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weenie
2007-05-27, 07:10 AM
Recently one of my players asked me, if she could get a familiar. Since she's a wizard with no familiar at the time i replied 'Sure you can', but then she told me that she wants to have a duck familiar. I tought about it a bit and saw no reason why it shouldn't be allowed, but then i posed myself the question what bonus shoud the player's character get from a duck? after some thinking i came up with a +3 bonus to swim. Do you think some other bonus would fit the familiar better? Any suggestions are welcome. And of course if you ever had toughts about other alternative familiars, do post them. I always tought that the basic familiar list should have more entrys.

BardicDuelist
2007-05-27, 10:02 AM
I would agree with the swim bonus.

One of my players wanted a monkey familiar. I gave him a climb bonus.

These are both useful for wizards, since they tend to not spend skill ranks on those skills, and tend to also have low Str.

Matthew
2007-05-28, 04:40 PM
I agree, it seems like an appropriate Bonus.

Triaxx
2007-05-28, 08:31 PM
Definitely sounds good. Perhaps we should come up with an alternate list? For those slightly off the wall wizards? I did see one wizard with a Chameleon Familiar, giving a +3 to hide. He eventually took a couple levels in Thief, and was backstabbing with a +5 staff. BBEG wizards hate that.

HomerHT
2007-05-28, 08:44 PM
Anyone got any ideas for what bonus a beaver would give?

Poppatomus
2007-05-28, 08:57 PM
Anyone got any ideas for what bonus a beaver would give?

must... restrain...

I would say either a bonus to concentration, the endurance feat, or a +2 bonus to any craft checks. probably the last.

DracoDei
2007-05-28, 08:57 PM
I think that skunks make a very colorful (in every way except actual coloration) familiars. The actually have viper's giving a bonus to something rather than being "it has a poisonous bite, what more do you want?!?", so I guess skunks need to give a bonus as well, +3 to Intimidate sounds pretty obvious...

RyanM
2007-05-28, 09:12 PM
A bonus to swim sounds reasonable to me. It's either that, a bonus to airborne defacation, or a bonus to quacking. That's about all ducks do well.

For some other crazy ones, how about:

Madagascar hissing cockroach, +3 to intimidate
Hamster, +3 to escape artist
Armadillo, +2 to natural AC
Hedgehog, +5 to grapple checks that were initiated by another character or creature (i.e., when defending against a grapple attempt)

DracoDei
2007-05-28, 09:16 PM
Actually the endurance feat would also fit a duck pretty well...

Poppatomus
2007-05-28, 09:25 PM
Turkey

cast sleep spells at +1 caster level.

Poppatomus
2007-05-28, 09:26 PM
goldfish

one per day, you may reroll a failed will save

Overlord
2007-05-28, 09:40 PM
One issue of Dragon ( a fairly recent one) has a bunch of alternate familiars in the Class Acts. I think the issue was...ohh...# 338? Don't hold me to that.

But they had familiars like the monkey, parrot, rabbit (white and deadly, of course), chameleon, and so on.

DracoDei
2007-05-28, 09:43 PM
goldfish

one per day, you may reroll a failed will save

WHAT inspired this? ...mind-numbingly stupid enough that they would have strength of purpose?


... and I JUST got the bit about Turkeys.... funny but not really in the style of the benefits of other D&D familiars.

As long as I am posting:
Squirrel
+3 to Jump

Poppatomus
2007-05-28, 09:51 PM
WHAT inspired this? ...mind-numbingly stupid enough that they would have strength of purpose?

two things. first since outside an aquatic campaign it is useless so it should be a bit stronger. second Goldfish, in urban legend, have only a three second memory. It's not that you have strength of purpose, that would be a straight bonus to Will, it's that you are so flighty you literally forget you've been controlled.

Khoran
2007-05-28, 10:10 PM
Since we're on the topic: What bonuses do you think a fox familiar would give?

DracoDei
2007-05-28, 10:13 PM
Hmmm... +3 to the DCs of any attempt to track the master???
+3 to Bluff?

Raistlin1040
2007-05-28, 10:22 PM
A bonus to swim sounds reasonable to me. It's either that, a bonus to airborne defacation, or a bonus to quacking. That's about all ducks do well.

For some other crazy ones, how about:

Madagascar hissing cockroach, +3 to intimidate
Hamster, +3 to escape artist
Armadillo, +2 to natural AC
Hedgehog, +5 to grapple checks that were initiated by another character or creature (i.e., when defending against a grapple attempt)

Bah. Hamster familiar would allow for one claw attack per day, as long as it was targeted for the eyes.
"Go for the eyes Boo!"

Hyrael
2007-05-28, 11:10 PM
some of my favorite species

Cormorant: as raven with Swim speed, Grants master a +3 bonus on spot checks made to see through glass or liquid

Tern: once more, as raven. Grants +3 on survival checks to find your way or aviod becoming lost.

Macaw: As raven, +3 diplomacy

Grey Parrot: As raven, but speaks 2 languages, +4 intelligence (for the familiar, not the master)

Racoon: +3 search

Otter: +3 swim

DracoDei
2007-05-28, 11:20 PM
Somewhere in the chaos that is my room, I have the start on a write-up for natural and Dire Otters...

Karma Guard
2007-05-28, 11:23 PM
Are there stats for a Small Monstrous Jumping Spider?

I'd have one for a familiar. +3 Jump.

...Or would it be Climb?

DracoDei
2007-05-28, 11:42 PM
Small is too big for a familiar for most characters... you want the Tiny one at most, unless you are playing a giant or something.

Poppatomus
2007-05-28, 11:46 PM
butterfly

gain a bonus to all cha based skill checks equal to 1 + the absolute value of your opponents wisdom modifier.

brian c
2007-05-28, 11:54 PM
A bonus to swim sounds reasonable to me. It's either that, a bonus to airborne defacation, or a bonus to quacking. That's about all ducks do well.

For some other crazy ones, how about:

Madagascar hissing cockroach, +3 to intimidate
Hamster, +3 to escape artist
Armadillo, +2 to natural AC
Hedgehog, +5 to grapple checks that were initiated by another character or creature (i.e., when defending against a grapple attempt)

+2 to natural AC would be kinda overpowered though, +1 would be fine. I like these ideas though. A parrot would be great, so your character could be Jafar from Aladdin

Poppatomus
2007-05-29, 12:06 AM
opossum

+4 to any feint check on a round on which you have not yet taken an action.

miniature kangaroo

acccess to an extradimensional storage space that can hold up to 2 lbs of material per level. May trade this ability for effect of eschew materials feat instead.

Icewalker
2007-05-29, 12:10 AM
All sorts of fun familiars can be thought of.

I made the Nocturne Lemur for the MitPII project, can be taken as a familiar and grants darkvision +30 ft.

Poppatomus
2007-05-29, 12:13 AM
so the parrot would have five...three... manifestations actually

Parrot (arabian) +3 to sense motive and bluff -2 to concentration

Parrot (nautical) +2 to all profession(sailor checks)

Parrot (British) +1 to bluff checks, +1 to perform, -1% to the cost of all items


and of course

Swallow (african) use telekenisis as a free action at 5x the distance

Swallow (european) +2 to ride checks, +6 if you have a cohort.

SurlySeraph
2007-05-29, 12:30 AM
Bah. Hamster familiar would allow for one claw attack per day, as long as it was targeted for the eyes.
"Go for the eyes Boo!"

And a bonus to Intimidate. "Feel the stare of my hamster and change your ways!"

TheOOB
2007-05-29, 12:37 AM
Pet Rock - Can go up to seven days in a row with no food or drink with no ill effects.

Kyace
2007-05-29, 12:44 AM
I'd say miniature kangaroo bonus mimics the Improved Unarmed Strike feat. Or, you know, +3 to jump.

Turtle: +20 to bluff checks and disguise checks to hide your gender.
Woodpecker or rooster: +3 on saves to stay awake.
Dragonfly: +2 to spot checks to notice moving creatures.
Miniature elephant: Stability as the dwarf trait
Miniature hippo: +4 on checks to hold breath.
Tiny Gelatinous Cube: +3 on saves to resist paralysis. Gelatinous cube can engulf tiny or smaller creatures.
Tiny Rust monster: Rust monster's rust ability rusts 1 foot square of rust per day.
Velociraptor: +3 to jump checks

Poppatomus
2007-05-29, 12:46 AM
I'd say miniature kangaroo bonus mimics the Improved Unarmed Strike feat. Or, you know, +3 to jump.


oh come on. What could be better than an 18th level wizard, master of the universe, needing to cast a spell, summoning a tiny kangaroo, reaching into its pouch and pulling out some thread, some dust, and an feather?

p.s. loved yours by the way

DracoDei
2007-05-29, 12:50 AM
Rabbit
+3 to seduction (INCLUDING the monogamous kind, since that is the BEST kind.)

GreedySmurf
2007-05-29, 02:01 AM
so the parrot would have five...three... manifestations actually

Parrot (arabian) +3 to sense motive and bluff -2 to concentration

Parrot (nautical) +2 to all profession(sailor checks)



But what bonus would you get from a Norwegian Parrot?

Poppatomus
2007-05-29, 02:07 AM
But what bonus would you get from a Norwegian Parrot?

it was right under those two parrot (british), man I can't believe I didn't list it as a parrot (norwegian blue)

the other one wasn't good though, so how about:

parrot (norwegian blue) This familiar's owner always takes a -2 penalty on bluff checks made against him, as well as -1 to sense motive and -1 to intimidate checks. however this familiar can be wielded by its owner as though a one handed +2 great club of spell storing [unable to store spells with a verbal component unlest cast as silent spells]. this familiar has 0 movement. (but beautiful plumage)

BardicDuelist
2007-05-29, 08:05 AM
[QUOTE=RyanM;2663901]
Armadillo, +2 to natural AC
QUOTE]

I think +1 natural AC would be good. We don't want to make wizards better and AC is far more weighted than skills or saving throws because it is used almost every round.

Also, all parrots should be able to learn one language (like the raven) and speek it.

RyanM
2007-05-29, 09:39 PM
Yeah, I was thinking of +1 instead, but finally decided that an Armadillo would be nearly worthless itself, so it'd need a decent bonus. Anything that flies could be a decent scout. Same for stealthy animals. A ferret could be trained to pickpocket people. And a bunny wabbit would be fluffy and cute. But an armadillo? How would an armadillo help? And you'd probably need to carry the thing everywhere, since it couldn't move that fast. I don't think 1 AC alone would make up for having such a worthless familiar.

Maybe something like +1 to AC, and being able to pass through nonmagical thorns as though they were regular brush.

Deme
2007-05-30, 05:58 PM
Hedgehog, +5 to grapple checks that were initiated by another character or creature (i.e., when defending against a grapple attempt)


Actually, the dungeon master's guide presents the hedgehog as a familliar, giving the wizard/sorceror/whatever a +1 to natural AC. *Loves her wizard's hedgehog familliar so freaking much*

aaron_the_cow
2007-05-30, 06:16 PM
Hamster, +3 to escape artist
more like chinchila (thats spelt wrong) those things are ninga-fu.:smallbiggrin:

Korias
2007-05-30, 08:15 PM
.
"Go for the eyes Boo!"

Reading a bit of Megatokyo, have we?

Anyway, How bout a Munchkin familiar?

+3 bonus to... well, everything.

Or a Jack-a-lope Familiar?

Matthew
2007-06-11, 02:58 PM
Say what? No, Boo is Baldur's Gate! It's Minsc's battle cry.