Favorite Familiar

[Tyndmyr]

What is your favorite familiar and why?

I find myself often taking a familiar for an attractive bonus, then completely forgetting he exists for the next dozen levels or so. However, my favorite familiar is one a kender sorcerer had...a illusory kitten. Being a kender, his personality is appropriate, and he insists he's not really a sorcerer, and that the kitten is real. So strong is his belief that the kitten actually acts real.

[Temet Nosce]

Imp. Not only does it suit me RP wise, but it's incredibly useful. It has a large number of abilities including alternate form at will and the ability to use wands.

[Yukitsu]

My favourite was Cael's staff. It was an item familiar that he had imbued with his effeminate side, which wound up being all his strong, agressive feelings for some reason. She wound up having a high enough ego score that he basically went around going by his familiars commands, though they generally agreed on what had to be done.

By the end of the campaign, due to a variety of problematic agreements with a celestial (She asked if she could have my child, in exchange for magical knowledge. My response was "But I haven't got a child. Hmm. I guess I need to go get one. How does one go about that?") the staff wound up getting shape changed into a humanoid form. Since they couldn't keep the shapechange up for 9 months, it was decided that Cael should get a belt of gender changing, and that the staff should do the fathering. My explanation as to why I did it this way was because he didn't care too much for imposing himself on others, and more importantly, both the DM and I knew the clause that stated that item familiars tend to be clingy and possessive.

Commented that I was the first male PC to be impregnated by a female item, and the first to equivocate a situation that badly.

BTW, my character was a crazed, yet kind hearted wizard theorist. I imagine this conversation came up some time after his child was born: http://xkcd.com/441/

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Snake.

Not powerful, but I like snakes. Bluff and Scent aren't bad either.

[Temet Nosce]

My favourite was Cael's staff. It was an item familiar that he had imbued with his effeminate side, which wound up being all his strong, agressive feelings for some reason. She wound up having a high enough ego score that he basically went around going by his familiars commands, though they generally agreed on what had to be done.

By the end of the campaign, due to a variety of problematic agreements with a celestial (She asked if she could have my child, in exchange for magical knowledge. My response was "But I haven't got a child. Hmm. I guess I need to go get one. How does one go about that?") the staff wound up getting shape changed into a humanoid form. Since they couldn't keep the shapechange up for 9 months, it was decided that Cael should get a belt of gender changing, and that the staff should do the fathering. My explanation as to why I did it this way was because he didn't care too much for imposing himself on others, and more importantly, both the DM and I knew the clause that stated that item familiars tend to be clingy and possessive.

Commented that I was the first male PC to be impregnated by a female item, and the first to equivocate a situation that badly.

I blinked. It takes a good bit for a story to surprise me, but that's strange enough that I read it twice.

Excellent concept, and even better job RPing it.

[Jack_Simth]

Of the base familiars?

Bat. Blindsense-20 is very handy for placing spells like Glitterdust when there's invisible opponents about. Also helps on watch.

[Godskook]

Personally, I'm fond of the cat familiar, just for the various RP reasons involved with it.

[Froogleyboy]

Platypus, best.familiar.ever.

[Yukitsu]

I blinked. It takes a good bit for a story to surprise me, but that's strange enough that I read it twice.

Excellent concept, and even better job RPing it.

Thanks. Despite my excessive optimization, I tend to try my best at RPing things out.

[rezplz]

Tarrasque. ;D

In low-level campaigns, I usually go toad. I once lived only because I was a gnome, had a good CON score, and a toad familiar. Poor gnome got crit'd for max damage with a heavy crossbow... D:

[Eldariel]

Yukitsu: That made me smile.


@Topic: I really, really like Pseudodragons. They feel just...right for a familiar.

[Demons_eye]

For a one shot I played a warforge artificer with the sub level. I got two familiars as weapons my right and left fist. One told me to do bad things while the other told me to do good things.

[Animefunkmaster]

On the opposite side of the alignment spectrum from the Imp is the Coure Eladrin from Book of Exalted Deeds. It is almost the exact opposite, very useful spell like abilities, can use wands, doesn't get DR, but 60ft flight speed and it's own unique alternate form.

Can't alternate form up to a medium size (so no shared alter self into the very hot dwarf ancestor) but magic circle against evil and good skills too. Not to mention it's Fairie Fire spell like is just begging to be combo-ed with obscuring mist or similar spells.

If your playing good aligned, the Coure Eladrin is a great familiar.

[Lycanthromancer]

My favorite familiar is a psicrystal.

They're better than anything not under the heading of 'improved familiar.' Really.

I can flavor it as Bunnytron 6000 if I want something cute and fluffy.

[Tyndmyr]

Tarrasque. ;D

Your ideas intrigue me, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

[Thurbane]

My Raven familiar, Edgar, was my favorite. His crowcall also sounded like a swear

[SartheKobold]

I can't remember where I heard it <Maybe here?> but I remember hearing about someone playing a Hunter S. Thompson-ish wizard that had a bat familiar he forgot he summoned. So every now and then he'd swat at this bat that continued to follow him around. He named it "F*cking Bat!"

As for my own, I have a Kobold Wizard with a Chameleon named Shiho, and an Aberrant (Aberration-Blooded Human) with an Evil Turtle that told him dark secrets...

[Lycanthromancer]

As for my own, I have a Kobold Wizard with a Chameleon named Shiho, and an Aberrant (Aberration-Blooded Human) with an Evil Turtle that told him dark secrets...

All glory be to The Great God Om?

[Kosjsjach]

This thread makes me smile.

For practicality and core-ocity, I'm going to agree with bat, for all the reasons Jack_Smith mentioned.

I know, I could've phrased that better.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I've always liked ravens, since they can speak a language.

[RagnaroksChosen]

Mephits... any of them.

[Kylarra]

I've always like pseudodragons as well.

[horseboy]

Also a fan of the pseudo-dragon, even though my buddies talked me into playing Pathfinder and I'm playing a gnome's skunk freed familiar.

[Gorbash]

Hamsters (Rats). Because they go for the eyes.

[sofawall]

Is it sad that I pick Hummingbirds, purely for the initiative?

Yeah, I never take any of the improved familiars, and often trade my familiars in anyway. Hummingbird is cool though.

[Salt_Crow]

I usually don't keep familiars because my DM tend to go for them first. "It balances things out you see, you're more powerful than the rest of the group combined, so you get to have an extra challenge all for yourself!" he said.

It was interesting in a way, but ever since then I never keep a familiar if I can help it.

[Saph]

I'm quite fond of the Rat and Weasel familiars. I like having high saving throws, and I like the mental image of my familiar climbing around my sorcerer's sleeves and shoulders. (Usually I'll have them hide in my backpack when there's a fight on.)

[Cyclocone]

Abrupt Jaunt.

That being said, I do like cats. I have fond memories of playing a Fiend-Blooded Sorcerer with a fiendish kitty familiar that just wouldn't leave the Ranger's poor dog alone.

[Darcand]

My bard had an air elemental familiar named foooo

[Cicciograna]

Wow, with so much etherogeneity, I almost feel ashamed to say that my favourite familiar is the Owl .
Long before Harry Potter, I'll add.