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Old 07-17-2018, 05:20 PM   #1
luguvalium
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Pets and Familiars

Wizards and In The Labyrinth mention that wizard characters can have pets or familiars. Now that I've pulled up some saved character sheets from long ago, I see some players had them, but I don't remember how they used them.

How have you used pets and familiars?
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Old 07-17-2018, 05:31 PM   #2
Chris Rice
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: London Uk, but originally from Scotland
Default Re: Pets and Familiars

Quote:
Originally Posted by luguvalium View Post
Wizards and In The Labyrinth mention that wizard characters can have pets or familiars. Now that I've pulled up some saved character sheets from long ago, I see some players had them, but I don't remember how they used them.

How have you used pets and familiars?
I remember in my games they were used both as a strength battery, and the Wizard could see through their eyes. I’m afraid the details are long lost.
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Old 07-17-2018, 05:53 PM   #3
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: Pets and Familiars

I had a player who was a would-be thief/animal handler for a while (until he had the Wizard's Guild erase those talents to make room for different talents), who got a pet Slinker and tried training it to pick locks and go steal shiny objects. That was actually pretty fun & interesting.
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Old 07-17-2018, 06:29 PM   #4
Rick_Smith
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Coquitlam B.C.
Default Re: Pets and Familiars

Hi all,
Long ago I wrote up familiars based on the D&D tropes. (Gave fatigue ST, mental connection, Wizard lost 2 attributes if it died, etc.)

I struggled for a long time to make them useful, not too fragile, not too overpowered, etc.

They were not popular with my players, and eventually the idea just quietly died away. No one of my more successful efforts. (Maybe I should give this another attempt one of these days.)

Warm regards, Rick.
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Old 07-17-2018, 07:40 PM   #5
luguvalium
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: Pets and Familiars

I could see familiars as being magical creatures, that appears to be in the form of a small animal, that as an alternative to a staff, would hold mana, and let a wizard see through its eyes. Maybe a Call Familiar spell would request its appearance for 5ST and if a familiar died it would need to be called again, much like re-creating a staff.
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Old 07-18-2018, 12:01 AM   #6
zot
 
Join Date: May 2018
Default Re: Pets and Familiars

Quote:
Originally Posted by luguvalium View Post
I could see familiars as being magical creatures, that appears to be in the form of a small animal, that as an alternative to a staff, would hold mana, and let a wizard see through its eyes. Maybe a Call Familiar spell would request its appearance for 5ST and if a familiar died it would need to be called again, much like re-creating a staff.
I'd make it completely controllable like a permanent summoned creation and let the wizard draw ST as long as it is within creation range (in the wizard's mega-mega hex).

ITL does say a wizard can "have a cat as a pet or familiar". What about letting the wizard have larger familiars at 1 mana per ST over 4, so a ST 10 wolf would require "investing" 6 mana?
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Old 07-18-2018, 12:05 AM   #7
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: Pets and Familiars

What if a familiar were an alternative receptacle for the new staff ability?
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Old 07-18-2018, 12:11 AM   #8
zot
 
Join Date: May 2018
Default Re: Pets and Familiars

Quote:
Originally Posted by luguvalium View Post
I could see familiars as being magical creatures, that appears to be in the form of a small animal, that as an alternative to a staff, would hold mana, and let a wizard see through its eyes. Maybe a Call Familiar spell would request its appearance for 5ST and if a familiar died it would need to be called again, much like re-creating a staff.
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Originally Posted by Skarg View Post
What if a familiar were an alternative receptacle for the new staff ability?
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what luguvalium means. Very cool idea!
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Old 07-18-2018, 12:23 AM   #9
Skarg
 
Join Date: May 2015
Default Re: Pets and Familiars

Oh whoops, I skipped over that. Er yes, great idea! :-)
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Old 07-18-2018, 12:41 AM   #10
zot
 
Join Date: May 2018
Default Re: Pets and Familiars

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Originally Posted by Skarg View Post
Oh whoops, I skipped over that. Er yes, great idea! :-)
I started my response with a similar idea until I reread his post and quickly edited my "idea" out :)
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