The ddo council of magics requests

[Kalari]

Hello folks Kalari here self proclaimed founder of the DDO council of magics (I also run its sister group the council of divines) with some serious requests for mages.

First off Familiars

Where the heck are our familiars? Yeah I know we only have a few alignments none of which are evil but it still opened for us to have our little partners in magic. Familiars are great scouts, they can cast back up spells albeit much lighter then ours but still helpful. And they are just a staple that I thought for sure with the implement of the Artificer and their pets and the druids and their companions would be a natural progression.

Like the spell "wizards eye" having a familiar can be more then handy in dungeons and wilderness areas. It also adds to those who bother with roleplay as well. The spell summon familiar can be granted at early or mid level as a feat for casters a use once choose your familiar and done. But you can also sell like you do with alignment changes and the like abilities in your shop to change your familiar as well. Want that faerie dragon instead of a pseudo? Buy it in the ddo store. Was hoping for an Imp and got a Quasit? Change it at the ddo store.

Seriously we mages are getting pretty sick of seeing those smug arties and their metal mutts and don't even get me started on Druids and their wolf pups shedding hair all over the darn air ships fair is fair we want our familiars.

Fashion

Onto fashion, with the bringing of MOTU we got to see Elminster some like him some hate him some like to hate him. I am a fan admittedly but I am jealous, he gets a wizards hat. Mind you I tend to stick to Tiara's on Kalari because im a PrimaDonna and all but Id gladly switch it up for a genuine pointy hat (put stars on mine and make it lavender and Id love you for ever!)

Why is it we of the magic kind are stuck with garish helms that most of us click /showhelmetoff for? We wizards have robes yet no matching hats it makes for sad times so please for the love that's mana give us this fashion choice!

More from the council will come soon as I continue to venture threwout the streets of StormReach and threw the winding grasslands of Eveningstar.

[FranOhmsford]

I want my Wizzard hat too!

Spelling deliberate.

[GeneralDiomedes]

Some screen with in screen scouting functionality via wizards eye or familiars would be fantastic

[Merlin-ator]

I support your sage ideas. We probably won't get familiars, but we might get pointy hats if we give Turbine Bambi eyes. (inb4 Calvin+Hobbes jokes - we already DO have flamethrowers. Many of them.)

[sireric]

Agree completely about familiars. I remember playing a wiz in NWN and I had a pixie familiar that could pick locks and disable traps. How fantastic would that be?

[LeoLionxxx]

I'm a big fan of the familiars in PnP; in the D&DNext playtest I was so happy that they had been brought back. But in D&D ONLINE, they just aren't practical.

Scouts?
People play and replay and memorize dungeons in DDO so the only practical use I could think of is to check if a rare is up. And no real need for a familiar for that. You do say that it would be 'more than handy'
though, so please tell me if i'm overlooking something.

Cast extra spells?
Wizards/sorceres already get the Summon monster spells which can do plenty of spellcasting and more.

Pick locks/trap?
Over powered. We can't just have a pure wizard running around disabling our traps. Trapping is for Rouges and Artificers.

I can see them being a pet like the druid/artificer dogs, but realisticly it wouldn't be done. Rangers arn't getting pets so why should Wizards?

Thanks for trying though.


A big YES on wizard hats though. I would LOVE a pointy hat on my wizzy. I'm thinking a cosmetic hat in the DDO store. Only consern is that it would replace the mask from MotU pre-purchase. Perhaps it could have a neat bonus as well, and earned via favor. Just throwing that idea out there.

[Postumus]

Mabar should have added a wizard hat and a witch hat upgradeable like the CC hats. A black cat familiar, a skeleton familiar, and a pumpkin head hat for barbtards - they need a fun toy too... (A paper bag would be good too)

I would be happy with a store wizard hat though. A flying imp or dragon or bat familiar would be nice.

Even a spell like 'summon familiar' which temporarily summons a non-aggressive summon which follows the caster around (think a lantern archon without an attack), but adds a buff to DCs or something would be useful and fun.

[Rawrargh]

Bloodninja puts on his robe and wizard hat... Wish I could do the same.

[Kalari]

Id have founded the council of woodland lovers and friends to but I didn't want to be greedy. Representing mage and divine needs is more then enough.

Trust me Rangers do deserve companions to and we have two classes already flaunting their pets in our faces. And Im sorry Pokemon collecting..er cosmetic pets cannot fill the hole in my wizards heart when it comes to lack of a familiar.

Would it ad a bunch of dynamics to the game? probably not for all but its another option, options are good right? Right?

Memorizing dungeons yeah I get that there are some that I know like the back of my hand some I do not some areas I still get turned around in and for new dungeons just the thought of having my little familiar scout gets me me giddy. Wizards eye as well.

And come on summoned monsters all have serious poo brain issues. My poor Hezerou tends to go pear shaped more then not and gets stuck into walls more often then not. My Brelian loves shooting searing lights at everything birds, the air and sometimes it hits enemies to :/

I doubt Familiars would be an end all be all pet heck even the metal doggies and wolves have their issues but id love to see one day where all the classes who have such companions have the option to have them in ddo. Call me a dreamer I wont mind

And yes please to wizards hats they are just a stylish yes in my book (which happens to be a tome!)

[sireric]

Pick locks/trap?
Over powered. We can't just have a pure wizard running around disabling our traps. Trapping is for Rouges and Artificers.

So an Arti that has a dog that has high enough stats to hit runes and pull levers that require stats that obviously are intended for other classes to have isn't overpowered? I have seen an Arti's dog hit the wisdom rune in Von 5. I am pretty sure that that is not their intended purpose so saying that traps is purely in the domain of of Rouges and Artificers is just as misplaced.

[LeoLionxxx]

So an Arti that has a dog that has high enough stats to hit runes and pull levers that require stats that obviously are intended for other classes to have isn't overpowered? I have seen an Arti's dog hit the wisdom rune in Von 5. I am pretty sure that that is not their intended purpose so saying that traps is purely in the domain of of Rouges and Artificers is just as misplaced.

There is a big diffrence between poping a hirling to use a rune, and using a rouge hirling to disable traps. Namely that one is P2P and the other isn't. Giving Wizards familiars that could disable traps is not typical to free-to play. Besides, Wizards/|sorcerers don't need any help.

[Kalari]

Um raises hand here I never suggested it for trapsmithing though I wouldnt say no if that was offered.

I just like the thought of Kalari going threw dungeons her trust Familiar in tow, when I dont need of its services it rests in my backpack nibbling at my Ghallanda rations Its silly and fluff but its fun and thats what gaming is all about Fun Fun Fun

[sireric]

Who said anything about a hireling? I was talking about an Artificer's dog. Never in the entire comment that you quoted did I mention a hireling.

[redspecter23]

Who said anything about a hireling? I was talking about an Artificer's dog. Never in the entire comment that you quoted did I mention a hireling.

An arty dog hitting runes is something the the arty or even wizard could do themselves if they invest in the score. Basically have a swap in item and a +2 tome for most runes. Disabling a trap is not even possible currently on pure wizard. It doesn't matter if you have 1000 int and your hands are made of lockpicks and you've stolen 15 rogue souls today. You just can't do it. There is a massive difference between an arty dog hitting runes and a pure wizard having trap disarming skills.

That being said, having a familiar that can disarm very simple traps is not something I'd be against, though it's mostly useless as trap DC's don't vary wildly and tend to stick to generally static curve as levels go up.

My barbarian can hit the wisdom rune in VoN 5 and that's with an 8 starting wisdom. Any toon can hit a rune if they really want to.

[azrael4h]

A real wizard has a pointy hat and a staff with a knob on the end. What DDO has is gimps.

Fix the gimpitude. Give us a hat and a staff with a knob on the end.

[LeoLionxxx]

Who said anything about a hireling? I was talking about an Artificer's dog. Never in the entire comment that you quoted did I mention a hireling.

The Dogs function EXACTLY like a hirling. You get a command bar and everything. Only diffrence is you can customize it to an extent and dosn't take up a party slot.

[sireric]

The Dogs function EXACTLY like a hirling. You get a command bar and everything. Only diffrence is you can customize it to an extent and dosn't take up a party slot.

Yeah it doesn't take up a party slot, just like a familiar wouldn't either. I imagine that a familiar would have it's own command bar as well...and probably be customizable also. So If an arti can have a dog that they can tweak so that it can hit runes because it has stat points that the master doesn't have, why can't a wizard have a familiar that can do things that they cannot? You just proved my point.

[sireric]

An arty dog hitting runes is something the the arty or even wizard could do themselves if they invest in the score. Basically have a swap in item and a +2 tome for most runes. Disabling a trap is not even possible currently on pure wizard. It doesn't matter if you have 1000 int and your hands are made of lockpicks and you've stolen 15 rogue souls today. You just can't do it. There is a massive difference between an arty dog hitting runes and a pure wizard having trap disarming skills.

That being said, having a familiar that can disarm very simple traps is not something I'd be against, though it's mostly useless as trap DC's don't vary wildly and tend to stick to generally static curve as levels go up.

My barbarian can hit the wisdom rune in VoN 5 and that's with an 8 starting wisdom. Any toon can hit a rune if they really want to.

Yeah but can an arti dog end up with a higher strength for example then the arti does? Which means that the dog can hit runes/levers that the arti himself cannot. Which means that is one way that the arti can get around those obstacles. Yes any toon can hit a rune if they really want to, but are you going to build a wiz with 30 strength just so you can hit runes? I imagine that would mean sacrificing some int and con to do so. However if you have a familiar that can do it then you do not have to.

[donfilibuster]

I support your sage ideas. We probably won't get familiars, but we might get pointy hats if we give Turbine Bambi eyes.

Pointy hats are easier yeah, but let's not just dismiss familiars, some player theories have been posted about how the recent improvements on pets and summons have been testing grounds towards having companions and familiars.
That idea started back when the palemaster skellies were added, which were said to be steps toward companions.
Now we have small pets following you, and that is pretty much the technology needed for familiars.

How turbine can monetize it is an entirely different matter.
Cosmetic pets could be used but note it won't mean everyone would get a benefit from them, only familiars.

Also note in D&D nothing stops you from bringing pets into a dungeon, that is, trained animals or monsters.
e.g. guard or hunting dogs, birds of prey, have some use even being minimal level creatures.
There's of course a large amount of creatures that can be trained, usually for guard or mount.
Mounts however, have its own separate discussion which is off topic here.

[Kalari]

Actually profiting from familiars is possible, some of us would buy items to make our familiar stand out fashion wise. cosmetic color changes are fluff that some bark about but I personally know id spend money for my faerie dragon to have that same blue sparkle stuff my panther cub has when it steps on it would show when my familiar fluttered its wings.

Some may get a familiar they don't really want due to alignment choice and buy another.

Another thing is like a companion your familiar will need things to keep it alive and safe they can market certain things in the ddo store for them protective collars, or little armor pieces that give them small protective bonuses.

The pets are fun but id turn my whole stable of em in for a genuine familiar.

And I am really shocked that wizards hats didn't make the cut for gear they would be putting in the ddo store. Seriously that is a fashion item id buy over those weird masks they offer or certain armor skins. Come on ddo devs make it so