are familiars worth having & what do they do?

[akridian]

sorry if this has been answered. i looked around and havn't seen an answer to my questions so i ask them now:

1) is a familiar worth summoning? what does it do? is it useful besides extra HP?

2) how do i know which familiar does what? meaning how do i find out what the abilities of each familiar are? need this help to help decide my alignment

[Crenshinibon]

Sure. Some are useful at the start while others have their moments throughout the game.

Some familiars like the fairy dragon are great for invisibility while the ferret (my favorite) is great for pickpocketing and item storage.

You can find out what each one does by looking at the spell description when you're about to pick out spells.

[akridian]

are the familiars that can pickpocket the only ones that can carry stuff? i am assuming yes but want to make sure. might just get me a ferret

[fable]

They're the only ones, yes.

[Thrifalas]

I tend to not use any familiars due to the con loss you get for having one. Sure, they're great for RP, but apart from that they always end up hugging a spot in my inventory. :P

But it's a matter of gameplay I suppose.

[Crenshinibon]

They only provide Con loss if you let them die. While familiars DO take up one slot, those with pickpocket provide an additional sixteen which sis helpful early on. Later it doesn't matter as you have almost [it can get full] limitless storage space.

[Thrifalas]

True, but having them outside of your pocket usually ends up in having them death. They're so fragile pretty much every AoE spell kills them. It would be another thing if they grew in strenght with each level of the summoner or something...

[Crenshinibon]

Why would you have a thief type familiar out in combat anyway? I use it for goodies and storage. The only familiar that has ever fought beside me is the imp. And that's only inside the dungeon with goblins... some ten years ago.