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NPCs, FAMILIARS, MOUNTS & COMPANIONS
BLACKGUARD'S FIENDISH SERVANT
Upon or after reaching 5th level, a blackguard can call a fiendish bat,
cat, dire rat, horse, pony, raven, or toad to serve him. This creature may be
used as a guardian (such as a bat), a helper (such as a cat), or a mount (such
as a horse). The blackguard’s servant further gains HD and special abilities
based on the blackguard’s character level.
The blackguard may have only one fiendish servant at a time. Should the
blackguard’s servant die, he may call for another one after one year and a day.
The new fiendish servant has all the accumulated abilities due a servant of the
blackguard’s current level.
Table: Fiendish Servants
Blackguard
Character Bonus Natural St
Level HD Armor Adj. Int Special
---------- ----- ------- ---- --- -------
12 or less +2 HD +1 +1 6 Improved evasion, share spells, empathic link, share saving throws
13–15 +4 HD +3 +2 7 Speak with blackguard
16–18 +6 HD +5 +3 8 Blood bond
19–20 +8 HD +7 +4 9 Spell resistance
Blackguard Character Level: The character level of the blackguard (his
blackguard level plus his original class level).
Bonus Hit Dice: These are extra d8 Hit Dice, each of which gains a
Constitution modifier, as normal. Extra Hit Dice improve the servant’s base
attack and base save bonuses, as normal.
Natural Armor: This is a bonus to the servant’s natural armor rating.
Str Adj.: Add this figure to the servant’s Strength score.
Int: The servant’s Intelligence score. (The fiendish servant is smarter
than normal animals of its kind.)
Improved Evasion: If the servant is subjected to an attack that
normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage on a
successful saving throw and only half damage on a failed saving throw. Improved
evasion is an extraordinary ability.
Share Spells: At the blackguard’s option, he may have any spell he
casts on himself also affect his servant. The servant must be within 5 feet. If
the spell has a duration other than instantaneous, the spell stops affecting
the servant if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the
servant again even if the servant returns to the blackguard before the duration
expires. Additionally, the blackguard may cast a spell with a target of “You”
on his servant (as a touch range spell) instead of on himself. The blackguard
and the servant can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect
creatures of the servant’s type (magical beast).
Empathic Link: The blackguard has an empathic link with the servant out
to a distance of up to one mile. The blackguard cannot see through the
servant’s eyes, but they can communicate telepathically. Even intelligent
servants see the world differently from humans, so misunderstandings are always
possible. This empathic link is a supernatural ability.
Because of the empathic link between the servant and the blackguard,
the blackguard has the same connection to a place or an item that the servant
does.
Share Saving Throws: The servant uses its own base save or the
blackguard’s, whichever is higher.
Speak with Blackguard: The blackguard and servant can communicate
verbally as if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not
understand the communication without magical help.
Blood Bond: The servant gains a +2 bonus to all attacks, checks, and
saves if it witnesses the blackguard threatened or harmed. This bonus lasts as
long as the threat is immediate and apparent.
Spell Resistance: The servant’s spell resistance equals the
blackguard’s level + 5. To affect the servant with a spell, a spellcaster must
make a caster level check (1d20 + caster level) at least equal to the servant’s
spell resistance.
PALADIN'S MOUNT
The paladin's mount is different from a standard animal of its type in
many ways. The standard mount for a Medium-size paladin is a warhorse, and the
standard mount for a Small paladin is a warpony. A paladin's mount is a magical
beast, not an animal. It is superior to a normal mount of its kind and has
special powers, as shown below
Paladin Bonus Natural Str
Level HD Armor Adj. Int Special
------- ----- ------- ---- --- -------
5–7 +2 4 +1 6 Improved evasion, share
spells, empathic link, share
saving throws
8–10 +4 6 +2 7
11–14 +6 8 +3 8 Command creatures of its kind
15–20 +8 10 +4 9 Spell resistance
Paladin Level: The level of the paladin. If the mount suffers a level
drain, treat it as a mount of a lower-level paladin.
Bonus HD: These are extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each of which gains
a Constitution modifier, as normal. Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the
mount's base attack and base save bonuses.
Natural Armor: The number listed here is an improvement to the mount's
AC. It represents the preternatural toughness of a paladin's mount.
Str Adj.: Add this figure to the mount's Strength score.
Int: The mount's Intelligence score.
Improved Evasion: If the mount is subjected to an attack that normally
allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes a
successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving throw fails.
Improved evasion is an extraordinary ability.
Share Spells: At the paladin's option, the paladin may have any spell
cast on him or herself also affect her mount. The mount must be within 5 feet.
If the spell has a duration other than instantaneous, the spell stops affecting
the mount if it moves farther than 5 feet away and will not affect the mount
again even if the mount returns to the paladin before the duration expires.
Additionally, the paladin may cast a spell with a target of "You" on
the mount (as a touch range spell) instead of on herself. The paladin and the
mount can share spells even if the spells normally do not affect creatures of
the mount's type.
Empathic Link: The paladin has an empathic link with the mount out to a
distance of up to one mile. The paladin cannot see through the mount's eyes,
but they can communicate telepathically. Even intelligent mounts see the world
differently from humans, so misunderstandings are always possible. This is a
supernatural ability.
Because of the empathic link between the mount and the paladin, the
paladin has the same connection to an item or place that the mount does, just
as a master and his familiar.
Share Saving Throws: The mount uses its own base save or the paladin's,
whichever is higher.
Command: The mount's command ability is a spell-like ability that it
can use at will against other creatures of its kind with fewer Hit Dice than it
has itself. The mount can use this ability once per day per two levels of its
paladin, and the ability functions just like the spell command (for purposes of
this spell, the mount can make itself be understood by any normal animal of its
kind). Since this is a spell-like ability, the mount must make a Concentration
check (DC 21) if it's being ridden at the time (as in combat). If the check
fails, the ability does not work that time, but it still counts against the
mount's daily uses.
Spell Resistance: The mount's spell resistance equals the paladin's
level + 5.
DRUID & RANGER ANIMAL COMPANIONS
Druids and rangers can use the animal friendship spell to gain animal
companions. Use these rules of thumb when characters have animal companions.
While the spell allows a character to have animals whose Hit Dice total
double the character's caster level, that maximum assumes optimal conditions.
The typical adventurer should be able to maintain animal companions whose Hit
Dice total half the maximum caster level. If the character spends most of her
time in the animals' home territory and treats them well, she can approach and
even achieve her maximum Hit Dice. If she spends most of her time at sea, in
cities, or otherwise in places that the animals don't like, her animals desert,
and she will not be able to retain even half her maximum. Remember, these
creatures are loyal friends but not pets or servants. They won't remain loyal
if being the character's friend becomes too onerous.
The animal is still an animal. It's not a magical beast, as a familiar
or a paladin's mount is. While it may have learned some tricks, it's still no
more intelligent than any other animal of its kind, and it retains all its
bestial instincts. Unlike intelligent followers or cohorts, animals can't
follow complex instructions, such as "Attack the gnoll with the
wand." A character can give a simple verbal command, such as
"Attack" or "Come," as a free action, provided such a
command is among the tricks the animal has learned. A more complex instruction,
such as telling an animal to attack and pointing out a specific target, is a
standard action. Animals are ill-equipped to handle unusual situations, such as
combats with invisible opponents, and they typically hesitate to attack weird
and unnatural creatures, such as beholders and oozes.
Left to its own judgment, an animal follows a character and attacks
creatures that attack her (or that attack the animal itself). To do more than
that, it needs to learn tricks. An animal with an Intelligence of 2 can learn
six tricks. Possible tricks include:
"Attack": The animal attacks apparent enemies. The character
may point to a particular creature to direct the animal to attack that
creature. Normally, an animal will not attack unnatural creatures (though it
will defend people, guard places, and protect characters against them).
Teaching an animal to be willing to attack unnatural creatures counts as two
tricks.
"Come": The animal comes to the character, even if the animal
normally would not do so (such as following the character onto a boat).
"Defend": The animal defends the character (or is ready to
defend the character if no threat is present).
"Down": The animal breaks off from combat or otherwise backs
down.
"Fetch": The animal goes and gets something. The character
must point out a specific object or the animal fetches some random object.
"Guard": The animal stays in place and prevents others from
approaching.
"Heel": The animal follows the character closely, even to
places where it normally wouldn't go.
"Perform": The animal does a variety of simple tricks like
sitting up, rolling over, roaring, and so on.
"Protect": The animal follows a specific other character and
protects him from danger (like "Defend," but for another character).
"Seek": The animal moves into an area and looks around for
anything unusual.
"Stay": The animal stays in place waiting for the character
to return. It does not challenge other creatures that come by, though it still
defends itself if it needs to.
"Track": The animal tracks the scent presented to it.
SORCERER & WIZARDS FAMILIARS
Familiar: A sorcerer or a wizard can call a familiar. Doing so takes a
day and uses up magical materials that cost 100 gp. A familiar is a magical,
unusually tough, and intelligent version of a small animal. It is a magical
beast, not an animal. The creature serves as a companion and servant.
Even if the character is multiclassed with two or more
classes that allow a familiar, only one familiar is permitted. For these kinds of multiclassed characters
all the class levels in classes allowing a familiar are combined for
determining the familiar’s abilities.
The master chooses the type of familiar he gets. As the master
increases in level, the familiar also increases in power. In the special case
of a character with both sorcerer and wizard levels, the character can add
those levels together to determine the power level of the familiar.
If the familiar dies, or the master chooses to dismiss it, the master
must attempt a Fortitude saving throw (DC 15). If the saving throw fails, the
master loses 200 experience points per class level. A successful saving throw
reduces the loss to half of that amount. However, a master's experience point
total can never go below zero as the result of a familiar's demise. A slain or
dismissed familiar cannot be replaced for a year and day. Slain familiars can
be raised from the dead just as characters can be, but do not lose a level or a
Constitution point when this happy event occurs.
These special abilities only apply when the master and familiar are
within one mile of each other.
Table: Familiars
Familiar Special
-------- -------
Bat -
Cat Master gains a +2 bonus to Move Silently checks
Hawk -
Owl Has low-light vision; master gains a +2 bonus on
Move Silently checks
Rat Master gains a +2 bonus to Fortitude saves
Raven Speaks one language
Snake (Tiny) Poisonous bite
Toad Master gains +2 to Constitution score
Weasel Master gains a +2 bonus on Reflex saves
Familiar Basics: Use the basic statistics for a creature of its type,
but make these changes:
Hit Dice: Treat as the master's character level (for effects related to
Hit Dice). Use the familiar's normal total if it is higher.
Hit Points: One-half the master's total, rounded down.
Attacks: Use the master's base attack bonus. Use the familiar's
Dexterity or Strength modifier, whichever is greater, to get the familiar's
melee attack bonus with unarmed attacks. Damage equals that of a normal
creature of that type.
Saving Throws: The familiar uses the master's base saving throw bonuses
if they're better than the familiar's.
Skills: Use the normal skills for an animal of that type or the
master's, whichever are better.
Familiar Ability Descriptions: All familiars have special abilities (or
impart abilities to their masters) depending on the level of the master. The
abilities are cumulative.
Table: Familiar Special Abilities
Master Natural
Class Level Armor Int Special
----------- ------- --- -------
1–2 +1 6 Alertness, improved evasion, share
spells, empathic link
3–4 +2 7 Touch
5–6 +3 8 Speak with master
7–8 +4 9 Speak with animals of its type
9–10 +5 10
11–12 +6 11 Spell resistance
13–14 +7 12 Scry on familiar
15–16 +8 13
17–18 +9 14
19–20 +10 15
Natural Armor: This number improves the familiar's AC.
Intelligence: The familiar's Intelligence score.
Alertness: The presence of the familiar sharpens its master's senses.
While the familiar is within arm's reach, the master gains Alertness.
Improved Evasion: If the familiar is subjected to an attack that
normally allows a Reflex saving throw for half damage, the familiar takes no
damage if it makes a successful saving throw and half damage even if the saving
throw fails. Improved evasion is an extraordinary ability.
Share Spells: At the master's option, he may have any spell he or she
casts on themselves also affect a familiar. The familiar must be within 5 feet
at the time. If the spell has a duration other than instantaneous, the spell
stops affecting the familiar if it moves farther than 5 feet away. The spell's
effect will not be restored even if the familiar returns to the master before
the duration would otherwise have ended. Additionally, the master may cast a
spell with a target of "You" on a familiar (as a Touch range spell)
instead. The master and familiar can share spells even if the spells normally
do not affect creatures of the familiar's type.
Empathic Link: The master has an empathic link with the familiar out to
a distance of up to one mile. The master cannot see through the familiar's
eyes, but the two of them can communicate telepathically. This is a
supernatural ability.
Because of the empathic link between the familiar and the master, the
master has the same connection to an item or place that the familiar does. For
instance, if his familiar has seen a room, a master can teleport into that room
as if he has seen it too.
Touch: If the master is 3rd level or higher, the familiar can deliver
touch spells for the master. When the master casts a touch spell, the familiar
can be designated as the "toucher." (The master and the familiar have
to be in contact at the time of casting.) The familiar can then deliver the
touch spell just as the master could. As normal, if the master casts another
spell, the touch spell dissipates.
Speak with Animals of Its Type: The familiar can communicate with animals
of approximately the same type as itself (including dire variants). The
communication is limited by the Intelligence of the conversing creatures.
Speak with Master: The familiar and master can communicate verbally as
if they were using a common language. Other creatures do not understand the
communication with out magical help.
Spell Resistance: If the master is 11th level or higher, the familiar
gains spell resistance equal to the master's level + 5.
Scry: If the master is 13th level or higher, the master may scry on the
familiar (as if casting the spell scrying) once per day. This is a spell-like
ability that requires no material components or focus.