Familiars for Unfamiliar Classes

[Xaragos]

I thought it might be fun to start a thread to discuss familiars and improved familiar selections for classes (to include PRCs that grant arcane casting) that may not immediately jump out as needing or wanting them. Aka you have to take the Obtain familiar and/or Improved Familiar feats to get them.

Some examples:

Duskblade
Beguiler
Hexblade
Shadowcaster
Assassin
Avenger
Corrupt Avenger
Chameleon
Fatemaker
Hoardstealer
Knight of the Weave
Prime Underdark Guide
Shade Hunter
Suel Archanamarch
Telflammar Shadowlord
Thayan Slaver
Trapsmith
Vigilante
I always liked the idea of being able to add in a companion, sort of like the hero and his or her sidekick. So feel free to discuss what familiar makes the most sense and why. This could prove helpful to those who are unfamiliar with familiars... :)

[Vizzerdrix]

I've always been a fan of Familiars for the Duskblade. Earth Mephits and Eyeball Beholderkin both look useful for them.


One of the Dragon Mags has a few feats that are useful for familiar users. One turns them into a stone token at will, the other lets you have additional familiars. Think I'm gonna try to work those into a "pokemaster" sort of build... :smalltongue:

[Psyren]

Add Beguiler and Shadowcaster to your list as well.

I like the idea of an Exalted Beguiler (with Vow of Nonviolence) and a Coure Eladrin familiar, each trying to outprank the other while trolling evildoers and fiends to near-insanity, all without killing/wounding anyone.

[Malroth]

Bard with a Raven Familliar UMDing wands and performing Diplomacy checks using the bards ranks.

[thorr-kan]

One of the Dragon Mags has a few feats that are useful for familiar users. One turns them into a stone token at will, the other lets you have additional familiars. Think I'm gonna try to work those into a "pokemaster" sort of build... :smalltongue:

Gotta number? I'd love to see that article.

[gorfnab]

Familiar Handbook by Dictum Mortuum (http://dictummortuum.blogspot.com/2011/08/familiars-handbook.html) mentions how other classes can benefit from familiars.

[Xaragos]

Nice ideas and good link. That provides a good swath of choices for many of the classes I listed.

I was thinking though....what about for something obscure like an Assassin with Improved Familiar?

[eggs]

I was thinking though....what about for something obscure like an Assassin with Improved Familiar?
On the Assassin specifically, Poison familiars are good poison-production plants (DCs scale with HD); familiars with SA-facilitating attacks like the Muckdweller's blinding spit are good for giving an easy sneak attack method; Alter Self options (http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=2811.0) almost always come into play - Outsiders and Constructs can be especially useful for their crazy abilities and animated-mundane-item imitations, respectively; vaguely humanoid familiars like mephits and imps are very useful for doubling up skill checks or spreading the skillmonkey around when the party splits.

[Urpriest]

I've always liked the idea of a Goblin riding a Worg familiar. It's very tricky to get everything online by 3rd, but a Duskblade(or Hexblade) 3/Marshal 1 can have one at fourth, which isn't so bad. A Hell Hound actually seems worse, and most of the other options are Large, so this is a pretty solid mount. A good character could instead use a Blink Dog if you used Arms and Equipment Guide's rules on them sharing teleports with their riders.

Hmm...is there a goblin subrace with no Charisma penalty?