Familiar

• Type of feat: Class
• Prerequisite: Wizard or sorcerer
• Required for: Improved Familiar
• Specifics: A character with this feat may summon a familiar once per day. A familiar is a magical beast that resembles a small animal and is unusually tough and intelligent. The creature serves as a companion and servant. Familiars retain the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonus, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was, but they gain various bonuses as a result of their bond with their master.

Familiar Basics

Hit Points

The familiar has one-half the master's total hit points (not including temporary hit points), rounded down, unless its own total hit points are higher.

Saving Throws

For each saving throw, the familiar uses its own base save bonus or the master's, whichever is greater.

Skills

For each skill, the familiar uses its own skill ranks or the master's, whichever is better. Regardless of a familiar's total skill modifiers, some skills may remain beyond the familiar's ability, such as skills requiring fine motor skills beyond what a paw is capable of.

Familiar Abilities

Natural Armor Bonus

Familiars have higher AC than normal animals of their type. +1 Natural AC at level 1, +1 per two levels to a maximum of +15 Natural AC at level 30.

Intelligence

Familiars are smarter than normal creatures of their type. All familiars start at a minimum of 6 Intelligence and receive one additional point of Intelligence at every level (maximum of 20 at level 30). If a familiar naturally has higher than 6 Intelligence, it uses its base score until the master is of a high-enough level to surpass it.

Bonus Feats

All familiars receive the Alertness, Improved Evasion, Empathic Link, and Deliver Touch Spells feats at level 1, the Speak with Master feat at level 5, the Speak with Like Kind feat at level 7, the Spell Resistance feat at level 11 (SR = familiar level +5, starts at 16, ends at 34), and the Scry on Familiar feat at level 13. The details for these feats are provided on the familiar's character sheet once the master has reached the appropriate level.

If the familiar dies, the character suffers 1d6 damage, but may summon the familiar again on the following day.

• Use: Selected.

Magical Beast Properties

Darkvision

Vermin Properties

Immunity to mind-affecting spells

Undead Properties

Immunity to disease, critical hits, death magic, level/ability drain, mind-affecting spells, paralysis, poison, sneak attack

Outsider Properties

Darkvision

Elemental Properties

Immunity to disease, critical hits, mind-affecting spells, paralysis, poison, sneak attack, knockdown. Fire elemental also gains immunity to fire and vulnerability to cold. Water elemental gains immunity to fire

Dragon Properties

Immunity to paralysis and mind-affecting spells

Darkvision

Aberration Properties

Immunity to mind-affecting spells

Incorporeal Undead Properties

Undead properties plus Turn Resistance 2 and DR 10/magic weapons (+1)

If a familiar is Lawful or Chaotic, the character may only select that familiar if their alignment is Lawful/Chaotic or Neutral on the Law-Chaos scale. If a familiar is Good or Evil, they may only select that familiar if their alignment is Good/Evil or Neutral on the Good-Evil scale. For example, a pseudodragon (Chaotic Good) can be selected by Chaotic Good, Neutral Good, Chaotic Neutral, or Neutral characters, while a Vargouille (Neutral Evil) can be selected by characters of any Evil or any Neutral alignment, but not by characters of Good alignments.

Characters must have Spell Focus Necromancy or the Undeath domain to select a stitched flesh familiar, Spell Focus Transmutation to select a homunculus familiar, or Spell Focus Illusion or the Darkness or Illusion domains to select a shadow or shadow mastiff familiar. Characters with at least 1 level of Shadow Adept or 3 levels of Shadow Dancer can also select shadow familiars (but not shadow mastiffs), even if they don't have Spell Focus Illusion or an appropriate domain.

Gameplay Notes

List of Familiars

• Bat: Master gains +3 to Listen checks.
• Beetle: Master gains +1 hit point per level.
• Cat: Master gains +2 to move silently and hide checks.
• Chicken: Master gains +1 hit point per level.
• Hawk: Master gains +3 to Listen checks.
• Pig: Master gains +3 to diplomacy checks.
• Rabbit: Master gains +1 bonus to all saves.
• Raven: Master gains +3 to diplomacy checks. Ravens also gain the Language feat.
• Rat: Master gains +2 to fortitude saves.
• Snake: Master gains +3 to bluff checks.
• Spider: Master gains +3 to bluff checks. Other types of spiders are available with Bind Familiar.
• Weasel: Master gains +2 to reflex saves.

Bat (Magical Beast) Damage: 1d2 AC: 15 at 1, 29 at 30 HP: 5 at 1, 145 at 30 Abilities: Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Intelligence 6, Wisdom 14, Charisma 4 Feats: Familiar feats, Darkvision, Blindsense Skills: Hide 14, Listen 8, Move Silently 6, Spot 8

Beetle (Vermin) Damage: 1d2 AC: 16 at 1, 30 at 30 HP: 6 at 1, 174 at 30 Abilities: Str 1, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 7 Feats: Familiar feats, Weapon Finesse, Darkvision Skills: Hide 25, Spot 15

Cat (Magical Beast) Damage: 1d3 AC: 15 at 1, 29 at 30 HP: 5 at 1, 145 at 30 Abilities: Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 7 Feats: Familiar feats, Weapon Finesse, Darkvision Skills: Hide 14, Listen 3, Move Silently 6, Spot 3

Chicken (Magical Beast) Damage: 1d3 AC: 15 at 1, 29 at 30 HP: 5 at 1, 145 at 30 Abilities: Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 6 Feats: Familiar feats, Weapon Finesse, Darkvision, Improved Initiative Skills: Listen 3, Spot 5

Hawk (Magical Beast) Damage: 1d4 AC: 18 at 1, 32 at 30 HP: 5 at 1, 145 at 30 Abilities: Str 6, Dex 17, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 6 Feats: Familiar feats, Weapon Finesse, Darkvision Skills: Listen 2, Spot 14

Pig (Magical Beast) Damage: 1d2 AC: 17 at 1, 31 at 30 HP: 8 at 1, 232 at 30 Abilities: Str 15, Dex 10, Con 17, Int 6, Wis 13, Cha 4 Feats: Familiar feats, Darkvision Skills: Listen 7, Spot 5

Rabbit (Magical Beast) Damage: 1d2 AC: 15 at 1, 29 at 30 HP: 5 at 1, 145 at 30 Abilities: Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 3 Feats: Familiar feats, Weapon Finesse, Darkvision, Dash Skills: Hide 14, Listen 8, Move Silently 6

Rat (Magical Beast) Damage: 1d3 AC: 15 at 1, 29 at 30 HP: 5 at 1, 145 at 30 Abilities: Str 2, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 2 Feats: Familiar feats, Weapon Finesse, Darkvision Skills: Hide 14, Move Silently 10

Raven (Magical Beast) Damage: 1d2 AC: 15 at 1, 29 at 30 HP: 5 at 1, 145 at 30 Abilities: Str 1, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 6 Feats: Familiar feats, Weapon Finesse, Darkvision, Familiar Ability: Language Skills: Listen 5, Spot 7

Snake (Magical Beast) Damage: 1d2, DC14 1d2 Constitution damage AC: 18 at 1, 32 at 30 HP: 5 at 1, 145 at 30 Abilities: Str 4, Dex 17, Con 11, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 2 Feats: Familiar feats, Weapon Finesse, Darkvision Skills: Hide 15, Listen 6, Spot 6

Spiders, all (Vermin) Damage: 1d2, DC14 1d2 Dexterity damage AC: 20 at 1, 34 at 30 HP: 4 at 1, 116 at 30 Abilities: Str 1, Dex 14, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 10, Cha 2 Feats: Familiar feats, Weapon Finesse, Darkvision Skills: Hide 25, Spot 15

Weasel (Magical Beast) Damage: 1d3 AC: 15 at 1, 29 at 30 HP: 5 at 1, 145 at 30 Abilities: Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 6, Wis 12, Cha 5 Feats: Familiar feats, Weapon Finesse, Darkvision Skills: Hide 11, Move Silently 8, Spot 3