Familiars Swarm

[SolEiji]

I'm looking how to obtain as many familiars and/or animal companions as possible while maintaining spellcasting (and, well, being useful too).  The idea is to abuse share spells so that my mob of familiars all have the benefit of spells I cast on myself.  I believe there's a rule that you can only have one familiar, and for the purposes of this that rule is being ignored.  Off hand, that means Wizard + Sorcerer + Obtain Familiar feat = 3 familiars right there.  I have to see if the Wild Cohort feat grants Share Spell or not.

I have 24 levels of play with, and I have to be viable as a character at that level.  Any ideas what I can pull off with that?

[Maat Mons]

I suggest the extra familiar feat (Dragon 280 – 62) and using druid with the urban companion alternative class feature. 

[Phoenix00]

How about symbiots instead of familiars, these too have the share spells class

[SolEiji]

How about symbiots instead of familiars, these too have the share spells class

I'll take both.  Though, given symbiots tend to be attached to you how well would it work if I cast, say, Body of War.  Would we be some sort of horrible siamese twin warforged or something?

[Phoenix00]

I can't answer the body of war question

Here is more info on symbionts
http://community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/75882/19861906/LoPs_Dirty_Tricks_4:_The_Nasty_Gentlemen

[hazard]

Get chain spell, a lot of animals you want, and cast magic jar.  Turn one familiar into 1+caster level.  That should probably be enough, if not raise your caster level to 40 with circle magic.

[SolEiji]

Wait, how does that work?  Lesse, that means you (the caster) goes unconscious and you inhabit your CL in animals?  It would be fine if it wasn't for me going unconscious.... fine way to send in a swarm if I plan ahead of time, not so much if ambushed or I don't have enough time to plan.

[hazard]

You can cast personal spells on your familiar as if they are you and have it occupy all of the animals

[SolEiji]

Ooo, so... if I had, say, 5 familiars, and chain spell magic jar (CL 20) that's 20 animals per familiar, so....  

Ooooo..... I LIKE it.  Do the possessed animals have the share spell ability still?  Cause then that would be even better.

[X-Codes]

Ooo, so... if I had, say, 5 familiars, and chain spell magic jar (CL 20) that's 20 animals per familiar, so....  

Ooooo..... I LIKE it.  Do the possessed animals have the share spell ability still?  Cause then that would be even better.

If they still count as your familiar, since your familiar is possessing them, yes.  IIRC, all the familiar stuff is Supernatural, so it should, technically, work.

[phaedrusxy]

You can cast personal spells on your familiar as if they are you and have it occupy all of the animals

It's kind of open to interpretation. Magic Jar doesn't actually have a range of personal, though it probably should have.

You could do this with Imbue Familiar with Spell, or whatever that's called, and give the familiar a metamagic rod of chain spell, though. But then again, chaining Magic Jar is certainly odd to begin with. Technically legal per the RAW, but how does that work, exactly? You're possessing CL bodies at once? With one soul?

[Amechra]

For Wild Cohort, take a look at Silverwood Arcanist, from the same Random Encounters; it gives your Wild Cohort Share spells at 3rd/4th level (can't remember which.)

So you can Share Mind Jar with a second animal, so that you have twice the Familiar/Wild Cohort action!

[dna1]

Start with a few Ephemeral Swarms, they relatively hard to kill and drain strength. Not bad..

[Satori]

LN Illumian with Krau sigil

Totemist2/Ardent1/Druid1/Psychic Theurge 6/Contemplative1/Sapphire Heirarch6/Sacred Exorcist1/+2 SH

Feats:
Flaw) Extend Spell
Flaw) Magical Training (or whatever that regional feat was that gives you 3 cantrips)
1) Power Sigil Krau
3) Practiced Manifester
6) Obtain Familiar
9) Share Soulmeld
12) Psicrystal Affinity
15) Persist Spell
18) DMM: Persist

1 Familiar
1 Urban Companion
1 Psicrystal

All with Manticore Belt Shotgunnery.  Use Exchange Domain (or whatever it was called) to get War, and persist/share Divine Power, and use Compression for major bonus to hit at range. 

Soulmeld damage is set unless specifically stated otherwise (as for trample attacks), sothat gives you 5 x spikes from each of 3 buddies on your shoulder for 1d6 each, plus buffs.

Yeah I know, a lot of trouble for one trick, but eh.  Amusing.

[Amechra]

Wait a second... is there a way to give someone Share Spells, so that you can share your spells with them?

So that your party can be your familiars?

[weenog]

You'd lose benefit of personal-range spells and some spells which are picky about type, but I can't help but think this would be easier and far safer to do with something like focused conjurer/malconvoker/war weaver.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Get to having a vermin as your familiar.
(swarm) is a subtype.
Don't go The Hive. Don't.
Instead have fun with it ... go hive lite ... very powerful ridiculous fun.

[Mooncrow]

I'm looking how to obtain as many familiars and/or animal companions as possible while maintaining spellcasting (and, well, being useful too).  The idea is to abuse share spells so that my mob of familiars all have the benefit of spells I cast on myself.  I believe there's a rule that you can only have one familiar, and for the purposes of this that rule is being ignored.  Off hand, that means Wizard + Sorcerer + Obtain Familiar feat = 3 familiars right there.  I have to see if the Wild Cohort feat grants Share Spell or not.

I have 24 levels of play with, and I have to be viable as a character at that level.  Any ideas what I can pull off with that?

Going back more to the original idea: adding a divine class will let you take Mystic Wanderer and Knight of the Raven - MW gives you a real familiar, KoR gives you a pseudo familiar (that you can send into combat without fear for it dying)  Also, Nar Demonbinder gives you an imp or quasit familiar. 

[phaedrusxy]

Wait a second... is there a way to give someone Share Spells, so that you can share your spells with them?

So that your party can be your familiars?

Have your familiar Magic Jar into them, or Fusion with them. 

[StreamOfTheSky]

You definitely want the Enspell Familiar feat for this!

"Enspell Familiar (Drag 280) shared spell works up to 1 mile"

From: http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?topic=344.0