Familiar

A familiar is a normal animal that gains new powers and becomes a magical beast when summoned to service (typically by a Wizard). It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was, but it is treated as a Magical Beast instead of an Animal for the purpose of any effect that depends on its type. Only a normal, unmodified animal may become a familiar. An Animal Companion cannot also function as a familiar. A familiar also grants special abilities to its master, as given on the Familiar Types Table. These special abilities apply only when the master and familiar are within 1 mile of each other. Levels of different classes that are entitled to familiars stack for the purpose of determining any familiar abilities that depend on the master's level.

Familiar Basics:

Use the basic statistics for a creature of the familiar's kind, but make the following changes:

Hit Dice

For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the master's character level or the familiar's normal HD total, whichever is higher.

Hit Points

The familiar has one-half its master's total hit points (not including temporary hit points), rounded down, regardless of its actual Hit Dice.

Attacks

Use the master's base attack bonus, as calculated from all his classes. Use the familiar's Dexterity or Strength modifier, whichever is greater, to get the familiar's melee attack bonus with natural weapons. Damage equals that of a normal creature of the familiar's kind.

Saving Throws

For each saving throw, use either the familiar's base save bonus (Fortitude +2, Reflex +2, Will +0) or the master's (as calculated from all their classes), whichever is better. The familiar uses its own ability modifiers to saves, and it doesn't share any of the other bonuses that the master might have on saves.

Skills

For each skill in which either the master or the familiar has ranks, use either the normal skill ranks for an animal of that type or the master's skill ranks, whichever are better. In either case, the familiar uses its own ability modifiers. Regardless of a familiar's total skill modifiers, some skills may remain beyond the familiar's ability to use.

Familiar Ability Descriptions

All familiars have special abilities (or impart abilities to their masters) depending on the master's combined level in classes that grant familiars, as shown on the Familiar Progression Table. The abilities given on the table are cumulative.

Natural Armor Adj.

The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar's existing natural armor bonus.

Intelligence

The familiar's Intelligence score.

Alertness (Ex)

While a familiar is within arm's reach, the master gains the Alertness feat.

Improved Evasion (Ex)

When subjected to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, a familiar takes no damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.

Share Spells

At the master's option, he may have any spell (but not any spell-like ability) he casts on himself also affect his familiar. The familiar must be within 5 feet at the time of casting to receive the benefit. If the spell or effect has a duration other than instantaneous, it stops affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the familiar again even if it returns to the master before the duration expires. Additionally, the master may cast a spell with a target of "You" on his familiar (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. A master and his familiar can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of the familiar's type (magical beast).

Empathic Link (Su)

The master has an empathic link with his familiar out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The master cannot see through the familiar's eyes, but they can communicate empathically. Because of the limited nature of the link, only general emotional content can be communicated. Because of this empathic link, the master has the same connection to an item or place that his familiar does.

Deliver Touch Spells (Su)

If the master is 3rd level or higher, a familiar can deliver touch spells for him. If the master and the familiar are in contact at the time the master casts a touch spell, he can designate his familiar as the "toucher." The familiar can then deliver the touch spell just as the master could. As usual, if the master casts another spell before the touch is delivered, the touch spell dissipates.

Speak with Master (Ex)

If the master is 5th level or higher, a familiar and the master can communicate verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the communication without magical help.

Speak with Animals of Its Kind (Ex)

If the master is 7th level or higher, a familiar can communicate with animals of approximately the same kind as itself (including dire varieties): bats with bats, rats with rodents, cats with felines, hawks and owls and ravens with birds, lizards and snakes with reptiles, toads with amphibians, weasels with similar creatures (weasels, minks, polecats, ermines, skunks, wolverines, and badgers). Such communication is limited by the intelligence of the conversing creatures.

Spell Resistance (Ex)

If the master is 11th level or higher, a familiar gains Spell Resistance equal to the master's level + 5. To affect the familiar with a spell, another spellcaster must get a result on a Caster Level check (1d20 + caster level) that equals or exceeds the familiar's Spell Resistance.

Scry on Familiar (Sp)

If the master is 13th level or higher, he may scry on his familiar (as if casting the scrying spell) once per day.

Warlock Familiar

By forging strange bonds with unnameable beings, witches gain the service of a mystical adviser, a familiar to both serve them and reveal to them secrets unknown to most mortals. The Warlock familiar gains all the abilities of a standard familiar, save for those listed here. The features exclusive to a Warlock's familiar only function with the Warlock class features (i.e. a Warlock who has taken levels of Wizard cannot have their familiar hold their Wizard spells, or add spells of a level they cannot yet cast as a warlock).

Store Spells

A Warlock's familiar serves as a conduit to their patron, as well as a repository for their spells (much the same way a spellbook functions for a wizard). The familiar begins at level 1 holding all the spells the Warlock knows. This does not allow the familiar to cast these spells or use spell-trigger or spell completion magic items. Each day when a Warlock communes with their familiar and fills their daily spell slots, they must choose from amongst the spells held by their familiar.

Adding Spells

Warlocks add new spells to their familiars through several methods. A Warlock can only add spells to their familiar if those spells belong to the Warlock's Spell List (with the exception of patron spells).

Spells Gained at a New Level: A Warlock’s familiar learns a certain amount of lore and magic as the Warlock adventures. Every level after 1st, a Warlock can choose to add 2 new spells of any Spell Level or levels that they can cast (based on their new Warlock level) to their familiar.
Spells added by a warlock's patron: At 3rd level, and every 2 levels thereafter, a Warlock's Patron adds a new spell to their familiar. These spells are listed under the Warlock patron's description, and are the only spells that can be added to a Warlock's familiar regardless of whether or not they are on the Warlock's Spell List.
Familiar Teaching Familiar: A Warlock’s familiar can learn spells from another Warlock’s familiar. To accomplish this, the familiars must spend one hour per level of the spell being taught in communion with one another. At the end of this time, the Warlock whose familiar is learning a spell must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level). If the check succeeds, the familiar has learned the spell and the witch may utilize it the next time they prepare spells. If the check fails, the familiar has failed to learn the spell and cannot try to learn that spell again until the Warlock has gained another rank in Spellcraft. Most warlocks require a spell of equal or greater level in return for this service. If a familiar belongs to a Warlock that has died, it only retains its knowledge of spells for 24 hours, during which time it is possible to coerce or bribe the familiar into teaching its spells to another, subject to GM discretion.
Learn from a Scroll: A Warlock can use a scroll to teach their familiar a new spell. This process takes 1 hour per level of the spell to be learned, during which time the scroll is burned and its ashes used to create a special brew or powder that is consumed by the familiar. This process destroys the scroll. At the end of this time, the Warlock must make a Spellcraft check (DC 15 + spell level). If the check fails, the process went awry in some way and the spell is not learned, although the scroll is still consumed.

Replacing a Warlock Familiar

If a Warlock's familiar is lost or dies, it can be replaced 1 day later through a special ritual that costs 500 gp per Warlock level. The ritual takes 8 hours to complete. The replaced familiar is a new animal, and the Warlock may choose a different type when they undergo this process.