Cleric with an improved familiar

[Lvl45DM!]

I'm playing a Snirvnebli cleric with the Earth domain. Back in 1st Ed Smurfs had the ability to summon earth elementals. Now obviously this is OP but I want something along those lines for my character.
I looked around and found a spelled called Elemental Familiar http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20011109a and Improved Familiar's and all sorts of ways for a Wizard to get a familiar.

Is there a way a Cleric can get a familiar without much expenditure of resources?

Or if not, what class ability would be a fair swap for familiar? A domain? Turning Undead?

[Darrin]

Is there a way a Cleric can get a familiar without much expenditure of resources?


There are a few PrCs that offer a familiar, or something like it. Mystic Wanderer (Magic of Faerun) is what springs immediately to mind.

[Flickerdart]

Clerics can qualify for Diabolist, High Elemental Binder, and Knight of the Raven. Diabolist gives you an Imp, whose familiar level is based on Diabolist level. HEB gives you a summonable elemental that hangs around for 2 hours per level, so you can skip the whole familiar thing entirely. Knight of the Raven doesn't actually get a familiar, but its raven companion is awesome.

[Talya]

If you absolutely do not want to leave Cleric for one of the PrCs listed above, there's another very feat intensive option...

Magical Training, Practiced Spellcaster, Obtain Familiar, Improved Familiar.

I'm not saying that that's a good idea, though...

[Red Fel]

If you absolutely do not want to leave Cleric for one of the PrCs listed above, there's another very feat intensive option...

Magical Training, Practiced Spellcaster, Obtain Familiar, Improved Familiar.

I'm not saying that that's a good idea, though...

Would taking the Divine Magician ACF (lose a domain, gain arcane spells known) eventually qualify the Cleric as a 3rd-level arcane spellcaster for purposes of Obtain Familiar?

[Flickerdart]

Would taking the Divine Magician ACF (lose a domain, gain arcane spells known) eventually qualify the Cleric as a 3rd-level arcane spellcaster for purposes of Obtain Familiar?
No - you learn them as divine spells.

[Red Fel]

No - you learn them as divine spells.

Yeah... Sounds like you either pay a feat tax or take class levels, then.

Or homebrew an ACF. I suppose swapping TU for Familiar might work, but it's a pretty sore loss for a Cleric.

[Talya]

Does it really need to be a familiar?

Couldn't you just take Leadership?

[Khatoblepas]

Doesn't Cleric get Summon Monster? Couldn't you just take Summon Elemental as a reserve feat and be able to summon earth elementals at will?

I mean, it seems like more like what you want to do than having a fragile familiar.

[Zeb]

Races of Faerun had a racial feat for deep gnomes called Summon Earth Elemental. You had to be level 6 but you could get bigger elementals if you had a group.

[Callin]

Can you convince the DM to refluff the Water Devotion Feat to "Earth" Devotion and instead of water Elementals get Earth Elementals.