(Find) Familiar NPC Slot & Portrait?

Mortianna

Since using your familiar in BG:EE in melee at lower levels could be something other than a suicide mission (as opposed to SoA and ToB), I was wondering if it would be possible to add a seventh NPC slot and portrait specifically for the various familiars. If hardcoding makes this impossible, would it be possible to add the familiar to one of the six available NPC slots?

The familiars for good and evil mages are suited for melee support in various ways, especially the imp with its Polymorph Self ability. Is anyone else interested in this?

Mortianna

I have something like this in mind for the Imp portrait:

LadyRhian

I want one of these:

Mortianna

@LadyRhian Ooh! Part kitty/lynx, part peacock?

LadyRhian

@Mortianna A Tressym. Part cat, part bird. In a familliar, combines the powers of cat and hawk/owl.

WonKo

I'd really like familiars to be a little more fleshed out.
I guess the problem is that it is very niche content (Because only a few classes can access them) and if you weren't a mage there would be an empty seventh slot.

Mortianna

@WonKo You're right--it is a very niche interest. I was thinking that maybe a seventh slot could be written specifically for familiars. The NPC slots would still be limited to six.

WonKo

Hmm. I think its an engine limitation but if the GUI could change based on whether you have a familiar or shrink the rest of the portraits in a uniform manner.

Though, perhaps there would be a way to have room for a familiar portrait without it looking like non-mage pcs were missing a companion.