I was looking at Bjornaer in preparation for my current maga, and it mentioned that a rare few had trees as heartbeasts. While that wasn't particularly my style, it did get me wondering about the potential of having a tree as a familiar. I would assume a tree, as trees are Noble plants.
The immediate drawback that leaps to mind is that it would be an immobile familiar, and likely a vulnerable one as well. But what about a magical tree? After all, the Herbam spells mention very specifically that trees are alive and aware.
Bjornaer cannot have familiars, are you aware of that, right?
If you wanty a tree familiar, I would go for tree animals and nature-related animals for familiars, like a squirrel. If you still want a plant as a familiar.... well, up to you. I would make it a magical tree for sure, and one that is "awaken" as for the spell. Give him a MR of 25 and a few magic efrfects to nurture and move itself and control the plants in its area. it would make a WEIRD familiar for sure.
Maybe you should look at faerie and magical beasts like dryadas, that LIVE in the trees but are NOT treres? Just some thoughts
I guesds a tree would not allow for great roleplayeither, so it might decrease the fun factor somewhat. We havre always that familiars are played by a SECOND player, not the same player that controls the magus. That has caused some great mood scenes, and som,e hilarious ones as well. There was a discussion between a magus and a magpie familiar for the control of a shinny magic item that was simply amazing.
I guess a tree would not be as good in this area, so I would rule it out. However, as usual YMMV.
My character plans on binding a tree as a familiar. He's an herbam specialist and one of our vis sources are golden walnuts. So, he planted one, has grown and cultivated it over the years and is finally able to invent a version of Converse With Plant and Tree in order to ask it to be his familiar. (Although, he might not be able to penetrate the tree's might, which may be a problem.)
All in all, we're pretty liberal about what can be a familiar. (I want someone to marry a hedge witch and bind her as his familiar, but no one seems keen on the idea.)
Once the tree is bound, my character is planning on giving it plenty of ReHe effects to let it move around, and a MuHe(Co) effect to turn it into a human for ease of mobility. Although I expect that most of the time it will just hang out next to the outside door to my character's sanctum (which leads directly to his garden). One of the first effects will be a CrMe so it can send me images of anyone approaching the door.
sorry for necro-ing, but since I am a good boy and read the whole forum, I tend to react to things as well.
Binding a tree would be very expensive, 25 +25 might and at least a +2 size modifier, would amount to a total of 60. Thereafter you can freely add an effect with which to make the tree move (I assume you have a nice herbam score) and have it prance around without your control, so it won't be static. Mental communication or speech would be very appropriate as well, but that is for you to decide.
I am all about letting players have fun, and if you can justify how the tree became "really good friends with you" and you both have come to "care and have genuine respect for each other", I would be fine with it.
Well, it would be appropriate to more than only mystery fellows, a Linden gild Merenita could have a linden familiar, even though it is less than useful. I just stated it would be quite hard
Ummm, what happens when the magus just happens to be farrrr away on protracted business/adventure and along comes the local foresters to collect firewood?
IMO anyone who would choose an immobile tree as a familiar is just a sap
This reminds me of a hilarious thing from one of the Mage books, where the Mage had a walking tree whit her. I think it was either a familiar or some sort of companion, but anyway wherever the mage went, here came the tree to, and the result was to much paradox to even consider. Outch. But funny.
