Continuing the discussion from Limits on Familars:
Can I get an example of how you build:
A mundane animal familiar
A magical animal familiar
A spirit familiar
Thank you!
1) Mundane animal familiar:
- Take the stat block from Animals of Mythic Europe, a free pdf, from Ithzak
- Calculate labtot and compare to the labtot required according to size (25 + 5 x (size), p 104 core), spend a season and one pawn per 5 points of labtot
- Assign points to bond, and follow the process in core book. Most (all?) animals have cunning, it is replaced by Int: -3. They acquire also knowledge of every language known by the mage.
Ex: Alabaster wants a crow has familiar, with the following stat block
Cun : 0 Str : -6 Pre : -2 Qik : +4
Per : +3 Sta : +1 Com : +1 Dex : +2
Size: -4
Virtues and Flaws: Second Sight; Visions.
Qualities: Accomplished Flyer, Crafty, Keen Eyesight, Mimicry, Vocal
Personality Traits: Curious +3
Abilities: Athletics 3 (flying), Brawl 2 (dodging), Survival 3 (home terrain), Awareness 4 (food), Music 3 (voice)
Familiar bonding level is 25 + 5 x (-2) = 15
Alabaster labtot using InMe (appropriate for a mundane crow curious by nature) is 25, enough to bind the crow after befriending him - keep in mind that mundane animal are sensitive to the Gift, so befriending can be challenging.
Alabaster has also 25 points to spread across the three bonds: Gold and Bronze +1 (2 times 5 points), Silver +2 (15 points).
Both get the True Friend virtue, Cunning at 0 get replaced by Int: -3
Done
2) Magical Animal familiar
- Start by selecting an mundane animal
- Go through the process described in RoP: Magic (starting p 30), discuss ahead of time with your troupe to agree on power level (p 34).
- Important points: often magical animals have intelligence, not cunning, which makes them a lot more valuable to magi. They are also customised with 7 points of characteristic, virtues & flaws, magical qualities & inferiorities, and skills.
So let's start with the same crow and make it magical. The initial characteristics are the same, Cunning 0 is replaced by Int 0.
Distribute 7 points of characteristics
Int : +2 Str : 0 Pre : +1 Qik : +1
Per : 0 Sta : +1 Com : +1 Dex : 0
Combine both statblock to get:
Int : +2 Str : -6 Pre : -1 Qik : 5
Per : +3 Sta : +2 Com : +2 Dex : 2
Let's remain with a Grog-level familiar, high power (base 5 magic might), from Summer (360 xp).
Charon's might is ajusted by his size (-4), becoming 9.
The labtot required to bind this magical crow is 24 (25 + 5 x (-2) + 9).
Pick up up to three virtues balanced by flaw. If the animal starts with virtues and flaws, they must be first selected.
In this case, the Crow starts with Second Sight (v) and Visions (f).
Let's round up with Unaffected by the Gift and Homing Instinct, and balance it with Magical friend and Disfigured (the crow has a third eyes in the middle of his forehead).
Pick up skills, starting by paying the initial skill of the base animal - they don't come for free unless house rule.
Charon (name of the crow) : Athletic : 3 (30) Brawl 2 (15), Survival 3 (30), Awareness 4 (50), Music 3 (30), a total of 155, remains 205 XP.
Let's fill the gap
Language: Greek: +4 (50), Second Sight +5 (75), Area Lore (Greece) +3 (30), Stealth +3
(30), increased brawl to +3 (15), Chirurgy (name of bones) +1.
Why do you give him language since he will learn all the language of Alabaster once bound ? Because it is an intelligent animal that like to spy on human and gather gossip and it is while discussing with Alabaster that he agreed to become his familiar.
Then comes magical qualities and inferiorities. Charon is entitled 5 free magical qualities:
Gift of Speech, Personal Power : Hand of the Magical Animal, Personal Power x2 : Sight Beyond Sight, Minor Virtue : Educated.
Educated grants him an extra 50 XP (Artes Liberales +2 (15), Magic Lore +3 (30),
Philosophiae +1 (5) ).
Mundane animal qualities and inferiorities are automatically granted, are not balanced and cannot be changed (no additional qualities of inferiorities during this process, they are linked to the animal specie).
As a crow, Charon has: Accomplished Flyer, Crafty, Keen Eyesight, Mimicry, Vocal.
3) Spirit Familiar
As for the Spirit familiar, it is a similar process as the magical familiar, with the following difference:
The magi needs the appropriate virtue (Spirit familiar), the spirit does not have any physical stats, and starts with mental attribute purchased with a number of point equal to his might/5, they don't have size, their Cords gives additional benefits.
BIG ADVICE: By tweaking and playing with virtues, flaws, magical inferiorities and qualities, it is possible to create over-powered "legal" character (I strongly advice scrutiny with powers having 0 cost) . Discuss and gets everybody agreement in your troupe.
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Another reading for you: my first attempt at creating a magical animal familiar
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This is incorrect. After giving the Magical Animal 7 points of Characteristics, you only adjust them due to it's Size. So Pre would stay +1, Com would remain +1, Dex would stay +0, Sta would stay +1, and Per would stay +0.
The Magical Animal would get all the mundane qualities of the animal, but not the adjustments to Characteristics. This is mainly to avoid a situation where a Magical Eagle is much worse than a Mundane Eagle, since he doesn't have the Keen Sight mundane Quality...
Are you saying a magical animal starts with 0 in all stats and you get 7 points to distribute? Or am I miss understanding.
Same question for spirit familiars- do they replace their stat block or how do they modify it?
This is awesome! Thank you for the advice on limitations. I originally wanted to play a spirit companion but was shocked at the power level of a companion spirit and decided I couldn’t trust myself with it.
Exactly, and then you adjust Str and Qik for their Size.
Yeah, this is kind of how building a Magic Might character works. Itzhak has it correct. It does explicitly say you should try and base your final stats on the normal creature, but you're paying for it in points.
I remme
I may have some memories of this familliar, I had fun going through your post again!