I am trying to create a homunculus familiar, but I can seem to be able to add additional HD without getting an error. It keeps says that additional HD will be added the as master gains levels. Do I need to create a custom homunculus familiar of the desired format in the editor or am I just missing something in the normal builder? Also, how do I add the construct modifications to it?
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Homunculus familiar
- Thread starter mycerius
- Start date
Don't think it would be a combat monster by any means, but yes, you could create a 20 HD homunculus per the rules in the Bestiary (p176) and add in the modifications in Ultimate Magic. Now being able to afford and actually craft something in that range at any reasonable level in another story.
Since the HP, attacks, and saves for a familiar are calculated based on the master, what's the point of spending all that money to improve the homunculus if you're using it as a familiar? The only thing it would change is if you had enough money to raise the familiar's HD above your own (and you kept investing in it, to keep it always above your own), in which case it would be more resistant to spells like Holy Word that have different effects at different HD.
Homunculus is an improved familiar, it uses it's own stats where they are higher than the master's would grant it.
Personally, I think this is beyond the spirit of the rules, if not the letter, but I can see why someone would want to do it. The Homunculus starts with a crazy high strength for a tiny monster (8, when the recommended avg is 2 for tiny) and it'd also get stat boosts and size increases (which bring their own stat boosts) as you built it with higher numbers of HD.
Since it is tiny with 2 HD, and size increases are recommended in with every 50% increase of HD... you get to small at 3 HD (+4 Str, -2 Dex), Medium at 5 (assuming round up, +4 Str, -2 Dex), Large at 8 (+8 Str, -2 Dex, +2 Nat Armor), Huge at 12 (+8 Str, -2 Dex, +3 Nat Armor), Gargantuan at 18 (+8 Str, +4 Nat Armor). Each of those Str increases stacks. This means you Large Homunculus has a base Str of 24.
Furthermore, as a construct, it would get size based bonus to Hp, which would almost certainly push it above half the Hp of any average wizard.
That is some serious Cheese.
Personally, I think this is beyond the spirit of the rules, if not the letter, but I can see why someone would want to do it. The Homunculus starts with a crazy high strength for a tiny monster (8, when the recommended avg is 2 for tiny) and it'd also get stat boosts and size increases (which bring their own stat boosts) as you built it with higher numbers of HD.
Since it is tiny with 2 HD, and size increases are recommended in with every 50% increase of HD... you get to small at 3 HD (+4 Str, -2 Dex), Medium at 5 (assuming round up, +4 Str, -2 Dex), Large at 8 (+8 Str, -2 Dex, +2 Nat Armor), Huge at 12 (+8 Str, -2 Dex, +3 Nat Armor), Gargantuan at 18 (+8 Str, +4 Nat Armor). Each of those Str increases stacks. This means you Large Homunculus has a base Str of 24.
Furthermore, as a construct, it would get size based bonus to Hp, which would almost certainly push it above half the Hp of any average wizard.
That is some serious Cheese.
There's nothing in the improved familiar feat that says they don't use the master's HP and BAB, like a regular familiar does, and there's no provision in the familiar rules that allows them to use their own HP and BAB if they're higher than the master's. These are always based on the master's.
Size changes with HD are only a recommendation, not a rule, so it's up to individual GMs whether that changes, or whether the homunculus gets tougher without getting larger.
Size changes with HD are only a recommendation, not a rule, so it's up to individual GMs whether that changes, or whether the homunculus gets tougher without getting larger.
I stand corrected.
I was misremembering the second sentence of the Familiar description "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."
Read further and it notes the exceptions for each thing. Using the master's BAB is partially made up for by the high strength (especially if the master is a magus and has a medium BAB), but it looks like there's no way around the low HP issue.
Slightly less cheese.
I love cheese.
I was misremembering the second sentence of the Familiar description "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."
Read further and it notes the exceptions for each thing. Using the master's BAB is partially made up for by the high strength (especially if the master is a magus and has a medium BAB), but it looks like there's no way around the low HP issue.
Slightly less cheese.
I love cheese.