Thema: AD&D 2nd Edition: Find Familiar, Farewell Familiar, Find Major Familiar

[Talivar]

Hallo,

in der Second Edition ist damals leider das spezielle Familiar herausgefallen. Hier eine alternative Lösung rund um das Thema Familiar.

Zuerst findet ihr einen Zauber, um ein bereits bestehendes Familiar zu verabschieden und dann einen zweiten, hochstufigen Zauber,
um ein neues zu erhalten, was auch für die hohen Stufen geeignet ist. Erfahrungsgemäß sind Familiar in den
hohen Stufen eher eine Belastung und gefährden den Magier stärker, daher hier eine neue Option, die das Spiel auch bereichern kann

grüße,

Talivar



Level 1:

Farewell Familiar
(Abjuration)

Range: 1 miles/level          Components: V, S, M (1,000 gp worth of incense and herbs)
Duration: Special              Casting Time: 2d12 hours
Area of Effect: 1 familiar    Saving Throw: Special


This spell is a gentle “goodbye” to an old familiar, a magic-user already possesses. It is a peaceful ritual to end the bond between the wizard and his familiar (often under tears). It can also be cast directly after the first meeting, if the familiar doesn´t fit to the mage. To cast it, the magic-user must burn the same inscense (worth 1000gp) when possible at the place of the casting of the original “find familiar” or nearby.

Mostly it is used, when a magic-user reaches higher levels and his first familiar is to weak to oppose the difficulties and dangers of the high levels. So, before the familiar or the wizard dies or is endangered too often, this ritual helps to end the bond, so that both may stay alive.

Ending the spell and bond makes a system shock survival necessary. When the mages succeeds, nothing special happens, else he looses a point of constitution permanently. The familiar also has to roll a system shock survival with the same results. Ending the bond leaves the mage in a deep sorrow, (like loosing the best friend). It takes about three months thereafter to cast a new “Find familiar” or “Find major familiar” (see below).

The mage and original familiar can meet in the future again on a neutral relationship or that of old friends or as the DM seems fit (encounter reaction roll, etc.), but without the bond of the magic of the “find familiar”.






Level 6:


Find major familiar
(Abjuration)

Range: 10 mile/level          Components: V, S, M (1,000 gp worth of incense and herbs)
Duration: Special              Casting Time: 2d12 hours
Area of Effect: 1 familiar    Saving Throw: Special


This spell is similar to the 1st level magic user spell “Find familiar” and gives the wizard the possibility to summon a special familiar with unnatural, most often, magical powers.

The familiar called is often cast directly after the spell “Farewell Familiar “(s.above, Level 1), after the 3 month period of sorrow, but the familiar summoned is much stronger in many regards (HD, AC, HP, SA, SD, THACO, etc.).
In other cases the spell is cast by wizards of high level who journeyed a long time alone and want to have trustworthy company with them (to help them out or to be not alone). At last, the “Major familiar”, which is called also just “familiar”, is summoned because of the high perils of the high levels.

The special familiar called by the spell is similar to the special ones in the “find familiar"-spell of the 1st edition of AD&D (e.g. pseudodragons, sprites, etc.) and is dependant on the alignment of the magic user. More exactly, a familiar called will automatically have the same alignment as the wizard.

The ritual must be cast in two steps and requires the burning of exotic herbs and incense (worth 1.000gp), which relate somehow to the region, the familiar lives in. This means, that the mage often has to travel to far regions to find a specific race of familiar, which sometimes requires research in libraries or the contact of sages, rangers or druids.


The following table shows fitting familiars.


Alignment               Familiar*                                                 Special Powers
of the caster
LG                 
                           75% Brownie                                   Blending, spell casting (prot.fr.evil, cont.light, etc.)
                           25% ??? (other Faeries and creatures with AL: LG, see below, category AL: LN or NG )
NG                 
                          65% Dragonet Pseudodragon               Poison sting, chameleon power, 35% MR  
                          25% Sprite                                       Fly, invisibility, sleep poison
                          10% Grig                                          Leap, hearing, spells, 30% MR
CG                 
                          25% Kilmoulis Brownie                          Blending                          
                          75% Dragonet Faerie Dragon (age 3-4)   Wizards spells, priest spells, breath weapon
                          


LN                       ??? (Faeries with AL LN, see below, category AL: N )
N                         25% Pixie                                        Fly, invisibility, spells, sleep poison, illusions, 25% MR
                           25% Sprite                                      Fly, invisibility, sleep poison
                           20% Dragonet Firedrake                     Fly, breath weapon
                           5%   Nixie                                        Swim, 25%MR, charm
                           5%   Kilmoulis Brownie                        Blending
                           5%   Grig                                         Leap, 30% MR, hearing, spells
                           5%   Brownie Quickling                       Low AC (-3), invisibility, spells (shatter, levitate, etc.)
                           5%   Small elven cat (only elvish wizards) Move silently, ESP, 20% MR, etc.
                           5%  Leprechaun                                Invisibility, illusions, polymorph, 80%MR, never surprised
CN                       65% Atomie                                      Fly, hearing, infravision, spells, 20% MR, surprise
                           25% Sea Sprite                                 Swim, invisibility, sleep poison, spells
                           10% Brownie Quickling                        Low AC (-3), invisibility, spells (shatter, levitate, etc.)


LE                       65% Imp                                           Fly, polymorph self, invisibility, 25% MR, spells, regen.
                          35% Mephits* (Imp variant)                  Fly, cast spells, breath weapon
NE                      50% Hairy Spider (often Drow Elfs)         60’ ft infravision, not afraid of fire, poison, 40% have detect invisibility
                          50% Mephits* (Imp variant)                  Fly, cast spells, breath weapon
CE                       65% Quasit                                       Polymorph self, immunities, spells, poison, 25% MR
                          25% Mephits* (Imp variant)                  Fly, cast spells, breath weapon
                          10% Brownie Quickling                          Low AC (-3), invisibility, spells (shatter, levitate, etc.)

*Mephits (fire, ice, lava, mist, smoke, steam). These don´t have the “gate” ability.

•   The DM can substitute other special familiars suitable to the area (or player).
•    For detailed informations regarding the different races, please refer to the “Monster manual” (Volume 1)


The ritual is cast in two steps. The first one is a kind of “locate familiar”. It helps to learn if the kind of familiar being looked for actually lives in a special region or not. This means, that the mage casts the spell (in the wilderness) and “calls, looks and waits” for a fitting familiar. If no such familiar of the kind (see table above) exists or lives in the area, the spell fails and the wizard is informed, that there is no such creature (within the range of 10 miles/level). If none is found, the caster has to travel to another area, repeating the first part of the spell (burning again herbs and incense worth 1000gp).
When after the first part of the spell (taking one hour) the information is gained, that there is such a creature, the second part of the spell can be completed.

When the spell is finished successfully, the familiar appears within 2d12 hours and the magical friendship and bond is established. For all other notes please refer to the “Find Familiar” spell in the Players handbook.