Just a question: What is the point of allowing Intellect Devourers as familiars if the first person you meet is automatically going to assassinate it. And the authorities will back him on it!

If anyone was online Wednesday night when Kubl the half-orc's familiar was heinously slaughtered, they will likely know what I'm talking about.

I enjoyed the heck out of the encounter as a roleplaying exercise (and harbour no animosity towards the player of the paladin Belmont -- sorry for attacking with real damage, I'm a newbie), but I'm just wondering about the sense of allowing this creature as a familiar if no one will let it live.

(I'm also a little put out over dropping a level when it was killed)

ChuckT

I really agree with ChuckT on this one. If someone new comes into the server, the first thing they do is call the familiar. I am going to deal with people that autokill familiars EXTREMELY HARSHLY from now on, because I find it obnoxious to say the very least, and unwelcoming.

It comes down to the same reason the DMs allow some players to play drow, even though many players may kill them on sight, or to animate undead when many players may kill them for it.

It encourages roleplaying, challenges, intrigue, and conflict. It also fits into the setting that perhaps some wizards have attracted terrible evil creatures like intellect devourers as familiars even if they're nasty and foul things.

There was also a particularly lovely IC reason behind the guards backing it. They had, as a matter of fact, apparently, just gotten back from getting their brains eaten by illithid, and were sort of agitated by the fact that a blatantly evil creature was walking around the city, when they had just been attacked by one like that.

Other than that, Oro's got it right, about the reasoning for allowing it.

Coat. ^_^

Yeah, as Coat n' Coo pointed out, unfortunately I'd just returned from being stunned and beaten slowly to death by a little brain rat, so I wasn't exactly feeling sympathetic to the plight of the species. I think the key word to remember is "fallible": Just because we're good guys (Belmont) or guards (moi, your arresting officer) doesn't mean we're perfect, and sometimes we make snap judgements or act based on prejudice. Well, I mean, this isn't 21st century North America: It's Faerun, or something like it, and that means people have a big hate on for all the things in the world they don't understand. Generally it's accepted as the norm, and I think IG racism should be encouraged.

Sorry about your level though, aie, that's harsh!

Welcome to EfU!

If you stick around through the admittedly steep learning curve, its a very cool place.

Welcome to EfU! :)

The best advise I can give is the same advise I'd give to someone playing a Drow: Don't reveal anything to those that you cannot trust. (And even those you can trust always be cautious.) If you are running around town with an Intellect Devourer following you, well - let's just say it's not going to make you many friends.

The town is filled with evil people, but being evil doesn't mean that they are agreeable with everything. An evil Human is just as likely to kill a Drow outright as to try and use the Drow. An evil Human is just as likely to kill you and your familiar as to be intrigued and want to know more.

It really depends on your play style and character, but the best thing you can do is be proactive and encourage others to get involved with your character, then try and sway them around to be sympathetic/understanding/supportive of him.

Although the above is all true, I will remind the playerbase that if you see a newbie running around with a familiar the appropriate thing to do is to NOT just kill it at once but first send an OOC tell to the player explaining that dangerous beasts aren't really IC a welcome thing in the town and that they should dismiss it, since if it's killed they'll lose XP. Taking the opportunity to welcome someone who's obviously new to the server with a little OOC explanation is definitely prefered.

Howland Although the above is all true, I will remind the playerbase that if you see a newbie running around with a familiar the appropriate thing to do is to NOT just kill it at once but first send an OOC tell to the player explaining that dangerous beasts aren't really IC a welcome thing in the town and that they should dismiss it, since if it's killed they'll lose XP. Taking the opportunity to welcome someone who's obviously new to the server with a little OOC explanation is definitely prefered.

How about having a "Spellguard Stalker" following them doing the job instead. Hardly the watch's job ;)

If you do script something to shout, can they say something origional like

"Hey you, get rid of that monster." or "Oy sparky ,ditch the dragon" and so on and so fourth through a random list.

The watch's job is exactly that, to prevent dangeous invaders from getting inside sanctuary. Unwanted familiars are potentially exactly that.

Having a nearby watch yell at the player might be the way to warn them. Too bad there isnt NPC spellguards, a quick BANISHMENT will do the job without the XP hit also.

Most of the "mistaken" familiar summons by newbies happen right outside the rock, so maybe we COULD have 1 NPC spellguard there for that reason, he could walk around the rock, to the market, to the town hall and back again. You could also have instead an automaton with UNLIMITED banishments that does it to any familiar summoned in upper. he'll home in on the target and banish it, and give a message to the owner.

Having a familiar in lower might be alright (except for the fact a hungry resident might consider it FOOD) I know a lot of people go out of their WAY to kill familiars/companions, knowing that they've just griefed the player some XP they always use some excuse for it.

I could script the NPC guards to shout at them, if we want that.

Edit: Let's have one of the guards around the Rock do it, anyway. Although I'm not sure if they'd object so much to those shining light things. Or bats. Hrm.

Heh heh. And all this because I wanted to see what the intellect devourer looked like. Don't worry, the experience did not discourage me. Quite the contrary, the roleplaying was excellent and most fun.

I do regret attacking Belmont without setting them to hostile first, but I'm still learning.

Half-orc barbarian/sorcerers don't do a lot of thinking pre-combat :)

chaosprism I know a lot of people go out of their WAY to kill familiars/companions, knowing that they've just griefed the player some XP they always use some excuse for it.

I do not believe that statement accurately reflects the playerbase's behavior. We'd have more of these posts if it did. :idea:

ExileStrife

chaosprism I know a lot of people go out of their WAY to kill familiars/companions, knowing that they've just griefed the player some XP they always use some excuse for it.

I do not believe that statement accurately reflects the playerbase's behavior. We'd have more of these posts if it did. :idea:

That's exactly what I do, but I also go out of my way to give them fair warning that it's gonna happen.

ExileStrife

chaosprism I know a lot of people go out of their WAY to kill familiars/companions, knowing that they've just griefed the player some XP they always use some excuse for it.

I do not believe that statement accurately reflects the playerbase's behavior. We'd have more of these posts if it did. :idea:

agreed.

Howland Let's have one of the guards around the Rock do it, anyway. Although I'm not sure if they'd object so much to those shining light things. Or bats. Hrm.

rats themselves i doubt would be arched upon though everything else i cant imagine being smiled at

Just rats and bats? What kind of nasty, vile guard is going to attack a shining ball of divine light?

The sort that doesn't know it isn't a will o'wisp, of course. :)

Just dont have it out, no biggie, but as for summoning them during a job with other people wont they be just as freaked of peeved and kill it, so it basicly comes down to 'whats the point of having a familiar?'

Those shining light thingys would tick off the spellguard more wouldnt they?

You really shouldn't kill newbies familiars without at least a tell or two first. It's simple good manners. If they're running around Sanctuary with a familiar out, have a chat with them, show them around. These things help.

Is it acceptable for me to send my fire mephit familiar, Herald, to explore? Or will he be mercilessly killed?

you might also want to scirpt that for guards to tell the players to lower there weapons. but at the same time you might want to be able to disable that if sanctuary is under attack.

Argent Gish Is it acceptable for me to send my fire mephit familiar, Herald, to explore? Or will he be mercilessly killed?

If I were you, I'd tell Herald he's exploring Sanctuary at his own risk.

Argent Gish Is it acceptable for me to send my fire mephit familiar, Herald, to explore? Or will he be mercilessly killed?

why do i get the feeling it isn't?