Wizard (3.5) Alternative class features

[Baltor]

I am going to be playing in a campaign as a wizard for the second time and have decided that I would rather not have a squishy flesh bag of xp hanging around(also known as a familiar). what are my best options and sources for alternative class features that nix the familiar?

[Keld Denar]

THE best wizard ACF is the Conjourer Immediate Magic ACF from PHBII called Abrupt Jaunt. It gives you an immediate 10' teleport, up to Int times per day. Great for breaking up foes full attacks, or dodging spells (with convenient cover near by) or just avoiding obsticles period. It requires you to be a Conjourer, but thats the BEST school to specialize in anyway, so why not?

The UA Conjouration Specialist one is pretty nice too, though. You give up your familiar for the ability to cast ANY summon spell as a standard action instead of a full round action. If you are gonna be a dedicated summoner, THIS is the ACF for you.

There is also a UA Illusionist ACF that I remember being really pretty good. Yea, Chains of Disbelief. Normally when one foe saves vs an illusion and makes it known, all his allies get a +4 to save as well. This squelches that, and even when presented with incontrovertable proof that an illusion is an illusion, the foe won't believe it without a save (albeit at +10, still...good).

Most of the rest of them are kinda crap. The PHBII Transmuter and Abjurer ones are ok, but the Evoker, Diviner, Enchanter, Illusionist, and Necromancer ones are garbage.

[gallagher]

i second either conjurer or transmuter. transmuter is incredibly better with the spell compendium, but conjurer is still the best to specialize in

[Magic Myrmidon]

I read somewhere that there was a flaw somewhere called "Forlorn." The drawback is you give up your familiar, and you get an extra feat.

No specialization is required there.

[Kalaska'Agathas]

Or you could go Eidetic Spellcaster (Dragon 357) which trades your familiar for the ability to prepare spells and memorize new spells without a spellbook.

[Pluto]

There's the UA variant that swaps the familiar for a half-level animal companion.

It's not a choice I would normally take, but it isn't bad at low levels.

And with Companion Spellbond (PH2) and Natural Bond (CAd), it could be interesting for a low- to mid-level gish: Buff yourself, buff your familiar and avoid the headache of staying within 5ft of each other or the worries of familiar death.

[Zeta Kai]

There's the UA variant that swaps the familiar for a half-level animal companion.

IMO, that's worse than a familiar. By far. Take something else. Anything else.

[Eldariel]

IMO, that's worse than a familiar. By far. Take something else. Anything else.

It's great ~1-4. It quickly grows obsolete though. But at least, animal companions are completely expendable so heh. But power-wise, Familiar is by far the best option; they're truly incredible when you actually strive to make use of them. And tend to have the same protections as you making them quite immortal under normal circumstances.

[Pluto]

IMO, that's worse than a familiar. By far.

No question. Familiars are fantastic.

I mention it because generalist wizards don't have a whole lot of other options.

Having a disposable wolf isn't bad at levels 1-3.
And having a replaceable hawk to boss around is better than nothing, later on.

[Draz74]

It's great ~1-4. It quickly grows obsolete though. But at least, animal companions are completely expendable so heh. But power-wise, Familiar is by far the best option; they're truly incredible when you actually strive to make use of them. And tend to have the same protections as you making them quite immortal under normal circumstances.

Though, even if you want a familiar, it's optimal to take the Forlorn flaw and use the extra feat (down the line) to take Obtain Familiar. Then all your PrC levels still progress your familiar.

Unless you've already maxed out your Flaws on other important feats, of course.

[The Cat Goddess]

Actually, I believe the text of the Forlorn Flaw says that you cannot ever obtain a familiar, even if some other class would give you one.

[Tinydwarfman]

IMO, that's worse than a familiar. By far. Take something else. Anything else.

Why are familiars so good anyway? What can they do that an animal companion can't?

[Flickerdart]

Why are familiars so good anyway? What can they do that an animal companion can't?

Deliver touch spells, mostly. Ravens and some others can also UMD.

[Tinydwarfman]

Deliver touch spells, mostly. Ravens and some others can also UMD.

The ability to UMD is awesome I admit, but... yay for spectral hand? A fleshraker or something else seems far more useful than any familiar except for (possibly) one that can talk. And most wizards don't have UMD.

[Pluto]

Why are familiars so good anyway? What can they do that an animal companion can't?

Their abilities are based on your own: BA, skills, saves, HD all rise with yours. (Skills are the big one, especially for UMD users.)

And they actually improve spellcasters with two genuinely useful (if not stellar) feats (Alertness + whatever they get on their own).

Then there's the Imbue Familiar with Spell Ability spell in SpC.

[Greenish]

Their abilities are based on your own: BA, skills, saves, HD all rise with yours. (Skills are the big one, especially for UMD users.)

Familiars don't gain HD. Ever.

[Pluto]

Familiars don't gain HD. Ever.

Okay. Effective HD for the purposes of all effects that refer to HD.
.

[Tinydwarfman]

Familiars don't gain HD. Ever.

Ok, phew, I was like, "holy crap they get feats?!?" That would be ridiculous.

[Akal Saris]

I used the UA animal companion one in an arena game from 4th-7th level. It was hugely successful - nearly every single game my opponents targeted my poor little wolf with a spell or attack, wasting one of their rounds. I was 6-0 in wins that arena, and at least 1 win was probably because of the wolf :D

With the wolf's 40ft move speed and another 30ft my haste spell during the buff round, it was always in their faces before my summoned monsters arrived, and if they didn't ignore her, then they'd risk two attacks that could potentially trip and kill them, not to mention AOO's for casting and moving. Really, the wolf did almost no damage, but was great for harassing and taking away 1-2 of my opponent's actions - and when she almost inevitably got KO'd, I knew she'd be back in a day with no experience penalties. Much more useful to the build than a familiar would have been.

Though standard action summoning would have been good for the character as well, but it and abjurant jaunt were both banned. And don't get me wrong - familiars can be great too, for the right build.

[marjan]

The ability to UMD is awesome I admit, but... yay for spectral hand? A fleshraker or something else seems far more useful than any familiar except for (possibly) one that can talk. And most wizards don't have UMD.

At low levels they get you +2 to Spot & Listen, which still matters and depending on your choice it might be +2 to one save.
Later all skills where your familiar has +9 modifier means you can get +2 to that skill with your familiar using aid another.
Then you also have Share Spells, which with the right build can be awesome. Example: USS with Improved Familiar (Lantern Archon) - cast Greater Invisibility, Cloud of knives and Hunter's Eye. Assuming your CL is 9, your familiar has 2 touch attacks dealing 4d6 untyped damage, one attack that deals 4d6 + 3 dmg, you have one attack that deals 7d6+3 dmg + all your actions. Familiar also has Magic Circle Against Evil and your entire party has non-stop aid.
Also Polymorphing outsiders can be fun, especially if you are gish.

[Tinydwarfman]

At low levels they get you +2 to Spot & Listen, which still matters and depending on your choice it might be +2 to one save.
Later all skills where your familiar has +9 modifier means you can get +2 to that skill with your familiar using aid another.
Then you also have Share Spells, which with the right build can be awesome. Example: USS with Improved Familiar (Lantern Archon) - cast Greater Invisibility, Cloud of knives and Hunter's Eye. Assuming your CL is 9, your familiar has 2 touch attacks dealing 4d6 untyped damage, one attack that deals 4d6 + 3 dmg, you have one attack that deals 7d6+3 dmg + all your actions. Familiar also has Magic Circle Against Evil and your entire party has non-stop aid.
Also Polymorphing outsiders can be fun, especially if you are gish.

Indeed you can pimp out your familiar if you want to, just like you can pimp out your companion or psycrystal. But the only part of that relevant to a standard familiar is the skills, which are frankly pretty underwhelming. A companion also gets share spells.

[Keld Denar]

Also, Imbue Familiar with Spell Ability is a mid level way to abuse action economy. You could imbue your familiar with a couple low level spells that give you a 1-2 punch. Something like Ray of Clumsiness from your familiar to lower your foes touch AC and Ref save, then hitting the foe with a Freezing Fog or Numbing Sphere. In theory, your familiar could cast a swift spell and a normal spell, and you could cast a swift spell and a normal spell, and have 4 spells in a round, the highest you can get without Shapechange, Craft Contingency, or Arcane Fusion abuse.

Sure, its novaing, but dead destroyed foes can't fight back, right?

EDIT: FIXT!

[Greenish]

Sure, its novaing, but dead foes can't fight back, right?

In fact, a rather large subset of D&D monsters does just that.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Another option, although it does mean blowing a feat down the line, is to retain your ability to have a familiar solely so you can grab Improved Familiar for a radar dish pseudodragon. Means the bugger has to have the Mindsight feat (Lords of Madness) for maximum effect, but still.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

If you're not going to specialize in Conjuration or make a Shadowcraft Illusionist, you should keep the familiar class feature and just not get one until you can get a useful one via Improved Familiar. If you want to get a familiar at 1st level, I'd probably go with one from Frostburn like a Penguin or a Lemming.

Any Outsider improved familiar can be Polymorphed into a juggernaut of destruction, definitely better than trading it for a half progression animal companion. I'd personally prefer an Imp, since it gets Suggestion, Invisibility at will, Detect Magic at will, fast healing, flight, Commune, and that outsider creature type. Whenever it's not being awesome it can throw around tanglefoot bags. You can take Improved Familiar at 6th level and hold out until 7th to get it.

[gbprime]

Personally, I like the familiars with insane hide skills. They're never visible, which makes them perfect to use in dense terrain. Cover one with an AntiMagic Field, then you can step in and out of it at will during your actions, and it even moves independantly of you, since your familiar is smart enough to understand these tactics by then.

IMO, the best alt class wizard features don't involve swapping out your familiar. The elf wizard racial sub levels are cool, as are the two alt-features listed in Complete Champion. Never have to memorize a divination spell again? How cool is that?

[DarkEternal]

I don't even know how to handle the familiar of the party's wizard. He's got a weasel that's always in his bag or something. I don't know if when hit by a area attack the weasel should also suffer the damage or something or just let it be as if in a safe zone there.

[marjan]

I don't even know how to handle the familiar of the party's wizard. He's got a weasel that's always in his bag or something. I don't know if when hit by a area attack the weasel should also suffer the damage or something or just let it be as if in a safe zone there.

If you don't damage your PCs equipment with area attacks, you also shouldn't damage familiars.

EDIT:

Indeed you can pimp out your familiar if you want to, just like you can pimp out your companion or psycrystal. But the only part of that relevant to a standard familiar is the skills, which are frankly pretty underwhelming. A companion also gets share spells.

You can share your spells with companion, but it's not an outsider. And your AC actions are limited to tricks you thought him and you need to direct him in combat (and wizards don't get Handle Animal as class skill, though multiclassing with commoner will help ), while your familiar is intelligent and you can communicate with it.

[krossbow]

abrupt jaunt, hands down. An incredibly powerful special ability, for what is basically the most powerful Specialization of magic, For What amounts to 0 cost? Yes please, and a side of cheddar.

[Akal Saris]

If you're not going to specialize in Conjuration or make a Shadowcraft Illusionist, you should keep the familiar class feature and just not get one until you can get a useful one via Improved Familiar. If you want to get a familiar at 1st level, I'd probably go with one from Frostburn like a Penguin or a Lemming.

Any Outsider improved familiar can be Polymorphed into a juggernaut of destruction, definitely better than trading it for a half progression animal companion. I'd personally prefer an Imp, since it gets Suggestion, Invisibility at will, Detect Magic at will, fast healing, flight, Commune, and that outsider creature type. Whenever it's not being awesome it can throw around tanglefoot bags. You can take Improved Familiar at 6th level and hold out until 7th to get it.

That requires staying in wizard or sorcerer until 7th or taking one of the elusive PrCs that advance familiars like Alienist, though. Which is fine in a core-only game, but trading 2 levels worth of class features and a feat for an imp isn't really worth it for most of my builds, which are usually pretty feat-starved for metamagic, metamagic reducers, and PrC prerequisites. In contrast, the half-progression AC is mediocre past 4th level, but it's better than not summoning a familiar at all.

Personally, I like familiars - I think people underestimate the variety of skill boosts and abilities available from them, even if I don't use my familiar to "aid another" all my skill checks. But everyone has their own play style.