Ooze Familiar

[Kesnit]

One of the PCs in my campaign just died and the player is bringing in a Wizard. That is fine. But she wants an Ooze familiar. I am OK with this in fluff terms, but have no idea how to actually do it. Improved familiar doesn't list an Ooze as an option. No ooze has a low enough CR to match the CR for her caster level (which is 4). The only thing I can think of is to level down a gelatinous cube (the lowest CR ooze we can find).

Are there rules out there for making an ooze a familiar?

[DrMotives]

The Fiend Folio has a CR 1 ooze swarm, and a single CR 2 ooze. They're both aquatic, but nothing in the description says they have to stay in the water.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

This can be really interesting if you use the Living Spell template in MM3.

Make it always use his caster level, but it still has half his max HP and uses his BAB and base saves. Keep it mindless so it doesn't get skills or feats for its HD. Its CR is equal to the spell level plus half the caster level, rounded down, but they're typically extremely weak for their CR.

The spell it's based on can vary from day to day. He'll have to spend one of his daily spells for the day to imbue it with that spell, which must be a valid choice for a Living Spell to be based on. If he doesn't imbue it with a spell, use zero for its spell level for the day and it doesn't deliver any spell on its attacks.

He's 4th level, so he could imbue it with a Glitterdust so it will be a Living Spell based on that spell at a caster level of 4th. He has one less 2nd level spell for the day, and any time his familiar hits with an attack or engulfs an opponent it delivers the Glitterdust effect. It will only have a +2 BAB with Str 12 for a total +3 to hit, so it shouldn't be overpowered at all. I'd say casting the Glitterdust to hit an entire group of enemies at once at the start of an encounter would be a more effective use of that spell than imbuing it into a Living Spell, but it's really interesting for his Wizard to be able to cause one of his spells to become animate as a familiar. For good spell choices, I'd go with Color Spray or Ray of Flame or Ray of Ice. Also remind him to use Mage Armor on it.

[Thurbane]

Maybe a low CR vermin with the Skitterhaunt template?

[Werephilosopher]

This can be really interesting if you use the Living Spell template in MM3.

IIRC the spell sovereign prc from Dragon Magazine gives you a living spell familiar with associated rules.

[Uncle Pine]

Dragon Magazine #357 has the Spell Sovereign PrC, a 7/10 spellcasting PrC that can be entered as a 5th level character without shenanigans and grants a living spell familiar. Remember to carefully reread the living spell template if you allow it: many forget that it can only be applied to specific kinds of spells.

If you're open to 3rd party, Encyclopaedia Arcane - Familiars have rules for Ooze familiars.

[SangoProduction]

You want to know how I'd do it?

I'd not change a damned thing, mechanically. He picks his familiar as normal, but instead of looking like, say, a Raven, it's a slime that can vibrate at frequencies to simulate speech (if a bit...wet sounding). Does he want an amorphous slime? Done. He wants one that looks like a creature (of appropriate size)? Done. It doesn't matter, as it doesn't change how the mechanics work.

[SangoProduction]

If you're open to 3rd party, Encyclopaedia Arcane - Familiars have rules for Ooze familiars.

I really like that book. Mostly because it's devoted entirely to Familiars, but I still like that book, and it's nothing game-breaking.