Fetish Mask questione

[Obahai]

Im playing a 5th level half orc Scarred Witch Doctor (SWD) and i have a couple of questions about the fetish mask

1)Does the mask gain levels and abilities like a familiar?
2) To enchant the mask, do I just have to pay the cost and put in the time and effort?
3) If the mask is sundered, do I suffer the same penalties as normal for the death of a familiar?

[silverwolfer]

Fetish masks tend to be made out of rubber, and cover the entire face, with only a eye/nose holes. Some may come with a mouth hole, that have a zipper.

1) They will often act like a familiar to the one in charge
2)They will put the time and effort for you, but sometimes they need love and attention.
3)If you sunder them, you will and blood and guts to clean up.

[Mari01]

If the mask is destroyed, the witch doctor can create another fetish mask (which almost immediately adopts the shocking appearance of the original) for the same price and time it takes a witch to replace a dead familiar.

At 5th level, the scarred witch doctor gains the ability to add magical abilities to her mask as if she had the Craft Wondrous Item feat.

This ability otherwise functions like and replaces the standard witch familiar.

All those questions are literally answered in the ability description. Ten seconds worth of reading. :smallannoyed:

[Psyren]

Sheesh, what's with the meanness tonight? :smallconfused:

OP:

1) This is actually ambiguous. It "otherwise functions as a Witch's familiar," but it's an object and so can't gain levels. The intent seems to be to make it like a wizard's Arcane Bond (i.e. you choose between a familiar, or an item that is easier for you to enchant) so I would treat it like a bonded item rather than like a familiar in that respect.
2) You still have to spend the time/money. All the mask does crafting-wise is save you a feat.
3) Yes, i.e. you need to replace it before you can prep spells again, it will cost time/money etc.

[Mari01]

When I went to look up his query, I wasn't quite sure what he missed. It's hard sometimes to try and see something from a point of view of someone who doesn't understand. I have no idea how teachers do it :smalltongue:

[killianh]

I think on point three he might be asking about if you take an exp penalty, which I believe you do

[Psyren]

I think on point three he might be asking about if you take an exp penalty, which I believe you do

There are no exp payments in Pathfinder. Replacing a familiar, animal companion etc. only costs time and gold now. The same is true of the fetish mask.

[killianh]

There are no exp payments in Pathfinder. Replacing a familiar, animal companion etc. only costs time and gold now. The same is true of the fetish mask.

forgot about that, not over familiar with the pathfinder switches. In that case psyren is right and your issue should be clarified.

[Obahai]

I've been checking a lot of forums and sources and what information there is seems to contradict each other.

A couple of sources stated that the "mask acts like a paralyzed monkey familiar wrapped around the SWD's face". So if this is true, does that mean the mask has the same abilities of a 5th/6th level familiar?

That seems pretty sweet and broken to me, I just want to save the DM any unnecessary grief later on

[Lord Tyger]

The mask acts like a familiar except for, you know, being a mask. What exactly this means seems to be up to the DM. I would assume that the mask doesn't get Improved Evasion (I get caught in the edge of the fireball, but my mask dodges!) you can't use the mask to deliver touch spells, but it probably would grant you Alertness. But does it get an intelligence score? Can it communicate empathically and speak to the master at fifth level?

[ThiagoMartell]

Sheesh, what's with the meanness tonight? :smallconfused:

I wonder as well. I think it goes back a bit more... this forum as a whole is growing meaner each day.

[Obahai]

The mask acts like a familiar except for, you know, being a mask. What exactly this means seems to be up to the DM. I would assume that the mask doesn't get Improved Evasion (I get caught in the edge of the fireball, but my mask dodges!) you can't use the mask to deliver touch spells, but it probably would grant you Alertness. But does it get an intelligence score? Can it communicate empathically and speak to the master at fifth level?

The DM suggested I could turn it into an intelligent item, like a psycrystal and that it would keep the natural ac and use any enhancement bonuses to make it more difficult to sunder.

That being said, I'm making the mask out of Darkweave cloth and saving up the gold to place greater mage armor on it, when the opportunity arrives