blink dog

[limejuicepowder]

I'm helping one of my player's make a gish character (pally 2/battle sorc 4/abj champ 1) w/ a blink dog familiar. What feats, equipment, tactics, etc., should be used for the dog? I'm having something of a problem finding anything useful.

[gorfnab]

Ring of Blinking (see entry in A&EG) if he's using it as a mount.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Get the spell Benign Transposition, and/or a Wand of it. The dog can Dimension Door at will, and he can swap himself or a party member places with it.

Don't use Battle Sorcerer, go Paladin 2/ Sorcerer 4/ Spellsword 1/ Abjurant Champion instead. He's not going to be taking enough actual Sorcerer levels for the drawbacks of Battle Sorcerer to be worthwhile. Starting out with Spellsword 1 he'll be able to wear Mithral Breastplate with a Thistledown Suit (RotW) at 0% ASF, or a Mithral Chain Shirt with a Thistledown Suit and a Mithral Heavy Shield at 0% ASF. Or just spend a feat on Arcane Preparation and pick up a Lesser Rod of Extend and cast Luminous Armor (BoED) every day without even spending a spell known on it, and that even benefits from the Abjurant Armor bonus. Get a Rod of Bodily Restoration (MIC) to fix the Str damage sacrifice that occurs when the spell ends.

[limejuicepowder]

great suggestions, thanks.

How about feats for the blink dog though? Standard feats are iron will and run (lllaaammmmeee). Also, what are the rules for changing familiar/animal companion feats?

[Darrin]

How about feats for the blink dog though? Standard feats are iron will and run (lllaaammmmeee). Also, what are the rules for changing familiar/animal companion feats?

Familiars don't get feats, unless it's an Improved Familiar, in which case you generally get whatever it comes with. However, blink dogs have the same intellectual capabilities as humans, so I don't see why they couldn't pick better (or at least different) feats. If your DM allows retraining, the Blink Dog should be able to retrain his feats.

Animal Companions are supposed to be "completely typical for its kind", so they get their feats by the book, no substitutions. However, once the AC is with its master and gains HD (via Warbeast or higher druid levels), then the druid can select whatever new feats he likes for his AC.

As far as picking feats for the Blink Dog:

They already have Scent, so Improved Scent + Uncanny Scent (Savage Species) might be useful. Or even better... Hidden Talent: Mindlink and then Mindsight (Lords of Madness).

I'd be tempted to get Blind-Fight and Mage Slayer, but I'm not sure how you'd add Pierce Magical Concealment on top of that, unless it's a cohort (familiars don't gain new HD, but cohorts do).

Dragontouched (or Dragonborn of Bahumat) + Shape Soulmeld: Claws of the Wyrm (Dragon Magic) would give the blink dog two claw attacks. Improved Unarmed Strike would also give them another attack.

Animal Devotion is a nice little toolkit, and offers flight 1/day for 1 minute.