Follower for a wizard?

[Mrark]

Hi everyone. I need an advice for finding a follower for my wizard.
Let me introduce you to the context: I'm playing a super intelligent wizard who will surely become one of the most powerful wizards of the world in a while ( well of course, since I'm one of the main characters, but hey my wizard doesn't know it so pls nobody tell him ), and I wanted to get a follower who could fit with a super intelligent-academic-organized wizard.
I have already talked it through with my GM, and he said I can do it, but I still need to find which creature fits the role best (once I decide, he will provide introducing it to the game and the party [yeahh he's a good GM]).

So, le'ts talk about the creature. I don't want some stupid overpowered stuff to just kill anyone in fights, that's not the goal. I want a creature that must meet some prerequisites:

- It has to be a clever creature: conversations with it should be interesting, and considering it will help the wizard during his researches, it has to be somehow related to arcane magic;

- Dragon, liches, are off-limits: in this campaign world dragons and liches have some rather dark past, and the wizard wouldn't trust them;

- It should not be a very "proud" creature: by that I mean that it has to be a creature that's well aware of its situation of follower/"butler"/researcher and is ok with it (for example, a golden dragon might not be interested in such a lifestyle). This is not an essential prerequisite as every creature might have its own personality, but if it's meet it's better;

- One of the most important prerequisites: I'd like it to be kinda faithful. Like, I wouldn't want to risk getting a knife in my back, or having all my researches stolen or such unpleasant possibilities. So, maybe a legal creature could be best?

-It would be best if it had some fight potential, considering we might often end up in harsh situation where fighting could be unavoidable.

If it can help, I'm currently a level 9 wizard (wizard 5 incantatrix 4), with wealth well above the average. The race is half giant with the primordial giant template, and in this campaign I'm the last survivor of my race, so if you have something that could be race-related, it would be well appreciated :D

I know this is a weird thread, but thanks for any help

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

How about a Blink Dog (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/blinkDog.htm)? Improved Familiar in CW says a 5th level caster can gain one as their familiar. I'd played a Sorcerer a while back with one, and I used Benign Transposition with it to great effect. If you traded out your familiar, you can get Obtain Familiar in CA and even count your prestige class levels toward its benefits. Or don't make it a familiar, just a loyal companion.

What about a Werebear (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lycanthrope.htm)? They're always LG and he can be unassuming until it's time to fight and then transform. Plus a bear in a top hat....

[Mrark]

How about a Blink Dog (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/blinkDog.htm)? Improved Familiar in CW says a 5th level caster can gain one as their familiar. I'd played a Sorcerer a while back with one, and I used Benign Transposition with it to great effect. If you traded out your familiar, you can get Obtain Familiar in CA and even count your prestige class levels toward its benefits. Or don't make it a familiar, just a loyal companion.

What about a Werebear (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/lycanthrope.htm)? They're always LG and he can be unassuming until it's time to fight and then transform. Plus a bear in a top hat....

Thanks for the answer! those both look interesting, but what I'm looking for is something a bit more arcane magic-related

[Particle_Man]

Does it have to be a creature? A paladin would fit many of your prerequisites and could be your "conscience" besides.

or if you prefer your "butler" to be unarmoured, perhaps a monk.

[Maat Mons]

So, are you getting this guy from the Leadership feat? Or your Summon Familiar ability? Or is the DM just giving him to you? Or what?

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

A Werebear can have class levels, just make it a Wizard or Sorcerer or Beguiler or even a Duskblade or Suel Arcanamach.

An Unbodied (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/monsters/unbodied.htm) isn't exactly arcane, but should fit. It can take Wizard into Cerebremancer (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/cerebremancer.htm) if you prefer, or just take additional Psion levels.

[aglondier]

Get a Centaur. Give him saddlebags of holding. Make him intellectual enough for decent conversation, but a different focus so he has an alternate point of view and skill set. Give him a "swiss army" toolkit, with odds and ends for any occasion. The ultimate butler.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Get a Centaur. Give him saddlebags of holding. Make him intellectual enough for decent conversation, but a different focus so he has an alternate point of view and skill set. Give him a "swiss army" toolkit, with odds and ends for any occasion. The ultimate butler.

A walking Shax's Indispensable Haversack (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?148101), including all the cut-due-to-weight items, with Horseshoes of Speed (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#horseshoesofSpeed)!

[Gorthawar]

The Jordan Vizier prestige class from Shining South certainly fits from a fluff perspective. Probably needs a lot of optimisation to be as helpful as you'd like it.

[icefractal]

A sphinx? Gynosphinx is probably the most "arcane" - no casting per-se, but Int 18 and divination-heavy SLAs. On the other hand an Androsphinx does have spells (divine though) and is also pretty smart. They're both Large, so a little unwieldy but not too much.

[Efrate]

Another int based full caster. So a beguiler. They operate fine in most combats, as long as they have sensible advanced learning. Alternately, another wizard specialized in a different school of magic. Abjurer is nice, their school lends itself to being more focused on helping others than hogging spotlight. It can learn a few combat/summon spells so its not useless, but its primarily a more passive protective type, which also means it will not step on anyone elses toes. Illusionist also specifically do not to be found out so they could work as well.

For race good ol human is fine, or any core race. Gnome if illusionist. You can look for a Good or lawful outsider as a base if you find one with minimal HD, but regular core races are going to be best probably

[Mrark]

A creature would be best for story purposes: it may be easier for the GM to introduce it to the party (maybe via side quest or similiar ways). The sphinx is actually a good idea, I'll look into it. Generally speaking, I'd avoid humanoids with class levels, because they might outshine other party members sometimes, and that's not something I want to happen. Other ideas I had were a beholder or a djinni, what do you think about them?

[King of Nowhere]

So, are you getting this guy from the Leadership feat? Or your Summon Familiar ability? Or is the DM just giving him to you? Or what?

that player has often befriended npcs, and sometimes he got a follower out of it. I'm against the leadership feat, but if it makes sense in the story for some npc to hang around with the party for a while, if a player has put in the extra effort, then they get cohorts.

then there was that time he asked to get a powerful dragon cohort without earning it, and he got a powerful dragon cohort that was secretly a mole sent to manipulate the party as part of a plan from a secret dragon society intent on fomenting strife among humanoids in the hope that they'd destroy themselves in massive wars so that dragons could be dominant again...
Now the player is much more worried about getting a minion who may have a secret agenda

[Efrate]

If you are thinking beholder so do not mind going above your ecl, then possibly firbolg? Only 14 base int but thats boostable with a headband. They are good giants so it fits on that angle as well.

[Segev]

A couatl would likely fit your requirements. How big is your character? If you're Huge, the Large sphinx being "cat sized" compared to you could be interesting.

In the same vein is a Lammasu.

Flumphs are traditionally pretty humble and have the aberration "knowledge from beyond" thing going on.

[noob]

A water elemental weird.
It is the perfect butler because it just can hide in the pool.
Also it got all the divinations ever.
You need water domain rebuke or something to control it or be the kind of people that plans to flood the material plane for global water dominance over the world.
If you can not make the world be a giant pool then maybe you should try another elemental weird.

[Telonius]

You could go with the classic Human permanently polymorphed into an Awakened Orangutan. ("Ook.") Great for managing magical writings.

Something like a Minotaur or a Guardian Naga could be an interesting helper.

[eyebreaker7]

What about something like a Pixie? They're pretty smart, naturally invisible and those arrows can be devastating. The only problem is they are weak both in strength and HP. They are pretty loyal too as long as you are as well :)
Also, I like the Cuotal idea. What level do you need to be for one of those? I'm interested. lol.

[Mrark]

I love the couatl, I'll talk about it with my GM. I also like the idea of the pixie for background reasons. While the minotaur and the naga guardian both seem a bit off topic to me..

[Particle_Man]

Depending on the base creature, you might throw on the ghost template. Ghosts are hard to permanently destroy.

[Mrark]

Depending on the base creature, you might throw on the ghost template. Ghosts are hard to permanently destroy.

Nah that is more mini-max than I want to do. I want it to be more story-fitting than strong

[noob]

Nah that is more mini-max than I want to do. I want it to be more story-fitting than strong

Ghosts are not very strong relatively to the CR increase it applies.
So if you are picking a lower CR companion because you are picking a ghost then you probably are picking a weaker companion.
A sacred watcher is easier to fit in the story if you are exalted and had an exalted bodyguard (or mentor or family relative since those have crazy death rates in backgrounds) that died.

[Mrark]

Ghosts are not very strong relatively to the CR increase it applies.
So if you are picking a lower CR companion because you are picking a ghost then you probably are picking a weaker companion.
A sacred watcher is easier to fit in the story if you are exalted and had an exalted bodyguard (or mentor or family relative since those have crazy death rates in backgrounds) that died.

The wizard is not exalted. He is rather neutral, doesn't care much about the good and bad in the world, he is more focussed on research and gathering more and more power: he wants to find a way to eventually destroy the old gods to eliminate a lot of restrictions they put to the mortals.

[Quertus]

- One of the most important prerequisites: I'd like it to be kinda faithful. Like, I wouldn't want to risk getting a knife in my back, or having all my researches stolen or such unpleasant possibilities. So, maybe a legal creature could be best?

If it can help, I'm currently a level 9 wizard (wizard 5 incantatrix 4), with wealth well above the average. The race is half giant with the primordial giant template, and in this campaign I'm the last survivor of my race, so if you have something that could be race-related, it would be well appreciated :D

"Under article 4, section 2 paragraph 3, you will see that I was completely justified in redistributing our research as I did." No, Lawful <> loyal.

If you are the last of your race, are you…doing anything about that? If it were me, my character would likely be involved in research some might consider unnatural - like creating new species, recreating my race, or even attempting to resurrect other members of my race.

So… how about…

A few Divinations later, you used your massive wealth, and resurrected someone from your race who would experience "love at first sight", and be a loyal partner etc etc.

Or, in trying to recreate your race, your prototype (statistically a… incarnate Warforged or something) turned out to be a failure for your race, but quite useful as a lab partner (and not useless in a fight).

Or, thousands of years ago, a sage from your race predicted this, and turned themselves to stone. Now they're trying to get you to help them repopulate the species (and maybe arguing with you about who has to wear the Girdle of Gender Change to do so, if they failed to consider that part beforehand).

Or maybe you decided your race has had its chance, and decided to create a new species to carry your species's legacy forward. Prototype #7 has come back in time to help you create Prototype #8, and send that back in time… (to a timeline you'll never experience, any more than you experienced the first 7 timelines).

[Mrark]

"Under article 4, section 2 paragraph 3, you will see that I was completely justified in redistributing our research as I did." No, Lawful <> loyal.

If you are the last of your race, are you…doing anything about that? If it were me, my character would likely be involved in research some might consider unnatural - like creating new species, recreating my race, or even attempting to resurrect other members of my race.

So… how about…

A few Divinations later, you used your massive wealth, and resurrected someone from your race who would experience "love at first sight", and be a loyal partner etc etc.

Or, in trying to recreate your race, your prototype (statistically a… incarnate Warforged or something) turned out to be a failure for your race, but quite useful as a lab partner (and not useless in a fight).

Or, thousands of years ago, a sage from your race predicted this, and turned themselves to stone. Now they're trying to get you to help them repopulate the species (and maybe arguing with you about who has to wear the Girdle of Gender Change to do so, if they failed to consider that part beforehand).

Or maybe you decided your race has had its chance, and decided to create a new species to carry your species's legacy forward. Prototype #7 has come back in time to help you create Prototype #8, and send that back in time… (to a timeline you'll never experience, any more than you experienced the first 7 timelines).


This.... this is interesting. Time travel is banned tho, yet the idea of something regarding my race is intruiguing. I'll talk it through with my GM. Thanks :D

[Maat Mons]

Repopulating your species by selective resurrection is an interesting idea.

Presumably, you don't have anyone's remains. It would be kind of creepy if you were carrying around a bunch of body parts. So you'll need True Resurrection.

True Resurrection is expensive, so you'll need to restrict yourself to resurrecting women, to maximize the reproductive potential you get out of your limited funds. That means there will be no one but you who can impregnate all these women. But that's just a burden you'll have to bear for the survival of your species.

[King of Nowhere]

Repopulating your species by selective resurrection is an interesting idea.

Presumably, you don't have anyone's remains. It would be kind of creepy if you were carrying around a bunch of body parts. So you'll need True Resurrection.

True Resurrection is expensive, so you'll need to restrict yourself to resurrecting women, to maximize the reproductive potential you get out of your limited funds. That means there will be no one but you who can impregnate all these women. But that's just a burden you'll have to bear for the survival of your species.

the winner :smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbiggrin::smallbi ggrin::smallbiggrin:

[Calthropstu]

A princess. Make her your follower, marry her, execute her competition, become the king. (if you prefer a prince, make appropriate changes)