Interesting race find

[Zarvistic]

Perhaps known to some, but a google search showed no mention of this at all.

So looking over some dragon magazines, I noticed the race shadovig. Nowhere online is the LA listed, but it in fact has a +1 LA in the book.

For the +1 LA it gives you this list of stuff: diminutive fey with darkvision, lowlight vision, 2 claws, sneak attack +1d6, uncanny dodge, shadow essence poison on claws (dc 17), weapon finesse bonus feat (3.5e update), +2 search/spot/listen and use dex for climb/jump, mirror image and invisibility 3/day each at caster level 4, in darkness conditions it gets bonus to stuff (+4 ac/saves, +2 con/cha, +4 listen/spot, +8 hide/move) and its racial stat line is -8 str, +12 dex, +2 int, -2 wis, -2 cha.

Well maybe its known to many of you, but it seemed worth sharing so excuse me if it's not :p

[Nifft]

Neat. What issue?

Did this Diminutive (!) fey have any HD?

[Nifft]

Oh silly forgot to mention, it was issue 299.
And RHD was less than 1 :p

Thanks.

And nice, no sticky RHD and just one LA to buy off.

[Thurbane]

If I do an update of my LA +1 an LA +2 races list, I might start adding creatures from Dragon and Dungeon mags.

Thanks for the find!

[Elkad]

Where are you getting the LA: +1 from?

I'm not seeing it.

[Thurbane]

Where are you getting the LA: +1 from?

I'm not seeing it.

It's in a table a page or two before the monster description, which gives LAs/ECL for various monsters in the article.

[Elkad]

It's in a table a page or two before the monster description, which gives LAs/ECL for various monsters in the article.

And I even looked at that sidebar, got distracted by the "valid for Improved Familiar" part I guess.

[jdizzlean]

to bad that's Dragon Mag material, that'd be a beast in so many build competitions.

[schreier]

Sounds like it should be added to the various familiar threads too then!

[Shocksrivers]

and its racial stat line is -8 str, +12 dex, +2 int, -2 wis, -2 cha.

Maybe it's to do with diminutive and not the stat line, but what about constitution and hp?

[ZamielVanWeber]

Diminutive and -8 makes me nervous as their carrying capacity will be virtually non extant. Cool find though.

[Segev]

Diminutive and -8 makes me nervous as their carrying capacity will be virtually non extant. Cool find though.

Take this thing up the Arcane Trickster (or similar) route and get tenser's floating disk or unseen servant to do your hauling.

[Inevitability]

Take this thing up the Arcane Trickster (or similar) route and get tenser's floating disk or unseen servant to do your hauling.

Is a Talisman of the Disk weightless? If so that might help.

[lylsyly]

Dang, now I gotta get one as a Cohort ;p. Either a very excellent Rogue or my very own personal Dragonfire Adept that I carry around in my pocket.

Now can I give it a Diminutive Tower Shield with the Flight enhancement? (just kidding)

[Rebel7284]

So if a Shadovig Wizard (or sorcerer, but Charisma changing based on darkness sound risky) takes improved familiar and gets a Shadowig familiar, is this the first instance of having a wizard and familiar easily being the same race? All the familiar and improved familiars I can think of have LA - or LA (cohort only)

[torrasque666]

So if a Shadovig Wizard (or sorcerer, but Charisma changing based on darkness sound risky) takes improved familiar and gets a Shadowig familiar, is this the first instance of having a wizard and familiar easily being the same race? All the familiar and improved familiars I can think of have LA - or LA (cohort only)
Muckrakers I believe actually. Mucksomething I know that much.

[Crake]

Pseudodragons, coure eladrins and musteval guardinials are all playable races (albeit with 2 RHD and 3-5LA) that can also be taken as familiars.

[Inevitability]

Muckrakers I believe actually. Mucksomething I know that much.

Muckdwellers.

Hairy Spiders are another example of a race that can be wizard as well as familiar.

[Segev]

I think I'd prefer to get a pseudodragon or wyrmling white dragon familiar, personally, with one of these. Though I suppose you wouldn't even have to go that heavy-investment for a flying familiar large enough for a Diminuitive creature to ride. Just find a Tiny bird or bat from the standard list. I think a Raven would do.

Hairy Spiders are another example of a race that can be wizard as well as familiar.

How do those work as wizards, again? I thought they had Int --, so even with the abuse of the probably-typo RAW that gives them PCable LA, I'm not sure how you get anywhere as an int-based caster.


Also, IIRC, there's a "Beguiler" race that people like to make not-so-joking builds out of the Beguiler class. Can't they also be taken as familiars, or am I misremembering? (I know next to nothing about them other than the Beguiler Beguiler builds existing.)

[Inevitability]

How do those work as wizards, again? I thought they had Int --, so even with the abuse of the probably-typo RAW that gives them PCable LA, I'm not sure how you get anywhere as an int-based caster.

You could have them be ex-familiars.

Familiars have all stats of the base creature except those changed by becoming a familiar (like intelligence and natural armor). LA isn't mentioned and stays the same. Tome of Blood tells us familiars of deceased masters retain their intelligence, but are treated as if their master was two levels lower.

In other words, a hairy spider familiar whose master has died would be a free-willed creature with a level adjustment of +0 and an intelligence score.

[Zombulian]

I think I'd prefer to get a pseudodragon or wyrmling white dragon familiar, personally, with one of these. Though I suppose you wouldn't even have to go that heavy-investment for a flying familiar large enough for a Diminuitive creature to ride. Just find a Tiny bird or bat from the standard list. I think a Raven would do.


How do those work as wizards, again? I thought they had Int --, so even with the abuse of the probably-typo RAW that gives them PCable LA, I'm not sure how you get anywhere as an int-based caster.


Also, IIRC, there's a "Beguiler" race that people like to make not-so-joking builds out of the Beguiler class. Can't they also be taken as familiars, or am I misremembering? (I know next to nothing about them other than the Beguiler Beguiler builds existing.)

Beguilers are in Shining South and are indeed LA+0 and can be acquired as familiars.
It's actually a really impressive race. Two claws & a bite and they can wield weapons in their tails, plus Multiattack for free. They have native always-on True Seeing. A hefty bonus to Hide and Climb, a climb speed, and -4 str +6 str +2 int. Also the Magical Beast type which could probably be useful for Alter Self shenanigans.

[Thurbane]

Just remember that many tables don't let LA +0 (cohort) creatures be LA +0 playable races (some of the creatures that have been mentions have LA +X {cohort} adjustments). Check with your DM.

[Segev]

Just remember that many tables don't let LA +0 (cohort) creatures be LA +0 playable races (some of the creatures that have been mentions have LA +X {cohort} adjustments). Check with your DM.

I wonder how many people have played a character and used the "cohort" of that character as their "real" PC. Treating the PC they in theory are playing as the cohort's side-kick.

[Zombulian]

I wonder how many people have played a character and used the "cohort" of that character as their "real" PC. Treating the PC they in theory are playing as the cohort's side-kick.

I've played a Hengeokai Sparrow Psion with a Human cohort dressed like a Wizard and I pretended to be his familiar.

[Psyren]

I wonder how many people have played a character and used the "cohort" of that character as their "real" PC. Treating the PC they in theory are playing as the cohort's side-kick.


I've played a Hengeokai Sparrow Psion with a Human cohort dressed like a Wizard and I pretended to be his familiar.

Same but with a Tibbit Psion (Thrallherd) who stayed in cat form most of the time.

[lylsyly]

I wonder how many people have played a character and used the "cohort" of that character as their "real" PC. Treating the PC they in theory are playing as the cohort's side-kick.


I've played a Hengeokai Sparrow Psion with a Human cohort dressed like a Wizard and I pretended to be his familiar.


Same but with a Tibbit Psion (Thrallherd) who stayed in cat form most of the time.

Same here, but mine was a Tibbit DFA as familiar to a Catfolk Bard, great fun.