How to use a familiar in comabt tell me if I'm getting this wrong

[kpumphre]

1. I have a blink dog, and it has blink on.
2. I cast Shivering touch while petting my dog
3. Dog charges the bad guy and does touch attack thus delivering the spell.
4. Dog then DD's back to my side out of combat and thus safe.

Side note if I made myself a small creature (or enlarge him) would I be able to ride him during this? What happens when he activates blink and I"m riding him.

[Yuki Akuma]

Yes. That works. You can totally ride him if you can get him to be one size category larger.

If he activates blink while you're riding him, I'd assume you'd fall off unless you have some way of blinking at the same time he does. Maybe some sort of magical saddle?

Also, did you really need to start a new thread to ask a question you already asked in your previous familiar thread from yesterday?

[ArcturusV]

There's a saddle for Blink Dogs in the Arms and Equipment Guide, if I recall correctly. So you might want to pick that up.

[kpumphre]

Does becoming a Familiar make them dumber and reduce hp? 5th level wizard so it says int of 8

Size/Type: Medium Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10 (22 hp)

Abilities: Str 10, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 13, Cha 11

[Yuki Akuma]

As far as I can tell, it would in fact get dumber, and its HP would equal half yours because they have no language letting them use their own HP total if it's higher.

[kpumphre]

There's a saddle for Blink Dogs in the Arms and Equipment Guide, if I recall correctly. So you might want to pick that up.

Can't find it any idea whats it called?

[kpumphre]

As far as I can tell, it would in fact get dumber, and its HP would equal half yours because they have no language letting them use their own HP total if it's higher.

Your right about the HP it says specifically that it get's half yours no matter how many Hd it has.

But still INT it seems silly that it gets dumber for becoming a familiar

[Yuki Akuma]

Your right about the HP it says specifically that it get's half yours no matter how many Hd it has.

But still INT it seems silly that it gets dumber for becoming a familiar

That's what you get for binding your soul to a low-level Wizard, I guess?

It'll end up much smarter than an average blink dog in the long run.

[ArcturusV]

Correction, it wasn't a saddle I was thinking of. Page 82 mentions if someone is riding a Blink Dog, and has a Ring of Blinking, the effect syncs up and when the Dog blinks, it takes the rider with it, however the reverse (Rider blinks or D-Doors) isn't sync'd.

Oddly enough, speaking of that bit, you might want to point to your DM where it mentions that Paladins who call a blink dog as their Special Mount lets the Blink Dog keep it's higher Int rather than the Paladin Mount Int. Might want to make a similar exception for a Blink Dog Familiar. But I don't think there is any actual rules reflecting that.

[kpumphre]

Thanks art, I will mention that.

Ok for his ranged touch:
+4 bab +3 dex +2 charge (can it start out in my square if we are same size or needs it own?) so it would have +9 on a touch attack correct?

[RadagastTheBrow]

Yes. That works. You can totally ride him if you can get him to be one size category larger.


Does this mean I can play a Halfling ranger with a giant battle-Corgi? This needs to happen, it sounds AWESOME!!!!!

[Yuki Akuma]

Ok for his ranged touch:
+4 bab +3 dex +2 charge (can it start out in my square if we are same size or needs it own?) so it would have +9 on a touch attack correct?

It'd need to be in the square adjacent to you, not your square, if you're the same size.

Familiars use their master's BaB, not their own, even if their own is higher. As a 5th level Wizard, your BaB is +2.

Melee touch attacks use Strength, not Dexterity, unless the attacker has Weapon Finesse. Blink Dogs do not have Weapon Finesse, and have a Strength of 10.

Charging does indeed give it +2. Flanking would give a further +2.

So in total, its attack bonus would be +2 normally, +4 charging or flanking, and +6 charging into a flanking position.

This is actually not too bad, because touch ACs tend to be on the low side anyway.

On a ranged touch attack, he'd get the +3 from his Dexterity, but wouldn't get any bonus from charging or flanking, so his bonus would in fact be +5. I am not entirely sure familiars can launch ranged touch attacks, though. The 'share touch spells' ability refers to spells with a range of touch, not spells that require touch attacks.


Does this mean I can play a Halfling ranger with a giant battle-Corgi? This needs to happen, it sounds AWESOME!!!!!

Riding dogs are totally a thing. And they're one of the best animal companions you can choose, to boot.

[Red Fel]

Does this mean I can play a Halfling ranger with a giant battle-Corgi? This needs to happen, it sounds AWESOME!!!!!

This is totally (http://fairies-fairytales.com/post/55090534739/every-fairy-should-have-a-little-corgi-in-battle) a thing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X61jCQty36M).

[Andezzar]

Charging does indeed give it +2.Charging works with a melee attack, not with a ranged touch attack.

[Yuki Akuma]

Charging works with a melee attack, not with a ranged touch attack.

If you'll read my post you'll note that I in fact said that. If you'll read the OP, you'll also note that he wants to use shivering touch, which is a melee touch attack, so that doesn't matter anyway.

[Andezzar]

Woops, my bad

[kpumphre]

PHB: Use the familiar’s Dexterity or Strength modifier, whichever is
greater, to get the familiar’s melee attack bonus with natural weapons.
Damage equals that of a normal creature of the familiar’s kind.

Would that work with the touch attack? That's all it mentions.

[kpumphre]

Oh does blink dog give me any special abilities to skill or such? or does taking improved familiar lose me that bonus?

[Yuki Akuma]

Touch attacks are not natural weapons. You could tell it to use its bite attack to deliver the spell, but then you'd be trying to beat normal AC, which may outweigh the added bonus.

Improved Familiars don't give a bonus to skills or such like normal familiars, because their other abilities are good enough to outshine that.

This forum has this nifty feature called an 'edit' button you can use to change your posts instead of posting twice in a row. :smallwink:

Please note that to use its bite attack to deliver the touch spell, it would actually have to hold the charge (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/actionsInCombat.htm#standardCastaSpell) and not attack with it right away. So you'd have to wait a round.

[Mr Adventurer]

Charging ends your turn so you couldn't DD away after thr charge.

[Andezzar]

Charging ends your turn so you couldn't DD away after thr charge.Charging does not end your turn. Charging is a Full Round Action, nothing more nothing less. You wouldn't normally have a Standard Action left to cast it but there are ways to either get additional actions or make DD a free action.

[Yuki Akuma]

Charging ends your turn so you couldn't DD away after thr charge.

No it does not. It's a full-round action, after which the blink dog can use its ability to use dimension door as a free action.

What makes you think it ends your turn? What if I had another move action from, say, a Belt of Battle? Do you think I wouldn't be able to take it after charging?

[Mr Adventurer]

No it does not. It's a full-round action, after which the blink dog can use its ability to use dimension door as a free action.

What makes you think it ends your turn? What if I had another move action from, say, a Belt of Battle? Do you think I wouldn't be able to take it after charging?

Yeah, sorry, wrong edition! My bad. :S

[kpumphre]

Plus DD is a free action.

How much would it cost to make an enlarge person/reduce person perminate?

Anyway to make a familiar size catagory bigger that will last? I'm just wondering, otherwise I can just use the spell mount

[Yuki Akuma]

Making reduce person permanent costs 500 xp and requires you to be 9th level (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/permanency.htm).

Enlarge person is the same, but I'm baffled why you'd want to be bigger.

[Dalebert]

A nice thing about being a medium creaure magically reduced permanently is you get the perks without the main downside--the movement reduction. And it would be cool to have a blink dog as a mount even though it can't DD with you.

[gorfnab]

The 4th level ability of the Hellbreaker prestige class from Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells allows a character to Dim Door with a Blink Dog.

[kpumphre]

Making reduce person permanent costs 500 xp and requires you to be 9th level (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/permanency.htm).

Enlarge person is the same, but I'm baffled why you'd want to be bigger.

Was going to put it on my mount. You can't buy something that would do it?

[Yuki Akuma]

Why would you try to cast a spell that only works on humanoids on a blink dog?

[ArcturusV]

Probably some way you could make it work with Share Spell, but then you'd have to Dispel the effect on yourself to make it one sided.

[kpumphre]

Cast it on my self and as long as he is withing 5ft it affects him also. Make it permanent on him and after a few I go back to my normal size thus I have a large blink dog familiar