Familiars

Familiars are spirits that assist in all forms of magery, from research to potion brewing to spellcasting and the creation of powerfully enchanted items.  A familiar most commonly takes the form of an animal although experienced wizards can acquire more powerful creatures as servitors.  But, if you look at the Player’s Handbook, this is not what familars actually do and it has bothered me for a long time.  As presented, the familiar is a poor combatant (in 3e and 3.5e with a staggering number of hip points) that provides bonuses to non-magical skills, saving throws, or maybe some bonus health for its master.  With that in mind, I sat down and began working on something that I felt was a little more in keeping with the lore associated with the mythological version of the familiar.

”Familiar” is an acquired template that can be added to any Small or smaller Animal or Vermin with 1 HD or less (hereafter referred to as the base creature).  A familiar uses all of the base creature’s statistics and special abilities except as noted here. 

Size and Type: If the creature’s type is Animal or Vermin, it changes to Magical Beast.  Otherwise it remains unchanged.  Do not recalculate base attack bonus, saves or skill points.  Size remains unchanged.

Hit Dice: A familiar gains maximum hit points for its first Hit Die and rolls normally for all remaining HD.  The creature gains +1 hp per its master’s caster level.

Armor Class: The familiar’s improves by +1 for every two caster levels its master has (the bonus type is assigned by the master and can be divided between Natural, Luck, Dodge or Insight).

Attack: A familiar retains all of the attacks of the base creature but uses its master’s base attack bonus.

Special Qualities: Improved Evasion, Perfect Recall, Share Spells, Sight Beyond Sight, Skill bonus, Speech

Improved Evasion (Ex): As described in the Player’s Handbook

Perfect Recall (Ex): A familiar has the ability to remember a single scene perfectly, in exhaustive detail, not forgetting it until he chooses to.  This is a “frozen moment,” chosen by silent act of will, of something he sees.  It retains the focus, field of view, and lighting conditions of the viewing.  It can hold one memory per master’s caster level.  These scenes can be retained indefinitely, vanishing only upon death, retaining a new memory in the place of an old one, the physical loss of the brain, or as the result of certain spell/psionic attacks.

Share Spells: As described in the Player’s Handbook

Sight Beyond Sight (Su): A wizard can see through his familiar’s eyes.  This ability works at a range of up to 1 mile plus ½ mile per 2 caster levels and lasts for as long as the wizard concentrates.

Skill Bonus: A familiar grants its master a +2 circumstance bonus to all Knowledge (Arcana) and Spellcraft checks if within arms’ reach.

Speech (Su): A familiar can communicate via speech in its master’s native tongue.

Saves: A familiar uses its master’s base saves.

Abilities: Roll 4d6 and drop lowest die to determine Intelligence (new result cannot be less than the base creature’s Intelligence score), Wis +2, Cha +2

Skills: As base creature, plus (2 + Int bonus) per master’s caster level.  The familiar adds its master’s Class skills to the list of skills (the master’s level determines maximum ranks in a skill) it can choose from (some skills, such as Craft, may be unusable by the familiar).

Feats: A familiar gains 1 bonus feat for every three caster levels its master has.

Advancement: Once a creature acquires the Familiar template, it can only advance in terms of its master.  If the familiar's master dies, the familiar loses this template and reverts to being a normal member of its species.  Because it is a spirit inhabiting a corporeal host, a familiar is exceedingly difficult to kill.  If a familiar’s host body is killed, the familiar’s spirit will seek out a replacement vessel (range of one mile per master’s caster level).  The criterion for choosing a new body is same species, then same classification (amphibian, bird, mammal, reptile, etc) if the same species is not available, and then the same type (animal, magical beast, etc). A familiar has 1 minute/master’s caster level to find a new host or it will dissipate, returning to the plane the spirit originated from. If this occurs, then the familiar’s master must attempt a Fortitude save (DC15) or lose 200 Xp/class level.

Improved Familiar (General)

You can acquire more powerful familiars.

Benefit: Choose a creature type (Aberration, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Magical Beast, Outsider, or Vermin) and add it to the list of eligible base creatures you can select as a familiar.  The base HD of the familiar can be equal to up to ¼ of the master’s caster level or less.  Dragons, Fey, and Outsiders in particular are disinclined to serve as familiars and will not serve a spellcaster of less than 10th level.  Additionally, no familiar will serve a Master with a lower Intelligence score than its own.

Special: You can gain this feat multiple times. Its effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to a new creature type.