I am putting forward a case for the
fair nerfing of familiars in BG:EE.
I understand and agree with the need to nerf these fantastic creatures from the realms... They were overpowered. The few threads attesting to cats defeating the mage at FAI, Rabbits taking on and breathing fire onto hobgoblins showed that adventurers had begun to use familiars as frontline troops!
In BG:SoA and ToB familiars did one thing and one thing only. They stayed in your backpack. They gave your wizard extra hp.
In BG:EE for a few months they actually were allowed to wander the realms free from backpack enshacklement!
I wish to return these beasts to the open air of the sword coast! Give them a USE other than a strange wizard permanent hp raiser they are being reduced to again...
This is a very wordy thread. I have placed each familiar in its own spoiler tag. I have placed each familiar stats namely pre patch 2014 data, followed by current 2014 patch data and my OWN idea (this may change with input) of how they should be nerfed data, in each tag. All data has been found from threads given on these forums, so thanks to
@jalily mostly for giving the input!
I would fully welcome your comments.
Please, let these wonderful wizardly creatures enjoy the open air, once again... (and no jokes on how we need to touch up the nerfed familiars
@Oxford_Guy and
@Bhaaldog . I'm watching you
@_@ )
LAWFUL GOOD, NEUTRAL GOOD: Pseudo Dragon
[spoiler]LAWFUL GOOD, NEUTRAL GOOD: Pseudo Dragon
– Hit Points: 24
– Armor Class: -2
– Magic Resistance: 50%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 13 THAC0 for 1d3 Piercing+chance of Sleep
– Special Abilities: Can cast Blur once per day. Regenerates 1 HP/round. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
Nerfed to...
LAWFUL GOOD, NEUTRAL GOOD: Pseudo Dragon
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 0
– Magic Resistance: 35%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d3 damage
– Special Abilities: Can cast Blur once per day. Regenerates 1 HP/round. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
I suggest
LAWFUL GOOD, NEUTRAL GOOD: Pseudo Dragon
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 0
– Magic Resistance: 35%
– Combat: 1 attack per round at 13 THAC0 for 1d3 damage+chance of Sleep
– Special Abilities: Can cast Blur once per day. Regenerates 1 HP/round. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
Comments
This a magical warrior familiar. It should have a magical bite. It's innate goodness would also mean that it should not want to kill opponents for it's master, unless it really had to... That is why I have lowered APR by one, reduced THACO by 2 so it has more of a chance to hit and re-included it's sleep on hit ability. (Two chances of hitting causing sleep would make it to powerful.)
After further input
LAWFUL GOOD, NEUTRAL GOOD: Pseudo Dragon
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 0
– Magic Resistance: 35%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 13 THAC0 for 1d3 damage+chance stun for 1 round (or sleep for 1 round)
– Special Abilities: Can cast Blur once per day. Regenerates 1 HP/round. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
Comments
As suggested by
@Oxford_Guy . Returned the 2 APR and given a chance for stun. (I would prefer sleep of 1 round for the sake of continuity but we are not sure this is possible)[/spoiler]
LAWFUL NEUTRAL: Ferret
[spoiler]LAWFUL NEUTRAL: Ferret
– Hit Points: 24
– Armor Class: 0
– Magic Resistance: 50%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 17 THAC0 for 1d3 Slashing
– Special Abilities: Has 75% in Pick Pockets, 40% in Hide in Shadows/Move Silently, and 20% in Detect Traps. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
Nerfed to...
LAWFUL NEUTRAL: Ferret
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 2
– Magic Resistance: 35%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d3 damage
– Special Abilities: Has 75% in Pick Pockets, 25% in Hide in Shadows/Move Silently, and 20% in Detect Traps. Can cast Blur once per day. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
I suggest
LAWFUL NEUTRAL: Ferret
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 2
– Magic Resistance: 15%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d3 damage
– Special Abilities: Has 75% in Pick Pockets, 25% in Hide in Shadows/Move Silently, and 20% in Detect Traps. Can cast Blur once per day. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
Comments
This is a thieving familiar, and as an englishman a much loved pet. Ferrets are those excellent creatures your grandpa, or grandpa's friend would scare you witless with by lifting a trouser leg when you were young... A cuddly ferret appearing magically from a trouser leg to only disappear up the other one and reappearing at a cuff is MAGIC, but not magic enough for me to give it 35% immunity (so lowered below the Imps level). This is a thief that picks pockets, hence returning it to 75%. It's other skills are near useless.[/spoiler]
LAWFUL EVIL: Imp
[spoiler]LAWFUL EVIL: Imp
– Hit Points: 18
– Armor Class: 2
– Magic Resistance: 25%
– Combat: 1 attack per round at 19 THAC0 for 1d6 Piercing+chance of Poison
– Special Abilities: Has 100% resistance to fire, cold, and electricity. Can cast Polymorph Self once per day. Regenerates 1 HP/round.
nerfed to...
LAWFUL EVIL: Imp
– Armor Class: 4
– Hit Points: 9
– Magic Resistance: 15%
– Combat: 1 attack per round at 17 THAC0 for 1d6 damage
– Special Abilities: Has 100% resistance to fire, cold, and electricity. Can cast Polymorph Self once per day. Regenerates 1 HP/round.
I suggest
LAWFUL EVIL: Imp
– Armor Class: 4
– Hit Points: 9
– Magic Resistance: 25%
– Combat: 1 attack per round at 19 THAC0 for 1d6 damage
– Special Abilities: Has 100% resistance to fire, cold, and electricity. Can cast Polymorph Self once per day. Regenerates 1 HP/round.
Comments
A wizardly familiar. Imps are magical, devious creatures that would prefer others do the work. Even if that means them wasting fireballs and other spells on them, that soak up, then once weakened they come in to finish the job. Magic means I have upped MR. Magic means poor fighting skills so lowered the THACO. They also have a powerful spell... They should be polymorphing for better THACO.[/spoiler]
NEUTRAL: Rabbit
[spoiler]NEUTRAL: Rabbit
– Hit Points: 24
– Armor Class: 1
– Magic Resistance: 65%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 17 THAC0 for 1d2 slashing
– Special Abilities: Has 20% in Move Silently/Hide In Shadows. Has 75% resistance to fire, cold, and electricity. 50% Find Traps.
nerfed to...
NEUTRAL: Rabbit
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 3
– Magic Resistance: 45%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d2 damage
– Special Abilities: Has 20% in Move Silently/Hide In Shadows and 40% in Find Traps. Has 75% resistance to fire, cold, and electricity.
I suggest
NEUTRAL: Rabbit
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 3
– Magic Resistance: 45%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d2 damage
– Special Abilities: Has 20% in Move Silently/Hide In Shadows and 50% in Find Traps. Has 75% resistance to fire, cold, and electricity.
Comments
Another thief familiar. Put the 50% in find traps back so that adventures will lose slightly the temptation to eat it. The kind of creature regularly pulled out of hats, so MR is okay to me. I think movement speed is what should really boost the rabbits like ability as a familiar... It should move far faster than it's wizardly owner...[/spoiler]
NEUTRAL EVIL: Dust Mephit
[spoiler]NEUTRAL EVIL: Dust Mephit
– Hit Points: 24
– Armor Class: 6
– Magic Resistance: 10%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 17 THAC0 for 1D2+1 Slashing
– Special Abilities: Has 100% resistance to fire and 50% Slashing/Piercing/Missile. Can cast Glitterdust 1x/day & Glass Dust 2x/day. Regenerates 1hp/round.. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
nerfed to...
NEUTRAL EVIL: Dust Mephit
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 8
– Magic Resistance: 10%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d2 damage
– Special Abilities: Has 100% resistance to fire and 35% resistance to slashing, piercing, and missile damage. Can cast Glass Dust twice per day. Regenerates 1 HP/round. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
I suggest
NEUTRAL EVIL: Dust Mephit
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 8
– Magic Resistance: 10%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d2 damage
– Special Abilities: Has 100% resistance to fire and 35% resistance to slashing, piercing, and missile damage. Can cast Glass Dust twice per day. Regenerates 1 HP/round. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
Comments
Warrior or wizard familiar? I have kept the same... It appears to be unnerfed with the THACO improvement. The loss of one spell cast is not so bad...[/spoiler]
CHAOTIC GOOD: Fairy Dragon
[spoiler]CHAOTIC GOOD: Fairy Dragon
– Hit Points: 24
– Armor Class: 4
– Magic Resistance: 32%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 17 THAC0 for 1d2 Slashing
– Special Abilities: Can cast Mirror Image and Invisibility 10' Radius, each 1x/day. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
nerfed to
CHAOTIC GOOD: Fairy Dragon
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 6
– Magic Resistance: 25%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d2 damage
– Special Abilities: Can cast Mirror Image once per day. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
I suggest
CHAOTIC GOOD: Fairy Dragon
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 6
– Magic Resistance: 25%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d2 damage
– Special Abilities: Can cast Invisibility and reflected image. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
Comments
A thiefy through magic familiar. The mirror image gave it little extra staying power as it is so easy to hit. You could cast mirror image and have a gamble, setting off traps and hoping they hit an image but why risk losing 1 con PERMANENTLY! It is a weak familiar because it had a good spell selection. However invisibilty raduis of 10 is gone... I say if an imp keeps polymorph, then let it's opposite the fairy keep invisibility. Return it!
After a return to normality and a comment from
@oxford_guy . take away the invisibility radius with invisibility and put in reflected image... This would mean the dragons spells will appear to have grown stronger on starting SoA[/spoiler]
CHAOTIC NEUTRAL: Cat
[spoiler]CHAOTIC NEUTRAL: Cat
– Hit Points: 24
– Armor Class: 0
– Magic Resistance: 50%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 17 THAC0 for 1d3 Slashing
– Special Abilities: Has 30% in Pick Pockets and 99% in Move Silently/Hide In Shadows. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
nerfed to
CHAOTIC NEUTRAL: Cat
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 2
– Magic Resistance: 35%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d3 damage
– Special Abilities: Has 15% in Pick Pockets and 65% in Move Silently/Hide In Shadows. Can cast Blur once per day. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
I suggest
CHAOTIC NEUTRAL: Cat
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 2
– Magic Resistance: 25%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d3 damage
– Special Abilities: Has 0% in Pick Pockets and 99% in Move Silently/Hide In Shadows. Can cast Blur once per day. Immune to level drain, sleep, and petrification.
Comments
A stealthy familiar. Let it be stealthy once again! (Lowered MR and pick pocket ability to keep it nerfed. Of course this is all conjecture as IT NEEDS TO WALK AT THE SAME SPEED AS ITS MASTER! Untie the string around the cats legs, you dastardly dog lovers at Overhaul, UNTIE THE STRING!
@Oxford_Guy suggests 66% but I think the vote is out on this one...[/spoiler]
CHAOTIC EVIL: Quasit
[spoiler]CHAOTIC EVIL: Quasit
– Hit Points: 24
– Armor Class: 2
– Magic Resistance: 25%
– Combat: 3 attacks per round at 17 THAC0 for 1d6 Slashing
– Special Abilities: Has 100% resistance to fire, cold, and electricity. Can cast Blur & Horror each 1x/day. Regenerates 1hp/round.
nerfed to...
CHAOTIC EVIL: Quasit
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 4
– Magic Resistance: 15%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d6 damage
– Special Abilities: Has 100% resistance to fire, cold, and electricity. Can cast Horror once per day. Regenerates 1 HP/round.
I suggest
CHAOTIC EVIL: Quasit
– Hit Points: 12
– Armor Class: 4
– Magic Resistance: 15%
– Combat: 2 attacks per round at 15 THAC0 for 1d4 damage
– Special Abilities: Has 100% resistance to fire, cold, and electricity. Can cast Horror once per day. Regenerates 1 HP/round.
Comments
A warrior familiar. Keep the same. This familiar can hit harder than a pseudo dragon... (have you noticed it's opposite alignment wise again?). It has had it's THACO reduced and looks pretty mean and tough already. Lowere damage to 1d4[/spoiler]
All for Pufty, my own familiar. May we travel together, always.
