Familiars and Animal Companions, a few thoughts

[Rumple C]

Just wait til yo get the vet bills!

ooo, you gonna cry.

[Brokenbone]

I guess a quick point relevant to druids and rangers... Animal Companion replacement should (if feeling into "PnP") typically be 24 hours of prayer. Make of that what you will, sitting in some grove or on some mountaintop and pray pray pray, whether for some random DM selected animal appropriate to the environment, or for something you advocate for. ACs are kind of expected to die now and again. I am not sure what mechanical barriers exist to getting a new AC in our NWN2 version. It may be that even without DM intervention, this may simply get reset on next level. It's not like 24hrs RP needs to be like, witnessed, depending on how a DM team wishes to cover this scene. People craft multi-day weapons and trinkets every week, someone saying "hi I'd like a puppy" is not that intense I'd figure.

Familiars I guess the "deal" in PnP terms would be year-and-day to replace. Plus lose lots of xp (sor/wiz lvl * 200) if fail a certain fort save. Could always raise a dead familiar too, oddly with no ill effects like CON or Level loss, if not feeling like a year's wait.

[Rumple C]

Could always raise a dead familiar too, oddly with no ill effects like CON or Level loss, if not feeling like a year's wait.

Vet bills = 5000gp

[Brokenbone]

Wiki about the unmodified vanilla game indicates a bug about nearly permanent mind immunity for PCs if player briefly controls familiar. Which I figure would make a big green icon or whatever near portrait reminding people of their immunities, which on the one hand I've never heard of reported in ALFA, but on the other hand, sometimes people don't rock the boat about unearned benefits.

Have we got this bug? Fingers crossed it's just like, some single player oddity or the wiki is just unreliable, as it sometimes is.

Any ALFA wiz/sorc players notice it?

[Regas]

Fyi BB once a wizard is only a few levels in... a familiar is as intelligent as the average half orc, only a while later they're MORE intelligent than the average half orc...

BB, I think BHM is saying his cat is smarter then rhaggot!! Har!

[Brokenbone]

Could be.

Anyhow in a test module so far I haven't been able to see if mind immunity is coming up, post possession, at least not as an icon or listed effect, but maybe testing in TSM or something will be on my list. Say, with a mob who has a mind spell or two. OOCly tested I mean.

[Xanthea]

The bug definitely exists in MP. It'd depend on if anyone in ALFA fixed it previously.

[Ithildur]

I've no awareness of this bug; I've never had an occasion to possess my familiar then get attacked by any kind of mind control or such shortly afterwards. I generally avoid situations where my familiar will become involved in combat since in ALFA/NWN2 (unlike pnp) that's basically suicidal.

Most of you guys are missing my point entirely. Please reread and try again.

[edit] changed 'a player' to 'another player' in my second post. Perhaps that helps clarify?

[Xanthea]

A big green "immunity to mind spells" button would appear next to your portrait if it's happening. It's permanent until resting, if I recall correctly.

[Castano]

In response to the OP: And this is why NWN2 did not adopt the familiar death rules from DnD. I suggest we jettison them also. Our AI does not support familiar combat reactions, and the things are essentially gonna die all the time if they are outside.

[kid]

unless you put them in your backpack.
Becuase anything that is put in a backpack is forever safe.

infact my toon has recenly bought a backpack and if ever attacked it puts it on its head.
screaming: "You've no LoS, you cant touch me!"

[Magile]

In response to the OP: And this is why NWN2 did not adopt the familiar death rules from DnD. I suggest we jettison them also. Our AI does not support familiar combat reactions, and the things are essentially gonna die all the time if they are outside.

I have not read this thread, and I apologize for not reading it; however, this is the sole reason why I will never make use of my PC's familiar, even though I would love to (especially given the aid it lends my PC).

[Blindhamsterman]

The bonus from a familiar should be applies at all times (along with the alertness feat) with any kind of AOE spell potentially damaging the wizard/sorc also damaging the familiar at the same time...

Or we could drop familiars and grant one of the various alternate class features available from a splatbook? No? How about a free feat? Remove familiars and the classes should get a replacement. Simple as that

[Adanu]

The bonus from a familiar should be applies at all times (along with the alertness feat) with any kind of AOE spell potentially damaging the wizard/sorc also damaging the familiar at the same time...

Or we could drop familiars and grant one of the various alternate class features available from a splatbook? No? How about a free feat? Remove familiars and the classes should get a replacement. Simple as that

I can get behind this. if we're not able to fix familiars as they are, give them feats that are similiar, or replace them with splatbook options. Gets rid of a headache, and opens new possibilities.

[Brokenbone]

I kind of think Cast's suggestion is in the theme of what you see is what you get... if it only takes a level up or an 8 hour penalty to CON or whatever to "reset" familiars, then so be it. Don't bother with year-and-a-day fluff, or mega Xp loss possibilities, which might be why people flip out if the critter they leave unattended or insufficiently protected gets bashed apart.