Familarbound Caster (3.5e Alternate Class Feature)
 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
 | |||||||||
|
Rate this article Discuss this article | |||||||||
Familiarbound Caster
You know how most wizards have a familiar? Well, in your case, you are the familiar.
Class: Any class with a familiar
Level: 1-20
Replaces: Familiar
Benefit: Your familiar is more powerful than most - You immediately gain an Improved Familiar you qualify for. You can ignore caster level prerequisites so long as the prerequisite is CL 5 or lower.
However, your "familiar" is actually your master, and you are its familiar - It grants you power in return for your servitude, and as you grow in power, so does it, allowing your magic to grow an attain new levels, etc. The "Master" familiar must be within Close range of you for you to cast spells, and your spells are Charisma-based if they weren't already. Losing your familiar means you also lose your spellcasting (Which makes finding a new familiar next to impossible). Your familiar (Or rather, the DM via your familiar) can choose not to grant you a spell at the time of casting, often demanding a treat or other service (Or at least, the promise thereof) in payment before they allow you to cast the spell. The familiar can cast any spells you had in your stead, but cannot grant you spells in the same round in which it casts a spell, with the exception of Quickened spells - The familiar or master can cast a Quickened spell while the other casts a spell normally.
If you cast spells from a spellbook, your spells are instead stored in your familiar, who you must spend time meditating with each day to prepare your spells.
The "master" familiar will demand greater service from their pet human, such as fine food, expensive garb, and especially defensive magic items.
Taking this alternate class feature prevents you from using the Uncaring Master or Familiar-Blooded Spell. Instead, if you obtain them, your Familiar gains access to them and you do not - Meaning your familiar might kill you in the middle of combat to empower a spell. Chose this path wisely if your familiar is an evil creature.
Author's Note[edit]
Roleplay-wise, this opens up all sorts of avenues. Your "familiar" could be a minor demon (Imp, Quasit) who desires to rule similarly to the archdemons who grant some Warlocks their power, who approached an apprentice wizard with a deal. They could be a demigod reincarnated as a gecko, the spirit of a member of an ancient organization stuck in the body of a hamster, or even a bratty baby dragon whose mother captured you and assigned you to be the hatchling's pet sibling.
This adds a lot of flavor and possibility to the campaign, and puts the caster's power in the DM's hands - Their "master" familiar might demand a treat of dried meat in the middle of combat before they allow their pet to cast a spell, or demand to have defensive spells cast on them before the caster can cast any spells to further the combat offensively. The familiar can also get huffy and run off, leading the party off in any direction the DM desires, either in the direction of the plot, or off into a trap. The familiar might also be very protective of their "pet" in the event that they are incapacitated.
At your DM's discretion, you could also have the familiar be perpetually invisible (Or possibly combine this with the Schrodinger's Companion feat?), allowing for a lot of moments of arguing with someone nobody else can see. This would also make the event of the familiar running off that much more complicated.
The idea of conversations like "My cat? No, he's from Hell and I'm his human!" occurring, and moments like the cat refusing to allow you to cast Fireball until you give him a piece of dried meat mid-combat, is quite a hilarious one, which is the main purpose of this alternate class feature - Roleplay value. Instead of a wizard dressed in flowing gold-embroidered robes with his familiar by his side, there's now a toad in equally-impressive clothing with a skinny dude wearing rags toting him around and demanding the man comically chase down and catch flies for him to eat while he unleashes arcane destruction. There are so many ways to spin this particular idea of the "backwards" caster-familiar relationship, and I hope those of you that choose to use this variant add even more. Nothing makes me happier than writing meaningful homebrew and hearing of people who have used it and enjoyed it.
Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Character Options → Alternate Class Features
| Author | Zhenra-Khal + |
| Class | Any class with a familiar + |
| Identifier | 3.5e Alternate Class Feature + |
| Rated By | The-Marksman + |
| Rating | Rating Pending + |
| Summary | You know how most wizards have a familiar? Well, in your case, you are the familiar. + |
| Title | Familarbound Caster + |
