Draconic Familiar for a muggle

[ChudoJogurt]

I believe it is possible for the non-caster to get an Improved Familiar via Magical Training (under liberal reading of the feat, it seems to grant Caster Level 1) + Practiced Spellcaster + Obtain Familiar + Improved Familiar.

Is there a rules-legal way to get Draconic Familiar in a similar manner -- without ever gaining a level in a class that grants spellcaster levels or ablity to cast spells?

[DrMotives]

I don't believe so. It takes a caster level of 7. However, the same book has dragon cohort, and dragon mount, which require no casting at all.

[Darrin]

Is there a rules-legal way to get Draconic Familiar in a similar manner -- without ever gaining a level in a class that grants spellcaster levels or ablity to cast spells?

Yes. If your race has an SLA where the caster level is based on your HD or character level, then the caster level for the SLA can qualify you for Obtain Familiar. Lesser Gray Dwarf (PGtF), for example, gets enlarge person 1/day with CL = 2 x HD. If you want to be human, Silverbrow Human (Dragon Magic) gets feather fall 1/day, CL equal to HD/character level.

There are probably some feats that any race could pick up for an SLA with a caster level, but I can't think of any at the moment. Well, Dragontouched (Dragon Magic) lets you take [draconic] feats as if you were a sorcerer, but I don't recall if you can get any SLAs that way.

[ShurikVch]

Yes, it's possible:
Play any full-BAB class;
Search for spellcasting services - arcane variant of Imbue with Spell Ability (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/imbueWithSpellAbility.htm) (any 1st-level abjuration spell);
At the 6th level, enter the Abjurant Champion PrC;
Take all 5 levels - now your CL = your BAB;
Take Dragon Familiar feat at 12th level.Done!

[Trandir]

Well if the only limit is getting the dragon familiar with no level in any caster class this should work:

1st lv: put 13 in Cha and get one rank in speak language (draconic) and take the Favored in House feat.

3rd lv: get the Item Familiar feat.

6th lv: get yourself a nice magic tattoo in the form of the lesser dragonmark feat.

7th lv: dip a single level in the dragonmark heir and you get least dragonmark with caster level 6+ your level in dragonmark heir so at least 6+1.

And finally at level 9 you can cast some arcane a spells as a 7h sorcerer, acquaire a new familiar and meet the prerequisite of 13 cha and speaking draconic so a cat-sized speaking elementalbreathinglizard should accept to be your familiar.

[Thurbane]

Yeah, I don't think SLAs are going to cut it: they are neither arcane nor divine unless specifically called out as such. See COmplete Mage p.7, under the heading Arcane vs Innate.

It's a question I've pondered (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?186052-3-5-Arcane-caster-level-without-an-arcane-class) previously (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?477696-3-5-Arcane-Caster-Level-Without-Casting).

Your DM may rule differently.

(Ab)using Magical Training (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?256491-Possible-tricks-with-feat-quot-Magical-Training-quot-for-non-casters) may be a better option.

Or what ShurikVch and Trandir posted above...

[ShurikVch]

One more possible variant: make a Living Tattoo (Denizens of Dread) of a Wyrmling, and designate it as your Item Familiar
(Unfortunately, the book doesn't specified how much Living Tattoo may cost, but I presuming it should fit the Item Familiar requirements)

[Thurbane]

Yeah, I don't think SLAs are going to cut it: they are neither arcane nor divine unless specifically called out as such. See Complete Mage p.7, under the heading Arcane vs Innate.

It's a question I've pondered (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?186052-3-5-Arcane-caster-level-without-an-arcane-class) previously (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?477696-3-5-Arcane-Caster-Level-Without-Casting).

Would any of the following qualify as giving a character an "arcane caster level" for purposes such as Familiar/Improved Familiar?


Evil Eye (eye of fear) (Sp): Once per day, as a spell-like ability, the 6th-level blessed of Gruumsh can make a gaze attack for 1 round as an attack action with a range of 30 feet. A Will save resists the effect (DC 10 + blessed of Gruumsh level + Cha modifier), and those who fail must run in fear as if affected by a fear spell cast by a sorcerer with a caster level equal to the blessed of Gruumsh's class level.


Analyze Portal (Sp): A gatecrasher gains the ability to use analyze portal as a spell-like ability. He may do this once per gatecrasher level per day. This ability otherwise functions as the spell cast by a sorcerer of the gatecrasher's character level.


Summon Swarm (Sp): A master of flies can use summon swarm as a sorcerer of her character level. She can use this ability once per day per level she has attained in this prestige class.

[NontheistCleric]

Would any of the following qualify as giving a character an "arcane caster level" for purposes such as Familiar/Improved Familiar?


Evil Eye (eye of fear) (Sp): Once per day, as a spell-like ability, the 6th-level blessed of Gruumsh can make a gaze attack for 1 round as an attack action with a range of 30 feet. A Will save resists the effect (DC 10 + blessed of Gruumsh level + Cha modifier), and those who fail must run in fear as if affected by a fear spell cast by a sorcerer with a caster level equal to the blessed of Gruumsh's class level.


Analyze Portal (Sp): A gatecrasher gains the ability to use analyze portal as a spell-like ability. He may do this once per gatecrasher level per day. This ability otherwise functions as the spell cast by a sorcerer of the gatecrasher's character level.


Summon Swarm (Sp): A master of flies can use summon swarm as a sorcerer of her character level. She can use this ability once per day per level she has attained in this prestige class.

What these abilities are saying don't seem to be fundamentally different from what is stated on page 315 of the Monster Manual:


Some spell-like abilities duplicate spells that work differently when cast by characters of different classes - for example, true seeing. A monster's spell-like abilities are presumed to be the sorcerer/wizard versions. If the spell in question is not a sorcerer/wizard spell, then default to cleric, druid, bard, paladin, and ranger, in that order.

It's only that for some reason, these spell-like abilities choose to call themselves out as specifically functioning as the sorcerer versions, rather than letting them default to sorcerer/wizard as per the Monster Manual. Which is pointless, but in the end means that if you interpret the Monster Manual rules as allowing a spell-like ability that duplicates an arcane spell to give an arcane caster level, then yes, the above spell-like abilities (and any other arcane-duplicating spell-like ability) would give an arcane caster level.

Of course, you yourself pointed out both in this thread and in the second of those 'previously pondered' threads that page 7 of Complete Mage specifically states that spell-like abilities are neither arcane nor divine, in the second case in direct refutation of the notion that a spell-like ability that duplicates an arcane spell has an arcane caster level. So, according to that rule, spell-like abilities don't grant arcane caster levels even if they happen to mimic arcane spells.

An option that has not been stated in this thread but technically meets the requirements in the OP of 'without ever gaining a level in a class that grants spellcaster levels or ablity to cast spells' is taking levels of Warlock. The Warlock never grants spellcaster levels, as it cannot cast spells, but in it's Invocations entry, it is stated that 'A warlock does not prepare or cast spells as other wielders of arcane magic do', which implies that a Warlock's magic is still arcane and thus exempt from the general rule that spell-like abilities are not arcane or divine.

On the other hand, Complete Mage does seem to lump Warlock spell-like abilities in with those of dragons (whose spell-like abilities are not arcane, though they can also cast arcane spells) and claims that Warlock abilities function 'very differently' from those of arcane spellcasters. Still, it never actually contradicts that statement that Warlock magic is arcane, so Warlock magic is still probably arcane.

Though the Warlock option clearly goes against the spirit of 'muggle'; you would still obviously be a primarily-magical character.

[Thurbane]

Good points. Seems it's really hard to have an arcane caster level without being an arcane caster.

Both Warlocks and Dragonfire Adepts with their Invocations do seem to count, though.

[NontheistCleric]

Good points. Seems it's really hard to have an arcane caster level without being an arcane caster.

Both Warlocks and Dragonfire Adepts with their Invocations do seem to count, though.

I would argue that this is not necessarily the case for Dragonfire Adepts, strictly by RAW; Dragonfire Adepts lack the same text as Warlocks that describes their magic as arcane in nature. Although they suffer from arcane spell failure chance, the inclusion of the word 'arcane' seems to be a result of the fact that the mechanic was taken from arcane spellcasting classes. In any case, since the Dragonfire Adept is not casting spells but using spell-like abilities, it is ambiguous as to whether the arcane nature of arcane spell failure chance would apply to spell-like abilities.

[Thurbane]

A dragonfire adept cannot qualify for prestige classes (or othergame options) with spellcasting level requirements, because she never actually learns to cast spells. However, prestige classes with caster level requirements are allowed - her caster level for her invocations fulfills this requirement. Her spell-like abilities do meet requirements for specific spell knowledge if they mimic the required spell.

Doesn't specifically say "arcane caster level requirements" though. Hmm...