Fun With Planar Familiar

[ATHATH]

I recently noticed that Planar Familiar (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwjnjqTdt4fMAhUimoMKHd89DPUQFggbMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2Farticle.a sp%3Fx%3Ddnd%2Fsb%2Fsb20011020a&usg=AFQjCNEdsnLDzXaO7RgKu0rtYrE4xya6Ww) doesn't actually have to be cast on a Familiar, Mount, or Animal Companion; you just need one to cast the spell. The template given is also based on your deity's alignment, not yours, so a TN caster/UMD-er can use all four versions of the spell.

An example of how to apply all four versions of the spell to a single creature:
1. Be TN, CN, LN, NE, or NG (a worshipper can be up to two alignment steps away from his/her/its deity) and have a Familiar, Animal Companion, and/or Mount.
2. Restrain your target.
3. Declare your allegiance to an Evil deity.
4. UMD a scroll of Planar Familiar on the target.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with a CN deity.
6. Expose the target to an Emissary of Barachiel (or some other method of alignment conversion) until it becomes non-evil and non-chaotic.
7. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with a Good deity.
8. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with a Lawful deity.

This process should make the target LG, Axiomatic, Fiendish, Anarchic, and Celestial.

Discuss.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I recently noticed that Planar Familiar (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwjnjqTdt4fMAhUimoMKHd89DPUQFggbMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2Farticle.a sp%3Fx%3Ddnd%2Fsb%2Fsb20011020a&usg=AFQjCNEdsnLDzXaO7RgKu0rtYrE4xya6Ww) doesn't actually have to be cast on a Familiar, Mount, or Animal Companion; you just need one to cast the spell. The template given is also based on your deity's alignment, not yours, so a TN caster/UMD-er can use all four versions of the spell.

An example of how to apply all four versions of the spell to a single creature:
1. Be TN, CN, LN, NE, or NG (a worshipper can be up to two alignment steps away from his/her/its deity) and have a Familiar, Animal Companion, and/or Mount.
2. Restrain your target.
3. Declare your allegiance to an Evil deity.
4. UMD a scroll of Planar Familiar on the target.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with a CN deity.
6. Expose the target to an Emissary of Barachiel until it becomes non-evil and non-chaotic.
7. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with a Good deity.
8. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with a Lawful deity.

This process should make the target LG, Axiomatic, Fiendish, Anarchic, and Celestial.

Discuss.Getting those templates is a Very Bad Thing™ for most characters, because the LA kills your experience gain, and it doesn't give you enough in return to be worth anywhere near as much as it costs you.

If you can get it at +0 LA, however, it'd be worth the 500 xp loss.

[WhamBamSam]

I recently noticed that Planar Familiar (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0ahUKEwjnjqTdt4fMAhUimoMKHd89DPUQFggbMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wizards.com%2Fdnd%2Farticle.a sp%3Fx%3Ddnd%2Fsb%2Fsb20011020a&usg=AFQjCNEdsnLDzXaO7RgKu0rtYrE4xya6Ww) doesn't actually have to be cast on a Familiar, Mount, or Animal Companion; you just need one to cast the spell. The template given is also based on your deity's alignment, not yours, so a TN caster/UMD-er can use all four versions of the spell. Huh, that's interesting, and it would seem to help with one of my pet projects of finding a way to get the Magical Beast type. Have the creature under the effect of Aspect of the Wolf or somesuch so their type is temporarily animal, then cast Planar Familiar on them to turn them into a Magical Beast. It does probably come with LA, as the above post notes, which is unfortunate, but Celestial and Fiendish are only LA+2, which is better than all existing options I was aware of (with the exception of a few Magical Beasts with (Cohort) LA).


An example of how to apply all four versions of the spell to a single creature:
1. Be TN, CN, LN, NE, or NG (a worshipper can be up to two alignment steps away from his/her/its deity) and have a Familiar, Animal Companion, and/or Mount.
2. Restrain your target.
3. Declare your allegiance to an Evil deity.
4. UMD a scroll of Planar Familiar on the target.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with a CN deity.
6. Expose the target to an Emissary of Barachiel until it becomes non-evil and non-chaotic.
7. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with a Good deity.
8. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with a Lawful deity.

This process should make the target LG, Axiomatic, Fiendish, Anarchic, and Celestial.

Discuss.Can you smooth out the process as a UMD user by just emulating the relevant alignments rather than shifting your worship repeatedly? It's a little sketchy, but your Wand of Planar Familiar does seem to be a magic item that has positive or negative effects based on the user's alignment.

[Vhaidara]

The primary use I see is, if a GM could be found who would allow this, finding an 8HD creature that isn't dangerous. Then using this to boost its CR by 8, then farm it

[ATHATH]

Huh, that's interesting, and it would seem to help with one of my pet projects of finding a way to get the Magical Beast type. Have the creature under the effect of Aspect of the Wolf or somesuch so their type is temporarily animal, then cast Planar Familiar on them to turn them into a Magical Beast. It does probably come with LA, as the above post notes, which is unfortunate, but Celestial and Fiendish are only LA+2, which is better than all existing options I was aware of (with the exception of a few Magical Beasts with (Cohort) LA).

Can you smooth out the process as a UMD user by just emulating the relevant alignments rather than shifting your worship repeatedly? It's a little sketchy, but your Wand of Planar Familiar does seem to be a magic item that has positive or negative effects based on the user's alignment.
I recently found a template that turns you into a Magical Beast directly. Let me see if I can find it.

[ATHATH]

Found it! The Ti-Khana template makes a reptilian creature a Magical Beast.

Why do you want to be a Magical Beast, anyway?

[WhamBamSam]

Found it! The Ti-Khana template makes a reptilian creature a Magical Beast.

Why do you want to be a Magical Beast, anyway?I knew about Ti-Khana, but it's LA+4. If you aren't starting as a reptilian animal or magical beast, you have to be a lizard, snake, or dinosaur. I think Anthropomorphic Lizard is the only ECL 0 race that qualifies. Ti-Khana Anthropomorphic Lizard is probably worse than the 2 RHD/1 LA Abrian or even the 4 HD/3 LA Grimalkin.

Access to Alter Self forms. The specific go-to example being able to turn into a Blink Dog with less spellcasting (ie only Alter Self, feels like too much of a cop out to go all the way to Polymorph) for an extra teleport each round (via Assume Supernatural Ability/Metamorphic Transfer) on a Shadow Pouncer. The go to way I currently do it is to Polymorph into a Magical Beast from a scroll then Alter Self into a Blink Dog from another scroll during downtime, then take Momentary Alteration (Blink Dog) a bunch of times, but that's less than ideal, especially when Shadow Pouncing is so feat tight. Eating the 2 LA to be turned Fiendish while under the effect of Aspect of the Wolf might be preferable.

[ATHATH]

I think Kobolds and Lizardfolk would qualify.

[WhamBamSam]

I think Kobolds and Lizardfolk would qualify.Debatable, especially in the more important case of kobolds. Ti Khana doesn't say "reptilian creature," it says "any lizard,dinosaur, snake, or any animal or magical beast that is reptilian." So if you aren't already an Animal or Magical Beast, you need to be a lizard, dinosaur, or snake. An Antrhopomorphic Lizard is definitely a lizard and there's a good argument that a lizardfolk is one (though that means even more RHD/LA), but it seems a little sketchy at best to say that kobolds are lizards. It's also only sort of helpful if they are. I guess favoring mental stats over physical ones makes sense if you're going to spend all your time as a huge viper anyway, and the Draconic Rite of Passage SLA might help, but still, that's a pretty underwhelming LA+4.

[Coidzor]

The primary use I see is, if a GM could be found who would allow this, finding an 8HD creature that isn't dangerous. Then using this to boost its CR by 8, then farm it

Now you've just got me thinking of starting a ranch and selling Celestial-Fiendish-Axiomatic-Anarchic Milk to the planes.

Possibly as a way to provoke certain planar factions into doing something stupid when they find out where the official location of the ranch is.