Attune Familiar (Ritual)
Level: 1 Component Cost: 100gp
Category: Conjuration Market Price: 50GP
Time: 1 hour Key Skill: Arcana (No check)
Duration: Permanent
You conjure forth a small beast and form an Arcane bond to it, making it your familiar and adding a unique visible characteristic to mark it as your own. As a move action, you can command a familiar to move 5 spaces using its normal mode of movement. However, your familiar is bound to your side and can only move up to 5 spaces away from you. If for some reason your familiar or you is forced to move further than 5 spaces away, you lose control of the familiar, are unable to use any Familiar abilities, and it will do everything in its power to return. This distance increases by 5 squares at level 10, and by 5 additional squares at level 20. If your familiar travels to another plane for any reason for more than 5 minutes, your connection is forcibly severed and your familiar dies. Familiars cannot attack.
Your familiar can speak using normal sounds for its creature type, but only you can understand it. It uses your values for Defenses and Skills and has HP equal to your Bloodied value. As long as your familiar shares your space, it is considered a part of you and cannot be damaged. Creatures are capable of identifying a Familiar via an Arcana check with a DC of 20.The bond between you and your familiar is strong; if your familiar is killed, you immediately take damage equal to 1/2 your Hit Points and if you are killed, your familiar also dies.
This ritual can also be used to either resurrect or dismiss your familiar. The component cost is 50g and 0g, respectively, for these uses of the ritual.
Level 2 Utility Spell
Empathic Familiar
You make out the sound of footsteps echoing softly within the caverns and smile at the bat perched on your shoulder.
Daily * Arcane, Familiar
Standard Action Personal
Duration: Special
Effect: You strengthen your bond to your familiar, gaining a limited empathic bond with it. Gain a +2 to Perception and one other skill appropriate to the familiar's creature type (as determined by the DM) as long as the Familiar shares a space with you. This effect lasts until your familiar dies.
The skill bonus increases by +1 at 10th level and an additional +2 at 20th level (for a total bonus of +5 at 20th level). In addition, you and your familiar gain the ability to share emotions through the bond.
Level 6 Utility Spell
Two Sets of Eyes
With a moment of concentration, you attune your senses to those of your raven familiar. Ah, there's that goblin.
Daily * Arcane, Familiar
Minor Action Personal
Effect: By concentrating, you can perceive things from your familiar's point of view as well as your own until the end of your next turn. In addition to allowing you to make Perception checks from your familiar's location, this allows you to gain Line of Sight to creatures that are otherwise concealed. It does not, however, grant you Line of Effect to creatures you could not otherwise target. In addition, your familiar does not draw Opportunity Attacks for movement until the end of your next turn.
Sustain Minor: The effects persist.
Level 10 Utility Spell
Familiar Shield
With a piercing shriek, your bat flies into the path of the deadly ray, saving you from its dire effects.
Daily * Arcane, Familiar
Immediate Interrupt Personal
Trigger: You are hit by a Melee or Ranged attack while sharing a space with your familiar.
Effect: Your familiar intercepts an attack intended for you. It suffers any effects the attack would normally impart on its target, including damage. If the attack also targets other creatures, they are targeted as normal.
Level 16 Utility Spell
Familiar Spell Focus
Your ferret crawls into the orc encampment, unnoticed until it suddenly emits a blast of energy! "Good job, Tiny," you think to yourself.
Daily * Arcane, Familiar
Standard Action
Target: Your familiar
Effect: You cast a Burst spell you have available through your familiar, treating it as the origin of the spell effect. All effects that would normally target the caster of the spell affect your familiar. The radius of the spell effect is reduced by 2 squares to a minimum of 1.
At 20th level, the radius of the spell effect is only reduced by 1 square.
Level 22 Utility Spell
Possess Familiar
You close your eyes and relax, sending your mind into that of your feline familiar.
Daily * Arcane
Target: Personal
Effect: You enter a meditative state and gain control of your familiar. You retain control of your familiar at any distance from your body, though inter-planar travel still retains its risk. This effect can only be ended at-will once your familiar returns within range of your body. If your familiar is killed while you possess it, your mind is forcibly returned and you are reduced to 0 hit points.
The meditative state you enter is not restful, though you can receive the benefits of rest as your familiar. In addition, your body remains vulnerable to any effects as normal including dehydration and starvation. You are completely unaware of events around your body unless they cause you damage in which case you only become aware that your body is in peril.
The skill bonuses from Empathic Familiar remain active while you possess your familiar. Two Sets of Eyes is usable, but functions in reverse allowing you to temporarily check up on your body. Lastly, you retain the ability to use Familiar Spell Focus while possessing your familiar.
~DD