Upgrading a Skiurid pet

[Jowgen]

Skiurids from MM IV are basically evil shadow squirrels, Magical Beasts with Int 2 and a bunch of Darkness themed abilities. Nothing to write home about, minus the part about them producing pretty valuable material components.

I have gotten clearance to get one as a pet and upgrade it with any means I can acquire in character.

Training/domestication is a different area of the project, in this here thread I am simply looking for suggestions on templates, items and rituals and such to make it better. Doesn't even need to be super functional, just something to make it cooler. Like... I don't know... maybe, 20% cooler?

The basic idea at this point is to make it use the Flesh of Orcus item (Ghostwalk) to grant it the monstrous vampire template, with the addition of submering it in a barrel of blood while its rising to also grant it the Bloodstained (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=fr/pg20011212b) template.


So thoughts on how to make my pet squirrel of doom more awesome?

[Zaq]

It’s not considered a “familiar,” is it?

I mean, there’s always grafts, for starters.

If your GM allows the unnerfed (Frostburn, not SpC) version of mantle of the icy soul, I like combining it with mantle of the fiery spirit to Instantaneously give a critter both the [Fire] and [Cold] subtypes, which is both thematically interesting and mechanically useful (immunity to two common damage types).

[Jowgen]

It’s not considered a “familiar,” is it?

I mean, there’s always grafts, for starters.

If your GM allows the unnerfed (Frostburn, not SpC) version of mantle of the icy soul, I like combining it with mantle of the fiery spirit to Instantaneously give a critter both the [Fire] and [Cold] subtypes, which is both thematically interesting and mechanically useful (immunity to two common damage types).

Not a familiar or companion by any stretch, just a pet per the A&E rules.

Grafts are a bit out of the intended price range, plus they'd have to be applied before going undead... on the whole seems like more trouble than it would be worth.

MotIS is nerfed unfortunately. But, considering that vampire grants cold resistance, it might be worth it to just get the fire subtype anyway.

[thethird]

Bloodstained (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=fr/pg20011212b)

Really digging that template... it gives non intelligent things intelligence which is just amazing.