Improved Familiar [General]

This feat allows spellcasters to acquire a new familiar from a nonstandard list, but only when they could normally acquire a new familiar.

Prerequisite

Ability to acquire a new familiar, compatible alignment, sufficiently high level (see below).

Benefit

When choosing a familiar, the creatures listed below are also available to the spellcaster. The spellcaster may choose a familiar with an alignment up to one step away on each of the alignment axes (lawful through chaotic, good through evil).

Familiar

Alignment

Arcane Spellcaster Level

Shocker lizard

Neutral

5th

Stirge

Neutral

5th

Formian worker

Lawful neutral

7th

Imp

Lawful evil

7th

Pseudodragon

Neutral good

7th

Quasit

Chaotic evil

7th

Improved familiars otherwise use the rules for regular familiars, with two exceptions: If the creature’s type is something other than animal, its type does not change; and improved familiars do not gain the ability to speak with other creatures of their kind (although many of them already have the ability to communicate).

The list in the table above presents only a few possible improved familiars. Almost any creature of the same general size and power as those on the list makes a suitable familiar. Nor is the master’s alignment the only possible categorization. For instance, improved familiars could be assigned by the master’s creature type or subtype, as shown below.

Familiar

Type/Subtype

Arcane Spellcaster Level

Celestial hawk1

Good

3rd

Fiendish Tiny viper snake2

Evil

3rd

Air elemental, Small

Air

5th

Earth elemental, Small

Earth

5th

Fire elemental, Small

Fire

5th

Shocker lizard

Electricity

5th

Water elemental, Small

Water

5th

Homunculus3

Undead

7th

Ice mephit

Cold

7th

1 Or other celestial animal from the standard familiar list.
2 Or other fiendish animal from the standard familiar list.
3 The master must first create the homunculus, substituting ichor or another part of the master’s body for blood if necessary.