Shadow Creature as Improved Familiar?

[Metallian]

I'm creating a wizard NPC with a preference for shadows, shadow magic, the plane of shadows, etc.

Do you think a creature (say, an owl or a cat) with the Shadow Creature template (from MotP) would be an appropriate familiar for someone with the Improved Familiar feat? Or is it too powerful compared to the "Celestial/Infernal" templates from the MM?

Thanks,

The Metallian

 

[Terath Ninir]

It's fine. Most of the templates like that aren't powerful enough to unbalance the familiar.

Now, vampire or ghost would be another thing. But the "planar" templates should all be fine.

 

[Bill Door]

iT sEEms a gooD poiNT oF reFeRenCe
wouLD bE thE shaDoWdaNCeR preSTigE claSS, frieND.

iF a fiCTionaL shaDoWdaNCeR recieVeS a shaDoW
coMPanioN (anD eveNTuaLLy, a tRiO oF uMBraL seRVanTS),
thAt maY oFFer a preCeDenT foR yoUR noTioN...anD
a guiDeLinE foR itS cHaRacTeR leVel reQUireMenT.

enJoY youR darK porTraYaL, meTaLLiaN!



adViSe.

 

[Particle_Man]

Incidentally, has any official (or unofficial) erratta been posted on the shadowdancer's shadow companions re: spawning? I house rule that they lose the ability to create spawn, but alternatively one could allow them to create spawn (either of the same alignment as the shadowdancer or CE) (either under the direct control of the shadowdancer or under the indirect control, through the shadow).

Your shadow wizard sounds cool. I had a similar idea with a sorceror, taking hide and move silent as cross-class skills and also giving him a few "rogue" spells like knock, spider climb, etc.).

 

[EOL]

Sure...

I wrote up a shadow sorcerer prestige class, one of the class abilities was that the familiar got the attribute of incorporeality permenantly. As long as there is a decent trade and a feat sounds like a decent trade then I wouldn't see any problem, of coourse DM's generally judge whether something is a problem based on how high the annoyance factor gets, something to keep in mind with this sort of thing.

 

[Grim]

mmm... shadow magic is fun... familiars are fun to... mmm... shadow familiars are twice the fun...

 

[UD]

Yet not quite as fun as the Nightcloaks prc for FR that was in Dragon. Man I loved that prc...

 

[Metallian]

It's fine. Most of the templates like that aren't powerful enough to unbalance the familiar.

Now, vampire or ghost would be another thing. But the "planar" templates should all be fine.

Okay. I figure someone would have jumped on it already if it was terribly unbalanced for some reason. I shall have much fun with my villain's Shadow Owl. Thanks, all!

The Metallian