Find Familiar

Allows caster to summon a powerful, otherworldly being in the form of a tiny, 1 HD creature and attempt to bargain for its service.

  • Only spellcasters can summon familiars.

Summoning a Familiar

The act of summoning a familiar consists of a complex ritual that takes multiple hours.

  • May only be performed once per week at a given location.
  • Requires a two-hour ritual:
    • The first hour is spent drawing the required circles and runes on the ground and building the fire.
    • The second hour is spent meditating on the desired familiar while gazing into the fire.
  • At the end of the second hour, make a skilled INT check to determine success in summoning.
    • Fumble: Roll on Breach of Covenant table.
    • Failure: Nothing happens.
    • Complicated Success: Either a different creature, or a lesser / creepier version of the desired creature (ex: a raven that can’t fly, a large spider with a human face, a gecko when a wyrmette was desired).
    • Complete Success: Caster gets the type of familiar they wanted.
    • Critical Success: Caster gets better than they asked for, and the familiar has an extra ability or talent that could prove useful (ex: can turn invisible, wyrmette with multiple breath attacks)

Summoning Time

  • Roll 1d4 and compare the result to the Summoning Time Units table to determine the time units, then roll 1d10 to determine how many of those units:
Summoning Time Units
1d4 Time Units
1 Rounds
2 Minutes
3 Turns
4 Hours

Bargaining

  • After the familiar arrives, the caster must bargain with them by making a skilled CHA check.

    • Roll Modifiers
      • -1 or -2 if caster is shy or shiftless
      • +1 or +2 if caster is ambitious
    • Sacrifices
      • Caster can sacrifice money (gold and gems) to try and help improve the roll, either putting them in the fire or offering them directly to the familiar.
      • Caster must make a successful skilled WIS check to get +1 to the CHA check for each 100 gp sacrificed.
    • On a success, caster has entered into an agreement with familiar, and the familiar is now bound to the spellcaster.
    • On a failure or fumble, roll on the Failed Covenant table, and the caster can never cast Find Familiar at this location again.

  • Familiar usually takes the form of a tiny HD1 creature which can only be harmed by magic items, and gets 1 attack per round at 1d4 (bite / claw / similar).

    • If attacked by summoner, it disappears and summoner can never cast Find Familiar at this location again (and possibly a Break of Covenant roll)
Breach of Covenant
1d6 Result
1-2 Random curse
3-4 Random mutation
5-6 Permanent -1 to ability score
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