To my knowledge, most familiar "animals" aren't actually animals at all. They're intelligent planner creatures who can sometimes speak. Key word being most, not all. I'm not 100% sure about it though so someone else can probably clear that up. I'm not the sharpest on Arcane lore.

Familiars are normal animals who, via the familiar bonding process, become Magical Animals. The familiars you see in NWN are really more along the lines of the stuff you need to take a feat fro. Normal familiars are things like rats, bats, cats, beetles, etc. Most cannot speak, Ravens can speak one language of Master's Choice as a supernatural ability, and Master and Familiar communicate telepathically within a 1mile radius, but that last one is likely to get you some dirty looks on Amia.

So it's bad to possess your familar, leaving your body to be beaten by your opponent, and find someone to help you? Also, I would bet that you would die before you get very far with your familar.

*shrugs*

It certainly beats *quickly casts a sending*

lol

*shrugs*

It certainly beats *quickly casts a sending*

lol

I was specifically referring to telepathy, which is generally not useable on Amia for the most part.

The Druid I play regularly uses Sylvan (Animal in some language widgets) with the [sylvan] that I saw most people using to speak Elven, etc. The wolf will reply at times, especially when there are druids or rangers interacting in the RP. Obviously his replies are very very simple (hungry, come, no want, what do, etc). I believe that is within Amia rules?

The Druid I play regularly uses Sylvan (Animal in some language widgets) with the [sylvan] that I saw most people using to speak Elven, etc. The wolf will reply at times, especially when there are druids or rangers interacting in the RP. Obviously his replies are very very simple (hungry, come, no want, what do, etc). I believe that is within Amia rules?

Anyways, re: Telepathy, I meant things like "Oh, my bat familiar is sitting in the rafters of their super secret meeting right now and currently telling me telepathically everything that's going on." Or other things like that.

I'm not even sure why familiar possession was implemented. Mages don't 'possess' their familiars in the way you'd consider possession to be. They're independant creatures of their own accord with a magic link to the master for the most part.

Animal companions are just a plain ol' animal that happens to be your druid's best friend.

Arf. All these years I thought it was a thing they carried over from PnP.

The Ranger/Druid and its companion communicate through a sort of emotional telepathy as far as I know. The companion cant speak, but it can give its humanoid companion its meotions so to speak, and use that to communicate.

So an animal companion could not be used as a spy to give back detailed informantion about a secret meeting, but it can be well used for scouting, picking up scents and the like.

Atleast thats how I play it.

Thanks for the replies. The kind of "communication" the Dire Wolf does is as it was described, simply (from him to the Druid) "come", "hungry", "not do", "not want", "want", etc... The Druid talks to him all the time, much like we talk to our pets. Anything more complex is "felt" by the Druid, not heard in any form. As for Sylvan, my mistake then, I had thought (mainly because of NWN mechanics I guess) that it was a language that beings closely related to nature shared. Will stop using it as a way to greet animals. Last clarification, do Druids get Sylvan as a free language or I assumed wrongly again?

It may be only another "This is just an excuse collection" but...

What's the status of an Awakened animal companion? Does the spell actually affect their mind too, or just makes the physically stronger?

Everything you could want to know about the Sending spell.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/sending.htm

d10 Wisdom, but it's been abominated as aspell considering in PnP an Awakened Animal actually can't serve as an animal companion.

That's right, but in PnP the spell also gives the animal 3d6 INT, d3 CHA and 2 HD, and also changes its type to magical beast (that's why they can't serve as animal companion any more) ->according to official Wizards of the Coast SRD 3.5
So, yea, theoretically they become intelligent beings.

That's right, but in PnP the spell also gives the animal 3d6 INT, d3 CHA and 2 HD, and also changes its type to magical beast (that's why they can't serve as animal companion any more) ->according to official Wizards of the Coast SRD 3.5
So, yea, theoretically they become intelligent beings.

This ability functions like the druid ability of the same name, except that the ranger’s effective druid level is one-half his ranger level. For example, the animal companion of a 4th-level ranger would be the equivalent of a 2nd-level druid’s animal companion.

THE DRUID’S ANIMAL COMPANION
A druid’s animal companion is different from a normal animal of its kind in many ways. The companion is treated as a magical beast, not an animal, for the purpose of all effects that depend on its type (though it retains an animal’s HD, base attack bonus, saves, skill points, and feats). It is superior to a normal animal of its kind and has special powers, as described below.

As with anything that can be abused, telepathy can be fun and add dynamics to RP if it is used with consent from both sides (that doesn't mean knowledgeable consent -- they don't have to know what was telepathized [that's totally a word] but they should definitely know about the telepathy going on and what player is doing it, IMO).

I've seen it used and with the right player it was funny and fun. With some players, though, yes, I definitely see the worries.

Except it's against Amia rules.