Familiars

Best Friends on Demand

A familiar is a creature or the metaphysical form of a creature that someone has a particularly close connection to. The two are bonded by soul and linked in almost every way. The familiar gains incredible intelligence and power while their bonded person gains unique abilities such as being able to see through the familiar's eyes, communicate to the familiar and all creatures with the same seeming as the familiar.

Seeming

A familiar has numerous traits that determine its seeming. An owl is a bird, specifically a bird of prey and as such, a bond with one can give you numerous abilities to commune with birds.

Artificial Familiars

Sometimes a user of the arcane will actively or accidentally create a familiar. Their experiments yield a creature that they personally bond with as they study it. A bard calls forth a thoughtform that is so much like her, she binds it to this world. Regardless of how they are made, artificial familiars often consist of unique creatures not found in nature and open many possibilities for conjurers.

Basic Information

Dietary Needs and Habits

Familiars need to eat like any other creature but this is not the case for familiars that are spirits.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Familiars of any species are much more intelligent than their mundane variants, upon forging the bond the familiar can communicate to those with whom they are bonded. On occasion, the familiar can even be taught to speak.
The familiar and bonded are linked through their eyes and ears capable of experiencing sensations that the other is experiencing.
Those who utilize arcade power can actually use the familiar to cast their spells.
Familiars may have unique powers themselves.
A familiar also has a seeming that can give the bonded numerous talents regarding similar creatures.

Forging the bond

Depending on whether the familiar is a creature of flesh and blood or a metaphysical creature, the bonding process with differ. For physical creatures, the bond is built over time. It usually starts as a fond curiosity on the part of the creature and as the two being to bond the creature begins to exhibit more protective behaviors and the two begin to show signs of primal communication based on intuition and soon after, direct communication. The band will grow over time, strengthening the familiar and granting abilities to their bonded partner. Metaphysical beings are much trickier to bind with. They are more intelligent and cautious and in some situations more aggressive and territorial. Signs of good faith are usually much appreciated by these beings and are usually the first signs of friendship.

Lifespan

Familiars enjoy lifespans much longer than mundane variants able to survive even longer than the one they are bonded too

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Familiars often have unique markings or coloring that make them stand out. These markings are rarely natural and are made by the bonded and the familiar to bring out its identity.