Planar Familiar [General]

When you are ready and able to acquire a new familiar, you may choose one of several nonstandard familiars.

Prerequisite: Ability to acquire a new familiar, compatible alignment, sufficient arcane spellcaster level, Knowledge (the planes) 5 ranks.

Benefit: When choosing a familiar, you may add the following creatures to your list of options. You may choose a familiar with an alignment up to one step away from yours on each of the alignment axes (lawful–chaotic and good–evil).

Planar Familiars
FamiliarArcane
Spellcaster
Alignment		Level
Required
Anarchic1 animal2 Any chaotic 5th
Axiomatic1 animal2 Any lawful 5th
Celestial animal2 Any good 3rd
Elemental, Small3 Neutral 5th
Fiendish animal2 Any evil 3rd
Imp4 Lawful evil 7th
Lantern archon Lawful good 7th
Mephit Neutral 7th
Quasit Chaotic evil 7th
  1. New template; see Chapter 6: Creatures of the Planes.
  2. Apply the anarchic, axiomatic, celestial, or fiendish template to any animal from the standard familiar list. Unlike other improved familiars, these creatures grant their masters the standard benefits for having an animal familiar of that type.
  3. Air, earth, fire, or water elemental only.
  4. Standard only. If you are using the Fiend Folio, you may use a filth imp instead.

The improved familiar is magically linked to its master in the same way as a normal familiar. The familiar uses the basic statistics for a creature of its kind, as given in the Monster Manual or this book, except as noted below.

Hit Dice: For effects that depend upon Hit Dice, use the master’s character level or the familiar’s normal Hit Dice total, whichever is higher.

Hit Points: Use one-half the master’s total or the familiar’s normal total, whichever is higher.

Attacks: Use the master’s base attack bonus or the familiar’s, whichever is better.

Saving Throws: For each saving throw, use the master’s base save bonus (as calculated from his character level) or the familiar’s, whichever is better.

Familiar Special Abilities: Use the Familiar Special Abilities table to determine additional abilities, just as you would for a normal familiar.

With the exception of anarchic, axiomatic, celestial, and fiendish animals, planar familiars do not grant their masters any of the benefits that appear on the Familiar Master’s Bonuses table.

Source: Planar Handbook, page 41.