Familiars
Familiars (sometimes called a ‘Fetch’) are a manifested spiritus that is intimately bound to its Summoner, and manifested in material form of a natural creature (native to the plane on which it is summoned). All familiars have a secret name which the summoner and it know and is used to bind the two in the Ritual, and are typically given a name to which its form will answer to when it manifests. This name can change with each manifestation. This physical manifestation inherits the typical capabilities of the natural animals form resembles. Regardless of the operative method of manifestation, if it dies, this form experiences dissolution and is consumed by its energies (as an Unmanifested Presence). Each of these methods have their own Ritual of Summoning. Strange and often Forbidden rituals may be capable of summoning familiars from The Void or using Blood Magic such as the Narciss. These material manifestation methods are:
- Sleeved: (default) The spiritus is manifested within its own ‘skin’. The spiritus itself uses its anima energy to take on the physical properties of the form it takes.
- Foundling: The spiritus seeks an animal that matches the desire of the summoner and inhabits it. The familiar gains the sanity of the spiritus and some of the natural capabilities of the animal are enhanced as their energies merge. This typically costs more in time and materials to accomplish, and is not guaranteed success.
Bargained Service: A familiar of some type may be able to be enticed into service without a summoning spell or ritual. Instead of the normal summons compelling it, some sort of an agreement or pact may be made. Perhaps it could even be drawn by a summoner as a service for the entity wishing to enter into a pact for service as part of a Ceremony, and not the summoner itself. This would be outside the normal means of gaining a familiar.
Familiar Cauls
Organized breeding for Foundling manifestations can be maintained. Usually this is through a collective effort and requires its own cost (typically in the form of Essence). Institutions and order will often maintain something akin to this as a benefit for their members. Most often, they have a signature animal they have worked with and refined behavior techniques for. Costs can scale for especially well bred and trained specimens (usually with improved capabilities).
Familiar Variants
Familiar Echo in the Pattern
A weakened presence of a familiar is manifested, sleeved in a small innocuous natural creature. It will experience dissolution on any hit. The best it can serve to do is a watchful pair of eyes or to distract. It cannot do any harm to any target. Repeated deaths have no impact on it beyond its material destruction.
Constructed Familiar
Under special circumstances, and with rare and unique rituals or spells, a Construct may be made into a Familiar.
Uplifted Familiars (*work in progress*)
Some orders specialize in breeding familiars, uplifting them from their mere bestial form. Instead of a purely material or spiritual presence, the Find Familiar spells creates a bond between a magus and a real singular animal. The animals are typically trained from birth, have more HP, a better AC (by 1, no more) and do not detect as magical. They can be “dismissed” to a demi-plane as an Action, and re-summoned to keep them out of danger like a normal familiar. If they die, its a real creature that dies, all memories and connections are lost and the round in which it dies the bonded magus suffers Disadvantage in all their actions until their next turn. It cannot change its shape, but it can cast any non-damaging cantrip its bonded magus can as an Action, once per Short Rest. If an Uplifted Familiar is killed, it will not regenerate itself for 24 hours, or until a Lesser Restoration is used on its master.
Sprit Swarm
Using blood magic and the practices of the void, the Uplifted Familiar is tuned into a specific animal swarm. The familiar is able to transform into a Swarm the form of the associated animal it is – bat, rat, raven, insect, etc. once per Short Rest and does not change from this form. The Swarm lasts for an encounter, no more than an hour, and returns to its normal form if not killed. The familiar can only change is commanded by its master.
iCore™i20™ Familiar Details
All Familiars are summoned using the Find Familiar spell.
A Familiar Echo has an AC of 13, and is destroyed on any successful attack. It can always be summoned again immediately. The only action it can perform is a sound based or telepathic warning or Help.
Symbiotic Familiar Pact
Through exchange of Essence you and your familiar have created a link in which you both draw upon each other’s energies. The bond deepens to channel more power and to fortify both parties. The bond becomes two-way in which the character and familiar rely more on the survival of each other to thrive. So long as your familiar is summoned and within telepathic range you gain primary benefits.
REQ: 1 Essence permanently or Warlock Pact of the Chain; Plus using the benefits of a Breakthrough Point.
- The character’s maximum HP is increased by their Proficiency Bonus .
- The character gains an amount of temporary Health equal to their Proficiency Bonus at the beginning of a round if they are within telepathic range of their familiar if they have no other sources giving them temporary Health.
- The familiar gains Health equal to your Proficiency Bonus and your Constitution modifier.
- The familiar gains the Rogue’s Evasion ability.
- The familiar can utilize any spoken or written language the summoner is proficient in – though it has its own identifiable script style. In order to write, it must possess the physical physiology to type or hold an implement.
- When channeling a touch spell through the familiar, it uses the summoner’s spell attack bonus rather than it’s own.
- If you cannot perform the verbal components of a spell, but your familiar can and is within telepathic range, your familiar can speak with the summoner’s voice using its Action as a Reaction.