34 replies to this topic

[Cantrip]

A mage has the Summon Familar innate, and can use it once/day. After the Familiar has been summoned, it stays as long as it is unsummoned, killed, or the mage rests. Either way, it can be summoned the next day without any problems. The mage won't lose any hitpoints or anything else if the familiar dies, but it cannot be re-summoned until rest.
The familiar gains new levels as the mage levels up, but their progression in HP and anything else is much slower/weaker compared to that of their masters.

Acutally, in NWN, the familiar stays if you rest, that way you get to keep your innate ability, so if it dies that day, you can resummon it.
You also take some damage (1d6?) if it dies...

I have no idea how its like in actual D&D...

[Andyr]

In D&D, the familiar improves with levels in a similar way to NWN. Though it doesn't gain actual levels, it gets some abilities (e.g. being able to deliver touch spells for you) and gets bonuses to natural armour and INT. Their HP equal half of the character's.

If it dies you cannot get another one for a year and a day, and you lose XP.

EDIT: These are the 3E rules; I don't know the official 2E ones.

Edited by Andyr, 24 March 2005 - 03:43 PM.

[Caedwyr]

2nd edition says that if the familiar dies, the wizard must immediately roll against system shock, and die if they fail. Even if they survive the check they still lose 1 point of constitution permanantly.

[T.G.Maestro]

2nd edition says that if the familiar dies, the wizard must immediately roll against system shock, and die if they fail.

Thats nonsense, if you ask me. Why should a great archmage die because of the loss of his familar? If it would be the opposite, I'd say it's ok.

[Andyr]

Because the familiar and master are bonded.

[Caedwyr]

Why does the wizard get bonus hitpoints when they have a familiar? Because they are bonded and share part of their lifeforce. Thus, it makes sense that when the bond is broken there would be some sort of backlash through it

Edited by Caedwyr, 26 March 2005 - 09:45 AM.

[AnnabelleRose]

Andyr and Caedwyr are correct.

[hlidskialf]

Absolutely wonderful! My mod stolen I had quite a bit of work laid out on this, and now people are stealing it left and right. Oh well. You can check this forum here for the thread. It's titled something about familiar mods...



dammit. my mod. my pride and joy.

Bah! There's been dozens of familiar mods started, and even a few completed. Yet still people clamor for them. They are hardly new ideas. Yet I doubt you'd be snubbed if you finished yours and released it. Keep plugging away. :thumb:

[Aegnor]

Should I guess that the "guest" was Awake?  
If you actually are working on a fam-mod you should keep at it..
As history shows, 99% of these mods... dies under mysterious circumstances...
It is almost as if some higher power don't want it to be made...  

[SimDing0]

dammit. my mod. my pride and joy.

But what about your fame?

[T.G.Maestro]

Why does the wizard get bonus hitpoints when they have a familiar? Because they are bonded and share part of their lifeforce. Thus, it makes sense that when the bond is broken there would be some sort of backlash through

It is acceptable that "SOME SORT" of backlash happens, but killing the wizard..???
Come on, it is just hillarious that a 20th level Battle Mage dies simply because his newly summoned familiar (since this rule applies for all familiars, no matter how long it serves it's master) gets squashed...

[NiGHTMARE]

To add on to what has been said here, Dragon Magazine introduced a series of 2nd Edition spells a wizard can cast on his familiar to improve it. They must be cast in order, but all have a permanent duration.

Familiar Enhancer I (2nd level): INT raised to 1d3+4, receives an innate ability from table 1 (which includes Protection from Evil once per day and Unseen Servant once per day).

Familiar Enhancer II (3rd level): INT raised to 1d3+7, receives an innate ability from either tables 1 or 2 (the latter includes Blur twice per day and Detect Invisibility once per day).

Familiar Enhancer III (4th level): INT raised to 1d2+10, receives an innate ability from either tables 1 or 2

Familiar Enhancer IV (5th level): receives an innate ability from either tables 1, 2, or 3 (the latter includes Invisibility once per day and Mirror Image once per day).

Familiar Enhancer V (6th level): receives either two innate abilities from either tables 1 2, or one innate ability from either tables 3 or 4 (the latter includes Charm Animals once per day and Polymorph Self (to human or demi-human form) once per day).

Familiar Enhancer VI (7th level): receives either two innate abilities from table 2, or one innate ability from eithe tables 3, 4, or 5 (the latter includes Improved Invisibility once per day day and Hold Animal once per day).

Familiar Enhancer VII (8th level): receives one innate from either tables 3, 4, or 5.

Familiar Enhancer VIII (9th level): receives either two innate abilities from table 3, or one innate ability from either tables 4 or 5.


Due to the limitations of the Infinity Engine, it'd probably be easiest if such effects were simply automatically applied to the familiar when the caster reached certain levels, rather than being actual castable spells. There could obviously be a Familiar Enhancer type HLA as well.

Also, whereas in pnp the innate abilities are gained randomly rather than chosen by the caster, if this were adapted to BG2 I'd suggest the modder select which ones to grant, as it would both be easier and allow for better balancing.

Edited by NiGHTMARE, 07 April 2005 - 05:36 AM.

[T.G.Maestro]

Due to the limitations of the Infinity Engine, it'd probably be easiest if such effects were simply automatically applied to the familiar when the caster reached certain levels, rather than being actual castable spells.

Yes, I agree.

There could obviously be a Familiar Enhancer type HLA as well.

Indeed - I thought about this for v2 of Refinements, but I wanted it to be "in line" with all the other familiar-modifications in progress.