Familiars

 

Every witch has the ability to gain a familiar. The way this familiar is chosen varies due to the character's background, and some choosier witches may end up waiting until they find the perfect one. Some are gifted their familiar as a pet, others are present at its birth and bond with it immediately, while some meditate and let the creature come to them. Familiars gained in the latter way tend to either be strays or animals who are native to the area. Familiars are always NPC and can be represented via an attachment companion. Familiars must be animals and not supernatural creatures such as shifters or mer.

A witch can only have one familiar, and an animal can only be a familiar to one witch. Once a witch bonds with one, they cannot break the bond and choose another animal. They are bound until the death of the familiar, after which they must wait three months before beginning the process of finding another one.

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In general, a familiar will require the ability to move around on their own to be the most effective. For that reason, familiars are generally common animals, such as domesticated dogs or wolves, cats, birds (hawk / raven/owl sized or smaller), snakes and rodents. If you can buy it at a standard pet store today, it is acceptable to be a familiar, excluding fish and insects.
 

Exotic animals are less convenient on a day to day basis, as one cannot usually find a tiger nor care for it easily. Having an exotic familiar requires the witch to be level 3 or above, bound to a vampire (in order to justify the cost of upkeep), and be approved OOC by administration. There must also be a proper explanation as to how it was acquired. One isn't going to be out in the forest and have a monkey approach, as it is highly unlikely a monkey is going to be in the forest.
 

Furthermore, exotic animals are more difficult to bond with and are far more likely to be unwieldy in terms of compliance. Exotic animals cannot just roam the city unattended, as their instincts are not diminished and they may be prone to attacking others or getting very anxious about their surroundings, which limits their use quite a bit. Plus, while a cat or a crow may be ignored by the general public, an unusual animal is likely to catch attention and either be put down / captured by ISF or stolen by someone wishing to make quick cash.

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There are many benefits to having a familiar. Familiars can act as spies and scouts, be used as a secondary source of energy to lessen the drain upon a witch when performing magic, and be used as a sort of “telephone” between two witches, allowing them to communicate over a distance provided both are in the presence of their familiars. Others present will not be able to understand the speech of the familiar, even if they possess a similar type. There is no limit on how many times a day a witch can use their familiar in this way.

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Familiars gain much from the bond as well. First, they gain an advancement in intelligence, putting them on par with a human child about 10 years old. Second, their lifespan becomes tied to the lifespan of the witch. This means that those witches who have immortality due to the etre de trois also have immortal familiars. Familiars can still be killed, however they are said to possess “nine lives” and are able to be resurrected by a witch practicing Life Magic that number of times total. Each time they are killed and reborn, they gain a permanent mark upon their form, generally a scar or some sort of tattoo looking sigil. When resurrected, the familiar forgets everything that occurred the last week of its life, and they are weakened beyond usefulness for two weeks' time. One must have the body of the familiar for it to be brought back to life.

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Just having a familiar is not enough. One must take care of their familiar, giving it a place to sleep, plenty of sustenance, and certainly a level of affection and interest. Simply because they are a familiar does not mean the animals do not maintain a certain level of autonomy. Mistreated familiars or those who simply do not get along with their witches are less likely to come when they are called, might ignore commands, and are prone to giving misinformation. A familiar who is treated particularly poorly may abandon their witch altogether, but this does not undo their bond, leaving the witch unable to claim another familiar until something happens to the previous one.

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Familiars may obey their witches, but in the end, they are all animals and possess animal instincts. One cannot convince a carnivore to become an herbivore. A cat will find itself distracted by laser pointers. A guinea pig will cower and hide at loud noises and unfamiliar sights. Be familiar (haha) with the sort of animal you are selecting and have it act appropriately.
 

Familiars MUST look realistic. No cartoon/chibi objects allowed. At high population / laggy events, you may be asked to remove them. All familiars must be real animals, not fictional ones. Familiars must be something you can reasonably keep and care for.

Abilities in Regards to Familiars by Power Rank

Higher ranks are also able to do the abilities of the lower ranks.

 

Apprentice:

 Able to understand and communicate with familiar, provided they are within hearing distance. (innate)

Summoning one's familiar. (any number of times a day, up to 20 miles.) (innate.)

Able to force familiar to obey simple commands that will not cause it harm. Familiar may be grumpy afterward. (innate.)

Able to feel the familiar's emotional state and whether or not they are in pain.
 

The familiar's presence allows the witch to cast a bit quicker with less of a drain upon themselves, as the familiar takes some of the energy drain. The familiar will need to rest for a day after most rituals, longer for more complex ones.

The familiar can stand in for one witch in a ritual requiring three or more witches. The familiar acts as the level of witch that its owner is.

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The familiar instinctively senses magic and can alert the witch to its presence in an area, if they are with the witch.

Able to speak to their familiar to communicate to another witch through THEIR familiar as if the animals were telephones. (For instance, Sam has a dog named Bert. Kit has a cat named Bathsheba. If Sam is with Bert and Kit is with Bathsheba, Sam can focus on contacting Kit, then speak to Bert as if he was Kit as Kit speaks to Bathsheba as if she were Sam.) To everyone else, the animals just sound like animals, but to the pair communicating, they sound like the other person.
 

Moderate:

 Telepathically communicate with familiar, provided they are within 5 miles. (innate.)

Able to give their familiar more complex commands, but only within the realm of the animal's capability. (innate.)

Able to see through their familiar's eyes, provided they are within 5 miles. While they are doing this, the witch's eyes must be closed. If they open them, they lose the connection and cannot try again until the next day. (once a day, one hour.)

Able to pinpoint the familiar's exact location.

 

Master:

Telepathically communicate with familiar, provided they are within 20 miles. (innate.)

Able to take control of their familiar as if they are the familiar themselves (range 10 miles). The witch cannot do magic while acting as their familiar, and as they lose awareness of their current area, sensing only what the familiar would be sensing. While they are acting as their familiar, their physical body appears to be asleep and their concentration can be broken by physical contact. The witch can only perform this action while the familiar is within ten miles, and if they are on “good terms” with their familiar. If the familiar has been mistreated, they may fight off the control. Similarly, if the familiar is not willing to sacrifice themselves on behalf of the witch, they may choose to throw off the witch's control rather than allow themselves to become injured or killed. (once a day, two hours.)
 

Nocturnus and Noctividus:

Telepathically communicate with familiar over any distance. (innate.)

Able to take control of their familiar as if they are the familiar themselves (range unlimited). The witch cannot do magic while acting as their familiar, and as they lose awareness of their current area, sensing only what the familiar would be sensing. While they are acting as their familiar, their physical body appears to be asleep and their concentration can be broken by physical contact. The witch can only perform this action if they are on “good terms” with their familiar. If the familiar has been mistreated, they may fight off the control. Similarly, if the familiar is not willing to sacrifice themselves on behalf of the witch, they may choose to throw off the witch's control rather than allow themselves to become injured or killed. (once a day, two hours.)

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