::f a m i l i a r s

Familiars

Magic Linked Familiars
Individuals often have companions who share a strong spiritual link between them. Usually animals, these companions are psychically attuned to the person, and often become their helpers in magic. Sometimes, familiars are imps, zombies or demons, or some sort of spirit that takes the form of an animal, but usually it is an animal that has bonded with an individual, that has been karmically attracted to that person and volunteered to work with them as a familiar. They are never considered pets, though they are given names such as household pets are given, if they do not have one when they are summoned or become bonded to the individual.

Familiars are reputedly sensitive to psychic powers and vibration, and are very important partners in any magical work. They also react strongly to negative or evil magic, becoming somewhat of a "watchdog" for the individual, as their familiar can sense unseen forces or auras of other individuals. Familiars are also given psychic protection by their companions.

Familiars can be dispatched on errands, called "sending", to heal, harm or kill, in the place of the companion they serve. They may battle in their companion's place. Familiars usually stay with their companion until death, or they are unsummoned, and then they disappear. Familiars can be captured in bottles, rings and stones.

If either one of the two dies for any reason, because of the psychic bond, then the one that remains will suffer great heartache and fall ill for at least 48 hours (2 days). Their dice is halved for this time period, and it is up to you to rp how this personally effects your character. i.e. if your dice were 4d80, you would have 4d40 dice for 2 days. This should be placed as "temporary due to mourning" in your AOL profile.

Non-Magic Linked Animals
(This is for those who do not hold magic caster's registrations)

Some individuals may have strong bonds with animals though no magic is involved and develop a relationship with an animal. This relationship is not as strong as that of a familiar, and certain things cannot be done because there is not the psychic/magical link between the animal/beast and the person, but there is still helpful tasks and an "understanding" that takes place between the companion and animal. This is usually because of a training that occurs, such as the training that occurs between someone with a trained falcon or a trained watchdog or wolf.

Sometimes the animals are intelligent or magic ON THEIR OWN but this does not come into play with the relationship between companion and animal.

A non-magic linked animal cannot perform any of the following:
-- Anything to do with magic casting both in combat and out.
-- Healing and rezzing unless the animal has it's own mun and gains their own regs. This is because without a magical bond between the two that allows the magical sharing (not just the sharing of thoughts or emotions) of abilities, the animal cannot hold the same traits as the companion. They are just an animal, they can do menial animal tasks.

A non-magic linked animal CAN perform the following:
-- Any task that the animal can naturally do. Some animals (such as birds) can deliver notes. Some animals can be taught to fetch things for their companions.
-- Fight / Protect their companion.

Rules to Having a Familiar/ Non-magical Animal
(To make things easier, the charter uses the term "familiar" in place of familiar/non-magical animal. Where it only regards to magical familiar, it will state.)

• You may only have one familiar at a time, and a familiar may only have one companion they accompany.

• There are two types of familiars that you may have:
1) NPC - You rp your familiar at all times yourself.
2) A mun plays your familiar on a separate SN.

• Your familiar should be listed in your AOL profile. This is especially important as your familiar has the benefit of being psychically attached or somehow bonded to you at all times, so they can always come when needed, and a familiar and companion will always be each other's bodyguards. Bodyguards MUST be stated in AOL profiles. Stating "UV Familiar #xxx (Name of Familiar)" is sufficient.

• You are welcome at any time to change your NPC familiar to a PC familiar if you find a mun to play him/her/it. Please let the Familiar Coordinator know of the change, and the SN of the mun who will be playing the familiar.

Summoning a Magical Linked Familiar / Training or Obtaining a Non-Magical Animal

• Familiars can be summoned (esp. in the case of zombies and imps, and often animals) or your familiar is attracted to you, and finds you. Whatever way the two of you come together, isn't important.

• Non-magical animals also have some sort of event that brought the two of you together. Whether that be finding the animal, buying the animal, being given the animal or a bonding experience, or that experience includes the training of the animal. There was something that brought the two of you together.

What is important is that there is a specific event logged of the two of you coming together. There must be between 20-30 lines of text. Send in the Summoning to the Familiars Coordinator (See HC Chart) to register your familiar, along with the following form.

Familiar/Animal Name:
Is this a non-magically linked animal? (you must have a magic caster's reg # to have a magic linked familiar):
Familiar/Animal SN or NPC:
Type of Familiar/Animal (zombie, cat, squirrel, panther, etc):
Name and SN of the person the familiar/animal belongs to:
State dice and xp if you have any:
Are you in a UV guild, if yes, which?:
Magic Casters Registration # if you have one:
Do you have a Druid's Reg #:

Magic Casting with a Magical Linked Familiar

• Having a familiar gives magic casters (regged) a boost to their castings. It is well known that familiars by their very make up, provide great help in magical work. When your familiar states their Familiar Reg during a magic casting (or you state your NPC's familiar reg) and you make a post that states that your familiar is doing something that is assisting the magic caster -- yourself-- in the magic casting, then you gain a +2 to your roll towards making your magic casting. (This is provided that your target has failed their saving throw.)

• Your familiar may also assist you in Arcane Duels, as long as they post their assistance during EACH round.

• A familiar also gives you +2 for your roll in breaking a spell.

• You may only cast one spell during combat, either you or your familiar may cast the spell, but you gain the +2 ONLY if you cast the spell. If your familiar casts the spell, you DO NOT gain the +2. This counts for normal spell castings outside of combat as well. Only if your familiar is assisting you, do you gain +2. If your familiar is casting a spell either for you, or on their own they do not add +2.

Healing, Rezzing, Etc with a Magical Linked Familiar

• You may "Send" your Familiar to do a duty for you, such as heal, rezz, or even kill (if you have assassin regs) as long as you have the regs attached to what you are Sending your Familiar to do. When your familiar goes to do their task, they must state your reg, your name and SN, as well as their familiar reg. The attempt is then sent to YOU, if it's not done correctly, then it's up to you to train your familiar to do it correctly. If it is done correctly, then you may send it in for credit, which is given to you, since your familiar serves you. It is then up to you whether you wish to give a reward to your familiar. Of course, your familiar is welcome to apply for their own regs for themselves and earn their own xp by doing their own attempts.

• When you "Send" your familiar to do a job for you (AA, Heal, Rezz, spar, etc) your familiar uses your full dice, and full hp as though you were there.

• Your familiar is always your BG, they can roll perception for any attempt. If they pass perception and it goes to a match, they fight with your full dice, and full hp for you.

• Your familiar (PC only) may heal or rezz its companion ONLY if it holds healers or clerics regs itself, it cannot use it's companions regs to heal or rezz it's own companion. NPC familiars cannot heal or rezz their companion.

Combat with a Familiar (Both Magical Linked and Non-Magical Linked Animal)

• Whether or not your familiar is an NPC or played by a mun on a separate SN, they use the same dice as their companion when they fight in shared combat with their companion or for their companion (in their companion's place).

• Only one may attack during a combat at a time, your or your familiar, but both of you may not attack during a round. Your hp is shared, 1/5 of your hp goes to your familiar during the combat. 1/5 should get you an even number most times.
So, Emma's hp in a mass spar is 30. 30 divided by 5 is 6. 30-6 is 24. So... Emma has 24 HP and her Familiar has 6 HP

• You MUST state that you are using your familiar at the beginning of the combat, and state your familiar's hp and your new hp after subtracting your familiar's. You can't add your familiar to the combat after it's started.

• Your familiar (PC only) is welcome to fight separately from you with their own dice they've earned (starting at d20 according to mortality) in combat. This is completely different from shared combat, when you and your familiar are psychically connected and taking turns fighting or your familiar is fighting in your stead.