Item Familiar Powers Question

[Armyguyclaude]

Hi!

I was wondering about the skill ranks under lesser powers for the Item Familiar. Under lesser powers it states it can gain 10 ranks of:
Intimidate
Decipher Script
Knowledge
Search
Spot
Listen
Spellcraft
Sense Motive
Bluff
Diplomacy
My question is if my Item Familiar gained one of these skills as a lesser power do I also gain that bonus? Whether it be full 10 ranks, 1/3 as per the Invest Skill Ranks ability through the feat, or nothing at all?

It's very confusing. Thanks!

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

An item familiar is an intelligent item, intelligent items (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/intelligentItems.htm) are regarded as constructs. Thus it's both an item and a creature, it gets to take actions in combat, and it can make skill checks. It can also use its actions to activate its own abilities. The item has those skill ranks, but that doesn't extend any passive benefit to your character. The most benefit you can personally gain from that is having it use Aid Another (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/usingSkills.htm#aidAnother) with that skill to give you a +2 bonus on your next check with that same skill.

It can use Intimidate as a standard action to demoralize an opponent you threaten with it, if it's a weapon, to inflict the shaken condition on them for one round. Fear effects escalate, and the escalated condition lasts until every effect that contributed to it has ended, so if the target is already shaken then this escalates that to frightened for the full duration it would have been shaken. If already frightened it escalates to panicked.

If it has Spellcraft, and if it can activate Dispel Magic or similar (see Dagger of Denial in MIC), it can ready an action to counterspell every round.

If you make it a Ring of Invisibility, it can activate that effect on you at the end of your turn every round, so after you're done attacking it makes you invisible until you attack again on your next turn.

[Kelb_Panthera]

No.

The item has a mind of its own. It can make those checks on its own and impart the results to its owner if it so chooses.

Your character gains no direct benefit from choosing those powers but it does give you, the player, the ability to make these checks if they're skills you don't already have or make them twice if you do.

[Armyguyclaude]

Thank you all for the clarification and the new ideas on how to use Item Familiar. Another question though with the Invest Skill Ranks:

Let's say I invest 9 Skill Ranks into my Item Familiar to use them as a +3 bonus to spot. My Item Familiar also has 10 Ranks of Spot already. Does this mean I gain the +3 bonus to spot as normal, but my Item Familiar now has 19 ranks in spot?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Thank you all for the clarification and the new ideas on how to use Item Familiar. Another question though with the Invest Skill Ranks:

Let's say I invest 9 Skill Ranks into my Item Familiar to use them as a +3 bonus to spot. My Item Familiar also has 10 Ranks of Spot already. Does this mean I gain the +3 bonus to spot as normal, but my Item Familiar now has 19 ranks in spot?

No, your invested skill ranks don't benefit the item familiar directly.