Editing Familiar (section)

===3rd Edition===

For the most part, the early 3.0 rules did a hell of a lot to fix the problems with familiars in days gone by. Rather than being a spell (which Animal Companions still were for some reason), it was simply a class feature you could do any time you had 100 gp to spend on the ritual to call up a familiar, and on top of that you don't roll random or have a chance to fail the ritual, you basically get to choose the familiar you want. This meant that you probably didn't start with a familiar at 1st level, but you certainly could acquire one cheaply soon after.

The benefits were enormously better: the familiar gave you a passive bonus to one type of roll (almost always a skill check or saving throw), or possessed some trick ability (ravens could speak, snakes had venom, etc.). Both familiar and master gained the Alertness feat when in physical contact with one another (making it easier to Listen or Spot), and the master had a 1-mile empathic link (similar to previous editions). More than this, the familiar was just plain tougher: 3.0 familiars have way more hit points, better saving throws, better AC (which improves over time), and improved evasion right out of the box at level 1. It had Hit Dice equal to the master's character level, which is useful to determine how certain spells and effects work on it (i.e. if it has enough HD, it simply ignores certain things or they affect the familiar less).

As if all that wasn't enough, though, familiars now also got something else special: they had skill ranks as normal for a normal creature of their kind, '''as well as any ranks the master had in any skills'''. This seemingly neat feature is broken by the master getting ranks of Use Magic Device... allowing a familiar to activate anything that doesn't require speaking, and allowing ravens and any other talking familiars (like almost everything you can get with Improved Familiar) to activate scrolls, wands, etc.

But wait, it gets better. In addition to all this, your familiar also gets higher Intelligence and additional special abilities as you level up. It can deliver touch spells, speak with the master and/or animals of its kind, gets spell resistance, and you could even eventually scry on the familiar once/day. The 3.5 update made familiars even better: they could now share spells, meaning that a caster who used ''mage armor'' or ''polymorph'' could choose to have it cast on the familiar as well, for free, straight up. I'll give you slower folks a moment to realize the implications of this as you realize that, yes, your little kitty cat familiar could now potentially turn into a griffon for a short time.

Now, you may be smirking about what the drawbacks of a 3rd edition familiar are. Well, this is it: you lose 200 XP per level, half that if you make a Fort DC 15 save (and you can't go under 0 XP). That's literally all you suffer. So basically if your familiar dies, you sort of stunt your progress a bit, but this happened in 3rd Edition if you made magic items, cast (''limited'') ''wish'', etc., so it was a semi-negligible drawback even back then. You don't lose Constitution or permanent hit point, you don't die, you just fry your brain a bit and have to relearn some stuff.

Acquiring a special familiar was no longer either a matter of luck or DM fiat: you bought a feat called Improved Familiar, and selected a new and improved familiar based on certain things like alignment, caster level, race, Base Attack Bonus. (No shit on that last one: if you had a high enough attack bonus, you could acquire a hippogriff or a fucking hellhound familiar.) Later sourcebooks and Dragon articles went from an already impressive list to a fuckhuge cyclopedia of familiars, including extraplanar buddies like fiends and elementals.

Now, there's a healthy argument to be made for ditching your summon familiar class feature for other features out there, especially some of those found in places like Unearthed Arcana (where conjurers could ditch a familiar to get all ''summon monster'' spells cast as 1 standard action instead of a full-round action, which is Goddamn amazing). But don't worry! You, too, can cheese the shit out of this by ditching your familiar, then you trot over to Complete Arcane and get the feat Obtain Familiar once you hit CL 3rd... and now you not only have a familiar again, but you can multiclass and get prestige classes and your familiar gets even better than they would have (because your familiar only gets stronger from class levels that give you a familiar; most prestige classes do not, in fact, give you familiar advancement). Incidentally, Obtain Familiar can be used with any class that advances arcane caster level, allowing bards and even warlocks to get them.

Dragon Magazine #338 offers the interesting addition of Imbued Staffs, which replaces a living being familiar with a staff that gains various powers as the caster levels up. This includes enhancement bonuses and weapon abilities, as well as scrying on or summoning the staff at will.

Note that the Item Familiar feat in Unearthed Arcana is '''not''', in fact, a replacement of the summon familiar feature; it is a totally separate thing that anyone, even non-spellcasters, can get and benefit from. You could have both a regular living-creature familiar as well as an Item Familiar.

[[Ravenloft]] introduced a variant of the regular familiar called the ''Dread Familiar'' in this edition, which is basically a loyal but utterly evil familiar that essentially tries to act out all your dark thoughts without any concern to how this might screw you over, yet another of the many ways that the setting tried to stop you from playing a [[wizard]].

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'''3rd Edition Familiars'''
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Spells (Note that these are all based on the 3.0 rules.)
* [[http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20011209a| Animate Dead Familiar]]: Makes your dead familiar undead.
* [[http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20011109a| Elemental Familiar]]: instant duration; Turns your familiar into a tiny elemental
* [[http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20011020a| Planar Familiar]]: Turns your familiar into a Celestial/Fiendish/Axiomatic/Anarchic creature. (Weirdly its a cleric spell but it can only be cast on your own familiar, so you need to either UMD a scroll or use Limited wish.

Feats:
* Construct Familiar (#280 p62): Turns your familiar into a construct
* Extra Familiar (#280 p62): Lets you take a new familiar each time you take this feat.
* Undead Familiar (#280 p62): Turns your familiar into an undead.
* Token Familiar (#280 p62): Turns your familiar into a little item and back at will
* Shadowform Familiar (CoR p22): Turns your familiar incorporeal, Krinth only
* Stitched Flesh Familiar (LM p30): Turns your familiar into an undead
* Shadow Familiar (ToM p138): Grant you a familiar with the the dark template or give it to your already existing familiar, Need Shadowcaster 3rd level

Prestige Class:
* Alienist lvl 5 (CAr p21): Grants pseudonatural template to your familiar
* Bonded Summoner (MH p16): Replace familiar with an Elemental, starting at medium size and ending as an Elder Elemental.
* Fleshwarper (LoM p189): Change your familiar type to Aberration, and give him up to four ability.
* Fiend-Blooded (HH p102): Grants fiendish templates to your familiar.
* Nar Demonbinder (UE p25): Grants an Imp or a Quasit familiar as with the improved familiar feat.
* Arcane Hierophant (RoTW p108): Grant the ability of a familiar to your animal companion.
* Spell Sovereign (Dragon Magazine #357): Allows you to take a Living Spell as your familiar.

Also, the [[Dread Necromancer]] (HH p84) gain a familiar at 7th level from the following list: Imp, Quasit, Vargouille or Ghostly Visage (a [[Fiend Folio]] creature).

;Standard 3e Familiars
::Player's Handbook Familiars
* Bat (+3 on Listen checks)
* Cat (+3 on Move Silently Checks)
* Hawk (+3 on Spot Checks in bright light)
* Lizard (+3 on Climb Checks)
* Owl (+3 on Spot Checks in Shadow)
* Rat (+2 on Fortitude Saves)
* Raven (+3 on Appraise Checks, can speak 1 language)
* Tiny Viper Snake (+3 on Bluff Checks)
* Toad (+3 on hit points)
* Weasel (+2 on Reflex Saves)
::Dungeon Master's Guide Familiars
:::Tiny or Smaller Masters Only
* Ferret (+2 on Reflex Saves)
* Hedgehog (+1 to Natural Armor)
* Mouse (+2 on Move Silently Checks)
* Screech Owl (+2 on Move Silently Checks)
* Thrush (Speaks 1 Language)
:::Huge or Bigger Masters Only
* Dire Rat (+2 on Fortitude Saves)
* Leopard (+2 on Move Silently Checks)
* Monitor Lizard (+3 on Hit Points)
* Medium Owl (+2 on Move Silently Checks)
* Wolverine (+2 on Reflex Saves)
::Sandstorm Familiars
* Horned Lizard (+2 on Will Saves)
::Stormwrack Familiars
* Albatross (+1 on Spot Checks)
* Eel (+3 on Escape Artist Checks)
* Fish Owl (+3 on Spot Checks in Shadow)
* Octopus (+3 on Grapple Checks)
* Parrot (+3 on Appraise Checks, can speak 1 language)
* Sea Snake (+3 on Bluff Checks)
::Frostburn Familiars
* Arctic Fox (+3 on Move Silently Checks)
* Gyrfalcon (+3 on Spot checks)
* Lemming (+2 on Listen and Spot Checks)
* Snowy Owl (+3 on Move Silently Checks)
* Penguin (+2 on Fortitude Saves)
* Puffing (+3 on Survival Checks)
::Dragon Magic Familiars
* Huitzil (+3 on Sleight of Hand Checks)
::Serpent Kingdoms Familiars (requires [[Yuan-ti]] race)
* Dung Snake (+3 on Bluff Checks)
* Reed Snake (+3 on Bluff Checks)
* Sewerm (+3 on Bluff Checks)
::Monsters of Faerun Familiars
* Hairy Spider (no bonuses)
::Dragon Magazine Familiars
* Compsognathus (#318, +3 on Hide Checks)
* Ramphorhynchus (#318, +3 on Initiative Checks)
* Critic Lizard (#319, +2 on Reflex Saves)
* Floater (#319, +3 on Sense Motive checks)
* Speckled Hurrum (#319, +3 on Diplomacy Checks)
* Jankx (#319, +3 on Listen Checks)
* Kes'trekel (#319, +2 on Fortitude Saves)
* Mulworm (#319, +3 Hit Points)
* Ramphor (#319, +3 on Spot Checks)
* Z'tal (#319, +3 on Intimidate Checks)
* Turtle (#323, Optionally Abjurer Only, +1 AC when prone or behind cover)
* Hummingbird (#323, Optionally Conjurers Only, +4 on Initiative checks)
* Fly (#323, Optionally Diviners Only, +3 on Gather Information Checks)
* Mink (#323, Optionally Enchanters Only, +3 on Diplomacy Checks)
* Spider (#323, Optionally Evokers Only, +3 on Sleight of Hand Checks)
* Fox (#323, Optionally Illusionists Only, +2 on Will saves)
* Vulture (#323, Optionally Necromancers Only, +4 on Fortitude Saves vs Disease)
* Caterpillar (#323, Optionally Transmuters Only, +3 on Disguise checks, at 5th level can be changed into a Butterfly or Moth to grant +3 on Spellcraft Checks instead)
* Chameleon (#341, +3 on Disguise checks)
* Crow (#341, +2 on Fortitude saves)
* Dark Chanting Goshawk (#341, +2 on Will saves)
* Dog (#341, +3 on Sense Motives checks)
* Flying Fox (#341, +3 on Sleight of Hand Checks)
* Iguana (#341, +3 on Climb checks)
* Monkey (#341, +3 on Tumble checks)
* Night Lizard (#341, +3 on Hide checks)
* Platypus (#341, +3 on Swim checks)
* Rabbit (#341, +3 on Listen checks)
* Squirrel (#341, +3 on Jump checks)
* Vampire Bat (#341, no bonuses)
* Badger (#352, +3 on Knowledge (Arcana) checks)
* Badger (#277, 3.0 rules, +2 on Will saves)
* Chipmunk (#277, 3.0 rules, +2 on Reflex saves)
* Dog (#277, 3.0 rules, +2 on Sense Motive checks)
* Eagle (#277, 3.0 rules, no bonus)
* Groundhog (#277, 3.0 rules, +2 on Fortitude saves)
* Lizard (#277, 3.0 rules, +2 on Climb checks)
* Monkey (#277, 3.0 rules, +2 on Pic Pockets checks)
* Otter (#277, 3.0 rules, +2 on Swim checks)
* Small Constrictor Snake (#277, 3.0 rules, No Bonus)
* Bird (#280, 3.0 rules, variable bonus)
* Dog (#280, 3.0 rules, +2 on Sense Motive checks)
* Fox (#280, 3.0 rules, +2 on Reflex saves)
* Hare (#280, 3.0 rules, +2 on Listen checks)
* Lizard (#280, 3.0 rules, +2 on Climb checks)
* Mouse (#280, 3.0 rules, +2 on Hide checks)
* Otter (#280, 3.0 rules, +2 on Swim checks)
* Raccoon (#280, 3.0 rules, +2 on Pick Pockets checks)
* Skunk (#280, 3.0 rules, musk attack 1/day - master is immune)
* Squirrel (#280, 3.0 rules, +2 on reflex saves)
* Golden the Clockwork Cat (#299, 3.0 rules, as Cat but has Construct type)

;Improved 3e Familiars
::Dungeon Master's Guide Familiars
* Shocker Lizard (Neutral Alignment, 5th level)
* Stirge (Neutral Alignment, 5th level)
* [[Formian]] Worker (Lawful Neutral Alignment, 7th level)
* [[Imp]] (Lawful Evil Alignment, 7th level)
* [[Pseudodragon]] (Neutral Good Alignment, 7th level)
* [[Quasit]] (Chaotic Evil Alignment, 7th level)
* Celestial Template Standard Familiar (3rd level)
* Fiendish Template Standard Familiar (3rd level)
* Small Air/Earth/Fire/Water Elemental (5th level)
* Homunculus (7th level)
* Ice Mephit (7th level)
::Complete Warrior Familiars
* Krenshar (Any Alignment, 3rd level)
* Worg (Any Non-Good Alignment, 3rd level)
* Blink Dog (Any Non-Chaotic AND Non-Evil Alignment, 5th level)
* Hell Hound (Any Non-Chaotic AND Non-Good Alignment, 5th level)
* [[Hippogriff]] (Any Alignment, 7th level)
* Howler (Any Non-Lawful AND Non-Good Alignment, 7th level)
* Winter Wolf (Any Non-Good Alignment, 7th level)
* Spark Guardian (7th level, Craft Construct, Spells: Lightning Bolt, Locate Creature, Minor Creation)
* Gauntlet Guardian (9th level, Craft Construct, Spells: Fabricate, Locate Creature, Stone Shape)
* Blade Guardian (11th level, Craft Construct, Spells: Fabricate, Locate Creature, Tenser's Transformation)
::Complete Scoundrel Familiars
* Small Monstrous Centipede (Neutral Alignment, 2nd level)
* Badger (Neutral Alignment, 3rd level)
* Small Monstrous Scorpion (Neutral Alignment, 3rd level)
* Medium Viper (Neutral Alignment, 3rd level)
* Small Monstrous Spider (Neutral Alignment, 4th level)
* Vargouille (Neutral Evil Alignment, 6th level)
* [[Mephit]], Any (Neutral Alignment, 7th level)
::Supplementary Monster Manual Familiars
* Fire Bat (Any Alignment, 15th level, MMII)
* Clockwork Mender (Any Lawful Alignment, 5th level, MMIV)
* Sailsnake (Any Alignment, 5th level, MMIV)
* Gem Scarab (Any Alignment, 5th level, MMV)
* Tirbana Eyewing (Lawful Neutral OR Lawful Evil Alignment, 5th level, MMV)
::[[Forgotten Realms]] Campaign Setting Familiars
* Eyeball Beholderkin (Any Non-Good Alignment, 5th level)
* Night Hunter Bat (Any Non-Good Alignment, 5th level)
::Players Guide to Faerun Familiars
* Deathfang (Any Non-Good Alignment, 9th level)
* Flying Snake (Any Alignment, 3rd level)
* Spitting Crawler Lizard (Any Alignment, 3rd level)
* Lynx (Any Alignment, 3rd level)
* Osquip (Any Non-Good Alignment, 5th level)
* Tressym (Any Non-Evil Alignment, 5th level)
::[[Serpent Kingdoms]] Familiars
* Jaculi (Any Non-Lawful AND Non-Good Alignment, 5th level)
* Mlarraun (Any Alignment, 5th level)
* Muckdweller (Any Non-Chaotic AND Non-Good Alignment, 5th level)
* Glacier Snake (Any Alignment, 3rd level)
* Tree Python (Any Alignment, 3rd level)
* Whipsnake (Any Non-Lawful AND Non-Good Alignment, 3rd level)
::[[Shining South]] Familiars
* Beguiler (Any Alignment, 7th level)
* Starsnake (Any Alignment, 12th level)
::City of Splendors: Waterdeep Familiars
* Watchspider (Any Alignment, 3rd level)
::Book of Exalted Deeds Familiars
* Celestial Standard Familiar (Any Good Alignment, 3rd level)
* Couere [[Eladrin]] (Chaotic Good Alignment, 7th level)
* Lantern [[Archon]] (Lawful Good Alignment, 7th level)
* Musteval [[Guardinal]] (Neutral Good Alignment, 7th level)
::Planar Handbook Familiars
* Celestial Template Standard Familiar (3rd level)
* Fiendish Template Standard Familiar (3rd level)
* Anarchic Template Standard Familiar (3rd level)
* Axiomatic Template Standard Familiar (3rd level)
* Small Elemental (Any Alignment, 5thth level)
* [[Imp]] (Any Non-Chaotic AND Non-Good Alignment, 7th level)
* Lantern [[Archon]] (Any Non-Chaotic AND Non-Evil Alignment, 7th level)
* [[Mephit]] (Any Alignment, 7th level)
* [[Quasit]] (Any Non-Lawful AND Non-Good Alignment, 7th level)
::Dragon Wyrmling Familiars (Draconomicon)
* White (Neutral/Chaotic Neutral/Neutral Evil Alignment, 7th level)
* Black (Neutral/Neutral Evil/Chaotic Evil Alignment, 8th level)
* Brsss (Neutral Good/Chaotic Good/Chaotic Neutral Alignment, 9th level)
* Green (Neutral/Lawful Evil/Neutral Evil Alignment, 9th level)
* Copper (Chaotic Good/Neutral/Chaotic Neutral Alignment, 10th level)
* Blue (Lawful Neutral/Lawful Evil/Neutral Evil Alignment, 10th level)
* Bronze (Lawful Good/Lawful Neutral/Neutral Alignment, 11th level)
* Red (Chaotic Neutral/Chaotic Evil/Neutral Evil Alignment, 12th level)
* Silver (Lawful Good/Lawful Neutral/Neutral Alignment, 12th level)
* Gold (Lawful Good/Neutral Good/Lawful Neutral Alignment, 14th level)
::Dragon Magazine Familiars
* Spider Swarm (#329, Any Alignment, 3rd level)
* Bat Swarm (#329, Any Alignment, 5th level)
* Rat Swarm (#329, Any Alignment, 5th level)
* Locust Swarm (#329, Any Alignment, 7th level)
* Bone Rat Swarm (#329, Any Non-Good Alignment, 9th level)
* Centipede Swarm (#329, Any Alignment, 9th level)
* Corpse Rat Swarm (#329, Any Non-Good Alignment, 11th level)
* Emphemeral Swarm (#329, Any Non-Lawful AND Non-Good Alignment, 11th level)
* Swamp Strider Swarm (#329, Any Alignment, 11th level)
* Bloodmote Swarm (#329, Any Non-Good Alignment, 13th level)
* Dread Bloom Swarm (#329, Any Alignment, 13th level)
* Needletooth Swarm (#329, Any Alignment, 13th level)
* Hellwasp Swarm (#329, Any Non-Chaotic AND Non-Good Alignment, 16th level)
* Shimmerling Swarm (#329, Any Non-Lawful Alignment, 16th level)
* Brood Keeper Larva Swarm (#329, Any Alignment, 19th level)
* Choleric Imp (#338, Neutral Evil Alignment, 7th level)
* Melancholic Imp (#338, Neutral Evil Alignment, 7th level)
* Phlegmatic Imp(#338, Neutral Evil Alignment, 7th level)
* Sanguine Imp (#338, Neutral Evil Alignment, 7th level)
* Copper Asp (#341, Any Alignment, 3rd level, Craft Construct, Spells: Animate Rope, Melf's Acid Arrow)
* Razor Hawk (#341, Any Alignment, 3rd level, Craft Construct, Spells: Gust of Wind)
* Crystal Cat (#341, Any Alignment, 5th level, Craft Construct, Spells: Invisibility, Keen Edge)
* Glass Dragonfly (#341, Any Alignment, 5th level, Craft Construct, Spells: Colour Spray, Fly)
* Salvage Rat (#341, Any Alignment, 5th level, Craft Construct, Spells: Acid Splash, Shatter)
* Erudite Owl (#341, Any Alignment, 7th level, Craft Construct, Spells: Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Fly)
* Mercurial Spider (#341, Any Alignment, 7th level, Craft Construct, Spells: Polymorph, Spider Climb)
* Great Horned Owl (#341, Any Alignment, 3rd level)
* King Cobra (#341, Any Alignment, 3rd level)
* Small Paraelemental (#347, Any Alignment, 5th level)
* Monodrone (#354, Any Lawful Alignment, 5th level)
* Shadovig (#299, Neutral Evil Alignment, 3rd level? 3.0 rules)
* Cloaker (#322, Any Non-Lawful Alignment, 14th level)
* Dark Creeper (#322, Any Non-Lawful Alignment, 10th level)
* Darkenbeast (#322, Any Non-Good Alignment, 12th level)
* Small Darkness Pseudo-Elemental (#322, Any Non-Good Alignment, 7th level)
* Night Hunter Bat (#322, Any Non-Good Alignment, 5th level)
* Sinister Bat (#322, Any Non-Chaotic Alignment, 8th level)
* Shadow (#322, Any Non-Lawful AND Non-Good Alignment, 9th level)
* Shadow Asp (#322, Any Alignment, 6th level)
* Shadow Mastiff (#322, Any Non-Good Alignment, 14th level)
* Wraith (#322, Any Non-Lawful AND Non-Good Alignment, 14th level)
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