Can my familiar feed me a potion?

Question

The SRD says potions can be administered by others with a full-round action:

Drinking a potion or using an oil is a standard action. The potion or oil takes effect immediately. Using a potion or oil provokes attacks of opportunity.

[...]

A character can carefully administer a potion to an unconscious creature as a full-round action, trickling the liquid down the creature's throat.

Can my familiar feed me while I'm conscious and in combat? If so, does it require expenditure of effort larger than a free action by the imbiber? Would the imbiber provoke AoOs? Can I get a drinking tumor?

Answer 1

The limits would ultimately be up to your GM. But consider this:

• Your familiar has an empathic link to you, would know that you are in danger and need assistance.
• Your familiar is intelligent and can make its own decisions.
• Your familiar would be familiar with equipment you have and could know what it is capable of, depending on dialogue with your familiar.
• Your familiar may need to be physically capable of doing the action for you. For example, a rodent would be more capable of manipulating an object with its hands in order to hold the potion, open the cork, and pour/spill it into your mouth while also prying your mouth open in order to administer it. A snake on the other hand, would have a little difficulty of performing such an act, and would require some very clever roleplaying before your GM "buys off" on the idea.
• Your familiar would be subject to all rules within combat that you would be. If your familiar provokes an attack of opportunity, then the potion could be a target, since it would be held by the creature provoking the opportunity, under the Damaging Objects rules.
• If you have the prerequisites to obtain a tumor, then yes you would be able to have one - it would be a little harder to pull off if you are not an Alchemist. If you are unconscious, how would the tumor benefit from a potion in order to administer it to you? If you are conscious, then there shouldn't be too much of a problem.
• The tumor resembles an animal, not an article of clothing. But ask your GM - he may like the idea and allow you to go along with it.