Revising familiars? (was: A VERY positive review of 4E)

In <GgOAj.64057$w94.43374@pd7urf2no> Bryan Derksen <bryan.derksen DeleteThis @shaw.ca> writes:

>Werebat wrote:
>> OTOH, for the feat you spend to get one you're probably much better off
>> just taking Leadership instead and getting a cohort. This is almost
>> always true, and the thing that really annoys me about Improved
>> Familiar. Unless the DM has specifically banned Leadership in his
>> campaign, the only way Improved Familiar seems really useful is if
>> you've already got Leadership and a cohort.

>Well, it's also a flavor thing. But you're right that just looking at
>the numbers there's a strong advantage to going the Leadership route. An
>improved familiar and a cohort appear to start out at very roughly the
>same ECL but the familiar's progression after that sucks by comparison.
>I'm not a powergamer by any stretch of the imagination but it does seem
>like a waste of a feat in this light.

>I'll bounce this off my DM at some point and see what he thinks. Perhaps
>we can house-rule up a variant that combines the two feats so that they
>have more similar effects.

Animal Companions and Paladin Mounts as well?

Perhaps type specific feat chains or PrCs that the subordinate
can take to restore the flavour?

Unify followers and controlled undead in a similar way?

--
Remove any bits of tatt after the at in my address to reply

Phil Turner wrote:
> In <GgOAj.64057$w94.43374@pd7urf2no> Bryan Derksen <bryan.derksen.TakeThisOut@shaw.ca> writes:
>> I'll bounce this off my DM at some point and see what he thinks. Perhaps
>> we can house-rule up a variant that combines the two feats so that they
>> have more similar effects.
>
> Animal Companions and Paladin Mounts as well?

Neither of those require the character to spend a feat to get them,
though, so there isn't as much need for them to be of equal "value".
Having a unified mechanic for "subordinate" characters might make the
game simpler and easier to run, though.

> Perhaps type specific feat chains or PrCs that the subordinate
> can take to restore the flavour?

Having an improved familiar advance like a character instead of via the
standard familiar route would even the two feats out quite well, IMO.