Followers/Familiars when Dual classing?

[garhkal]

What do You have happen to followers, especially ranger's animal followers, and mages familiars, when the character Dual classes OUT of being a class that would have said followers (or familiars)? IE a ranger (using 1e rules) makes it to 9th level, then dual classes into being a priest, or thief. OR a mage who has a follower, hits 7th level, then dual classes over to being a fighter, or priest?

What happens to his familiar? Does he keep it? Will using said familiar, be considered "using a prior class ability'?
Will animal familiars say around?

[Halaster Blackcloak]

I've had so few dual or multi-classed player characters over the years (only one player ever really had a dual classed character) that this has never come up. Here's my thoughts though...

A familiar is magically bound to the character, so I would rule that the familiar stays. After all, a dual classed wizard/fighter is still a wizard and can cast spells. So I don't see any in-game logical reason or rules-logic reason for the familiar to leave. Same with a ranger's animal followers. As long as he's good to them, they'd stay. Animals won't care what their human partners do for a living.

Now, a wizard's apprentices may well take offense at the wizard who stops studying wizardry and becomes a dual classed wizard/fighter. I'd use the following real world analogy. Say I wanted to study and learn karate and get to a high rank in karate. One day my sensei tells me he's not doing karate anymore, he's doing judo. Well sure, I can still learn karate from him but he's a judoka now, not a karateka, so why train with him? He's turned his back on the path of karate to pursue judo. He can do and teach karate but he's really focused on judo now and does that almost exclusively. So I can see a wizard's apprentices looking for a new master because their current one is not teaching and studying magic, he's spending all his time swinging swords.

As for regular followers and henchmen, I'd argue that it depends more on the CHA of the dual classed character and how he treats his men. The class chosen also bears consideration, which I'll explain in a moment. So let's say you have a thief with a handful of thief henchmen. The thief decides to dual class as a fighter. Would his underlings desert him? I'd say no. He's still a thief and not averse to picking pockets and breaking and entering. Only now he's learning how to kick some ass in a stand-up fight. I don't see an issue there.

But what about a priest who dual classes as a fighter or a wizard? I'd say there's a damned good chance his followers and henchmen desert him. He would almost be considered an apostate. He's no longer preaching his god's wonders and performing miracles in his name in order to spread the faith. No, now he's fighting for money and personal gain, or practicing that godless pagan magic!

Also, keep in mind that the religion dictates the response of the church and the cleric's followers. Put into real life perspective, if you're a Christian and leave the faith, the others will pray for you. If you're a muslim and you leave the faith, they'll kill you.

So I'd say it has to be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Finally, using a familiar presents a unique problem. The familiar is magically bound to the wizard, and he gains communication with and the senses of his familiar. It's not something he chooses to do, such as casting a spell as opposed to swinging a sword in a current combat. So I wouldn't penalize the character for using the familiar's enhancements unless he started relying on it excessively.

[garhkal]

As a linked q.. Have you ever seen anyone who wanted MORE THAN ONE familiar?

By the rules, i see Nothing what so ever, prohibiting a mage (or ranger, or thief who got a scroll of find familiar), having Multiple familiars...

[Halaster Blackcloak]

It is stated.

"A wizard can have only one familiar at a time, however, and he has no control over what sort of creature answers the summoning, if any at all come."

2E PHB, pg. 134