How can I keep a pet lizard alive? I'm not a mage

[eyebreaker7]

I want a little eguana for a pet but how can I keep it alive? They can be taken as a Sorc/Wiz familiar but I don't see that being much help either. I don't expect any help from him like a familiar would be but then again maybe I could dip 1 level of Sorc and get me one? How does ANYONE protect their little friends? I don't just want to keep it in my backpack all the time either.

[Knaight]

Buy one, don't bring it into fights. There's really no need for multiclassing to gain familiars and the like.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Take a feat that grants a cohort, pay to have your [magebred warbeast] lizard buddy Intensified awakened, and retrain the racial HD and give it class levels? Psion would be great, as it could perch on your shoulder and manifest powers (without the hands needed for somatic components, because spellcasting is for losers). Maybe give it the phrenic template, too?

[Kelb_Panthera]

Essentially, you can't. Not unless you keep it in a backpack or pocket or the like. By level 5 or so, AoEs that'll kill it instantly are just too common.

If you make it a familiar, then it's a bit more survivable. It gets half your HPs and evasion, can use your saves, and so on. If you then stack it with some tiny magic items to help protect it as well, then it'll be near as tough to kill as you are.

[eyebreaker7]

Take a feat that grants a cohort, pay to have your [magebred warbeast] lizard buddy Intensified awakened, and retrain the racial HD and give it class levels? Psion would be great, as it could perch on your shoulder and manifest powers (without the hands needed for somatic components, because spellcasting is for losers). Maybe give it the phrenic template, too?

Are you just being a turd or can you seriously do something like that? If so would you mind breaking it down into steps/actions I would need to have done? Please :)
A Psion lizard sounds killer.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Are you just being a turd or can you seriously do something like that?

...And why should I help you if you're calling me names?

[smasher0404]

Completely Facetious Answer: Pay for a Wizard to cast Temporal Stasis on your lizard friend. "No force or effect can harm it". It will never grow old, it will never leave you. Of course, it renders it completely unable to move. But your lizard friend is safe! No one can harm lizard friend.


Slightly more serious answer: You could see if your DM would A) allow you to take the Wild Cohort feat from the Web Enhancements and B) would allow you to make the iguana your Wild Cohort. It'd grant the iguana extra HD and Con which would make it help it survive during combat. It isn't as much of a survivability increase as making it a familiar would probably be, but it's a feat rather than a class level. If you already have some form of Arcane Casting, you could also probably ask about using the Obtain Familiar feat (Complete Arcane) instead.

[eyebreaker7]

...And why should I help you if you're calling me names?

I was asking if you were one not calling you one :)
Should I have said troll instead? Either way I meant no offense. It was intended as a joke.

[Psyren]

Are you just being a turd or can you seriously do something like that? If so would you mind breaking it down into steps/actions I would need to have done? Please :)

May want to work on that IRL Diplomacy check

Are you playing 3.5 or Pathfinder? In PF, just about any class can get a familiar or animal companion, and that's going to be your number one way of keeping a little critter alive. (Well, number two behind the GM simply forgetting about it because you don't use it in combat.)

[Maat Mons]

If you're dipping a class level for an iguana, Druid would be a better choice than Sorcerer or Wizard. The Cityscape web enhancement features a Druid/Ranger ACF that trades the Animal Companion for something that mostly works like a familiar, but is much better than a standard familiar.

Iguana was listed as an option for a familiar in Dragon 341. But all that does is confirm that the "lizard" option covers it, which I think we had all figured anyway.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

I was asking if you were one not calling you one :)
Should I have said troll instead? Either way I meant no offense. It was intended as a joke.

Either way, it's still rude.

Anyways, take a feat like Leadership or Personal Guardian to grab a cohort of some kind (without racial restrictions, of course).

Buy the lizard you want using the prices in the books for a magebred warbeast lizard.

Use the rates for spellcasting services to pay a druid or other character with druid spellcasting and access to the awaken spell and either Maximize Spell and Empower Spell, or the Intensify Spell feat to cast a Maximized and Empowered awaken or an Intensified awaken on your pet. (Preferably along with some Will-save-boosting spells to make the required save.) Since its mental scores are numeric variables, they'll be affected by the metamagic feats applied. Alternatively, buy a scroll of awaken with the feats you want applied, but you'll either need Use Magic Device leveled up, or you'll need to find someone else to cast it from the scroll.

Now, you can have your newly awakened friend use the rebuilding rules in the PHBII to get rid of his racial + awakened HD, or you can have him store his XP total in a thought bottle, apply some negative levels to wipe out his HD and fail the saves to render them permanent, then restore his XP total from the thought bottle, leveling up in psion levels (or whatever else you want, like the phrenic template), instead. You're not restoring his previous levels; those are permanently gone. Instead, you're restoring his XP total, and using it to take class levels.

Just make sure you're high enough level to take him as a cohort, else he'll just be an NPC under the DM's control who happens to be traveling with you.

He can ride you as a mount by sitting on your shoulders and wrapping around your neck as pet lizards are sometimes wont to do. A few long-term buffs like inertial armor are pretty much mandatory, and some magical mithral chain shirt barding with helpful enhancements is suggested as well.

Alternatively, take a tibbit psion always in "cat" form, give him a pearl of speech for Common, and refluff as an intelligent talking lizard instead of a cat. Take him as your cohort and never use his humanoid form.

[crankykobold]

If the animals only purpose is a pet, essentially part of your characters costume/look, then I think your DM should just leave it alone. If you start using it for combat or some other mechanical purpose then ,yes, target it. Making it a familiar, animal companion, cohort or whatever seems to go beyond your original purpose which was character flavor. But I may have misread your intentions.

[eyebreaker7]

Either way, it's still rude.

My sincerest appologizes. I meant no offense. I definitely did fail my diplomacy check. What I should have said is what I really meant which was "Are you joking with me or are you serious?". I've never heard of what your talking about so I was afraid to get my hopes up.

[Fouredged Sword]

You could also just get him as a familiar with 3 feats, Knowledge Arcana 4, and spellcraft 4. Magical training gives you arcane casting without requiring a class level. Practiced Spellcaster gives you a caster level of 5 once you hit 5 HD. You can then take the feat Obtain Familiar to get a familiar. Your lizard friend now has your BAB and saves and half your HP.

[NontheistCleric]

You could also just get him as a familiar with 3 feats, Knowledge Arcana 4, and spellcraft 4. Magical training gives you arcane casting without requiring a class level. Practiced Spellcaster gives you a caster level of 5 once you hit 5 HD. You can then take the feat Obtain Familiar to get a familiar. Your lizard friend now has your BAB and saves and half your HP.

Unfortunately, this isn't possible, because Practiced Spellcaster requires the selection of a class you possess, and although Magical Training makes you cast as a sorcerer or wizard, it doesn't actually give you levels in either class.

[eyebreaker7]

Few questions. I've never done this before so I apologize for my ignorance.

1: I see the cost of a scroll of awaken costs 2,375 gp but what about if it were cast by someone other than me since I can't cast it. How do you determine how much an empowered spell cost? Or a maximized one? Awaken in particular. Can you cast a spell using more than one metamagic feat at the same time?

2: How much would it cost to have someone cast the intensify spell version of awaken on a magebred lizard? It's an epic feat so it can't be cheap.

3: Am I understanding the intensify version of awaken would double (after maximizing them) it's ability scores, HD, AC, skills, movement? What does it NOT double that's a number?

4: How do I determine what level I need to be to take such a cohort?

5: If I'm understanding correctly, seldom done, I can make it a Phrenic creature and then advance it as a psion?

6: “Now, you can have your newly awakened friend use the rebuilding rules in the PHBII to get rid of his racial + awakened HD, or you can have him store his XP total in a thought bottle, apply some negative levels to wipe out his HD and fail the saves to render them permanent, then restore his XP total from the thought bottle, leveling up in psion levels (or whatever else you want, like the phrenic template), instead. You're not restoring his previous levels; those are permanently gone. Instead, you're restoring his XP total, and using it to take class levels. “

A normal lizard only has a ½ HD so it would double to 1 HD (if I use the intensify spell metamagic epic feat). Then I would end up killing it if I applied any negative levels? Or would it go back to ½ HD? So it's not worth messing with it's HD right?

7: Can't take the Magical Training feat Fouredged Sword. He's dragonborn and it requires him to be elf or human :(

[crankykobold]

I assume you mean dragonborn template so if your base is elf or human then no problem with magical training feat. If it is not then check Champions of Valor pg 21. Regional backgrounds open up some new options. Enlightened student background has magical training and no race requirements.

[MaxiDuRaritry]

My sincerest appologizes. I meant no offense. I definitely did fail my diplomacy check. What I should have said is what I really meant which was "Are you joking with me or are you serious?". I've never heard of what your talking about so I was afraid to get my hopes up.

Thanks for the apology. This forum is very strict about insults and flaming, and your previous comment counts, so be careful about that.

1: I see the cost of a scroll of awaken costs 2,375 gp but what about if it were cast by someone other than me since I can't cast it. How do you determine how much an empowered spell cost? Or a maximized one? Awaken in particular. Can you cast a spell using more than one metamagic feat at the same time?

Any spell applied to an item such as a potion, wand, scroll, or anything else uses the adjusted slot level to determine its price. So apply Intensify [+7] or Maximize [+3] and Empower [+2] to awaken [5th] to determine the end result. The cost for a scroll is its spell level x its caster level x 25 gp, plus any expensive material components. Now multiply by the number of charges (typically x1 for a scroll), plus 5 gp per XP spent as a spell component (plus 1/25 its GP cost in XP).

If the caster has metamagic cost reducers (such as levels in the incantatrix prestige class, Arcane Thesis, Metamagic Spell Focus, or getting it for free via casting it on another plane that auto-applies the metamagic feat), then treat the metamagic feat as though it's of the adjusted level (down to +0). Unless you're doing this yourself or have a party member doing this for you, however, the DM may very well rule that the NPC will charge you the normal price instead of the adjusted price. After all, it's not like you know whether the spell was at its normal cost or the adjusted cost, and money is money.

Epic items also cost 10x more than non-epic ones, so try to get the spell slot reduced as much as possible.

2: How much would it cost to have someone cast the intensify spell version of awaken on a magebred lizard? It's an epic feat so it can't be cheap.

The adjusted spell level for a normal Intensified awaken from the druid's spell list without any reducers is 12th level. I don't believe there are rules specifically for paying for 10th+ level spells, so you'd default to the normal spellcasting services, the cost for which is given here.

3: Am I understanding the intensify version of awaken would double (after maximizing them) it's ability scores, HD, AC, skills, movement? What does it NOT double that's a number?

Aside from ability scores, none of those are variable, numeric components affected by the spell, so no. You only Maximize and double the ability score adjustments.

4: How do I determine what level I need to be to take such a cohort?

Assuming the Leadership feat (or something based on the Leadership feat), look on the Leadership table to determine the maximum level of your cohort. Use the creature's racial HD (if any) + class levels (if any) + level adjustment (if any).

5: If I'm understanding correctly, seldom done, I can make it a Phrenic creature and then advance it as a psion?

Yes. The bit about not usually taking class levels is fluff, not an actual imposed limitation. It's rare for such a creature to take manifesting class levels, but not unheard of, and nothing about the template prevents such.

6: “Now, you can have your newly awakened friend use the rebuilding rules in the PHBII to get rid of his racial + awakened HD, or you can have him store his XP total in a thought bottle, apply some negative levels to wipe out his HD and fail the saves to render them permanent, then restore his XP total from the thought bottle, leveling up in psion levels (or whatever else you want, like the phrenic template), instead. You're not restoring his previous levels; those are permanently gone. Instead, you're restoring his XP total, and using it to take class levels. “

A normal lizard only has a ½ HD so it would double to 1 HD (if I use the intensify spell metamagic epic feat). Then I would end up killing it if I applied any negative levels? Or would it go back to ½ HD? So it's not worth messing with it's HD right?

According to the rules on Monsters and Class Levels, "Creatures with 1 or less HD replace their monster levels with their character levels. The monster loses the attack bonus, saving throw bonuses, skills, and feats granted by its 1 monster HD and gains the attack bonus, save bonuses, skills, feats, and other class abilities of a 1st-level character of the appropriate class."

It says "Humanoids and Class Levels" as the subheading, but there're no additional rules given for nonhumanoid creatures, and the entry itself specifies "creatures," not "humanoids," as well as "monster levels," so it's the closest thing we've got to an overarching rules.

DM houserules may apply.

But no, never take a creature of any kind to 0 HD or below, unless you want it to be a(n un)dead creature.

7: Can't take the Magical Training feat Fouredged Sword. He's dragonborn and it requires him to be elf or human :(

As FeS said, if you're talking about the dragonborn template, you still count as your previous race, and the template doesn't change that.

Honestly, it's easiest overall if you just refluff a tibbit psion as turning into a climbing lizard, keep the cat stats for the alternate form (but say it's a lizard, instead), and then keep it in that form. It might be an interesting surprise and a roleplaying opportunity if an effect forces him to turn into his halfling-esque form. (With a draconic template, if you want to enforce it with crunch instead of refluffing things. If you consider the cat form to be their default, dragonborn would even remove the ability to turn into their humanoid form, while making it look like a tiny, wingless lizard, so...)

[Spore]

If the animals only purpose is a pet, essentially part of your characters costume/look, then I think your DM should just leave it alone.

This. You can always claim it is basically an item in your possession and thus does not take damage from AoEs. (A fireball does not burn off all your clothing either).

[Bronk]

Slightly more serious answer: You could see if your DM would A) allow you to take the Wild Cohort feat from the Web Enhancements and B) would allow you to make the iguana your Wild Cohort. It'd grant the iguana extra HD and Con which would make it help it survive during combat. It isn't as much of a survivability increase as making it a familiar would probably be, but it's a feat rather than a class level. If you already have some form of Arcane Casting, you could also probably ask about using the Obtain Familiar feat (Complete Arcane) instead.

I'll second the wild cohort idea... the biggest deal for you would be that A: it would be a loyal pet and B: after a few levels it would start getting bonus tricks. I don't know how easy it is to train an iguana to sit, stay, not run off, and be generally friendly in real life, but with this feat you wouldn't have to worry about it in game.

Otherwise... maybe a wee construct, a rather specific bag of tricks, or an illusion of an iguana? Or you could buy a fake one on a stick, like you can get a renfaire now...

[Ruethgar]

Take a feat that grants a cohort, pay to have your [magebred warbeast] lizard buddy Intensified awakened, and retrain the racial HD and give it class levels? Psion would be great, as it could perch on your shoulder and manifest powers (without the hands needed for somatic components, because spellcasting is for losers). Maybe give it the phrenic template, too?

Warbeast requires Medium+, also, an Awakened Lizard is ECL 0 despite its potential RHD as set by a dragon magazine. A Titanic Dungeonbred Magebred War Lizard that is Awakened is technically ECL 0 because of that article.

More reasonably, Wild Cohort. If you are a gnome, you can still get the old version of Animal Friendship via Animal Friends feat. The old Animal Friendship allows for Awakening your friends even if they exceed your normal limit and can let you train them up to the limit beforehand, total max 4HD, not great but not instadeath from a mook. If you want to keep him as a ‘pet’ you could ‘roll’ low on his Int and or give him two Pathetic Intellect flaws when Awakened and just go Barbarian levels, would suggest the Dex variant personally.

Also, Extra Familiar has no requirements, it just gives you a familiar so no need for the CL that Obtain Familiar asks for.

[Nifft]

I want a little eguana for a pet but how can I keep it alive? They can be taken as a Sorc/Wiz familiar but I don't see that being much help either. I don't expect any help from him like a familiar would be but then again maybe I could dip 1 level of Sorc and get me one? How does ANYONE protect their little friends? I don't just want to keep it in my backpack all the time either.

If it's not a combat asset, then most DMs won't put it at risk from combat.

It might get kidnapped (if the DM runs out of princesses).

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Warbeast requires Medium+, also, an Awakened Lizard is ECL 0 despite its potential RHD as set by a dragon magazine. A Titanic Dungeonbred Magebred War Lizard that is Awakened is technically ECL 0 because of that article.

Size is easily manipulatable, so getting a Medium lizard is fairly easy if you have some spellcasting resources available. Plus, it could be a dire iguana.

...Why isn't "dire animal" a template, again? I mean, it'd be better to stat up a large number of animals, then just toss a template onto them as needed. Who doesn't want a dire chinchilla or a dire dachshund?

Also, Extra Familiar has no requirements, it just gives you a familiar so no need for the CL that Obtain Familiar asks for.

...Huh. That's very odd.

[eyebreaker7]

Size is easily manipulatable, so getting a Medium lizard is fairly easy if you have some spellcasting resources available. Plus, it could be a dire iguana

A medium or dire Iguana would look a bit much trying to ride on my shoulder or sitting on my head like a mohawk :P

Warbeast requires Medium+, also, an Awakened Lizard is ECL 0 despite its potential RHD as set by a dragon magazine. A Titanic Dungeonbred Magebred War Lizard that is Awakened is technically ECL 0 because of that article.

More reasonably, Wild Cohort. If you are a gnome, you can still get the old version of Animal Friendship via Animal Friends feat. The old Animal Friendship allows for Awakening your friends even if they exceed your normal limit and can let you train them up to the limit beforehand, total max 4HD, not great but not instadeath from a mook. If you want to keep him as a ‘pet’ you could ‘roll’ low on his Int and or give him two Pathetic Intellect flaws when Awakened and just go Barbarian levels, would suggest the Dex variant personally.

Also, Extra Familiar has no requirements, it just gives you a familiar so no need for the CL that Obtain Familiar asks for.

Is there really a Titanic Dungeonbred Magebred War Lizard? Maybe for a mount?

Extra familiar says "You have an additional familiar.
Benefit: By taking this feat you get an additional animal familiar. This familiar can be the same type of animal as your first, or a different type"

Wouldn't that mean you have to have at least one familiar to begin with? If not sweet!

[MaxiDuRaritry]

A medium or dire Iguana would look a bit much trying to ride on my shoulder or sitting on my head like a mohawk :P

Depends entirely on your size, dunnit?

If you're high level, make yourself Large sized, get an awakened titanic magebred warbeast iguana, and shrink it down via the A&EG's shrink collar, so it keeps all its stats but is Small sized. Then retrain all of those HD to psion levels...

[eyebreaker7]

Depends entirely on your size, dunnit?

If you're high level, make yourself Large sized, get an awakened titanic magebred warbeast iguana, and shrink it down via the A&EG's shrink collar, so it keeps all its stats but is Small sized. Then retrain all of those HD to psion levels...

Not high level. Just working on a 5th level half-dragon (not sure what the other half will be) paladin using a megaraptor as his special steed. Going by the "Cleft Lord" pic on deviantart by WilloBrien. I had the pic up from my photobucket pics but there's a bunch of my pics "unavailable". Not sure why. Maybe copywrite? Except for this last one I've had the others up for a while.


" titanic magebred warbeast iguana"??? Really? How would I get one/make one? I'd sure use it as a mount and still get a little guy for a pet/familiar/companion/whatever.

"A&EG's" ??? What does that stand for?


Does a Psion have a primary ability score to worry about? I don't see mention of one except for Int giving bonus psi points/day.

[Ruethgar]

Warbeast gives a price for their kind, so 1975g for a Magebred Titanic Dungeonbred War Iguana.

[eyebreaker7]

Warbeast gives a price for their kind, so 1975g for a Magebred Titanic Dungeonbred War Iguana.

That's it? Just 1975 gp? Where can I find the info to make such a creature?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Not high level. Just working on a 5th level half-dragon (not sure what the other half will be) paladin using a megaraptor as his special steed. Going by the "Cleft Lord" pic on deviantart by WilloBrien. I had the pic up from my photobucket pics but there's a bunch of my pics "unavailable". Not sure why. Maybe copywrite? Except for this last one I've had the others up for a while.

How about a dragonborn warforged with a breath weapon? I'd suggest wings, but you're using a mount. Dragonborn megaraptor with the wings option?

Warforged only lose their body plating and their slam attack; everything else you keep, because their abilities are based mainly around their [Living Construct] subtype, which you keep.

" titanic magebred warbeast iguana"??? Really? How would I get one/make one? I'd sure use it as a mount and still get a little guy for a pet/familiar/companion/whatever.

MMII has the rules for both warbeast and titanic. They're in the back. I believe the magebred template is in the Eberron Campaign Setting? I think.

"A&EG's" ??? What does that stand for?

Arms & Equipment Guide.

Does a Psion have a primary ability score to worry about? I don't see mention of one except for Int giving bonus psi points/day.

Psions are Int-based. They have good-to-great skills, they base their bonus power points on Int, their highest powers knowable are Int-based, and their DCs are based on Int.

Basically, Int > Dex = Con (depending on what you prefer) > look at your discipline skill list for the rest.

[Ruethgar]

Dungeonscape for Dungeonbred, reduces the size to Huge which isn’t great but is more manageable.

Psion is optimal because psionics do not need verbal, material, or somatic components(most of the time) and because an intensified awaken causes the beast to have 36 Int. It is arguable that because it is his natural form he can Spellcast just fine, but it is considered a grey area by some, insisting a requisite of Surrogate Spellcasting. Plus Int based spellcaster is typically Wizard, which can be cumbersome with the whole spellbook thing.