Urban Companion/Familiar Question

[incog64]

My character is ranger that will have a dip in Cloistered Cleric and will use the ACF Urban Companion (Cityscape Web Enhancement) which is mechanically is like a beefy familiar. I will have an owl that will have speech, probably through collar of speech.

Can my Urban Companion use cleric magical items like wands, scroll, rings and such. He will start off with an IQ of 6. Id like to him to be the back healer and status remover. Thoughts?

[Tzardok]

The important thing for wether the familiar/urban companion can use an item is how exactly the item is activated. If it's a permanently active item, a "use activated" item or one activated by a command word, anyone can use it (in the case of "use activated", it may not work if the owl is physically incapable of using it).

Wands and staffs on the other hand are spell-trigger items, and scrolls are spell-completion items. These items can only be used by a character who has the proper spell on their list. As a familiar is not a member of a spell-casting class, it doesn't have access to any spell list and so can't use any of those items (except if it has ranks in Use Magical Device).

[incog64]

The important thing for wether the familiar/urban companion can use an item is how exactly the item is activated. If it's a permanently active item, a "use activated" item or one activated by a command word, anyone can use it (in the case of "use activated", it may not work if the owl is physically incapable of using it).

Wands and staffs on the other hand are spell-trigger items, and scrolls are spell-casting items. These items can only be used by a character who has the proper spell on their list. As a familiar is not a member of a spell-casting class, it doesn't have access to any spell list and so can't use any of those items (except if it has ranks in Use Magical Device).

This makes sense. Thank you for the feedback.

[Troacctid]

The list of useful items in my signature includes a tag that lets you filter for items that are particularly useful in the hands of a familiar, FWIW.

[incog64]

The list of useful items in my signature includes a tag that lets you filter for items that are particularly useful in the hands of a familiar, FWIW.

Very cool. Thank you.

[Gruftzwerg]

My character is ranger that will have a dip in Cloistered Cleric and will use the ACF Urban Companion (Cityscape Web Enhancement) which is mechanically is like a beefy familiar. I will have an owl that will have speech, probably through collar of speech.

Can my Urban Companion use cleric magical items like wands, scroll, rings and such. He will start off with an IQ of 6. Id like to him to be the back healer and status remover. Thoughts?

Note that the companion you get is based on the familiar rules:

including all benefits granted and gained by the familiar
This means that you share your skill ranks with your familiar. Thus, if you push UMD, it will eventually be able to use wands.

[incog64]

Note that the companion you get is based on the familiar rules:

This means that you share your skill ranks with your familiar. Thus, if you push UMD, it will eventually be able to use wands.

Yup. I appreciate the confirmation.

[incog64]

Yup. I appreciate the confirmation.

Alternatively, if I buff my skill checks with spells (ie Divine Insight) and he is close proximity, he gets buffed as well?

[Tzardok]

No. A familiar and its master share skill ranks, not any other skill bonuses.

[Gruftzwerg]

Alternatively, if I buff my skill checks with spells (ie Divine Insight) and he is close proximity, he gets buffed as well?

It sole gets your ranks, not your bonuses as Tzardok said.

But nothing stops you from just sharing spells to buff him up or just casting buffs directly. Buying +CHA items is another option.

And while we are it. If you should push UMD hard, get Wish scrolls (at later levels) for the inherit bonuses and not the alternative magic items (tome of leadership). Because the scrolls are shareable with your companion/familiar. This saves a lot of money and also helps a lil to push both your UMD rolls (via 5x +CHA wish).


Finally, since you wanna dip cleric, you can use a wand of "Imbue with Spell Ability" to give your companion/familiar some spells (if it has a WIS of 9 or more. The INT requirement is easily passed from being a familiar). While not what you asked for, I thought I still remind you of it if you should missed/forgotten it.

[tyckspoon]

Alternatively, if I buff my skill checks with spells (ie Divine Insight) and he is close proximity, he gets buffed as well?

Depending on the spell you may be able to share it with your familiar, or target your familiar with it instead of yourself. Relevant ability:

At the master’s option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his familiar. The familiar must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit.

If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the familiar again even if it returns to the master before the duration expires. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of "You" on his familiar (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself.

A master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar’s type (magical beast).

So Divine Insight, as a specific example, could either be shared with your familiar as long as it never goes more than 5 feet away from you, or as a Personal (You-targeted spell) you could instead opt to just cast it directly on the familiar. Which is probably the cleaner way to do that particular thing, both because it means you don't have to worry about keeping your familiar on/next to you, and because it's a bit ambiguous how sharing a dischargeable spell should actually work - do both you and your familiar get your own instance of the spell, or is it one spell that just affects both of you (which would mean that if you activate it your familiar doesn't get to, and vice versa.)

.. most of your bonuses will not transfer to the familiar. Buffing via spells is one of the things being a familiar does explicitly enable.

[incog64]

It sole gets your ranks, not your bonuses as Tzardok said.

But nothing stops you from just sharing spells to buff him up or just casting buffs directly. Buying +CHA items is another option.

And while we are it. If you should push UMD hard, get Wish scrolls (at later levels) for the inherit bonuses and not the alternative magic items (tome of leadership). Because the scrolls are shareable with your companion/familiar. This saves a lot of money and also helps a lil to push both your UMD rolls (via 5x +CHA wish).


Finally, since you wanna dip cleric, you can use a wand of "Imbue with Spell Ability" to give your companion/familiar some spells (if it has a WIS of 9 or more. The INT requirement is easily passed from being a familiar). While not what you asked for, I thought I still remind you of it if you should missed/forgotten it.

Disagree via the Shared Spell feat/ability PHB p 53. We can share buffs.

Share Spells: At the master’s option, he may have any spell (but not
any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his familiar. The
familiar must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit.
If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops
affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not
affect the familiar again even if it returns to the master before the
duration expires. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of
“You” on his familiar (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A
master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do
not affect creatures of the familiar’s type (magical beast).

[incog64]

Depending on the spell you may be able to share it with your familiar, or target your familiar with it instead of yourself. Relevant ability:


So Divine Insight, as a specific example, could either be shared with your familiar as long as it never goes more than 5 feet away from you, or as a Personal (You-targeted spell) you could instead opt to just cast it directly on the familiar. Which is probably the cleaner way to do that particular thing, both because it means you don't have to worry about keeping your familiar on/next to you, and because it's a bit ambiguous how sharing a dischargeable spell should actually work - do both you and your familiar get your own instance of the spell, or is it one spell that just affects both of you (which would mean that if you activate it your familiar doesn't get to, and vice versa.)

.. most of your bonuses will not transfer to the familiar. Buffing via spells is one of the things being a familiar does explicitly enable.

This is what I was thinking. Specifically as I have Knowledge Devotion and he will use wands and such via UMD.

[Gruftzwerg]

Disagree via the Shared Spell feat/ability PHB p 53. We can share buffs.

Share Spells: At the master’s option, he may have any spell (but not
any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his familiar. The
familiar must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit.
If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops
affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not
affect the familiar again even if it returns to the master before the
duration expires. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of
“You” on his familiar (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A
master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do
not affect creatures of the familiar’s type (magical beast).

Reread the posts pls.

1. I said that you don't share the bonus you get from the spell, when sharing your ranks.
2. And I pointed out that you may share spells with your familiar (in close range) or
3. Cast buff spells directly on your familiar

Your question didn't show the intent to share the buff spell and thus made the impression that you are asking if the bonuses to your skill are shared, like it happens with your normal ranks. That is why Tzardok & me said that you sole share ranks and not bonuses (see 1. this has nothing to do with "sharing spells". We where talking about "sharing ranks").