Getting Familiar as Cleric?

[SMWallace]

I'm wanting to take the Dragon Familiar feat with a Cleric. This requires that I be able to have a (scaling) familiar in the first place. Is there any way I can do this (or a better way to get a wyrmling dragon with Share Spell)?

[WeaselGuy]

Knight of the Raven from Adventure to Castle Ravenloft nets you a Raven familiar.

Dracolyte (from Draconomicon) gets you a Wyrmling Dragon too, but I don't know if it acts as a familiar or not. I'm leaning towards not, but I'm AFB, so can't be certain.

[PseudoPanda]

The mystic wanderer PrC gives you a familiar at second level just as a sorcerer or wizard. It's from Magic of Faerun so it's 3.0 but most of the mechanics seem pretty compatible, just change the alchemy requirements to Craft (alchemy)

[Thurbane]

Strictly speaking, the Celestial Raven you get from KotR isn't a familiar, but does fill a similar niche.

[Andezzar]

The Obtain Familiar Feat from CArc should also do the trick

[Thurbane]

The Obtain Familiar Feat from CArc should also do the trick

You need an arcane caster level to take the feat...

[Andezzar]

Woops, my bad.

[WhamBamSam]

You can get a familiar as a Cleric, but unfortunately can't access Dragon Familiar, as its prereqs include "sufficiently high arcane spellcaster level." Still, here are a few ways that I know of that haven't quite come up yet.

If you have a SLA of a Sor/Wiz spell with a CL of at least 3, you arguably have an arcane caster level based on this bit of text.
Some spell-like abilities duplicate spells that work differently when cast by characters of different classes. A monster’s spell-like abilities are presumed to be the sorcerer/wizard versions. If the spell in question is not a sorcerer/wizard spell, then default to cleric, druid, bard, paladin, and ranger, in that order.This would qualify you for Obtain Familiar.

The Arachne in Faiths and Pantheons is a divine casting PrC which gives a familiar. It's a huge pain to get into though, especially compared to Mystic Warder, which I didn't know about, and likely won't fit well with your concept.

[SMWallace]

I'm sort of going out on a limb here, but I'm almost certain my DM would allow me to take Dragon Familiar if I could get a familiar that scaled with my Cleric level. Sadly, that doesn't appear to be possible based on the responses I've garnered, with the exception of using a PrC I probably wouldn't be able to get approved. :smallsigh:

[Xerlith]

I'd say Magical Training feat gives you an arcane caster level... And then it's just Obtain Familiar.

[Andezzar]

What do you want the familiar for? Is it for shared spells? If not, maybe a Dragon Cohort would also work. You would have to be level 9 though.

[Curmudgeon]

If you have a SLA of a Sor/Wiz spell with a CL of at least 3, you arguably have an arcane caster level based on this bit of text.This would qualify you for Obtain Familiar.
No, it doesn't, according to this other bit of non-arguable text (Complete Arcane, page 72):
Characters or creatures that use spell-like abilities or invocations never learn the arcane circumlocutions of logic and mental training necessary for advanced spellcasting. As such, requirements for feats and prestige classes based on specific levels of spells cast (“Able to cast 3rd-level arcane spells,” for example) cannot be met by spell-like abilities or invocations—not even spell-like abilities or invocations that allow a character to use a specific arcane spell of the appropriate level or higher.

[torrasque666]

No, it doesn't, according to this other bit of non-arguable text (Complete Arcane, page 72):
Except that Obtain Familiar doesn't require a specific level of spells that can be cast, just caster level 3(and knowledge: arcana 4). Hence why Warlocks can take it, they have a CL, they just don't have spells to cast.

[Curmudgeon]

Except that Obtain Familiar doesn't require a specific level of spells that can be cast, just caster level 3(and knowledge: arcana 4).
That's incorrect.
Prerequisite: Knowledge (arcana) 4 ranks, arcane caster level 3rd. Spell-like abilities may give you a caster level, but they do not give you either an arcane caster level or a divine caster level. You must have an arcane caster level, which is explicitly denied by the rule I quoted from Complete Arcane.

[WhamBamSam]

Except that Obtain Familiar doesn't require a specific level of spells that can be cast, just caster level 3(and knowledge: arcana 4). Hence why Warlocks can take it, they have a CL, they just don't have spells to cast.This, though it's debatable as to whether a Warlock's caster level is actually "arcane." Hence why I said to use a SLA emulating a Sor/Wiz spell, as there's actually a bit of text which might back up the assertion that its CL should be considered arcane.

[torrasque666]

That's incorrect. Spell-like abilities may give you a caster level, but they do not give you either an arcane caster level or a divine caster level. You must have an arcane caster level, which is explicitly denied by the rule I quoted from Complete Arcane.
No, your quote says they can't take feats or prestige classes that require specific levels. The "arcane" bit is part of the example given, the rule is that they can't qualify as counting for specific levels, even if they can use a spell-like of a spell of the appropriate level. It could have said "divine" and had the same effect. As evidenced from page 18 in how Warlocks interact with PrCs, they count as an Arcane Caster as classes that advance spellcasting "+1 level of existing arcane spellcasting class" advance Warlock.

[Curmudgeon]

No, your quote says they can't take feats or prestige classes that require specific levels.
Which is exactly what the Obtain Familiar feat requires, so that's settled.

[WhamBamSam]

Which is exactly what the Obtain Familiar feat requires, so that's settled.No, it's not. The quote you provided refers to "level of spells cast" not "caster levels."

You couldn't take a PrC that requires "ability to cast 1st level spells" with SLA qualification any more than you could take one that requires "ability to cast 1st level arcane spells." The arcane part is not relevant to the text you're quoting.

There might well be argument that could be made that SLA caster levels are neither arcane nor divine (after all that seems to be the way it ought to work), but it is not the argument that you are making.

[Curmudgeon]

No, it's not. The quote you provided refers to "level of spells cast" not "caster levels."
You're quite right; I misread it. (Monday mornings don't bring out my best.)

The argument about SLAs being neither arcane nor divine holds up, though.

[ShurikVch]

The argument about SLAs being neither arcane nor divine holds up, though. At least some of SLAs have clarifications such as "as Sorcerer", "as Cleric", "as Bard", "as Druid" and so on. From it, I presume, may be drawn a conclusion about is this SLA an arcane or divine

And invocations are explicitly arcane, because, come on, what's the name of the book in which they firstly appeared? Complete Arcane. A Player's Guide To Arcane Magic For All Classes

[Grod_The_Giant]

The Southern Magician feat lets you cast divine spells as arcane, which might work to qualify you for Obtain Familiar? Otherwise, Mystic Wanderer is the only option so far that looks like it unambiguously works, though a particularly obnoxious reading of the rules might argue that the familiar doesn't progress unless you also have Sorcerer/Wizard levels.

[Curmudgeon]

At least some of SLAs have clarifications such as "as Sorcerer", "as Cleric", "as Bard", "as Druid" and so on. From it, I presume, may be drawn a conclusion about is this SLA an arcane or divine
That's an incorrect conclusion. Here's the reason behind such stipulations:
Some spell-like abilities duplicate spells that work differently when cast by characters of different classes. A monster’s spell-like abilities are presumed to be the sorcerer/wizard versions. If the spell in question is not a sorcerer/wizard spell, then default to cleric, druid, bard, paladin, and ranger, in that order.

[ShurikVch]

Dancer of Sharess (Dr#290) get a familiar which progress on "character level (as opposed to her class level)". But it's a cat...


That's an incorrect conclusion. Here's the reason behind such stipulations: Shyft (Fiend Folio) gets "Ethereal Jaunt (Sp): Once per day, a shyft can make an ethereal jaunt as if by a cleric of 9th level or its character level, whichever is higher." Note: Sorcerers and Wizards are get Ethereal Jaunt at the same level as Cleric. What's the point of such clarification unless Shyft's "Ethereal Jaunt (Sp)" is divine?

[Curmudgeon]

Shyft (Fiend Folio) gets "Ethereal Jaunt (Sp): Once per day, a shyft can make an ethereal jaunt as if by a cleric of 9th level or its character level, whichever is higher." Note: Sorcerers and Wizards are get Ethereal Jaunt at the same level as Cleric. What's the point of such clarification unless Shyft's "Ethereal Jaunt (Sp)" is divine?
The highlighted statement is in error, because Fiend Folio is a 3.0 book. In 3.0, Clerics got Ethereal Jaunt as a 5th level spell (making that spell possible for a 9th level Cleric); Sorcerers and Wizards got Ethereal Jaunt as a 7th level spell (making that spell impossible for a 9th level S/W).