Jon_Dahl
2012-06-17, 11:19 AM
I’ve come to conclusion that familiars are not everyone’s cup of tea.
The idea itself is really great and thematically they fit D&D and almost any fantasy game really well. I have no problem with that but here’s a list of problems I’ve noticed:
- Everyone almost always forgets their familiar. As a DM I’m happy to admit that I have zero interest to roleplay NPC-familiars which often have limited intelligence and players tend to have very little interest to interact with them.
- Their usefulness is limited. There isn’t much you can do with them.
- They are a liability. You lose one, you lose a lot. You keep one, you might get something in return.
I’ve talked to about a half a dozen people and none of them are that excited about familiars. Granted that it’s not a big sample but quite frankly I don’t like them either.
So summa summarum: Familiars are a great idea but some players simply forget them.
So I’ve been thinking about a couple of house rules and I’d very much love to hear your opinion about them.
#1: As an alternative, a sorcerer does not gain familiar. Instead the sorcerer gains +2 saving throws vs. spells. At 13th level this bonus increases to +4.
Reasoning: According to Player’s Handbook, sorcerers have raw power which they control. It seems that this power is within them, inside their bodies and in their blood. Therefore it would make sense that it gives them some resistance towards magic. Right now they are extremely vulnerable to magic that forces them to roll fortitude or reflex saves. Since they are “magic personified” (IMO), I’d like them to have some extra protection against magic.
Right now: “It’s a sorcerer. They have poor fortitude saves so use a Sound Burst.”
After my house rule: “It’s a sorcerer. Their inner magic makes them resistant to magic. Better not use any spells!”
Why does the bonus increase at 13th level? That’s because at that level you usually receive “scry on familiar ability”.
Negative side: Some familiars provide saving throw bonuses and many other features, so it maybe that +2/+4 is not a competitive trade-off. Also an actual SR would make more sense but it’s too powerful.
#2: As an alternative, a wizard does not gain familiar. Instead he can perform a special arcane ritual which takes 24 hours and uses up magical materials that cost 100 gp.
Effects:
- The wizard can always sense the direction of his spellbook's location as long as it’s within 1 mile of him/her.
- The wizard can cast a single targeted spell into the spellbook. Any creature touching the spellbook other than the wizard or an attuned individual is subject to the stored spell. Attuning an individual usually requires speaking a password which can be freely changed at will by the wizard. Once released, the spell must be renewed. Storing a new spell into the spellbook dispels the previous spell.
- The spellbook receives resistance to cold, fire, sonic and acid 10 and hardness 10. I will also become waterproof.
Reasoning: I hope it will not be an understatement to say that wizards are really dependant on their spellbooks. Also the spellbooks can be difficult to protect especially at lower levels. I think it makes sense that the wizard is bonded to his/her personal spellbook and not to some random rodent :)
Negative side: Usually spellbooks have heavy plot protection so no further protection is necessary. I don’t remember any harm ever coming upon spellbooks.
What do you think? I’m not saying that my ideas are perfect but I’d like to see some simple and sensible alternatives to familiars. There are some in UA but let’s not go there please. Pathfinder also has great ideas but I’d like to find some other alternatives.
The idea itself is really great and thematically they fit D&D and almost any fantasy game really well. I have no problem with that but here’s a list of problems I’ve noticed:
- Everyone almost always forgets their familiar. As a DM I’m happy to admit that I have zero interest to roleplay NPC-familiars which often have limited intelligence and players tend to have very little interest to interact with them.
- Their usefulness is limited. There isn’t much you can do with them.
- They are a liability. You lose one, you lose a lot. You keep one, you might get something in return.
I’ve talked to about a half a dozen people and none of them are that excited about familiars. Granted that it’s not a big sample but quite frankly I don’t like them either.
So summa summarum: Familiars are a great idea but some players simply forget them.
So I’ve been thinking about a couple of house rules and I’d very much love to hear your opinion about them.
#1: As an alternative, a sorcerer does not gain familiar. Instead the sorcerer gains +2 saving throws vs. spells. At 13th level this bonus increases to +4.
Reasoning: According to Player’s Handbook, sorcerers have raw power which they control. It seems that this power is within them, inside their bodies and in their blood. Therefore it would make sense that it gives them some resistance towards magic. Right now they are extremely vulnerable to magic that forces them to roll fortitude or reflex saves. Since they are “magic personified” (IMO), I’d like them to have some extra protection against magic.
Right now: “It’s a sorcerer. They have poor fortitude saves so use a Sound Burst.”
After my house rule: “It’s a sorcerer. Their inner magic makes them resistant to magic. Better not use any spells!”
Why does the bonus increase at 13th level? That’s because at that level you usually receive “scry on familiar ability”.
Negative side: Some familiars provide saving throw bonuses and many other features, so it maybe that +2/+4 is not a competitive trade-off. Also an actual SR would make more sense but it’s too powerful.
#2: As an alternative, a wizard does not gain familiar. Instead he can perform a special arcane ritual which takes 24 hours and uses up magical materials that cost 100 gp.
Effects:
- The wizard can always sense the direction of his spellbook's location as long as it’s within 1 mile of him/her.
- The wizard can cast a single targeted spell into the spellbook. Any creature touching the spellbook other than the wizard or an attuned individual is subject to the stored spell. Attuning an individual usually requires speaking a password which can be freely changed at will by the wizard. Once released, the spell must be renewed. Storing a new spell into the spellbook dispels the previous spell.
- The spellbook receives resistance to cold, fire, sonic and acid 10 and hardness 10. I will also become waterproof.
Reasoning: I hope it will not be an understatement to say that wizards are really dependant on their spellbooks. Also the spellbooks can be difficult to protect especially at lower levels. I think it makes sense that the wizard is bonded to his/her personal spellbook and not to some random rodent :)
Negative side: Usually spellbooks have heavy plot protection so no further protection is necessary. I don’t remember any harm ever coming upon spellbooks.
What do you think? I’m not saying that my ideas are perfect but I’d like to see some simple and sensible alternatives to familiars. There are some in UA but let’s not go there please. Pathfinder also has great ideas but I’d like to find some other alternatives.