09-19-2013, 10:23 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Jul 2013
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How to make a skeletal familiar
I'm playing a necromancer and want a skeletal familiar. How would I go about making it?
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09-19-2013, 10:39 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Sep 2007
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Re: How to make a skeletal familiar
Familiars are usually Allies with the Minion enhancement. Powers that they grant you generally rate a -40% "Granted by Familiar" limitation. See page B38.
Then you have to decide what a "skeleton" is, in this setting. DF9 (Summoners) has a skeletal servitor on page 26. (You might want this PDF just for ideas and inspiration even if it's not a DF game.) A skeleton will have lots of advantages like Doesn't Eat, Doesn't Sleep, Immunity to Metabolic Hazards, Injury Tolerance (Unliving, No Blood, Brains, Eyes). Or perhaps you see it as being vulnerable to crushing damage instead. If it's the mindless sort of skeleton, it will also have some significant disads like Reprogrammable and Automaton. Stats are something of a matter of taste -- how strong, dexterous, etc, do you want it to be? Or not, if you're thinking of an intelligent skeleton -- Bob the Skull from the Dresden Files would be a completely different sort of character. Can you describe your image of the skeleton in words? Can it think for itself, react to its environment without orders, take initiative? Does it fight for the necromancer, so that you might want good combat stats and skills? Or is it more of a fetch-and-carry servant? Does it give its master any powers? Step one is to describe what the character is. Then we can go looking for Advantages and Disadvantages that fit the vision. |
09-19-2013, 10:54 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Jul 2013
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Re: How to make a skeletal familiar
This is a 300 point dungeon fantasy game. So far her Ally looks like this
Ally 14 cp 50% of starting points Constantly Summonable Sympathy (Death of one party reduces other to 0HP) I basically combined a zombie template with a fighter for the basic abilities and added energy reserve. I also added Mindlink (master) and telesend (master). It worked out to be an intelligence of 9, and I picture it more as a minor spirit animating the bones than the soul of the dead guy. (she's also dabbled in summoning) |
09-20-2013, 06:59 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: One Mile Up
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Re: How to make a skeletal familiar
I would definitely ditch Sympathy if it's a DF game, unless you plan to use the thing as more of a valet than a fearless, meatless meat-shield.
Unkillable x3 (Trigger: Provided With an Inanimate Skeleton and Summoned). |
09-20-2013, 12:41 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
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Re: How to make a skeletal familiar
You could alternately make the Ally an intangible spirit with Possession (Corpses only). Not sure how to do that specific build though; I haven't used Possession much myself. Either way (Unkillable 3 or Possession) you're pushing hard against that 150 point limit. It might be easier to look at modifying the Summonable enhancement on Ally itself, so that you summon your minion into a corpse.
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09-20-2013, 12:44 PM | #6 |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: How to make a skeletal familiar
Why not just use the existing Allies in Summoners? The whole point of playing DF is that this stuff is already worked out in advance anyway.
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09-22-2013, 06:24 AM | #7 |
Join Date: Jul 2013
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Re: How to make a skeletal familiar
Didn't really find anything that fit.
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09-23-2013, 12:03 PM | #8 |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: How to make a skeletal familiar
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09-23-2013, 11:42 PM | #9 | |
Join Date: Aug 2011
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Re: How to make a skeletal familiar
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Once you've got your corpse, preparation will be a little messy. You should not boil the corpse, since this will weaken the bones and impregnate them with oils from the body. There's nothing worse than a smelly skeleton. Cleaning the bones by hand is a possibility, but you will leave knife marks on the bones. These can be waxed out later if you care about cosmetics. Another option that's good if you have a lot of time is to simply use bugs to do the job of stripping the skeleton. Given a few days in warm dark conditions with enough beetles you'll have a cleaned skeleton ready for bleaching. Magic spells can help too. A Decay Food spell ought to work on a corpse. After you've gotten it stripped (whatever way you do it) you'll need to prepare your ritual for imbuing motion into the bones and slaving the motive element to a control nexus of some sort. Both rituals vary greatly depending on which magic tradition you follow, but here are some general tips:
Last edited by John_A_Tallon; 09-24-2013 at 07:34 PM. |
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09-24-2013, 04:43 PM | #10 | |||
Join Date: May 2007
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Re: How to make a skeletal familiar
Mr. Tallon has put way too much thought into this . . . kinda scares me.
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Last edited by fredtheobviouspseudonym; 09-24-2013 at 04:48 PM. |
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