I find it fascinating how many people are basing their opinions on one-off uses of spells that you can memorise and use yourself, and don't risk permanent constitution loss if you do so.
I find it fascinating how many people are basing their opinions on one-off uses of spells that you can memorise and use yourself, and don't risk permanent constitution loss if you do so.
Show me were I can find the Glassdust scroll.
Considering Glitterdust is save at -4 and gives a 4 AC penalty, 4 THAC0 penalty and 4 saves penalty, and cancels invisibility and blinds the target, I'm inclined to say that Glass Dust would be a bit of a downgrade, even if it does last a round extra.
This said, Dust Mephit was not the particular familiar I was referring to (though it does essentially boil down to three level 2 spell slots if you're willing to have your familiar operate in combat), but the Fairy Dragon, which is notably more popular, exclusively for Invisibility 10', a single level 3 spell slot.
Edit: And yes, Rabbits do, for some bizarre reason, deal fire damage. I haven't melee'd with a Fairy Dragon of late, but electricity damage wouldn't surprise me. This actually makes the Rabbit a trollkiller.
Edit: And yes, Rabbits do, for some bizarre reason, deal fire damage. I haven't melee'd with a Fairy Dragon of late, but electricity damage wouldn't surprise me. This actually makes the Rabbit a trollkiller.
I keep thinking of Monty Python and the Holy Grail here... :-)
I'm now convinced Imp is the best familiar. Screw the HP setback, his hasted forms are BEAST. Flind has fire damage, Ogre is a hard hitter and Spider form + Web is a sickening combo. Jelly is immune to magic. He's like the swiss army knife of familiars.
I find it fascinating how many people are basing their opinions on one-off uses of spells that you can memorise and use yourself, and don't risk permanent constitution loss if you do so.
Show me were I can find the Glassdust scroll.
Considering Glitterdust is save at -4 and gives a 4 AC penalty, 4 THAC0 penalty and 4 saves penalty, and cancels invisibility and blinds the target, I'm inclined to say that Glass Dust would be a bit of a downgrade, even if it does last a round extra.
BTW did you know that Bard song (most effectively Skald Song) can also buff your familiar? The Pseudo Dragon can be quite a beast under Skald Song, +2 THAC0, +2 Damage, -2 AC...
I'm now convinced Imp is the best familiar. Screw the HP setback, his hasted forms are BEAST. Flind has fire damage, Ogre is a hard hitter and Spider form + Web is a sickening combo. Jelly is immune to magic. He's like the swiss army knife of familiars.
But can he make himself and his friends disappear?
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...
I agree with all this but you got your order wrong. You cast it then rest. The spell lasts 24 hours so you will still be invisible when you wake up. If your rest is interrupted the enemy won't see you so you can either engage them or just walk away and rest somewhere else. You can then do the thief scouting/disarming for the entire board and your familiar has another invisibility spell in reserve so if a character is paralyzed or otherwise at risk of death your familiar just casts another invisibility spell and you can wait out the stun/paralyze/etc. effect or flee from the risk of death. The best part is by doing it in this order, your familiar is already invisible so there is no risk of enemies targeting it and killing it until you break invisibility for 3/10 of a round.
Risk free rest plus error and risk free scouting plus life saving = win.
Just 1 thing on Quasit... It has a BASE AC of 2. But in fact it has: 2 base - 4 (18 Dex) = -2 AC And reaches -5 with Blur.
Are you sure that the Dex modifier is actually applied after the Base AC for familiars, or is the base AC the AC you actually get in game? Is there anyway to test this?
... so the main use of the Ferret would be for interparty pick pocketting, which, with patience and an unarmed participant, is effectively automatic. ... On top of that, whilst it takes longer to interparty pick pocket, but it can still do so. ...
@Pantalion I just have to know, what do you possibly gain by pickpocketing your other party members...?
... so the main use of the Ferret would be for interparty pick pocketting, which, with patience and an unarmed participant, is effectively automatic. ... On top of that, whilst it takes longer to interparty pick pocket, but it can still do so. ...
@Pantalion I just have to know, what do you possibly gain by pickpocketing your other party members...?
As mentioned above, this can be used as an exploit to get around the game engine for certain items that are not allowed to leave one area. The engine checks the characters' inventories for the items and then takes some action (killing the character, destroying the item, etc.) but the engine doesn't check the familiar. Thus, the familiar can exploit the engine so you have some powerful items that the developers intended be restricted to a limited area.
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.
@Roller12: Nice! But how do you retrieve the item(s) from the little culprit? Pickpocketing them back?
... so the main use of the Ferret would be for interparty pick pocketting, which, with patience and an unarmed participant, is effectively automatic. ... On top of that, whilst it takes longer to interparty pick pocket, but it can still do so. ...
@Pantalion I just have to know, what do you possibly gain by pickpocketing your other party members...?
Your familiar can carry infinite loot or (as someone pointed out to) drow items out of the underdark in BG2 without them disintegrating. Both are exploits, though...
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.
@Roller12: Nice! But how do you retrieve the item(s) from the little culprit? Pickpocketing them back?
You ask it. In the case of the cat, particularly nicely.
... so the main use of the Ferret would be for interparty pick pocketting, which, with patience and an unarmed participant, is effectively automatic. ... On top of that, whilst it takes longer to interparty pick pocket, but it can still do so. ...
@Pantalion I just have to know, what do you possibly gain by pickpocketing your other party members...?
Your familiar can carry infinite loot or (as someone pointed out to) drow items out of the underdark in BG2 without them disintegrating. Both are exploits, though...
The fact that your familiar can carry anything, including ammo, which is weightless and thus perfectly viable for lugging around, means your familiar is a seventh party member's worth of loot capacity without the need to exploit anything.
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.
@Roller12: Nice! But how do you retrieve the item(s) from the little culprit? Pickpocketing them back?
You ask it. In the case of the cat, particularly nicely.
... so the main use of the Ferret would be for interparty pick pocketting, which, with patience and an unarmed participant, is effectively automatic. ... On top of that, whilst it takes longer to interparty pick pocket, but it can still do so. ...
@Pantalion I just have to know, what do you possibly gain by pickpocketing your other party members...?
Your familiar can carry infinite loot or (as someone pointed out to) drow items out of the underdark in BG2 without them disintegrating. Both are exploits, though...
The fact that your familiar can carry anything, including ammo, which is weightless and thus perfectly viable for lugging around, means your familiar is a seventh party member's worth of loot capacity without the need to exploit anything.
This actually good be quote useful too if you want to use throwing axes, as they weigh a ton!
Maybe things will change after the mac release.. but I never used my familiars in BG2
I chose the cat for the following reasons: Purry tummies, whiskers, cute noses, bushy tails, furry trousers.
If you're not making use of the Fairy Dragon's Invisibility 10' radius, or the spells from the Dust Mephit and Quasit that's a real waste - I've *never* had my familair die in BGEE and they've been really helpful
Comments
Rabbit = Fire damaged
Fairy dragon = Electric damage
Anyone else confirm?
I think I was very slow noticing this one... Anyone else playing a familiar and seeing it do elemental type damage?
Edit: typo
This said, Dust Mephit was not the particular familiar I was referring to (though it does essentially boil down to three level 2 spell slots if you're willing to have your familiar operate in combat), but the Fairy Dragon, which is notably more popular, exclusively for Invisibility 10', a single level 3 spell slot.
Edit: And yes, Rabbits do, for some bizarre reason, deal fire damage. I haven't melee'd with a Fairy Dragon of late, but electricity damage wouldn't surprise me. This actually makes the Rabbit a trollkiller.
Risk free rest plus error and risk free scouting plus life saving = win.
It has a BASE AC of 2. But in fact it has:
2 base - 4 (18 Dex) = -2 AC
And reaches -5 with Blur.
Another example: Drizzt has Base AC -10, in game it has -14. Why? Dex 20
EDIT: not to mention that the Quasit isn't the only familiar with Dex bonus.
I chose the cat for the following reasons: Purry tummies, whiskers, cute noses, bushy tails, furry trousers.