Improve the Chicken

[Egon the Monkey]

Firstly i think the chicken is a brilliant RP took, great fun, and very handy with it's lvl 5 ability. However, it also think that most of its abilities are frankly crap purely because of its low HP.

I didn't actually realise how weak it was until I played around with other bird familiars like Ravens and Parrots, which have far higher HP and typically are tougher than their masters.

The chicken gets a wide variety of minor offensive spells, two of which are cone effects. It also gets 2hp a level. Any other familiar could get close enough to deliver them. The chicken, on the other hand can get one-shotted by a Goblin. I love the amusement value of a a chicken with such spells, but there's no chance of ever using them, as why risk 200 xp over a spell?

The other familiars are mostly used just as buffbots. This one could be slightly useful offensively in some areas if it just got a bit of HP.

[Thomas_Not_very_wise]

From what I've seen from your post Egon, that the chicken is ridiculously powerful for a familiar as it stands.

[Egon the Monkey]

I don't want to spoil the surprise of what the spells are, so I'll PM them to you if you want. One only affects <5HD targets, 2 are cones and the other is the only one with any range to it. They are only DC 12 in any case.
Compare a chicken with 8hp at level 4, no useful skills and only one spell it has a chance in hell of firing to the Parrot with I think 39 hp, high ranks in 2 combat skills and a useful buff. If it had say 2/3 of the HP of other familiars it would be alright, but as it stands I daren't bring it out in case a stray arrow costs me 200XP.

[lovethesuit]

100xp. Familiars cost 100xp.

[Disco]

Umm you expect a "Chicken" to fight for you?

[Egon the Monkey]

Replace that with "parrot", "raven" or "rat" and the same applies. Also, see "cockfighting" for a history of fighty chickens (That's a bloodsport, not a fetish btw) NO sense in having one familiar weaker than all else.

[Lupine Grace]

It's a chicken not a cock I think!

[Oroborous]

The "tough" familiars are a bug actually I think. They're not suppose to be that powerful. They're suppose to be more like the chicken.

[wcsherry]

I'm not sure if the bug has been fixed, but I do know that in the past quite a few of the familiars were receiving double the hit points they were supposed to have.

[Sternhund]

Familiars are meant to be weak. Think of them like a wizard's lab assistant, or friend they play around with. Rarely would a wizard ever put his or her familiar in grave danger, let alone throw them into combat.

The chicken is more of a roleplay tool, and the familiars which are more powerful should be toned down.

[Gullible Righteousness]

I have to point out, as it is insanely hilarious to me, that the rat, at level 5, Has a grand total of around 45 (likely it's supposed to be half that). But from what Egon has told me, the chicken familiar has only around 10 hp at level 5.
 
I think this fact puts them on par, and even higher (With all the sweet spells), to the old familiars of EfU.
 
Yeah. You guys all remember the 2 hitpoint imp, supposedly awesome for evil RP, then getting killed by a kobold goofing around with a crossbow.

[Zip]

The chicken itself is clearly the best familiar.

"... Why are you making fun of my cock?"

[lovethesuit]

At level 7 I am able to get my rat to 90+ HP.

[Jayde Moon]

In order to get the most out of the chicken familiar, you've got to know your chicken.