This loses more than bit in the cutting and the pasting and mangling and the clavening (points to those that get the reference) so you might want to see the original post. I like familiars, I remember back when they were cool toys for the casters, not anything actually useful. How friggin’ useful can a toad in your pocket be for goodness sake? I also did a familiar replacement for Neverwinter Nights for my one published module so me and familiars go back a ways.
Anyway, here you go, this is certainly a different take on it with the it’s an amorphous blob of energy or lifeforce or whatever rather than an actual black cat or snowy owl.
Ritual of Binding
Level: 1
Category: Binding
Time: 1 hour
Duration: Permanent
Component Cost: 100gp
Market Price: 150gp
Key Skill: Arcana (no check)
This ritual calls a familiar, which is a magical being of arcane
origin with no true physical form, to the target of the ritual
and binds it to them. It usually takes the form of an animal of
some type that reflects the caster’s personality. However, it
can assume any shape of a natural animal of tiny size, at-will.
Regardless of form there is always some signifying mark that
makes it stand-out from other animals of its type and is unique
to it. The master also gains this mark on some part of their
body.
From that moment on, the familiar and caster share a hit point
total. Therefore, whatever damage one takes, they both take.
When together (sharing the same square), they are considered one
entity for the purpose of taking damage, and so do not suffer
double damage from an attack that would hit both of them at the
same time.
Whenever the familiar is targeted, use the caster’s defences. If
the familiar is required to attack, it does so at the expense of
the caster’s attack. The connection between the two is so
fundamental that the strain of combat forces one to be active
and the other to be passive.
The familiar has a +3 to hit with natural weapons in addition to
the normal level bonus and does 1d4 damage plus 1 damage every
two levels.
The familiar only acts as a separate entity when the master
wills it. There is no distance penalty for separation, however
if the familiar is destroyed, then the master is reduced to 0
health and must make death saves as normal or be stabilised.
At this point, the master loses all benefits associated with the
familiar, including any feats gained. They lose all healing
surges and regain them at the rate of one per day. After this,
they may gain another familiar through performing this ritual
again, at which time all benefits, including feats previously
gained, return.
The familiar can fly (hover) with a speed of 6 as long as it
assumes a form that can fly. It has the same type of vision as
the caster and uses the caster’s skills as its own, therefore if
the caster can Stealth, so can the familiar.
The familiar and caster share an empathic link. Only images,
sounds and feelings can be conveyed. There is no range limit on
this ability. The familiar can speak all tongues the master
knows.
It has the same Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom &
Charisma as the master, however it has a Strength of 3. It
shares many personality traits with its master, especially
dominant traits, however it is its own entity for the purposes
of personality. Despite this, the master can command it to do
what he wishes.
Multi-class Familiar
If an owner of a familiar wishes, they can enhance the
connection between themselves and their familiar by taking
feats.
This works almost exactly like the multi-classing rules. The
only difference is that the powers are chosen for you and you
have the option to upgrade them as you go up in level.
Whenever a level is gained where you have the choice to replace
a power, you can instead upgrade one of your familiar feats.
Each feat lists the benefit of upgrading and these benefits
stack with each other.
Familiar Attunement Heroic Feat
[Multiclass Familiar]
Prerequisite: Familiar, Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma 13.
Benefit: You gain a +1 to Perception and Stealth.
In addition to this, you can use your familiar to do the
following:
Sensory Attunement Familiar At-will Power 1
You attune your senses to that of the familiar’s, enabling you
to see, hear, smell, taste and touch everything the familiar
sees, hears, smells, tastes and touches.
At-will • Arcane
Standard Action Ranged 20
Effect: until the end of your next turn, you can command the
familiar to move to any square within range. Forgoing your own
sensory input (making you unable to see, hear, smell, taste or
touch through your own senses), you attune yourself to your
familiar. You do not need line of sight for this ability to
work.
Sustain Minor: you can sustain this power for up to one hour per
level with a minor action every round.
Upgrade: Add +1 to Perception and Stealth. Increase the range of
Sensory Attunement by 5.
Enhance Familiar I Heroic Feat
[Multiclass Familiar]
Prerequisite: Familiar Attunement, 4th-level.
Benefit: You gain a +3 hit points (does not stack with
Toughness).
In addition to this, replace your 3rd-level encounter power with
the following ability:
Sacrifice Familiar Familiar Encounter Attack 1
By merging its soul with your own the familiar can sacrifice its
physical form, protecting you from harm.
Encounter • Arcane
Immediate Interrupt Melee or Ranged special
Trigger: You are attacked by a creature.
Target: the attacking creature.
Attack: Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma vs. Reflex.
Hit: 1d8+Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma force damage and you
get to use your Second Wind ability after the target’s attack
has been resolved.
Special: the familiar cannot be used for the remainder of the
combat and reforms after a short rest. The familiar must be
within a range determined by the Sensory Attunement power for
this power to function.
Upgrade: Add +2 hit points (does not stack with Toughness). Add
+1 to hit with this power. Gain an extra 1d6 to the amount
healed by using Second Wind as a result of this power.
Enhance Familiar II Heroic Feat
[Multiclass Familiar]
Prerequisite: Familiar Attunement, 8th-level.
Benefit: Add +1 to damage when using this ability.
In addition to this, replace your 6th-level utility power with
the following ability:
Spell Conduit Familiar Utility Power 1
Any spell that you can cast can be cast as if from the
familiar’s location instead of your own.
Daily • Arcane
Minor Action Ranged special
Effect: cast a spell as if the point of origin is your familiar.
You must still have line of sight to the target unless also
using Sensory Attunement, in which case line of sight is
determined from the familiar’s position.
Special: the range at which the familiar can be away from the
master for this ability to still work is equal to the range of
Sensory Attunement.
Upgrade: Add +1 to damage when using this power and becomes an
encounter power. Each successive replacement ability used to
upgrade this power adds +1 to damage with this power and another
use per encounter.
Enhance Familiar III Heroic Feat
[Multiclass Familiar]
Prerequisite: Familiar Attunement, 10th-level.
Benefit: Add +1 to hit when using this power.
In addition to this, replace your 9th-level attack power with
the following ability:
Simulacrum Familiar Daily Attack 1
You divide your essence into two halves and imbue your familiar
with the other half, empowering it for a short period and making
it look exactly like you.
Daily • Arcane
Move Action Ranged special
Target: special
Attack: special
Hit: special
Effect: choose a square within range. The familiar moves to that
square and becomes an exact duplicate of you. You can then use
any power or ability you wish and both forms will produce the
same effect, targeted at the same area, using separate attack
and damage rolls (based on your own attack and damage
modifiers). You can flank an opponent using this power. Once the
power has been used, you can choose which square to ‘reform’ in,
either your own or the familiar’s.
Special: the range at which the familiar can be away from the
master for this ability to still work is equal to the range of
Sensory Attunement.
Upgrade: For each successive replacement ability used to upgrade
this feat, add +1 to hit and damage when using this power
