Familiar for an Eldritch Disciple

[Kesnit]

I recently switched to playing an Eldritch Disciple. As my 9th level feat, I took Obtain Familiar, but have not actually picked a familiar. Any recommendations for what I should take?


CG Spirit-Scourged Hellbred Warlock 1/Cloistered Cleric 4/ED 6

STR 15
DEX 20
CON 14
INT 17
WIS 24
CHA 24

Feats
(1) Protection Devotion
(3) Practiced Caster (Cleric)
(6) Knowledge Devotion
(9) Obtain Familiar

Class Features
Turn Undead 14/day
Knowledge Domain
Protection Domain
Travel Domain
Patron Gift - Healing Blast
Patron Gift - Protective Aura

Invocations
Baleful Utterance
Otherworldly Whispers
Dark One's Own Luck
Fell Flight

I'm boosting Know (Arc), Know (Religion), and Know (The Planes), though I have at least 1 point in every Knowledge skill in the PHB. Also several points in Concentration, Spellcraft, and UMD. Not a lot of social skills since this game is mostly murder hobo. However, after the next session, the DM is starting a new campaign that will focus more on story/plot and is letting us rebuild (with a huge cut in starting stats and wealth). With the rebuild, I will put points into socials.

I've found that I like playing support characters, so I built towards that. I mostly focus on buff/debuff, with some BFC. I don't cast spells that do HP damage (though ability damage is fine). His only weapon is his Eldritch Blast.

Any book is valid, but Dragon Mag is probably out unless there is a link to the familiar/creature somewhere online that I can show my DM.

3.X only. No Pathfinder.

[Uncle Pine]

With Improved Familiar out of question, I suggest you a crow as it can talk and activate wands and command word items, so it would be useful both in-combat and during social encounters, unless you favor flavor to power. In the latter case, does your character have a theme you want to enhance with your familiar?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

A Hummingbird familiar from Dragon issue 328 (Thrush stats) gives you +4 initiative.

A Monkey familiar from Dragon issue 341 gives you +3 Tumble, and it would probably be the best candidate for using your UMD ranks to activate wands. Also keep in mind that you can give it things like tanglefoot bags to throw.

Check out the Complete list of possible Familiars (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?187251-3-5-Complete-list-of-possible-Familiar) for more options.

[foobar1969]

First, here are the general tips for a familiar (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=7508).

If your DM allows familiars to hold wands and share UMD skill, Raven is a good choice. If not, maybe Hawk, Owl or Rat.

If you're willing to spend a second feat, Planar Familiar gets you a Coure Eladrin. Look it up, very solid abilities.

Specific to Eldritch Disciple, you're able to cast a spell also called Planar Familiar, which adds an alignment template to your familiar. That's a nice permanent boost nearly for free.

[Troacctid]

My favorite standard familiar is the bat. Blindsense would normally cost you a whole lesser invocation--bat familiars get it for free. It's not as good for Warlocks as it is for Dragonfire Adepts, since you still care about their concealment even after pinpointing their location, but it's very useful to have.


If you're willing to spend a second feat, Planar Familiar gets you a Coure Eladrin. Look it up, very solid abilities.

This requires Celestial Familiar, not Planar Familiar, but yes, I recommend the Coure Eladrin very highly. It turns incorporeal at will, allowing it to pass through any physical terrain and move in complete silence without a Move Silently check, as well as giving it invulnerability to most sources of damage; add in an insane Hide modifier and at-will detect magic and detect evil, and it just might be the #1 best scouting familiar in the game. It also speaks all languages (and shares your social skills), it's constantly surrounded by a magic circle against evil (which gives you a nice defensive buff), and it has faerie fire at will to turn off concealment of any kind for your enemies, no save, without costing you an action (great combo with stuff like fog cloud). All in all, one of the best familiars you can get, and you're the right alignment for it.

Unfortunately, you need a second feat for it, so it'll be a little longer before you can pick it up, but definitely keep the option in mind.