Are familiars worth it?

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I did a search on "familiar" but couldn't find my answer.

My PC is a mage and I've been wondering if a familiar was worth it. I was afraid it would always get killed in battle but I read you can "hide" it in your inventory. If so, do you still keep all the benefits a familiar brings you? Or do you just keep the extra hp?

Thanks for your insights. Any other helpful hint with regards to familiars is also appreciated.

 

Stashing the familiar gives you all the perks. The downside is that you lose one inventory slot, but that's a small price to pay. Familiars do have a few uses, but I find the biggest benefit is the HP boost.

 

My mage got a rabbit and I found it a real pain. I was always protecting it or carrying it around, so I'd have to say "no", a familiar is not worth it.

I heard that you can get the rabbit to pick pockets of your party members and use it like a bag of holding. This sounds great, but I never got it to work.

 

To me, the most useful out of these not so useful familiars is the fairy dragon which can cast the invisiblility spell. Other than the uses stated by Oaz and Hardcase Von Crudd, I don't think there is anything else...

 

On one of the alignments you get a cat that is the ultimate scout, it has somthing like 90% hide in shadows and 45% find traps.

 

I would a also say get one. its not only because the HP boost but some of em' are really useful...

 

I always get fairy dragon -guess which alingment?

Yes, familiars are useful; just summon one and put 'im to your backpack. When you need it's skills or spells, just release 'im and then stuff back. Having extra 12 hp is great too.

 

Definitely worth it. Try the Ferret or Cat, they both have some complimentary skills for a mage/bard.

 

I usually get a fmailiar - my Beast Master had one, I think they are funny

Dolina and Shali and Minsc and Boo!

 

@8people - I was going to ask how, but I suddenly seem to remember this being one of those undocumented benefits of a beast master. Are they the same as the mage would get - so you would have a dragon of some sort (well a little one anyway)?

 

Yep - I got a fairy Dragon. it's so cute!

 

Its deffo worth getting a familiar... your getting an CON and some extra health for the sake of one inventory slot... bargain mate

 

You might as well get one, it's not like they affect you negitivly unless you screw up badly, and can be really useful.

 

Wasn't there a bug mentioned at one time where you could lose a familiar changing areas if not in your inventory?

There's a summons that eats magic items from your inventory slot. Does it attack familiars and if it does, would you lose a point of CON?

On the plus side, they only get better in TOB. More info there.

 

Ah..I really don't think they are useful...I just agreed with 8people that familiars can be a nice friend...they really are cute!
For those who doesn't know the relation of familiars with the PC alignment..there's a thread here somewhere about it...I just don't remember where., sorry!

 

Actually, when I saw that ferret have a high percentage of skills in pickpocket(I think it's 75% or 90%), I thought it was great for pickpocketing. Turn out, it kept failling on those who carry useful items like the ring of ram and ring of regeneration. So I don't trust their skills anymore and rather go for familiars with magic spells. Just like Virne, I will release my familiar only to cast a spell and then stuff them back.

 

I've never bothered with familiars before but I'm tempted to give them a try the next time I play through the game. Just one question: can you "upgrade" familiars as you advance through the levels (a la NWN) or are you stuck with the same familiar from low level to high level?

 

Familiars have no variable stats! They can't upgrade in levels and theis abilities won't change even when you reach your PC maximum level!!
You know...the only thing that could change my opinion about familiars is if there was a way to able the game to make every character (PC or NPC) have the capacity to gain its own familiar. Through magic or just through reward for doing something special. That would be great a lot!!

 

Familiars upgrade with TOB. Not sure whether when TOB installed or when start TOB, but check forum for details.

Any PC class can have a familiar if you want:
1. Pause game
2. Inventory screen
3. Drink potion
4. Swap potion with familiar scroll (found in darnise keep)
5. Unpause game
Voila!!!

 

Good!!! Very good!! I will try it..
It will be very funny a party with 6 familiars...heheheheehehehhe.
I didn't know they could be upgraded...that's new for me! Thanks for the information!