SangoProduction
2023-01-30, 04:05 AM
I saw the recent thread about playing a familiar. And commented on it with a way to do so. But then, because I'm trying to sleep, my brain wouldn't shut up, and decided to try and get philosophical about it. And now I'm indulging the bastard so he'll shut up.
"How does one be a good familiar?"
Well, first we need to define what makes a familiar good. Well, according to most guides, it's a boost to initiative modifier. Exclusively. Nothing else matters. Which is perhaps a little myopic... (although jerboas are adorable, and I will not allow anyone to dismiss my favorite familiar).
So, let's instead look at what roles a familiar can fulfill, and so a good familiar would probably fulfil one or more such roles. Maybe all at once. Maybe one or the other as the situation demands.
Well, you definitely generally don't want familiars in actual combat, because they tend to be weak and prone to dying. So actually, it's not combat that you wish to avoid, but the dying thing.
So, 1) it must be able to avoid dying. Traditionally by not being actually threatening enough in combat to be worth attacking.
Well, we all know about those times when you send your hawk out to scout the camp, and for some reason, every guard in the camp just want to shoot the bird. BS, right? Yeah. But the point being that you were attempting to scout out the area without drawing attention to yourself... since a stray hawk doesn't tend to be particularly note worthy.
2) Be discrete and good at obtaining and conveying information in some form.
Flight tends to be exceptionally helpful here, in that it's an additional angle to gain information from, and can maintain line of sight while keeping distance.
As does the ability to speak languages.
There's also the utility of being able to deliver touch spells through the familiar. This tends to conflict with the first role of the familiar, as you are actively drawing attention to it, and letting it be a vessel through which you convey threat.
3) Should be able to reliably hit the enemy while avoiding dying.
And of course, a few familiars are even used as basically magic wand turrets. Which basically means that you get to play a second mage character by having such a familiar. At the cost of some gold. Probably not particularly important.
4) Being able to utilize magic items is useful.
But... the guides are right. Bonuses do have their own utility.
5) They should provide useful bonuses to their master.
Let's not forget, however... 6) They should ideally be adorable animals. Or cool. Or just never seen.
1, 2, and 5, 6 all seem to be easy, useful and not-mutually exclusive roles. Role 3 tends to be difficult to achieve (for baseline familiars). And 4 isn't too easy, while also not always being particularly... worthwhile for a given group, where spending money to get a "second mage," isn't really called for.
...What was the point in this post?
There wasn't one.
Good day, good sir!
"How does one be a good familiar?"
Well, first we need to define what makes a familiar good. Well, according to most guides, it's a boost to initiative modifier. Exclusively. Nothing else matters. Which is perhaps a little myopic... (although jerboas are adorable, and I will not allow anyone to dismiss my favorite familiar).
So, let's instead look at what roles a familiar can fulfill, and so a good familiar would probably fulfil one or more such roles. Maybe all at once. Maybe one or the other as the situation demands.
Well, you definitely generally don't want familiars in actual combat, because they tend to be weak and prone to dying. So actually, it's not combat that you wish to avoid, but the dying thing.
So, 1) it must be able to avoid dying. Traditionally by not being actually threatening enough in combat to be worth attacking.
Well, we all know about those times when you send your hawk out to scout the camp, and for some reason, every guard in the camp just want to shoot the bird. BS, right? Yeah. But the point being that you were attempting to scout out the area without drawing attention to yourself... since a stray hawk doesn't tend to be particularly note worthy.
2) Be discrete and good at obtaining and conveying information in some form.
Flight tends to be exceptionally helpful here, in that it's an additional angle to gain information from, and can maintain line of sight while keeping distance.
As does the ability to speak languages.
There's also the utility of being able to deliver touch spells through the familiar. This tends to conflict with the first role of the familiar, as you are actively drawing attention to it, and letting it be a vessel through which you convey threat.
3) Should be able to reliably hit the enemy while avoiding dying.
And of course, a few familiars are even used as basically magic wand turrets. Which basically means that you get to play a second mage character by having such a familiar. At the cost of some gold. Probably not particularly important.
4) Being able to utilize magic items is useful.
But... the guides are right. Bonuses do have their own utility.
5) They should provide useful bonuses to their master.
Let's not forget, however... 6) They should ideally be adorable animals. Or cool. Or just never seen.
1, 2, and 5, 6 all seem to be easy, useful and not-mutually exclusive roles. Role 3 tends to be difficult to achieve (for baseline familiars). And 4 isn't too easy, while also not always being particularly... worthwhile for a given group, where spending money to get a "second mage," isn't really called for.
...What was the point in this post?
There wasn't one.
Good day, good sir!