Min/Max Boards

There’s a guy in one of my groups that has asked for my help in a RP matter.

He’s an avid fantasy literature reader and manages to write quite in-depth and interesting backgrounds for his chars, but he has trouble developing interesting personalities for them in play. All his characters, despite awesome backstories feel bland, one-dimensional and more or less copies of his own personality. He’s realized thaat too and has asked me for some help.

Thing is I’m not really able to help him. I do RP more or less on the fly. I enjoy trying to read people, and that’s what I do with my chars too. I have the background, and then I ask myself ‘how would a guy shaped by these experiences react to situation X?. I can tell him how a given char's personality feels to me, but I've got no idea what to suggest to help him build character personalities himself.

What I’m looking for is a more structured approach on character personality development. Maybe a set of questions, or a list of things you should think about in regard to your character, or maybe something else althgether. Anything helps.

I'm trying to get a summoner build off ground for an upcoming character, and I'm a bit torn between either StP Erudite/Constructor or Wizard (or Archivist if we don't get any other divine caster)/Malconvoker?

Which one do you guys think is better at providing party frontline and why?

My main dilemma is something along the lines of: Can Astral Construct, with the limited (compared to SM) customization options keep up with  Summon Monster in terms of both raw power and utility?

I'm thinking about making a wizard character who uses magic mostly to make his life easier (or at least used to before an intelligent sword forced him go adventuring), so I'm looking for spells of 2nd level and below that he could use to improve his own QoL. What I have so far:

Cantrips

Dancing Lights/Light - never wake up in the dark ever again
Mage Hand - no need to actually get up and walk there in order to retrieve nearby objects
Open/Close - don't touch a door handle or lid ever again
Amanuensis - in case he wants to copy some books or the like

1st level spells

Alarm - no need to worry about burglars anymore
Endure Elements - never feel hot/cold
Mount - why walk when you can ride?
Unseen Servant - misc uses around the house
Appraising Touch -  never get cheated by a merchant again
Greater Mage Hand - see Mage Hand


2nd level spells

Arcane Lock - same as Alarm above
Locate Object - in case he misplaces something
Magic Mouth - alarm clock
Levitate/Spider Climb - climbing stairs is tiresome
Dark Way - instant bridge
Surefooted Stride - helps you walk over difficult terrain if you ever need to go there

Anyone got any other spells to add?

I was always under the impression they don't.

A friend of mine is about to start DMing a 3.5 campaign, and one of his players has approached him with this issue, so he came to me asking about any RAW on it.

The relevant text:

For the purpose of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the master’s character level or the familiar’s normal HD total, whichever is higher.

I've always considered that this doesn't grant you any feats since you don't actually get any HDs, but on a closer look I can see how the number of feats you have can be considered an effect related to the number of HD you have.

Has there ever been an official ruling on this?

I'm about to stat a tier 3 (or less) campaign in which I'm gonna be playing a necropoiltan Dread Necromancer (mainly focused on creating/controlling undead) in all undead party (Dragonfire Adept, Warblade and Beguiler going for Chameleon)

Starting level will be 4, and the campaign is expected to carry on in the low teens or higher and enemies will mainly be Undead, Demons and Dragons.
I'm not sure what exactly to go for PrC-wise after level 8.

Any suggestions?

Good to see things up and running again