Familiar

Cost: 3 XP Requirements: Wizard Talent

You are in possession of an arcane familiar, a magical entity bound to your will (at least, so you hope). Your familiar must always stay within Long Range of you, and will magically appear by your side if somehow brought beyond this range. If it is destroyed, your familiar can be re-summoned by spending an Endeavour performing a suitable ritual and making a Willpower Test. Familiars may resemble a small, imp-like creature, an unusual animal, or almost anything the Wizard wishes. Your Familiar is never any more intelligent than you, and may be capable of speech if you wish. However, its words are comprehensible only to you.

Possession of a Familiar is not without its drawbacks. Most find their appearance disturbing, and there are few more obvious markers of a practitioner of magic. In the Reikland, it is said that a witch’s Familiar should be driven off with the same torch that is used to set their master aflame.

When you first take this Talent, choose one of the effects from the following list. You may take this Talent several times, each time choosing an additional effect from this list.

• Armoured: Your familiar is well armoured, and capable of interposing itself between you and your foes. While it is nearby, your Resilience increases by 1.

• Babbler: Your familiar mutters constantly, a stream of consciousness that seems drawn from your own mind. You gain +1d when you take the Memorise Spell Endeavour (page 135).

• Bookrest: Your familiar has an appendage capable of holding your grimoire for you, freeing up your hands in battle. Additionally, you gain +1d when you take the Formalise Spell Endeavour (page 134).

• Chaos Sink: Your familiar changes form constantly, appearing to shift and mutate whenever it is not observed. You may reroll any one die when you roll on the Miscast Table. You must accept the new result.

• Combatant: Your familiar is a boon to you in combat, distracting enemies and drawing their ire from you. You count as two individuals for the purposes of Outnumbering or being Outnumbered by your foes (page 118). Additionally, if you would suffer a Wound, you may allow your Familiar to be slain instead.

• Flight: Your familiar can fly, either sprouting wings to do so or by entirely unnatural means.

• Linked: Your familiar can leave your side for a time, travelling several miles away. While it is away, you can focus your attention to see and hear through its senses.

• Poison Tongue: Others can comprehend your familiar’s speech, and you gain +1d to Tests to Dispel — see the Dispeller Talent on page 74.

• Skulker: Your familiar can disappear into another realm — you know not where — until you wish for them to return.