Tuesday, January 4, 2011

General Rules: Feats - Improved Familiar

Improved Familiar [Familiar, General]
You can acquire a new familiar from the improved familiar list, but only when you could normally acquire a new familiar.
  Prerequisites: Ability to acquire a new familiar, compatible alignment, sufficiently high arcane spellcaster level and base attack bonus (see below).
  Benefit: When choosing a familiar, the spell-caster may choose from the creatures listed on the Improved Familiar table. The spell-caster may choose a familiar with an alignment up to one step away on each of the alignment axes (lawful through chaotic, good through evil). The master's alignment is not the only possible categorization, some familiars are only available to a character of the appropriate type or subtype. Improved familiars otherwise use the normal rules for familiars with two exceptions: If the creature's type is often something other than animal. If the creature's type is something other than animal, its type does not change; and improved familiars do not gain the ability to speak with other creatures of their kind (although many of them already have the ability to communicate).

This list uses several abbreviations to show what sourcebook the entries were drawn from. For guidance as to what sourcebooks these abbreviations reference, see my key to Sourcebook Abbreviations.

Improved Familiar
Source
Alignment
Arcane Spellcaster Level
Special
Air elemental, small1
MM
Air
5th
-
Anarchic2
MotP
Chaotic only
3rd
-
Axiomatic3
MotP
Lawful only
3rd
Baboon
MM
-
5th
Master gains a +3 bonus on Intimidate checks
Bat swarm
D329
-
5th
-
Bear, black
MM
-
5th
Master gains a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves
Beguiler
ShSo
Neutral
7th
-
Beholderkin, eyeball
MosF
Neutral Evil
5th
-
Blade Guardian
CW
-
11th
-
Blink dog
MM
Lawful Good
7th, +5 BAB
-
Bloodmote cloud
D329
Neutral Evil
13th
-
Bone rat swarm
D329
Evil
9th
-
Brood keeper larva swarm
D329
Neutral
19th
-
Boar
MM
-
5th
Master gains a +3 bonus on Survival checks
Bookworm
S&S
-
3rd
Master gains Spell Mastery
Cat, tressym
FRCS
Chaotic Good
5th
-
Celestial4
MM
Good only
3rd
-
Celestial piper
S&S
Lawful Good
5th
Master gains a +2 bonus on Perform checks and one other Charisma-based skill of the master's choosing
Centipede swarm
D329
Neutral
9th
-
Choleric imp
D338
Neutral Evil only
7th
-
Clockbug
S&S
-
5th
Master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves and the duration of all spells the master casts is calculated as if the master were one level higher
Clockwork mender
MM4
Lawful only
5th
-
Copper asp
D341
-
3rd
-
Corpse rat swarm
D329
Evil
5th
-
Crocodile
MM
-
5th
Master gains a +3 bonus on Swim checks
Crystal cat
D341
-
5th
-
Deathfang
RoF
Neutral Evil
9th
-
Deremole
S&S
-
3rd
Master gains Improved Initiative
Dire bat
MM
-
5th
Master gains a +3 bonus on Listen checks
Dire rat
MM
-
3rd
Master gains a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves. Huge spellcasters may select dire rat familiars without the need for the Improved Familiar feat
Dire weasel
MM
-
5th
Master gains a +2 bonus to Reflex saves
Dog, dwarf hound
CC
-
5th
Master gains a +3 bonus on Listen checks
Dog, Elizonian battle
CC
-
3rd
Master gains a +3 bonus on Listen checks
Dread bloom swarm
D329
Neutral
13th
-
Dust devil
S&S
Air
5th
-
Eagle
MM
-
3rd
Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks. Huge spellcasters may select eagle familiars without the need for the Improved Familiar feat
Earth elemental, small5
MM
Earth
5th
-
Eel, reef5
CoFP
-
2nd
Master gains a +3 bonus on Swim checks.
Ephemeral swarm
D329
Evil
11th
-
Erudite owl
D341
-
7th
-
Fiendish6
MM
Evil only
3rd
Fire archon
S&S
Fire
5th
-
Fire bat
MM2
Neutral Evil
15th
-
Fire elemental, small7
MM
Fire
5th
-
Formian worker
MM
Lawful Neutral
7th
-
Gauntlet guardian
CW
-
9th
-
Gem scarab
MM5
Neutral
5th
-
Ghostball
S&S
Undead
5th
Master gains a +2 bonus on Will saves
Giant lizard
MM
-
5th
Master gains a +3 bonus on Climb checks or +3 hit points. Huge spellcasters may select giant lizard familiars without the need for the Improved Familiar feat
Glass dragonfly
D341
-
5th
-
Grassmane
S&S
Earth
5th
-
Grimoire
MM
-
5th
Master gains Heighten Spell
Hawk, sea
CoFP
-
3rd
Master gains a +3 bonus on Spot checks in open air
Hell hound
MM
Lawful Evil
5th, +5 BAB
Master gains a +2 bonus on Search checks
Hellwasp swarm
D329
Lawful Evil
16th
-
Hippogriff
CW
Neutral
7th, +7 BAB
-
Homunculus8
MM
Undead
7th
-
Howler
CW
Chaotic Evil
7th, +7 BAB
-
Ice weasel
CC
Cold
3rd
Master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves
Ice sparrow
S&S
Cold
5th
-
Imp
MM
Lawful Evil
7th
-
Infernal crow
S&S
Evil
5th
Master gains the ability to speak and understand Infernal
Jaculi
SK
Chaotic Evil
5th
-
King cobra
D341
-
3rd
-
Krenshar
CW
Neutral
3rd
-
Lantern archon
MM
Lawful Good
7th
-
Leopard
MM
-
5th
Master gains a +3 bonus on Move Silently checks. Huge spellcasters may select leopard familiars without the need for the Improved Familiar feat
Lightning bug
S&S
Electricity
5th
Master gains electricity resistance 5
Lizard, spitting crawler
SK
Neutral
3rd
-
Locust swarm
D329
Neutral
7th
-
Lynx
RoF
Neutral
3rd
-
Melancholic imp
D338
Neutral Evil only
7th
-
Mephit, air
CS
Air
7th
-
Mephit, dust
CS
Air
7th
-
Mephit, earth
CS
Earth
7th
-
Mephit, fire
CS
Fire
7th
-
Mephit, glass
SS
Neutral
7th
-
Mephit, ice
T&B
Cold or Air
7th
-
Mephit, magma
CS
Fire
7th
-
Mephit, ooze
CS
Water
7th
-
Mephit, salt
CS
Earth
7th
-
Mephit, steam
CS
Fire
7th
-
Mephit, sulfur
SS
Fire
7th
-
Mephit, water
CS
Water
7th
-
Mercurial spider
D341
-
7th
-
Miarrun
SK
Neutral
5th
-
Miser jackal
CC
-
3rd
Master gains a +2 bonus on Sleight of Hand checks
Mist viper
S&S
Undead
5th
Master gains Darkvision with a range of 30 feet
Modron, Messenger Monodrone
D354
Lawful only
5th
-
Modron, Monodrone
D354
Lawful only
5th
-
Monitor lizard
DMG
-
5th
Master gains +3 hit points. Huge spellcasters may select monitor lizard familiars without the need for the Improved Familiar feat
Monstrous centipede, small
CS
Neutral
2nd
-
Monstrous scorpion, small
CS
Neutral
3rd
-
Monstrous spider, small
CS
Neutral
4th
-
Mosquito
S&S
-
3rd
Master gains a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves and a +4 bonus on Fortitude saves against disease
Muckdweller
SK
Lawful Evil
5th
-
Muckler
S&S
Water
5th
-
Needletooth swarm
D329
Neutral
13th
-
Night hunter bat
MosF
Neutral Evil
5th
-
Osquip
RoF
Neutral Evil
5th
-
Owl, great horned (2HD)
D341
-
3rd
-
Owl, medium
MM
-
3rd
Master gains a +3 bonus to Move Silently checks. Huge spellcasters may select Medium owl familiars without the need for the Improved Familiar feat
Paraelemental, ice, small
D347
Air or Cold or Water
5th
-
Paraelemental, magma, small
D347
Earth or Fire
5th
-
Paraelemental, ooze, small
D347
Earth or Water
5th
-
Paraelemental, smoke, small
D347
Air or Fire
5th
-
Phlegmatic imp
D338
Neutral Evil only
7th
-
Plague rat
S&S
Undead
5th
Master gains a +4 bonus on Fortitude saves against disease
Plaguecat
CC
-
5th
Master gains a +2 bonus on Fortitude saves
Pseudodragon
MM
Neutral Good
7th
-
Puppet
S&S
-
5th
Master gains +2 Charisma
Quasit
MM
Chaotic Evil
7th
-
Rat swarm
D329
Neutral
5th
-
Razor hawk
D341
-
3rd
-
Sailsnake
MM4
Neutral
5th
-
Salt Toad
S&S
Earth
5th
Master gains a +2 bonus on Will saves
Salvage rat
D341
-
5th
-
Sanguine imp
D338
Neutral Evil only
7th
-
Scarab
S&S
-
3rd
Master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves
Shadow raven
Evil
Any Evil
5th
-
Shimmering swarm
D329
Chaotic Neutral
16th
-
Shocker lizard
MM
Electricity
5th
-
Skeleton, small
MM
Undead
5th
Master gains a +4 bonus on Search checks
Snake, flying
RoF
Neutral
3rd
-
Snake, glacier
SK
Neutral
3rd
-
Snake, medium viper
MM
-
5th
Medium viper, master gains a +3 bonus on Bluff checks or a poison bite attack. Huge spellcasters may select Medium viper familiars without the need for the Improved Familiar feat
Snake, small viper
MM
-
3rd
Small viper, master gains a +2 bonus on Bluff checks
Snake, tree python
SK
Chaotic Evil
3rd
-
Snake, whipsnake
SK
Neutral
3rd
-
Spark guardian
CW
-
7th
-
Spider swarm
D329
Neutral
3rd
-
Starsnake
ShSo
Chaotic Neutral
12th
-
Steambat
S&S
Water
5th
Master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves
Stirge
MM
Neutral
5th
-
Swamp strider swarm
D329
-
11th
-
Tirbana eyewing
MM5
Lawful Evil or Lawful Neutral only
5th
-
Vargouille (without kiss)
CS
Neutral Evil
6th
-
Watchspider
CoSp
Chaotic Neutral
3rd
-
Water elemental, small9
MM
Water
5th
-
Winter Wolf
CW
Neutral Evil
7th, +7 BAB
-
Wolf
MM
-
5th
Master gains a +3 bonus on Survival checks
Wolverine
MM
-
5th
Master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves. Huge spellcasters may select wolverine familiars without the need for the Improved Familiar feat
Worg
CW
Neutral Evil
3rd, +3 BAB
-
Zombie, small
MM
Undead
5th
Master gains a +4 bonus on Spot checks
1 Or any animal from the standard familiar list with the auran template.
1 Any animal from the standard familiar list with the anarchic template.
3 Any animal from the standard familiar list with the axiomatic template.
4 Any animal from the standard familiar list with the celestial template.
5 Or any animal from the standard familiar list with the terran template.
6 Any animal from the standard familiar list with the fiendish template.
7 Or any animal from the standard familiar list with the ignan template.
8 The master must first create the homunculus, substituting ichor or another part of the master's body for blood if necessary.
9 Or any animal from the standard familiar list with the aquan template.

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