[Mod Request] Expand Familiar Functionality

[kylemarshiku]

Hey everyone, I've been getting really into this game with my partner, and we're excited to try out some BG3 mods. Hailing from the Fallout New Vegas modding community, we don't know the details of what mods can or can't be made for this game yet, but I wanted to put a request out there that someone could read at a later date and hopefully be inspired, or at least folks might commiserate if you all agree with my request. If you disagree, or I missed something, please be kind.

TLDR: Familiars in BG3 feel nearly useless outside of combat. Perhaps a mod could be made to let them interact with the world like the player and companions?

I can't tell you the number of situations where I wished my familiar could've picked up something or interact with something. I've had DnD scenarios in my mind where I would've come up with some crafty use for my familiar, and this game just won't let me. I can scout with them, fight with them, sure, but the main boon of the familiar is just another puzzle piece you can move around. Half the time my spider just jumps in an enemy's way as bait. While I normally play DnD treating familiars as precious despite their ability to be resummoned, in this game, I'm doing it every rest.

So, what can be done? First of all, normally when you have a character selected, you can click on thing in the environment to interact with them or pick them up. For familiars, this is just turned off, somehow. Maybe this could be turned back on? Familiars could have very limited inventory space. Perhaps as well, the Throw action could be made available for every Familiar? This would allow Familiars to throw things to allies or move environment objects around (though I understand the game lets you also just transport item from inventory to inventory too).

Another thing is buttons, switches, and levers. When fighting the ancient Grymforge boss, I was disappointed to find out that ARROWS could pull levers, but sadly familiars cannot. Again, whatever doesn't let them ought be removed in my opinion. Also, you know those small cracks or burrows or whatever that you have to be tiny or gaseous to go through? I tried making my spider Tiny with the Reduce spell. No luck. Maybe that could be allowed, too?

So, picking up things, throwing, and environment interaction are my main concerns, but there's some other stuff I thought would've been nice if we could've done as well. Like, it's odd how the game goes through such length to give most animals dialogue with the Speak with Animals spell, and yet you can't ever ever speak to your familiar? It'd be nice if your familiar has some simple dialogue, with extra flavor for when that spell is cast. It'd also be nice if you could name your familiar, even if it was just through a few preset options presented by dialogue tree upon speaking to the familiar. It'd also be cool if maybe familiars could don rings or necklaces to allow the player to buff them ever so slightly. It could even be that, when the familiar dies, their equipment and inventory item(s) are left behind.

These are just some ideas I hope you all appreciate. I saw some interesting familiar mods that add types of familiars, but the way they worked felt... lacking. Best of luck to any who try.

Edited December 21, 2023 by MysteryMachineX

[Arireare]

100% Drives me batty that I can't speak with my familiars or my beast companions.  Tracking this post