Planar Familiar alignment

[schreier]

Reading the Planar Familiar alignment in the Planar Handbook, it says:

"You may choose a familiar with an alignment up to one step away from yours on each alignment axes"

but the table has a column called "Arcane Spellcaster Alignment"

Text over table would seem to indicate that one step away is the rule, but the column in the table seems pretty clear in its intent.

Would a Neutral Good character be able to take a Lantern Archon with the feat?

I believe so, but just wanted to get another opinion.

[KillianHawkeye]

Would a Neutral Good character be able to take a Lantern Archon with the feat?

I'd say the text provides the necessary leeway, as you already noted.

And I just want to add that, from my experience, lantern archons make amazing familiars. Extremely useful!

[schreier]

Thanks for the confirmation, or at least one voice in agreement.

Have you used lantern archons before? How do you interpret the line "Only their destruction can extinguish the glow, though they can try to hide it"?

The try is a little confusing... They can dim it until they are just a white ball? I assume it's a free action but not sure what they look like when dimmed.

Also - did you give them gear? I would think something like a third eye would work, but not sure what else they could wear or hold.

[KillianHawkeye]

I never tried to have him hide his glow (I was using luminous armor all the time anyway), or give him any equipment. Sorry. I'm not really sure what kind of item slots a glowing ball of light even has.

But it's a pretty cool creature especially when you can circumvent the limitation of its small number of Hit Dice. The at-will aid is pretty darn useful, and the light rays which ignore DR can come in handy even in small amounts of damage. And the constant magic circle against evil means "stand next to my familiar to avoid mind control". Technically, the at-will continuous flame is also a path to infinite money if you want to be cheesy and open an everburning torch store.

Best familiar I ever had, hands down. :smallsmile:

[schreier]

I'm tempted to get one and equip it with a "third eye" wear location that acts as a phylactery of change. Unlimited duration polymorph up to level 7 is pretty sweet. As an outsider, could be eladrin (coure or bralani), guardinal (musteval or avoreal), archon (hound), human/aasimir/elf/humanoid, raven/owl/traditional familiar, etc...

Potentially a collar of perpetual servitude to carry things for it, or a hand of the mage as a second item (or build it into the first with custom item creation)