Familiar Granted Ability: Koala

[Afgncaap5]

I'm looking for suggestions for the minor benefit granted to a wizard who has a Koala as his familiar. It clings to his pointy wizard hat all day, boosts his awareness, and grants some sort of minor benefit as most familiars do... but I'm not sure what that minor benefit should be. Suggestions?

If you're bored by long explanations you can probably skip to the end of the post now. Thanks!

A boost to Fortitude saves (maybe even a very strong boost meant to apply to specific things like poisons since they eat eucalyptus leaves) might work, but that's already granted by a different familiar. Plus, I'd like this minor boost to be a bit stronger than normal since a Koala isn't very mobile typically, and the wizard would be losing out on the whole "share touch spells" usefulness. (I'll leave the debate about the usefulness of that ability for another time.)

I'm wanting this for a very specific encounter wherein the heroes chase this recurring villain through a grove of trees, but the wizard planned ahead for this and had his Koala use its ability to speak to animals of its own kind to organize a small gang of Drop Bears to fall from the tree tops in a sudden ambush encounter.

Ideally, I'd like the Koala to be memorable outside of this one encounter (and its general appearance) though, so I'm looking for suggestions on what the wizard gains by removing a portion of his personality/soul/whatever and putting into this thing.

[Drachasor]

Well, a Climbing bonus is boring.

However, I could see a Koala acting like a Ring of Sustenance as far as sleep needs go. Koala sleeps for you!

[Malcador]

I'm not sure how this would translate into a bonus, but you could have a laugh basing the koala familiar's ability off the mythical Australian drop bear (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_bear).

[Honest Tiefling]

If you can work Improved Familiar in there, why not make it a wand slinging koala on his hat?

After all, koalas are pretty asocial creatures so the drop bears might just tell the koala to eff off. (Then again, I never got how speak with animals was supposed to be useful.)

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Afgncaap5
A boost to Fortitude saves (maybe even a very strong boost meant to apply to specific things like poisons since they eat eucalyptus leaves) might work....

This was the first thing I thought of, a +4 bonus on Fort saves vs. poisons, on account of their livers working overtime to detoxify eucalypt leaves. It's true to the creature, although maybe not as flashy as you'd like.

[Drachasor]

Another option is the wizard's spells that cause sleep have their DC increased by 1 and can put to sleep even creatures normally immune to sleep. But that's pretty powerful.

[Palanan]

Actually, my second thought was granting the wizard immunity to sleep enchantments. Again, not flashy, and the OP's group might not be flinging sleep spells around, but certainly thematic.

As another alternative, koalas are mainly nocturnal, so something to do with darkvision might be appropriate.

[Phelix-Mu]

I'd just grant immunity to ingested poisons, and a general ability to eat even spoiled food. With the intestinal fortitude granted by the koala, the wizard need fear no food poisoning.

Alternatively, the ability to delay the onset of any effect causing sickness or nauseated conditions. Or maybe a reroll on saves vs those effects.

[SinsI]

+2 Bonus to Diplomacy with females.

[zabbarot]

However, I could see a Koala acting like a Ring of Sustenance as far as sleep needs go. Koala sleeps for you!

This makes me want a sloth familiar. Just hugs you all day and takes care of your sleep needs.

[Phelix-Mu]

Well, a Climbing bonus is boring.

However, I could see a Koala acting like a Ring of Sustenance as far as sleep needs go. Koala sleeps for you!

Must be the recent Winter Olympics or something, but lately I am hearing versions of the "In Soviet Russia..." joke all over the place. Needless to say, "In Soviet Russia, koala sleeps for you" made itself apparent, even despite its nonsensical nature (not that that joke was ever huge in the sense department).

I think a lack of mobility probably justifies a slight boost in the power of the effect. Not sure the example familiars back this up, though (Raven, best mobility and most useful power...not sure if the developers were aware how useful that power would be, though).

[RedMage125]

Fun fact: Koalas are actually pretty aggressive creatures when they're not stoned. Eucalyptus, poisonous to most animals, gets them high. When they don't get their fix, they're downright mean.

Also, for a bonus, most familiars imitate a feat (like Great Fortitude, Iron Will, Toughness, or Skill Focus). That's a pretty good yardstick by which to measure how powerful the familiar ability should be.

That said, a flat to +2 Fort seems appropriate since you don't want a Climb bonus.

And on a personal note, I love the idea.

@(*0*)@ <-Hootie the koala love it, too.

[Felvion]

Based on the fact that a familiar bonus is equally powerfull with a feat i would choose endurance. I mean these creatures survive in Australia so... Another alternative would be a bonus to survival, knowledge nature or , as already mentioned, poison related stuff.
If i was to take the decision i would go for endurance without the armor clause plus a +2 in survival.

[Fouredged Sword]

+3 to decipher script when decoding messages. (http://agirlandherfed.com/)

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by RedMage125
Eucalyptus, poisonous to most animals, gets them high. When they don't get their fix, they're downright mean.

This is a persistent popular myth, but completely untrue. Koalas have a low baseline metabolism, which inspired speculation that the eucalypt leaves were somehow intoxicating them. In fact they're lethargic because of the low energy content of their food; in this respect they're a lot like sloths, although not quite so extreme.

Here's a brief essay (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/lessons/the-koala-diet/enhanced-video-resource/7852/) that summarizes their feeding niche and metabolic constraints.


Originally Posted by RedMage125
That said, a flat to +2 Fort seems appropriate since you don't want a Climb bonus.

I'd go with a general +2 Fort, rising to +4 against ingested poisons.

[Coidzor]

It's not a familiar granted ability, but, IIRC, all, or basically all, koalas have Chlamydia. So you've got a ready source of that if you want to use biological warfare.

[Hand_of_Vecna]

How about the ability to cling, but not climb as a free action including while sleeping.

[RedMage125]

This is a persistent popular myth, but completely untrue. Koalas have a low baseline metabolism, which inspired speculation that the eucalypt leaves were somehow intoxicating them. In fact they're lethargic because of the low energy content of their food; in this respect they're a lot like sloths, although not quite so extreme.

Here's a brief essay (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/lessons/the-koala-diet/enhanced-video-resource/7852/) that summarizes their feeding niche and metabolic constraints.
I appreciate the informative lesson.

EDIT: Realized that may sound sarcastic. It is not intended so.

But what about how territorial and aggressive they get, ESPECIALLY when their supply of eucalyptus gets low?


I'd go with a general +2 Fort, rising to +4 against ingested poisons.

That's a little more powerful then Great Fortitude, but ingested poisons are pretty uncommon in most D&D games, becomeing a little more so in games that focus on political conflict or urban games. Less so in wilderness or dungeon crawl. I'd say up to the DM

[Afgncaap5]

Love the ideas, everyone. Thanks! Especially the variations on defenses against sleeping/boosts for sleep related spells or enchantments.


If you can work Improved Familiar in there, why not make it a wand slinging koala on his hat?

After all, koalas are pretty asocial creatures so the drop bears might just tell the koala to eff off. (Then again, I never got how speak with animals was supposed to be useful.)

I've always seen Speak With Animals as something that basically opens up alternate social skill opportunities for you. If you're speaking to a lost goat, you might not get much more than "Help! This isn't home!" or maybe "I think I saw a wolf! Ahhhhh!!!!" but even that's a bit informative. In a different kind of situation, you could ask a squirrel or mouse if it knows the layout of a castle or its grounds, and maybe offer it a kind of treat or favor if it's not initially friendly to you ("Lead me to the treasure chamber, and I'll kill the cat for you.")

The drop bears are basically going to be low-intelligence thugs who work for the wizard with the koala as a go-between. I don't know the specifics of the deal (I really never work out too much of arrangements when wizards hire goons or mercenaries in taverns, after all) but it's probably some combination of eliminating threats that are well within the wizard's power or providing some fresh, easy food if they handle the adventurers.

As for Improved Familiar... took me a while to find it (I actually found it in Tome & Blood before finding it in the DMG), but I like the idea. I'm worried about the possible usefulness of effectively giving the wizard an entire extra spell every round, though I suppose it'd be no different than what an Imp might be able to do.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by RedMage125
But what about how territorial and aggressive they get, ESPECIALLY when their supply of eucalyptus gets low?

I was pretty cranky this evening, until my homemade pizza came out of the oven. :smalltongue:

When resources are scarce, competition and aggression will often increase. Everyone defends their own patch of food.


Originally Posted by Afgncaap5
I'm worried about the possible usefulness of effectively giving the wizard an entire extra spell every round....

That does seem like a bit much of an advantage.

[iceifur]

Improved Grapple, a +4 bonus to grapple checks, or its master counts as one size category larger for grapple checks (choose one).

That koala sounds like a clingy little bugger, after all... :smallsmile:


[Edit] Alternatively, it could grant the "Brachiation" feat from Complete Adventurer as a bonus feat (ignoring the prereqs). Swinging through the trees and ignoring difficult terrain might be pretty useful in the outlined scenario.

[Anxe]

Koalas are marsupials too. Maybe you could focus on that for the ability? I'm not sure how to work that though.

I do like the anti-poison ideas. It's going to have zero impact on the game, but it fits the koala. Also, most familiar bonuses are zero impact.

[Captnq]

They protect you from killer trees?

Seriously.

"Eucalypts have a habit of dropping entire branches off as they grow. Eucalyptus forests are littered with dead branches. The Australian Ghost Gum Eucalyptus papuana is sometimes called the "widow maker", due to the high number of tree-felling workers who were killed by falling branches. Many deaths were actually caused by simply camping under them, as the trees shed whole and very large branches to save water during droughts. For this reason, you should never camp under large eucalyptus branches."

In Australia, the TREES try to kill you.

[Phelix-Mu]

They protect you from killer trees?

Seriously.

"Eucalypts have a habit of dropping entire branches off as they grow. Eucalyptus forests are littered with dead branches. The Australian Ghost Gum Eucalyptus papuana is sometimes called the "widow maker", due to the high number of tree-felling workers who were killed by falling branches. Many deaths were actually caused by simply camping under them, as the trees shed whole and very large branches to save water during droughts. For this reason, you should never camp under large eucalyptus branches."

In Australia, the TREES try to kill you.

If only the trees everywhere were so proactive.:smallamused:

[Sith_Happens]

Not sure the example familiars back this up, though (Raven, best mobility and most useful power...not sure if the developers were aware how useful that power would be, though).

What's so great about a +3 to Appraise checks?

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by iceifur
Swinging through the trees and ignoring difficult terrain might be pretty useful in the outlined scenario.

That might be thematic for a primate familiar, but koalas don't brachiate and they're not really built for it.

Also, way too high-energy.

[Phelix-Mu]

Ah, it's hard to take an exotic animal and come up with a generic ability that still seems original. I was thinking give the benefit of Heat Endurance or some resistance to dehydration or something, since Fort-boosting is already covered by existing familiars.

[Afgncaap5]

Improved Grapple, a +4 bonus to grapple checks, or its master counts as one size category larger for grapple checks (choose one).

That koala sounds like a clingy little bugger, after all... :smallsmile:


[Edit] Alternatively, it could grant the "Brachiation" feat from Complete Adventurer as a bonus feat (ignoring the prereqs). Swinging through the trees and ignoring difficult terrain might be pretty useful in the outlined scenario.

A bonus to grappling might be fun, especially since this wizard is one of those borderline wild-man type wizards like Mustrum Ridcully or Radagast the Brown.

The Brachiation feat is a fun concept, but not quite right for a koala. That, plus the wizard himself won't actually be present in the Drop Bear Ambush. That scene is the Koala's time to shine as a villain, albeit a minor one. In the overall arc of the campaign, the Koala is a figure with slightly more impact on the story than Maleficent's crow, and slightly less impact on the story than Jafar's parrot, Iago.

[Vhaidara]

You grow a pouch.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Keledrath
You grow a pouch.

*snerk*

Really, it's not a bad idea. Although the pouch has certain internal features a male wizard might not want.

:smalltongue:

[Coidzor]

+3 to decipher script when decoding messages. (http://agirlandherfed.com/)

*shakes fist* Why Can't I Stop Reading? T_T

[eviljav]

Your wizard doesn't have to pay for prostitutes.
http://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/15agq7/a_koala_wakes_up_next_to_a_prostitute/