3e SRD:Familiars
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Familiars
A sorcerer or a wizard can call a familiar. Doing so takes a day and uses up magical materials that cost 100 gp. A familiar is a magical, unusually tough, and intelligent version of a small animal. It is a magical beast, not an animal. The creature serves as a companion and servant.
Even if the character is multiclassed with two or more classes that allow a familiar, only one familiar is permitted. For these kinds of multiclassed characters all the class levels in classes allowing a familiar are combined for determining the familiar’s abilities.
The master chooses the type of familiar he gets. As the master increases in level, the familiar also increases in power. In the special case of a character with both sorcerer and wizard levels, the character can add those levels together to determine the power level of the familiar.
If the familiar dies, or the master chooses to dismiss it, the master must attempt a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15). If the saving throw fails, the master loses 200 experience points per class level. A successful saving throw reduces the loss to half of that amount. However, a master's experience point total can never go below zero as the result of a familiar's demise. A slain or dismissed familiar cannot be replaced for a year and day. Slain familiars can be raised from the dead just as characters can be, but do not lose a level or a Constitution point when this happy event occurs.
These special abilities only apply when the master and familiar are within one mile of each other.
| Familiar | Special |
|---|---|
| Bat | — |
| Cat | Master gains a +2 bonus on Move Silently checks |
| Hawk | — |
| Owl | Has low-light vision; master gains a +2 bonus on Move Silently checks |
| Rat | Master gains a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves |
| Raven | Speaks one language |
| Snake (Tiny) | Poisonous bite |
| Toad | Master gains +2 to Constitution score |
| Weasel | Master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves |
Familiar Basics: Use the basic statistics for a creature of its type, but make these changes:
Hit Dice: Treat as the master's character level (for effects related to Hit Dice). Use the familiar's normal total if it is higher.
Hit Points: One-half the master's total, rounded down.
Attacks: Use the master's base attack bonus. Use the familiar's Dexterity or Strength modifier, whichever is greater, to get the familiar's melee attack bonus with unarmed attacks.
Damage equals that of a normal creature of that type.
Saving Throws: The familiar uses the master's base saving throw bonuses if they're better than the familiar's.
Skills: Use the normal skills for an animal of that type or the master's, whichever are better.
Familiar Ability Descriptions: All familiars have special abilities (or impart abilities to their masters) depending on the level of the master. The abilities are cumulative.
| Master Class Level | Natural Armor | Int | Special |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st-2nd | +1 | 6 | Alertness, improved evasion, share Spells, empathic link |
| 3rd-4th | +2 | 7 | Touch |
| 5th-6th | +3 | 8 | Speak with master |
| 7th-8th | +4 | 9 | Speak with animals of its type |
| 9th-10th | +5 | 10 | |
| 11th-12th | +6 | 11 | Spell resistance |
| 13th-14th | +7 | 12 | Scry on familiar |
| 15th-16th | +8 | 13 | |
| 17th-18th | +9 | 14 | |
| 19th-20th | +10 | 15 |
Natural Armor: This number improves the familiar's AC.
Int: The familiar's Intelligence score.
Alertness: The presence of the familiar sharpens its master's senses. While the familiar is within arm's reach, the master gains Alertness.
Improved Evasion: If the familiar is subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, the familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails. Improved evasion is an extraordinary ability.
Share Spells: At the master's option, he may have any spell he or she casts on themselves also affect a familiar. The familiar must be within 5 feet at the time.
If the spell has a duration other than instantaneous, the spell stops affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away. The spell's effect will not be restored even if the familiar returns to the master before the duration would otherwise have ended. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of "You" on a familiar (as a Touch range spell) instead.
The master and familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar's type.
Empathic Link: The master has an empathic link with the familiar out to a distance of up to one mile. The master cannot see through the familiar's eyes, but the two of them can communicate telepathically. This is a supernatural ability.
Because of the empathic link between the familiar and the master, the master has the same connection to an item or place that the familiar does. For instance, if his familiar has seen a room, a master can teleport into that room as if he has seen it too.
Touch: If the master is 3rd level or higher, the familiar can deliver touch spells for the master. When the master casts a touch spell, the familiar can be designated as the "toucher." (The master and the familiar have to be in contact at the time of casting.) The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master could. As normal, if the master casts another spell, the touch spell dissipates.
Speak with Master: The familiar and master can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication with out magical help.
Speak with Animals of Its Type: The familiar can communicate with animals of approximately the same type as itself (including dire variants). The communication is limited by the Intelligence of the conversing creatures.
Spell Resistance: If the master is 11th level or higher, the familiar gains spell resistance equal to the master's level + 5.
Scry: If the master is 13th level or higher, the master may scry on the familiar (as if casting the spell scrying) once per day. This is a spell-like ability that requires no material components or focus.
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