posing as a familiar

[Ettina]

OK, which races would make it possible for a PC to pose as another PC's familiar? In other words, a sentient creature, preferably without a hefty LA, who either looks convincingly like one of the standard familiar options, or can shapeshift into a standard familiar option.

I know about tibbits and awakened animals, and from what I understand Lycanthropes with a Small base races could become some of the larger familiars. What else is there?

[Keltest]

Not race necessarily, but any class that can polymorph themselves in some way to become a small animal could work. Or have someone else cast it on them, if such a person is available.

What are you trying to do with this (besides impersonate a familiar, obviously)? That may help us figure out the best option for you.

[A.A.King]

The Mulhorandi Divine Minion (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20050209a) gives you a very limited form of Wild Shape. If your Deity is Isis you can pretend to be a Hawk Familiar for just LA+1.

[EldritchWeaver]

You could look for the races qualifying for Improved Familiar. The complete list can be found here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/improved-familiar).

[JeminiZero]

Hengyokai, originally +1 LA in 3.0 [Oriental Adventures], but updated to LA +0 in 3.5 [Dragon Magazine 318], due to the downgrade of their type from Shapechanger to Humanoid.

[Darrin]

Tibbit (Dragon Compendium).
Beguiler (Shining South). May refuse to go into the pokeball.
Muckdweller (Serpent Kingdoms). An LE muckdweller wizard 5 can have a muckdweller as an Improved Familiar.
Jermlaine (MM2).
Tressym (Lost Empires of Faerun). Actually available as a Wasteland Animal Companion in Sandstorm.

[Telonius]

Vampires can assume the form of a bat, which is a standard familiar. (It would only work at night, unfortunately).

[Uncle Pine]

Use "Encyclopaedia Arcane - Familiars": everything (even a human) can be a familiar!

[Hiro Quester]

We encountered a Druid NPC once who posed, in dog wildshape, as the familiar or pet, of a dog she had awakened and polymorphed into a human.

[ShurikVch]

One controversial article in Dragon #293 gave ECLs to creatures from the Monster Manual.
It included creatures of Animal type on assumption they are awakened or something
Lowest possible ECLs were: Cat, Lizard, Monkey, Rat, and Toad

[DrMotives]

Dragon #324 has the Grippli. Small sized, humanoid version of a tree frog. LA +0.

[Ruethgar]

A little cheesy, but take Magically Adept on a Gnome and pick Sanctum Persist Winged Watcher as an SLA for a Raven or Owl familiar. Depending on how liberal your DM lets you be with anthro animal descriptions, you could be disguised as an "eagle" as an anthro raven. Also note that few optimize spot and true seeing doesn't see through mundane disguise if you wanted to go that route. There is also a third level spell that mimics Magic Jar with your familiar. Take a Whispering Way version with Precocious Apprentice, Extra or Obtain Familiar and some way to mitigate the negative level and you can cast it twice to enter and control your familiar indefinitely(no chance of dispel so you can destroy your original body).

[WhamBamSam]

Tibbit (Dragon Compendium).
Beguiler (Shining South). May refuse to go into the pokeball.
Muckdweller (Serpent Kingdoms). An LE muckdweller wizard 5 can have a muckdweller as an Improved Familiar.
Jermlaine (MM2).
Tressym (Lost Empires of Faerun). Actually available as a Wasteland Animal Companion in Sandstorm.Beguilers and Treesym are, unfortunately, listed as LA+0 (Cohort) for some reason, so your DM may not allow them as PC races. It's a shame, because Beguilers are awesome, and would otherwise be among my favorite races.

A Dragonwrought Kobold with some reliable means of Alter Self can pose as a variety of wyrmling dragons, several of which are available as Dragon Familiars. For animal familiars, Aspect of the Wolf+Alter Self can get you there with lower level spells than Polymorph.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Instead of going the dragonwrought kobold route, you could be a straight-up wyrmling. You lose caster levels, but you gain a pretty cool background. Ask your DM about buying off the LA on the copper and brass wyrmlings (those are in the MM1, good-aligned, tiny-sized, +2 LA, 3 and 4 RHD respectively). And read WhamBamSam's handbook on playing a dragon, if you go that way.

[Ettina]

You could look for the races qualifying for Improved Familiar. The complete list can be found here (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/improved-familiar).

Wait, dire rats are improved familiars? Maybe I could be a wererat. Can they stay in dire rat form all the time?

[atemu1234]

Use "Encyclopaedia Arcane - Familiars": everything (even a human) can be a familiar!

I'm going to buy this. Mostly for the subtext of a wizard having an exceptionally close servant. EXCEPTIONALLY close.