Improved Familiars - The rules are not clear enough

[Serarya]

Hello,

the last two hours I've been struggling with the Familiars. I try to design my new Mage - and at level 7 I want to take "Improved Familiar". After consulting a bunch of Posts out there in the Internet I am more confused than before...

First of all: I want to take an Imp.

1) There are two Types of Imp: The normal one and the "Devil, imp consular". Although he doesn't appear on one the list for Improved Familiar, the text fpr the Consular say: "An imp consular can be summoned via the Improved Familiar feat, but only by a spell caster of 8th level or higher.". So if I see this right, I CAN summon one, right?

2) The differences between the normal Imp and the Imp consular are:
- beast shape II into small or tiny animal
- communicate telepathically with creatures within 50 feet
Are there any other, not mentioned differenced between this two?

3) Due the Imp can already speak two languages (Common, Infernal), it should be possible for him to learn new languages, right? So - just in case my Mage improves his Linguistics Skills, his Skill-Points will be "transferred" on my Familiar, so he will learn his languages, right?

4) The Improved Familiar Feat doesn't clarify this: The normal Familiar got the Intelligence listed in the table of the description. If you get the improved one his normal Intelligence is way higher. What does happen now? Will the Intelligence be decreased? Will the Intelligence be improved by the same amount the normal Familiar-Intelligence would have been? Will the Intelligence stay the same?

5) Regarding to the Imp Creature he got following Skills:
Skills Acrobatics +9, Bluff +8, Fly +21, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (planes) +7, Perception +7, Spellcraft +7
Those shills are normaly affected by every modificator the creature has. To make him my Familiar, I need to subtrate the Attribute-Modificators from it, due he will use his own attribute-modifications:
Skills Acrobatics +6, Bluff +6, Fly +18, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (planes) +6, Perception +6, Spellcraft +6
Also I subtrate the known Race-Modifications and every other known: +8 from perfect fly
Skills Acrobatics +6, Bluff +6, Fly +10, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (planes) +6, Perception +6, Spellcraft +6
Does that mean, those are the to-compare-with-my-mage ranks?

6) Regarding to the normal Familiar: "Familiars treat Acrobatics, Climb, Fly, Perception, Stealth, and Swim as class skill". If he gets Ranks from any available source - my mage or his own skill-points (if possible) - does he get the +3 Bonus from ranks in his class skills? Can he get any skill-ranks on his own?

7) The description say: "Regardless of a familiar's total skill modifiers, some skills may remain beyond the familiar's ability to use." How can I know which ones are not for my Imp to use? Since he already have knowledge, every knowledge skill should be available. Sind he can cast - every cast-related ones should be possible. And the others - I can't think of one of them not being available for him, right?

8) Can my Familiar gain more feats?

9) Can I equip my Familiar?

Many many Questions - I hope there is a good soul out there who can enlighten me.

[Serarya]

Ah questions over questions - there is another one:

10) When I summon my Imprved Familiar at Level 7 (Imp), he will be summoned at no costs, right? What is I dismiss him a level later for the Imp councelor - will I have to pay 7*200 GM?

11) Which way I can go to give my Familiar some of my powers? (I was thinking about giveing him spells)

[ZeroiaSD]

If you think that's hard, the Magical Girl familiar has the added complexity of being the same familiar advancing through several Advanced Familiar forms ^^

To answer some of them-


1) There are two Types of Imp: The normal one and the "Devil, imp consular". Although he doesn't appear on one the list for Improved Familiar, the text fpr the Consular say: "An imp consular can be summoned via the Improved Familiar feat, but only by a spell caster of 8th level or higher.". So if I see this right, I CAN summon one, right?

Yep, take the feat at 8th level or more and you can get it.

Any creature that says it can be an IF is effectively added to the list- I mean, it is on the SRD.



2) The differences between the normal Imp and the Imp consular are:
- beast shape II into small or tiny animal
- communicate telepathically with creatures within 50 feet
Are there any other, not mentioned differenced between this two?

All differences are mentioned.



3) Due the Imp can already speak two languages (Common, Infernal), it should be possible for him to learn new languages, right? So - just in case my Mage improves his Linguistics Skills, his Skill-Points will be "transferred" on my Familiar, so he will learn his languages, right?

Right, due to the skill-transfer thing a Familiar will always know the languages you do.


4) The Improved Familiar Feat doesn't clarify this: The normal Familiar got the Intelligence listed in the table of the description. If you get the improved one his normal Intelligence is way higher. What does happen now? Will the Intelligence be decreased? Will the Intelligence be improved by the same amount the normal Familiar-Intelligence would have been? Will the Intelligence stay the same?

I *think* that you go with whichever number is higher- so 'the Improved Familiar's native Int until the familiar int chart passes it.'


8) Can my Familiar gain more feats?

No.



9) Can I equip my Familiar?

Yes.


11) Which way I can go to give my Familiar some of my powers? (I was thinking about giveing him spells)

First way, give it a wand or two. This is the best way.

Second way, the school familiar archetype can give some magic for wizard familiars based on their magic specialty-

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/wizard/familiar/familiar-archetypes/school-familiar-familiar-archetype


Third, the evolved familiar feat-

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/evolved-familiar

Lets you take a 1-point evolution, which includes granting a familiar a cantrip. Yea, not really worth it. If you took the feat multiple times you could get better magic, but this is *really* not a good use of feats.

[avr]

3: This is disputed. Ask your GM.

5-6: All the skills listed for the imp are class skills. They don't get the animal set of class skills, they get that for outsiders. (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/rules-for-monsters/creature-types#TOC-Outsider) A familiar doesn't gain more levels/HD and doesn't improve their own skills though they could theoretically retrain to different ones.

The imp has 3 ranks in each skill and a bonus to Fly from its size.

BTW: modifiers, subtract, not modificators, subtrate.

7: That refers to things like animals not having the limbs for tool use. An imp has no such problems.

10: You pay when you summon a new familiar regardless - there's no exception in the feat.

11: The Familiar Spell (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/metamagic-feats/familiar-spell-metamagic) metamagic lets you give a familiar a few spells to cast though the level adjustment cost is high.

Though wands do work the imp would need the Use Magic Device skill, it's not itself a wizard.

[Serarya]

Though wands do work the imp would need the Use Magic Device skill, it's not itself a wizard.

Okay - but if my Mage takes this skill - my Imp will get it, too due he will get my ranks, right?

[avr]

Okay - but if my Mage takes this skill - my Imp will get it, too due he will get my ranks, right?
Yes, that's right.

[Serarya]

Okay, I think nearly all my questions are answered, the rest needs to be clarified by my DM. Thanks a lot :)