equipping a familiar?

[schreier]

How many players equip their familiar? What do you find useful?

I am about to get a lantern archon (using planar familiar instead of exalted - is not supernatural, so I do not lose it in an anti-magic field, and also can be neutral good instead of lawful good) and am trying to figure out what to get and "how"

The "how" relates to wear location - I am thinking of trying to argue for a "face" wear location and do something similar to a third eye and attaches to the outside, although something like a slotless pearl of speech might be another option?

First thing I want to get is a phylactery of change -- will let it change to many different shapes and stay in that form as long as necessary (the coure eladrin has better flight, high dex, hands, etc....) -- can also "dim" its glow by taking another shape since it is not clear if it can normally dull it

Also considering the collar of perpetual attendance (to effectively give it hands to move things when in its normal form)

I am worried about it being targeted - I do not think my DM will disproportionately target it, when we represent a much bigger threat, but curious how much I should be concerned.

[KillianHawkeye]

I used a lantern archon familiar before, although I never bothered equipping it. Giving equipment to a floating ball of light never made sense to me. That said, lantern archons are great and getting a familiar's stat boosts (like your BAB and half your hit points) help it out a lot.

So firstly, it doesn't need a pearl of speech because it has continuous tongues, so no need for that.

As for getting into danger, well it has greater teleport at-will (self only), so it can usually escape just about anything.

[schreier]

I knew it didn't need the pearl of speech - was only trying to find possible wear locations (the pearl has no location and "melds" into the creature.

The third eye says "These objects appear as small crystals, always with at least one wide, flat facet, and contain a variety of powers. When the owner uses the proper command thought, the crystal adheres to the center of his forehead (the same command thought causes the third eye to disengage)"
https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Third_Eye

Seems like that could work?

[Bonzai]

I have sorta equipped familiars before. First was a toad that my fleshwarper piled a bunch of beholder grafts on. It had several eye stalks, could fly, and an assortment of other abilities. It was nothing game changing, but it was nice utility to have.

My second was a stitched flesh bat familiar that I latter spell stitched. It was also fun utility, as it could cast Darkness which really didn't slow it down at all, negative energy ray for offense and healing, and summon undead for offense or when it simply needed some hands. I will admit, this one was a fun familiar.

I also have swapped my familiar for the Skeletal Minion alternative class feature. That one I did kit out with weapons, armor, and spare items to trick him out as best as possible.

[Pinkie Pyro]

Using the custom magic item rules, you could just multiply the cost by 2 and it would have no space limitation, like ioun stones, so as long as you have the money you can just have them be, idk, stickers you put on your lantern archon.