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Thread: Alter Familiar?
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2007-09-10, 10:29 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2005
- Location
- Appalachian Mountains
Alter Familiar?
I have two related questions involving the Alter Self spell and the Share Spell ability.
1) What happens when you try to cast alter self on yourself, and share it with your familiar? Do you both assume the same humanoid form? Do you both assume the same magical beast form? Or do you pick a humanoid form for yourself and a magical beast form for your familiar?
2)Fortunately, I can simply target my familiar instead of myself with a personal range spell, so I can get around the above question w/o an answer.
Does a familiar that is changed with alter self retain its 'familiar' bonus progression to natural armor?
Now for a non-RAW question: do you think it would be reasonable to be able to use Alter Self to change a Tiny Viper Familiar into a Small Viper familiar? By RAW you can't because vipers aren't magical beasts.
Also, on that subject, are there any small size snakes that are magical beasts within the 5HD cap for alter self?Aratos Tell
HP:53/53 AC:19,FlatFooted:16,Touch:13
Active Effects: Speak w/Animals
Spells Prepared: Cure Minor Wounds*4, Flare, Calm Animals, Charm Animal, Cure Light Wounds, Animal Messenger, Flaming Sphere, Lesser Restoration, Hold Animal, Cure Mod. Wounds*2, Speak w/Plants
Megiddo
HP:26/26 PP: 40/40 AC:14,FlatFooted:13,Touch:13
Active Effects:
Spells Prepared: Light*2, Burning Hands*2, Protection f/Evil, Magic Missile, Shocking Grasp, See Invis., Acid Arrow, Scorching Ray*2
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2007-09-11, 02:05 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2005
- Location
- IPR Violation
- Gender
Re: Alter Familiar?
The ability could use some clarification, but the wording suggest that you can only pick one shape.
Originally Posted by SRD - Share Spell2)Fortunately, I can simply target my familiar instead of myself with a personal range spell, so I can get around the above question w/o an answer.
Does a familiar that is changed with alter self retain its 'familiar' bonus progression to natural armor?
Now for a non-RAW question: do you think it would be reasonable to be able to use Alter Self to change a Tiny Viper Familiar into a Small Viper familiar? By RAW you can't because vipers aren't magical beasts.
Also, on that subject, are there any small size snakes that are magical beasts within the 5HD cap for alter self?
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2007-09-11, 07:59 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2007
- Location
- Norway
- Gender
Re: Alter Familiar?
You each take a different form.
From Rules of the Game: Polymorph part 2:
Originally Posted by RotG
IMO it would be inconsistent to allow familiars to take the form of two different creature types. You could ask the DM to incorporate Skip Williams' house rule though:
From Rules of the Game: Polymorph part 2:
Originally Posted by RotGLast edited by Iku Rex; 2007-09-11 at 09:25 AM. Reason: '
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2007-09-11, 09:15 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2007
- Location
- Imagination Land
- Gender
Re: Alter Familiar?
I'd allow a creature with the augmented subtype to choose between it's original type and it's current type when using a spell like alter self.
Thus, in the case of familiars (which probably have the "augmented animal" subtype, even though it doesn't say it in the PHB), you can have a reason to allow them to choose an animal form while not prohibiting magical beast forms.