New monster/improved familiar: Mouse Fairy

[Roadie]

Here's my try at a new monster to be used with Improved Familiar. In particular, I wanted something that could be "upgraded" from a starting familiar, rather than a character discarding whatever animal they've been traveling with since 1st level to pick up something different. Please let me know what you think! Too strong? Too weak? Just right?

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Mouse fairy CR 2
XP 600
LN Tiny fey
Init +3; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +9
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Defense
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AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +2 size)
hp 16 (3d6+6)
Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +6
Defensive Abilities evasion; DR 5/cold iron
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft., climb 15 ft., swim 15 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d3-3)
Space 2.5 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3rd; concentration +2)
. . At will—summon mice
. . 3/day—animal messenger, locate object
. . 1/day—summon mouse swarm
Druid Spells Prepared (CL 3rd; concentration +6)
. . 2nd—communal ant haul, fog cloud
. . 1st—magic fang (3)
. . 0 (at will)—dancing lights, guidance, know direction, purify food and drink (DC 13)
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Tactics
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Before Combat Most mouse fairies are timid and will prefer to avoid fights, using their Tiny size and high Stealth rating to escape from view if confronted.
During Combat If forced to fight, mouse fairies prefer to stay out of melee. They use spells such as fog cloud to confuse enemies, and enhance summoned mice and mouse swarms with spells such as magic fang.
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Statistics
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Str 4, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 8
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 9
Feats Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Climb +11, Handle Animal +2, Knowledge (nature) +7, Perception +9, Stealth +21, Swim +11, Use Magic Device +5
Languages Common, Sylvan; speak with animals (rodents only)
SQ change shape (mouse; beast shape II), spells
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Ecology
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Environment any temperate
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none
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Special Abilities
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Change Shape (Su) A mouse fairy can take the form of a specific Tiny mouse at will.
Speak with Animals (rodents only) (Su) A mouse fairy can speak with animals as the spell, but only with rodents.
Spells A mouse fairy casts spells as a 3rd-level druid.
Summon Mice (Sp) This ability functions as summon minor ally, except that it can only summon mice. (Mice use the statistics of rats.)
Summon Mouse Swarm (Sp) This ability functions as summon swarm, except that it can only summon a mouse swarm, and the swarm doesn't attack the mouse fairy or its allies. (A mouse swarm uses the statistics of a rat swarm, except without the disease ability.)

Sometimes, a mouse that lives in an area of great ambient magic or survives to (for a mouse) extremely old age will spontaneously become a mouse fairy. Mouse fairies resemble Tiny humanoids with features like those of mice, such as ears, tail, or buck teeth. They are generally Lawfully inclined and, aside from the issues caused by their remarkably prodigious appetites, can usually live peacefully among other races. Mouse fairies are often the de facto leaders of small communities of nonmagical mice.

Mouse fairies can be taken as familiars by 7th level lawful spellcasters with the Improved Familiar feat. Spellcasters who fill these prerequisites and already have a mouse familiar may choose instead to have that familiar become a mouse fairy. (Mouse familiars use the statistics of rat familiars.)

[Tarlek Flamehai]

All the first level familiars are animals. This critter is significantly more powerful.

[Haruki-kun]

The Winged Mod: Moved to Homebrew.

Carry on.

[Roadie]

All the first level familiars are animals. This critter is significantly more powerful.

Note the Improved Familiar clause. I've edited the thread title to clarify.

The Winged Mod: Moved to Homebrew.

Carry on.

Thanks. Apologies for posting in the wrong section.

[Kamai]

Given that it has automatic casting as a PC class (even though only CL 3), I think it needs to be bumped up (at least) to a 9th or 11th level familiar. None of the core 7th level familiars have spellcasting to the extent that the Mouse Fairy has.

[Roadie]

Given that it has automatic casting as a PC class (even though only CL 3), I think it needs to be bumped up (at least) to a 9th or 11th level familiar. None of the core 7th level familiars have spellcasting to the extent that the Mouse Fairy has.

My main inspiration was the faerie dragon, which is similarly useless in direct combat and has SLAs plus casting as a 3rd level sorcerer (though, admittedly, that's only 2nd-level spells instead of 3rd). It doesn't have anything as straight-up useful in a fight as a swarm summon, but the status effect breath weapon and greater invisibility 3/day are pretty great and more useful as support effects for most PCs.

Maybe if I switched the mouse fairy to sorcerer casting itself instead?

[Kamai]

My main inspiration was the faerie dragon, which is similarly useless in direct combat and has SLAs plus casting as a 3rd level sorcerer (though, admittedly, that's only 2nd-level spells instead of 3rd). It doesn't have anything as straight-up useful in a fight as a swarm summon, but the status effect breath weapon and greater invisibility 3/day are pretty great and more useful as support effects for most PCs.

Maybe if I switched the mouse fairy to sorcerer casting itself instead?

Black, that's what I meant to look up when I looked up the Psuedodragon. I would agree with doing Sorcerer (or Nature Oracle), because prepared from anything is part of what makes the Mouse Fairy's casting more powerful, as well as having 2nd level spells over the Faerie Dragon's 1st.

[Roadie]

Here's a version with Oracle instead of Druid spellcasting.

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This creature resembles a tiny member of a humanoid race, but with features like those of mice, such as ears, tail, or buck teeth.
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Mouse fairy CR 2
XP 600
LN Tiny fey
Init +3; Senses low-light vision, scent; Perception +5
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Defense
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AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12 (+3 Dex, +2 size)
hp 16 (3d6+6)
Fort +3, Ref +6, Will +2
Defensive Abilities evasion; DR 5/cold iron
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Offense
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Speed 30 ft., climb 15 ft., swim 15 ft.
Melee bite +7 (1d3-3)
Space 2.5 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 3rd; concentration +6)
. . At will—summon mice
. . 3/day—animal messenger, locate object
. . 1/day—summon mouse swarm
Oracle Spells Known (CL 3rd; concentration +6)
. . 1st (6/day)—obscuring mist, protection from chaos, stunning barrier (DC 14)
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, guidance, light, purify food and drink (DC 13), stabilize
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Tactics
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Before Combat Most mouse fairies are timid and prefer to avoid fights, using their Tiny size and high Stealth rating to escape from view if confronted.
During Combat If forced to fight, mouse fairies prefer to stay out of melee. They use spells such as obscuring mist to confuse enemies while summoning mice to aid them.
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Statistics
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Str 4, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 12, Wis 8, Cha 16
Base Atk +1; CMB +2; CMD 9
Feats Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus (bite)
Skills Climb +11, Handle Animal +6, Knowledge (nature) +7, Perception +5, Stealth +21, Swim +11, Use Magic Device +9
Languages Common, Sylvan; speak with animals (rodents only)
SQ change shape (mouse; beast shape II), spells
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Ecology
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Environment any temperate
Organization solitary or pair
Treasure none
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Special Abilities
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Change Shape (mouse; beast shape II) (Su) A mouse fairy can take the form of a specific Tiny mouse at will.
Speak with Animals (rodents only) (Su) A mouse fairy can speak with animals as the spell, but only with rodents.
Spells A mouse fairy casts spells as a 3rd-level oracle.
Summon Mice (Sp) This ability functions as summon minor ally, except that it can only summon mice. (Mice use the statistics of rats.)
Summon Mouse Swarm (Sp) This ability functions as summon swarm, except that it can only summon a mouse swarm, and the swarm doesn't attack the mouse fairy or its allies. (A mouse swarm uses the statistics of a rat swarm, except without the disease ability.)
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Sometimes, a mouse that lives in an area of great ambient magic or survives to (for a mouse) extremely old age will spontaneously become a mouse fairy. They are generally lawfully inclined and, aside from the issues caused by their remarkably prodigious appetites, can usually live peacefully among other races. Mouse fairies are often the de facto leaders of small communities of nonmagical mice.

Mouse fairies can be taken as familiars by 7th level lawful spellcasters with the Improved Familiar feat. Spellcasters who fill these prerequisites and already have a mouse familiar may choose instead to have that familiar become a mouse fairy. (Mouse familiars use the statistics of rat familiars.)

[Kamai]

It does look a lot better. I'd move Locate Object to 1/day. Given it's a second level information gathering spell, it'd put it in line with the Imp and Quasit, and although the Faerie Dragon's Greater Invisibility is a 4th level spell, although self-only, and given the rest of his tools, he doesn't use it effectively as a 4th level spell (and I feel he'd be better off with 3/day Invisibility (self only). Other than that little quibble, I think it's fine as a 7th level familiar now.