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Has anyone attempted to create a familiar spell? Is there one published somewhere o have not seen?

Any advice on how you could do it? What tradition would it fall under? Animism I'm assuming.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

I think there's an argument for making it a General spell, given how common the notion of a familiar is. I'd probably make it work a bit like the other summon spells - standard start block, but let the mage choose the appearance. One thing I'd be very keen on, however, is making it clear that it's for utility, not a combat companion - let it scout, sure, or grant a Boon to AWARENESS; maybe even allow the familiar as the origin point of spells you cast while it's active (with an extra WP cost?).

I looked through an older eddition and they did have familiars in it. While i can't say this applied to all edditions the bullet points for making one based on this rulebook is this:

*any mage can make one, so it would be a general spell.

*the spell requires a small, non-sentient animal as an ingredient (the spell draws a spirit in from another plane, which possesses and takes over it's host body)

*the spell requires you to offer of your own power to seal the pact, so would likely reduce WP permamently by 1.

*the familar is intelligent, and it's nature is siimilar to it's master and is always loyal to them.

*the familar knows the langugages of it's master, but cannot speak it (it's hosts throat is not made for it), but it can communicate to it's master via telepathy by making eye contact within 10m

*the rules generally suggests the roles a familar can play are as a companion, spies or messengers. I'd say for simplicity they can count as a monster, they share there masters initiative (acting directly after there master, focusing on dodging if not given an order, and their attack deals only 1 point of damage).

*if the familar's master or it's host body dies, the spirit returns to it's home plane.

I like a lot of that (summoning a spirit to possess an existing creature is a nice, dark touch), but permanent WP sacrifice seems like a steep cost given that you could lose it forever if it gets into a fight..!

Well, imo a wp loss would be acceptable (better than lossing a point in WILL that more powerful spells make you do). At least you can get that back by picking up a FOCUSED when you get a heroic ability.

Plus it makes getting a familiar an investment, sense you get a loyal servent with lots of application. Making it too "cheap" would make everyone grab it sense it has no real downside.

What about getting the 1 WP back if the familiar dies?

Maybe upon death of the familiar the master suffers a condition. When the condition is recovered, the invested WP is recovered as well (or you could make it WP damage.... like losing 1D3 WP instead of a condition, and healing as normal, including the 1 WP investment).

I'd probably make it a ritual as well.

I like a lot of that (summoning a spirit to possess an existing creature is a nice, dark touch), but permanent WP sacrifice seems like a steep cost given that you could lose it forever if it gets into a fight..!

Usually I'd suggest that the creature's death restores the lost WP, but it's only 1 WP. On that note, I'd suggest something that useful should cost more WP, but the WP comes back if the creature dies.

Here's my pitch for a Familiar spell.

Create Familiar
✦ Rank: 1
✦ Prerequisite: Any School of Magic
✦ Requirement: Word, gesture, Ingredient (A small, non-sentient animal, such as a Cat, Crow, Rat, Snake, Toad or Owl).
✦ Casting Time: Stretch
✦ Range: Touch
✦ Duration: Permanent

You summon and bind a spirit from another plane within the body of a small animal, creating a loyal servant. This spell requires the caster to give up some of their power in order to seal the pact between themselves and the Spirit, reducing their maximum WP by 1. The spell must be cast at Power Level 3. The Familiar is an intelligent being, with a personality similar to its master. It can speak any language its master is capable of, but can not speak. Instead, it can telepathically communicate with its master when they are within 10m of one and another and lock eyes.

You can give the Familiar orders, but it can only perform actions that the animal whose body it inhabits would be capable of. In combat, the Familiar shares initiative with its master, taking its turn directly after. Unless given an order (Free Action) the Familiar will act independently, focusing on staying away from battle and, if necessary, take the Dodge Action.

If the Familiar dies, you may cast the spell again to bring it back to life. Casting the spell this way dosn't reduce the character's WP. This must be done within a Shift, otherwise the binding ends and the spirit will return to the plane it hailed from, at which you must cast the spell again with a new animal to get another familiar. If the player dies, the spell ends immediately and the Spirit returns to its home plane, and the animal it inhabited returns to normal. You may only have 1 familiar at a time.

Examples of animals that serve as typical examples of Familiars.

Cat/Rat
HP: 4
Movement: 12
Attack: Bite 8, Damage D3
Skills: Awareness 12, Evade 14, Sneaking 15

Crow/Owl
HP: 4
Movement: 14 (Capable of flight)
Attack: Peck, 8, Damage D3
Skills: Awareness 12, Evade 14, Spot Hidden 12 (Owl), Sneaking 12 (Crow)

Toad
Hp: 4
Movement: 10 (Can leap this distance without needing to roll and can move this speed in both water and on land)
Attack: Bite 8, Damaga D6
Skills:[/b] Acrobatics 14, Awareness 12, Evade 14.

Snake.
HP: 4
Movement: 10
Attack: Bite 10, Damage D6
Skills: Awareness 12, Evade 14, Sneaking 12

That looks pretty good Fey. I like the idea of the spirit inhabiting an animal.
Funny, I wrote one up as well, check it out. I sort of based this off of Familiar in Symbaroum. I think I'll try to merge these two together and see what pops out...

FAMILIAR
Rank: 1
Prerequisite: Any School of Magic
Requirement: Word, Gesture, Ingredient (a drawn circle)
Casting Time: Shift
Range: Touch
Duration: Until the familiar reaches 0 Hit Points
The wizard binds itself to an animal. The wizard may select any “Common Animal”, of 10 HP or less, from page 99 in the Core Rulebook. This process costs the wizard 1 WP permanently for as long as the familiar is bound to the wizard. The bond between them is so strong that the two can communicate telepathically and the wizard can command the familiar from a distance of up to 1 mile.

Additionally, the wizard can spend 2 WP to do any of the following:
> Experience whatever the familiar perceives with its senses. This effect last for 1 stretch and costs the wizard his action to activate.
> Gain a boon on any skills the animal possesses (not attacks). The duration is instant and is a free action.
> Transfer hit points to the familiar from the wizard himself. Duration is instant and costs the wizard his action.
> Transfer hit points from the familiar to the wizard. Duration is instant and cost the wizard his action.

The familiar acts on its master initiative and will act out any commands it is given to the best of its abilities or it will dodge if not given any commands. It recovers HP per the standard healing rules.

Should the familiar die (get reduced to 0) HP, the mystic immediately suffers a random condition (determined by the GM). Any invested WP points can then be regained through the normal resting rules. A new familiar can then be summoned.

Tbh i feel that version is WAY to powerful for a rank 1 spell. Its basically the Companion heroic ability with additional perks. Im not familiar with Symbaroum but i get the impression it has slightly stronger characters than Dragonbane.