VoP with a Companion Familiar

[Fisticuffs]

So I'm a Arcane Hierophant with VoP, my little buddy (Fleshraker) has an intelligence of 11 and I was wondering if he could 'own' his own stuff. Would him wearing magic items break my vow? He's smarter then most common people so can he own his own property and get his 'own' share of the treasure that will be spent on his behalf?

Also does it count as a familiar for things like Combat Familiar?

[Morph Bark]

As a class feature of your character, he's essentially a part of your character, so your character would have to provide for him, so he could not have any magic items.

[Demons_eye]

As a class feature of your character, he's essentially a part of your character, so your character would have to provide for him, so he could not have any magic items.

Where does it say that? The Animal companion/familiar is not held by your vows. You can fit a AC with metal gear but not lose druid powers so I would say you could.

[sofawall]

If you give him VoP, you could still own items :D

[Amphetryon]

The primary difficulty I see with this is acquiring the swag with which to festoon your Companion Familiar. You're not allowed to buy it yourself, and unless ol' Fleshy has been Awakened and is in a very unusual situation where he can manage his own currency, he has no GP with which to purchase the goods.

[Jack_Simth]

So I'm a Arcane Hierophant with VoP, my little buddy (Fleshraker) has an intelligence of 11 and I was wondering if he could 'own' his own stuff. Would him wearing magic items break my vow? He's smarter then most common people so can he own his own property and get his 'own' share of the treasure that will be spent on his behalf?

You will have a very hard time finding an explicit answer in the rules as they're written. The simplest solution would be to have the *intelligent* critter take Sacred Vow and Vow of Poverty on it's own. Assuming it's alignment is compatible... it's not specified what the critters alignment is, so it probably inherits the base animals' True Neutral alignment.

Also does it count as a familiar for things like Combat Familiar?

Technically, it is it's own thing, and not actually a familiar, so no. Under RAI? Probably.

[Morph Bark]

Where does it say that? The Animal companion/familiar is not held by your vows. You can fit a AC with metal gear but not lose druid powers so I would say you could.

True, but an animal companion does not get druid powers anyway, since it is not a druid. Plus, in that scenario the druid would be providing the animal companion with the metal gear (and have to suffer many attacks from snakes), rather than the animal companion itself.

Of course, the default thing is Rule 0 where you ask the DM to make a ruling. If he rules that "yes, your animal companion can still get that" then he better allow the same thing for an arcane hierophant without VoP.

[Dusk Eclipse]

`

True, but an animal companion does not get druid powers anyway, since it is not a druid. Plus, in that scenario the druid would be providing the animal companion with the metal gear (and have to suffer many attacks from snakes), rather than the animal companion itself.

Of course, the default thing is Rule 0 where you ask the DM to make a ruling. If he rules that "yes, your animal companion can still get that" then he better allow the same thing for an arcane hierophant without VoP.

I see what you did there

[Runeclaw]

I'd say that you can't give him "your" share of the treasure, but if the party wants to cut him in for his own, then he can do what he wants with it.

[Sc00by]

So I'm a Arcane Hierophant with VoP, my little buddy (Fleshraker) has an intelligence of 11 and I was wondering if he could 'own' his own stuff. Would him wearing magic items break my vow? He's smarter then most common people so can he own his own property and get his 'own' share of the treasure that will be spent on his behalf?

I would say no, for the reasons stated above in that his equipment is supplied by you and you can't buy it to give to him...

[edit] He counts as part of your CR, so is constrained by your WBL Making part of the groups wealth distribution breaks your VoP, to my mind at least.

Also does it count as a familiar for things like Combat Familiar?

Now I rule that familar spells do affect a companion familiar, but another DM might rule differently.
Train him for war and give him the warbeast template from MMII :)

[Morph Bark]

I see what you did there

I'd say that you can't give him "your" share of the treasure, but if the party wants to cut him in for his own, then he can do what he wants with it.

This. As I said, you couldn't provide items and the like for your companion familiar, but others can always provide for it. Unless the DM rules that would directly or indirectly make it yours as well.

[Demons_eye]

But others could, if the party says he gets a share then he gets a shre and is not provided by the VoP player.

edit: This is what I get for posting on steam....

[Fisticuffs]

It was my intension for the Fleshraker to get his own loot share separate from mine(which is still given away). Like I said in the OP someone (should have said besides me) would have to spend the money on his behalf. It comes down to whether or not my companion familiar can break my vow.

[The Glyphstone]

At that point it's like having a cohort, and its starting to become as much the party's decision as the DM, since it means less loot for all of them.

[Sc00by]

It comes down to whether or not my companion familiar can break my vow.

Down to your DM I think. I would rule that it would as the Fleshraker is your class feature. Others may rule differently.

Though I'll let you use Familiar enhancers on him, so swings and roundabouts

[ShadowsGrnEyes]

Myt ruling as a GM would be that a FAMILIAR is supposed to be a small piece of your own soul or some mojo like that tied to another creature. As it is this piece of your soul which grants your familiar companion and INT score higher than 2, then that intelligence is tied to you and thereby if it is spending money and using gear in a way that would break your vow, it is actually YOU doing it and thereby it is breaking your vow.

[Thiyr]

If I had to give an opinion, I would leave it at "The animal companion has made no such vow." In this situation, the animal companion can think for itself. That means it can make its own decisions. Because it isn't a shared intelligence (unless you became a hive mind somehow?) it is capable of making its own choices. Meaning if it demanded a share of money, and it used that money to get itself items, that would be fine, as the person that made the choice to make the vow is doing nothing to break it. I'd put it in the same category of "if the PC had a child, and the child broke the vow, does the player suffer a penalty?"

[Snake-Aes]

The overall flow to decide this is seeing what your dm thinks about the companion: Is he an integral part of you, or a separate member?