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Big ups to S-Diz for the info on this.
The gist--familiars do not talk. They are not extra-planar; they cannot even be dire animals. Please, no more cutesy bunnies, cats or space weasels chatting at the campfire!
Thanks for understanding folks. While we like creativity, we need to keep within reason.
Here's the 3.5 PNP rules on familiars and communication:
#1.) A familiar can only be made of a unmodified, natural creature. (No dires, no extra planars, etc.) Specific spells can allow for the creation of construct familars at later levels.
#2.) At 1st level a mage can communicate empathiclly with its familar. (Feelings and moods)
#3.) At 5th level a mage can communicate verbally with his familar as if they were sepaking the common tounge. Other creatures cannot understand the communication without magical help.
#4) At 7th level the familar (not the master) can communicate with animals of the same family as itself (including dire varieties). Bats to bats, rats to rats, cats to cats, etc. THe knowledge passed is of course limited by the INT of both animals.
As you can see, a familiar cannot communicate with anything but its master and other REAL animals of its family type (Druids in bear form cannot speak to bear familiars). A familiar is a basic animal (excluding famliars made by late-level spells, which need to be DMed).
There is a rule that says an animal companion CAN act as a familiar which would bypass the no special creatures rule, but its the only rule of its kind.
The gist--familiars do not talk. They are not extra-planar; they cannot even be dire animals. Please, no more cutesy bunnies, cats or space weasels chatting at the campfire!
Thanks for understanding folks. While we like creativity, we need to keep within reason.
Here's the 3.5 PNP rules on familiars and communication:
#1.) A familiar can only be made of a unmodified, natural creature. (No dires, no extra planars, etc.) Specific spells can allow for the creation of construct familars at later levels.
#2.) At 1st level a mage can communicate empathiclly with its familar. (Feelings and moods)
#3.) At 5th level a mage can communicate verbally with his familar as if they were sepaking the common tounge. Other creatures cannot understand the communication without magical help.
#4) At 7th level the familar (not the master) can communicate with animals of the same family as itself (including dire varieties). Bats to bats, rats to rats, cats to cats, etc. THe knowledge passed is of course limited by the INT of both animals.
As you can see, a familiar cannot communicate with anything but its master and other REAL animals of its family type (Druids in bear form cannot speak to bear familiars). A familiar is a basic animal (excluding famliars made by late-level spells, which need to be DMed).
There is a rule that says an animal companion CAN act as a familiar which would bypass the no special creatures rule, but its the only rule of its kind.