Pathfinder 1E Multiclass and familiars

[koesherbacon]

If you are a multiclass character and both your classes give familiars (like the Wizard and the Witch), do you get one familiar for both classes, or two familiars (one from each)?

Thanks

 

[Celebrim]

If you are a multiclass character and both your classes give familiars (like the Wizard and the Witch), do you get one familiar for both classes, or two familiars (one from each)?

Thanks

Strictly speaking, I suspect you get two familiars if you use the RAW.

This is not the result I'd desire, so naturally I rewrote the rules.

 

[koesherbacon]

So you think that according to the rules you'd get two, but when you DM you ask that your players only have one?

 

[N'raac]

If I were rewriting that aspect of the rules, I would simply have levels of all familiar-granting classes stack for purposes of the familiar's abilities.

 

[delericho]

In 3.5e, a character with multiple classes that grant familiars may only have a single familiar, but the class levels stack. (See the Sorcerer entry in the SRD for the first, and then the entry on Familiars for the second.)

I don't know if it is the same in Pathfinder, but I would be surprised if that had changed.

 

[Ilja]

You get two by RAW - nothing indicates otherwise. Also note that a wizard's Arcane Bond ability and a witch's Witch's Familiar ability both can grant familiars, but are distinctly different in language.

In my games, a wizard/witch would get two familiars.
If it was a wizard/arcane sorcerer taking the same arcane bond ability, I might let the levels add up though - it may not be RAW but it seems like a reasonable ruling.

 

[billd91]

On page 82 of the Pathfinder Core Rulebook:

A familiar is an animal chosen by a spellcaster to aid him in his study of magic. It retains the appearance, Hit Dice, base attack bonus, base save bonuses, skills, and feats of the normal animal it once was, but is now a magical beast for the purpose of effects that depend on its type. Only a normal, unmodified animal may become a familiar. An animal companion cannot also function as a familiar.
A familiar grants special abilities to its master, as given on the table below. These special abilities apply only when the master and familiar are within 1 mile of each other.
Levels of different classes that are entitled to familiars stack for the purpose of determining any familiar abilities that depend on the master’s level.

Not only does it specifically lay out that the class levels stack to determine a familiar's powers, the whole way it's written strongly implies one familiar, not one per class that can get a familiar.

 

[Noir le Lotus]

If you are a multiclass character and both your classes give familiars (like the Wizard and the Witch), do you get one familiar for both classes, or two familiars (one from each)?

Thanks

It depends !!

Wizard + sorcerer with Bloodline Arcana => you get twice the same ability so one familiar but your levels stack.
crossblooded sorcerer with Arcana and Serpentine bloddlines => 2 différents abilities, so 2 familiars by RAW.

 

[delericho]

Not only does it specifically lay out that the class levels stack to determine a familiar's powers, the whole way it's written strongly implies one familiar, not one per class that can get a familiar.

Yep. It looks very much like the 3.5e rule about characters only getting one Familiar was dropped by omission rather than intention - because not all Sorcerers gain a Familiar in Pathfinder, the restriction hidden away in the 3.5e Sorc write-up didn't get carried across.

(Which, really, is poor organisation in 3.5e - that rule should have been in the Familiar write-up itself, not Sorcerer!)

 

[Starfox]

Since most of a familiars' abilities (hp, saves, skills, bab) are based on the caster's abilities directly rather than on level, having several familiars would generally be much more useful than having a single one at a higher level. So, in this case, having the abilities NOT stack would be a power-up.