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Which Familiar is the best?

EnterHaerDalisEnterHaerDalis Member Posts: 813
Which familiar is the best? Sorry if a similar thread already exists
source (ToB familiar stats included on this page) - http://www.pocketplane.net/volothamp/familiar.htm

Pseudo Dragon- Lawful Good, Neutral Good
24 hp, AC=-2, THAC0=13, ApR=2, 1D3 Piercing+chance of Sleep. 50% Magic Resistance. Can cast Blur 1x/day. Regenerates 1hp/round.

Ferret - Lawful Neutral
24 hp, AC=0, THAC0=17, ApR=2, 1D3 Slashing. 50% magic resistance, 75% Pick Pockets, 20% Find Traps, 40% Stealth.

Imp - Lawful Evil
18 hp, AC=2, THAC0=19, ApR=1, 1D6 Piercing+chance of Poison (POISON = NERFED IN BG:EE, DOES NO DAMAGE). Resistances: 25% Magic, 100% Cold/Electricity/Fire. Can cast Polymorph Other 1x/day. Regenerates 1hp/round.

Rabbit - True Neutral
24 hp, AC=1, THAC0=17, ApR=2, 1D2 Slashing. Resistances: 65% Magic, 75% Cold/Fire/Electricity. 30% Stealth, 50% Find Traps.

Dust Mephit - Neutral Evil
24 hp, AC=6, THAC0=17, ApR=2, 1D2+1 Slashing. Resistances: 10% Magic, 50% Slashing/Piercing/Missile, 100% Fire. Can cast Glitterdust 1x/day & Glass Dust 2x/day. Regenerates 1hp/round.

Fairy Dragon - Chaotic Good
24 hp, AC=4, THAC0=17, ApR=2, 1D2 Slashing. 32% Magic Resistance. Can cast Mirror Image and Invisibility 10' Radius, each 1x/day.

Cat - Chaotic Neutral
24 hp, AC=0, THAC0=17, ApR=2, 1D3 Slashing. 50% magic resistance, 30% Pick Pockets, 99% Stealth.

Quasit - Chaotic Evil
24 hp, AC=2, THAC0=17, ApR=3, 1D6 Slashing. Resistances: 25% Magic, 100% Cold/Electricity/Fire. Can cast Blur & Horror each 1x/day. Regenerates 1hp/round.
  1. Which Familiar is the best?395 votes
    1. Pseudo Dragon
      18.99%
    2. Ferret
        9.37%
    3. Imp
      12.41%
    4. Rabbit
        5.82%
    5. Dust Mephit
        8.35%
    6. Fairy Dragon
      18.23%
    7. Cat
      18.23%
    8. Quasit
        8.61%
Post edited by EnterHaerDalis on
JTMOxford_GuyWithinAmnesia
«13

Comments

  • moopymoopy Member Posts: 938
    Aren't most of the listed stats for them actually wrong?
    Oxford_GuydarkkhaineConjurerDragon
  • KidCarnivalKidCarnival Member Posts: 3,747
    For a jester/bard, it's the mephit. I never played other arcane casters, so no idea. But Glitterdust is an essential to go with the jester song, therefore the mephit takes the cake.
    Oxford_Guy
  • MykraMykra Member Posts: 252
    edited January 2013
    I love the Fairy Dragon.

    The 10' Invis just keeps on helping out from start to finish. Such a great thing to help you out versus some of the harder fights in the game. Just recently I used it against the Sirines - a full invis party starting the combat against three Sirines in melee range? Fantastic. Getting a Mage up close to drop Cloudkill or Skull Trap into the middle of bounty hunters? Love it. And for the first several levels he can easily tank/kill enemies with Mirror Image up, helping balance the weakest parts of a Mages career.

    I'm sure all the other familiars rock hard, but I love that bloody familiar.
    DeathKnight
  • Jean_LucJean_Luc Member Posts: 228
    Something tells me ferret should be chaotic neutral.
  • LifatLifat Member Posts: 353
    I use my familiar vs. spellcasters all the time. Haven't died once so far. The useability disappears in BG2 though because too much aoe damage is being flung around.
  • KurumiKurumi Member Posts: 520
    I agree with Pantalion even though I think the rabbit has it's uses, too.. and it's the cutest.
  • WowoWowo Member Posts: 2,064
    What is the purpose of interparty pick pocketing?
  • Roller12Roller12 Member Posts: 437
    carrying stuff and avoiding item checks. For instance in Bg2 certain very powerful items are only available for a limited time, and then they get .. destroyed. Not if the familiar was having them, cause the game doesnt check on them.
    SpaceInvader
  • LifatLifat Member Posts: 353
    Familiars using cheese as reasoning for which is better? Come on. That they are better at cheesing shouldn't really mean that they are better as a familiar.
  • PantalionPantalion Member Posts: 2,137
    From memory, the familiar also does not have an encumbrance, so using your familiar to pick your pocket of fourteen ankheg shells until you reach Beregost works out even better than bringing Dorn along.
    The_New_Romancelolien
  • The user and all related content has been deleted.
    [Deleted User]
  • Roller12Roller12 Member Posts: 437
    edited January 2013
    Quasit is actually the best, but i dont have the game installed to back it up with actual gameplay data, so take it with a grain of salt. Here are his stats

    24 hp, AC=2, THAC0=17, ApR=3, 1D6 Slashing. Resistances: 25% Magic, 100% Cold/Electricity/Fire. Can cast Blur & Horror each 1x/day. Regenerates 1hp/round.

    See all the huge immunities? In other words, he can tank fireballs and burning hands, eat magic missiles, disrupt mages and heal on his own if in danger. Gets even better in BG2, with improved haste he gets 6 attacks per round and his attacks get dex draining ability. So can actually kill stuff even in ToB, but most fights are over too quickly for him to make any impact.

    See the full stats here http://www.pocketplane.net/volothamp/familiar.htm
    IllustairKamigoroshi
  • IllustairIllustair Member Posts: 877
    @Roller12
    Am I missing something here? Why did you vote for Dust Mephit then, instead of Quasit? I've never had an evil playthrough, nor do let my familiar go into combat...but those are some pretty solid immunities! Looks good on paper, but have you tried them on actual combat in ToB?
  • Roller12Roller12 Member Posts: 437
    fredamora said:

    @Roller12
    Am I missing something here? Why did you vote for Dust Mephit then, instead of Quasit? I've never had an evil playthrough, nor do let my familiar go into combat...but those are some pretty solid immunities! Looks good on paper, but have you tried them on actual combat in ToB?

    It isnt possible to revote.., voted dust mephit strictly for glitterdust and glassdust x2, providing a solid alpha strike edge early in the game without being exposed to danger. Blind is a very powerful effect. In ToB none of that really matters, never even took him out.
    Illustair
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    Quasits have the loviest personalities of them all!
  • CoryNewbCoryNewb Member Posts: 1,330
    I like my dust mephit along with Monty and my sorc. Accidently voted imp.
  • DjimmyDjimmy Member Posts: 749
    Familiars are weak, too weak
  • JaxsbudgieJaxsbudgie Member Posts: 600
    I chose cat, because cats.
    SwordsNotWordsRhymeDeathKnight
  • AnduinAnduin Member Posts: 5,745
    Each familiar has a perk. But these perks are usually negated by your need to face more and more powerful enemies as you progress. For reasons unfathomable. Familiars do not progress with you until you reach ToB, and even then the progression they make is poor and not worth the effort to take them out your backpack...

    Pseudo Dragon can actually be used in a fight, in BG1 certainly, it is dangerous and can keep a group going. It also heals itself. But after awhile in BG2 sending in your dragon could be suicide and a recipe for losing 1 constitution point. Quasit and Dust Mephit are fighting familiars also but even though they have good resistances and heal as well, the sleep effect of the dragon is just BETTER.

    Your thieving animals i.e. Rabbit, Cat, Ferret, are poor thieves. They cannot drink potions of master thievery so you stuck at the levels they come with. Not bad at the start of BG1, absolutely a waste of time by BG2. They can pickpocket and hold an item for you I suppose... But that is that.

    A lot of talk is wasted on the resistances of all the familiars. Lets face it, none are 100%. and due to pitiful hp it only means they survive a couple of more rounds out in the open before dying a pointless death.

    However...

    Imp can turn into a slime and become 100% magic resistant. Very useful send one in against a wizard or lich, let it cast all it's spells. Wait for said wizard to get frustrated and wade in with dagger... You make an appearance and end the sorry mage. Perfect. So powerful they nerfed the hp of the Imp. It's other polymorphous traits ain't bad either, although the hp thing is an issue later on, and not very useful after chapter 4 or 5 in BG1. The slime however is useful all the way through to ToB.

    The best for me is the fairy dragon. Useless in a fight. No thieving skills. Resistance ain't that good either.
    BUT IT CAN CAST Invisibility 10" Sphere. Solid gold. Rest. Cast. Send out with a real thief and disarm those traps. You can use it through ToB as well, just chuck a non-detection spell on them first. A true scout. However it was so solid gold in BG2 it did not get many extra benefits in ToB...

    So my list of familiars in rank are...

    Gold Medal = Fairy Dragon Chaotic Good
    Silver Medal = Imp Lawful Evil
    Bronze Medal = Pseudo Dragon Lawful / Neutral Good
    Fourth = Dust Mephit Neutral Evil
    Fifth = Quasit Chaotic Evil
    Sixth = Ferret Lawful Neutral
    Seventh = Rabbit True Neutral
    Eighth = Cat Chaotic Neutral

    Why can't you have a Tresset or a Wolf? A Neutral Good could be a winter wolf or some kind of good aligned dog type... The natural antithesis of the cat...

    DeathKnight
  • Roller12Roller12 Member Posts: 437
    Polymorph is a regular spell, mages can cast it too. So is sleep, which is a level 1 area spell and doesnt need a thac0 13 to hit first. Dont even need spells for invisibility. Imp's resistances are good though, but he lacks offensive powers. Little point in letting him tag along. The bad guys arent alone and the bad spells arent single target. Putting the Cat as the weakest familiar is just wrong. xD
  • UnknownQuantityUnknownQuantity Member Posts: 242
    The best place for a familiar is in your backpack. :P
  • EnterHaerDalisEnterHaerDalis Member Posts: 813
    @Roller12

    Thanks for posting that. Knew the full stats weren't listed on the spell description when I CTRL+Q'd them

    edited the first page :)
  • NifftNifft Member Posts: 1,065
    The Dust Mephit was the only one whose spells were useful to me while playing through BG2.

    One should always avoid combat with all of them, so that's not even a consideration IMHO.
  • ajwzajwz Member Posts: 4,122
    edited January 2013
    Technically, Imp is by far the best in combat.
    However, since I never use a familiar incombat, Imp is by far the weakest because it has the lowest hp
    Aristillius
  • EnterHaerDalisEnterHaerDalis Member Posts: 813
    ajwz said:

    Technically, Imp is by far the best in combat.
    However, since I never use a familiar incombat, Imp is by far the weakest because it has the lowest hp

    Imp's still have the 1hp regeneration per round. I'm playing with an Imp on my Wild Mage right now and I'm pretty sure you get a perma haste when you polymorph. Ogre form is beastly and the Jelly is a game breaker for mages as stated above by @Anduin. Too bad the poison proc that comes up was nerfed for BG:EE and actually doesn't do any damage :(

  • ajwzajwz Member Posts: 4,122
    edited January 2013

    ajwz said:

    Technically, Imp is by far the best in combat.
    However, since I never use a familiar incombat, Imp is by far the weakest because it has the lowest hp

    Imp's still have the 1hp regeneration per round. I'm playing with an Imp on my Wild Mage right now and I'm pretty sure you get a perma haste when you polymorph. Ogre form is beastly and the Jelly is a game breaker for mages as stated above by @Anduin. Too bad the poison proc that comes up was nerfed for BG:EE and actually doesn't do any damage :(

    I was referring to it being the weakest out of combat because a mage gets 1/2 the familiars hp added to their hp, so if you stick it in your backpack for the whole game like most people, then imp is definitely the worst
  • KirkorKirkor Member Posts: 700
    Doesn't matter, had bonus hp.


  • AnduinAnduin Member Posts: 5,745
    edited January 2013
    @ajwz Although it is a long wait. The hp issue is resolved in ToB, with all familiars giving the same hp to their masters. The imp's ability to turn into a jelly though is not a waste of time.

    *Re-reads post due to sanity reasons.*

    EDIT: Anduin has been carted off to the asylum.
  • Avenger_teambgAvenger_teambg Member, Developer Posts: 5,862
    Are you guys sure the rabbit has slashing damage?
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