Giant Owl Familiar

[owned645]

Is it possible to get a giant owl as a familiar instead of a regular owl?

Or somehow get my owl familiar bigger permanently so I can ride it?
Thanks for reading [:

 

[frankthedm]

Not really IIRC, though there was a way to get a medium warg. Hopefully I've missed something obvious.

 

[Thanael]

I see 2 possibilities:

1. Improved Familiar feat + Giant Owl. A Giant Owl is CR3 similar to the Ice Memphit, so it should be available at level 7. See also the http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-legacy-discussion/250716-3-5-improved-familiar-rules.html thread.

2. Figurine of Wondrous Power : Serpentine Owl (+ perhaps item familiar feat)

 

[jefgorbach]

Increased Familiar Size
Source: Mongoose Ultimate Feats
originally titled: Big Famiilar

You can take a larger animal, vermin or beast as a familiar.

Prerequisites: The ability to summon a familiar.

Benefit:
You can bind an animal, beast or vermin of medium size or smaller to be your familiar. The familiar ceremony works just as described in the class description, except the creature is not actually summoned and must be present and in your power (charmed, tamed or captured) and of a Challenge Rating equal to or lower than half your character level. Once bound, the new familiar becomes loyal to you, and gains all the benefits of a normal familiar, except it has no species-specific familiar ability; it does not grant you any bonuses beyond those common to all familiars.

You must dismiss any familiar you currently have before binding a new one and you cannot bind a new familiar until a year and a day has passed since your last familiar was killed or dismissed.

For example:
Bainard the 1st level gnome illusionist wishes to use this feat to bind a dire badger as his familiar figuring he can ride it into battle. However since dire badgers have a challenge rating of two, he can‘t do this until he attains the fourth level. He decided not to bind any familiar at first level, since that would force him to wait a year and a day for his badger once he attained fourth level.

Special:
This feat can be taken multiple times, and stacks with itself. For each additional time it is taken, the maximum size of your familiar is increased by one category, from medium to large, to huge, and so on.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Steroids.*

* Please don't actually do steroids, kids. It will shrink your family jewels and give you bacne.

 

[owned645]

I see 2 possibilities:

1. Improved Familiar feat + Giant Owl. A Giant Owl is CR3 similar to the Ice Memphit, so it should be available at level 7. See also the http://www.enworld.org/forum/d-d-legacy-discussion/250716-3-5-improved-familiar-rules.html thread.

2. Figurine of Wondrous Power : Serpentine Owl (+ perhaps item familiar feat)

Thanks. I talked it over with my DM and he said he'd allow it.

Increased Familiar Size
Source: Mongoose Ultimate Feats
originally titled: Big Famiilar

You can take a larger animal, vermin or beast as a familiar.

Prerequisites: The ability to summon a familiar.

Benefit:
You can bind an animal, beast or vermin of medium size or smaller to be your familiar. The familiar ceremony works just as described in the class description, except the creature is not actually summoned and must be present and in your power (charmed, tamed or captured) and of a Challenge Rating equal to or lower than half your character level. Once bound, the new familiar becomes loyal to you, and gains all the benefits of a normal familiar, except it has no species-specific familiar ability; it does not grant you any bonuses beyond those common to all familiars.

You must dismiss any familiar you currently have before binding a new one and you cannot bind a new familiar until a year and a day has passed since your last familiar was killed or dismissed.

For example:
Bainard the 1st level gnome illusionist wishes to use this feat to bind a dire badger as his familiar figuring he can ride it into battle. However since dire badgers have a challenge rating of two, he can‘t do this until he attains the fourth level. He decided not to bind any familiar at first level, since that would force him to wait a year and a day for his badger once he attained fourth level.

Special:
This feat can be taken multiple times, and stacks with itself. For each additional time it is taken, the maximum size of your familiar is increased by one category, from medium to large, to huge, and so on.

I'm not sure if my DM would allow me to use feats from that book. I'd like to know where i could read that book for free though.

Steroids.*

* Please don't actually do steroids, kids. It will shrink your family jewels and give you bacne.

I don't plan on it, thanks though.

 

[Greenfield]

The feat for the larger familiar would have to be used several times to get you a Giant Owl. And you need to actually have the giant owl to do it.

Have you considered just getting and training a giant owl? The MM mentions that it's possible, and Handle Animals isn't that hard a skill to work with.

If the bird is available for the feat, it's available for use without the feat(s), and you still get a flying mount, no feats needed.

 

[jefgorbach]

True Greenfield, purchasing a trained owl would be far cheaper/efficient if all he's looking for is a simple aerial mount -- however if he wants it to have the familiar features then he'll need whatever combination of feats/items/spells his GM approves.

If allowed, a single use of Mongoose's feat would allow him to bind a Medium sized owl as his Familiar - which could be made into a Large (ie giant owl) when needed via a custom Item of Animal Growth.