Community

My bet is that a familar is going to be just like the Iron Kingdoms Arc Node. Only instead of being mounted on a mighty Warjack (A steam powered Golem) it is a little house cat, or rat. So you can extend your spells range by bouncing it threw your familar but that's about it.

Heck I might just throw that out right away as a rule. Familiars are living magic items created by Wizards! They are created with a ritual
"Create Familar Ritual"

You infuse the cat you bought with a bit of your own soul.
Level: 1
Category: Creation
Time: 1 x hour
Duration: Permanent
Component Cost: 180 x gp
Market Price: 50 x gp
Key Skill: Arcana (no check)

"Familiar 1 x "]
A magic infused pet, that acts as a spell relay for it's master
lvl 1 x 360gp
Item Slot: None
Effect: When casting a spell, the range to target and the like can be measured from the familiar. Apply all bonuses from implements that the caster would normally receive. The caster must be able to see both the familiar and the intended target.

The familiar is able to take a move action each round with a speed of 7 x , but does not attack. The familiar also grants a +2 item bonus to Perception representing the familiar assisting it's master. A familiar has an ac and defenses equal to those of it's master +2. A familiar has the Minion rules for HP.

someone had a neat idea of Familiars as a type of Impliment

AndrewH wrote:

Minion rules for HP? You'd be blowing through 180gc each battle enchanting new cats. At least let the little bugger revive after being KOed in combat instead of being used to restring the ranger's bow.

I had thought of giving it a amount of hit points, but then again, really after all it is just a wizard minion. And with the higher defenses it should last more than just one battle. Though I will have to change that perception bonus to item, after all you can have more than one of them at once.

That would be awesome. Although thanks to this thread I have a sudden desire for a dodo familiar. Maybe if we ever play as giants...

Team up with another player, so that one of you is the wizard and the other is the familiar.

The player that is the familiar chooses the druid class and uses the wild shape ability to take the form of the wizard's familiar on a near-permanent basis.

pros:
- legal under current rules
- familiar is as powerful as other characters, so not likely to be wiped out easily
- talking to the familiar is via talking to another player, so neither of you will get bored
- two characters controlled by two players, so no-one gets more actions than other players
- if absolutely necessary, the familiar can always shift back to humanoid form to operate doorknobs, etc