Morphic Familiar plus Companion Familiar=?

[Caelic]

While considering the whole Improved Familiar plus Morphic Familiar paradigm, a thought popped into my head:

What happens if a Changeling wizard with Morphic Familiar goes into Arcane Hierophant?

Now, this isn't likely to happen often, since he'd have to go to level 5 as a wizard, which is not particularly optimal for AH.  But if he did...what would be the outcome?

It seems like it all hinges on whether your Companion Familiar is or is not a familiar, which is debatable by the wording of the ability.

If it DOES count as a familiar, then by the wording of Morphic Familiar, it could assume the form of any creature the character could have as a familiar--which, in this case, would be any animal companion of appropriate level.  Essentially, Wildshape for a familiar.

If it DOESN'T count as a familiar, but instead as an animal companion with some familiar abilities, then the wizard's just hosed.

[Lo77o]

Should work.. A while back someone posted a build where the familiar counted as a cohort, so you could make your familiar into any char 2 levels below your self as often as you wanted.

[Lycanthromancer]

How the hell did this happen, Caelic?

I had this exact same idea yesterday. Have you been talking to GavinFoxx? Because he's the only one I told it to.

[CantripN]

No, I had the idea, too. Ideas pop up like that, when you have the same knowledge, and read the same threads.

I'm quite sure it doesn't work, though - no matter the form of your familiar, it's kinda stuck in the shape of the AC. If it does, though, yes, it's NICE.

[spacemonkey555]

I had the idea a few months ago, I didn't see how I could claim the familiar companion was my familiar. You have to dismiss your familiar if you have one, and then your animal companion gets some of the benefits of being a familiar. The author carefully avoided calling it a familiar at any point.

In addition, your animal companion (if any) gains many of the abilities that a familiar would normally possess.

[Nunkuruji]

Is there a strong reason to consider it when you have share spells alter self, poly, shapechange, etc. anyways?

[snakeman830]

Is there a strong reason to consider it when you have share spells alter self, poly, shapechange, etc. anyways?

Doesn't use spell slots, so it's much more efficient if, say, you wanted to change your eagle into a horse to move faster overland.  Also is undispellable and has no maximum duration.

[Caelic]

Like I said, it wouldn't be particularly optimal.  Arcane Hierophant already has the usual dual-progression problem of lagging behind straight casters, and 5 levels in one class exacerbates the problem.  I like to explore oddities like this, though--you never know when they'll pan out.  It's how Supermount came into being in the first place.

Now, Dragon Familiar plus Morphic Familiar could be fun.  If only your dragon familiar didn't run off every 6 years and require you to start over.

[CantripN]

Let him run off. It's not like you care - you can make a new one just as fast...

Now, Fleshgrafter, Alienist, Fiend-Blooded, and other PrCs that change your Familiar... Those could be useful with this.

Also, Shadowform Familiar looks interesting. How would that work? This + Mindsight = Perfect Mid-Range Scouting?

As a Changeling you can qualify for this, and you'll be able to get rid of the benefit by ditching the Krinth shape.

[Amechra]

Ooh, ooh, and use that spell that raises your familiar; you know, the one that lets you give it a level-draining touch attack if your CL is high enough?

Seriously, chain enough stuff onto this, and you have an EVEN BETTER Big Guy's with Me build...

[awaken DM golem]

Yeah familiars have more goodies to mix and match.

Big Guy ain't going away, it's just a little boring (nowadays) in comparison.



I'm having trouble with Caelic saying a Wizard could be a Hoser.
Take off 'eh.
 

[weenog]

Probably for the best that item familiars don't seem to be considered familiars except in feat name...