chosen class? The text in Complete Divine seems the latter. And as far as I can tell Improved Familiar just gives you a wider array of creatures to choose as your familiar, and doesn't actually improved them in anyway?

Practiced Spellcaster does not advance your familiar in any way. Improved Familiar should really be called "Better Familiar", since it replaces your familiar with a better one rather than improving anything.


Which leads to my next question, Bonus HD, since my Familiar Companion has an Int of at least 7, can these Bonus HD be from a class, or must they implicitly be "Animal" HD? And if you run out of Advancement HD, though Bonus HD, do you have to trade up(Like a Wolf to a Dire Wolf), or at that point would you be able to take class levels? Or does this not apply as Bonus HD are not the same as Advancement HD?

Bonus HD are not class levels. They are extra animal HD (or whatever type of creature HD if your companion/familiar is not an animal). It has nothing to do with the creature's normal advancement rules, so you don't have to worry about running out. In fact, these bonus HD don't increase the companion/familiar's size even if they'd normally increase in size using the advancement rules, because it has nothing to do with normal monster advancement. They're basically just a bonus on top of what the creature normally is.

[Honeko]

Alright, so Improved Familiar would be a waste of a feat for this build, since the familiar is dismissed upon reaching AH 1. Though Practiced Spellcaster will give me a longer duration on my buffs.... That brings up a new question, would extend/persist spell be a better choice than Practiced Spellcaster?



Bonus HD are not class levels. They are extra animal HD (or whatever type of creature HD if your companion/familiar is not an animal). It has nothing to do with the creature's normal advancement rules, so you don't have to worry about running out. In fact, these bonus HD don't increase the companion/familiar's size even if they'd normally increase in size using the advancement rules, because it has nothing to do with normal monster advancement. They're basically just a bonus on top of what the creature normally is.

Well that clears up that, mostly. So, if at AH 1, when my Familiar Companion becomes a Magical Beast(Augmented Animal), it gains the traits of a Magical Beast(Augmented Subtype-gain traits of new type, keep features of old type), but continues to receive Animal HD Boni for Bonus HD? Or do Bonus HD become Magical Beast HD? Also, if the companion is trained for war, thus having armor proficiency, before changing type, does it lose said proficiencies? (Magical Beast has no armor proficiency, Animal has no armor proficiency unless trained for war.)

Thanks again.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

First of all, consider the following:

In addition, your animal companion (if any) gains many
of the abilities that a familiar would normally possess.
You add your arcane hierophant class level to your arcane
spellcasting class level, and determine the Intelligence
bonus and special abilities of your animal companion
accordingly (see the sidebar Familiars, page 53 of the
Player’s Handbook).
Note that if you were to go Druid 3/ Beguiler 4/ Arcane Heirophant, you would still count your full Beguiler level toward its Familiar benefits even though Beguilers don't get a familiar at all. For that reason, I would strongly recommend getting Rapid Summoning (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/specialistWizardVariants.htm#conjurerVariants) since there's absolutely no drawback once you've taken your first AH level. Enhanced Summoning at that same link is also extremely good, those are originally printed in Unearthed Arcana. See if your DM will allow Rapid Summoning to work on your Summon Nature's Ally spells as well/instead, since as-written it only applies to Summon Monster spells.

Your companion familiar is a magical beast, so it can be whatever alignment you want it to be (appropriate to its type and your playstyle, of course). So yes, you could make it good-aligned to the point of exalted status so it can take Sacred Vow and Vow of Poverty, without even having to use Exalted Companion. It will still gain additional Animal HD rather than Magical Beast HD.

Make it a Dire Eagle, from Races of Stone. That's a 'level -3' companion (the text of RoS trumps the table in PH2), so with Natural Bond your effective Druid level for its animal companion benefits would be equal to your character level with your current build. I would give it Improved Flight from RotW and the Mage Slayer line of feats from from CA. With the Familiar ability Deliver Touch Spells, you could cast Produce Flame or Chill Touch and it would add that spell's effect to each of its melee attacks, as per holding the charge (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#standardCastaSpell).

[Honeko]

That Enhanced Summoning Variant looks very good for the way I want to play this character, just have to figure out which other school to give up. (Necromancy on good characters just doesn't seem right to me.)

As far as Holding the Charge goes, does it release the charge on the first successful attack? Meaning, if I had a cat, it pounced and missed the first hit, but got the second and third, then the spell would be discharged on the second hit, but not the third right? And what if my cat attacks after me? I give it a touch spell to deliver, but it can't make it to the enemy before my next turn, in which I want to cast another spell, does it lose the charge? Or since it's not me holding the charge, it holds it until it hits something? Also as per the text, "If you touch anything or anyone while holding a charge, even unintentionally, the spell discharges." Does this mean that if I were riding the familiar (Or Familiar Companion) the spell would go off instantly, as I'm in constant contact (Note touching it)?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Evocation and Enchantment are the schools you typically want to boot. Evocation is only good at dealing damage, which is easily replaced by choice Conjuration spells. It has Wall of Force, Forcecage, and Contingency, but those can be mimicked with (Greater) Shadow Evocation anyway. Enchantment is the absolute most limited school out there, a fairly large percentage of your opponents will be outright immune to everything it does, and the higher level you get the higher that percentage gets. Do note however that your Wizard prohibited schools only affects your Wizard spellcasting, dropping a school from Wizard doesn't touch your Druid spells in the slightest bit.



Deliver Touch Spells (Su)
If the master is 3rd level or higher, a familiar can deliver touch spells for him. If the master and the familiar are in contact at the time the master casts a touch spell, he can designate his familiar as the "toucher." The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master could. As usual, if the master casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.

Your character and his companion familiar must be in contact when you cast a touch spell in order for it to deliver that touch spell for you. It won't discharge into either of you, instead it hits the first creature either one of you touches. Some spells can be delivered multiple times, such as my examples of Chill Touch and Produce Flame. Do note that Produce Flame is itself not necessarily a touch spell, so casting another spell while it's in effect should not cause it to end, and it's a bit questionable whether touch-spell benefits would apply to it.

If a given touch spell can be delivered multiple times, it will be delivered on every natural weapon attack that hits until it has been used up. If it can only be delivered once, then it will only do so the next time the toucher makes contact with another creature (other than yourself and your companion familiar being in contact), though a one-use touch spell would sort of defeat the purpose here. You want to use touch spells that can be delivered multiple times so all of its attacks benefit.

[Honeko]

That makes a lot more sense. Thank you.

[Coidzor]

Plus, Druid casting will make up for a fair number of evocation spells, like the always fun wall of fire. (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/wallOfFire.htm)