Due to the rather diverse and somewhat unequal choices for familiars, I have decided to streamline familiar choices to allow for customization of your familiar. There will now be only 2 basic familiar templates, each customizable to the liking of the player. Each template is balanced with the other, so this allows the true freedom of choosing a familiar that fits your character rather than choosing one based on superior game mechanics. These templates set the stage for my Familiar Enhancing feats to follow as well.

There are 2 basic templates, choose 1 of the templates for your familiar, all familiars are Magical Beasts:

*(Choose either climbing or swimming for special movement for non-flying familiars and then they get that skill as well. Familiars use their DEX score for this skill instead of their STR score)

Once you have the basic template, choose the type of animal you want the familiar to be, this can be anything that the DM allows, and this choice has no bearing on the abilities of the familiar, it is just to describe its appearance for role-play purposes. Finish up detailing your familiar by noting the following basic familiar attributes; choose the various bonuses for your familiar as indicated:

Attacks: use master's base attack +2 (tiny) for size, and +DEX bonus (weapon finesse). Familiars get 1 attack form (you choose the form: claws, bite, sting, etc.)

Damage: familiars damage capacity is not usually important, but use the following as needed: d3-STR penalty. They only get 1 natural attack.

Saves: familiars use their own base saves or their master’s, whichever is better.

Skills: distribute 2 x INT score of the familiar in skill points. You may distribute points to skills listed in your template as if they are class skills for the familiar, any other skill is treated as a cross class skill, and costs 2 skill points per rank. Familiars cannot take ranks in exclusive skills with these points. The familiar has a maximum rank limit equal to its INT for class skills, half this value for cross class skills. These are the familiar's racial skill ranks; the familiar also gets the ranks in any other skill his master has ranks in, using his own ability score to modify the final skill score. If the master's ranks in a skill exceed those of any skill in which the familiar has placed ranks from his own points, then use the master's ranks instead.

Choose 2 bonuses from the following list of special racial bonuses (you cannot choose the same bonus twice):

• +4 racial bonus to spot and listen checks
• +4 racial bonus to move silently and hide checks
• +8 racial bonus to balance checks
• +8 racial bonus to climb checks
• +8 racial bonus to swim checks
• +2 natural armor
• +1 DEX
• +1 WIS

Choose 1 of the following forms of vision:

• Darkvision 60' and Low Light Vision
• Blindsight 120', silence ruins this form. Without blindsight, the animal only sees 10’ with normal human vision. This is standard bat vision
• Sonar 360' (underwater only), silence ruins this form and then familiar uses Low Light Vision

Base Ability Scores:

STR-3

DEX-15

CON-10

INT-5

WIS-13

CHA-5 (CHA will increase as INT does, this is a new rule)

Modify these scores for racial bonuses (+1 DEX and/or +1 WIS if chosen).

Feats: all familiars get Weapon Finesse (attack form of the familiar).

Now your familiar is finished, the final choice determines the bonus the familiar will give to its master from the special bond they make. These bonuses apply only when the familiar is within 1 mile of the master. Choose 1 bonus from the following list (DMs can expand this list as desired. Any new choices added should not exceed the power of a single feat):

• Skill Focus feat with any skill the familiar has on his skill list, or with Concentrate, Scry, Spellcraft or Knowledge (Arcana)
• Great Fortitude feat
• Iron Will feat
• Lightning Reflexes feat
• Dodge feat (do not need to have the prerequisites: only if familiar has the +1 DEX racial bonus)
• Weapon Focus (touch attacks) feat
• Blindfighting feat (only if familiar has Blindsight 120')
• Mobility feat (do not need to have the prerequisites: only if familiar has 5 racial ranks in Balance and the +8 racial bonus to Balance checks)
• Combat Casting feat
• Sorcery, Wizardry, Spell Focus, or Spell Penetration feat
• Familiar Spell Power +4, adds to the DC and to Spell Penetration rolls of spells delivered by your familiar (only works on spells delivered by your familiar, like touch spells for example)
• Bonus Metamagic feat (you must qualify for it to take it)