SRD:Improved Familiar

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Improved Familiar [General]

This feat allows spellcasters to acquire a new familiar from a nonstandard list, but only when they could normally acquire a new familiar.

Prerequisites

Ability to acquire a new familiar, compatible alignment, sufficiently high level (see below).

Benefit

When choosing a familiar, the creatures listed below are also available to the spellcaster. The spellcaster may choose a familiar with an alignment up to one step away on each of the alignment axes (lawful through chaotic, good through evil).

Familiar	Alignment	Arcane Spellcaster Level
Shocker lizard	Neutral	5th
Stirge	Neutral	5th
Formian worker	Lawful neutral	7th
Imp	Lawful evil	7th
Pseudodragon	Neutral good	7th
Quasit	Chaotic evil	7th

Improved familiars otherwise use the rules for regular familiars, with two exceptions: 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).

The list in the table above presents only a few possible improved familiars. Almost any creature of the same general size and power as those on the list makes a suitable familiar. Nor is the master’s alignment the only possible categorization. For instance, improved familiars could be assigned by the master’s creature type or subtype, as shown below.

Familiar	Type/Subtype	Arcane Spellcaster Level
Celestial hawk^1	Good	3rd
Fiendish Tiny viper snake^2	Evil	3rd
Air elemental, Small	Air	5th
Earth elemental, Small	Earth	5th
Fire elemental, Small	Fire	5th
Shocker lizard	Electricity	5th
Water elemental, Small	Water	5th
Homunculus^3	Undead	7th
Ice mephit	Cold	7th
Or other celestial animal from the standard familiar list. Or other fiendish animal from the standard familiar list. The master must first create the homunculus, substituting ichor or another part of the master’s body for blood if necessary.

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