How to get my familiar a familiar and that familiar one and so on

[jangartharn1]

Hey guys. So in an upcoming campaign that'll be starting at level 1 I wanted to make a wizard who pretty much had an army of familiars. Pretty much the idea would be that my characters familiar would have his own familiar and that familiar would have his own familiar and so on and so forth. So I'm wondering how would I make such a thing work? I know there are feats out there that allow you to have a second familiar but that's not quite what I'm looking for. So any help on making this "army" of familiars build work out would be much appreciated.

[Flickerdart]

You mean you're not familiar with the familiar familiar? :smallamused:

There are a few ways to get a familiar. Class levels are off-limits since the familiar doesn't earn XP, so we should focus on the feat Obtain Familiar. 4 ranks in Arcana and arcane CL 3 get you in, and since familiars have a hit die, they can take a feat and skill ranks. However, it will be tricky to give them caster levels. Familiars are not eligible for Magical Training because they aren't human or elf. The spell imbue familiar with spell ability doesn't really make it clear whether or not the familiar has your caster level as its own. At any rate, it's only hours/level.

However, it's also possible to have CL from spell-like abilities. This means you can pick up Improved Familiar. Quasits and imps have caster level 6 on their SLAs (commune is CL12 but is divine). Unfortunately, because Obtain Familiar requires arcane spellcaster levels, an imp or quasit can only get a regular familiar, ending the chain. Even dragon familiars won't qualify you (not that they are old enough to cast spells).

This is much easier with psionics - Psicrystal Affinity just needs manifester level 1; as long as your psicrystal picks up one of the feats that give it psi-like abilities, it can have infinity subordinate psicrystals.

You can also use the astral psi-baby trick (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?435755-Astral-psi-babies-Does-this-work-(Added-super-psicrystals)) to produce fusions of yourself and your familiar, who technically remain your familiar while also having their own familiar-obtaining abilities and thus their own familiars.

[jangartharn1]

[QUOTE=Flickerdart;20826343]You mean you're not familiar with the familiar familiar? :smallamused:

I see what you did there. 🙂

[Lvl 2 Expert]

I don't think RAI allow an unlimited amount of PC's. :smallfrown:

[DrMotives]

If you find a way to make this work, see if every familiar can be a turtle. Because it's turtles all the way down.

[ExLibrisMortis]

This is much easier with psicrystals, which actually get proper HD and feats. You can get your psicrystal a Host feat and Psicrystal Affinity, plus Improved Psicrystal and Practiced Manifester. As I recall, that combo allows for an infinite string of psicrystals starting level 9 or 12 or so, possibly sooner, if your crystal can take flaws.

[Divide by Zero]

I don't know if this will work for you, but if you can get a Leadership score of at least 21 at level 6, you can get a level 6 follower (the limit of two levels below you only applies to cohorts by RAW). Then the follower gets a Leadership score of at least 21, takes Leadership, and the cycle repeats.

[ayvango]

High aracna from Archmage for SLA, Body Outside Body and Incantatrix. http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?246489-3-5-New-TO-abuses - check this example.

[Ruethgar]

The Extra Familiar feat can bypass the CL and skill requirement, a dragon familiar can Loredrake for a CL, any familiar can technically Human Heritage and flaw for Magical Training, all familiars can take Wild Cohort for a similar effect.

[Thurbane]

...any familiar can technically Human Heritage...

I'd like to see the argument for how a Toad or Pseudodragon are a "Half-human race or human-descended race" :smallamused:

[UrsusArctos]

I'd like to see the argument for how a Toad or Pseudodragon are a "Half-human race or human-descended race" :smallamused:

The titular frog from Princess and the Frog?

[Vizzerdrix]

Flickerdart, would spellstitching an undead familiar open up any possabilities?

[animewatcha]

I cant remember if the feat was dragon compendium or dragon mag or something. It let the familiar or animal cohort ( can't remember which one ) cast spells from your daily allotment at half the caster level.