alternative basic familiar

[weenie]

Recently one of my players asked me, if she could get a familiar. Since she's a wizard with no familiar at the time i replied 'Sure you can', but then she told me that she wants to have a duck familiar. I tought about it a bit and saw no reason why it shouldn't be allowed, but then i posed myself the question what bonus shoud the player's character get from a duck? after some thinking i came up with a +3 bonus to swim. Do you think some other bonus would fit the familiar better? Any suggestions are welcome. And of course if you ever had toughts about other alternative familiars, do post them. I always tought that the basic familiar list should have more entrys.

[BardicDuelist]

I would agree with the swim bonus.

One of my players wanted a monkey familiar. I gave him a climb bonus.

These are both useful for wizards, since they tend to not spend skill ranks on those skills, and tend to also have low Str.

[Matthew]

I agree, it seems like an appropriate Bonus.

[Triaxx]

Definitely sounds good. Perhaps we should come up with an alternate list? For those slightly off the wall wizards? I did see one wizard with a Chameleon Familiar, giving a +3 to hide. He eventually took a couple levels in Thief, and was backstabbing with a +5 staff. BBEG wizards hate that.

[HomerHT]

Anyone got any ideas for what bonus a beaver would give?

[Poppatomus]

Anyone got any ideas for what bonus a beaver would give?

must... restrain...

I would say either a bonus to concentration, the endurance feat, or a +2 bonus to any craft checks. probably the last.

[DracoDei]

I think that skunks make a very colorful (in every way except actual coloration) familiars. The actually have viper's giving a bonus to something rather than being "it has a poisonous bite, what more do you want?!?", so I guess skunks need to give a bonus as well, +3 to Intimidate sounds pretty obvious...

[RyanM]

A bonus to swim sounds reasonable to me. It's either that, a bonus to airborne defacation, or a bonus to quacking. That's about all ducks do well.

For some other crazy ones, how about:

Madagascar hissing cockroach, +3 to intimidate
Hamster, +3 to escape artist
Armadillo, +2 to natural AC
Hedgehog, +5 to grapple checks that were initiated by another character or creature (i.e., when defending against a grapple attempt)

[DracoDei]

Actually the endurance feat would also fit a duck pretty well...

[Poppatomus]

Turkey

cast sleep spells at +1 caster level.

[Poppatomus]

goldfish

one per day, you may reroll a failed will save

[Overlord]

One issue of Dragon ( a fairly recent one) has a bunch of alternate familiars in the Class Acts. I think the issue was...ohh...# 338? Don't hold me to that.

But they had familiars like the monkey, parrot, rabbit (white and deadly, of course), chameleon, and so on.

[DracoDei]

goldfish

one per day, you may reroll a failed will save

WHAT inspired this? ...mind-numbingly stupid enough that they would have strength of purpose?


... and I JUST got the bit about Turkeys.... funny but not really in the style of the benefits of other D&D familiars.

As long as I am posting:
Squirrel
+3 to Jump

[Poppatomus]

WHAT inspired this? ...mind-numbingly stupid enough that they would have strength of purpose?

two things. first since outside an aquatic campaign it is useless so it should be a bit stronger. second Goldfish, in urban legend, have only a three second memory. It's not that you have strength of purpose, that would be a straight bonus to Will, it's that you are so flighty you literally forget you've been controlled.

[Khoran]

Since we're on the topic: What bonuses do you think a fox familiar would give?

[DracoDei]

Hmmm... +3 to the DCs of any attempt to track the master???
+3 to Bluff?

[Raistlin1040]

A bonus to swim sounds reasonable to me. It's either that, a bonus to airborne defacation, or a bonus to quacking. That's about all ducks do well.

For some other crazy ones, how about:

Madagascar hissing cockroach, +3 to intimidate
Hamster, +3 to escape artist
Armadillo, +2 to natural AC
Hedgehog, +5 to grapple checks that were initiated by another character or creature (i.e., when defending against a grapple attempt)

Bah. Hamster familiar would allow for one claw attack per day, as long as it was targeted for the eyes.
"Go for the eyes Boo!"

[Hyrael]

some of my favorite species

Cormorant: as raven with Swim speed, Grants master a +3 bonus on spot checks made to see through glass or liquid

Tern: once more, as raven. Grants +3 on survival checks to find your way or aviod becoming lost.

Macaw: As raven, +3 diplomacy

Grey Parrot: As raven, but speaks 2 languages, +4 intelligence (for the familiar, not the master)

Racoon: +3 search

Otter: +3 swim

[DracoDei]

Somewhere in the chaos that is my room, I have the start on a write-up for natural and Dire Otters...

[Karma Guard]

Are there stats for a Small Monstrous Jumping Spider?

I'd have one for a familiar. +3 Jump.

...Or would it be Climb?

[DracoDei]

Small is too big for a familiar for most characters... you want the Tiny one at most, unless you are playing a giant or something.

[Poppatomus]

butterfly

gain a bonus to all cha based skill checks equal to 1 + the absolute value of your opponents wisdom modifier.

[brian c]

A bonus to swim sounds reasonable to me. It's either that, a bonus to airborne defacation, or a bonus to quacking. That's about all ducks do well.

For some other crazy ones, how about:

Madagascar hissing cockroach, +3 to intimidate
Hamster, +3 to escape artist
Armadillo, +2 to natural AC
Hedgehog, +5 to grapple checks that were initiated by another character or creature (i.e., when defending against a grapple attempt)

+2 to natural AC would be kinda overpowered though, +1 would be fine. I like these ideas though. A parrot would be great, so your character could be Jafar from Aladdin

[Poppatomus]

opossum

+4 to any feint check on a round on which you have not yet taken an action.

miniature kangaroo

acccess to an extradimensional storage space that can hold up to 2 lbs of material per level. May trade this ability for effect of eschew materials feat instead.

[Icewalker]

All sorts of fun familiars can be thought of.

I made the Nocturne Lemur for the MitPII project, can be taken as a familiar and grants darkvision +30 ft.

[Poppatomus]

so the parrot would have five...three... manifestations actually

Parrot (arabian) +3 to sense motive and bluff -2 to concentration

Parrot (nautical) +2 to all profession(sailor checks)

Parrot (British) +1 to bluff checks, +1 to perform, -1% to the cost of all items


and of course

Swallow (african) use telekenisis as a free action at 5x the distance

Swallow (european) +2 to ride checks, +6 if you have a cohort.

[SurlySeraph]

Bah. Hamster familiar would allow for one claw attack per day, as long as it was targeted for the eyes.
"Go for the eyes Boo!"

And a bonus to Intimidate. "Feel the stare of my hamster and change your ways!"

[TheOOB]

Pet Rock - Can go up to seven days in a row with no food or drink with no ill effects.

[Kyace]

I'd say miniature kangaroo bonus mimics the Improved Unarmed Strike feat. Or, you know, +3 to jump.

Turtle: +20 to bluff checks and disguise checks to hide your gender.
Woodpecker or rooster: +3 on saves to stay awake.
Dragonfly: +2 to spot checks to notice moving creatures.
Miniature elephant: Stability as the dwarf trait
Miniature hippo: +4 on checks to hold breath.
Tiny Gelatinous Cube: +3 on saves to resist paralysis. Gelatinous cube can engulf tiny or smaller creatures.
Tiny Rust monster: Rust monster's rust ability rusts 1 foot square of rust per day.
Velociraptor: +3 to jump checks

[Poppatomus]

I'd say miniature kangaroo bonus mimics the Improved Unarmed Strike feat. Or, you know, +3 to jump.

oh come on. What could be better than an 18th level wizard, master of the universe, needing to cast a spell, summoning a tiny kangaroo, reaching into its pouch and pulling out some thread, some dust, and an feather?

p.s. loved yours by the way