Hiding familiars

[tim01300]

One of my players has a Weasel familiar for the +2 reflex bonus on saves but he never mentions it or uses it for any other purpose. He says it just stays in his pack or in his clothes. Do other DMs allow this? It shouldn't be untouchable in there or really get any extra AC bonuses should it?


So should the familiar take damage anytime the gnome wizard does?
Should I roll like a 50% chance?
How would you guys handle this?

[limejuicepowder]

I'd just let it go, +2 reflex saves isn't exactly game-breaking. It also makes a good amount of sense; if a person actually had a small pet they liked to bring with them on dangerous adventures, it being in a pack or pocket most of time is good for its long-term survival.

If you'd like to make it more of a pet and less of a static bonus, have the weasel come out during down-time. When the character is eating, the weasel comes out attracted to the smell, for example.

[Cruiser1]

One of my players has a Weasel familiar for the +2 reflex bonus on saves but he never mentions it or uses it for any other purpose. He says it just stays in his pack or in his clothes. Do other DMs allow this? It shouldn't be untouchable in there or really get any extra AC bonuses should it?
A familiar in a pack or completely under clothes has total cover, like being behind a tower shield. Therefore it won't be subject to area effect burst damage like Fireball. (Although spreads like Stinking Cloud will affect the familiar, unless the pack is airtight.) Since there's no called shots in 3.5, there isn't really a mechanism to have a percentage of hits pierce the players pack or whatever and hit the familiar.

So yes, a familiar like this is effectively a static bonus. Of course, when the familiar comes out to eat, or if the player has it comes out to contribute its own spot check or whatever, then it's a visible separate creature in the player's square and can potentially be targeted by enemies.