Variant Familiars & Companions Options

The rules here expand the role of familiars and animal companions in your campaign by providing an assortment of new rules and options. Using these rules, not only can characters of any class now summon familiars and animal companions, but the familiars and animal companions that are summoned possess a much greater potential for versatility and power.

All character, kingdom or world names mentioned herein are meant as examples only, as these rules are meant to serve as a generic source for all fantasy campaigns, regardless of the campaign setting you call home. It is our hope that these expansions (which include the return of certain lost elements such as the paladin’s mount and the druid’s animal companion) will enhance and enrich your 5e fantasy game.

The following is a short synopsis of the new options available here concerning familiars and animal companions. As these rules are primarily player options, the Game Master should be the final arbiter of what means and methods are used in their specific campaigns to acquire familiars and other abilities detailed herein.

ADVANTAGES: Advantages are a new type of character ability that serve as a replacement for, or alongside of, feats. They function exactly the same as feats and are differentiated simply by what they do and their variety and focus. Characters, other than those specifically able to acquire familiars (such as wizards), need to take the Summon Familiar advantage in order to gain a familiar. Additional advantages allow characters to gain more powerful familiars. In addition, assortments of other Advantages allow players to increase the power of their character’s existing familiars.

Similarly, characters without the class ability or spells to summon animal companions can now do so with advantages to duplicate its effects – allowing characters of any class to gain a familiar or animal companion.

NEW PATHS: In the core rules, each character class has a path, oath, pact, college, circle, archetype or other progression that defines their character’s specific approach to their abilities. This “path” has a different name for each character class, but for every one it represents a choice they make at third level. In these rules, each class gains a familiar path that they can take in the place of their other progressions. These paths allow access to new powers, and each class has their own type of familiar defined by a unique power progression. These include improved and supreme powers.

TRICKS: A variety of new tricks have been provided for animal companions, along with guidelines on training animal companions to perform tricks.

SUMMONING RITUALS: Each class has its own summoning ritual for acquiring familiars or companions and several generic rituals are provided you for a wide variety of options. These rituals are different than the rules for magic rituals in the core rules, and are specific approaches each class must take to call a familiar or animal companion to serve.

NEW FAMILIARS AND ANIMALS: Rules are included for more than two hundred possible familiars – including complete statistics for more than seventy new animals and monsters. The exact nature and powers of a particular familiar depend upon the character class of the master, and the decisions you make as the PC in summoning and empowering the familiar.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? What’s the difference between a familiar and an animal companion? On the surface, after all, both of them look pretty similar.

The essential distinction is this – while both familiars and animal companions are magical creatures loyal to their masters, only animal companions are actually free-willed companions who serve of their own accord. Like other NPCs, they do not always do as their PC master wishes, and they are subject to whims of their own. The binding that links a master to a familiar is much more powerful, in many ways making the two almost one being. As a consequence, most familiars are always obedient, obeying their master’s commands above all else.

This distinction also leads to other differences – familiars are sentient, while animal companions are not. So while animal companions can be trained to perform an assortment of tricks as described under the ‘Animal Companion Tricks’ section later in this chapter, they simply are not intelligent enough to perform certain tasks or communicate complex information to their masters in the same way that familiars can. In addition, familiars often possess a wide assortment of magical powers, while animal companions rarely have more than a few such powers related to their master. On the other hand, animal companions are generally far more physically imposing and powerful than familiars, and they are far more suited to the role of guardian or battle companion.

Familiars and Steeds by Spell

The standard spells used to gain a familiar or steed are by and large replaced by the new abilities in this book. They in many ways become redundant, but are also a lesser version of the familiars and steeds found herein. If the GM desires, these spells can remain in play, albeit as “lesser” versions of the abilities herein; no familiar or steed summoned through the use of one of these spells has access to any of the special abilities available to familiars or steeds summoned via the rituals in this book.

Familiars and Power Progressions

In the interest of keeping things basic, the power progressions tables in the forthcoming chapters are formed using level 3 as a base “entry” level. The reason for this is that most characters will have access to a familiar as part of their archetype at level 3. It may be possible, in some cases, for a human character to gain a Greater Familiar by this time. If the human character opts to take the Summon Familiar Advantage at level 1 rather than the standard human ability increase (see “humans”), and then enters a Path or archetype that grants them a familiar, the familiar granted would be of the “Greater” variety. This would then open the door to obtaining a Supreme Familiar as early as Level four, when they take another Advantage.

In any case, should a character gain a Standard, Greater or Supreme Familiar at a level other than that indicated on the level progression table, they still only gain the initial abilities for their familiar, and progress normally from there, adding (or subtracting) their current level to that shown on the progression table.

The essential distinction is this – while both familiars and animal companions are magical creatures loyal to their masters, only animal companions are actually free-willed companions who serve of their own accord. Like other NPCs, they do not always do as their PC master wishes, and they are subject to whims of their own. The binding that links a master to a familiar is much more powerful, in many ways making the two almost one being. As a consequence, most familiars are always obedient, obeying their master’s commands above all else.

This distinction also leads to other differences – familiars are sentient, while animal companions are not. So while animal companions can be trained to perform an assortment of tricks as described under the ‘Animal Companion Tricks’ section, they simply are not intelligent enough to perform certain tasks or communicate complex information to their masters in the same way that familiars can. In addition, familiars often possess a wide assortment of magical powers, while animal companions rarely have more than a few such powers related to their master. On the other hand, animal companions are generally far more physically imposing and powerful than familiars, and they are far more suited to the role of guardian or battle companion.

Familiars and Steeds By Spell

Some standard spells allow a character to gain a familiar or steed are by and large replaced by the new abilities in these rules. They in many ways become redundant, but are also a lesser version of the familiars and steeds found herein. If the GM desires, these spells can remain in play, albeit as “lesser” versions of the abilities herein; no familiar or steed summoned through the use of one of these spells has access to any of the special abilities available to familiars or steeds summoned via the rituals in these rules.

Familiars and Power Progressions

In the interest of keeping things basic, the power progressions tables found herein are formed using level 3 as a base “entry” level. The reason for this is that most characters will have access to a familiar as part of their archetype at level 3. It may be possible, in some cases, for a human character to gain a Greater Familiar by this time. If the human character opts to take the Summon Familiar Advantage at level 1 rather than the standard human ability increase (see “humans”), and then enters a Path or archetype that grants them a familiar, the familiar granted would be of the “Greater” variety. This would then open the door to obtaining a Supreme Familiar as early as Level four, when they take another Advantage.

In any case, should a character gain a Standard, Greater or Supreme Familiar at a level other than that indicated on the level progression table, they still only gain the initial abilities for their familiar, and progress normally from there, adding (or subtracting) their current level to that shown on the progression table.

Thus, if a character gains a Greater familiar at level 12, and the level progression table begins at 3, then progresses to 5, 7, 9, etc., the character would gain abilities at level 12, 14, 16, 18 etc. This can mean that characters are still gaining new abilities past level 20, but so what?

A word of caution to GMs: Greater and supreme familiars can be exceptionally powerful and could be unbalancing to a game. Regardless of what is shown on the level progression tables for familiar abilities, you are well within your rights (and indeed, it is recommended) to deny characters the ability to gain a greater or supreme familiar until they reach a certain minimum level (say, level 8 for greater familiars and level 12 or even 15 for supreme).

New Condition: Dazed

A number of the effects in these rules cause opponents or victims to become dazed. Dazed should be treated as a new condition. Dazed characters are dizzy, confused and have difficulty focusing. The condition is a stage between aware and stunned; dazed characters can act, but not very well. Those who are dazed suffer the following effects: Victims suffer Disadvantage on all attacks, ability checks and saving throws.

Victims lose their Dexterity bonus (if any) to Armor Class.

Opponents have Advantage to attack a Dazed opponent.

Familiar Basics

Use the basic statistics for a creature of the familiar’s kind, as given in the monster book of your choice, but make the following changes:

Hit Dice: For the purposes of effects related to number of Hit Dice, use the master’s character level or the familiar’s normal HD total, whichever is higher.

Hit Points The familiar has one-half the master’s total hit points (not including temporary hit points), rounded down, regardless of its actual Hit Dice, which may be spent during rest periods as normal.

Attacks: Use the master’s Proficiency bonus or the familiar’s attack bonus, whichever is higher. Damage is standard for a normal creature of the familiar’s kind.

Saving Throws: For each saving throw, use either the familiar’s proficiency bonus or the master’s, whichever is better.

The familiar uses its own ability modifiers to saves, and it doesn’t share any race, magic, class or other bonuses the master might have other than her proficiency bonus.

Class Abilities: Abilities possessed by the master may be transferred to the familiar. For example, if a character possesses sneak attack, its familiar may also use the sneak attack ability.

Wizards, clerics and other spellcasters may cast their spells through the familiar.

Familiar Special Abilities: All familiars have special abilities (or impart abilities to their masters) depending to the level of the master and the class they are associated with. Each class description includes three charts: Standard Familiar Special Abilities, Greater Familiar Special Abilities, and Supreme Familiar Special Abilities. Standard familiars improve according to the Standard Familiar Special Abilities chart. Greater familiars improve according to the Greater Familiar Special Abilities chart. Supreme familiars improve according to the Supreme Familiar Special Abilities chart. The special abilities are described in their own section for ease of reference.

Obtaining Familiars

The Find Familiar, Summon Steed and Animal Friendship spells notwithstanding, there are two ways for a character to obtain a familiar or animal companion.

The first is to take the Summon Familiar or Animal Companion Advantage, listed below. This Advantage, taken at Fourth Level in place of an ability score increase or Feat, allows a character to enter the world of adventuring with a loyal and mystically-bonded companion.

The other way to gain a familiar or mystical companion is to choose one of the new Paths offered for each character class.

This path, chosen usually at second or third level (depending on the character class) will include a familiar, steed, animal or other kind of magical companion as a major part of its abilities. It is in this manner that a rogue can gain a mystic bond with his awakened shadow, a fighter can gain a magical intelligent legacy blade, a monk can gain wisdom from the spirits of their ancestors, etc. If a Path grants a familiar or other abilities to a PC who would not normally meet the prerequisites for those abilities, the PC still gains the ability the Path trumps the normal prerequisites.

Advanced and Supreme Familiars

Each class also has options for gaining advanced or supreme familiars-more powerful versions of the basic or path-related familiars for their characters. It should be noted that even when a character belongs to a Path that grants a familiar, the only way to gain an Advanced or Supreme Familiar is to take the appropriate advantage, sacrificing an ability increase or Feat at levels 8, 12 or higher. For purposes of meeting prerequisites, PCs are assumed to already have the Summon Familiar advantage by virtue of belonging to one of the new Paths in these rules.

Multiple Familiars

In general, a character can have no more than a single familiar at a time. Binding their lifeforce to a spirit entity is a taxing process and one that creates an unyielding and jealous bond. In general, if a character has the Summon Familiar Advantage and then takes the Summon Greater or Summon Supreme Familiars Advantages, their current familiar either becomes enhanced to the new level, or they gain a brand new familiar at the cost of losing the old one (though in this case there is no penalty as there would normally be for losing a familiar).

Optionally, however, sorcerers, warlocks and wizards may gain more than one familiar by taking the Summon Familiar Advantage multiple times. At no time, however, may any character have more than a single greater or supreme familiar, as multiple bonds at this level would simply be too taxing for the mortal to maintain.

In addition, there is a practical cost to gaining multiple familiars. The power the familiar imparts to the character robs the character of some of their innate abilities. In game terms, each new familiar selected robs the character of one level of spellcasting abilities. For sorcerers and wizards, this means they cast as one level lower than they currently are for each familiar beyond the first. For warlocks, this means reducing all magical abilities by one level, including invocations, patron features, boons, Arcanum and spells for each familiar beyond the first.

For example, a warlock who takes the option to gain a familiar at first level, and then at fourth level chooses Summon Familiar again, would then not receive their 6th level otherworldy Patron feature until 7th level. In addition, they would know and cast spells and invocations as a 3rd-level caster, only progressing to fourth level casting ability when they reached fifth level. Choosing additional familiars and gaining the benefits they provide essentially costs a level in magical power progression.

Multiple familiars are also more difficult to control. Each additional familiar beyond the first (of any type) increases the DC of any check involved with preventing a familiar from gaining emancipation by +2.

In terms of the game world, this is because the magic user has chosen to invest their mystical power into an awakened spirit to function as a companion. They are exchanging standard power for a different kind of power. In practical terms, this is an important balancing element to prevent players from running away with the game by having five familiars, all imparting different special powers.

In any case, the Game Master is well within her rights to forbid characters from having more than a single familiar at any given time, regardless of the familiar’s level of power.

Familiars Lists

You will find a list of familiars appropriate to the given class, path or archetype in question. While in many places these lists are expansive, they should not be considered all-inclusive; that is to say, they are mere suggestions and recommendations. If a player wants a familiar not included on a given list for her PC, it is in the end up to the GM to determine whether that familiar is appropriate in theme and power for the PC in question. Use the existing lists as general guidelines and make sure that whatever you allow is appropriate to your game.

Table 1-1: New Abilities

Familiar Abilities	Prerequisite
Defense of the Familiar	Ability to summon a familiar
Empower Familiar	Ability to summon a familiar
Empower Familiar, Greater	Empower Familiar or Summon Greater Familiar
Empower Familiar, Supreme	Greater Empower Familiar or Summon Supreme Familiar
Improved Familiar	Ability to summon a familiar, compatible alignment, sufficiently high level (see class descriptions)
Improved Sensory Familiar	Sensory Familiar
Meditative Conveyance	Ability to summon a familiar Meditative Conveyance, Improved Meditative Conveyance
Sensory Familiar	Ability to summon a familiar
Strike of the Familiar	Ability to summon a familiar
General	Prerequisite
Animal Companion
Barbarian’s Mount	Barbarian 4th level+
Companion Tricks	Animal companion, Handle Animal
Dichotomous Ability	1st level wizard or warlock + ability to summon multiple familiars (via adding the appropriate summon familiar ability)
Empower Mount	Paladin 4th Level+ or barbarian’s mount ability
Enhance Hero’s Weapon	Hero’s weapon ability
Enlarge Mount	Paladin level 4th+ or barbarian’s mount ability
Expanded Terrain	Druid or ranger level 1st+, summon familiar ability
Fey Companion	Bard 4th level+
Hero’s Weapon	Fighter 1st level+, Charisma 13
Joined Turning	Summon familiar ability, ability to turn undead
Special Mount, Greater	Barbarian or paladin 8th level+, barbarian’s/paladin’s mount ability
Special Mount, Supreme	Barbarian or paladin 12th level+, greater special mount ability
Spur Mount	Knight 1st level, or Mounted Combat Ability
Summon Diabolic Servant	Any neutral or evil alignment, arcane spellcaster level 1st+
Summon Familiar
Summon Greater Familiar	Ability to summon a familiar, compatible alignment, sufficiently high level (see the individual class descriptions.)
Summon Supreme Familiar	Compatible alignment, sufficiently high level (see the individual class descriptions), Summon Greater Familiar
Vermin Companions	Animal Companion ability or class ability
Item Creation	Prerequisite
Craft Nature Fetish	Barbarian 4th level+
Craft Woodland Familiar	Druid level 8th+, Summon Familiar

Summoning Rituals

As described in the various Summon Familiar abilities, a character must perform a ritual in order to summon a familiar. These rituals have a fixed cost (as described in the Summon Familiar feats), but they can vary greatly in detail. Each class has at least one specific summoning ritual associated with it. If you don’t find an option in these rituals which appeals to you, however, your Game Master may allow you to use one of the “generic” rituals provided below.

Regardless of the nature of the ritual being performed, it should be noted that characters should still need to take the requisite feats or classes to gain a familiar (as well as pay the associated costs in wealth and experience).

Quest

A character may need to actively seek out their familiar. For example, a character might go questing for the “golden stag of Westernesse” – the stag, once gained, would become the character’s familiar. Other possibilities might include: a pool of liquid mithril atop Mt. Karowan (a penitent dwarf who touches the liquid is gifted with the companionship of the magical creature which emerges from the pool), a journey to the heart of the forest, where it is said an animal soul mate for each man and woman may be found wandering beneath the trees, etc.

Divine Gift

As a reward for faithfulness or service, a character might gain a familiar as a divine reward. The idea of a magical or divine gift can extend beyond gods – this could be a natural reward for powerful nature spirits to grant as well, for example.

Magic Item

The relic known as the Rock of Demeter (see Appendix D) is one example of an artifact which can grant a character a familiar.

Guilds

Joining a specific guild or organization may give a character a chance to gain a familiar. In some cases, this might be a matter of a secret ritual known only to the guild. In other cases, the guild may have a special relationship with some figure of power (such as a god) capable of creating familiars for, or binding familiars to, the guild’s members. Perhaps a rare magic item possessed by the guild lies behind the guild’s relationship with these magical beasts.

This process is traumatic, inflicting permanent damage to the master after the transfer. Transferring into a standard familiar reduces the Constitution of the new body by 2; transferring into a greater familiar inflicts 3 points of Constitution drain; transferring into a supreme familiar inflicts Constitution drain of 4 points. This Constitution drain is permanent and cannot be restored by any means short of a Greater Restoration spell. Note that in addition to these penalties, the master is now limited by his new form (unless he took precautions beforehand to alleviate this). For example, a master forced into the body of a cat familiar cannot speak, cast spells, use skills or feats dependent upon the humanoid form, etc. Any other exact effects of this sort of transformation are left to the Game Master to decide.

Table 1-4: Standard Familiars

Familiar	Special
Antelope	Master gains advantage on Dexterity checks related to balance
Baboon	Master gains advantage on Acrobatics checks
Badger	Master gains advantage on Survival checks to Track
Bat	Master gains advantage on Hearing-based Perception checks
Cat	Master gains advantage on Move Silently checks
Camel	Master gains advantage on Constitution based Survival checks
Chameleon	Master gains advantage on Dexterity based Hide checks
Crab	Master gains a +1 natural armor bonus
Crane	Master gains advantage on Charisma based performance checks
Deer	Master gains proficiency on Dexterity saves. If he already is proficient, his proficiency bonus doubles.
Dog	Master gains advantage on Survival checks to Track
Dolphin	Master gains advantage on swim related checks
Donkey	Master gains advantage on Dexterity checks related to balance
Dove	Master gains advantage on Charisma checks to be diplomatic
Fox	Master gains advantage on Stealth checks
Goat	Master gains proficiency on Constitution saves. If he already is proficient, his proficiency bonus doubles.
Goblin	Master gains the ability to disengage from combat as a bonus action or reaction.
Hawk	Master gains advantage on vision-based Perception checks in bright light
Hedgehog	Master gains a +1 natural armor bonus
Horse (any)	Master gains advantage on saves to resist fatigue
Hummingbird	Master gains a +1 dodge bonus to armor class
Koala	Master gains advantage on climbing checks
Kobold	Master gains darkvision 60 ft. (or 120 ft. if he already has darkvision).
Lizard	Master gains advantage on climbing checks
Lizard, venomous	Master gains advantage on saving throws against poison
Mongoose	Master gains proficiency on Dexterity saves. If he is already proficient, his proficiency bonus doubles.
Monkey	Master gains advantage on Acrobatics checks
Mule	Master gains proficiency on Wisdom saves. If he is already proficient, his proficiency bonus doubles.
Octopus	Master gains a bonus action that can be used for any purpose, in addition to any other bonus action he may otherwise have.
Orc	Master gains darkvision 60 ft. (or 120 ft. if he already possesses Darkvision)
Owl	Master gains advantage on Perception checks in shadows
Panda, red	Master gains advantage on climbing checks
Peacock	Master gains a advantage on Charisma based checks to be diplomatic
Penguin	Master gains damage resistance (cold)
Pig	Master gains proficiency on Constitution saves. If already proficient, his proficiency bonus doubles.
Pony (any)	Master gains advantage on Dexterity based checks to ride a mount.
Porpoise	Master gains advantage on swim related checks
Raccoon	Master gains advantage on checks to find and disarm traps
Rat	Master gains proficiency on Constitution related saves. If he already has proficiency, his proficiency bonus doubles.
Raven	Master gains advantage on vision-based Perception checks.
Sheep	Master gains advantage on Persuasion checks.
Skunk	Master gains advantage on Intimidate checks.
Snake (Tiny viper)	Master gains advantage on Deception checks.
Squid	Master gains a bonus action that may be used for any purpose, in addition to any other bonus actions he may have.
Squirrel	Master gains advantage on vision-based Perception checks.
Squirrel, flying	Master gains advantage on vision-based Perception checks.
Turtle	Master gains +1 natural armor bonus
Toad	Master gains an additional hit die, with corresponding bonus to maximum hit points (but not to character level).
Vulture	Master gains advantage on Intimidate checks.
Weasel	Master gains advantage on Deception checks.

Familiar Compatibility

Due to their powerful natures, Greater and Supreme familiars require a certain amount of compatibility to a particular master before they agree to serve. In order to be philosophically compatible, the master may choose a familiar with an alignment up to one step away on each of the alignment axes (lawful through chaotic, good through evil). For example, a chaotic good master could acquire a neutral familiar. A lawful neutral master could acquire a neutral good familiar. In addition, many of the most powerful creatures only agree to serve masters that have achieved a certain level. Thus, a master’s character level must be at least that listed under the ‘Associated Character Level’ column of the particular creature desired, otherwise the creature will refuse to serve as the character’s familiar.

Table 1-5: Greater Familiars

Associated Familiar	Character Alignment	Level
Ape	Neutral	5th
Arrowhawk, juvenile	Neutral	5th
Bear, black	Neutral	3rd
Bear, brown	Neutral	7th
Bear, polar	Neutral	7th
Bison	Neutral	4th
Blink dog	Lawful good	5th
Boar	Neutral	3rd
Bull	Neutral	5th
Chameleon, giant	Neutral	3rd
Caribou	Neutral	3rd
Cheetah	Neutral	4th
Celestial hawk1	Good	3rd
Crab, giant	Neutral	3rd
Crab, monstrous	Neutral	7th
Crocodile	Neutral	3rd
Darkmantle	Neutral	5th
Dire badger	Neutral	3rd
Dire bat	Neutral	3rd
Dire rat	Neutral	3rd
Dire weasel	Neutral	3rd
Dog, riding	Neutral	1st
Dog, battle	Neutral	3rd
Dretch	Chaotic evil	5th
Eel, electric	Neutral	3rd
Eagle	Neutral	3rd
Elemental, Small (air)	Neutral	5th
Elemental, Small (fire)	Neutral	5th
Elemental, Small (water)	Neutral	5th
Elemental, Small (earth)	Neutral	5th
Fiendish Tiny viper snake2 Evil	3rd
Formian, worker Lawful neutral	7th
Giant ant	Neutral	3rd
Giant bee	Neutral	5th
Giraffe	Neutral	3rd
Goblin	Any3	5th
Hell hound	Lawful evil	9th
Hippogriff	Neutral	9th
Hippopotamus	Neutral	5th
Homunculus	Any	7th
Imp	Lawful evil	7th
Kangaroo	Neutral	3rd
Kobold	Any3	5th
Lantern archon	Lawful good	7th
Lemure	Lawful evil	5th
Leopard	Neutral	5th
Lion	Neutral	7th
Lizard, monitor	Neutral	3rd
Lizard, giant venomous	Neutral	4th
Lizard, monstrous	Neutral	5th
Manta ray	Neutral	3rd
Mephit (any)	Neutral	7th
Modron	Lawful Neutral	7th
Musk ox	Neutral	3rd
Panda	Neutral	4th
Pseudodragon	Neutral good	7th
Orc	Any non-good	7th
Ostrich	Neutral	3rd
Quasit	Chaotic evil	7th
Ram	Neutral	3rd
Saber tooth tiger	Neutral	9th
Shark, Medium or Large	Neutral	3rd (Medium)/4th (Large)
Shocker lizard	Neutral	5th
Snake, constrictor	Neutral	3rd
Snake, Large viper	Neutral	3rd
Stirge	Neutral	5th
Tapir	Neutral	3rd
Tiger	Neutral	8th
Turtle, giant	Neutral	2nd
Turtle, monstrous	Neutral	4th
Walrus	Neutral	3rd
Wolverine	Neutral	3rd
Wolf	Neutral	3rd
Worg	Neutral	4th
Wyrmling (dragon) (any)	Varies	11th
Yak	Neutral	3rd

The lists of standard, greater, and supreme familiars found here offer a comprehensive guide to the familiars available to all characters. Certain specific familiars are only available to a few select classes – see each individual class for details.

1 Or other celestial animal from the standard familiar list.

2 Or other fiendish animal from the standard familiar list

3 Good-aligned characters with these familiars receive an exceptional creature who does not follow his species’ normal proclivities.

Table 1-6: Supreme Familiars

Associated Familiar	Character Alignment	Level
Achaierai	Lawful evil	9th
Ankheg	Neutral	7th
Arrowhawk, adult	Neutral	7th
Arrowhawk, elder	Neutral	13th
Basilisk	Neutral	11th
Bulette	Neutral	13th
Carrion crawler	Neutral	11th
Cloaker	Chaotic neutral	13th
Cockatrice	Neutral	9th
Crocodile, giant	Neutral	7th
Digester	Neutral	9th
Dinosaur (deionychus)	Neutral	7th
Dinosaur (elasmosaurus)	Neutral	11th
Dinosaur (megaraptor)	Neutral	11th
Dire ape	Neutral	7th
Dire bear	Neutral	9th
Dire boar	Neutral	7th
Dire lion	Neutral	9th
Dire tiger	Neutral	10th
Dire wolf	Neutral	5th
Dire wolverine	Neutral	7th
Displacer beast	Lawful evil	9th
Dragonne	Neutral	11th
Dragon, very young (any)	Varies	15th
Dragon, wyrmling (any)	Varies	12th
Elemental, Medium (air)	Neutral	7th
Elemental, Medium (earth)	Neutral	7th
Elemental, Medium (fire)	Neutral	7th
Elemental, Medium (water)	Neutral	7th
Elephant	Neutral	11th
Ethereal filcher	Neutral	7th
Ethereal marauder	Neutral	7th
Ettercap	Neutral evil	11th
Formian warrior	Lawful neutral	9th
Gargoyle	Chaotic evil	13th
Giant eagle	Neutral good	7th
Giant owl	Neutral good	5th
Giant wasp	Neutral	7th
Gibbering mouther	Neutral	11th
Girallon	Neutral	7th
Grick	Neutral good	9th
Griffon	Neutral	11th
Howler	Chaotic evil	11th
Lizard, monstrous venomous	Neutral	6th
Lizard, huge	Neutral	7th
Nightmare	Neutral evil	11th
Pegasus	Chaotic good	11th
Phase spider	Neutral	9th
Octopus, giant	Neutral	11th
Ravid	Neutral	9th
Rhinoceros	Neutral	9th
Rust Monster	Neutral	9th
Salamander, flamebrother	Evil (any)	7th
Shadow mastiff	Neutral evil	9th
Shark, Huge	Neutral	6th
Snake, Huge viper	Neutral	5th
Spider eater	Neutral	12th
Squid, giant	Neutral	13th
Tojanida, juvenile	Neutral	5th
Unicorn	Chaotic good	12th
Whale, orca	Neutral	9th
Winter wolf	Neutral evil	9th
Yeth hound	Neutral evil	9th

Different Familiars

If a desired familiar is not found here or elsewhere, consult with the GM Certain creatures may be restricted to specific classes or not have available statistics. In the latter case, the GM can always work with you to design an appropriate familiar.

Power Progressions

Each class has a power progression for abilities granted by familiars. Often, this progression begins at a lower level than it would be possible to get the familiar. In such a case, the character/familiar gains all abilities up to the master’s current level. Thus, if a character gets a familiar at 5th-level which grants abilities at levels 1, 3 and 5, the character (or familiar) gains all three of those abilities.

Familiars in the Game

Roleplaying A Familiar

Don’t let your familiar just fade into the background, or worse yet, become nothing more than a piece of equipment that you use for an ability increase or the occasional special ability. Make sure that your familiar does things, even when they don’t necessarily need to be doing things. For example, when your character bellies up to the bar for a drink, make a point of noting that your weasel is curling up in front of the fire. When your character sags to his knees after an exhausting battle with trolls, mention that your battle dog is nuzzling you with a sympathetic whine.

Your character, at least, has a physical presence at the game table – you’re sitting there right next to your fellow gamers. Your familiar, to the other hand, doesn’t have that advantage – unless you make a point of reminding people that they’re there, they’re likely to be forgotten.

If you’re having problems keeping your familiar an active part of the campaign, here are some suggestions to engage them: Give yourself a visual reminder of your familiar’s presence.

Write “Remember The Familiar” to a Post-It note and stick it to the table in front of you. Or make it a point to buy and use a miniature for your familiar.

Set a goal for yourself. For example, you can start small by saying that you’re going to have your familiar do ten specific things outside of combat. Then, make a check mark on a piece of paper every time you have the familiar do something.

Develop a personality for your familiar. This helps make the familiar a vivid participant in the game, and can suggest things they might do.

Give your familiar a gimmick. For example, your familiar might be a friendly kleptomaniac (always burrowing around in the belongings of other party members). Or maybe he’s a practical joker. Maybe he’s cruel. Or perhaps he’s always finishing your sentences for you.

If it won’t be too disruptive, bring an actual pet to the game table. This is particularly effective if you happen to have a pet that matches your familiar. Ask your Game Master to remind you.

Once your familiar gains the ability to speak, you’ll be presented with the challenge of essentially roleplaying two separate characters. Make it a point of not only speaking in character, but speaking in your familiar’s character – otherwise your familiar is, again, relegated to nothing more than a prop.

If you’re having problems making it clear when your character is speaking and when your familiar is speaking, you might try:

• A different voice.
• A hand puppet.
• An arbitrary sign – such as holding your hand up.
• Simply saying “my familiar says” before speaking.

You might also consider asking your Game Master to help you out by taking over your familiar’s role. This is probably less useful for highly symbiotic master-familiar relationships (where master and familiar often speak with one voice and act with one mind), but more useful for antagonistic relationships (involving friendly banter or a sullen familiar). The drawback to this solution is that the GM already manages a large number of characters, so the familiar is likely to get shorter shrift than if you ran it yourself.

Things become trickier when you have more than one familiar.

Again, giving each of your familiars a distinctive hook helps to make them stand out. On the other hand, you might consider a sort of cheating – if you embrace the idea of a symbiotic relationship, you and your familiars might speak with one voice.

You start a sentence, the dog picks it up, the eagle finishes it – that type of thing.

Death of A Familiar

As described in the Summon Familiar feats, when a familiar dies or is otherwise lost the master runs the risk of major damage in the form of ability loss due to the traumatic nature of the experience. (The size of this loss is dependent on the power of the familiar.) In addition, the master is unable to replace the familiar for a year and a day after the familiar’s death. However, this does not prevent the master from summoning other familiars using different class abilities or feats. For example, if a character loses their familiar for some reason, he is unable to summon a replacement for a year and a day.

There is a single exception to this rule: if the character takes an additional Summon Familiar advantage in the meantime, he could summon a familiar using that ability.

In addition, if the character takes a Summon Greater Familiar or Summon Supreme Familiar advantage, he may dismiss his existing familiar in favor of the new one at no penalty. At no time may any character possess more than one familiar.

Slain familiars can be raised from the dead just as characters can be. However, if the master has summoned a replacement familiar in the time since his familiar died, the familiar is no longer his (unless, of course, the new familiar was summoned in the meantime using another Summon Familiar feat, in which case the master is allowed multiple familiars – up to a point). This uncomfortable situation is essentially identical to what happens when a familiar’s master dies – the raised familiar would become independent.

A Note to the Gamemaster: Familiars should occasionally find themselves in peril. When using familiars as they exist in the core rulebooks, many Game Masters simply allow them to slide through potentially deadly situations – the toad survives a fireball because he was inside the sorcerer’s pocket. The wizard’s cat only seems to be around when the wizard needs it to do something. And so forth. This kind of thing should not be allowed. When using the options presented here, letting things slide this way has the danger of unbalancing your campaign. Familiars (particularly greater and supreme familiars) are possessed of a large number of special abilities, and these abilities are essentially balanced in three ways:

First, in order to gain them, a character must expend a feat, gold pieces, and other resources, possibly including choosing an archetype, path, college, circle, etc.

Second, the character doesn’t actually possess these special abilities – his familiar does. In general, this leads to a lesser utility (although in some ways it leads to a higher one).

Finally, there is a risk that the familiar may die. This carries the risk of ability loss and may entail additional expenditures of gold and resources (in order to summon a new familiar or raise the old one).

To simplify, in terms of game balance, familiars are essentially magic items which can be purchased with a small outlay of gold and effort – but with the potential risk of needing to lay out more gold and hardship in the future in order to maintain the benefits of the feat. If you remove the risk of losing the familiar, you have removed a significant balancing factor for familiars in the game. This doesn’t mean that you should actively seek to harm or kill a familiar in order to fulfill some sort of “death quota.” But it does mean that familiars should be made to face the same dangers as other characters. If your players want familiars, place the onus on their characters to protect them.

Death of the Master

If the familiar’s master dies, the familiar is left without direction.

They become free creatures – capable of pursuing their own goals and desires.

If a familiar’s master dies, the familiar retains all of their special abilities, their improved hit points, their improved abilities, their natural armor bonuses, and the like. In other words, the familiar’s statistics are not changed by the master’s death in any way.

If the master is subsequently brought back to life (through a resurrection spell, for example), the bond between familiar and master is automatically restored. As a result of being raised, however, the energy for reforming the bond is drawn from the familiar as well as the master. This means that the familiar suffers from all penalties that the master does, and these penalties disappear at the same rate. For example, if a master is raised through the resurrection spell, both master and familiar suffer -4 to all checks, with the penalty being reduced by one for each long rest.

If an independent familiar dies or is killed in the time before its master is restored to life, the familiar is treated as if it had been killed or dismissed while still linked to its master, beginning at the time of its death (see the ‘Death of a Familiar’ section above).

Dismissing A Familiar

Familiars can be dismissed at will by their masters. The effects of doing so are similar to the death of a familiar. As described in the Summon Familiar feats, the master runs the risk of Constitution loss due to the traumatic separation and is unable to replace the familiar for a year and a day after the familiar’s death.

In a manner similar to the death of a familiar’s master, a familiar which has been dismissed becomes an independent creature – it retains all of its special abilities, improved hit points, improved abilities, natural armor bonuses, and the like.

A master can reforge the bond with his former familiar by performing a summoning ritual, even if a year and a day have not passed. However, the familiar must be willing, and the master must again make all of the normal expenditures of wealth and other factors associated with a summoning ritual.

The sole exception to this is when the master takes a new advantage in the form of Summon Greater Familiar or Summon Supreme Familiar. In such circumstances the master can dismiss his current familiar in favor of the new, improved one.

The dismissed familiar becomes independent at this point and may not be favorably inclined to its new master. If a familiar is dismissed in favor of a superior new one, the bond between the master and the original can never be re-forged.

Protecting The Familiar

Familiars (particularly those belonging to spellcasters) often become the first targets when combat is entered – archers aim for them in the hope of crippling their master, enemy spellcasters see them as a weak link through which to strike, etc. Low-level spells such as magic missile or ray of frost can quickly wound or destroy weak familiars, and higher level spells like flame arrow and lightning bolt make short work of almost any standard familiar.

What can be done to protect a familiar from these tribulations?

Mundane Protections

Perhaps the best advice on keeping a familiar safe is using common sense. A master who sends their familiar directly into aggressive situations is likely to lose the familiar. of course, some familiars – such as those belonging to a fighter or monk – are ideal combatants.

But when swords are drawn, arrows nocked, and spells made ready, a familiar not prepared for fighting should be waiting (and hiding) at a safe distance. A concealed familiar is one that doesn’t attract enemy attacks, so they should be commanded to immediately seek cover when any non-party member approaches.

A strong steel box, crate, or chest attached to a cart, mule, or carried by a hireling, is a great place for a familiar to seek shelter. When danger appears, the familiar is trained to flee to the sheltered area. Once in the shelter, the familiar receives the benefits of cover from all attacks. Particularly dexterous familiars may even be able to open and close their own sanctuaries, allowing for total cover. To further protect the familiar, the shelter could be draped in a drab cloth to provide both a comfortable temperature and keep the function of the shelter a secret.

A backpack or rucksack could also be reinforced with steel wire or wooden slats to create a living space for a familiar, depending upon exactly what it is. Lining, air holes, and food should also be included for the comfort of the familiar. A small opening or pocket could allow access to the pack depending upon the type of familiar. When combat threatens, the familiar could easily flee back to the pack and sequester itself within. The reinforcement would further protect the tiny occupant from the blows of weaponry or the effect of magic (perhaps allowing it to share the master’s armor class and saving throws directly).

The backpack could also keep the familiar a secret, as while it is hidden away, those whom the master encounters might never suspect its presence. Larger backpacks may be customized to have a small familiar compartment and still have a larger compartment to hold adventuring gear.

Scroll tubes with air holes drilled in them make excellent familiar dwelling spaces for toads, rats, snakes, weasels, and other small creatures. When hung from a belt, backpack or saddle, such gear can keep a familiar safe and in complete concealment.

Magical Protections

Clever spellcasters have developed a few more magical-based strategies to keep their familiars safe, and even non-spellcasters can often avail themselves on the skills of those in their party to do the same.

Spellcasters typically have the ability to share spells with their familiar. As a result, they can use spells such as resistance, shield, protection from energy, protection from evil/good, blur, bless and displacement to offer protection both to themselves and their familiars. Spells such as expeditious retreat and haste can help familiars rapidly flee from areas of conflict. Spider climb can allow familiars to hide in unexpected places and away from the threat of trampling feet. Enhance ability, mage armor and barkskin can all raise a familiar’s armor class. Rope trick can shelter familiars during an attack, while dimension door and teleport can whisk them away to safety. Invisibility can keep a familiar unseen during combat, while resilient sphere is a great way to keep familiars safe during combat. Other defensive spells offer similar protection.

A variety of magical protective devices have also been crafted for familiars. Examples of such items can be found in Appendix D.

Familiar Special Effects

Familiars are magical beings. Sometimes they are natural creatures imbued with magic. In other cases they are magical creations which resemble natural creatures. But whatever the case, the familiar’s blood flows with magic. As a result, don’t shy away from making your familiars obviously magical. For example, the eyes of a demonic cat might glow red. Motes of light might dance about a mouse performing magic. The unearthly voice of a snake might echo with every word. Lightning might crackle with every footstep of a mastiff. and so forth.

As a general rule of thumb, if these types of special effects don’t have any usefulness in the context of the game, then the only limit is your imagination. Your Game Master might even let your familiar have a few special quirks despite the fact that they have some marginal utility. (On the other hand, special effects which are clearly useful need to be paid for. For example, having your familiar’s eyes glow red is a special effect. Having your familiar’s eyes emit cones of light is a special ability.)

This type of customization, by way of the fantastic, can give your familiars a unique flair and flavor. If you have more than one familiar, explore the possibilities of themed familiars, with all of them perhaps having a strange quirk in common. These types of personal touches can help to make your familiars memorable characters.

Ability Score Loss

Some attacks or circumstances, such as the strength drain ability of a shadow, or the loss of a familiar by a character, reduce the opponent’s score in one or more abilities. This loss can be temporary (ability damage) or permanent (ability drain).

While any loss is debilitating, losing all points in an ability score can be devastating.

In certain situations, such as the special attack of the shadow or other creatures, having an ability reduced to zero can kill a character outright, often causing them to rise as an undead thereafter. Keeping track of negative ability score points is never necessary. A character’s ability score can’t drop below 0.

Having a score of 0 in an ability is different from having no ability score whatsoever.

Some spells or abilities impose an effective ability score reduction, which is different from ability score loss. Any such reduction disappears at the end of the spell’s or ability’s duration, and the ability score immediately returns to its former value.

If a character’s Constitution score drops, then he loses 1 hit point per Hit Die for every point by which his Constitution modifier drops. A hit point score can’t be reduced by Constitution damage or drain to less than 1 hit point per Hit Die.

The ability that some creatures have to drain ability scores is a supernatural one, requiring some sort of attack. Such creatures do not drain abilities from enemies when the enemies strike them, even with unarmed attacks or natural weapons.

Ability Damage

This attack damages an opponent’s ability score. The creature’s descriptive text gives the ability and the amount of damage.

If an attack that causes ability damage scores a critical hit, it deals twice the indicated amount of damage (if the damage is expressed as a die range, roll double the number of dice).

All points lost to ability damage return after the creature completes a long rest, and the spells lesser restoration and restoration (see “New Spells” appendix) offset ability damage as well.

Ability Drain

This effect permanently reduces a living opponent’s ability score when the creature hits with a melee attack. The creature’s descriptive text gives the ability and the amount drained. If an attack that causes ability drain scores a critical hit, it drains twice the indicated amount (if the damage is expressed as a die range, roll two dice). Unless otherwise specified in the creature’s description, a draining creature gains 5 temporary hit points (10 on a critical hit) whenever it drains an ability score no matter how many points it drains. Temporary hit points gained in this fashion last for a maximum of 1 hour.

Some ability drain attacks allow a Constitution save (DC 8 + draining creature’s proficiency bonus + Charismamodifier). If no saving throw is mentioned, none is allowed.

Points lost to ability drain are permanently gone, though the Greater Restoration spell can restore even those lost ability score points.

Barbarian Familiars and Special Mounts

Barbarian Familiars

Barbarians have many reasons for wishing to seek out a companion creature or fantastic familiar. Often living on the fringes of civilization or in far-flung desolate and primitive environs, barbarians find a common link to the beasts of the wild. Their tribal clans and kingdoms are often named after the animals that live side by side with them in the wilderness. Names such as Bear Claw, Elk Horn, Crow, Cheetah, or Snake are not uncommon among the people the “civilized” world labels barbarians.

The Bard‘s Familiar

So many choices. So many options. Just like an impromptu play, Malfys thought, or a song from the heart. Perhaps his talent with song and dance would lead him to the halls of a king, performing with the inspiration of his muse before the royalty of the land.

Or perhaps he could go into the forests and call upon a companion who would guard his back on the long journeys of the coming months.

The possibilities were endless, and he could feel the exhilaration growing within him, like the chorus of a good drinking tune or the final movements of a concerto. Perhaps he would join the Symphony of the Oak and Fiddle with power and music both.

Or perhaps he would just stay out in the fringes and have a few adventures – there was always the Fellowship of the Road, where one could cook up some trouble and sing of it in taverns afterwards- making oneself the hero of the tale of course.

Either way, he was going to need some guidance. A companion of sorts would be nice. If nothing else, it would be someone to talk to. To sing to.

Bard Familiars

The bard is the jack-of-all-trades. Gatherers of many disparate skills and knowledge, the bard has an innate touch with not only with arcane magic, but also with the skills and traditions of song and ritual, which often lend themselves to making allies and companions of rangers, druids, and the other guardians of nature. A bard is at once a herald, a sage, a swordsman and a spy. Bards ply their trade in stories, secrets, performance and prose. They are masters of legends and lore, of history and myth.

Their needs are few, and at the same time many, as their mouth and wit often get them into the greatest trouble.

It is unsurprising that on the oft-times lonely road of the performer, minstrel, and adventurer, that a companion should be desired.

Bards are a varied lot of beguilers and performers, and the type of familiar or companion they choose is dependent on the type of bard they are. Bards choose companions suited to their needs as poets, players and spies. As bards move freely from wilderness to metropolis, they often choose animal companions which are suited to life in either setting, and that do not raise the ire of the local constabulary. of course, this is not always the case. Many bards thrive on chaos, after all, and may be as likely to become friends with a saber toothed tiger as a songbird.

Of Summonings and Secret Songs

Ultimately it is the magic of her song which forms the eternal bond between a bard and her companions and familiars. Five very powerful songs are among the deepest secrets of the bardic colleges: the Song of Companions, the Song of Familiars, the Song of the Fey, the Song of the Muse, and the Illusionist’s Song. The origin of these ancient songs is lost to the mists of time and history, but some say there were stolen from the gods.

Each of these songs is considered to be a spell-like ability and joins the Song of Rest as part of the bard’s repertoire of bardic songs. Each also has, as a prerequisite, one of the Advantages listed in these rules, or membership in a specific Bard College, as stated in the description of the individual song. Through these songs, the bard has one way to gain a familiar or companion.

The Song of Companions: Only those bards who take the Animal Companion Special Ability have learned, or been inspired to create, the Song of Companions. To use the Song of Companions, the bard must first locate the companion creature she seeks to befriend. The Song of Companions can actually aid in this –if the bard goes into the wilderness and sings the Song in the natural habitat of the creature, a creature of the selected type is attracted to the bard’s location within 1d4 hours.

Once the creature is present, the bard must befriend it and bind it through the power of the Song. This requires a Fascinate Check whose Challenge Level is equal to the Hit Dice of the sought after animal companion). If the bard’s Fascinate check is successful, she befriends the creature as per the Animal Companion Ability.

The Song of Familiars: It is said that a song is the voice of the soul. But the Song of Familiars is a song of magic, and it truly carries with it a part of the singing bard’s soul –imbuing it into a chosen creature and forming a bond which cannot be broken save through pain and despair.

Only those bards who take the Improved Familiar, Summon Familiar, Summon Greater Familiar, or Summon Supreme Familiar advantages have learned the secrets of the Song of Familiars. Performing the Song is the bard’s summoning ritual and, in addition to the other requirements and costs, requires the bard to make a successful Fascinate check. The DC for this check is 5 plus the HD of the Familiar for a standard familiar, 10 plus the familiar’s HD for a greater familiar, and 20 plus the familiar’s HD for a supreme familiar, with a minimum DC in all cases of 15. If the bard fails the check, the materials required to perform the ritual are destroyed and the bard must begin the Song again on another day in order to summon her familiar.

For more information on the familiars bards can summon, see ‘The Song of Familiars’ section.

The Song of the Fey: There is an ineffable link between music and the realms of the fey, and the bard’s mastery of the former often draws the latter to them. In place of a Supreme Familiar (see the Summon Supreme Familiar Ability, a bard may summon a fey companion by singing the Song of the Fey.

The Song of the Fey is known to bards who have taken the Fey Companion advantage.

For more information on fey companions and their special roles as a bard’s companion, see ‘The Song of the Fey’ section.

The Song of the Muse: The muse is a special sort of Familiar available only to a bard. The muse is an unusual sort of creature, being summoned to bards through their innate need to seek creativity and beauty. The Song of the Muse is known to bards who have joined the College of the Muse.

For more information on muses and their role as familiars, see ‘The Song of the Muse’ section.

The Illusionist’s Song: Bards share a weak connection to the same primal forces of arcane magic as a wizard or warlock. Like a Warlock, those bards who join the College of Illusion too can travel to the Methetherial, although their means of travel to that plane is the Illusionist’s Song. Most bards use the Illusionists’s Song to summon mercurial familiars, but the song can also be used in place of the Song of the Familiar to summon an animistic familiar.

The Illusionist’s Song weaves the power of the enneagram into the words of the bard, allowing her to walk in the footsteps of the Illusionist’s journey. The song requires a marathon performance lasting 24 hours. During this time the bard cannot be disturbed and must make a successful Fascinate Check (Challenge Level 10). If the bard is successful, she leaves her tangible body behind –sending a mental projection of herself out into the Plane of Idea. Upon arriving, the bard is immediately met by the GM of the Cusp.

The GM, recognizing the bard as a foreigner among the spirits of the Methetherial, demands that the bard perform for him. The bard must now make a Perform check to impress the GM with his cra ft. The DC of this check depends on the power of the familiar the bard is attempting to summon from the Methetherial: Challenge Level 10 for a standard familiar, Challenge Level 15 for a greater familiar, or Challenge Level 20 for a supreme familiar.

Should the GM find the bard’s performance lacking, the bard is cast out of the Methetherial and may not again attempt to summon a familiar from the Plane of Idea until a year and a day have passed (although she may attempt to summon a familiar using one of the other songs available to her). If the bard succeeds at this Perform check, however, the GM is impressed with her skill and offers her a familiar as a gift.

The bard is allowed to choose whether she wishes to have an animistic familiar or a mercurial familiar. If she chooses an animistic familiar, she gains a familiar just as if she had performed the Song of Familiars (see above). If the bard chooses a mercurial spirit, however, she must make a Charisma check (DC 20 for a standard mercurial, DC 25 for a greater mercurial, or DC 30 for a supreme mercurial) in order to gain the respect of the mercurial spirit. If the check fails, the mercurial spirit has rejected the bard. The bard must return to her physical body and attempt the Song another day, with additional time and monetary expense. (There is also a chance that the mercurial escapes and becomes an emancipated spirit, see below.)

For more information on mercurial spirits and their role as familiars, see the ‘College of Illusion’ section.

The Song of Familiars

Bajaran danced boldly before the serpent, and the snake in turn weaved to the motions of her form. Hypnotized by her seduction, its forked tongue tasted the scent of her quickly heating flesh. The serpent curled at her feet and skid up her leg, coiling about her calves and thighs, stretching up her back and around her arms. Ka’ Hizz knew every turn of her form just as she knew that the Rajah’s most recent attempt to poison her had failed.

She murmured her thanks to Ka’hizz, who even now rasped his jewel-like scales lovingly across her bosom while her body writhed and turned in dance. Her kohl-marked eyes flashed to the sultan who watched with bated breath as Bajaran and Ka’Hizz performed their dance. She smiled, knowing that the sultan would make a much better benefactor than her last.

Table 3-1: Bard Familiars

Standard Bard Familiars
Bat
Baboon
Cat
Chameleon (treat as lizard with advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks)
Dog (use stats for mastiff)
Dolphin
Eagle
Fox
Hawk
Hummingbird
Koala
Lizard
Lizard, venomous (treat as lizard but add poison DC 10 Constitutionsave Fail=1d12 poison damage and poisoned for 24 hours)
Mongoose (treat as weasel)
Monkey (treat as baboon, but without pack tactics and with advantage and +4 on Strength (Climb) checks)
Owl
Panda, Red
Poisonous Snake
Raccoon
Rat
Raven
Squirrel (treat as rat with advantage and +4 on Strength (climb) checks)
Squirrel, flying
Greater Bard Familiars
Ape
Baboon
Bear, black
Bear, brown
Bear, polar
Blink dog
Chameleon, giant (treat as giant lizard with advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks)
Cheetah
Dire wolf
Elemental, small (any)
Giant bat
Giant eagle
Giant owl (treat as giant eagle)
Goblin
Hell hound
Kobold
Leopard Lion
Lizard, monitor (treat as giant lizard)
Lizard, giant venomous (as giant lizard but add poison DC 10 Constitutionsave Fail=1d12 poison damage and poisoned for 24 hours)
Lizard, giant (variant)
Mephit (any)
Panda
Pseudodragon
Ram (treat as goat)
Saber-toothed tiger
Snake, constrictor
Snake, giant poisonous
Tiger
Wolf
Wolverine (treat as badger)
Worg
Supreme Bard Familiars
Dire wolf
Displacer beast
Dragonne
Dragon, wyrmling (any)
Elemental, medium (any)
Ettercap
Gargoyle
Giant ape
Giant bear
Giant eagle
Giant lion
Giant tiger
Giant wolverine (treat as giant badger)
Griffon
Imp
Modron (any)
Nightmare
Orc
Pegasus
Phase spider
Rust monster
Salamander, fire snake
Shadow mastiff
Snake, huge viper (treat as giant constrictor snake, but without constrict and with poison: 3d6 damage and victim poisoned for 1d6 days; ConstitutionDC 15 negates)
Unicorn

Note: All Greater and Supreme familiars have specific character level and alignment prerequisites that must be met in order to be chosen –see Tables 1-5 and 1-6 for more details.

Bard Familiar Abilities

The bard’s familiar is crafty and sly, while its mere presence can have an intoxicating effect. The familiar of a bard is a creature of startling grace and beauty, but possesses the skill to stalk silently through the shadows and slip from conscience sight.

Table 3-2: Standard Bard Familiars

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Distracting, Empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	7	–
5th-6th	+3	8	Speak with master
7th-8th	+4	9	Speak with animals of its kind
9th-10th	+5	10	–
11th-12th	+6	11	Spell resistance
13th-14th	+7	12	Inkling
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	–
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s AC through a natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Table 3-3: Greater Bard Familiars

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Distracting, Empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	7
5th-6th	+3	8	Speak with master
7th-8th	+4	9	Speak with animals of its kind
9th-10th	+5	10	Greater Familiar Ability
11th-12th	+6	11	Spell resistance
13th-14th	+7	12	Inkling
15th-16th	+8	13	Speech, Animal Trance
17th-18th	+9	14	–
19th-20th	+10	15	Greater Familiar Ability

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s AC through a natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select any one greater or standard familiar ability (see the ‘Standard Familiar Special Abilities’ section Table 3-5 for details on which special abilities are available and an explanation of what each does).

Table 3-4: Supreme Bard Familiars

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Distracting, Empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	7	Greater Familiar Ability
5th-6th	+3	8	Speak with master
7th-8th	+4	9	Speak with animals of its kind
9th-10th	+5	10	Greater Familiar Ability
11th-12th	+6	11	Spell resistance
13th-14th	+7	12	Inkling
15th-16th	+8	13	Speech, Animal Trance
17th-18th	+9	14	Greater Familiar Ability
19th-20th	+10	15	Supreme Familiar Ability

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s AC through a natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select any one greater or standard familiar ability (see the ‘Standard Familiar Special Abilities’ section Table 3-5 for details on which special abilities are available and an explanation of what each does).

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select any one supreme, greater, or standard familiar ability (see the ‘Standard Familiar Special Abilities’ section Tables 3-5 or 3-6 for details on which special abilities are available and an explanation of what each does).

Table 3-5: Bard Greater Familiar Special Abilities

Augury

Blessed Companion

Blink

Countercall

Courageous Roar

Darkness

Daylight

Dazing Touch

Deafening Call

Defensive Roll

Detect Scrying

Detect Thoughts

Discern Lies

Disease Immunity

Disenchanter

Dispel Magic

Enhance Attribute

Encompassing Vision

Mirror Image

Mystic Disguise

Natural Armor, Greater

Nondetection

Recall

Silence

Speak with Dead

Spell Resistance, Greater

Woodland Stride

Table 3-6: Bard Supreme Familiar Special Abilities

Astral Projection

Banisher

Banishing Call

Charm

Cloak of Chaos

Companion’s Veil

Confusion

Dimension Slip

Divine Health

Find the Path

Fly

Natural Armor, Supreme

Spell Resistance, Supreme

Tongues

Zone of Truth

The Song of the Fey

The fey creatures of the world have long been endeared to the art of song and all things of beauty. As bards grow in their creative strength and power, they may find themselves drawing the admiring attention of not only mortal crowds, but of those magical beings that live in the boundaries between this world and the next.

A bard who has taken the Fey Companion Ability can call out to the fey, summoning a companion from those realms to serve at their side. Rules for performing this summoning and the DC to call forth a Fey companion can be found earlier in this section.

Table 3-7: Fey Companions

Fey Creature

Aaleear

Bloodsprite

Brewer Fairy

Dream Faun

Dryad1, **

Fire Nymph

Forest Nymph

Mantrid

Moon Cat****

Nixie1, **~

Noble Stag

Nymph1

Pixie1

River Nymph

Satyr1 (with pipes)

Skitterwing

Spirit Flowers**

Sprite1

Treant1

Tree Warriors

Unicorn1

Woodshade

1 All creatures without an attached note of some kind can be found in Appendix B.

** Dryads, spirit flowers, and similar fey who are bonded to a plant or object serving as fey companions are also bonded to the character. They can “join” with the character in much the same way they can join with their plant or object, and receive the same benefits from doing so (see Appendix B for more details on spirit flowers).

**~ As pixie, but with swim speed 30 ft., water-breathing, Charm Person 1/long rest.

**** Moon cat companions only appear as harbingers of crisis or before a significant event in the character’s life (see Appendix B for more details on moon cats).

Note: Not all ”fey creatures” that can serve as a bard’s fey companion (as listed here) are in fact fey creatures).

The list of possible fey companions here is far from complete.

There are literally hundreds of possibilities for fey companions who might join a bard on their adventures. Following the rules for Song of the Fey, a bard may be able to summon any of a broad variety of standard fey creatures, at the GM’s discretion.

In game terms, any creature with a creature type of “Fey” is fair game for calling as a companion. The GM should always carefully monitor the chosen or summoned creature options, as this can open the door for powerful evil bards to summon such foul creatures as hags to their service. Take care not to allow the unbalancing of your game as a result.

Finally, note that in no case, regardless of how high the perform check may be, can any bard have a fey companion whose Challenge is greater than the bard’s level, minus 2. For Challenge Ratings below 1, each increment counts as one down. Thus, challenge 1/4 is 2 below Level 1.

The College of the Muse

The exact origin of a muse is a mystery even to the bard herself, although song upon song has been written discussing their origin and the mastery of performance that they bring to their chosen subjects. Some say they are the lesser children of the gods, giving to them names such as Calliope, Clio, Aoede, Melete, and Meneme. Others whisper that a muse is part of the bard’s own soul, brought into material reality through the bard’s supplication to her art. Still others believe that the muse is a figment of the imagination, given only subconscious reality through a blending of the bard’s arcane magic and will to create.

Whatever the case may be –and it may vary from one bard to the next –a muse is a reflection of the bard’s desires made tangible; the perfect creative collaborator, and a power which changes spirit to thought and thought to reality. Some bards enter an intensive field of metaphysical study which allows them to draw a deep and personal relationship with their muse, personified.

This muse joins them as a guide and companion on their journeys, providing them knowledge and power.

A bard who joins the College of the Muse at third level learns the Song of the Muse, and can call out to her muse, summoning such a creature to guide, inspire and improve her own artistic talents.

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join the College of the Muse at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in three skills of your choice.

Song of the Muse

When you join the College of the Muse at 3rd level, you gain the ability to summon your muse to inspire you in art and song.

Prerequisite(s): Bard level 3; member of the College of the Muse.

Benefit(s): You can summon a muse. Doing so requires a ritual of performance and song which takes a day and uses up materials that cost 1,000 gp. You must make a successful Charisma (Persuasion) check whose DC is equal to 10+ the HD of the muse to summon the spirit of creativity that is your muse. If you fail this check, your muse refuses to answer your call. The materials used in the performance of the Song are wasted, and the Song must be performed again at a later time (at least one week is required before the attempt may be made again).

If a muse dies, or if you choose to dismiss it, you must attempt a Constitution save with a Challenge Level equal to the Hit Dice of the Muse. If the saving throw fails, you lose 1d6 points of Constitution.

A successful saving throw reduces the loss to half that amount. However, your Constitution can never go below 6 as the result of a muse’s demise or dismissal. These lost points cannot be restored by any means other than a Wish spell or A slain or dismissed muse cannot be replaced for a year and a day. Slain muses cannot be raised from the dead –they are lost forever.

Muse Properties

Muses are an intimate expression of the bard’s inner creative genius.

For more information regarding these creatures and their exact statistics, see Appendix B.

Muse Abilities

A muse has many abilities, and as the bard grows in strength, the muse grows as well. In order to use its abilities, however, a muse must manifest. This makes the muse vulnerable to attack (see Appendix B for details).

Muse Songs

Muses are capable of inspiring bards to perform muse songs.

Muse songs are essentially identical to bardic songs in that:

• Singing a muse song requires the bard to use one of her bardic songs for the day. (Singing a greater muse song requires the bard to use two of her bard songs for the day.)
• The bard can take other actions while singing, but not magical actions (casting a spell, activating magic items by spell completion, or activating magical items by magic word).

Muse songs, however, can only be performed while the muse is manifested (see Appendix B for details).

Table 3-8: Muses

Class Level	HP	Special
3rd	+1d8	Inspiration, muse song
4th-5th	+1d8	Muse ability
6th	+1d8	Muse ability
7th-8th	+1d8	Muse ability
9th-10th	+1d8	Muse ability
11th-12th	+1d8	Muse ability
13th-14th	+1d8	Muse ability
15th-16th	+1d8	Muse ability
17th-18th	+1d8	Muse ability
19th-20th	+1d8	Muse ability

HP: Roll 1d8 and add the total to the muse’s hit points. This does not count as an additional HD for the muse.

Inspiration: As per the muse ability (see below).

Muse Song: As per the muse ability (see below).

Muse Ability: Select one muse ability (see below).

Muse Abilities

Accompaniment: The muse can accompany the bard in the performance of bardic songs such as Bardic Inspiration, Countercharm or any bardic magic. The muse’s accompaniment allows the bard to overpower magical silence; magical silence can no longer prevent the bard’s songs or spells with verbal components from being heard (and taking effect).

Amplify Song: The muse’s presence increases the strength and range of the bard’s songs or spells. The bard must make a Charisma check to harness the strength of the muse in her performance. A successful check allows the bard to double their proficiency bonus when determining the save DC of their spells.

In addition, the check can increase the range of the spell. The specific DC required is based on the desired range increase, as noted below:

Table 3-9: Amplify Song Results

DC	Result
20	Increase range by 50%
25	Increase range by 100%
30	Increase Range by 150%

The bard must choose the desired range increase before making the check; making this choice does not require an action. If the bard fails his check, the song or spell takes no effect and is wasted. The amplifying effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to the bard’s level.

Channel Sound: The muse can create a supernatural channel through which sound can flow from the bard to any creature within sight. Any bardic song or muse song the bard casts while the channel remains open can potentially affect any target within sight as if they were within the song’s normal range. Since the muse can channel any sound, the bard can also speak to the targets of the channel as if they were standing next to him (although not vice versa –the channel only goes one way). The channel is even powerful enough to conduct sound through, or into, an area of magical silence. The muse can maintain this channel for a number of rounds equal to its bard’s class level. After using this ability, the bard must engage in a long rest before it can be used again. This ability can be chosen more than once. Each additional time the ability is chosen, the muse can use it an additional time between rests.

Freedom: While manifested, the muse can move any distance away from its bard (normally they cannot move farther than 30 feet away from their bard). However, if the muse moves more than 30 feet from the bard, the bard cannot benefit from the use of the muse’s power until it returns to within 30 feet.

Gift of Song: When the muse is manifested, the bard gains one additional spell slot per day. This slot is fluid and can be of any level the bard can cast. The muse must be manifested for the bard to use the extra spell. This ability can be chosen up to three times. Its effects stack.

Inspiration: The muse may manifest and inspire the bard’s performance. As long as the muse remains manifested, the bard gains advantage on Charisma based checks. The muse can maintain this inspirational effect for a number of rounds equal to twice its bard’s bard level. Once used, the bard must complete a long rest before using this ability again. This ability may be chosen a second time. If chosen a second time the bard must only complete a short rest between uses.

Intensify Song (Crescendo): The muse’s presence increases the damage inflicted by any attacks or damaging spells cast by the bard’s inspired allies when the bard is using his Bardic Inspiration Ability. The bard must make a Charisma check to harness the strength of the muse in her performance. The Challenge Level needed is based on the desired damage increase, as shown below:

Table 3-10: Intensify Song Results

DC	Result
15	Increase damage by 1d6
20	Increase damage by 2d6
25	Increase damage by 3d6
30	Increase damage by 4d6
35	Increase damage by 5d6

The bard must choose the desired damage increase before making this check (a free action which does not provoke an attack of opportunity). If the bard fails the check, the song or spell has no effect and is wasted. The muse can maintain this intensifying effect for a number of rounds equal to its bard’s bard level.

Muse’s Intuition: The muse can grant the bard particular insight into a question or puzzle. The bard gains advantage on all Intelligence-based checks (but not saving throws). The muse can maintain this inspirational effect for a number of rounds equal to twice her bard’s bard level. After using this ability, the bard must complete a long rest before it can be used again. Choosing this ability a second time enables the bard to use it again after completing only a short rest.

Muse Songs: The muse’s inspiration allows the bard to perform muse songs. When this ability is chosen, the bard gains three muse song slots with which to perform magical effects. She also knows two muse songs of her choice from the ‘Lesser Muse Songs’ section below. The bard can now perform these muse songs when his muse is manifested. This ability can be chosen more than once. Each additional time the ability is chosen, select two new muse songs. However, selecting this ability more than once does not grant extra song slots-it merely grants extra songs known. Extra song slots are only (and automatically) granted through the bard reaching higher levels of experience.

For more information, see “Muse Songs,” below.

Muse Song, Greater: The muse’s inspiration allows the bard to perform a greater muse song. When this ability is chosen, select one greater muse song (see the ‘Greater Muse Songs’ section below). The bard can now perform this greater muse song when his muse is manifested. This ability can be chosen more than once. Its effects stack. Each additional time the ability is chosen, select one new greater muse song. The bard may choose this ability a maximum number of times equal to one less than his muse songs ability. Thus, if he has chosen muse songs three times, he may choose greater muse song up to twice.

Song as Sustenance: The muse’s bard no longer needs to eat or drink; the power of song alone sustains him. The muse must manifest at least 15 minutes each day for this ability to sustain the bard.

Sonic Protection: The muse’s presence protects the bard from the rigors of harsh sounds. The bard gains resistance to sonic energy while the muse is manifested.

Sustain Song (Sostenuto): The muse’s presence allows the bard to increase the duration of a non-instantaneous spell or song. The bard must make a Charisma check to harness the strength of the muse in his performance. The Challenge Level needed is based on the desired duration increase, as shown below:

Table 3-11: Sustain Song Results

DC	Result
15	Increase duration by 50% (1.5x rounds per level)
20	Increase duration by 100% (2x rounds per level)

The bard must choose the desired duration increase before making this check (a free action which does not provoke an attack of opportunity). If the bard fails the check, the song or spell has no effect and is wasted. The muse can maintain this sustaining effect for a number of rounds equal to its bard’s bard level.

Muse Songs

Muse Songs are special magical abilities granted to the bard through her special mystical bond with her muse. The muse grants to the bard a number of song slots that she may use to perform these abilities. When she first selects the Muse Songs ability, the bard gains three song slots.

Some song effects may be expanded by using additional song slots. To accomplish this, the bard simply treats a single use of a song as multiple ones. For example, using two song slots means that the bard sings only once, but it counts as two songs for purposes of when he requires a long rest before using more.

When these song slots are used, she must then must complete a short or long rest before any more songs may be used. After completing a short rest, she regains a single song slot. After completing a long rest, all expended song slots are regained.

Alternately, she may expend hit dice during a short rest to regain song slots. Each hit die expended during a short rest allows the bard to regain a single song slot. However, if she spends hit dice in this manner, she does not regain hit points.

At 6th, 10th and 14th levels, the bard gains an additional song slot (for a total of six song slots).

Songs and Other Performance

The abilities herein are referred to as “bardic songs,” and the idea of singing is used as a default means of performance. However, not all bards sing. Whatever the bard’s preferred means of performance can be substituted for singing herein. Thus, a bard who is a thespian may perform an inspiring monologue. One who plays the lute could pick out a menacing melody on her instrument. A poet could recite an epic, and so on.

Lesser Muse Songs

All of the songs below are available to a bard who selects the “Muse Song” ability, and each costs a single spell slot to use at its base level of effect.

Blinding Performance: The bard’s performance is devastating to the eyes of all those who see them. When the bard uses this ability, anyone within 30 feet of her must make a Constitution Save whose DC is equal to the bard’s spell save DC or suffers from the blinded condition. The bard can continue performing this song for up to 5 rounds. This song has no affect on any of the bard’s own familiars that are caught in the affect, nor does it affect muses of any kind. This song has no effect on deaf creatures. By expending a second song slot the bard can render his allies immune to the effects of the performance.

Sounter Silence: The bard automatically dispels an area of magical silence or effect created by the spell or a creature of 5th-level or lower. Unlike all normal songs, this song can be used in an area already affected by silence.

Cushion Fall: The bard can create a cushion of sound, either for herself or for someone else within 100 feet. The cushion allows the target to fall safely up to 20 feet per level of the bard. This song does not reduce falling speed, but instead creates a cushion under the falling creature or object that absorbs the fall. If the target falls farther than the bard’s level allows, the target suffers full damage. Unlike other songs, cushion fall can be cast even when it is not the bard’s turn. However, if the bard sings the song out of turn, on her next turn she can only take a partial action.

Deafening Cacophony: The bard’s song is calculated to deafen the senses of those near her. Anyone within 30 feet of the bard must make a Constitution save with a DC equal to the bard’s spell save DC or become deafened (suffers from the deafened condition). The bard can continue performing this song for up to 5 rounds. This song has no affect on any of the bard’s own familiars that are caught in the affect, nor does it affect muses of any kind. This song has no effect on deaf creatures. By expending a second song slot, the bard can render his allies immune to the effects.

Influence: The bard sings a soothing, pleasant melody beneath her breath –lacing it around her words if she finds it necessary to speak. A single target within 50 feet of the bard reacts to the bard as if affected by the command spell. A Wisdom save equal to the bard’s spell save DC negates the effect. The muse can maintain this influencing effect for a number of rounds equal to twice its bard’s bard level. This song has no affect on deaf creatures. If the bard uses a second song slot, he can either affect a second target, or treat a single target as though it were affected by the suggestion spell. If the bard uses a third song slot, he can affect all targets within 50 feet, or can treat two targets as though they were affected by suggestion. By expending four song slots, the bard can treat all targets within 50 feet as though affected by mass suggestion.

Inspire Competence: The bard’s song can help an ally to accomplish a task. The ally must be able to see and hear the bard, and the bard must also be able to see the ally. Depending on the task at hand, the bard may use their music to lift the ally’s spirits, to help the ally focus mentally, or to assist in some other way. The ally gets advantage on all skill checks with a particular pre-specified skill as long as he or she continues to hear the bard’s music. The Game Master may rule that certain uses of this ability are infeasible (singing to make a rogue move quietly, for example, is contrary to the point). The bard can maintain this song indefinitely, so long as she continues to sing.

Lullaby: With a soothing note, the bard can cause a number of awake, living creatures to fall asleep. This spell functions in all ways identically to the sleep spell; spending additional song slots treats the effect as though it were cast using higher level spell slots. This ability has no effect on any of the bard’s own muse, familiar or animal companions. This effect continues as long as the bard continues to sing and 5 rounds thereafter. The bard can maintain this song for up to 10 rounds, after which sleeping creatures wake up. In addition to having no effect on creatures normally immune to sleep, this song has no effect on deaf creatures.

Momentary Charm: This song makes a humanoid, animal, or beast regard the bard as a trusted friend and ally, albeit for a moment. The creature may make a Wisdom save vs. the bard’s spell save DC to negate the effect. If the bard or his allies are currently threatening or attacking the creature it receives advantage on its saving throw. This song does not enable the bard to control the charmed subject in automaton fashion, but the creature does perceive the words and actions of the bard in the most favorable way possible. The creature is in all ways affected as per the Charm Person spell. Any act by the bard or her apparent allies that threatens the charmed subject breaks the effect of the song. Note, also that the bard must speak a language the creature can understand in order to communicate. The effect of this song lasts as long as the bard continues singing (which she may do while speaking to the charmed subject, but not while speaking to others), plus a number of rounds equal to the bard’s level. This song has no effect on deaf creatures.

Silent Chord: As the bard sings this chord she deadens all sound within 50 feet of herself. All sound stops –conversation becomes impossible, spells with verbal components cannot be cast, and no noise whatsoever issues from, enters, or passes through the area; the only sound that can be heard is the bard’s singing. The effect moves with the bard as she continues to sing. This song provides a defense against sonic or language-based attacks, such as command, harpy song, a horn of blasting, etc. The bard can maintain this song for up to 10 rounds, and the effect lasts for 5 rounds after the bard stops singing (remaining centered on the location where the bard stopped singing). For the remaining duration, an echo of the bard’s song can be heard repeating, slowly fading to nothing, at which point normal sound returns.

Songstrike: With a single, blasting note, the bard sends forth a cone of sonic energy (to a distance of 30 feet) from his mouth that inflicts 2d6 points of sonic damage, plus the bard’s charisma modifier. Each additional song slot expended adds 1d6 to this base damage. Targets are entitled to a Constitution save vs. the Bard’s Spell Save DC for half damage.

Song of Destruction: The bard creates a loud, ringing note that shatters brittle, non-magical items, sunders a single solid non-magical object, or damages crystalline creatures. It functions in all ways identically to the shatter spell. All objects on or held by the bard are immune to this affect.

Stun: The sound of the bard’s voice stuns a targeted creature within 50 feet. The creature must make a Constitution save at the bard’s spell save DC or is affected by the stunned condition as long as the bard continues singing and for one round thereafter. The bard may continue this song for up to 5 rounds. This song has no effect on deaf creatures.

Whisper: The bard can send a whispered message, carried on a single magical note, with little chance of being overhead (only the use of powerful spells such as wish, miracle, etc. allow eavesdropping). In every way, this spell functions identically to the message cantrip.

Greater Muse Songs

These are magical effects of higher power and more devastating results. A bard can never have more greater muse songs than she has lesser muse songs. All Greater Muse Songs use two song slots when they are used at their base level of effect, rather than one.

Cacophony: All creatures within 30 feet of the bard take 2d6 points of sonic damage. Each additional song slot spent increases this damage by 2d6, to a maximum of 10d6. Victims can make a Constitution save equal to the bard’s spell save DC for half damage. This song has no effect on any of the bard’s own familiars that are caught in the area, nor does it affect muses of any kind. This song has no affect on deaf creatures.

Disrupt Body: With a string of terrible, discordant sounds, the bard disrupts the physical processes of a single creature within 50 feet. The targeted victim may make a Constitution save using the bard’s spell save DC to avoid the effect. If the victim fails its save, it is affected by the incapacitated condition for 1 minute per level of the bard.

Disrupt Magic: The bard can use a complex melody to end ongoing spells within an area. Because magic is powerful, so too is the ability to disrupt magic in exactly the same manner as a dispel magic spell. Any magic that can’t be defeated by dispel magic is likewise not affected by the disrupt magic song, either.

Disrupt Thoughts: With a terrible, discordant sound, the bard disrupts the thought processes of all creatures within 50 feet. Victims can attempt a Wisdom saving throw against the bard’s spell save DC. Affected victims are subject to the stunned condition for the duration. The bard can maintain the song for up to 10 rounds. This song has no affect on any of the bard’s own familiars that are caught in the affect, nor does it affect muses of any kind. It likewise does not affect deaf creatures. This song is a sonic attack; creatures with resistance to sonic damage gain advantage on their saving throw to resist.

Recall Tale: Using music to part the veil of reality, the bard can conjure forth knowledge of a story involving the song’s focus. For example, if the bard concentrated upon a specific magic item while singing the song, the bard could gain some tale regarding its creation or history –something that might reveal or hint at its power. If the bard were to focus on a person, a story from his or her past would come to the bard. This ability has two potential effects-a lesser and a greater. The lesser effect is that the bard can identify a magic item’s abilities, purpose and uses exactly as the identify spell. The second is that the bard can recall information exactly as per the legend lore spell. Unlike other greater muse songs, the lesser effect of this song uses only a single song slot.

Charm Song: As per the momentary charm muse song (see ‘Muse Songs’ above), but with a longer duration. The charm lasts for as long as the bard continues to sing plus a number of hours per bard level.

The College of Illusion

Bards who enter the college of illusion focus on using their powers of persuasion to make people believe things that are not true-hear things that aren’t there, see things that do not exist.

This is a powerful and deceptive school of bardic knowledge, and bards of the College of Illusion are ill-trusted by many in polite society, though they are well in demand as stage magicians and sleight-of-hand artists.

Bonus Proficiencies

When a bard enters this college at level 3, she gains proficiency in Sleight of Hand, Deception and Persuasion. If she is already proficient in these skills, she doubles her proficiency bonus when using them.

The Mercurial Familiar

Although a bard can use the Illusionist’s Song to summon an animistic familiar (which is, in all ways, treated as a familiar summoned using the Song of Familiars), the true power of this song is the summoning of a mercurial familiar.

A mercurial familiar is a creature unto itself –it exists only to satisfy its own unpredictable desires. It is as fleeting as a wisp of smoke and its very nature is one of caprice; it flies on a whim, it flits and fades, and it is nothing, if not ephemeral.

Mercurial Familiar Properties

Bards can summon mercurials as standard familiars, greater mercurials as greater familiars, or supreme mercurials as supreme familiars (see Appendix B for details and statistics for these creatures). Due to their unique nature, however, mercurial familiars do not have access to all of the special abilities most familiars have access to. Even when using the Empower Familiar feats (see ‘New Feats’), mercurial familiars are limited to the special abilities listed on the tables below. For more details on mercurials, reference the Illusionist’s familiars.

Table 3-123: Standard Bard Familiar (Mercurial)

Master Class Level	Deflection Adj.	Int	Special
3rd	+1	6	Alertness, empathic link, sensory familiar
4th-5th	+2	7	–
6th	+3	8	Blur
7th-8th	+4	9	–
9th-10th	+5	10	Detect magic
11th-12th	+6	11	–
13th-14th	+7	12	Improved Sensory Familiar
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	–
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Deflection Adj.: This number noted here is a bonus to the familiar’s existing deflection armor bonus (mercurials initially have none). It represents a preternatural increasing power of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Sensory Familiar: The familiar’s master benefits from the Sensory Familiar feat, but only for mercurial familiars.

Improved Sensory Familiar: The familiar’s master benefits from the Improved Sensory Familiar feat, but only for their mercurial familiars.

Table 3-13: Greater Bard Familiar (Mercurial)

Master Class Level	Deflection Adj.	Int	Special
3rd	+1	6	Empathic link, sensory familiar
4th-5th	+2	7	–
6th	+3	8	Blur, Greater Familiar Ability
7th-8th	+4	9	–
9th-10th	+5	10	Detect magic
11th-12th	+6	11	Greater Familiar Ability
13th-14th	+7	12	Improved Sensory Familiar
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	Greater Familiar Ability
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Deflection Adj.: This number noted here is a bonus to the familiar’s existing deflection armor bonus (mercurials initially have none). It represents a preternatural increasing power of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Sensory Familiar: The familiar’s master benefits from the Sensory Familiar Ability, but only for mercurial familiars.

Improved Sensory Familiar: The familiar’s master benefits from the Improved Sensory Familiar Ability, but only for their mercurial familiars.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one Greater Familiar Ability from the Table 3-15 below.

Table 3-14: Supreme Bard Familiar (Mercurial)

Master Class Level	Deflection Adj.	Int	Special
3rd	+1	+6	Empathic link, sensory familiar
4th-5th	+2	7	–
6th	+3	8	Blur, Greater Familiar Ability
7th-8th	+4	9	–
9th-10th	+5	10	Detect magic
11th-12th	+6	11	Greater Familiar Ability, Supreme Familiar Ability
13th-14th	+7	12	Improved Sensory Familiar
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	Greater Familiar Ability
19th-20th	+10	15	Supreme Familiar Ability

Deflection Adj.: This number noted here is a bonus to the familiar’s existing deflection armor bonus (mercurials initially have none). It represents a preternatural increasing power of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Sensory Familiar: The familiar’s master benefits from the Sensory Familiar feat, but only for mercurial familiars.

Improved Sensory Familiar: The familiar’s master benefits from the Improved Sensory Familiar feat, but only for their mercurial familiars.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one Greater Familiar Ability from Table 3-15 below.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select one Supreme or Greater Familiar Ability from Tables 3-15 or 3-16 below.

Table 3-15: Bard Greater Familiar Special Abilities (Mercurial)

Augury

Blessed Companion

Blink

Enhance Attribute

Commune with Nature

Contagion

Darkness

Daylight

Dazing Touch

Death’s Harbinger

Death Ward

Defensive Roll

Detect Scrying

Detect Thoughts

Discern Lies

Dispel Magic

Encompassing Vision

Fearful

Find Traps

Freedom of Movement

Guided Strike

Haste

Mirror Image

Mystic Disguise

Nondetection

Opportunist

Recall

Resist Energy

Shocking Touch

Silence

Sleeping Touch

Speak with Dead

Speech

Time Hop

Uncanny Dodge, Improved

Wholeness of Body

Table 3-16: Bard Supreme Familiar Special Abilities (Mercurial)

Antimagic Field

Astral Projection

Banisher

Charm

Cloak of Chaos

Companion’s Veil

Confusion

Damage Reduction

Destruction’s Touch

Dimension Slip

Divine Health

Ethereal State

Familiar Growth

Find the Path

Fly

Raise Dead

Time Regression

Tongues

Zone of Truth

Mercurial Whimsy

Mercurial familiars are notoriously spirited. They are inherently free-willed, and most of them would love nothing more than to slip from the bond with their summoner and fly about the world unhindered. All mercurials, regardless of alignment, seek to become emancipated spirits. Generally speaking, a mercurial attempts to gain freedom at least once every 1d4 months, unless its master has gone to extremes to placate the familiar. This quest for liberation is known as a mercurial contest, and they can take place whenever the Game Master desires-usually at the most critical times in the master’s life. If for some reason a bard has summoned a mercurial familiar of an alignment contrary to his own, a contest occurs once every 2d6 days.

A contest of wills involves an opposed Charisma check, pitting the bard’s Charisma attribute against that of the mercurial familiar. If the bard wins, the mercurial remains bound and the bard gains a cumulative +1 on future checks (each check won by the bard results in another +1 on the next check; thus, if the bard has won three straight checks, his fourth check would be at +3), to a maximum of +5. After the bard has achieved +5 to his checks, he gains advantage and +5 on all future checks.

The danger here is that regardless of how many checks the bard has won, the mercurial needs succeed at a contest of wills only once to escape the bard’s control. If the mercurial is victorious at any time, it immediately becomes an emancipated spirit (as detailed in Warlock’s Familiars).

Cleric Familiars

For a cleric, familiars are those attendant spirits that are divinely gifted to aid the faithful in their calling. Their constant guidance and assistance is often granted by a god or goddess as a result of a service rendered (and sometimes for a service which must be performed).

Divine familiars usually exhibit in their appearance, or in their behavior, some particular aspect of their patron deity. They are, in fact, not only a living extension of their cleric master, but also of their god. Clerics are expected to guard and respect their familiars, and a failure to do so may lead a deity to withdraw his gift until he has once again been satisfied by his servant’s faith.

Summoning Ritual

Preparations had been made and equipment gathered for the journey. There was a part of Celadin’s heart that remained reluctant to leave the confines of the temple, but his faith drove him. and there was some excitement for the coming journey, too, even if the pack upon his back seemed too small a thing to ready him for the road ahead.

A cleric’s familiar is not summoned; it is sent. Although sometimes a cleric can request the aid of a familiar through prayer, it is more common for his god to send the familiar uncalled for. The form of this sending depends on the god and on the circumstances in which it is made. (Of course, a player should still select the appropriate Abilities for his character –see ‘New Abilities’ section.)

The Dreaming

Often a cleric destined to receive a familiar will receive a vision in his dreams, and often this vision appears to the cleric through the eyes of his future familiar, although sometimes he simply observes it. In all cases, the cleric sees enough to recognize a location, and feels a sense of purpose associated with that location.

Frequently, further prayer and meditation will clarify the dreaming, giving the cleric enough information to begin his journey to the location revealed to him. In other cases, the cleric simply knows that it is enough to follow the natural patterns of his life. In time, he will be brought to the place shown in the dreaming.

Once the cleric reaches the end of his journey, he needs to complete a religious ritual to bind his destined familiar to him.

Usually the aid of the new familiar will be required to complete whatever task the cleric’s god has laid before him.

The Messenger

Gods often employ animals as their messengers. In some cases, these messengers are ubiquitous. But such visitations are usually considered high points of a cleric’s life –a moment when one’s deity takes a direct interest in one’s affairs.

Sometimes, in addition to carrying the divine message, the animal is also the god’s gi ft. Once its role as messenger is complete, the creature becomes a familiar to the recipient of the message. Usually the message bids the cleric to perform a task or service.

The Quest

Sometimes the familiar leads to a quest, and sometimes a quest leads to the familiar. The quest may be a specific instruction of the cleric’s god or church, or it may be that there is a specific quest (or set of quests) which any cleric can attempt in order to gain a divine familiar.

Divine Familiars And Other Clerics

Divine familiars are touched by the god of the cleric they serve. They are holy animals in the most literal sense of the term, and this reality affects the way in which they are treated. Followers of the cleric’s god usually treat the familiar with elevated respect (sometimes more respect than the cleric to which the familiar has been bonded). Followers of rival gods may see the familiar as an abomination.

Of course, it is easy to imagine exceptions to these types of generalizations. For example, the orthodox church of the cleric’s god might view familiars as a heresy –forcing the cleric to hide his unique gift from his fellow believers.

Divine Familiars

To obtain a familiar, a cleric must be a follower of the Beast Domain or another domain that grants a familiar, or must take the Summon Familiar, Summon Greater Familiar, or Summon Supreme Familiar advantages.

The familiars a cleric may possess depend upon the domains their gods are associated with. In this way, divine familiars are more specialized and closely tied with the nature of the deity who grants them.

By its nature, such a listing cannot be comprehensive. The Game Master should be flexible in granting familiars of different types, as long as they have the appropriate ‘feel’ to them. Note that this listing does not supercede the common rules listed regarding what magnitude of creature can become a character’s familiar –i.e. if the domain listed states that a griffon is an appropriate familiar, the character still needs the Summon Supreme Familiar Ability to summon such a creature.

Note: All Greater and Supreme familiars have specific character level and alignment prerequisites that must be met in order to be chosen –see Tables 1-5 and 1-6 for more details.

Patron Animals

Some deities possess patron animals. For example, the god Odin is associated with the raven, while the goddess Athena is associated with the owl. In addition to his domain familiars, a deity may also choose to bestow his patron animal as a familiar.

Table 4-1: Domain Familiars

Domain	Familiars
Air	Any creature of the air sub-type. Any creature with a Fly speed.
Animal	Any animal.
Chaos	Any creature with a chaotic alignment. Any monkey or ape. A gibbering mouther.
Death	Raven or vulture (including dire versions).
Destruction	Any reptile or dire animal.
Earth	Any creature of the earth sub-type. Any creature with a Burrow speed.
Evil	Any demon, devil, or bat. Any creature with an evil alignment.
Fire	Any creature of the fire sub-type.
Good	Any dog or wolf. Any creature with a good alignment.
Healing	Any non-poisonous snake. A lantern archon. A unicorn.
Knowledge	Any owl or dragon.
Law	Any eagle or hawk. Any creature with a lawful alignment.
Luck	Rabbit or weasel (including dire versions).
Blink dog	Moon dog as a supreme familiar (see Appendix B).
Magic	Any magical beast or fey.
Plant	Any intelligent plant.
Protection	Armadillo, badger (including dire version), or bulette.
Strength	Any raptor. A bull. Any creature with a strength of 18 or higher.
Sun	Any hawk or eagle. A griffon.
Travel	Any creature which can serve as a mount.
Trickery	Fox, spider, or wolf (including dire and giant versions). Any creature with a chaotic alignment.
War	Battle dog, eagle, hawk, horse, lion, or wolf (including dire versions).
Water	Any creature of the water sub-type. Any creature with a Swim speed.

Cleric Familiar Abilities

The cleric’s familiar is gifted with divinity, and its abilities are a god’s will made manifest.

Table 4-2: Standard Cleric Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Healing/inflicting touch, improved evasion, share spells, empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	7	Undead turning, deliver touch spells
5th-6th	+3	8	Speak with master
7th-8th	+4	9	Speak with animals of its kind
9th-10th	+5	10	–
11th-12th	+6	11	Spell resistance
13th-14th	+7	12	–
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	–
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s AC from a natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Undead Turning: A cleric’s familiar can turn undead as if it were the cleric himself. Each such attempt uses up one of the cleric’s turning attempts for the day.

Table 4-3: Greater Cleric Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Healing/inflicting touch, improved evasion, share spells, empathic link, undead turning
3rd-4th	+2	7	Greater familiar ability, deliver touch spells
5th-6th	+3	8	Speak with master, greater familiar ability
7th-8th	+4	9	Speak with animals of its kind
9th-10th	+5	10	Greater familiar ability
11th-12th	+6	11	Spell resistance
13th-14th	+7	12	–
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s AC from a natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Undead Turning: A cleric’s familiar can turn undead as if it were the cleric himself. Each such attempt uses up one of the cleric’s turning attempts for the day.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar abilities from Table 4-5 below.

Table 4-4: Supreme Cleric Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Healing/inflicting touch, improved evasion, share spells, empathic link, undead turning
3rd-4th	+2	7	Greater familiar ability, deliver touch spells, blessed companion
5th-6th	+3	8	Speak with master, greater familiar ability
7th-8th	+4	9	Speak with animals of its kind
9th-10th	+5	10	Greater familiar ability
11th-12th	+6	11	Spell resistance, supreme familiar ability
13th-14th	+7	12	–
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+10	15	Supreme familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s AC from a natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Undead Turning: A cleric’s familiar has two uses of Channel Divinity, which it can use to turn undead as if it were the cleric himself.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar ability from Table 4-5 below.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select one supreme or greater familiar ability from Tables 4-5 or 4-6 below.

Table 4-5: Cleric Greater Familiar Abilities

Animal Trance

Augury

Blessed Companion

Enhance ability (bull’s strength)

Enhance ability (cat’s grace)

Commune with Nature

Contagion

Darkness

Daylight

Death’s Harbinger

Death Ward

Detect Scrying

Detect Thoughts

Discern Lies

Disease Immunity

Encompassing Vision

Endure Elements

Fearful

Freedom of Movement

Natural Armor, Greater

Nondetection

Silence

Speak with Dead

Speech

Spell Resistance, Greater

Venom Immunity

Water Walk

Wholeness of Body

Woodland Stride

Table 4-6: Cleric Supreme Familiar Abilities

Antimagic Field

Astral Projection

Banisher

Banishing Call

Charm

Companion’s Veil

Confusion

Damage Reduction

Divine Health

Ethereal State

Familiar Growth

Find the Path

Fly

Natural Armor, Supreme

Raise Dead

Spell Resistance, Supreme

Tongues

Zone of Truth

Divine Domain: Beast Domain

Some of the more savage deities of nature grant the ability to know and commune with the beasts of the world, both magical and mundane. For clerics of these deities, the power inherent in the creatures of the world manifests in the form of a divine familiar and the ability, through that familiar, to commune directly with the cleric’s deity.

Bestial Acolyte

At first level, you learn any one cantrip from the Druid list. This cantrip is in addition to those you normally get as a cleric.

Bonus Proficiency

At first level, you gain proficiency in Handle Animals

Channel Divinity: Familiar Communion

For clerics with this domain, a communion familiar serves as a direct conduit between a cleric and his god. When the cleric gains Channel Divinity at second level, they also receive a familiar as a gift from their deity.

It foregoes most of the normal benefits of a cleric’s familiar, but through the familiar, the cleric can speak directly with his deity.

And, at times of the god’s choosing, the familiar can actually serve as a minor avatar –the god can see through its eyes, speak with its voice, and take action with its body.

Communion Familiar Abilities

Any standard, greater, or supreme familiar can serve as a communion familiar. When a cleric of the beast domain receives their familiar at second level, it is a standard familiar. Greater and Supreme familiars may be chosen by gaining the advantages. These clerics are presumed to have the Summon Familiar ability for purposes of meeting the prerequisites for greater and supreme familiars.

A communion familiar possesses only the natural armor, intelligence, and empathic link of a cleric’s familiar. While they do not possess the other abilities of a normal familiar. they instead possess the following abilities:

Augury (Sp): The familiar can tell whether a particular action will bring good or bad results for itself or its master in the immediate future. This ability operates as per the spell augury.

Commune: Upon reaching at least 10th level, the cleric can use the familiar to gain needed information, as per the commune or commune with nature spell (cleric’s choice). Calling upon this ability requires two uses of channel divinity. Over-using this ability can result not only in gaining no answer (as per the spell) but in falling out of favor with the deity which can, at the GM’s option, bring all manner of ill fortune upon the PC.

Beast Domain Spells

1st–animal friendship, animal messenger

3rd–conjure animals, dominate beast

5th–faithful hound, giant insect

7th–animal shapes, dominate monster

9th–shapechange, true polymorph

Note to the Gamemaster Because of the Commune ability they possess, using a communion familiar requires a very fine balancing act, and you should consider carefully before allowing a PC to gain one. If you do introduce a communion familiar to the campaign, take some time to define exactly what role the familiar will be playing. This depends on the nature of the god granting the communion familiar, and his reasons for doing so.

A temptation to avoid when using a communion familiar is continual interference from the god the familiar serves. If the god is constantly popping in to save the cleric or drop a clue, then you’re taking control and responsibility away from the PCs.

If that happens, the campaign will suffer.

There are a few ways to avoid this problem in a logical fashion: Gods Work in Mysterious Ways: Sure, the cleric’s god can see that the cleric is in trouble. But maybe he’s testing his faith. Or maybe he knows the cleric will triumph in the end. Or perhaps he knows that the cleric will fail, but that’s the way he wants it for some reason.

The God Hammer: No, we’re not talking about Mjolnir.

We’re talking about the fact that clerics who overuse their abilities and run to their gods for help all the time tend to, well, tick off their gods. and no cleric wants to deal with the repercussions of an angry or even displeased deity.

Gods Are Busy Beings: Speaking of Mjolnir, Thor has better things to do with his time than to hop down to the Material Plane and mop up some trolls because one of his clerics can’t cope with the situation.

Even Gods Have to Play by the Rules: Gods may be prevented from various forms of interference by the rules they exist by and the agreements they have made. and the nature of those rules and agreements may not be entirely comprehensible to mortal minds (see “mysterious ways,” above).

Alter the Ability: The deity may not grant Commune as a Channel Divinity feature. Instead, it may grant only Commune with Nature, or another spell-like ability altogether-perhaps Scrying, Planar Binding, or a similar fourth- or fifth-level spell from the Cleric or Druid spell lists.

Healing/inflicting Touch: The communion familiar of a good god can touch any creature and heal 1d8 points of damage, plus the cleric’s Wisdom modifier. A communion familiar of an evil god instead inflicts 1d8 points of damage plus the cleric’s Wisdom modifier with its touch. Clerics of a neutral deity must choose whether their familiar imparts healing or inflicting damage when the familiar manifests, and this choice cannot be changed. This ability works in all ways like the Cure Wounds spell, and the cleric can devote additional uses of channel divinity to increase the effective spell level (each additional use increases the effective level by one).

The cleric may call upon any of these abilities while within 30 feet of his familiar by expending one use of his channel divinity class feature. In addition to these abilities, the communion familiar is a living connection between this world and the cleric’s god. What this means exactly depend on the god, the familiar, the cleric, and the situation. Ultimately, the communion familiar is a tool of the Game Master to be used however he sees fit to help flesh out a campaign.

Friend of Beasts

At 6th level, no beast will attack you under any circumstances, unless you attack it first. Beasts will always submit to your authority in whatever way is common to their species-dogs, for example, will crouch to the ground, their ears folded back. This ability does not automatically give you the ability to command beasts; it simply means they will be docile around you and not attack you. They may, if threatened, flee from you.

Talon and Fang

At 8th level, you gain the ability to manifest natural weapons as a beast. You may as a bonus action, sprout claws, fangs or horns (your choice). These natural weapons deal 1d8 damage plus your strength modifier. The natural weapons last for your cleric level in rounds. When you use this ability, you must complete a long rest before using it again.

Master of Beasts

At 17th level, you have control over the beasts of the world.

You may command and control any beast you encounter.

In addition, you may communicate with all beasts freely, expressing detailed concepts and thoughts. If the beast you encounter is under the control of another, you may make an opposed Charisma check against the current controller to wrest control of the beast from their power. Familiars bonded to another may not be controlled in this manner.

The Druid’s Familiar

Druid Familiars

Even the most solitary of druids may at times need another voice of counsel. While the animals and plants around her can often be heard, their actual knowledge is often lacking, and doesn’t always make for the best advice to follow. When the druid has few or no humanoid companions to rely on, she may turn to a familiar.

Druids may take their familiars from the large base of natural creatures that surround them, bonding with them in a way far beyond that of a normal animal companion. Where the druid spends her time, where she has been trained, and the lands she wishes to protect determine what creatures a druid may choose as a familiar. In some cases a powerful druid may even craft her familiar from the very stuff of the lands around her, or entreat an existing animal companion to become her familiar.

But a druid, more so than many, also understands that a familiar comes not only with benefits, but with responsibilities. A familiar remains a creature of the wild, and the druid must protect it as she would any other natural creature. If a druid loses a familiar, she has failed doubly –not only allowing a companion to be destroyed, but also failing to uphold her sacred charge.

Of course, a druid’s familiar is not viewed as a hindrance, but as a great asset to be cared for and protected. Like its master, a druid’s familiar gains a cunning insight into the natural world.

It is protected against nature’s harshness, given safety from the charms of fey and wild things. It gains the ability to move quickly and secretly through natural surroundings, and more.

Such a familiar can provide the druid with advice, an extra pair of eyes and ears, and in times of great need, another strong paw or tooth. The relationship created by the bonding of a druid and a familiar is very deep and fulfilling, in both a spiritual and emotional sense. The love a druid feels for the natural world is focused on a single creature and this creates a bond strong enough to overcome nearly anything.

Summoning Ritual

When a druid decides to take the Summon Familiar Ability for the first time, she must also choose a type of terrain –arctic, aquatic, desert, forest, swamp, mountain, plains, jungle, or underground. This choice determines the types of familiars a druid may attempt to summon, as described below. In choosing this terrain type, a druid should consider not only what areas of the natural world she is closest to, but also the nature and setting of the campaign. For example, choosing the aquatic terrain is almost worthless unless the campaign is seafaring one.

Actually summoning a familiar is less of a ritual for a druid and more a part of her normal existence. A druid’s intimate connection to the natural world simply allows her to reach out and ask for the aid of the creature of her choice (usually through the use of the speak with animals spell). Binding the familiar permanently to herself does require the use of ritual magic, expending the normal cost of a summoning ritual in herbs and foods for the desired animal. The druid must also make an Intelligence (Nature) check to complete the ritual: CR 15 for a standard familiar; CR 20 for a greater familiar; CR 25 for a supreme familiar.

Familiars By Terrain

Aquatic

An aquatic familiar’s benefits and drawbacks are obvious. While it does make for a good companion in a campaign where there is much seafaring going on, when major land travel occurs, the familiar must stay behind, which can be dangerous. Another problem with an aquatic creature is the type of water body it can survive in. While many creatures can survive either salt or fresh water, few can survive both. Choosing this terrain type should only really be an option in water-based campaigns. Naturally, the element associated with the aquatic places of the world is water.

Arctic

Arctic familiars hail from any place that is cold most of the year.

While these creatures are accustomed to surviving longer than normal without food, they are also covered with a layer of fat, fur, or feathers that keeps them safe from the extreme cold.

The major disadvantage of these familiars is that when taken to warmer climes, they need more water than a normal creature and often suffer from the heat. The advantage is that they can store food for quite some time on their bodies and, therefore, eat half as much. The elements associated with the arctic are water and air.

Desert

Desert creatures are probably some of the heartiest and most versatile creatures in the world. Accustomed to small amounts of food and water for lengthy times, they are also adept at surviving in the heat of day and the near-freezing temperatures at night. This makes them the easiest of any familiar to transfer from one land type to another with little or no problem. The elements associated with the deserts of the world are fire and air.

Forest

Forest is probably the most commonly chosen terrain type when a druid selects her familiar. Most druids live in and protect forests, so it is the natural choice. The creatures in forests are very attuned to the ecosystem of the woodlands they are from, and moving them to a new ecosystem makes it harder for them to find food and water for themselves. The advantage of a forest creature is that with a higher Intelligence and Wisdom, it may be able to recognize problems with the forest on its own when things are out of alignment. The elements associated with forest are air and water.

Jungles

Jungle familiars are creatures that come from warm climes such as tropical islands and places where it is warm and wet most of the year round. Creatures from these areas are used to the heat, but they are also used to being able to find shade or a cool breeze when the day gets hottest. Taking them into a very cold environment is dangerous at best, and should only be done with a bit of preparation on the part of the master. The elements associated with jungle locales are fire and water.

Mountains

Mountains and hills are not an easy terrain for anyone to exist in. As such, the creatures that call these areas home are often hearty and accustomed to surviving in harsh conditions. A second advantage to these creatures is that they are usually very good climbers, which can have a number of benefits in a pinch.

Depending on the area of the mountains or hills the creature hails from, it may also be used to a cooler climate and suffer some of the woes of an arctic creature when moved to a warmer environment. The elements associated with mountain environs are air and earth.

Plains

Plains creatures fall into one of two simple forms. Either the animal is a timid grazer such as antelope, or a powerful hunter such as a lion. While the lion is the more powerful of the two, it may also be the most dangerous if something ever happens to the druid to whom it follows. Just because an animal is loyal to one person, doesn’t guarantee its loyalty to a group. While the more timid creatures may seem less attractive and less threatening to you, remember that they will also seem that way to people who see them when they are hunting or tracking for you. The plains are associated with the element of air.

Swamp

Swamp or marshland is a difficult terrain to take a native creature out of. While many of the creatures may be quite hearty, they are used to a plethora of water and may lack the natural skills to easily find it on their own when taken to a new area. A major advantage of swamp creatures, however, is their familiarity with life in the water, often giving them advantages both on land and water, and making them more versatile than some of the other terrain creatures. Swamps and marshlands hold sway over the elements of earth and water.

Underground

Creatures of the underground are adept at digging and finding their way through the earth and the dark places therein. This can be a major advantage if your druid plans to spend a lot of time in these areas, as these creatures are often adept at finding food and water, as well as a way out, should you become lost or trapped. When you do decide to return to the surface world, however, many of these creatures will be blinded by the sun and very much like a fish out of water. Luckily, most undergrounddwelling creatures often have ways of finding their own holes, even far away from caves. The deep places of the earth are protected by the element of the same name.

Each terrain type a druid can select for her familiars is listed below, along with a short description of what goes into taking care of familiars from that terrain type, and what hindrances and advantages familiars from these places may create. In addition to the familiars listed below, a druid may also take an elemental as a familiar. The types of elemental they can summon are based on the elements associated with their chosen terrain type (see the ‘Elemental Familiars’ section for more details on elemental familiars.

Table 5-1: Standard Familiars By Terrain

Aquatic
Crab
Dolphin/Porpoise
Frog
Octopus
Squid
Turtle
Arctic
Dog (Use stats for Mastiff)
Ermine**
Goat
Horse, Riding
Lemming**
Penguin
Pony
Rat
Snowy owl (use stats for Owl)
Desert
Baboon
Bat
Camel
Dog (Use stats for Mastiff)
Hawk/Falcon
Horse, Riding
Hyena
Jackal
Lizard
Lizard, venomous**
Oryx**
Pony
Rat
Snake (poisonous)
Vulture
Forest
Badger
Bat
Cat
Crane
Deer
Dog
Dove
Eagle
Fox
Hawk/Falcon
Hedgehog
Horse (Riding)
Hummingbird
Koala
Lizard
Lizard, venomous**
Monkey
Owl
Pig
Raccoon
Raven
Snake (poisonous)
Squirrel
Squirrel, flying
Toad
Jungle
Baboon
Bat
Chameleon**
Crane
Koala
Lizard
Lizard, venomous**
Monkey
Peacock
Rat
Snake (poisonous)
Mountain
Badger
Bat
Deer
Eagle
Fox
Goat
Hawk
Hedgehog
Lizard
Mule
Panda, red
Owl
Raccoon
Rat
Sheep
Snake (poisonous)
Weasel
Plain
Antelope
Baboon
Badger
Bat
Cat
Crane
Deer
Dog (use stats for Mastiff)
Donkey**
Dove
Eagle
Fox
Goat
Hawk
Hedgehog
Horse
Lizard
Lizard, venomous**
Mule
Owl
Peacock
Pig
Pony
Raccoon
Rat
Raven
Sheep
Snake (poisonous)
Squirrel
Squirrel, flying
Weasel
Swamp
Bat
Chameleon**
Heron**
Lizard
Lizard, venomous**
Rat
Snake (poisonous)
Toad
Turtle
Underground
Badger
Bat
Fox
Hedgehog
Lizard
Lizard, venomous**
Raccoon
Rat
Snake (poisonous)
Toad
Weasel

** See ‘Non-standard Familiars’ sidebar for details.

Table 5-2: Greater Familiars By Terrain

Aquatic
Bullywug
Crab, Giant
Crab, Monstrous
Crocodile
Sahuagin
Shark, Reef or Hunter
Snake, constrictor
Snake, giant poisonous
Turtle, giant
Turtle, monstrous
Arctic
Bear, polar
Caribou**
Dog, riding (Use stats for Mastiff)
Musk ox
Ram
Reindeer**
Snow leopard**
Walrus
Wolf
Wolverine
Yak
Desert
Dog, battle
Dog, riding
Giant ant
Giant bat
Giant rat
Jackal
Kangaroo
Lizard, giant**
Snake, constrictor
Snake, giant poisonous
Forest
Ape
Bear, black
Bear, brown
Boar
Chameleon, giant
Dog, riding**
Faerie Dragon
Giant badger
Giant bat
Giant frog
Giant Rat
Giant weasel
Goblin
Leopard
Lizard, Giant
Orc
Panda
Saber tooth tiger
Snake, constrictor
Snake, giant poisonous
Wolf
Wolverine**
Jungle
Ape
Chameleon, giant**
Crocodile
Giant bat
Giant rat
Leopard
Lion
Lizard, giant**
Lizard, monstrous
Panda
Panther
Snake, constrictor
Snake, Large viper
Tiger
Mountain
Ape
Bear, black
Chameleon, giant
Bear, brown
Giant bat
Giant rat
Giant weasel
Hippogriff
Lizard, giant**
Mountain lion**
Ram
Saber tooth tiger
Snake, constrictor
Snake, giant poisonous
Tiger
Wolverine**
Yak
Plain
Bison
Bull
Cheetah
Dire badger
Dire bat
Dire rat
Dire weasel
Dog, riding
Giraffe
Hippogriff
Hippopotamus
Kangaroo
Leopard
Lion
Lizard, giant
Musk ox
Ostrich
Ram
Saber tooth tiger
Snake, constrictor
Snake, Large viper
Tiger
Wolf
Swamp
Alligator**
Bullywug
Giant bat
Giant rat
Hippopotamus
Lizard, giant
Snake, constrictor
Snake, giant poisonous
Turtle, giant
Underground
Darkmantle
Giant badger
Giant bat
Giant centipede
Giant rat
Giant weasel
Lizard, giant
Snake, constrictor
Snake, giant poisonous

** See ‘Non-standard Familiars’ sidebar for details.

Note: All Greater and Supreme familiars have specific character level and alignment prerequisites that must be met in order to be chosen –see Tables 1-5 and 1-6 for more details.

Table 5-3: Supreme Familiars By Terrain

Aquatic
Crocodile, giant
Dinosaur (plesiosaurus)
Dragon (Young)
Octopus, giant
Sea horse, giant
Shark, giant
Snake, monstrous poisonous
Squid, giant**
Whale, killer
Arctic
Dire wolf
Dragon (Young)
Mammoth
Owlbear
Winter wolf
Desert
Dragon (Young)
Giant scorpion
Lizard, giant venomous**
Snake, Huge viper
Forest
Bugbear
Dinosaur (Allosaurus)
Dire wolf
Dragon (Young)
Elephant
Giant ape
Giant boar
Giant eagle
Giant owl
Giant panther
Giant wolverine**
Lizard, giant venomous**
Owlbear
Pegasus
Snake, monstrous poisonous
Unicorn
Jungle
Crocodile, giant
Dragon (Young)
Elephant
Lizard, giant venomous**
Snake, monstrous poisonous
Mountain
Death Dog
Dire wolf
Dragon (Young)
Giant ape
Giant eagle
Giant owl
Giant panther
Giant wolverine**
Griffon
Hippogriff
Lizard, giant venomous**
Ogre
Snake, monstrous poisonous
Plain
Ankheg
Dire wolf
Dragon (Young)
Elephant
Giant boar
Giant eagle
Giant owl
Giant panther
Giant wolverine**
Lizard, giant venomous**
Owlbear
Rhinoceros
Snake, giant poisonous
Swamp
Alligator, giant**
Dinosaur (allosaurus)
Dinosaur (plesiosaurus)
Dragon (Young)
Lizard, giant venomous**
Snake, giant poisonous
Dinosaur (tyrannosaurus rex)
Underground
Ankheg
Carrion Crawler
Dragon (Young)
Hook Horror
Lizard, giant venomous**
Snake, giant poisonous
Umber Hulk

** See ‘Non-standard Familiars’ sidebar for details.

Other Animals

These lists are not inclusive. A druid may seek out any animal familiar appropriate to her elected terrain type, even if it does not appear on these lists. In other cases, a particular animal may not be present in an area, even if a similar habitat is available.

Non-Standard Familiars By Terrain

Druids have several non-standard familiars:

Alligator: Use the stats for a crocodile.

Caribou/reindeer: Use the stats for an Elk.

Chameleon: Use the stats for a lizard, but the familiar gains the spider climb ability of giant lizards, plus Stealth +4 and the following special ability: Camouflage: The chameleon gains advantage on all stealth checks due to its ability to alter its coloring to blend into its natural surroundings.

Chameleon, Giant: Use the stats for a giant lizard with the Spider Climb variant, but the familiar gains Stealth +4 and the following special ability: Camouflage: The giant chameleon gains advantage on all stealth checks due to its ability to alter its coloring to blend into its natural surroundings.

Dog, Riding: Use stats for Mastiff

Donkey: Use stats for mule

Ermine: A nocturnal carnivore similar to a weasel, but with a more violent personality. Use the stats for a weasel.

Falcon: Use the stats for a hawk.

Fox, Arctic: Use the stats for foxes as presented in Appendix A. However, the arctic fox’s racial bonus to Hide checks rises to +15 in snowy environments.

Heron: Use the stats for cranes as presented in Appendix A.

Lemming: Use the stats for a rat.

Leopard, Snow: Use the stats for a leopard. However, a snow leopard racial bonus to Hide checks rises to +10 in snowy environments.

Lizard, Poisonous: Use the stats for a lizard, but on a successful bite the target suffers an additional 5 (2d4) poison damage and the target is Poisoned for 1d6 hours. A successful Constitution save (DC 10) halves this damage and negates the Poisoned condition.

Lizard, Giant Venomous: Use the stats for a giant lizard, but on a successful bite the target suffers an additional 10 (3d6) poison damage and is Poisoned for 2d6 hours. A successful Constitution save (DC 12) halves the additional damage and duration for the Poisoned condition.

Mountain Lion: Use the stats for a panther.

Oryx: A small horse-like antelope. Use the stats for deer.

Squid, Giant: Use the stats for a giant octopus, but add an additional attack: Beak. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d8) slashing damage. Any target grappled by the squid’s tentacles is subject to automatic bite damage every round (no to-hit roll required).

Wolverine: Use stats for badger, but bite deals 3 (1d6) piercing damage and add an additional attack: Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +2 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 2 (1d4) slashing damage.

Wolverine, Giant: Use stats for giant badger, but bite deals 9 (2d6+2) piercing damage and add an additional attack: Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8+2) slashing damage.

Note: All Greater and Supreme familiars have specific character level and alignment prerequisites that must be met in order to be chosen –see Tables 1-5 and 1-6 for more details.

Table 5-5: Greater Druid Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int/Wis	Special
1st-2nd	+1	7	Empathic link, endure elements, Nature Sense, Track
3rd-4th	+2	8	Share spells, woodland stride
5th-6th	+3	9	Speak with master, greater familiar ability
7th-8th	+4	10	Speak with animals of its kind, venom immunity
9th-10th	+5	11	Resist elements, greater familiar ability
11th-12th	+6	12	Speak with any animal
13th-14th	+7	13	Trackless step
15th-16th	+8	14	–
17th-18th	+9	15	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+10	16	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s AC from a natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int/Wis: The familiar’s Intelligence and Wisdom scores (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence and Wisdom). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people. Often, they’re even wiser.

Resist Elements: The familiar gains advantage on saving throws against earth, air, fire, water, cold and lightning-based attacks.

Track: All druidic familiar gain the ability to track, regardless of their previous ability to track (if any). Tracking is accomplished from a Wisdom (Survival) check; the Familiar is assumed to be proficient with this skill.

Speak with Any Animal: As per the speak with animals spell.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar ability from Table 5-7 below.

Table 5-6: Supreme Druid Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int/Wis	Special
1st-2nd	+1	9	Empathic link, endure elements, Nature Sense, Track
3rd-4th	+2	10	Share spells, woodland stride
5th-6th	+3	11	Speak with master, greater familiar ability, Nature Lore
7th-8th	+4	12	Speak with animals of its kind, venom immunity
9th-10th	+5	13	Resist elements, greater familiar ability
11th-12th	+6	14	Speak with any animal, supreme familiar ability

Druid Familiar Abilities

Madrina and Mousebane had been together nearly a year when she met the wizard who was to continue the training that Master Fingere had begun. Mousebane didn’t like this new person in their life. He was bossy, he yelled a lot, and he had a cat on his shoulder. While they stayed in the dark place, Mousebane was forced to live mostly within the carrier Madrina had bought him, and he was getting tired of it. Quietly, he rustled in his cage, almost too caught up in his own musings to notice the dark cat that usually sat upon the wizard’s shoulder approach. Glaring hard, Mousebane screwed up his courage as much as he could, and stared the sleek, black cat right in the eyes. Unperturbed, the cat spoke, “Little owl, when my master is done teaching yours, you will be so much more than you are now…”

Possessing many of the same powers and abilities as a druid, a familiar does not hinder its master the way a normal companion might. Indeed, as a druid gains in power, her familiar can better assist her in her endeavors.

Unlike the familiars of other classes, a druid’s familiar gains in both Intelligence and Wisdom. This reflects that a druid’s familiar is not only becoming more and more a part of the druid, but more and more a part of the natural world around them as well.

Table 5-4: Standard Druid Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int/Wis	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Empathic link, endure elements, Nature Sense, Track
3rd-4th	+2	7	Share spells, woodland stride
5th-6th	+3	8	Speak with master
7th-8th	+4	9	Speak with animals of its kind, venom immunity
9th-10th	+5	10	Resist elements
11th-12th	+6	11	Speak with any animal
13th-14th	+7	12	Trackless step
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	–
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s AC based on a natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int/Wis: The familiar’s Intelligence and Wisdom scores (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence and Wisdom). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people. Often, they’re even more wise.

Track: All druidic familiars gain the ability to track, regardless of their previous ability to track (if any). Tracking is accomplished from a Wisdom (Survival) check; the Familiar is assumed to be proficient with this skill.

Resist Elements: The familiar gains advantage on saving throws against earth, air, fire, water, cold and lightning-based attacks.

Speak with Any Animal: As per the speak with animals spell.

13th-14th+715Trackless step15th-16th+816-17th-18th+917Greater familiar ability19th-20th+1018Supreme familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s AC from a natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int/Wis: The familiar’s Intelligence and Wisdom scores (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence and Wisdom). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Track: All druidic familiars gain the ability to track, regardless of their previous ability to track (if any). Tracking is accomplished from a Wisdom (Survival) check; the Familiar is assumed to be proficient with this skill.

Resist Elements: The familiar gains advantage on saving throws against earth, air, fire, water, cold and lightning-based attacks.

Speak with Any Animal: As per the speak with animals spell.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar ability from Table 5-7 below.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select one supreme or greater familiar ability from Tables 5-7 or 5-8 below.

Table 5-7: Druid Greater Familiar Abilities

Animal Trance

Augury

Blessed Companion

Blink

Enhance ability (bull’s strength)

Enhance ability (cat’s grace)

Commune with Nature

Contagion

Countercall

Courageous Roar

Darkness

Daylight

Death Ward

Deafening Call

Defensive Roll

Detect Scrying

Detect Thoughts

Discern Lies

Disease Immunity

Encompassing Vision

Familiar Rage

Fearful

Freedom of Movement

Great Leap

Haste

Mystic Disguise

Natural Armor, Greater

Nondetection

Opportunist Recall

Resist Energy

Silence

Speech

Spell Resistance, Greater

Water Breathing

Water Walk

Wholeness of Body

Table 5-8: Druid Supreme Familiar Abilities

Astral Projection

Banisher

Banishing Call

Charm

Companion’s Veil

Confusion

Damage Reduction

Dimension Slip

Divine Health

Ethereal State

Familiar Growth

Familiar

Rage, Greater

Find the Path

Fly

Mind Store

Natural Armor, Supreme

Spell Resistance, Supreme

Supreme Leap

Tongues

Zone of Truth

Druid Circle: Circle of the Elements

In addition to the animals of her realm, a druid may also call upon the aid and service of the very elements themselves.

Elemental Cantrip

At second level when you choose this circle, you gain one evocation cantrip of your choice from the wizard or sorcerer spell lists. This cantrip must be elemental in nature and is in addition to your existing druid cantrips.

Elemental Familiar

A druid who belongs to the Circle of the Elements gains a special familiar who serves as their connection to the elemental forces that govern all natural laws. This familiar is granted by the elemental guardians and helps the druid to understand and serve the demands and desires of the forces these guardians represent.

Elemental Guardians

The elemental guardians are powerful creatures who have often served as both ally and enemy to the druids of the world. From their homes deep within the vast reaches of the elemental planes, they watch over their domains in the natural world, tending to them from afar.

In game terms, elemental guardians are elder elementals with above average Intelligence and Wisdom. Most are powerful druid sorcerers.

Summoning An Elemental Familiar

In summoning an elemental familiar, a druid calls out to one of the guardian elementals watching over her realm. First, the druid must gather a large sum of the guardian’s element together. Collecting a large pile of rare rocks, casks of purified water, stoppered bottles of rarefied air, or even setting a large fire could all accomplish this, depending upon which element is being beseeched. The druid then meditates near the element she has collected for one day, performing a ritual using rare ingredients (the worth of which is determined by the type of familiar the druid is requesting). At the end of the day, the druid must make a successful Nature Lore check (DC equal to 10 + the HD of the elemental) in order to successfully contact the guardian elemental. If the check fails, the ritual has been wasted and the druid must try again another day (at least one week is required before the attempt may be made again). If the check succeeds, however, the guardian elemental has been successfully contacted.

Once contacted, the guardian elemental judges the druid. If, in the druid’s time as caretaker, she has acted with good conscience and treated her companions and charges well, the guardian sees fit to bestow an appropriate elemental (particularly if the druid has done something to further or improve the guardian’s own elemental domain). The reaction of the guardian may also be swayed by appropriate gifts. If there is any question in the guardian’s mind, it may ask the druid to complete a quest or task to prove her worth (the particulars of which are left to the GM’s whim).

If the druid possesses merit in the guardian’s eye, the guardian grants her an elemental familiar. An elemental familiar is a true elemental of air, earth, fire, or water, but disguised in the form of a normal animal chosen from the animal types included herein.

At the GM’s discretion, a druid may also ask an elemental guardian to grant her a lesser elemental creature (such as a mephit) to serve as her familiar.

Elements Without Guardians

Guardian elementals may or may not be an appropriate addition to every campaign world. Even if they don’t exist, there’s no reason that druids can’t summon elemental familiars –they’ll simply do so in a way similar to their other familiars or from another source, depending on the cosmology of the campaign.

Elemental Familiar Abilities

An elemental familiar does not gain the same abilities that a druid’s typical familiar does. A separate table is given below for the advancement of all elemental familiars. Unlike a typical druid familiar, an elemental familiar’s primary advantage comes from its natural abilities.

Commune With Elements: The familiar can commune with nature, as per the spell, but with the limitation that it applies only to those areas in the immediate vicinity of its elemental type.

Elemental Growth: The familiar can grow to twice its normal size. This doubles the elemental’s height, width, and length, increasing its weight by a factor of eight. This increase in size has a number of effects:

The familiar can only use this ability once and then must engage in a long rest before it can be used again.

Elemental Nimbus: As a standard action, the familiar can form an elemental nimbus around its master. While in its nimbus state, the familiar is visible and can be targeted and affected normally by attacks and spells. In addition, it takes half damage from any physical attack which hits its master. The familiar can take no actions in its nimbus state, but grants special abilities to its master depending on its size and type:

Elemental Nimbus, Greater: As per an elemental nimbus above, except the abilities granted to the master by the familiar are more powerful:

Elemental Nimbus, Supreme: As per an elemental nimbus above, except the abilities granted to the master by the familiar are more powerful:

Elemental Attacks: The elemental familiar’s natural attacks deal extra damage of its elemental type. Fire creatures deal fire damage, air creatures deal lightning or sonic damage (chosen when the familiar is gained), water creatures deal acid damage and earth-based creatures deal force damage. A standard elemental familiar does 1d6 elemental damage, a greater familiar does 2d6 elemental damage and a supreme familiar does 3d6 elemental damage.

Table 5-9: Standard Elemental Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	7	–
5th-6th	+3	8	Elemental nimbus
7th-8th	+4	9	–
9th-10th	+5	10	–
11th-12th	+6	11	Commune with elements
13th-14th	+7	12	–
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	Elemental growth
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Commune with elements: This ability may be used once, after which the familiar must take a long rest before it can be used again.

Elemental Growth: This ability may be used once, after which the familiar must take a long rest before it can be used again.

Table 5-10: Greater Elemental Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	7
5th-6th	+3	8	Greater elemental nimbus
7th-8th	+4	9	–
9th-10th	+5	10	–
11th-12th	+6	11	Commune with elements (2)
13th-14th	+7	12	–
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	Elemental growth (2)
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Commune with elements: This ability may be used twice, after which the familiar must take a long rest before it can be used again.

Elemental Growth: This ability may be used twice, after which the familiar must take a long rest before it can be used again.

Table 5-11: Supreme Elemental Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	7	–
5th-6th	+3	8	Supreme elemental nimbus
7th-8th	+4	9	–
9th-10th	+5	10	–
11th-12th	+6	11	Commune with elements
13th-14th	+7	12	–
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	Elemental growth (Short)
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Commune with elements: The familiar requires only a short rest between uses of this power.

Elemental Growth: The familiar requires only a short rest between uses of this power.

Woodland Familiars

Some druids can gain the ability to reshape the forest itself into their servants and companions. Frequently such abilities are developed by those druids who feel a closer affiliation to the plants and the trees of their domains, rather than the animals who live among them.

For more details on how this is done, see the Craft Woodland Familiar Ability in the ‘New Abilities’.

Vermin Companions

Animal companions are normally just that –animals. By using the Vermin Companions Special Ability (see ‘New Abilities’ section), however, a druid can extend her mastery over the natural domain and choose to befriend vermin as chosen companions.

Vermin offer many benefits, such as poison and webs, but they also have many hindrances. Feeding an animal is much simpler than feeding a vermin, especially in the case of giant bees or wasps, and this should be taken into account, particularly if the campaign is going to lead the characters away from lands in which it would be easier to find food for such creatures.

Vermin also tend to elicit more extreme reactions in towns and around people than most animals. A giant wolf, while still frightening to most people, seems quite innocuous in comparison to a spider with ten-foot tall legs.

Familiars Versus Companions

Animal companions hold many benefits when compared to familiars, as well as many hindrances. The primary benefit of having animal companions is that a druid may freely release an animal companion and suffer no ill effects, as long as the animal is released within an area in which it will be safe. The animal companion can be immediately replaced by performing the 24-hour ritual, and the druid need not wait a year and a day like she would to replace a familiar. This allows a druid that spends much of her time traveling the world to change animal companions based on where she is at the time, and what her specific needs are.

When the druid’s needs dictate special abilities, such as climbing, swimming, or flying, she can easily seek out a companion with those talents. While the loss of a companion is no laughing matter, it pales in comparison to the loss of a familiar and the corresponding loss of experience.

Lastly, while a familiar may be a voice of counsel, it may also become troublesome as it develops new ideas and feelings with the new Intelligence and Wisdom it has gained by being a familiar. It may lose some of its connection to the natural world, where an animal companion is always an animal (though a powerful one), and the drastic changes in the natural world around it will affect it just as any other animal of its type, alerting the druid to these things.

Nevertheless, animal companions also have their downsides when compared to familiars. They are not as able to communicate their needs as a familiar is, and they must be trained. If something is wrong with a familiar or the way it is being treated, it can let the druid know what it needs and what is wrong. An animal companion is not possessed of these facilities, and is not normally able to communicate its needs to the druid without the use of spells or magic. This can be particularly troublesome should the animal become sick. While a familiar can complain of symptoms, an animal companion may only act on its pain, and if the druid takes no notice, has no way to cry for help. The second major downside is the training required with an animal companion. It takes a lot of time to teach a wolf to be comfortable in a city, and even more when you must communicate through teaching, instead of just speaking directly to the animal. A familiar can take orders and understand complex requests much easier than an animal companion will ever be able to.

The Fighter’s Familiar

Fighter Familiars

Fighters are not known for their familiars, and of all the possible character classes, that of the fighter is traditionally farthest removed from the world of the familiar. Fighters are not inclined toward the magical arts, and many of them are completely antithetical to all things arcane. Whereas even rangers and paladins can claim to have some bond with the mystic arts, fighters are wholly mortal in their powers. As a result, it is often more appropriate for a fighter to have animal companions than familiars.

That being said, even fighters have been known to forge fast friendships which extend beyond the mundane. These familiars usually take a form which can stand by the fighter in combat –either as a faithful steed, a trusty guardian, or a fellow warrior.

Assuming he has the proper Summon Familiar advantage (see ‘New Abilities’), a fighter can select any type of familiar listed on Tables 1-3, 1-4, or 1-5, though he still needs to meet all the criteria listed for each familiar (if any) in the tables.

Summoning Ritual

There are many ways for a fighter and a familiar to come together, and none of them are set in stone. Often a fighter finding a familiar (or vice versa) is more a matter of fate than intention. A player who is interested in gaining a familiar for his fighter should collaborate with the GM to come up with an interesting and engaging way of introducing the companion to the campaign. Keep in mind, of course, that the fighter still requires the Summon Familiar Ability (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details). What follows are a few suggestions:

Companion’s Bond

Call it sympathetic magic. Call it a lucky chance. Call it an exceptional beast bred in the mold of old. Call it the favor of the gods. Call it good training. Call it the strength of friendship.

Whatever the case may be, the fighter has met an animal of rare strength and the two have formed a fast bond of friendship.

Sometimes it seems that they share an almost uncanny bond –as if each one can almost read the thoughts and moods of the other. and as the fighter improves his skills with the blade, his companion grows in strength and skill as well.

This is the steed that never panics. It’s the wolf that stands guard upon a wounded friend. It’s the hawk that can deliver an unerring message across leagues.

The hero does not need to perform a quest or ritual for such friends. They are simply there. and often it would be impossible to imagine the hero without them.

In this scenario, the cost for the Summon Familiar Ability represent the bonding between familiar and master, as well as the costs of maintaining (and perhaps training) the familiar.

Magical Assistance

A fighter looking to deepen his relationship with a pet –either for personal or professional reasons –may choose to approach a sorcerer, cleric, or other spellcaster. Spellcasters versed in the appropriate rituals can create the magical bonds necessary for the master-familiar relationship (such as the empathic link).

Here the cost represents the fee paid to the spellcaster the fighter approaches to perform the ritual allowing the bonding between fighter and familiar.

Folk Ritual

When a fighter takes the Summon Familiar feat, it may mean that the time has come in his life to perform the rituals of his native culture, handed down from one generation to the next.

Or perhaps he has recently learned such a ritual in the course of his adventures. These ancient folk rituals are not magical in nature, but their performance taps into the mystic world and creates the bond between fighter and familiar.

The player and GM should decide upon a ritual type, adding as much detail as desired. Many factors can play a role in determining the nature of the ritual. For example, a fighter who dwells mainly in the jungle might execute a ritual quite different from that of a fighter who serves as a knight in the king’s court.

Some rituals make use of religious accoutrements, while others are quite secular.

In whatever form it takes, a ritual is not completed instantaneously, but usually requires several hours of preparation, meditation, and actual performance. Some rituals require the fighter to fast for a certain period beforehand, while others demand that he do some other form of service to cleanse his spirit of outside influences. Following are some brief ideas for rituals to be used with the Summon Familiar Ability: Complex dance about a fire.

• Protracted period of prayer.
• Lengthy oral recitation, perhaps from a prayer book or epic poem.
• Deep meditative trace.
• Prolonged stay in a sweat lodge.
• Performance on drums or wind instruments.
• Rendering a detailed artistic work.
• Lighting and maintaining a specific pattern of bonfires.

Quest

Often the bond between fighter and familiar is forged in the form of a quest. This may either be intentional (the fighter goes looking for a familiar), or unintentional (the fighter encounters an animal companion while adventuring and an extraordinary bond forms between them).

The exact nature of the quest depends upon many factors –the campaign’s mythology, the region’s geography and climate, the character’s level, and –most importantly –the GM’s prerogative.

Again, the fact that the PC possesses the Summon Familiar

Ability isn’t enough –he must complete the quest to empower the feat and form the bond with his familiar. The player should let the GM know that he is looking for a familiar, and the GM should then work the quest into the campaign (either subtly or overtly, depending on the nature of the quest).

Quest Costs

Due to the nature of a quest, the benefits of taking the Summon Familiar feats can be delayed longer than is ordinarily the case.

To compensate for this, fighters who choose to perform a quest to gain a familiar may waive the monetary and experience point costs commonly associated with summoning familiars. Note that if the character begins play with any Summon Familiar feats and a familiar, he cannot use the Quest ritual as an excuse to waive gold piece or experience point costs. In this case, since the quest cannot be played out, the typical costs are assumed to reflect the arduous nature of the completed quest.

The quest may be overtly supernatural or it may be mundane.

The quest should be a physically demanding one, but also a psychological one –a moral obstacle course that forces the fighter to confront his own personal truth and test the strength of his friendship and love for his future familiar.

Three typical quest structures are well known in myth and legend: The Trial by Faith, the Trial of the Fey, and the Trial of Legend.

Trial By Faith

In most fantasy campaign settings, the gods play an important role in the lives of morals. An established pantheon of immortal beings is integral to the continued well-being of most worlds, whether those worlds are savage and primitive, or technically and socially advanced. While some pantheons are well removed from the machinations of mortals, seldom interfering with the Material Plane, others continually insinuate their schemes into the lives of kings and heroes, causing all sorts of trouble . . . and paving the way for all sorts of quests.

What type of fighter? This quest is appropriate for fighters who feel a kinship toward one god or another divine being. If the character is an agnostic, or if the campaign pays little attention to divine goings-on, then a Trial By Faith has little value. On the other hand, if a foreign land is under the sway of an evil theocrat and the fighter has some stake in that nation’s future, then the Architect could readily impose on the fighter this type of quest. Generally speaking, this quest works best if the character is a proclaimed follower of a certain god, or the sworn enemy of another.

What type of quest? The kind of quest associated with theology usually involves ‘securing something’ for an organized church. Perhaps the fighter is sent to join an armed crusade in a distant land in order to seize a holy site from infidels. Other options include seeking out and recovering a lost relic, driving brigands from a frontier abbey, or rescuing a missionary from the clutches of angry jungle natives. The primary idea in a Trial by Faith is to ‘make something secure,’ whether the thing in question is an item, territory, person, or ideal. The GM should tailor the quest to the campaign world, or roll on the following table for inspiration.

Table 6-1: Trial By Faith

d10	Sample Quest
1	Serve two months in a crusade in a faraway holy war.
2	Investigate and bring to justice a suspected heretic.
3	Serve as a bodyguard for pilgrims in a hostile land.
4	Recover a stolen relic.
5	Infiltrate and expose an opposing cult.
6	Retrace a prophet’s journey across dangerous seas.
7	Protect a monastery from a dragon attack.
8	Patrol a particularly restless cemetery for a single night.
9	Rescue a missionary from a foreign dungeon.
10	Smuggle a seditious sermon out of the country.

Trial of the Fey

Most fantasy worlds have a strong and distinct fairy presence.

The deepest woods and the most secluded groves are often home to feral elves, pixies, sprites, satyrs, and other mystic beings, creatures that live by whimsy and are governed by no man. The inhabitants of the fairy realm are known equally for their caprice and their magical powers; entering their domain can prove disastrous if the interloper is seen as an enemy to fairykind. Because the magic of these beings frequently defies the standard ‘rules’ for spellcasting as found in the lands of humans, their territory is the perfect setting for a fighter on a quest for a familiar.

What type of fighter? The more ignorant the fighter is concerning the ways of the woodland folk, the more perfectly suited he is for a journey into the fairy lands. His quest should be a thing of wonder, a mingling of danger and delight. In pursuit of his goal, he comes into a world so unlike his own that he feels at time as if he might go mad. The Trial of the Fey is appropriate for a fighter who knows next to nothing of the woodland spirits and their antics, further heightening the strangeness and peril of the quest.

What type of quest? Whereas a Trial by Faith involves securing an item or individual, the keyword of a Trial of the Fey is “discovery.” A group of leprechauns could instruct the fighter to search for the rainbow’s end. A centaur village, concerned about rising flood waters, might ask the character to journey across the valley and scout out possible locations for new settlements. The queen of the wood elves could require that the fighter brave a network of underground caverns to prove himself worthy. A Trial of the Fey is always a journey into the unknown, going places where humans have never been. Fey creatures usually tax the questing fighter with pranks and pitfalls, simply for their own amusement; pixies torment the fighter constantly, and brownies lay traps in his path. The following table provides additional examples.

Table 6-2: Trial of the Fey

d10	Sample Quest
1	Steal a lock of hair from the Queen of the Fairies.
2	Negotiate peace between warring treants.
3	Drive a green dragon from the woods.
4	Accompany the elves in search of drow raiders.
5	Find and restore a unicorn’s lost horn.
6	Rescue a man from a siren’s watery lair.
7	Locate all the ingredients for pixie dust.
8	Win the heart of a certain hateful person.
9	Plant a poisonous mushroom in a hag’s cellar.
10	Scout a new settlement for a centaur village.

Note that though many of the creatures mentioned in the examples above are not technically of the fey type, it is of no consequence. Technicalities are not important in this regard, and all that matters are that the creatures and elements involved are commonly seen as linked to the faerie world.

Trial of Legend

Of the three types of quests, the Trial of Legend is most nebulous, and the most difficult to define. While a Trial by Faith is very straightforward (“Sneak into the dark lands of Thul and recover the Knuckle of St. Tristan”), the Trial of Legend is rarely so linear in nature. Instead of receiving an explicit set of instructions, the fighter begins with only a vague notion of his goal. A vision, oracle, or wizard describes a faraway place, always a site of myth and alleged peril, and tells the fighter to go there and seek his fortune.

For instance, an anchorite in the mountains describes to the fighter the legendary lost island of Izikul, where rumor holds that beautiful women tend a garden of living swords. The old hermit vouchsafes nothing more, saying only that the fighter should begin his quest in a nearby fishing village, where a certain sailor claims to have seen the shores of Izikul.

What type of fighter? The Trial of the Arcane requires a fighter who can think on his feet. He must be able to piece together apparently unrelated clues in order to find the location which has been glimpsed to him. Once there, he has to be prepared for anything. Guardians of such places are usually never-before-seen monsters of epic size and cunning. Defeating these creatures demands that the fighter use not only strength, but craftiness as well.

The Greek hero Perseus would have met the same fate as all the other petrified warriors had he not been smart enough to polish his shield to a mirrored shine before facing Medusa.

What type of quest? The working term here is “fabulous.”

The Trial of Legend involves lands only vaguely described, territories either too ancient or too fantastic to be known to the common man. These places are always far removed from civilization, and invariably their denizens test the fighter’s wits as well as his weapons. The fighter doesn’t know the exact goal of his quest until he arrives. Only then does he learn that a giant two-headed serpent holds prisoner the Lady of the Sky, for example. But in order to rescue the Lady, the fighter must figure out how to overcome the serpent, whose scales are said to be impervious to any weapon forged under the sun. Other sample quest can found on the table below.

Table 6-3: Trial of Legend

d10	Sample Quest
1	Tame the water buffalo belonging to Yama, god of death (Indian mythos).
2	Climb Yggdrasil, the World Ash Tree (Norse mythos).
3	Discover the Heart of Nature.
4	Duel the guardian of the Bifrost bridge to the celestial realm (Norse).
5	Plant a tree in the desert of the Serobi Wastes.
6	Swim the whirlpool of Charybdis (Greek mythos).
7	Find out why Mole lives underground (Cherokee mythos).
8	Push a millstone up the side of Mt. Gor.
9	Explore the North Sea, where bodies mysteriously have washed ashore encased in ice.
10	Put a leash on a dog from the Wild Hunt (Celtic mythos).

Fighter Familiar Abilities

Unlike the familiars of many classes, the difference between a fighter’s familiar and a common animal companion is subtle. The fighter’s familiar is still a magical beast, but its nature lends itself only to an uncommon Intelligence, Strength, and tenacity –the overt magical powers of other familiars are not present.

In truth, the only magical power possessed by a fighter’s familiar is the uncanny bond that it shares with its master. In many ways, the fighter’s familiar is far more akin to a druid’s animal companion than to the typical sorcerer or wizard’s familiar. The primary difference is that the fighter’s familiar is far more versatile, far more adaptable to its fighter-master’s personality and fighting style. A fighter’s familiar becomes the ultimate fighting companion, its powers increasing and adapting to complement its master, even as he grows in power and skill.

Table 6-4: Standard Fighter Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Strength Adj.	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	+2	Empathic link, Weapon Specialization (Natural Attack)
3rd-4th	+2	7	+2	Standard familiar ability
5th-6th	+3	8	+3	Combat Dominance
7th-8th	+4	9	+3	Standard familiar ability
9th-10th	+5	10	+4	–
11th-12th	+6	11	+4	Standard familiar Ability, Extra Attack.
13th-14th	+7	12	+5	–
15th-16th	+8	13	+5	Standard familiar ability
17th-18th	+9	14	+6	–
19th-20th	+10	15	+6	Standard familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Strength Adj.: Add this value to the familiar’s Strength score.

Standard Familiar Ability: Select one standard familiar ability from Table 6-7 below.

Table 6-5: Greater Fighter Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Strength Adj.	Special
1st-2nd	+1	7	+2	Empathic link, Weapon Specialization (Natural Attack)
3rd-4th	+2	8	+2	Standard familiar ability
5th-6th	+3	9	+3	Greater familiar Ability, Combat Dominance
7th-8th	+4	10	+4	Standard familiar ability
9th-10th	+5	11	+4	Greater familiar ability
11th-12th	+6	12	+5	Standard familiar Ability, Extra Attack
13th-14th	+7	13	+6	–
15th-16th	+8	14	+6	Standard familiar ability
17th-18th	+9	15	+7	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+10	16	+8	Standard familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Strength Adj.: Add this value to the familiar’s Strength score.

Standard Familiar Ability: Select one standard familiar ability from Table 6-7 below.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one standard or greater familiar ability from Tables 6-7 or 6-8 below.

Table 6-6: Supreme Fighter Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Strength Adj.	Special
1st-2nd	+1	9	+2	Empathic link, Weapon Specialization (Natural Attack)
3rd-4th	+2	10	+2	Standard familiar ability
5th-6th	+3	11	+3	Greater familiar Ability, Combat Dominance
7th-8th	+4	12	+4	Supreme familiar ability
9th-10th	+5	13	+5	Greater familiar ability
11th-12th	+6	14	+6	Standard familiar Ability, Extra Attack
13th-14th	+7	15	+7	–
15th-16th	+8	16	+8	Supreme familiar ability
17th-18th	+9	17	+9	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+10	18	+10	Supreme familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of a familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Strength Adj.: Add this value to the familiar’s Strength score.

Standard Familiar Ability: Select one standard familiar ability from Table 6-7 below.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one standard or greater familiar ability from Tables 6-7 or 6-8 below.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select one standard, greater, or supreme familiar ability from Tables 6-7, 6-8, or 6-9 below.

Table 6-7: Fighter Standard Familiar Abilities

Blood Bond

Cleaving Strike

Dodge

Power Attack

Fast Movement

Fleet of Foot

Natural Armor

In addition to the abilities listed above, the following feats can also be selected1 as standard familiar special abilities for the fighter’s familiar (assuming it meets the requirements):

Charmed Existence

Curtain of Steel

Intimidating Strike

Tripping Blow

1 Feat progressions must still be met if these feats are being selected. These feats apply to the familiar, not the master.

Table 6-8: Fighter Greater Familiar Abilities

Blessed Companion

Enhance Attribute

Courageous Roar

Defensive Roll

Discern Lies

Familiar Rage

Fearful

Guided Strike

Great Leap

Natural Armor, Greater

Opportunist

Uncanny Dodge, Improved

Woodland Stride

Table 6-9: Fighter Supreme Familiar Abilities

Damage Reduction

Familiar Growth

Familiar Rage, Greater

Find the Path

Natural Armor, Supreme

Supreme Leap

Fighter Archetype: The Legacy

Often a fighter looks not for the friendship of a familiar, but for the dependable companionship of a strong weapon in his hand.

A hero’s weapon is a magical, intelligent companion that serves a warrior true. It is, in truth, an extension of the fighter’s very body and soul. For some fighters, this mystical bond between hero and weapon comes in the form of a legacy-a weapon that has performed such great deeds throughout history that it houses the very essence of those who wielded it before. The blade gains a degree of sentience and the ability to communicate with the warrior; the exact details of its personality are for the player and GM to determine. It could be a single persona, the soul of a single great warrior who held the blade in the past, or it could be a unique persona comprised of elements of all those who held the weapon in days past.

The weapon could be a family heirloom, handed down from generation to generation, or it could be a blade that chooses a wielder once in a generation, someone it knows is destined for greatness. The exact details are up to the player and GM to detail, but at third level when the player chooses the Legacy archetype, her character comes into her inheritance.

Hero’s Weapon Properties

At third level, the character comes into possession of a hero’s weapon-or at least, discovers their legacy as the hero destined to wield the powerful artifact. This manifests in one of two ways: the character comes into possession of a new weapon, either by finding it in a treasure trove or having it gifted to them by a mentor or benefactor, or they learn that a weapon they already possessed is awakened and has been awaiting its owner to be ready to receive its gifts.

A hero’s weapon is an intelligent, magical weapon which may be gifted with extraordinary powers. It can be a melee or missile weapon. Its alignment always matches the player’s, and it never actively challenges or resists the hero’s methods or choices, though it will sometimes advise, cajole and otherwise discuss or debate options. It does not speak aloud, but communicates telepathically with the hero in the voices of ages past.

A hero may never have more than one legacy weapon. This weapon is nearly indestructible and cannot be permanently lost. If the character does somehow manage to break or lose their legacy weapon, they suffer the same injuries as a character who loses any familiar, save that they can never again gain a Legacy weapon; the character’s Archetype becomes Champion thereafter.

Ability Scores: A hero’s weapon is an intelligent magic item.

Intelligent items can actually be considered creatures as they have Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. Table 6-10 shows what the hero’s weapon’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores are, which is dependant upon the character level of its master.

Alignment: The alignment of a hero’s weapon always matches the alignment of its master. Anyone of a non-complimentary alignment who attempts to wield the weapon suffers 1d6 points of damage every round that they hold the weapon (no save allowed).

Evoke Power: The master of a hero’s weapon can call upon its power to aid him in times of need. When he does so, the hero’s weapon manifests any and all powers the character has chosen for it (see Hero’s Weapon Power below). The summoned powers last for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s Charisma modifier. A master may prematurely end the hero’s weapon’s manifested powers.

A master can only summon the hero’s weapon’s powers once per encounter. At 3rd level he can use a bonus action to summon the hero’s weapon’s powers once between long rests. At 7th, level, he can summon a power after a short rest. At 15th level, he may spend an Action Surge to summon an additional power between short rests. At eighteenth level, he may evoke weapon powers as a reaction. Activating powers in this way still counts against his maximum usage between rests.

Hero’s Weapon Power: A hero’s weapon has special powers that it can only manifest briefly a certain number of times each day at its master’s command (see Evoke Power above). At 1st level, and every four levels thereafter, the master chooses one power from Table 6-11 below. These powers stack with one another and all are manifested at once each time the master evokes them.

Magic Weapon: A hero’s weapon becomes a +1 magical weapon when he enters this pact at 3rd level. This bonus increases by an additional +1 at 7th, 10th, 15th, and 18th levels.

This magical bonus only functions in the hands of the weapon’s owner; in the hands of anyone else it is simply a normal weapon in all respects, though of exceptional quality.

In addition, when held by the hero it will radiate alteration and enchantment magic to those who can detect such energies, but when not being wielded will not possess a magical aura of any kind.

Telepathic Link: The master has a telepathic link with the hero’s weapon out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The master and the hero’s weapon can communicate telepathically. Note that the hero’s weapon sees the world differently from humans, as it tends to view the world both through its purpose as a weapon and from untold ages of experience and history, so misunderstandings are always possible.

Because of this telepathic link between hero’s weapon and master, the master has the same connection to an item or place that the hero’s weapon does. For instance, if his hero’s weapon has been in a room or other location, the master who somehow gains the ability to do so, could teleport to that locale as if he has seen it too.

Special Abilities: In addition to any powers a hero’s weapon possesses, a hero’s weapon also has access to a number of inherent special abilities as listed on Table 6-11. Hero’s weapons may also possess both standard abilities and greater abilities.

These abilities are listed on Tables 6-12 and 6-13 below.

Hero’s Weapon Powers & Abilities

A hero’s weapon starts with one power, which can be summoned for use a limited number of times between rests. For every four levels beyond 1st that the hero’s weapon’s master has, it has an additional power. A manifested power lasts for two minutes at a time.

The master may choose one power from the following table each time the hero’s weapon is granted a new power. Unless otherwise indicated, a power cannot be chosen more than once.

Table 6-10: Hero’s Weapon Powers

+1 Enhancement	Increase the weapon’s magical enhancement by +1.
Bane	The weapon grants advantage against one specific type of foe, and deals an extra 2d6 damage against that type of foe. This power can be chosen multiple times, each time applying to a different kind of foe.
Defending	Transfer the weapon’s enhancement bonus to AC instead of to hit and damage.
Distance	Double the weapon’s range increment (can only be chosen for ranged weapons).
Flaming	The weapon is wreathed in fire and deals an extra 1d6 fire damage on a successful hit. Ranged weapons confer this aura and damage to their ammunition.
Frost	The weapon glows a pale blue or white, and deals an extra 1d6 cold damage on a successful hit. Ranged weapons confer this aura and damage to their ammunition.
Ghost Touch	The weapon glows a faint green or shimmers and appears translucent. It deals damage normally to incorporeal creatures.
Keen	The weapon deals a critical hit on a natural 19-20.
Merciful	The weapon deals an extra 1d6 damage, but all damage dealt is non-lethal-opponents reduced to zero hit points are rendered unconscious and stable.
Mighty Cleaving	If the wielder fells an opponent, he may take an additional bonus action to attack a second foe within reach. This bonus action is in addition to any other bonus actions or reactions he may have.
Returning	After making a ranged attack, whether successful or not, the weapon immediately returns to the wielder’s hand. Can only be placed on weapons that can be thrown.
Seeking	The weapon homes in on its target, granting advantage on all attacks, even in situations where disadvantage would normally be imposed. This ability can only be applied to ranged weapons.
Shock	The weapon is wreathed in crackling electricity. It deals an extra 1d6 lightning damage on a successful hit. Ranged weapons with this ability transfer this aura to their ammunition.
Throwing	The weapon can be thrown and gains a range increment of 10 ft./50 ft. Weapons that are already capable of being thrown double their range increment. This ability cannot be applied to bows, crossbows, slings, or other “fired” ranged weapons.
Thundering	The weapon begins to visibly vibrate in its wielder’s hands. Upon successfully striking a foe it emits a loud thunderclap, dealing an extra 1d6 sonic damage to the victim. Ranged weapons impart this aura to their ammunition.
Vicious	This weapon imparts advantage on all hits and deals an extra 2d6 points of necrotic damage to a foe on a successful hit. However, the wielder also suffers 1d6 points of damage from necrotic backlash. No save, immunity or resistance is allowed against this backlash damage. This ability can only be added to melee weapons.

A hero’s weapon gains special abilities as indicated on Table 6-10. These abilities must be chosen from the tables below as appropriate. Unlike the powers listed above, these abilities do not require the master to evoke them.

For details on what these abilities do, see the ‘Familiar Special Abilities’ section. The hero may evoke an ability once, after which he must engage in a long rest before evoking a second. At tenth level, the hero requires only a short rest between evoking abilities.

Table 6-11: Hero’s Weapon Standard Abilities

Alertness

Detect Chaos

Detect Evil

Detect Good

Detect Law

Detect Magic

Detect Poison

Endurance

Familiar’s Eye

Familiar’s Flame

Inkling

Know Direction

Speech

Table 6-12: Hero’s Weapon Greater Abilities

Enhance ability (bull’s strength) (affects the master)

Enhance ability (cat’s grace) (affects the master)

Contagion

Darkness

Daylight

Dazing Touch

Detect Scrying

Detect Thoughts

Discern Lies

Fearful

Find Traps

Freedom of Movement (affects the master)

Guided Strike (requires no action on hero’s weapon’s part)

Haste (affects the master)

Resist Energy (affects the master)

Mystical Bond

At third level, the character undergoes a ritual to mystically bond with their Hero’s Weapon. This ritual could be a variation on those listed above, or something entirely unique. This ritual requires one hour to perform in complete solitude. It can be completed during a short rest. The character to be in constant contact with the weapon during this time. Once the ritual is complete, the character gains two benefits: First, she can never be disarmed as long as she is conscious. Second, no matter where in the world the Weapon may be, she can, as a bonus action, instantly teleport it to her hand.

Legacy Strike

At 7th level, the hero can use an Action Surge to gain advantage on her next attack with the weapon. At 10th level, she may reroll any result of “1” on damage dice with her weapon. At 15th level, she may reroll any results of “1” or “2” on damage dice with her weapon. At 18th level she may spend an Action Surge to perform a critical hit with her weapon, automatically dealing maximum possible damage.

Table 6-13: Hero’s Weapon

Master Class Level	Hardness Adj.	Int/Wis/Cha	Special
3rd	+1	9	Evoke power, hero’s weapon power, telepathic link, mystical bond
5th	+2	9	Hero’s weapon standard ability
7th	+3	10	Hero’s weapon power, legacy strike
9th	+4	10	Hero’s weapon standard ability
11th	+5	11	Hero’s weapon ability
13th	6th	11	Hero’s weapon greater ability
15th	+7	13	Hero’s weapon power
17th	+8	13	–
19th	+9	15	Hero’s weapon power
20th	+10	15	Hero’s weapon greater ability

Hardness Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the hero’s weapon’s existing hardness rating. It represents a preternatural resilience of the hero’s weapon.

Int/Wis/Cha: The hero’s weapon’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores.

Hero’s Weapon Standard Ability: Select any one hero’s weapon standard ability (see Table 6-12: Hero’s Weapon Standard Abilities for details on which special abilities are available and an explanation of what each does).

Hero’s Weapon Greater Ability: Select any one hero’s weapon standard or greater ability (see Tables 6-11: Hero’s Weapon Standard Abilities and 6-12: Hero’s Weapon Greater Abilities for details on which special abilities are available and an explanation of what each does).

The Monk Familiar

Monks live in an enlightened state of balance, forever striving for a personal perfection of mind and body. This perpetual pursuit grants them a unique insight into forging, maintaining, and strengthening the symbiotic bond between master and familiar.

Not all monks possess familiars, but those who do view them as an integral part of their training. To a monk, a familiar is more than just a companion –they are often guides or exemplars.

The monk’s familiar is not only seen as an embodiment of those traits which the monk strives for in himself, but also as a mirror –a reflection of the monk’s knowledge and wisdom. As a monk travels further down the path of life, the familiar grows with him, and the monk can see in the familiar not only the marks of his own progress, but also where his remaining weaknesses lie.

In time, monk and familiar become like two sides of the same coin –twin spirits journeying through life.

Summoning Ritual

For a monk, the act of summoning a familiar is usually accomplished through meditation. A variety of meditative rituals have been recorded, but at their core they share a common theme. As the monk harmonizes with the world around him by use of a meditative trance, a sympathetic “vibration” or “calling” is initiated. It is unclear whether this “calling” literally creates the familiar through harmonic permeation, or if the familiar is transformed from its natural state as it is summoned. Whatever the case may be, familiar and monk become linked by a common, natural harmony.

Beyond this common core, the meditative rituals by which monks and familiars become bound vary greatly. In some cases, these rituals are handed down from the founders of the monastic orders. In other cases, monks describe the rituals as “coming to them in a dream” or as “a natural course which must be followed.” Some rituals appear to summon specific types of familiars (as if the monk were attuning his own spirit to the familiar); others appear to summon random familiars (as if the monk were simply sending his spirit to seek its natural match).

The length of the ritual usually depends on the strength of the familiar summoned –summoning a standard familiar requires an hour-long meditative trance. Summoning a greater familiar requires a daylong meditative trance. Summoning a supreme familiar requires a weeklong meditative trance.

Note: All Greater and Supreme familiars have specific character level and alignment prerequisites that must be met in order to be chosen –see Tables 1-5 and 1-6 for more details.

Table 7-1: Standard Monk Familiars

Cat

Crane Dhole**

Dove

Eagle

Hawk

Fennec Fox**

Goblin

Hummingbird

Mongoose (Use stats for Weasel)

Oryx**

Owl

Panda, Red

Peacock

Raccoon

Raven

Snake, Tiny viper

Weasel

Wolf

** See the Non-standard Familiars sidebar below.

Table 7-2: Greater Monk Familiars

Bear, black

Bear, brown

Bear, polar

Blink dog

Cheetah

Giant weasel

Hell hound

Leopard (or Snow Leopard)

Mephit (any)

Panda Snake, constrictor

Snake, Large viper

Tiger

Wyrmling (dragon)(any lawful or true neutral)

** See the Non-standard Familiars sidebar below.

Table 7-3: Supreme Monk Familiars

Dire wolf

Displacer beast

Dragonne Dragon, very young (any lawful or true neutral)

Elemental (air, earth, fire, water)

Elephant

Ethereal filcher

Giant Eagle

Giant Lion

Giant Owl

Giant Poisonous Snake

Giant Scorpion

Giant Tiger

Giant Weasel

Griffon

Oni

Shadow mastiff

Unicorn

Winter wolf

Yeth Hound

** See the Non-standard Familiars sidebar below.

Non-Standard Familiars

The monk has several non-standard familiars:

Dragon, Very Young– This classification is halfway between a wyrmling and an adult.

Oryx– A small horse-like antelope. Use the stats for deer.

Dhole– Also known as a “red dog,” a dhole is a species of wild dog. Use the statistics of a wolf.

Fennec Fox– A desert fox with large ears. Use the statistics of a fox as presented in Appendix A. However, fennec foxes are adapted to desert life –they can go five times as long without water as normal. Masters of a fennec fox gain the extraordinary ability to go twice as long without water (but they do not gain the +3 bonus to Hide checks from having a fox familiar).

Monk Familiar Abilities

The monk’s familiar, like the monk himself, harmonizes with the world around it, allowing it to go where others cannot, and perform prodigious feats that others would find impossible.

Table 7-4: Standard Monk Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Endurance, empathic link, stunning attack, iron body
3rd-4th	+2	7	Fast movement (+10 feet)
5th-6th	+3	8	Speak with master
7th-8th	+4	9	Speak with animals of its kind, fast healing
9th-10th	+5	10	–
11th-12th	+6	11	Blur
13th-14th	+7	12	Trackless step
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	–
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Table 7-5: Greater Monk Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	7	Endurance, empathic link, stunning attack, iron body
3rd-4th	+2	8	Fast movement (+10 feet)
5th-6th	+3	9	Speak with master, greater familiar ability
7th-8th	+4	10	Speak with animals of its kind, iron body
9th-10th	+5	11	Greater familiar ability
11th-12th	+6	12	Blur
13th-14th	+7	13	Trackless step
15th-16th	+8	14	–
17th-18th	+9	15	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+10	16	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar ability from Table 7-7 below.

Table 7-6: Supreme Monk Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	9	Endurance, empathic link, stunning attack, iron body
3rd-4th	+2	10	Fast movement (+10 feet), inkling
5th-6th	+3	11	Speak with master, greater familiar ability
7th-8th	+4	12	Speak with animals of its kind, fast healing
9th-10th	+5	13	Greater familiar ability
11th-12th	+6	14	Blur, supreme familiar ability
13th-14th	+7	15	Trackless Step, greater familiar ability
15th-16th	+8	16	–
17th-18th	+9	17	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+10	18	Supreme familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar ability from Table 7-7 below.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select one greater or standard familiar ability from Tables 7-7 or 7-8 below.

Table 7-7: Monk Greater Familiar Abilities

Animal Trance

Augury

Blessed Companion

Enhance Attribute

Courageous Roar

Darkness

Daylight

Dazing Touch

Death Ward

Deafening Call

Defensive Roll

Detect Thoughts

Discern Lies

Disease Immunity

Encompassing Vision

Endure Elements

Fearful

Freedom of Movement

Guided Strike

Great Leap

Haste

Mystic Disguise

Natural Armor, Greater

Nondetection

Opportunist

Resist Energy

Slow Fall

Sleeping Touch

Sneak Attack

Speak with Dead

Speech

Spider Climb

Time Hop

Uncanny Dodge, Improved

Venom Immunity

Water Breathing

Water Walk

Wholeness of Body

Table 7-8: Monk Supreme Familiar Abilities

Astral Projection

Charm

Companion’s Veil

Confusion

Damage Reduction

Dimension Slip

Divine Health

Ethereal State

Find the Path

Fly

Holy Call

Mind Store

Natural Armor, Supreme

Raise Dead

Supreme Leap

Time Regression

Tongues

Some monks do not choose to summon a traditional familiar to serve as their companion. Instead, these monks choose to open themselves to the spirits of the past –simultaneously reaching deep into the memories of their blood and calling out to the dead souls of their ancestors.

Ancestral Familiar

Beginning at 3rd level when the monk chooses this tradition, they can harness their ki to call upon the spirit of their ancestors for guidance, aid and wisdom. The monk performs a special summoning ritual to call upon an ancestral familiar. If one of his ancestors chooses to answer his call, then it either manifests itself directly as the monk’s familiar, or possesses the body of a nearby animal. (The exact nature of the spirit’s appearance depends on the monk, the ritual, and the ancestor –but see the creatures in Tables 7-1, 7-2, and 7-3 for details concerning exactly which creatures can be chosen to host the ancestral spirit.)

In the form of the monk’s familiar, the ancestral spirit provides a unique source of guidance while protectively watching over its descendant.

Monastic Tradition: The Way of the Ancestral Spirit

Ancestral Familiar Properties

Ancestral familiars generally have the same properties as a traditional familiar, with the following exceptions:

Ability Scores: Ancestral familiars have the same physical abilities as the type of animal they possess or manifest as. However, their mental abilities (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) are identical to the ancestor’s spirit in life. Assuming that a specific ancestor with existing statistics is not summoned, roll 3d6 for the familiar’s Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma as one would do for a traditional Non Player Character.

Skills: Unlike traditional familiars, ancestral familiars cannot interchangeably use their own skills and their master’s skills. Instead, the ancestral familiar maintains its own skills. The ancestral spirit has a number of skill points as if it were a monk of the same level as its master.

Although an ancestral spirit cannot use its skills interchangeably with its master’s, it can still use its skills interchangeably with its animal form. In other words, the ancestral spirit either uses its own skills or the normal skills for an animal of its type, whichever are better.

Special Abilities: By default, ancestral familiars gain ancestral abilities rather than the traditional familiar abilities (as described below). If a monk applies an Empower Familiar Ability to the ancestral familiar (see ‘New Abilities’ section), however, he can choose whether to apply a traditional power as normal or an ancestral ability.

As described above and below, you’ll note that as an ancestral spirit’s master goes up in levels, the ancestral spirit manifests new abilities and skills. There are three ways to interpret this.

The spirit’s ability to manifest powers as a familiar may be increasing, the spirit may be learning new things in its new life, or the spirit’s memories of its previous life are improving. Which interpretation is correct depends on the familiar and the ability, and is ultimately determined by the player or Game Master.

Table 7-9: Standard Monk Familiar (Ancestral)

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
3rd	+1	*	Ancestral spirit, empathic link
4th	+2	*	Standard ancestral ability
5th	+3	*	Speak with master
7th	+4	*	Speak with animals of its kind
9th	+5	*	Standard ancestral ability
11th	6th	*	–
13th	+7	*	–
15th	+8	*	Standard ancestral ability
17th	+9	*	–
19th	+10	*	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Intelligence (*): The intelligence of ancestral familiars is determined by the Ancestral Spirit special ability.

Ancestral Spirit: The ancestral familiar possesses the ancestral familiar properties, as described above.

Standard Ancestral Ability: Select one standard ancestral ability from Table 7-12. These special abilities are described below.

Greater and Supreme Ancestral Familiars

As with all familiars, in order to gain a greater or Supreme ancestral familiar, the monk must take the appropriate Advantage The monk is already considered to have the basic Summon Familiar Advantage for purposes of fulfilling prerequisites.

Table 7-10: Greater Monk Familiar (Ancestral)

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	*	Ancestral spirit, empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	*	Standard ancestral ability
5th-6th	+3	*	Speak with master, greater ancestral ability
7th-8th	+4	*	Speak with animals of its kind
9th-10th	+5	*	Standard ancestral ability
11th-12th	+6	*	Greater ancestral ability
13th-14th	+7	*	–
15th-16th	+8	*	Standard ancestral ability
17th-18th	+9	*	Greater ancestral ability
19th-20th	+10	*	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Intelligence (*): The intelligence of ancestral familiars is determined by the Ancestral Spirit special ability.

Ancestral Spirit: The ancestral familiar possesses the ancestral familiar properties, as described above.

Standard Ancestral Ability: Select one standard ancestral ability from Table 7-12. These special abilities are described below.

Greater Ancestral Ability: Select one greater or standard ancestral ability from Table 7-12 or 7-13. These special abilities are described below.

Table 7-11: Supreme Monk Familiar (Ancestral)

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	*	Ancestral spirit, empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	*	Standard ancestral ability
5th-6th	+3	*	Speak with master, greater ancestral ability
7th-8th	+4	*	Speak with animals of its kind
9th-10th	+5	*	Standard ancestral ability
11th-12th	+6	*	Greater ancestral ability, supreme ancestral ability
13th-14th	+7	*	–
15th-16th	+8	*	Standard ancestral ability
17th-18th	+9	*	Greater ancestral ability
19th-20th	+10	*	Supreme ancestral ability

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the familiar.

Intelligence (*): The intelligence of ancestral familiars is determined by the Ancestral Spirit special ability.

Ancestral Spirit: The ancestral familiar possesses the ancestral familiar properties, as described above.

Standard Ancestral Ability: Select one standard ancestral ability from Table 7-12. These special abilities are described below.

Greater Ancestral Ability: Select one greater or standard ancestral ability from Table 7-12 or 7-13. These special abilities are described below.

Supreme Ancestral Ability: Select one supreme, greater, or standard ancestral ability from Table 7-12, 7-13, or 7-14. These special abilities are described below.

Ancestral Abilities

Ancestral familiars are possessed of a special set of abilities –representing the unique knowledge and protective influence of the ancestor’s spirit over the monk.

Table 7-12: Standard Ancestral Abilities

Alchemist	The ancestral familiar was an alchemist in its previous life. The familiar grants proficiency in the Medicine skill and in the use of Herbalism kits as well as in any Intelligence checks related to alchemy, chemistry or poisons.
Animal Friend	The ancestral familiar possesses a close kinship with animals. The familiar gains proficiency with Animal Handling.
Blood Bond	The familiar gains advantage to all attack, skill and ability checks, and saves if it witnesses its master threatened or harmed. This bonus lasts as long as the threat is immediate and apparent.
Danger Sense	The ancestral familiar watches over and protects its descendant. The familiar’s master gains advantage on saving throws against traps.
Diplomat	The ancestral familiar was a diplomat in its previous life. The familiar grants proficiency in the Persuasion skill. This ability can be selected more than once and the effects stack.
Endurance	The presence of the familiar gives the master pools of hidden strength. While the familiar is within arm’s reach, the master is able to call on the Diehard Feat. This ability can be used once, after which the master must engage in a long rest before using it again.
Healer	The ancestral familiar was a skilled healer in its past life. The familiar gains the ability to use the healing word spell as a firstlevel caster. At 6th, 11th, and 17th levels, the familiar can use this spell as a second, third, or fourth-level slot, respectively. After using this ability, the familiar must engage in a long rest before using it again.
Improved Initiative	The presence of the familiar gives the master a quicker reaction time. While the familiar is within arm’s reach, the master may add their proficiency bonus to their initiative check.
Inkling	The familiar has a sixth sense and often knows whether intended actions are good or bad. The familiar has a 50% chance of knowing whether the results of a particular action will by good or bad. After using this ability, the familiar must engage in a long rest before using it again. The Game Master should roll the check secretly. If successful, the familiar knows whether the action is “Weal” (with good results), “Woe” (with bad results), “Weal and Woe” (a combination of good and bad results), or “Nothing” (no particularly good or bad results). If the check fails, the familiar will receive a “Nothing” result. This ability can only see into the future about half an hour and so the familiar cannot foresee consequences beyond that time limit.
Living History	The ancestral familiar grants proficiency in the History skill due to its singular perspective.
Luck of Providence	The ancestral familiar watches over and protects its descendant. The familiar’s master gains proficiency in one additional saving throw category. This ability may be chosen more than once. Each time it is chosen, the master is proficient in one additional saving throw category. If all six saving throws have proficiency, choosing the ability again has no additional effect.
Performer	The ancestral familiar was a great actor, singer, or dancer in its previous life. The familiar grants proficiency in the Performance skill.
Scout	The ancestral familiar was a scout in its previous life. The master gains proficiency in the Survival skill.
Sorcerer’s Ward	The ancestral familiar was a great sorcerer in its previous life, and its presence awakens the magical potential in its descendant’s blood. When the ancestral familiar and its master are within sight of one another, both gain spell resistance.
Stoic	The ancestral spirit was a master of meditation and selfcontrol. The familiar gains advantage on Wisdom based checks where concentration is required.
Tracker	The ancestral spirit was a master tracker, able to scent even antelope upon the rocky steppes. The familiar gains the ability to track as a ranger of equal hit dice.
Uncanny Dodge	The ancestral familiar watches over and protects its descendant. As long as the ancestral familiar is within sight, the familiar’s master gains the extraordinary ability to react to danger before his senses would normally allow him to do so. The master retains his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) regardless of being surprised or struck by an invisible attacker, and gains proficiency on Dexterity saving throws.
Ward of Harm	The ancestral familiar watches over and protects its descendant. The familiar’s master gains a +2 luck bonus to AC.

Table 7-13: Greater Ancestral Abilities

Actor	The ancestral familiar was an actor of legendary talent. The familiar’s master gains proficiency in the Perform skill.
Advisor	The ancestral familiar was a Machiavellian advisor in its previous life. The familiar gains proficiency in the Insight skill.
Arcanist	The ancestral familiar was a researcher and practitioner of the arcane arts. The familiar gains proficiency in the Arcana skill.
Artisan	The ancestral familiar was a great artisan in its previous life. The familiar gains proficiency in one type of Artisan’s tools.
Augury	The familiar can tell whether a particular action will bring good or bad results for itself or its master in the immediate future. This ability operates as per the spell augury. After using this ability, the familiar must complete a long rest before it can be used again. This ability can be selected a second time. If it is chosen again, the familiar must complete only a short rest between uses.
Blessed Companion	The monk draws strength of spirit from his ancestor. When the familiar and its master are in physical contact, both receive a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls and advantage on saves against fear effects.
Death Ward	The ancestral familiar watches over and protects its descendant. When the familiar and its master are in physical contact, both are immune to all death spells and magical death effects. This ability does not protect against other sorts of attacks, such as hit point loss, poison, petrification, or other harmful effects, even if they might prove lethal.
Deft Movement	The ancestral familiar was a master of physical control and skilled at the art of avoidance. The familiar gains proficiency with the Acrobatics skill.
Improved Aid	When its master and his allies make a group check on a task, the presence of the ancestral familiar increases the effective number of successes by one.
Luck of Providence, Greater	The ancestral familiar watches over and protects its descendant. The familiar’s master gains advantage on any saving throw. This ancestral ability does not stack with Luck of Providence ability (above). After using this ability, the familiar must take a long rest before it can be used again.
Magistrate	The ancestral familiar was a powerful politician or bureaucrat in its previous life. The familiar grants proficiency to any Intelligence or Wisdom checks relating to law and nobility.
Master Diplomat	The ancestral familiar was a diplomat of surpassing skill in its previous life. The familiar gains advantage on Insight checks.
Ninja	The familiar was skilled at stealth in its former life. The familiar gains proficiency on the Stealth skill.
Priest	The ancestral familiar was a priest in its previous life. The familiar gains proficiency in the Religion skill.
Scholar	The familiar was a skilled scholar in its previous life. The familiar gains proficiency on any attempt to decipher an unfamiliar written script and to the investigation skill.
Speech	The familiar gains the ability of speech, knowing whatever languages its master knows.
Spy	The ancestral spirit was a legendary spy. The familiar grants proficiency with the Disguise Kit.
Sorcerer’s Ward, Greater	The ancestral familiar was a great sorcerer in its previous life, and its presence awakens the magical potential in its descendant’s blood. When the ancestral familiar and its master are within sight of one another, both gain spell resistance.
Thief	The ancestral spirit was a rogue or thief. The familiar gains proficiency in the perception skill and thieves’ tools. The Familiar can disarm common and magical traps as a thief equal to the Hit Dice of the familiar. It is assumed to always have thieves’ tools on hand.
Ward of Harm, Greater	The ancestral familiar watches over and protects its descendant. The familiar’s master gains a +4 luck bonus to AC. This ancestral ability does not stack with Ward of Harm ability (above)
Warrior	The familiar was a potent warrior in its previous life. The familiar’s master gains proficiency in all weapons.
Wild Lore	The ancestral familiar spent much of its previous life wandering the paths and learning the hidden ways of the wild. The familiar gains proficiency in the Survival skill.

Table 7-14: Supreme Ancestral Abilities

Companion’s Veil	When the familiar and its master are in physical contact, both are protected from all devices and spells that detect, influence, or read emotions and thoughts. This ability grants advantage on saves against all mind-affecting spells and effects as well as information gathering and divination spells. This ability otherwise functions as per the mind blank spell.
Luck of Providence, Supreme	The ancestral familiar watches over and protects its descendant. The familiar’s master gains proficiency in all saving throws.
Karmic Greatness	The ancestral familiar is a spirit of great power. The familiar gains advantage on all Charisma-based checks and saves.
Keen Intellect	The ancestral familiar had a mind of startling power. The familiar’s intelligence score improves by 4.
Sagacious	The ancestral familiar possessed a vast depth of wisdom. The familiar gains advantage on all Wisdom based checks.
Sorcerer’s Ward, Supreme	The ancestral familiar was a great sorcerer in its previous life, and its presence awakens the magical potential in its descendant’s blood. When the ancestral familiar and its master are within sight of one another, both gain spell resistance and advantage on spell attack rolls.
Ward of Harm Supreme	The ancestral familiar watches over and protects its descendant. The familiar’s master gains a +6 luck bonus to AC. This ancestral ability does not stack with Ward of Harm or Greater Ward of Harm abilities (above).

Paladin Special Mounts & Familiars

The Paladin‘s Familiar

A paladin’s familiar is a holy being and a trusted servant. It is a valuable ally, a potent comrade-in-arms, and a treasured friend. Most paladins adopt familiars in order to give them an edge in combat. Many of the greater and supreme familiars are quite powerful in their own right, though even the smaller, less impressive standard familiars can assist the paladin and her other allies by flanking enemy creatures, distracting them, and the like.

A paladin’s familiar is also able to deliver touch spells and abilities on her behalf, so it may be quite a boon for the party as a whole.

The paladin herself may not be able to break off the fight with the purple worm to heal her dying comrade, but her falcon certainly can. A paladin may also use her familiar for reconnaissance and scouting, as she herself is generally not a very covert individual.

But with all these advantages comes a danger. A paladin’s place is in combat, smashing apart evil creatures, protecting her friends and her cause, and making the world a better place in which to live. Most paladins have little fear for themselves, as they wear strong, often enchanted, armor to ward off blows, and are tough enough to survive those attacks that do pierce their protection.

The same cannot be said for the typical familiar. If a familiar falls, a part of the paladin dies as well, resulting, in game terms, a loss of experience points. Since a paladin does spend much time in combat, the risk is far greater to her familiar than it would be to a sorcerer or wizard. These are concerns that must be considered when deciding whether or not to take on a familiar.

Familiars also provide the paladin with eyes and ears in places she cannot travel, or possess abilities that complement her own.

A familiar is indeed a very helpful tool, though this must be counterbalanced with the danger presented by the possibility that the familiar may be slain. Such a tragic event is sure to leave its mark on the paladin, and she will be a long time recovering.

Summoning Ritual

A paladin summons his familiar by undergoing a holy ritual and taking the Summon Familiar Advantage. The ritual takes time (about four hours) and dedication, as well as incense, holy water, and other such implements (the cost of which is included in the Special Ability descriptions), and prayer. Even paladins who do not worship a particular god must pray for their familiar, just as they pray for their spells. At the end of the ritual, the paladin opens her eyes and her new ally materializes before her.

A paladin can select any non-evil and non-chaotic creature as her familiar (see Tables 1-3, 1-4, and 1-5). Note: All Greater and Supreme familiars have specific character level and alignment prerequisites that must be met in order to be chosen.

Paladin Familiar Abilities

Due to the special bond shared between the familiar and its master, the familiar gains in power just as its master does.

Paladin familiars follow the following progression, depending on their caliber (standard, greater or supreme).

Table 8-1: Standard Paladin Familiar

Paladin Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Empathic link, divine health, detect evil, share saving throws
3rd-4th	+2	7	Divine touch, share spells
5th-6th	+3	8	Speak with master
7th-8th	+4	9	Speak with creatures of its kind
9th-10th	+5	10	–
11th-12th	+6	11	Blood bond
13th-14th	+7	12	Inspire ally
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	–
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the paladin’s familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Table 8-2: Greater Paladin Familiar

Paladin Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+5	7	Empathic link, divine health, detect evil, share saving throws
3rd-4th	+6	8	Divine touch, share spells
5th-6th	+7	9	Speak with master, greater familiar ability
7th-8th	+8	10	Speak with creatures of its kind
9th-10th	+9	11	–
11th-12th	+10	12	Blood bond, greater familiar ability
13th-14th	+11	13	Inspire ally
15th-16th	+12	14	–
17th-18th	+13	15	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+14	16	–

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the paladin’s familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater or standard familiar ability from the Table 8-4 below.

Table 8-3: Supreme Paladin Familiar

Paladin Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+8	9	Empathic link, divine health, detect evil, share saving throws
3rd-4th	+9	10 Divine touch, share spells
5th-6th	+10	11	Speak with master, greater familiar ability
7th-8th	+11	12	Speak with creatures of its kind
9th-10th	+12	13	Greater familiar ability
11th-12th	+13	14	Blood bond, supreme familiar ability
13th-14th	+14	15	Inspire ally, greater familiar ability
15th-16th	+15	16	–
17th-18th	+16	17	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+17	18	Supreme familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the paladin’s familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar ability from the Table 8-4 below.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select one supreme or greater familiar ability from the Tables 8-4 or 8-5 below.

Table 8-4: Paladin Greater Familiar Abilities

Augury

Blessed Companion

Enhance Attribute

Commune with Nature

Daylight

Death Ward

Defensive Roll

Detect Thoughts

Discern Lies

Disease Immunity

Find Steed and The Paladin‘s Mount

The Find Steed spell is separate and distinct from the Paladin/Barbarian’s Steed Advantage. At the GM’s option, when the Paladin gains second level spells at fifth level (or at any time thereafter) she can cast Find Steed, and permanently sacrifice a second level spell slot to in turn gain an enhanced steed of the types detailed here. Permanent sacrifices of higher level spell slots (4th and 5th, respectively) will allow the Paladin to dismiss her current steed while upgrading to a Greater or Supreme mount, as detailed later. In conjunction with the Paladin’s Mount Advantage, this allows another option for the Paladin to gain a specially bonded steed. However, the PC may not have both the Advantage and sacrifice a spell slot-at no time may a Paladin ever have more than a single steed.

Alternate Mounts

Listed below are other possible mounts, suitable for a paladin summoning her first mount. With the Game Master’s permission, any of these creatures can be summoned in place of the standard warhorse or war pony without requiring any special feat, skill, or equipment. In addition, through the use of the Greater Special Mount and Supreme Special Mount Abilities, paladins gain access to an even wider, and more powerful variety of creatures for use as special mounts. Note that all such Greater or Supreme mounts are governed by the alignment and level restrictions listed for that monster or creature under the ‘Associated Character Level’ in the lists of Greater and Supreme familiars.

Table 8-6: Standard Paladin Mounts

Small Paladins Special Mount	Notes
Antelope	–
Deer	–
Dolphin Aquatic characters only Giant sea horse Aquatic characters only
Mastiff*	–
Mule/Donkey*	–
Pony *	–
Porpoise/Dolphin Aquatic characters only
Ram/Goat	–
Medium Paladins Special Mount	Notes
Camel*	–
Elk*	–
Giant Goat*	–
War horse *	–

Table 8-7: Greater Mounts

Small Paladins Special Mount	Notes
Bear, black*	–
Dispel Magic
Encompassing Vision
Guided Strike
Great Leap
Haste
Natural Armor, Greater
Nondetection
Opportunist Recall
Speak with Dead
Speech
Spell Resistance, Greater
Venom Immunity
Wholeness of Body

Table 8-5: Paladin Supreme Familiar Abilities

Banisher

Charm

Companion’s Veil

Damage Reduction

Divine Health

Familiar Growth

Find the Path

Fly

Holy Call

Natural Armor, Supreme

Raise Dead

Spell Resistance, Supreme

Supreme Leap

Tongues

The Paladin Mount

It is not uncommon for knights and holy soldiers of the orders to also be warriors of horse. In the case of the paladin, such a horse may be delivered through the agencies of a deity or other cosmic representatives of the warrior’s Oath, as a divine or infernal companion possessed of special powers and abilities.

Such a mount cannot be called for or received until the paladin has reached 4th level, as many of the goodly gods expect paladins to first literally walk the path of humility.

Typically, the mount is a warhorse or war pony, but there is no reason that a paladin must be limited to these options. As described below, a paladin may be able to summon alternative mounts, or grant new powers and abilities to their existing mount.

There is also no reason why a paladin cannot have both a mount and familiar. For details on a paladin’s familiar, see ‘The Paladin’s Familiar’ section.

Giant eagle*

Giant owl*

Flight

Griffin*

Flight

Hippogriff*

Flight

Paladin’s Special Mount Properties And Special Abilities

Once per day, as a full-round action, a paladin with the Summon Mount advantage or the Oath of the Wild may magically call her mount from the celestial plane upon which it resides. The mount immediately appears adjacent to the paladin and remains for 2 hours per paladin level; it may be dismissed at any time as a free action. The mount is the same creature each time it is summoned, though the paladin may release a particular mount from service (if it has grown too old to continue her crusade, for instance). Each time the mount is called, it appears in full health, regardless of any damage it may have taken previously.

The mount also appears wearing any gear it had when it was last dismissed (including barding, saddle, saddlebags, and the like).

Calling a mount is a conjuration (calling) effect.

Should the paladin’s mount die, it immediately disappears, leaving behind any equipment it was carrying. The paladin may not summon another mount for thirty days or until she gains a paladin level or adds either the Greater Special Mount or Supreme Special Mount Special Ability (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details), even if the mount is somehow returned from the dead. During this thirty-day period, the paladin takes a -1 penalty on attack and weapon damage rolls.

A paladin’s mount uses the base statistics for a creature of its type, but gains the abilities shown on the table below. A paladin’s mount is treated as a magical beast, regardless of the base creature’s original type, for the purposes of all effects that depend on its type (though it retains the base creature’s HD, base attack bonus, saves, skill points, and feats.)

Paladin Level: The level of the paladin. If the mount suffers a level drain, treat it as the mount of a lower-level paladin.

Bonus HD: Extra Hit Dice; every three Extra Hit Dice improve the mount’s proficiency bonus by +1.

Divine Aura: The mount emanates a continuous divine aura of faith which grants it a +2 bonus to armor class and +2 bonus to saves vs. evil, conjured, or summoned creatures.

Natural Armor Adj..: The number on the table is an improvement to the mount’s existing natural armor class. It represents the preternatural toughness of a paladin’s mount.

Int: The mount’s Intelligence score (if higher than the mount’s natural Intelligence score).

Improved Speed: The paladin’s mount moves 10 ft. faster than the base speed of a normal creature of its type.

Giant badger	–
Giant eagle	Flight
Giant wasp*	Flight/Poison
Medium Paladins Special Mount	Notes
Bear, brown*	–
Bear, polar*	–
Caribou	–
Dire bat*	Flight
Hippogriff*	Flight
Lion*	–
Manta ray	Aquatic characters only
Saber-Toothed Tiger*	–
Tiger*	–
Large Paladins Special Mount	Notes
Dinosaur	–
Giraffe	–
Owl

Table 8-8: Supreme Mounts

Small Paladins Special Mount	Notes
Blink dog*	Rider travels with blink/dimension door
Dragon, very young*	Flight
Medium Paladins Special Mount	Notes
Arrowhawk, adult*	Flight
Dire bear*	–
Dire lion*	–
Dire tiger*	–
Dragonne*	Flight
Dragon, very young*	Flight
Giant eagle*	Flight
Giant owl*	Flight
Griffin*	Flight
Hippogriff*	Flight
Owlbear*	–
Rhinoceros*	–
Large Paladins Special Mount	Notes
Arrowhawk, elder*	Flight
Elephant*	–
Roc*	–
Whale, Killer*	Aquatic
Dragon, very young*	Flight

available uses. The mount may use this ability once per two levels of its master, after which it must complete a short or long rest before using it again. Each target may attempt a Wisdom save against the master’s spell save DC to negate the effect.

A standard mount can use its command ability against any animal of its species or related species. (For a warhorse or war pony, for example, this includes donkeys, mules, and similar creatures.)

A greater mount can use its command ability against its own kind and any creature with the beast type.

A supreme mount can use its command ability against any creature.

Spell Resistance: all mounts possess spell resistance, granting advantage on all saving throws against magic.

Other Special Abilities: The various tables below list several other special abilities that paladin special mounts acquire as they grow in power. For details on what these special abilities can do, see the ‘Special Ability’ section.

Table 8-9: Standard Paladin’s Special Mount

Paladin Level	Bonus HD	Natural Armor Adj.	Strength Adj.	Int	Special Abilities
4th-7th	+2	+4	+1	6	Divine Aura, Empathic link, share saving throws
8th-10th	+4	+6	+2	7	Improved speed
11th-14th	+6	+8	+3	8	Command animals of its kind
15th-20th	+8	+10	+4	9	Spell resistance (Master’s Level)

Table 8-10: Greater Paladin’s Special Mount

Paladin Level	Bonus HD	Natural Armor Adj.	Strength Adj.	Int	Special Abilities
8th-10th	+2	+4	+1	8	Empathic link, share saving throws, Divine Aura
11th-12th	+4	+6	+2	9	Improved speed, special mount ability, Aura of Courage
13th-14th	+6	+8	+3	10	Command animals of its kind
15th-16th	+8	+10	+4	11	Spell resistance (Master’s Level)
17th-20th	+10	+12	+5	12	Special mount ability

Aura of Courage: A Greater paladin’s mount emanates an aura of courage which grants the allies of the paladin advantage on saves vs. fear when they are within 10 ft. of the mount.

Table 8-11: Supreme Paladin’s Special Mount

Paladin Level	Bonus HD	Natural Armor Adj.	Strength Adj.	Int	Special Abilities
4th-7th	+4	+6	+1	10	Empathic Link, Share saving throws, Divine Aura
8th-10th	+6	+8	+2	11	Improved speed, Special mount ability, Aura of Courage
11th-13th	+8	+10	+3	12	Command animals of its kind, special mount ability, Divine Smite
14th-16th	+10	+12	+4	13	Spell resistance (Master’s Level), special mount ability
17th-20th	+12	+14	+5	14	Special mount ability

Divine Smite: The mount may call upon its master’s Divine Smite ability. This ability counts against the master’s spell slots to use.

Empathic Link: The paladin and her mount have an empathic link out to a distance of one mile. The paladin cannot see through the mount’s eyes, but she can communicate empathically. Even intelligent mounts see the world differently from humans, so misunderstandings are always possible. This is a supernatural ability.

Because of the empathic link between the mount and paladin, the paladin has the same connection to an item or place that the mount does, just as a master and his familiar.

Share Saving Throws: The mount uses its own base save or its master’s, whichever is higher.

Mount Ability: Select any one mount ability (see table).

Command: A mount has the ability to command other normal animals of approximately the same kind as itself, as long as the target creature has fewer Hit Dice than the mount. This ability functions like the command spell, but the mount must make a successful DC 15 Wisdom check to succeed if it’s being ridden at the time (in combat, for instance). If the check fails, the ability does not work that time, but it still counts as one of the mount’s ???

Mounts & Familiars By Race

A member of just about any race can become a paladin, and each has its own innate preferences for familiars and mounts.

The following suggestions can serve as archetypal guidelines, but should not be considered binding rules –any paladin can select any mount (with their Game Master’s approval, of course):

Dwarf

Dwarven paladins tend to be few and far between. The race does tend to lend itself to the same ideals upheld by paladins, however, as both revere goodness and lawfulness. Dwarven paladins are likely to be concerned more with their own people than are many other paladins, as the dwarven people have a history of a long, slow decline and there are many dwarves who would see their race thrive again. Dwarven paladins are often protectors and defenders of the dwarven people, battling foul creatures and defending the borders for their fellow dwarves.

Dwarven familiars are often those born of the earth, or that live within it. These are the creatures with which dwarves have the most contact, and dwarves tend to be distrustful of other creatures. Beings with the ability to burrow or otherwise carve passages in the earth make for popular familiars.

Dwarves generally like a to have solid ground beneath their feet, so many dwarven paladins may choose to take up a familiar in lieu of a mount (see ‘The Paladin’s Familiar’ section). Those who do accept a mount prefer those that are just as steadfast and determined as they are themselves, especially those able to traverse long distances over rocky terrain. The mount must also be willing to venture into caves and other dark places beneath the earth, as that is where dwarves feel most comfortable. No dwarf worthy of his name would be caught dead riding an airborne mount, unless perhaps his mission was vitally important and there were no other way.

Elf

Elven paladins are rare, as their carefree nature does not lend itself to the strict code that a paladin must follow. Those elven paladins that exist, however, are some of the finest swordsmen and archers known to the civilized races. The elves’ disdain for evil creatures is well known, and it should be no surprise that a dedicated, enterprising few do don the mantle of the paladin and strike out into the world to drive their blades deep into the heart of wickedness, often adopting the doctrine of the crusader (see the ‘Mounts by Doctrine’ section).

As elves are famous for their skill with the bow, many elven paladins take this up as their favored weapon, becoming non-traditional archer-knights. These warriors may fire arrows from the back of their mount with no penalty.

Elves revere the woodlands, and this is where they draw most of their familiars from. Elves prefer creatures with a natural, aesthetic beauty, with beautiful shapes that please the elven eye and beautiful songs that please the elven ear. Elves admire the freedom and bliss of flight and have a special fondness for birds.

Forest dwelling creatures by far make up the majority of elven familiars. Elves have also always enjoyed a special friendship with the metallic dragon races.

The same is true of an elf’s mount, and an elf’s love for freedom often leads her to aerial mounts, particularly griffons. Elven nations exist wherein dwell an elite cadre of airborne knights (sometimes called “Wind Riders”) that inspire terror in their enemies and courage in their allies. An elven paladin may be a (former) member of one of these companies. Many elven paladins also prefer the sleek elven warhorse.

Gnome

Gnomish society places great value on the community and the support that gnomes are taught to provide for one another.

Gnomish paladins often take this sentiment one step further, showing the same watchful protectiveness over the world as a whole as they do over their families and clans. Gnomish paladins are often much more playful and less austere than paladins of other races, which inspires mixed feelings in the general populace and often mild disdain from their fellow paladins of other races. Gnomes are especially adept at combating kobolds, goblinoids, and giants, and gnomish paladins may seek these creatures out in particular. In this way, not only do they slay evil creatures and protect the world at large, they also venerate their gnomish ancestry and their clans by destroying beings that gnomes find particularly repulsive.

Gnomes love animals, and therefore almost always adopt familiars that are natural animals (as opposed to beasts, vermin, etc.). Gnomes have a special affinity to burrowing mammals, and these make for very appropriate familiars –especially as the gnome is able to magically speak with them. But gnomes adore all animals, and so anything from a badger to a barracuda may be found serving a gnomish master.

The mounts of gnomish paladins tend to be animals as well, though a few earth-going, more unusual creatures are also popular. As gnomes are Small, they suffer penalties if riding creatures larger than Medium-size, and so tend to shy away from the larger animals. Gnomes are particularly fond of ponies and riding dogs, though, again, just about any animal is possible.

Half-Elf

Next to humans, half-elves are the most likely candidates for paladinhood. They have the drive and dedication of humans and the love of freedom and individuality of elves. This combination can lead some to the path of the paladin, attempting to stamp out evil so that all may live their lives in freedom.

Half-elves tend to have a love for the forest, just as their elven forebears do, though, like humans, they vary widely in their particular likes and dislikes.

The joy of flying is as keen to a half-elf’s senses as it is to an elf’s.

However, due to their human ancestry, they are more likely to take an unorthodox mount with which to patrol the skies.

Unusual flying creatures such as giant insects can be found more among the ranks of half-elf paladins than any other.

Half-Orc

Only the most exceptional of half-orcs take up the title of paladin. Half-orcs are distrusted, crude, and have a tendency toward chaos, all qualities which match poorly with the paladin’s creed. But, nevertheless, there are those rare few who do become paladins, perhaps in some strange desire to vindicate and absolve themselves of their savage ancestry. To this end, half-orc paladins may feel as if they have to closely match the stereotype in order to prove themselves, and their choices of mounts and familiars reflect this. Other half-orc paladins, however, combine their strength and their savage heritage with their drive to destroy evil, and so take on more bestial mounts and familiars.

Those half-orcs who are trying to fit in with human society tend to take familiars that emphasize nobility. Other half-orcs want familiars that are much like they are –tough, strong, grizzled, and fear-inspiring. Half-orcs take pride in familiars that are just as potent in combat as they are themselves.

Many half-orc paladins take the traditional warhorse as a mount, in order to emphasize their noble goals. Others throw subtlety to the winds, adopting more esoteric and fearsome creatures which are able to rend and destroy their foes.

Halfling

The halfling who has the ability to temper impulsivity with caution, and opportunism with empathy is rare indeed, and thus halfling paladins are similarly uncommon. Halfling religion places great emphasis on protection, and, like dwarves and gnomes, halfling paladins are often those who take this doctrine one step further. Such individuals may feel that their less-enlightened fellow halflings are below them, or they may tolerate their capricious nature with tolerant good humor.

As halflings mingle freely with all races, their choice of familiar tends to be very open, much like those of humans and halfelves.

Halflings may prefer small creatures that they can share a certain kinship with, or they may opt for larger creatures that could potentially conceal their own small forms. Halflings have no general preference for one familiar or another.

As small humanoids, halflings receive penalties for riding creatures larger then Medium-size, so very few do. However, some halflings take it upon themselves to become expert riders, and as such, can be found atop almost anything. As with their familiars, halflings generally have no set preference for one type of mount over another.

Humans

Humans are the most apt of all the races to become paladins, and are the most diverse of all the races. Humans are much more likely to break the norms than are other races, more likely to go their own way and do things the way they would like to see them done. Humans make the most unpredictable paladins of all. It is whispered by some that they are also the most likely to fall from grace, and certainly, fallen paladin blackguards seem to lean toward humanity.

As humans are more likely to break the mold than any other races, and have wildly differing views as well as likes and dislikes, humans have no overall preference when it comes to familiars. Their views on mounts are much the same as they are on familiars –unpredictable. Because individual humans have such a wide range of preferences and ideals, no one mount is favored over another, with the exception of the warhorse. Many humans do prefer the traditional warhorse (or gracken, in some lands), though it is just as likely that a given human paladin will be riding a very unorthodox mount into battle.

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Table 8-12: Special Mount Abilities

Animal Trance

Blessed Companion

Blood Bond

Blur

Enhance Attribute

Chameleon

Commune with Nature

Control Light (brighten)

Danger Sense

Darkvision

Daylight

Death Ward

Detect Chaos

Detect Evil

Detect Magic

Distracting

Encompassing Vision

Endurance

Familiar’s Eye

Familiar’s Flame

Freedom of Movement

Great Leap

Healing Touch

Improved Initiative

Inkling

Know Direction

Low-Light Vision

Nondetection

Recall

Speak with Animals of Its Kind

Speak with Master

Speech

Tongues

Trackless Step

Uncanny Dodge

Oath of the Crusader

The crusader takes the fight to the enemy. She is the one delving into dark chasms, raiding vile temples, and crushing the forces of evil wherever they may be found. Often, she does not become a hero of any particular land, as she moves around too much for the people of any one kingdom to recognize her. The crusader is the mythical warrior mentioned in ancient sagas, riding alone to the very stronghold of the enemy and casting down their vile idols.

Many adventurers fall into this category. The lone knight who rides to do battle in far-off kingdoms, the proud warrior who leads a small band to glory, and the armored figure who actively searches out and crushes the evil creatures of the world are all crusaders.

The crusader takes familiars that serve as brothers-in-arms.

They must be strong enough to tackle the enemies the crusader faces and tough enough to survive in the inhospitable locales through which she must travel. Such familiars are outfitted with special abilities that further boost their combat and survival potential. Alternately, if the crusader works alone, she may accept a familiar that serves some role that she cannot fill, such as scouting or magical prowess. Such familiars would similarly be empowered by additional abilities that capitalize on their already existing capacity. Crusaders skilled in mounted combat often take a familiar that can double as a mount, in case their special paladin mount is incapacitated or slain.

A crusader’s special mount is much the same. It too serves as a combatant against the forces of evil, crushing them beneath its hooves, rending them apart with its claws, or snapping them in its jaws. Most importantly, the mount must be steadfast and strong, able to survive terrible blows and shrug off evil spells, for nothing is worse to a charging paladin than having a mount drop dead out from under her.

Tenets of the Crusader

Seek The Enemy: Crusaders never wait for trouble to find them-they are always on the lookout for their next cause.

Bravery: A crusader never hesitates to act in favor of their cause. They fear neither death nor failure.

Be The Example: Crusaders lead from the front, never giving orders that they are unwilling to follow.

Noble Sacrifice: If the cause hangs in the balance, the crusader will always be the first to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

Difficult Choices: Individuals are never as important as the cause, and the crusader knows she must make difficult choices, always putting the greater good first.

Table 8-13: Oath of the Crusader Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	Protection from evil and good, Thunderwave
5th	Locate Object, Magic Weapon
9th	Dispel Magic, Remove Curse
13th	Banishment, Hold Monster
17th	Geas, Legend Lore

Mounts By Oath

A paladin’s Oath is her reason for doing what she does.

This Oath guides her actions and determines her choice of companions, including familiars and mounts. The doctrines given below represent archetypal paladin creeds that almost every paladin follows to some extent.

You may look at your existing paladin and decide that she falls into the “crusader” category, and pick a familiar to match. You may decide to create a new paladin of the “celestial agent” variety, and steer her path toward that doctrine from her very inception.

Or, you may ignore the Oath-based suggestions entirely and choose familiars and mounts based entirely on race, on your own preferences, or on your paladin’s individual likes and dislikes.

New Paladin Oaths

The last of these oaths, the Oath of Celestial Agency, allows the Paladin to gain access to a special kind of familiar, a Spirit Weapon that acts as a conduit between the paladin and her special divine patron.

In addition to aiding the defender in combat, special mounts serve the very important function of quickly getting the defender to where she needs to go. If a humanoid army suddenly invades on the other edge of the kingdom, the defender must be there to fight the battles and rally the troops. Aerial mounts are particularly appropriate for the defender, as paladins on the wing can get to places that their land-bound brethren cannot.

Tenets of the Defender

Protect The Weak: The defender will always stand up for those weaker than her, or who she sees being victimized. This applies equally to a child being bullied in the street as it does to an abused slave in the fields, a subject being mistreated by a nobleman, or a customer being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous merchant.

Noble Self-Sacrifice: The defender knows that self-sacrifice is necessary to protect others. She will never hesitate to take a blow meant for another, or offer to put herself in another’s place if it will spare suffering.

Lend Aid And Succor: The defender seeks to protect people from their misfortunes as well as from the sleights of others. She will always stop to lend aid and help where it is needed, from helping a just rebellion to nursing the sick in a plague village.

Inspire Others: The defender believes that while one person can change the world, more help is always better. She will seek to spread her values far and wide at every opportunity and inspire others to take up the stance for righteousness.

Table 8-14: Oath of the Defender Spells

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	Protection from Good and Evil, Mage Armor
5th	Aid, Lesser Restoration
9th	Beacon of Hope, Remove Curse
13th	Death Ward, Freedom of Movement
17th	Dispel Evil and Good, Hallow

Channel Divinity

When you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two uses of Channel Divinity.

Defend The Weak: As a bonus action you can use your Channel Divinity to increase one physical attribute as though you were the recipient of an Enhance Ability spell. However, you may only use this ability when someone who is weaker than you is in immediate physical danger. The GM is the final arbiter of whether this ability can be used.

Armor of Faith: As an action, you can present your holy symbol or other representation of your devotion and call upon your Channel Divinity ability to grant +2 to the Armor Class of all allied creatures within a 10 ft. radius for 1 minute. You must maintain concentration to sustain this ability once it is called upon.

Channel Divinity

When you take this Oath at 3rd Level, you gain two additional Channel Divinity Options.

Instill Fear: You may call upon a single use of your Channel Divinity to instill fear in a single opponent. This opponent must make a Charisma-based saving throw at your Spell Save DC, or be Frightened for 1d4 minutes.

Mark Foe: By presenting a symbol of your devotion and calling out a foe, you can call upon a use of your Channel Divinity to mark that foe. Until the foe is defeated or you choose to remove the mark, both you and that foe have Advantage on attack rolls against one another.

Crusader’s Aura

Beginning at 7th level, so long as you are conscious, neither you nor any allies within ten feet of you are subject to the Stunned condition.

At 18th level, this range increases to 30 feet.

Righteous Fury

Beginning at 18th level, you have advantage on all saving throws against magical effects, and you add both your Dexterity and Charisma modifiers to your AC, regardless of what kind of armor you are wearing.

Unstoppable Force

At 20th level, you gain the Diehard Feat.

Oath of the Defender

The defender is the resplendent knight in shining armor riding across the kingdom, protecting the land from all comers.

Sometimes the defender serves a particular liege lord, such as a baron or king, fighting in his lord’s wars and rooting out evil within the halls of his lord’s castle. The defender may be a noble warrior, beloved by the common people, or she may be a pompous, sneering knight, welcome at court because of her fighting prowess but viewed with ambivalence by the peasants.

Whatever the case, the defender serves to protect a cause other than her own. Her expeditions tend to keep her within certain boundaries, though she may venture farther afield if this benefits her greater purpose. The hero who rides out to single-handedly confront the rampaging red dragon, the champion who metes out the king’s trial-by-combat, and the sheriff patrolling the town’s borders are all defenders.

The familiars of defenders serve much the same purpose as those of the crusader –aiding her in combat and weathering deadly physical and magical attacks. In some cases, a very powerful defender’s familiar may go on its own to a place the defender is not, to fight on its master’s behalf. In a way, this allows the defender to be two places at once, if such a tactic is desired.

Defenders also often take up the symbol of their country or lord as a familiar –for example, a falcon or boar.

Healing Before Battle: Though capable combatants, healers seek to remove curses, cure wounds and negate poisons before they engage in combat. They see this as their primary duty in life.

Heal The Spirit: Healers believe that the spirit is as important as the body, and seek to lift the spirit of others through calming and inspiring words or even song, story and poetry.

Courage Against Darkness: Healers see themselves as spreading light across an increasingly dark land, and they will never back down from a challenge where others may be injured.

Channel DivinityWhen you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity options.Ray of Healing: You can use your channel divinity to use your Lay on Hands ability on any creature within 10 feet. You need not touch the creature, but they must be within line of sight.Healing Smite: When you hit a creature using your Divine Smite ability, you may as a bonus action use Channel Divinity to touch another creature within 5 feet and transfer the damage you dealt to your opponent as healing energy to the creature touched. Thus, if you Divine Smite an enemy with a longsword, which deals your weapon damage of 1d8 plus 2d8 radiant damage (for a first level spell slot), the enemy takes 3d8 damage, and your touched ally heals the same amount.Aura of HealthBeginning at 7th level, you exude an aura of health that wards friendly creatures against toxins and illnesses. All allies within 10 feet of you gain resistance against poison and disease.At 18th level, the range of this aura increases to 30 feet.Heal The SpiritBeginning at 15th level, you are able to inspire others through calming words. This ability works exactly as the BardicInspiration ability, except that the target gains 1d10 as theirInspiration die, and the die type never increases.Divine HealerBeginning at 20th level, whenever your allies spend Hit Dice to regain hit points during a short rest, you can use your healing aura to allow them to gain double the number rolled. Once you use this ability, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.Aura of DefenseStarting at 7th level, you can choose to impose disadvantage on hostile creatures when they choose to attack another creature within 10 feet of you, instead of attacking you. Those marked by this ability will instinctively know they have been marked this way, and be driven to attack you instead of other creatures. You may add your Charisma bonus to your AC against attacks from marked creatures.At 18th level, this radius increases to 30 ft..Purity of SpritBeginning at 15th level, you are always under the effects of a protection from evil and good spell.Hallowed GroundAt 20th level, as an action, you can declare an area within a 30 foot radius centered on you as affected by the Hallow spell. In addition, all creatures hostile to you who begin or end a turn within this radius suffer 10 points of radiant damage. This effect lasts for one minute, after which you can’t use this feature again until you complete a long rest.Oath of HealingThough clerics may be better suited to this role, there are those paladins who take it upon themselves to heal the wounded and cure the sick, to erase curses and ease the passing into death.These individuals travel across the lands, to wherever there is a malady for them to cure, to wherever there are wounded to tend.Such expeditions often put them in harm’s way, as they must travel across hostile territory or remain close to the front lines in great wars. With their combat prowess and immunity to disease, paladins are perhaps best suited to this role. Some healers actively journey to seek out and destroy creatures that cause disease, such as mummies and lycanthropes. The military medic, the tough, sword-wielding medicine man, and the world-traveling soldier with a gentle heart and healing touch, are all healers.Healers often take small, agile, quick familiars in order to deliver their touch spells and abilities to the afflicted. Healers also often take familiars that possess healing abilities of their own, to supplement the healer’s own potential. Familiars who have the capacity to defend their master while she tends to the fallen are also strong possibilities.Like defenders, healers often have to travel long distances through less-than-amicable territory. Thus, special mounts that can fly or move very quickly are popular choices among healers. A healer’s mount sometimes moves among the battlefield, taking up the wounded and bringing them back to its master for treatment.Tenets of HealingLend Aid And Succor: Even more so than the Defender, healers have a primary duty and goal to help those who are sick or suffering from diseases, injury or any other kind of ailment.This drive informs every action they take.Oath of CommandPerhaps no other class has the force of presence and affability that best characterizes paladins. A paladin is the sort of person that other people like to follow. Others are drawn to the paladin almost inexplicably, desiring to serve her and lend their aid in the campaign against evil. The commander takes this to its highest level, gathering and leading armies, organizing sieges and defenses, and bolstering confidence as she rides amongst the troops. The peasant hero leading the massive revolt against the corrupt government, the king’s general organizing tactics and battle plans, and the adventurer conglomerating her forces for a mighty strike at the subterranean drow cities are all commanders.Commanders often choose small, swift, winged familiars to carry messages across the battlefield. As much as she would like to, the commander cannot be everywhere at once, supervising every preparation and defense. Familiars are faster and more reliable than runners, and can, like the commander herself, inspire courage and hope in those who see them. If the commander serves a higher power, such as a baron or king, she may adopt her lord’s symbolic creature as her familiar.Commanders often adopt the traditional warhorse as their special mounts, because they lead their men into battle, and a warhorse holds easy formation within a unit of cavalry. Commanders sometimes use their mounts in the same way they use their familiars, and therefore take swift, aerial mounts with the ability to deliver messages and their own personage wherever it is needed.Tenets of CommandLead By Example: Effective commanders and leaders never remain in the rear, but are among their troops, inspiring their subordinates with actions as well as words.No Job Too Small: A leader will never ask a subordinate to complete a task that they would not themselves be seen doing.No Man Left Behind: While a leader may order a strategic retreat, he will always the be last one to quit the field of battle, making sure his forces are away safely first.Channel DivinityWhen you take this oath at 3rd level, you gain the following two Channel Divinity Options.Combat Inspiration: Your rallying cries can inspire your fellows in combat. As a bonus action, you can call upon a use of your Channel Divinity to issue a rousing speech, battle cry or other inspiring words that grant Inspiration to one ally. If thisInspiration is not used by the end of the current battle, it goes away.Demoralize Foes: Your jibes, threats and posturing are the bane of your foes, intimidating them into submission. As a reaction, you may use your Channel Divinity to call upon a foe to surrender or give in, or simply insult, harass or intimidate them. That foe has Disadvantage on their next attack roll or ability check.Aura of ConfidenceBeginning at 7th level, all allies within 10feet of you are affected as though you had cast the Aid spell using a 2nd level spell slot. This increases their current hit points and hit point maximum by 5.At 18th level, you can choose to increase the range of this aura to 30 ft., or to increase its power so that your allies within 10 ft. see their current hit points and hit point maximum increased by 15.Battlefield DominanceAt 20th level, you are a figure of legendary renown on the battlefield, whose mere presence causes enemies to quake in their boots and inspires allies to great heights of glory. For one minute, you gain the following benefits: Whenever you cast a Paladin spell, you may make an immediate weapon attack as a bonus action.All of your foes within 10 feet have disadvantage on saving throws against your Paladin spells and abilities.You may call upon one of your Channel Divinity class features without expending a use of Channel Divinity.Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.Oath of Celestial AgencyLike the defender and the champion, the celestial agent serves another power –but this power is of the highest caliber, the paragon of goodness and righteousness, a power that has an influence and vision that is so far-reaching that few mortals can even hope to comprehend it. The celestial agent serves the very angels themselves –the celestials who dwell in their far-off planes and look upon mortals with a strange mixture of benevolence and wrath. The celestial agent goes where they will her to go, does what they will her to do. Even if she sometimes does not understand why or what she does, she has faith that the celestials are pointing her in the right direction. She is the hand of the divine in places they cannot or will not go; she brings their glory into the lightless places of the world. In return, their glory is her own.The celestial agent has the potential to become a very powerful mortal –perhaps even more powerful than the celestials themselves, though what exactly this means for her creed is unknown. In return for her aid and loyalty, some of the lesser celestials serve her as familiars, providing a definite symbol that the forces of good are indeed behind her.Spirit FamiliarsNo matter their individual variation, all paladins are part of a grand crusade, attempting to thwart tyranny and smash evil, no matter what guise it may don or where it may be hiding. Because there are many others who would like to see these lofty goals realized, paladins generally have a lot of help in their travels.This may be from vigilant townsfolk who want to start their own militia, poor farmers who provide the paladin with food and a place to stay for a night, other warriors and mages who actively join her growing army, or mystical creatures that answer her call and join her as eternal allies. In fact, the paladin can even garner help from those who have passed before.A special type of familiar available only to paladins is the spirit familiar. These beings occupy no physical realm, dwelling on the astral or ethereal planes. They are the souls of those who have gone before, the essence of the dead. A paladin with sufficient will and devotion can catch the attention of one of these spirits and draw it to her. The spirit must be bound in a physical receptacle or it will be unable to linger. Therefore, the paladin must have the appropriate object ready when the ritual is complete. The spirit is then tied to the paladin, as surely as any familiar, and serves willingly and readily.Paladins are martial characters, and the spirits that come to them and the receptacles these spirits occupy reflect this. A spirit may be tied to a weapon or a piece of armor, and grants special abilities to the item so imbued. A particularly powerful paladin can even use her own body as the receptacle, and the spirit rushes into her very veins, from which its power emanates out in an aura, affecting all close by. There are therefore three broad classes of spirit familiar –weapon, armor/shield, and aura. A paladin can have any number of spirit familiars, though in the case of weapon and armor spirits, each must occupy a different piece of equipment.Summoning A SpiritA paladin who desires a spirit familiar must take the Oath of Celestial Agency at third level. No other paladin may access this form of familiar; familiars summoned by paladins who take the Summon Familiar advantages gain normal (though still magically-powered) familiars. It should be noted that Celestial Agents may also take the Summon Familiar or Summon Mount advantages to receive a special mount or standard familiar in addition to their spirit familiar. This is an exception to the rule forbidding characters from having more than one familiar at a time.Spirit Familiar PropertiesThere are seven types of spirit familiars –standard, greater, and supreme versions of the weapon and armor spirits, and the aura spirit, which is always supreme. As the paladin gains in power, so too does the spirit familiar. If the weapon or piece of armor housing the spirit familiar is broken, the spirit is loosed and unwillingly drawn away from its master. This results in all the normal rules for the death of a familiar, including XP loss and time required before another familiar can be summoned.The same is also true of special mounts. The celestial agent has angelic allies, and these can serve her as mounts as well as familiars. Evil creatures tremble when the celestial agent thunders among them, archons at her side, and a saintly beast beneath her.The mount of a celestial agent is often a fearsome opponent in combat as well, supplementing its master’s own fighting prowess.Tenets of Celestial AgencyThe Will of the Gods: The first order for any celestial agent is to abide by the letter of his patron’s divine will and tenets.The Voice of the Gods: The celestial agent acts as the mouthpiece for his divine patron in the world of mortals. His every word and deed is informed by his understanding of his deity.The Arm of the Gods: The celestial agent embodies the ideals for which his patron fights. He is willing to die-and killfor those noble morals, values and ideals.Spirit WeaponUnlike other Oaths, the Divine Agent does not gain an aura or additional Channel Divinity uses. Instead, they gain a Spirit Weapon, which grows in power as the paladin increases in experience. This spirit weapon acts as a conduit between the Divine Agent and their patron, allowing communication between the two.For more information, see the Spirit Familiar section.Divine FormAt 20th level, you take on the appearance of an angelic being.You take one action to undergo a physical transformation into a divine form. For one minute, you gain the following benefits:You sprout wings whose appearance is determined by your Patron’s tenets. They might be feathered, leathery, made of steel plates, or any other appropriate look. You are affected as though under the effects of the fly spell.All enemies within 30 ft. must make an immediate Wisdom saving throw (DC=your spell save DC) or flee in terror. Those who succeed in their save are Frightened for the duration of the transformation.All of your attacks deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage. This damage stacks with that from spells, Divine Smite and other paladin abilities. Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.A fallen individual whose spirit is housed within a weapon can still be returned to life (for example, by means of raise dead or resurrection), though this draws the spirit out of the weapon and the warrior spirit involved may not wish to abandon its newfound ally. The paladin suffers no penalty if this should transpire; the spirit within his weapon is simply replaced by another agent of his deity or celestial patron.Weapon spirits can be summoned as standard, greater, or supreme familiars. As with other special familiars, the Paladin may gain a standard spirit weapon as part of their Oath of Celestial Agency. Gaining a greater or supreme familiar requires the appropriate Advantage, though Celestial Agents are already assumed to have the base summon Advantage for purposes of determining prerequisites. Any nonmagical, masterwork melee weapon may be imbued with such a spirit. A spirit weapon is an intelligent, magical weapon which may be gifted with extraordinary powers. The spirits within these items are always lawful good, and usually, but not always, have views that mesh with their paladin masters.Greater and Supreme Spirit FamiliarsA paladin with the Oath of Celestial Agency may only have one spirit familiar at a time. If he begins with a spirit weapon, then gains a suit of spirit armor as a greater familiar, the spirit leaves his weapon, and empowers his armor instead with greater abilities. If he later gains an Aura Spirit, the same spirit is once again infused with supreme abilities and leaves his suit of armor, taking on its new role as a supreme familiar.Int/Wis/Cha: The spirit weapon’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores.

Table 8-15: Oath of Healing Spells

Table 8-16: Oath of Command Spells

Table 8-17: Oath of Celestial Agency Spells

Table 8-18: Standard Spirit Weapon

Table 8-19: Greater Spirit Weapon

Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	Cure Wounds, Detect Poison and Disease
5th	Calm Emotions, Lesser Restoration
9th	Beacon of Hope, Revivify
13th	Death Ward, Private Sanctum
17th	Greater Restoration, Raise Dead
Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	Charm Person, Command
5th	Suggestion, Warding Bond
9th	Dispel Magic, Fear
13th	Confusion, Spirit Guardians
17th	Dominate Person, Geas
Paladin Level	Spells
3rd	Protection from Evil and Good, Shield of Faith
5th	Aid, Spiritual Weapon
9th	Beacon of Hope, Revivify
13th	Banishment, Divination
17th	Commune, Dispel Evil and Good
Master Class Level	Int/Wis/Cha	Special
3rd	6	Evoke power 1, spirit weapon power, telepathic link, spirit light
5th	7	Warrior knowledge
7th	8	Evoke power 2, spirit weapon power
9th	9	Spirit connection	11th	10 Evoke power 3, spirit weapon power
13th	11	Spirit Connection
15th	12 Evoke power 4, spirit weapon power
17th	13	–
19th	14	Spirit weapon power
20th	15	Evoke power 5
Master Class Level	Int/Wis/Cha	Special
3rd	7	Evoke power 1, spirit weapon power, telepathic link, spirit light
5th	8	Warrior knowledge 7th 9 Evoke power 2, greater spirit weapon power A character may have no more than one spirit weapon or spirit armor familiar (that is one of each kind; a character can have both a spirit weapon familiar and a spirit armor familiar). The spirit familiar (weapon or armor) may be upgraded by selecting either the Summon Greater Familiar or Summon Supreme Familiar Special Ability (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details) to either a Greater or Supreme Spirit familiar of the appropriate kind.

When this is done, the familiar immediately begins using the new table to define its abilities, though any specific powers it already has cannot be changed (see the Spirit Weapon Power and Spirit Armor Power sections below for more details). Lastly, note that because the new Ability actually promotes the spirit familiar to the next level, the character may now summon a new familiar of the level the spirit familiar previously occupied (standard, greater or supreme).

Spirits And Magic

The spirit within a weapon or a piece of armor, or within the paladin’s body, radiates necromantic magic at a caster level equal to the paladin’s level. This can be detected by any means normally able to detect magical auras, such as the spell detect magic. In addition, a successful targeted dispel magic or similar spell against the spirit familiar suppresses all of its powers for 1d4 rounds, after which it recovers naturally.

It is important to note that only non-magical, masterwork weapons and armor can be imbued with spirits. Magical items can never contain spirit familiars, and items that contain familiars can never be enchanted with permanent magical abilities (though they can benefit from temporary spells, such as magic weapon and holy sword).

Spirits Lost And Found

In the course of her travels, the spirit weapon or armor of a paladin may be lost, stolen, or similarly removed from her power. The spirits within these items become dormant when not in their rightful master’s control, providing no bonuses or abilities of any kind, though they still radiate magic as normal.

The paladin is unable to summon a new spirit until the item is actually destroyed, after which she must wait for a year and a day, as normal. If the spirit weapon or armor is returned to its rightful master’s hands, its power is instantly rekindled in full force, no matter the length of intervening time.

Spirits And Ex-Paladins

If a paladin ever strays from her path and becomes an ex-paladin or oath breaker, she loses all her paladin abilities. In addition, any spirit familiars beholden to her will no longer accept her, and become dormant, just as if they had been transferred to the hands of another (see Spirits Lost and Found’ section above). If the character atones for her sins and becomes a paladin again, the spirit item similarly regains its powers.

Spirit Weapons

A spirit familiar tied to a weapon is that of a valiant warrior who died in service of the Paladin’s celestial patron, and may even be the soul of one of the paladin’s deceased companions.

9th10Spirit Connection11th11 Evoke power 3, spirit weapon power13th12 Spirit Connection15th13 Evoke power 4, greater spirit weapon power17th14Spirit Connection19th15 Evoke power 5, spirit weapon power20th16Divine focus

Int/Wis/Cha: The spirit weapon’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores.

Table 8-20: Supreme Spirit Weapon

Master Class Level	Int/Wis/Cha	Special
3rd	8	Evoke power 1, spirit weapon power, telepathic link, spirit light
5th	9	Warrior knowledge
7th	10	Evoke power 2, greater spirit weapon power
9th	11	Spirit connection	11th	12 Evoke power 3, supreme spirit weapon power
13th	13	Spirit Connection
15th	14	Evoke power 4, greater spirit weapon power
17th	15	Divine smite
19th	16	Evoke power 5, supreme spirit weapon power
20th	17	Spiritual assault

Int/Wis/Cha: The spirit weapon’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores.

Spirit Weapon Properties

Spirit weapons have the following properties:

Ability Scores: A spirit weapon is an intelligent magic item.

Intelligent items can actually be considered creatures, as they have Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. Tables 8-10, 8-11, and 8-12 show what the spirit weapon’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores are, which is dependent upon the character level of its master.

Alignment: The alignment of a spirit weapon always matches the alignment of its master. A spirit weapon always counts as both the moral and ethical alignment traits for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction or resistance.

Ego: As a direct representative of the Paladin’s divine patron, the weapon can sometimes come into conflict with the wielder.

Magic Weapon: A spirit weapon always counts as a magical weapon for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction or resistance.

Spirit Light: The weapon glows with a divine luminance, illuminating a 30-foot radius. When the spirit weapon is first acquired, the paladin may decide on the color of light the weapon sheds, but once chosen the color remains the same. This light is not ordinary light. It is spirit light, which cannot be seen without special magical means (i.e. being able to see into the ethereal plane). However, due to the connection between the paladin and the weapon, the paladin is able to see this light and objects illuminated by it just as if it were normal sunlight.

Other creatures are unable to perceive this glow, however, and so the paladin essentially has a form of modified darkvision.

At the master’s option, the glow can switch from spirit light to normal light, allowing his allies (and enemies) to see by its means. Switching from spirit light to normal (and back again) is a free action.

Telepathic Link: The master has a telepathic link with the spirit weapon out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The master and the spirit weapon can communicate telepathically. Note that the low Intelligence of a low-level master’s spirit weapon limits what the item is able to communicate or understand, and even intelligent spirit weapons see the world differently from humans, so misunderstandings are always possible.

Because of this telepathic link between spirit weapon and master, the master has the same connection to an item or place that the spirit weapon does. For instance, if her spirit weapon has seen a room, the master may teleport to that room as if she has seen it too.

Evoke Power: The master of a spirit weapon can call upon its power to aid her in times of need. When she does so, the spirit weapon manifests any and all powers the character has chosen for it (see Spirit Weapon Power, Greater Spirit Weapon Power, and Supreme Spirit Weapon Power below). The summoned powers last for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s Charisma modifier. A master may prematurely end the spirit weapon’s manifested powers.

A master can only summon the spirit weapon’s powers once per encounter. As she increases in level, the paladin gains additional uses of these powers before needing a rest. At 1st level she can summon the spirit weapon’s powers once. At 5th-level and every four levels thereafter, she can summon the powers one additional time (to a maximum of 5 times a day at 20th level).

Evoking the spirit weapon’s power is a bonus action. When the paladin finishes a short or long rest, she regains her spent uses of the weapon’s power.

Spirit Weapon Power: A spirit weapon has special powers that it can only manifest briefly a certain number of times each day at its master’s command (see Evoke Power above). As indicated on Tables 8-18, 8-19, and 8-20, the master chooses one power from Table 8-21 below. These powers stack with one another and all are manifested at once each time the master evokes them.

Greater Spirit Weapon Power: A spirit weapon has special powers that it can only manifest briefly a certain number of times each day at its master’s command (see Evoke Power above). As indicated on Tables 8-19 and 8-20, the master chooses one power from Table 8-22 below (or from Table 8-13 if she prefers). These powers stack with one another, and with all Spirit Weapon powers previously chosen from Table 8-21, and all are manifested at once each time the master evokes them.

Supreme Spirit Weapon Power: A spirit weapon has special powers that it can only manifest briefly a certain number of times each day at its master’s command (see Evoke Power above). As indicated on Table 8-20, the master chooses one power from Table 8-23 below (or from Tables 8-21 or 8-22 if she prefers).

These powers stack with one another, and with all Spirit Weapon powers previously chosen from Tables 8-21 and 8-22, and all are manifested at once each time the master evokes them.

Warrior Knowledge: The spirit within the weapon was once a great warrior, and has seen and done things that its master likely has not. The paladin may draw upon the experience of the spirit to grant him advantage on Intelligence or Wisdom checks that have anything to do with identifying monsters or knowledge of combat or tactics. For example, the weapon may allow the paladin to identify a creature she has never seen before (“That’s a medusa –watch out, it can petrify you with its gaze!”), place an unfamiliar sword fighting style (“He’s in the crouching scorpion stance –that is only taught to very elite warriors in the kingdom of Elasya.”), or assist her in the defense of a stronghold (“The southern drawbridge is your weakest point.”).

Spiritual Connection: The paladin is able to draw upon the fighting prowess and skills that the warrior spirit possessed in life. This allows her to gain the free use of one Special Ability, chosen from any Martial Archetype Feature which would be available to a fighter of her level, as defined under the Fighter character class. The paladin gains any and all abilities of the martial archetype feature chosen. Once chosen, the ability may not be changed.

Additional Spiritual Connection features need not be from the same martial archetype.

Divine Smite: The weapon enhances the paladin’s divine abilities. The paladin may make one extra Divine Smite per day with the spirit weapon, as though she had an extra 3rd level spell slot to expend. This slot can only be used to perform an extra Divine Smite; not to cast another spell.

Spiritual Assault: The warrior spirit within the weapon and the paladin have reached a state of such perfect accord that the paladin, concentrating her divine energy, can cause the spirit to become manifest in the physical world and attack her foes. The spirit flies forward to attack, though it remains tethered to the weapon, appearing as a long, thin, ghostly form of wispy white.

As a spell-like ability, the paladin may point the weapon at a foe and cause the spirit to burst forth and strike at her opponent. The spirit moves around and through all intervening obstructions, so cover is not an obstacle though concealment can still foul the attack. The spirit’s attack passes through armor entirely, much as a ghost’s, so the paladin must make a ranged touch attack to hit her target. If the attack roll is successful, the spirit deals 6d8 points of radiant damage. After using this ability, the paladin must finish a long rest before she can use it again.

Spirit Weapon Powers

A spirit weapon starts with one power, which can be summoned for use once each day (see ‘Evoke Power’ above). For every four levels beyond 1st that the spirit weapon’s master has, it has an additional power, and the powers may be evoked an additional time each day. All powers manifest at the same time when they are evoked. The master may choose one power from the following tables each time the spirit weapon is granted a new power (Tables 8-18, 8-19, and 8-20 indicate which of the following tables are available at the time of selection).

Table 8-21: Spirit Weapon Powers

+1 enhancement Defending Distance Flaming Frost Holy Avenger Returning Shock Sword of Sharpness Sword of Wounding Thundering Vorpal Sword

Defending: Any of its enhancement bonus may be converted to armor class bonus.

Distance: Range is doubled. Only found on ranged weapons.

Flaming: Adds 1d6 points of fire damage to a successful attack, 2d6 against cold based creatures.

Frost: Adds 1d6 points of cold damage on a successful attack, 2d6 vs. flame based creatures.

Holy Avenger: Does not stack with sharpness, wounding or vorpal (a sword may have only one of these three powers).

Returning: When hurled the weapon instantly teleports back the thrower’s hand.

Shocking: Opponents take 1d6 points of additional lightning damage on a successful hit!

Sword of Sharpness: Does not stack with wounding or vorpal (a sword may have only one of these three powers).

Sword of Wounding: Does not stack with holy avenger, sharpness or vorpal (a sword may have only one of these three powers).

Thundering: Deals 1d6 points of sonic damage, and target must make a Constitution save vs. paladin’s magic save DC or be deafened for 1d6 rounds.

Vorpal Sword: Does not stack with holy avenger, wounding or sharpness (a sword may have only one of these three powers).

Hardness Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the spirit armor’s existing armor class rating. It represents a preternatural strength of the spirit armor.Int/Wis/Cha: The spirit armor’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores.Int/Wis/Cha: The spirit armor’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores.Holy Axiomatic: This weapon deals double damage to opponents of the opposite alignment of the attacker. For example, chaotic evil foes suffer double damage from a lawful good wielder. True neutral foes are immune to this effect, while lawful neutral and chaotic neutral are considered opposites.* Unlike with standard magic weapons, a supreme spirit weapon may be enhanced by stacking enhancement bonuses without paying any exponential penalty. Thus, if a 9th level master chose a +1 enhancement bonus for her spirit weapon’s first power, flaming burst for its second, and a +3 enhancement bonus for its third, it would simply count as a +4 flaming burst weapon.A spirit weapon may have a maximum of a +5 enhancement bonus.Brilliant Energy: The weapon does an additional 3d8 radiant damage on each successful hit.
Speed: The weapon grants an extra attack in addition to any attacks the paladin gains from bonus actions, class features or other abilities.Spirit ArmorThe spirit familiars tied to armor and shields are those of heroic protectors, who risked all to defend that which they loved. The spirit may even be the soul of one of the companion’s own departed comrades. See the description on spirit weapons, above, should a cleric attempt to return the spirit to its body.Armor spirits may be summoned as standard, greater, or supreme familiars. As with other special familiars, the Paladin may gain standard spirit armor as part of their Oath of Celestial Agency.Gaining a greater or supreme familiar requires the appropriate Advantage as described, though Celestial Agents are already assumed to have the base summon Advantage for purposes of determining prerequisites.Any non-magical, masterwork piece of armor may be imbued with such a spirit. Spirit armor is an intelligent, magical piece of protection which may be gifted with extraordinary powers. The spirits within these items are always lawful good, and usually, but not always, have views that mesh with their paladin masters.Evoke Power: The master of spirit armor can call upon its power to aid her in times of need. When she does so, the spirit armor manifests any and all powers the character has chosen for it (see Spirit Armor Power, Greater Spirit Armor Power, and Supreme Spirit Armor Power below). The summoned powers last for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s Charisma modifier. A master may prematurely end the spirit armor’s manifested powers.A master can only summon the spirit armor’s powers once per encounter. In addition, she has a limited number of times she can call upon the spirit familiar’s abilities before needing to complete a rest. At 3rd level she can summon the spirit armor’s powers once per day. At 5th-level and every four levels thereafter, she can summon the powers one additional time (to a maximum of 5 by 20th level). Evoking the spirit armor’s power is a bonus action. After completing a long or short rest, the paladin regains all spent uses of this ability.Spirit Armor Power: Spirit armor has special powers that it can only manifest briefly a certain number of times each day at its master’s command (see Evoke Power above). As indicated on Tables 8-16, 8-17, and 8-18, the master chooses one power from Table 8-19 below. These powers stack with one another and all are manifested at once each time the master evokes them.Greater Spirit Armor Power: Spirit armor has special powers that it can only manifest briefly a certain number of times each day at its master’s command (see Evoke Power above). As indicated on Tables 8-17 and 8-18, the master chooses one power from Table 8-20 below (or from Table 8-19 if she prefers). These powers stack with one another, and with all Spirit Armor powers previously chosen from Table 8-19, and all are manifested at once each time the master evokes them.Supreme Spirit Armor Power: Spirit armor has special powers that it can only manifest briefly a certain number of times each day at its master’s command (see Evoke Power above). As indicated on Table 8-18, the master chooses one power from Table 8-21 below (or from Tables 8-19 or 8-20 if she prefers).These powers stack with one another, and with all Spirit Armor powers previously chosen from Tables 8-19 and 8-20, and all are manifested at once each time the master evokes them.Warrior Knowledge: The spirit within the armor was once a great warrior, and has seen and done things that its master likely has not. The paladin may draw upon the experience of the spirit to grant him advantage on any Intelligence or Wisdom checks made that have anything to do with monsters, combat, or tactics. For example, the armor may allow the paladin to identify a creature she has never seen before (“That’s an umber hulk –watch out, it can confuse you with its gaze!”), place an unfamiliar sword fighting style (“He’s in the crouching scorpion stance –that is only taught to very elite warriors in the kingdom of Elasya.”), or assist her in the defense of a stronghold (“The southern drawbridge is your weakest point.”).Spiritual Connection: The paladin is able to draw upon the fighting prowess and skills that the warrior spirit possessed in life.This allows her to gain the free use of one special fighter feature from any martial archetype that would be available to a fighter of the paladin’s level. The paladin gains all abilities of the chosen feature while wearing the spirit armor. Once chosen, the feat or special ability may not be changed. When the paladin chooses additional abilities later, they need not be from the same martial archetype.Weightless: The weight of the spirit armor is, miraculously, eliminated entirely. It feels to the paladin as if she wears no armor at all or the shield she carries is as easy to move around as her own hand. A suit of armor with this ability is considered to be light, meaning the paladin has no reduction in movement.A spirit shield with this ability grants the paladin a +1 insight bonus to AC.Impervious: The paladin may, as a reaction, speak a special command to the spirit within the armor. This causes the total AC of the armor to increase by half (round down) for one full round. For example, a suit of spirit plate mail with a +3 enhancement ability would normally provide an AC of 21.When worn by a paladin who invokes this ability is invoked, it provides an AC of 31! After using this ability, the paladin must finish a long rest before it can be used again.Spellcrusher Spirit: The spirit within the armor automatically attempts to disrupt any hostile spells of which its master is aware. Whenever an enemy spellcaster of which the paladin is aware attempts to cast a spell, the spirit throws its energy into the oncoming spell, attempting to disturb the casting. The paladin may make an immediate attempt to dispel the spell, just as if she had readied an action to do so. In addition, the paladin does not need to use dispel magic or the same spell that is being cast in order to counter the spell, though she does need to spend an uncast spell that is of the same level or higher as the one she is attempting to dispel.For example, a drow priestess attempts to cast a prayer while in combat with Benomen and his companions. The spirit within Benomen’s armor immediately attempts to dispel the spell, though Benomen must use one of his 3rd-level or higher spells in order to make the attempt (since prayer is a 3rd-level spell). All the normal dispel rules apply. Note that if Benomen did not have any 3rd-level or higher spells available, or if he was unwilling to sacrifice one, the priestess’s spell could not be dispelled. This dispel attempt counts as a free reactionary action.Spirit Armor PowersSpirit armor starts with one power, which can be summoned for use once each day (see ‘Evoke Power’ above). For every four levels beyond 1st that the spirit armor’s master has, it has an additional power and the powers may be evoked an additional time each day. All powers manifest at the same time when they are evoked. The master may choose one power from the following tables each time the spirit armor is granted a new power (Tables 8-16, 8-17, and 8-18 indicate which of the following tables are available at the time of selection). For details concerning these powers, see the “Armor and Shields Descriptions”.15th14Evoke power 4, greater spirit armor power

Table 8-24: Standard Spirit Armor

Table 8-25: Greater Spirit Armor

Table 8-26: Supreme Spirit Armor

Table 8-22: Greater Spirit Weapon Powers

Table 8-23: Supreme Spirit Weapon Powers

Master Class Level	Int/Wis/Cha	Special
3rd	6	Evoke power 1, spirit armor power, telepathic link, spirit light
5th	7	Warrior knowledge
7th	8	Evoke power 2, spirit armor power
9th	9	Spirit connection
11th	10	Evoke power 3, spirit armor power
13th	11	Weightless
15th	12	Evoke power 4, spirit armor power
17th	13	–
19th	14	Evoke power 5, spirit armor power
20th	15	–
Master Class Level	Hardness Adj.	Int/Wis/Cha	Special
3rd	7	6	Evoke power 1, spirit armor power, telepathic link, spirit light
5th	8	7	Warrior knowledge
7th	9	8	Evoke power 2, greater spirit armor power
9th	10	9	Spirit connection
11th	11	10	Evoke power 3, spirit armor power
13th	12	11	Spirit connection
15th	13	12	Evoke power 4, greater spirit armor power
17th	14	13	Weightless
19th	15	14	Evoke power 5, spirit armor power
20th	16	15	Impervious
Master Class Level	Int/Wis/Cha	Special
3rd	8	Evoke power 1, spirit armor power, telepathic link, spirit light
5th	9	Spirit Connection, Warrior knowledge
7th	10	Evoke power 2, greater spirit armor power
9th	11	Spirit connection
11th	12	Evoke power 3, supreme spirit armor power
13th	13	Weightless
+2 enhancement
Axiomatic
Disruption
Flaming burst
+3 enhancement*
Brilliant energy
Speed
17th	15	Impervious
19th	16	Evoke power 5, supreme spirit armor power
20th	17	Spirit Connection, Spellcrusher spirit

Hardness Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the spirit armor’s existing hardness rating. It represents a preternatural strength of the spirit armor.

Int/Wis/Cha: The spirit armor’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores.

Spirit Armor Properties

Spirit armor has the following properties:

Ability Scores: Spirit armor is an intelligent magic item.

Intelligent items can actually be considered creatures as they have Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. Tables 8-10, 8-11, and 8-12 show what the spirit weapon’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores are, which is dependent upon the character level of its master.

Alignment: The alignment of a piece of spirit armor always matches the alignment of its master –lawful good.

Ego: As a sentient magic item, the spirit armor has its own personality and desires, and always acts in accordance with the will of the paladin’s divine patron. This means there may sometimes be conflicts of personality.

Magic Armor: Spirit armor always counts as magical armor.

Spirit Light: The armor glows with a divine luminance, illuminating a 30-foot radius. When the spirit armor is first acquired, the paladin may decide on the color of light the armor sheds, but once chosen the color remains the same. This light is not ordinary light. It is spirit light, which cannot be seen without special magical means (i.e. being able to see into the ethereal plane). However, due to the connection between the paladin and the armor, the paladin is able to see this light and objects illuminated by it just as if it were normal sunlight. Other creatures are unable to perceive this glow, however, and so the paladin essentially has a form of modified darkvision. At the master’s option, the glow can switch from spirit light to normal light, allowing his allies (and enemies) to see by its means. Switching from spirit light to normal (and back again) is a free action.

Telepathic Link: The master has a telepathic link with the spirit armor out to a distance of up to 1 mile. The master and the spirit armor can communicate telepathically. Note that the low Intelligence of a low-level master’s spirit armor limits what the item is able to communicate or understand, and even intelligent spirit armor sees the world differently from humans, so misunderstandings are always possible.

Because of this telepathic link between spirit armor and master, the master has the same connection to an item or place that the spirit armor does. For instance, if her spirit armor has seen a room, the master may teleport to that room as if she has seen it too.

Table 8-27: Spirit Armor Powers

+1 Enhancement Bonus Cold Resistance/Fire Resistance Bashing~~ Blinding~~ * Unlike with standard magic armor, spirit armor may be enhanced by stacking enhancement bonuses without paying any exponential penalty. Thus, if a 5th-level master chose a +1 enhancement bonus for both the spirit armor’s two powers, it would simply count as +2 armor. Spirit armor may have a maximum of a +5 enhancement bonus. ~~Shields only. Table 8-28: Greater Spirit Armor Powers +2 enhancement* Animated~~ Elven (as Elven Chain) Spell resistance * Unlike with standard magic armor, greater spirit armor may be enhanced by stacking enhancement bonuses without paying any exponential penalty. Thus, if a 5th-level master chose a +1 enhancement bonus for the spirit armor’s first power and a +2 enhancement for its second power, it would simply count as +3 armor. Spirit armor may have a maximum of a +5 enhancement bonus. ~~Shields only. Table 8-29: Supreme Spirit Armor Powers +3 enhancement* Etherealness Spell resistance * Unlike with standard magic armor, supreme spirit armor may be enhanced by stacking enhancement bonuses without paying any exponential penalty. Thus, if a 9th level master chose a +1 enhancement bonus for the spirit armor’s first power, spell resistance for its second power, and a +3 enhancement for its third power, it would simply count as +4 spell resistance armor. Spirit armor may have a maximum of a +5 enhancement bonus. Aura Spirits The spirits that inhabit the very body of a paladin are the souls of truly legendary heroes, who may be revered in myth and legend and remembered in songs and epics. Such a spirit courses through the very skin of the paladin, and the power it contains emanates from the paladin’s body, affecting all those close by. Often, the paladin’s own personality is slightly reshaped to reflect the views of this new being who inhabits her flesh. But in essence, the spirit becomes a part of the paladin and the two cannot be separated by any means short of the paladin’s death or divine influence. Even should the paladin die, the spirit and its powers will return to her if she is brought back to life. Aura spirits are always supreme familiars. Aura spirits function quite a bit differently from normal familiars. Impervious: Allies within the radius of the aura gain a +1 deflection bonus to AC. This aura can be activated for a total of 5 rounds per day. For every paladin level that the master has, she may choose to add +1 to the deflection bonus provided by the aura or extend its total duration by 2 additional rounds per day (note that the deflection bonus may not be increased to better than +5). Inspiration: Allies within the radius of the aura receive advantage on all skill checks. This aura may be activated for a total of 5 rounds, after which the paladin must finish a long rest before it can be used again. For every 3 paladin levels that the master has, she increase the duration by 1 round. Penance: Enemies within the radius of the aura are subjected to holy attacks by the angry spirit, suffering 1d6 points of radiant damage per round, on the paladin’s turn. This aura can be activated a total of 3 rounds, after which the paladin must finish a long rest before it can be used again. For every 3 paladin levels that the master has, she may choose to add +1 to the damage caused by the aura (i.e. 1d6+1, 1d6+2, etc.), or extend its total duration by 1 additional round per day. Retribution: Every time an enemy within the radius of the aura deals damage to an ally within the aura, regardless of the source (attack, spell, spell-like ability, etc.) the enemy suffers an equivalent amount of radiant damage in retribution. If the attack inflicts a condition upon your ally, the enemy who inflicted the condition suffers the same. This ability lasts for 3 rounds, after which the paladin must finish a long rest before it can be used again. For every 3 paladin levels the master has, the duration increases by 1 round. Slaughter: Allies within the radius of the aura gain advantage on all attacks (including spell attacks) and allied spell casters increase their spell save DC by 5. This aura can be activated a total of 3 rounds, after which the paladin must finish a short rest before it can be used again. For every paladin level that the master has, the duration increases by 1 round. Spell Resistance: Allies within the radius of the aura gain Spell Resistance. This aura can be activated a total of 5 rounds, after which the paladin must finish a long rest before it can be used again. For every 3 paladin levels that the master has, the total duration increases by 1 round. Warrior: Allies within 10 feet of the paladin see their weapons affected as though by a Magic Weapon spell at 2nd level. This ability lasts for 3 rounds, after which the Paladin must finish a long rest before it can be used again. For every 3 paladin levels the master has, the duration increases by 1 round, or she can choose to increase the effective spell slot expenditure by one (thus, she would need to increase the spell slots by two to get the fourth level effect, and by four to gain the sixth level effect), with an according increase in enhancement bonus. Unlike the spell, this ability can further enhance already magical weapons. They follow their own progression, but, as they are a part of the paladin herself, they do not gain in AC or Intelligence as normal familiars do. Nor do they gain Wisdom or Charisma scores as spirit weapons and armor do. Since they dwell within the paladin’s very body, they cannot be harmed, slain, or affected by any means short of a wish or miracle spell. There are several types of aura spirit, and the paladin must select which one she desires when she completes the ritual that summons it. Each spirit follows its own individual progression, though this progression is simple and does not require a table to monitor. A character may never have more than one aura spirit familiar. The types of aura spirit and their effects follow. Unless otherwise indicated, the aura generated by the spirit extends 10 feet from the paladin in all directions. Beneficial auras always also affect the paladin herself. Many auras can only be used a certain number of rounds per day. These rounds do not need to be continuous, and activating and deactivating an aura is a free action. Unless otherwise noted, all effects are supernatural. Types of Aura Spirits Courage: The radius of the paladin’s aura of courage increases by 10 ft.. Dread: Enemies within the radius of the aura suffer from the frightened condition. This aura can be activated for a total of 10 rounds, after which the paladin must finish a long rest before it can be used again. For every 3 paladin levels that the master has, the aura can be activated for one additional round between rests. Elemental Fury: The weapons of all allies within the radius of the aura gain one elemental descriptor, which is chosen by the paladin when she activates this aura (i.e. the weapons become acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder weapons). Weapons within range deal an extra die of damage of the indicated type (thus, fire weapons deal an extra die of damage, which is fire damage). This aura has no effect on weapons which already bear that description. For instance, a +1 flaming longsword gains no additional benefit from this aura if fire is chosen, though if cold was chosen for the aura the weapon would become, temporarily, a +1 flaming frost longsword. This aura can be activated a total of 5 rounds, after which the paladin must complete a short rest before it can be used again. Elemental Protection: Allies within the radius of the aura gain Energy Resistance against one energy type (acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder), which is selected by the paladin when she activates this aura. The aura can be activated for a total of 5 rounds, after which she must complete a short rest before it can be used again. For every 3 levels of paladin that the master has, the total duration increases by 1 additional round. Healing: The pool of healing power in the paladin’s Lay on Hands ability is doubled. In addition, she can choose to apply this healing to all allies within range of her aura, though in this case, she must expend 2 points from her pool for every point healed to her allies. The Ranger’s Familiar Ranger Familiars Few character classes have such an affinity with animals as does the ranger. Indeed, many rangers spend more time with animal compatriots than they do among humans and elves. Something in the animal spirit calls out to the ranger, as if the two souls had known each other in another lifetime and are now fulfilling some pact that neither of them entirely remembers. Rangers are drawn to the wilderness for many reasons. But all of them at times yearn for solitude, and this is the foremost reason for their itinerant behavior. Whether they prowl the jungle paths or scour the desert sands, rangers have in common two things: a respect for the wilderness and an undefined link with its inhabitants. Rangers go about the business of summoning a familiar with particular care. To the ranger, the familiar is more than simply an ally. The familiar is a trusted friend, no less an important part of the ranger’s life than his or her adventuring companions. Indeed, at times, the familiar is the ranger’s best friend, accompanying him even during those times when he strikes off to find solitude in the wilderness he holds so dear. Almost all rangers are at least a little bit feral. Sometimes only the thinnest of civilized veneers covers their untamed spirits. Rangers feel a deep and abiding connection with the animal kingdom, very aware that humans and demihumans are animals themselves. Because of this knowledge and the wisdom that comes with it, rangers form incredibly intimate and complex relationships with their familiars. The familiar is really an extension of the ranger’s soul. One important fact to keep in mind is that a ranger’s connection with his familiar is through the land itself. Nature is the bridge over which the familiar crosses en route to entering the ranger’s service. The wild areas themselves-sweeping deserts, rainslashed jungles, fetid swamps-all serve as a conduit for the mystical energy that draws a familiar to the ranger. Both ranger and familiar are tied in some way to the land; the earth is their common ground. When it comes time to summon a familiar, the terrain type of the ranger’s personal stomping ground takes on particular relevance. All rangers favor one type of wilderness over all others. The first step in summoning a familiar is to settle upon the ranger’s primary terrain, the one category of wild lands that the ranger most often roams. To some rangers this will be an easy task, as they’ve spent most of their careers serving as trailblazers in a certain uncharted forest, or perhaps the campaign is set in a cold northern wasteland, so that an arctic terrain type is the only logical choice. Other rangers will find the selection process more difficult, as their careers have taken them around the globe, and they’re just as comfortable in the marshy fens as they are in the baking desert. The Game Master and player together should settle on a terrain type, based upon the character’s history and personal tastes. The type of terrain chosen directly affects the kind of familiar the ranger can summon. The individual terrain types will be discussed later, and they are as follows: arctic, aquatic, desert, forest, hill, jungle, mountain, plains, and swamp. The second area to consider is simply why the ranger seeks a familiar in the first place. Other character classes have their own reasons for wanting a familiar, usually to provide reinforcements in battle, to boost their magical resources, or to act as a forward observer or guide. Rangers, on the other hand, see the familiar as a kindred spirit. Stories abound of rangers and their familiars forging so inextricable a bond that the death of one eventually spells doom for the other. They are conjoined at the spiritual level. Certain rangers seek out a familiar as a means to complete themselves. Though this may seem a highly esoteric and inexplicable motive to others, these rangers are in tune with their spiritual side and believe that a familiar will permit them fully to express themselves as individuals. Still, there are other rangers who desire a familiar simply to give them an edge in combat, or to use as a secret weapon to use against their enemies. The ranger’s familiar is always an animal. While other character classes have familiars such as shadows or beings from another plane of existence, the ranger’s link with nature ensures that all of his familiars are drawn from normal animals such as mammals and reptiles. Furthermore, the animal itself is always a reflection of the ranger’s primary terrain, the embodiment of that environment’s danger, wonder, and beauty. Summoning Ritual Ordrin sat on the thick matting of leaves, the limbs of the special white oaks forming a comforting bower around him. He felt safe here. He felt nestled. After hours of introspection, he finally felt prepared to send his mind away in search of that other part of him, the part he sensed but couldn’t name. Sacred Sites The Sacred Site is at the heart of the ranger’s journey for a familiar. As the centerpiece of the summoning process, the Sacred Site is more than a just a place where a familiar is called; it is a haven for the ranger, a place where he can find succor when all other places fail him. Sacred Sites are private niches carved from the wilderness, where a ranger goes to seek solitude and contemplation. Even after the familiar has arrived, the Site may be used throughout the ranger’s career whenever he needs a place where he can feel safe and close to the elements of nature. Examples of Sacred Sites abound in history and myth. Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain in England is a perfect example, as is the Cave of Merlin from Arthurian legend. The ranger must make one of these, and then he must consecrate it. He must, in other words, build a place of legend. Each type of primary terrain has its own brand of Sacred Site, nine of them in all. These should be considered as defaults, only. If the Game Master or player has an idea for a different type of Sacred Site, there’s no reason it can’t be used instead. His thoughts swirled within the Hallowed Grove. His prayer went up. The nature goddess took hold of his prayer and guided it, the Grove the channel for Her will, the focus for Her energy. After awhile, a sound resounded through the forest, a sound that only a certain tiny spirit could hear. Miles away, a certain raccoon lifted his head from the clump of moss he’d been investigating. In the darkness, his mask nearly hid all of his furry face. Only his eyes were to be seen, flashing and inquisitive and undeniably intelligent. The raccoon listened to that song, oh how it listened, and inside it felt a stirring like it had never known. Leaving the moss behind, the raccoon set off into the night, in search of its destiny. After the player has decided on his character’s primary terrain, the ranger must locate an appropriate area and construct a Sacred Site, as described below. Once this has been done, the actual ceremony may be performed. The gold pieces required by the ritual are spent on consecration supplies (incense, powders, and other material components). The Game Master and player should name these components specifically. By tailoring the exact supplies required to the ranger, the chosen terrain, and the campaign, a greater sense of purpose and meaning can be given. For example, one ranger’s supplies might consist of a medicine bundle containing sacred gourds, animal teeth, and tobacco, while another’s might appear in the form of silver divining sticks or powdered quartz. At the Game Master’s discretion, the ranger may also need to seek out an instructor, wise man, or shaman to teach them the summoning ritual required. (Otherwise, the ranger can intuitively discover the means of reaching out to his familiar.) Finding an instructor usually takes 2d6 days, or half that time if the ranger is searching in his primary terrain. Most instructors ask for something in return, perhaps the completion of a minor quest or a small amount of gold (usually no more than 20 gp). The instructor usually imparts to the ranger additional wisdom concerning wildlife in general and familiars in particular. Locating and learning from an instructor can even be an adventure unto itself (depending upon the whims of the Game Master). Once the ritual has been performed, the familiar arrives to do the ranger’s bidding. Available Familiars As one of two classes that are intricately and innately tied to the natural world, the list of standard, greater and supreme familiars available to rangers is the same as the lists for druids. See the lists for Familiars by Terrain in druids, for suggestions of appropriate ranger familiars. However, GMs may want to keep in mind that due to their innate connection to nature, both druids and rangers should have a broad and complete range of choices when it comes to their familiar. In the end, so long as the power level is appropriate to the standard, greater or supreme respectively, the GM should allow the ranger or druid PC to run with it! Arctic Ranger: Icy Enclave Fortunately for adventurers who set out across the frozen badlands, there are resident rangers to lend a helping hand when the cold threatens to put a permanent end to an illfated expedition. Arctic rangers must deal with a host of difficulties that would be completely alien to rangers from latitudes father from the poles, including protracted periods of light and darkness, moving ice floes, snowburn, frostbite, and oxygen deprivation. Considering these problems, the thought of building a Sacred Site often dissuades many from even trying. Unlike other environments, that of the arctic world is almost always aggressive. Even on those days when the wind doesn’t blow and the ice doesn’t fall away beneath the feet, the extremely low temperatures can kill a living creature within hours. Every day is a new test of survival. Any Sacred Site erected within these polar regions must be able to withstand the punishment of nature in its most perilous and unpredictable state. While materials for construction aren’t as rare as they are in the barren desert, the arctic offers little in way of supplies other than ice and rock-hard plants. Perhaps hardy pine trees might grow within walking distance, and there is usually a surplus of whalebone and walrus hide. So there are materials to be found, as long as the ranger succeeds in a Survival check (Challenge Level 8). A successful check indicates that the ranger has located sufficient building goods, or at the very least has correctly cut out and chiseled an appropriate number of ice blocks to serve as bricks for a snow dome or igloo. Many rangers choose to fashion their Icy Enclaves from the ribs of mastodon, covered in hairy pelts or tanned leather-sometimes from even more exotic creatures, such as remorhazes or white dragons. Whatever type of enclave the ranger ultimately erects, it must be an area that is obviously distinct from the land around it. In other words, because the Icy Enclave represents a focal point for magic, there must exist something that makes it stand out from the mundane world around it. This “fence” could be many things, such as a ring of polished rocks, a circle of dried walrus blood, or a line of polished bones. Once the Icy Enclave has been constructed, whether it appears as a yurt of hides or an igloo, the ranger must actually perform the rituals involved with the Summon Familiar advantage (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details). This usually takes the form of a meditation specific to the ranger’s personal philosophy. The ritual takes one full day, during which time the ranger cannot be interrupted, otherwise he must buy more supplies and spend another 24 hours conducting the ritual. Desert Rangers: Blessed Oasis If it weren’t for the presence of rangers in the world’s barren places, the occasional traveler to those regions would likely find himself overrun with monstrous terrors and beaten down by the very environment he sought to cross. Rangers do what they can to patrol the desert places, keeping the monster population in check and ensuring that explorers are able to find an infrequent water source, a protective bit of shade, or at the very least, a shallow cave in which to rest their heads. Few areas are more inhospitable than the desert. The rangers who call the desert their home are devoted students of self-preservation. More than any other breed of outdoorsman, the desert ranger is a master of survival. Where others see only an unending sea of sand, the ranger sees his home, and his techniques for overcoming the harshness of the desert’s nature are legendary. Even so, finding a familiar in such extreme conditions can be difficult at best. The ranger who wishes to summon a familiar in the trackless desert wastes must often go to extremes, as the very landscape makes it quite difficult to construct even the most rudimentary of Sacred Sites. While the forest ranger enjoys unlimited timber and the mountain ranger an infinite supply of stone, the desert ranger has no medium for construction other than sand or barren earth. Establishing a Sacred Site in the midst of such an arid, featureless region would normally require materials to be moved over vast distances under rigorous climatic conditions. and even after the hallowed area was built, it would only be a matter of time before the savage winds and the oceanic sand overwhelmed it, leaving behind no trace that it had ever existed. All Sacred Sites in the desert, then, stand the best chance of lasting if they are living, growing oases, complete with sturdy trees, adaptable vegetation, and a permanent water supply. Creating an oasis out of a desert dune, however, is a nearly impossible task. The most fundamental aspect of an oasis is the water source. Wells or pools that tap a substantial aquifer are the best, as there will be no danger of the water going dry within the next few years. In order for the foliage to flourish and the oasis to hold back the consuming sand, the water’s fountainhead must flow continuously, if not powerfully. In order to find such an aquifer or other subterranean source, the ranger must make a Survival check (DC 20) and spend 1d4 days scouring the desert, drilling holes, dowsing, and praying for guidance. Failing the check means that no suitable supply can be found in that particular area, and the ranger must move at least 20 miles away and try again. The GM can modify the DC according to the particulars of his or her campaign world; if the ranger is searching an area notoriously parched, then the DC should of course be higher. Once an appropriate location is discovered, the ranger must dig a well. Magic helps greatly in this effort, but it is actually after the well has been completed that the most demanding work begins. The ranger must use every bit of his herbalist skill to plant bushes, shrubs, trees, weeds, mosses, flowers, and fruitbearing plants, waiting at least one season to see if the roots take hold. Such effort requires a skill check, usually relying on Survival checks or similar talents. Once again, much depends on chance and nature, and the process is slow-going, unless of course the ranger has access to certain spells to help accelerate the process. If the ranger nurtures the area for an entire season (at least three months) and makes his attribute check, then the oasis is considered viable, spanning an area between 20 and 100 feet in diameter and fully capable of supporting limited animal life. At this time the ranger may consecrate the area as a Blessed Oasis and perform the Summon Familiar Ability (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details). Table 9-1: Sacred Sites By Terrain Terrain Sacred Site Aquatic Hidden Inlet Arctic Icy Enclave Desert Blessed Oasis Forest Hallowed Grove Jungle Entwined Hut Mountain Sheltered Cairn Plain Standing Stones Swamp Lasting Hummock Underground Furtive Cave Aquatic Rangers: Hidden Inlet One of the rarest types of ranger is the one whose spirit is joined to the water. Some aquatic rangers favor the rivers, while others are at home on ponds and lakes, and still others enjoy the open salt water of the world’s oceans. There are thus three “subtypes” of aquatic rangers- river, lake, and sea. Each type deals with an entirely different array of creatures and dangers. But they have in common their love of water, which they see as the fountainhead of all life. Water is necessary if life is to thrive. Aquatic rangers seek to keep the waters of the world clean from man’s pollution and free of monstrous invasion. River rangers often travel on kayaks and small rafts. Lake rangers use barges. Sea rangers are often found aboard galleons, acting as navigators for extended ocean voyages. The rivers, lakes, and seas all present their own slate of inhabitants and weather conditions. River rangers might be experts on the biology of the salmon, but they likely know nothing about the eating habits of sharks. Lake rangers can make poultices from freshwater algae, but unlike the sea ranger, they probably don’t know how to desalinate water to render it potable. By selecting one of these three subtypes, a player further defines his ranger character. Is the ranger a bargeman? The pilot of an ocean-faring ship? Or perhaps a river guide skilled in scooting over the white rapids in a narrow canoe? In order to summon a familiar, the aquatic ranger, regardless of subtype, must designate a narrow stretch of shoreline as his Hidden Inlet. Hidden Inlets are as varied as the subtypes themselves. A lake ranger might locate a half-submerged limestone cave. A sea ranger might claim a small, secluded lagoon. The river ranger’s Hidden Inlet might be a muddy bank where the crawdads are particularly numerous. As with all Sacred Sites, the Hidden Inlet must somehow be physically distinct from the area around it. A lagoon might be marked by a tree line at the edge of the sand, or a river based ranger could use speak with animals to encourage beavers to build dams around his chosen bank. To find and delineate a proper area, the ranger must succeed in a Survival check (Challenge Level 8). It usually takes only 1d3+1 days to accomplish this. Most of that time is spent in the actual searching for a suitable location. Once found, there is little the ranger must do, other than engage in a time of intense meditation, chanting, and prayer that takes one full uninterrupted day. Forest Ranger: Hallowed Grove Forests are full of secret places. Few terrain types offer as many strange and unexpected venues as the rambling timberlands, regardless of whether they are snow-laden alpine forests or sun-bathed deciduous realms-or anything in between. The forests in most fantasy worlds are ancient. They are nations unto themselves and their inhabitants live by codes inscrutable to those from beyond the tree line. Forests offer succor to outlaws and freedom for those who seek to escape the confines of the city. Wizards build towers here, dragons slumber here, and humanoid armies lurk here, massing for the day when they can invade a neighboring province. In other words, every type of adventure can be found here. Entire elven states sprawl in the oldest of forests, and the rangers who patrol such leafy domains must be masters of many languages and innumerable skills. Seeing the diversity inherent in such a locale, it comes as no surprise that forest rangers have a variety of options for establishing a Sacred Site. The most common type of Sacred Site found in a forest is that of a Hallowed Grove, a sanctified area usually bordered by natural landmarks such as a certain kind of flower or tree, or even a winding stream or shallow valley in the crook of a hill. Whatever form it takes, the grove must have some kind of physical boundary. For example, the grove might be encircled by mulberry trees or a series of exposed limestone ridges. There must be some area of demarcation that “separates” the grove from the forest that surrounds it. Even something as simple as a clearing in the forest is sufficient to signify where the mundane forest ends and the sanctified area begins. One popular type of Hallowed Grove is formed by toadstool or mushroom rings. Rangers who are proficient gardeners often cultivate such areas, or make pacts with local elves or fey creatures to work the soil and form just such circles. When the area is complete, the ranger must take up a position in the center of the Grove and perform the Summon Familiar advantage (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details), spending 24 hours in contemplation, sending out his thoughts to whatever animal is intended by fate to find him. As always, the ranger’s concentration should not be broken at this time, lest he finds himself spending more money and more time performing the ritual over again. Jungle Ranger: Entwined Hut Thick and sometimes impenetrable, the jungle represents one of the most demanding geographies in the world. The trees and foliage can be so dense as to prevent all passage. The rains can come in torrents, erasing landmarks. Often the sky cannot be seen for the branches. The jungle is like a vast green cave, but it is also like a sea, so solidly packed with trees, bushes, and vines that moving through it can be almost like swimming. Jungles are also very dangerous. While in the open plains one can usually see danger well before it arrives, the predator in the jungles approaches without warning, lurking in the high boughs or slithering on the ground, unnoticed until it strikes. Jungles encompass every type of wilderness peril imaginable, including quicksand, poisonous flora, monsters, pitfalls, flash floods, disease, and more. Jungle rangers must constantly be on their guard. But more than that, they must also come to terms with the trees themselves, because finding one’s way in a maze so thick and infinite is sometimes all but impossible. Jungle rangers serve as guides where no guide has any business being. They learn how to brew antidotes for insect toxins, how to spot a deadfall, and most importantly, how to determine north when doing so is tantamount to survival. In a world where the sky often can’t be seen, the careful art of navigation is essential. In all of the chaos of the jungle, it is imperative that the ranger has a safe spot, somewhere he can rest without threat of being eaten by one of the ubiquitous jungle carnivores. To this end, the ranger often constructs a structure known as an Entwined Hut. Built of vines, broad leaves, and bamboo staves, the Entwined Hut is a small enclosed space with a roof and walls. Often built on stilts or in high tree branches, the Entwined Hut serves as both a lookout point and a hideaway. Rope ladders can also be pulled up, the small door sealed, so that the Entwined Hut becomes a small fortress against animal attacks as well as a shelter against the rain. A properly built Entwined Hut is deftly camouflaged with the ranger’s Conceal ability. Building an Entwined Hut takes 1d6 days and a successful Survival check (DC 20). After the Entwined Hut has been erected, the ranger may use the Summon Familiar advantage (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details) to call upon his animal aide-de-camp, spending the requisite one day in meditation. Mountain Rangers: Sheltered Cairn Rangers of the high altitudes occupy a unique niche in the ongoing effort to keep humans and other friendly sentients safe from those creatures that might beleaguer them. Mountain ranges are notoriously difficult landscapes to traverse. Not only is it a challenge simply to cross from one point to another, with gravity a constant enemy, there are also all manner of monsters laired deep in granite vaults. Mountain rangers must be many things –climbers, trackers, spelunkers, survivalists, geologists, and skilled warriors. They practice combat while hanging from ropes and balanced on narrow ledges. They condition their bodies to function fully in places where the oxygen is thin. They are also natural meteorologists, always on the lookout for the next storm that might slash the mountainside and force them to seek sudden shelter. The mountain ranger inhabits a vertical world ripe with dangers, from freak avalanches to stone giants, from yawning crevices to the dwelling places of slumbering dragons. Needless to say, it’s often difficult to make anything of permanence in such conditions. The Sheltered Cairn represents the ranger’s sense of peace in an ever-changing world, the one immutable thing in his life, to which he can retreat whenever he needs to realign his bearings and take inventory of his soul. More directly, the Sheltered Cairn is the holy zone where he summons his familiar. The Sheltered Cairn usually appears as an altar made of stones. The stones range in size from sling stones to small boulders. They are stacked atop one another with utmost care, placed together in such a way that their weight holds them secure. They must be set up in an area relatively protected from the wind and free of the occasional earth tremor. To locate a suitable spot, the ranger must make a successful Survival check (DC 20). This enables him to find a nook between peaks with a fairly level surface. He then spends 1d4+1 days locating the proper stones and bearing them to his chosen spot. Anyone with the proficiency in stonemason’s tools can cut this time in half. Because the rocks are often heavy and the work grueling, many rangers use sleds and carts to help bear the load. But as with all Sacred Sites, the ranger must do the work alone. The Cairn usually stands at least four feet tall, forming a type of altar, but it can take on any shape the ranger desires. However, the place where the Cairn is erected must be physically distinct in some way from the region around it. Perhaps the ranger marks the ground with small colored rocks, or chisels out a circular groove in the ground around the Cairn. Regardless, there must be a definite line that separates the mundane peaks around it from the sanctity of the Sheltered Cairn. Once the stones are set up, the ranger prays over them and puts the Summon Familiar advantage into practice (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details), spending one full day seeking inspiration, offering up thanks to the gods of nature, and seeking with his mind the animal that will soon come to be his friend. Plain Rangers: Standing Stones The most common Sacred Site for rangers of the sweeping grasslands is the rings of tall megaliths known as stone circles. Each stone circle consists of four or more mighty standing stones, huge obelisks or columns arranged in a roughly circular shape. The columns range from two to ten feet tall and weigh anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand pounds apiece. Often two standing stones will support a third slab called a dolmen; this stone acts as a lintel and forms a rectangular opening or gateway. Many stone circles are quite large, being up to a hundred feet in diameter, with many concentric rings of columns. The rings are not placed at random. Rangers and druids construct standing stones with great care, positioning them to correspond with certain locations of heavenly bodies in order to chart the passing of the seasons, the motion of the stars, and the specifics of such holy days as solstices and equinoxes. Megaliths are arranged according to exact mathematical calculations so as to work together like a combination sundial and sextant. For those knowledgeable in astronomy, the stone circles can be used for all matter of celestial reckoning. Sages of various disciplines make extensive use of such places, often using what they discover there to write entire books on subjects as diverse as geometry, astrology, and meteorology. The circles can be organized so as to serve as time-keeping devices of nearly flawless performance, their gigantic blocks somehow able to keep track of even the smallest fraction of a second. But for those of a spiritual inclination, standing stones represent much more than simple tools of science. Rangers and those of similar bent see these areas as conduits through which the realm of the unseen can meet that of the material realm. Standing stones are rallying points for fairies, altars for wilderness priests, and sanctuaries for those who seek the solitude of the wilderness. Many woodland deities use standing stones to channel energy to their followers. Wilderness gods inhabit such stones more readily than they do the walls of a church in the midst of a city. and something about the mysterious architecture of a stone circle impresses upon visitors an air of divine authority. Seeing these things, it is not surprising that rangers on the plains seek to erect standing stones as structures in their otherwise flat environment. Unlike the forest ranger, the plains ranger has no trees to surround him, no leafy canopy to serve as the ceiling of his “cathedral.” Thus, he fashions for himself a church of towering stone monoliths, capping them with massive rafters of stone. In effect, he builds for himself a refuge that is many things at once –a tabernacle, a resting place, a compass, a calendar, and a clock. By their nature, stone circles are quite challenging to build. With stones weighing as much as many tons, the physical demands of construction usually require the efforts of dozens of workmen. The obelisks are usually of sandstone. The nature of the plains environment often necessitates the moving of the pillars over great distances, so that the builders must first secure sufficient wagons, sleds, and draft animals, not to mention hundreds of feet of rope, along with pulleys and levers of various kinds. Putting together a celestial observatory of this magnitude is the effort of many rangers, druids, and members of nearby communities. Not only must the rock be quarried and then dragged across miles of grassland, the pillars must be positioned with nearly perfect precision. Even the slightest deviation results in false readings, improper weather forecasts, or any number of mathematical errors. So not only must the stonecutters and masons be experts, so too must the engineers who see to the final placement of the megaliths. Needless to say, establishing a stone circle is a daunting enterprise. However, a ranger may simplify the process with magic by using any device capable of such spells as telekinesis. Due to magnitude of building a stone circle, the task is often beyond the resources of the typical ranger. In this case, the ranger has two options. First, he can seek out a megalith that has already been built but that is currently abandoned. In some places of the world, such sites are not uncommon. Once located, the ranger need only go about consecrating the site to serve as his Sacred Site. Secondly, the ranger can construct his stone circle to a much smaller scale, erecting it using stones that are no more than one or two feet tall. While still an arduous task due to the great weigh of even these small stones, such a miniature stone circle is much more manageable (requiring 1d3+1 weeks and a successful Survival check at DC 15). Stone circles grant synergy bonuses to those using them while practicing certain skills. Anyone with proficiency in Arcana, Nature, Survival or Navigator’s Tools gains Advantage on checks when consulting the “readings” from the stars and planets as they move above the carefully placed pillars. This bonus only applies to those stone circles that are true megalithssites constructed using the resources of whole orders or peoples. Once the circle is erected, or a suitable replacement is located, the ranger may begin the summoning ritual, making use of Summon Familiar (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details) and spending one full day aligning his thoughts with those of the greater universe. Swamp Ranger: Lasting Hummock Any type of construction in the wetlands is a difficult endeavor. The ground is unstable, the water levels unpredictable, and the indigenous creatures numerous. Rangers who patrol the swamps have come to learn that the one sure thing about the terrain is that there’s no sure thing. What yesterday was a pool of shallow water is today a hill of dry land, while tomorrow it may be submerged under feet of mud. Quicksand traps the unwary. Soggy ground solidifies overnight, only to dissolve a few days later, leaving behind no trace that it ever existed. While the rangers of the plains can always see where their next footstep is about to land, the swamp ranger has no idea what lurks below the stagnant brown water. He might very well be treading into a tangle of poisonous snakes or off the edge of an unseen pit. The principle concern when building a Sacred Site in the swamp is the uncooperative nature of the topography. Not only must the ranger contend with monsters such as shambling mounds and giant alligators, but the very earth often seeks to undermine him, thwarting his best efforts to establish a permanent place of meditation in which he can summon a familiar. Rangers must select swamp locations with great care. This requires a Survival check (DC 15). A successful check means that the ranger has discovered a stable patch of ground. This area is invariably an elevated landmass, one which the ranger is relatively certain stands no chance of one day being overrun with water. Such places in the swamp are not uncommon, usually appearing as large rounded hills, commonly known as hummocks. Such hills are tangled with vines and very often serve as fertile soil for extensive mosses and fungal growths, not to mention weeds, wildflowers, and sometimes dangerous plant life. Certain sentient forms of vegetation prefer to inhabit hummocks, appearing benign until a meal approaches, at which time the carnivorous plant reveals its true nature. A failed check means that no such suitable location exists in the immediate region, and the ranger must move at least ten miles away before checking again. Assuming the ranger finds a suitably safe location, he may go about transforming the dry hill into a Lasting Hummock. He does this by laying a foundation of willow branches, reeds, or small stones, carefully marking the area off from the surrounding swamp. Sometimes the ranger fashions a complete shelter around the Hummock, with a roof to protect against the rain and often thin drapery walls to keep out the constant insects. The Lasting Hummock becomes a permanent shelter in the swamp. When this is finished, the ranger may perform the Summon Familiar advantage (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details), spending a full day in the necessary rites, chanting, beating drums, singing, or whatever else is appropriate for his personal philosophy. Underground Ranger: Furtive Cave When it comes to establishing a Sacred Site, underground rangers have it somewhat easier than their brethren above the earth. Their realms are replete with caverns of various sizes. It should come as no surprise, then, that a ranger living beneath the earth can easily find a cave of suitable size in which to make his Sacred Site. A Survival check (DC 15) is all it takes to locate a fitting cavern, which can be anywhere from a narrow crack in a cliff face to a giant grotto several hundred feet below the surface. Rangers choose their caves based on their personal preferences, so that someone adept at rock-climbing who feels at home in the high, open areas, often seeks out a cave on a sheer cliff wall. On the other hand, rangers who prefer spelunking and cave exploration often go to great lengths to travel the most inaccessible crawlspaces toward the perfect, hidden chamber. Either way, these caverns can be made into Furtive Caves. Some are lofty perches amongst the eagles, while others are moss-covered sinkholes where nothing lives but toadstools and blind fish. Once the Survival check has been made and the proper area found, the ranger may go about the process of sanctifying the cave and thus transforming it from a mundane place into holy ground, otherwise known as a Furtive Cave. Like all Sacred Sites, the Furtive Cave must be physically distinct from the region around it. This is often done by planting mushrooms around the cavern entrance, or marking it with bird feathers, phosphorescent fungi, colored stones, or other types of symbols, the exact nature of which depending upon the cavern’s location. As soon as the area is clearly defined, the ranger assumes a period of intense meditation, during which time he attunes himself to the cavern’s particular acoustics. He gains a feel for the chamber. He learns its shape. He memorizes the strata in the walls and the sediment on the floor. This process of familiarization lasts 1d4 days. During this time, the ranger must subsist on minimal food and water and can perform no other activity beyond contemplation and observation. If he is interrupted in the midst of this ritual, he must start over again. The Ranger’s Familiar Assuming that he finally completes the meditation ritual, the ranger may proceed with the actual Summon Familiar advantage (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details), spending one day in meditation. Ranger Archetype: The Beastmaster Beastmasters are more at home with the beasts of the wild than they are with human beings. Some may have actually been raised by apes or wolves in the wild. Others just find they have a preternatural connection with the beasts that roam the natural world. They tend to be feral in temperament and savage in their attitude. At their best they are brusque and slow to trust humans and demi-humans, but when you gain the trust of a beastmaster, you have a friend for life. Their loyalty is beyond question and unflinching. The core of the beastmaster is their link to the animal kingdom in two ways: an animal companion and a familiar. Beast Links When you take this path at 3rd level, you gain an animal companion and a standard familiar. These are two different animals and each fulfills a different purpose. See Animal Companions vs. Familiars. You need not take the animal companion nor summon familiar advantages to gain these companions. Pack Tactics Beginning at 7th level, you, your animal companion and your familiar are so in sync that you function as a pack. So long as the three of you are within 10 feet of one another, one of you gains advantage on attacks, and another’s enemy has disadvantage attacking him, her or it. You decide who has advantage and who benefits from their enemy having disadvantage. You can change this designation as a reaction, but only once per round, and at no time may one of you benefit from both advantage and disadvantage in a given round. Transfer Familiar Abilities Beginning at 11th level, you may transfer any or all of the abilities you gain from your familiar to your animal companion. Making this change is a bonus action, and the transfer lasts for 1 minute. After you use this ability you must finish a short rest before you can transfer abilities to your animal companion again. Wild Shape At 15th level, you gain the ability of Wild Shape, exactly as a druid of the same level, but you may only shift into an animal of the same type as your familiar or animal companion. Thus, if your familiar is an owl and your animal companion a dog, you may shift only into a bird or canine of up to CR 1. In all other ways, this ability functions exactly as the Druid ability of the same name. Table 9-2: Standard Ranger Familiar Master Class Level Natural Armor Adj. Int Special 3rd +1 6 Conceal, Combat Marauder, Move Silently, Survival, Traps, Track 5th +2 7 7th +3 8 Speak with master, Favored Enemy 9th +4 9 Speak with animals of its kind 11th +5 10 – 13th 6th 11 Speak with any animal 15th +7 12 17th +8 13 – 19th +9 14 – 20th +10 15 – Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the ranger’s familiar. Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people. Favored Enemy: A ranger’s familiar shares the favored enemies of the ranger and gains the same benefits against those enemies. Track: All ranger familiars gain the ability to track (as per the feat), regardless of their previous ability to track (if any). Table 9-3: Greater Ranger Familiar Master Class Level Natural Armor Adj. Int Special 3rd +1 7 Conceal, Combat Marauder, Move Silently, Survival, Traps, Track 5th +2 8 – 7th +3 9 Speak with master, greaterc familiar ability, Favored Enemy 9th +4 10 Speak with animals of its kind 11th +5 11 Greater familiar ability 13th 6th 12 Speak with any animal 15th +7 13 – 17th +8 14 – 19th +9 15 Greater familiar ability 20th +10 16 – Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the ranger’s familiar. Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people. Favored Enemy: A ranger’s familiar shares the favored enemies of the ranger and gains the same benefits against those enemies. Track: All ranger familiars gain the ability to track (as per the feat), regardless of their previous ability to track (if any). Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar ability from Table 9-5 below. Table 9-4: Supreme Ranger Familiar Master Class Level Natural Armor Adj. Int Special 3rd +1 9 Conceal, Combat Marauder, Move Silently, Survival, Traps, Track 5th +2 10 7th +3 11 Speak with master, greater familiar ability, Favored Enemy 9th +4 12 Speak with animals of its kind 11th +5 13 Greater familiar ability 13th 6th 14 Speak with any animal, supreme familiar ability 15th +7 15 Trackless step 17th +8 16 – >Ranger Familiar Abilities Table 9-6: Ranger Supreme Familiar Abilities Antimagic Field Blasphemous Call Companion’s Veil Damage Reduction Divine Health Familiar Growth Familiar Rage, Greater Find the Path Holy Call Natural Armor, Supreme Spell Resistance, Supreme Supreme Leap

Table 9-5: Ranger Greater Familiar Abilities

Animal Trance

Antiplant Shell

Blessed Companion

Blink

Enhance Attribute

Commune with Nature

Countercall

Courageous Roar

Deafening Call

Defensive Roll

Encompassing Vision

Endure Elements

Familiar Rage

Freedom of Movement

Guided Strike

Great Leap

Haste

Natural Armor, Greater

Nondetection

Opportunist

Resist Energy

Spell Resistance, Greater

Uncanny Dodge, Improved

Wholeness of Body

Woodland Stride

Beast Rider Archetype

Some rangers become masters of beasts of burden, even learning to ride unusual creatures that would stun, shock, and awe others. These men and women can be seen riding regular horses with a preternatural connection to their steed, or can even be seen astride such creatures as griffons, chimeras and dragons!

This Archetype functions in all ways identically to the barbarian Horseman Path, and is available to Rangers as an Archetype.

19th+917Greater familiar ability20th+1018Supreme familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the ranger’s familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Favored Enemy: A ranger’s familiar shares the favored enemies of the ranger and gains the same benefits against those enemies.

Track: All ranger familiars gain the ability to track (as per the feat), regardless of their previous ability to track (if any).

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar ability from Table 9-5 below.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select one supreme or greater familiar ability from Tables 9-5 or 9-6 below.

The Rogue’s Familiar

Rogue Familiars

From the dawn of their profession, rogues have emulated creatures both natural and supernatural in the pursuit of their craft –the term cat burglar was not coined by chance, after all, and scouts without the eyes of an eagle are seldom worth their pay. It is little wonder, then, that many rogues have turned to using the creatures themselves in plying their trade. Imagine the benefits of spying out a fortified tower’s defenses from the sky through the eyes of a hawk, or using a monkey to create the perfect diversion on a busy street corner. By combining the natural strengths of familiars and their own cunning minds, a rogue can rise to any occasion and bring her art and skill to an entirely new level.

Roguish familiars are unique in their use, though not necessarily their type. A fighter may have a snake as a familiar, but only the rogue’s snake slithers into the royal court and listens to the traitorous words of the northern dukes.

The Quicksilver Rites

The Quicksilver Rites are a complex, delicate, and expensive endeavor. But they are also a rogue’s key to creating the bond between familiar and master. The origins of the Quicksilver Rites have been lost to the annals of history, but their secrets have been carefully kept by a variety of thieves’ guilds and spy rings.

In order to perform the Quicksilver Rites, a rogue must first construct a totem. The totem represents the animal or creature that the rogue has chosen to summon as her familiar. The totem can be made of stone, metal, wood, cloth, or any other substance –but it must be crafted by the rogue’s own hand. This requires an appropriate Intelligence check with a Challenge Level depending on the size, complexity, and material of the totem being made).

Once the totem has been completed, appropriate runes and sigils must be carved or marked upon it. This requires 2d4 hours and an additional intelligence check (DC 15) for a standard familiar, DC 20 for a greater familiar, or DC 25 for a supreme familiar) and completes the ritual required by the Summon Familiar Special Ability (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details).

The required runes and sigils vary from one creature to the next and are the essential mystery of the Quicksilver Rites.

Once the runes and sigils have been completed, specially prepared quicksilver must be poured upon them. (In addition to the costs of the totem itself, the quicksilver and the alchemical components used in its preparation represents the cost of the ritual for the rogue.) If the ritual has been completed successfully, the quicksilver instantly hardens –taking the form of the totemic symbols and sealing the bond between rogue and familiar. Within 1d4 hours, the rogue’s familiar arrives.

Destruction or loss of the totem breaks the bond between the rogue and her new familiar. If this happens, the rogue suffers all the normal penalties associated with the destruction or death of a familiar.

Table 10-1: Standard Rogue Familiars

Baboon*

Bat*

Cat*

Chameleon~~

Dog (Use stats for Mastiff)*

Fox

Hawk*

Hedgehog

Hummingbird

Lizard*

Lizard, venomous~~

Mongoose (Use stats for weasel)*

Monkey

Octopus*

Owl*

Poisonous snake*

Porpoise/Dolphin

Raccoon

Rat*

Raven*

Squid*

Squirrel Toad*

Weasel*

Chameleon: use stats for lizard, but add Skill: Stealth +4 and gain the spider climb special ability of the giant lizard and the following special ability:

Camouflage: The chameleon gains advantage on all Stealth checks due to their ability to blend into their surroundings.

Chameleon, Giant: Use stats for giant lizard with the Spider Climb variant and add the Skill: Stealth +4 and the following special ability:

Camouflage: The chameleon gains advantage on all Stealth checks due to their ability to blend into their surroundings.

Dragon, Very Young: Very Young Dragons are a step between Wyrmling and Young Dragons. After choosing your dragon type, set all statistics exactly at the midpoint between the wyrmling and young levels.

Lizard, Venemous: Use stats for lizard, but on a successful bite the lizard inflicts 1d4 poison damage and the victim is poisoned for 1d4 hours. If the victim makes a successful DC 10 Constitution save, the poison damage is halved and the poisoned condition is negated.

Wolverine: Use stats for badger, but bite deals 1d4 piercing damage and add additional attack: Claws. Melee Weapon Attack. +5 to hit, reach, 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1d4 slashing damage. Also add Multiattack: The wolverine attacks with both its claws and teeth every round.

Rogue Familiar Abilities

A rogue’s familiar is different from other classes’ familiars in that it is the creature’s abilities, not its type or species that determines its usefulness as a familiar. Creatures that use speed, grace, flight, or guile are natural choices for rogues to choose as familiars.

Table 10-4: Standard Rogue Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Empathic link, Listen, Hide, Move Silent
3rd-4th	+2	7	Standard familiar ability, Back Attack
5th-6th	+3	8	Speak with master
7th-8th	+4	9	Speak with animals of its kind, Sneak Attack
9th-10th	+5	10	–
11th-12th	+6	11
13th-14th	+7	12	Standard familiar ability
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	–
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the rogue’s familiar.

Table 10-2: Greater Rogue Familiars

Azer*

Blink dog*

Chameleon, giant~~

Crocodile*

Darkmantle*

Gargoyle*

Giant bat*

Giant poisonous snake*

Giant rat*

Giant weasel*

Goblin*

Eagle*

Kobold*

Lizardfolk*

Mephit (any)*

Orc*

Quasit*

Snake, constrictor*

Tiger*

Wolf*

Wolverine~~

Worg*

Table 10-3: Supreme Rogue Familiars

Bugbear*

Dire wolf*

Displacer beast*

Dragon, very young (any)~~

Elemental (air)*

Elemental (water)*

Ethereal filcher*

Gargoyle*

Giant constrictor snake*

Giant eagle*

Giant Hyena*

Giant owl*

Giant wolverine~~

Gnoll*

Imp*

Phase spider*

~~ See ‘Non-standard Familiars’ sidebar for details.

Note: All Greater and Supreme familiars have specific character level and alignment prerequisites that must be met in order to be chosen –see Tables 1-5 and 1-6 for more details.

7th-8th+412Speak with animals of its Kind, Back Attack9th-10th+513Greater Familiar Ability11th-12th+614Supreme Familiar Ability13th-14th+715Standard Familiar Ability15th-16th+816-17th-18th+917Greater Familiar Ability19th-20th+1018Supreme familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the rogue’s familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence).

Sneak Attack: A rogue’s familiar can sneak attack as per its master, gaining the same bonus dice to a successful sneak as its master would for her level.

Standard Familiar Ability: Select one standard familiar ability from Table 10-7 below.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater or standard familiar ability from Tables 10-7 or 10-8 below.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select one supreme, greater, or standard familiar ability from Tables 10-7, 10-8, or 10-9 below.

Table 10-7: Rogue Standard Familiar Abilities

Blur

Chameleon

Control Light

Control Shadow

Darkvision

Detect Poison

Detect Secret Doors

Distracting

Familiar’s Eye

Familiar’s Flame

Fast Movement

Feat1

Inkling

Know Direction

Low-light Vision

Talons

Trackless Step

1 The rogue can select, with the GM’s permission and as deemed appropriate for a rogue or the familiar in question, any feat as a special ability for her familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence).

Sneak Attack: A rogue’s familiar can sneak attack as per its master, gaining the same bonus dice to a successful sneak as its master would for her level.

Standard Familiar Ability: Select one standard familiar ability from Table 10-7 below.

Table 10-5: Greater Rogue Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	7	Empathic link, Listen, Hide, Move Silent
3rd-4th	+2	8	Standard familiar Ability, Back Attack
5th-6th	+3	9	Speak with master, greater familiar ability
7th-8th	+4	10	Speak with animals of its kind, Sneak Attack
9th-10th	+5	11	Greater familiar ability
11th-12th	+6	12
13th-14th	+7	13	Standard familiar ability
15th-16th	+8	14	–
17th-18th	+9	15	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+10	16	–

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the rogue’s familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence).

Sneak Attack: A rogue’s familiar can sneak attack as per its master, gaining the same bonus dice to a successful sneak as its master would for her level.

Standard Familiar Ability: Select one standard familiar ability from Table 10-7 below.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater or standard familiar ability from Tables 10-7 or 10-8 below.

Table 10-6: Supreme Rogue Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	9	Empathic link, Listen, Hide, Move Silent
3rd-4th	+2	10	Standard Familiar Ability
5th-6th	+3	11	Speak with master, Greater Familiar Ability

Roguish Archetype: The Shadow Pact

The ritual of the Shadow Pact requires thirteen specially prepared ceremonial candles and a variety of rare alchemical substances. The candles are placed in a ritualistic pattern around the character performing the ritual and specific alchemical substances are added to them in a particular order –shifting the strength and hue of the light cast by each candle.

If this is done correctly, the character performing the ritual is surrounded by a very precise penumbra formed from her own shadows. The character then drinks a prepared alchemical potion.

Preparing the potion consumes half the resources required for the summoning ritual. Once a potion has been successfully prepared, performing the ritual requires eight hours of concentration and meditation. During the ritual, the potion acts as a catalyst –over the course of the next eight hours (during which time the character performing the ritual must not move), each candle burns itself out, but the shadow it casts remain. When the last candle burns out, the Shadow Pact is complete, and the character’s disparate shadows merge to become a shadow familiar.

As long as her shadow familiar survives, the character does not cast a natural shadow. As a result, a character can only possess a single shadow familiar at any given time. A character with a standard shadow familiar, however, can choose to “upgrade” her familiar if she takes the Summon Greater Familiar or Summon Supreme Familiar Abilities. This requires the character to perform the Shadow Pact again, this time for the more powerful version of her familiar. However, this also opens up whatever familiar “slot” the shadow familiar was previously occupying –allowing the character to summon a new familiar of that type. (For example, a rogue who upgrades a standard shadow familiar to a greater shadow familiar would now be able to summon a new standard familiar.)

Shadow Familiars and Rogues

Unlike other kinds of familiars, only a rogue with the Shadow Pact Archetype can gain a Shadow familiar.

Shadow Familiar

At 3rd level, when the Rogue chooses this archetype, she completes the ritual described above and gains a shadow familiar.

For more information, see “Shadow Familiar Properties,” below.

Shadow Stealth

At 9th level, you have advantage on all Dexterity (Stealth) checks so long as you are in darkness or dim light.

Greater Shadow Familiar

Beginning at 13th level, your shadow familiar becomes a Greater Shadow Familiar.

Supreme Shadow Familiar

Beginning at 17th level, your shadow familiar becomes a Supreme Shadow familiar.

Table 10-8: Rogue Greater Familiar Abilities

Augury

Blessed Companion

Blink

Enhance Attribute

Darkness

Daylight

Dazing Touch

Death’s Harbinger

Death Ward

Defensive Roll

Detect Thoughts

Discern Lies

Encompassing Vision

Find Traps

Freedom of Movement

Guided Strike

Great Leap

Haste

Opportunist

Silence

Speech

Spider Climb

Table 10-9: Rogue Supreme Familiar Abilities

Charm

Companion’s Veil

Confusion

Dimension Slip

Ethereal State

Familiar Growth

Find the Path

Supreme Leap

Tongues

Shadow Familiars

Instead of using the Quicksilver Rites to summon a traditional familiar, some rogues turn to the Shadow Pact. Using the secrets of the Shadow Pact, a rogue can imbue her own shadow with life –transforming it into a loyal minion capable of serving in a variety of unique ways.

The Rogue’s Familiar

A shadow familiar otherwise has no attack.

Special Qualities: Damage Resistances: Shadow familiars have resistance to acid, cold, fire, lightning, thunder, bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons, and are immune to necrotic and poison damage. They are, however, vulnerable to radiant and psychic damage.

Darkvision: The familiar has darkvision out to 60 ft.

Shadow Form: A shadow familiar is made of the stuff of shadows. This gives it a number of special abilities. These include:

Amorphous And Weightless: The shadow can move through a space as narrow as 1 inch wide without squeezing. It must, however, always remain anchored to its master. In addition, a shadow familiar can move in any direction (including up or down) at will, but its movement is limited to surfaces (such as the floor, the ceiling, a table-top, etc.). Shadow familiars make no noise.

Stealth: A shadow has the stealth skill with a +4 modifier (+6 in dim light). It can take the Hide action as a bonus action while in dim light or darkness.

Incorporeal: A shadow familiar cannot make any physical attack or take any action which would require a physical presence (such as picking up an object). It can pass through and operate in water as easily as it does in air. It cannot fall or suffer falling damage and it cannot be tripped or grappled by corporeal creatures. A shadow familiar has no weight and does not set off traps that are triggered by weight. It does not leave footprints and has no scent.

Shadow Invisibility: A shadow familiar in a shadow or an area of darkness is effectively invisible until it moves into another area.

Shadow Bond: Although it has become separated, a shadow familiar’s existence is still dependent upon its master. If the master dies, the shadow familiar also dies.

Shadow Jump: When its master reaches 6th level, a shadow familiar gains the ability to temporarily separate from its master and travel between shadows as if by means of a dimension door spell. The limitation is that the magical transport must begin and end in an area with at least some shadow (not counting the shadow familiar itself). A standard shadow familiar can jump up to a total of 20 feet and remain separated from its master for up to 5 rounds, after which its master must finish a long rest before it can jump again. A greater shadow familiar can jump up to a total of 40 feet and can remain separated from its master for 10 rounds.

A supreme shadow familiar can jump a total of 80 feet and remain separated from its master for 20 rounds. This amount can be split among many jumps, but each one, no matter how small, counts as a 10-foot increment. (A standard shadow familiar that makes a jump of 32 feet cannot make another jump that day, as this counts as 40 feet.) At the end of its duration away from its master, the shadow familiar instantly teleports back to its master’s side.

While it is separated, the master does not cast a shadow.

Shadow Familiar Properties

Even though the Shadow Pact grants independence to the rogue’s shadow, a shadow familiar remains an extension of the rogue –its appearance and personality are a dark mirror of its master’s own.

A shadow familiar should not be mistaken for the undead creature known as a shadow. Unlike a shadow, a shadow familiar remains, essentially, a shadow. Like any other shadow it is limited to traveling along the ground or upon walls, and its ability to take physical action is extremely limited. As a result, shadow familiars are most often employed for their ability to spy and slip into difficult places.

Shadow familiars have the following traits:

Hit Dice And Hit Points: A standard shadow familiar has onefourth the Master’s hit dice and hit points (minimum of 1 HD).

A greater shadow familiar has half the Master’s hit dice and hit points (minimum of 2 HD). A Supreme shadow familiar has hit points and hit dice equivalent to the Master.

Initiative: The shadow familiar always acts in concert with its master.

Armor Class: 10 plus its Dexterity bonus and Deflection bonuses.

Space/reach: Same as master’s. A shadow familiar does not actually occupy any physical space, however, and other creatures can pass freely through any space it occupies.

Shadow Traits

Shadow familiars have the following special attacks and abilities:

Special Attacks: Shadow Attack: When its master reaches 10th level, a shadow familiar can attack the shadows of other creatures.

This attack comes from the shadow familiar as a separate entity and does not count against the master’s actions, bonus actions or reactions for the round. When making the attack, the shadow familiar must strike at the creature’s shadow where it joins the creature (effectively the shadow familiar must be able to reach the target creature’s space). The attack is made at the shadow familiar’s master’s attack bonus using a shadow version of whatever weapon the master is currently carrying. If the master’s weapon is magical, those magical effects are not transferred to the shadow familiar’s shadow weapon. However, the shadow familiar’s attack ignores the material armor –even magic armor –worn by its target, unless it is made of force or has the ghost touch ability. If the attack is successful the damage is dealt to the target’s shadow and the target suffers the same damage as a result.

Shadow Strangle: When its master reaches 15th level, a shadow familiar can smother a helpless opponent by lying across its face. The shadow familiar must enter the target’s space and can take no other action while performing the shadow strangle.

As long as it remains, the target cannot breathe. Use the rules for drowning in the Players Handbook to determine how long the target creature can survive without breathing.

Table 10-12: Supreme Shadow Familiar

Master Class Level	Deflection Armor Adj.	Int	Special
17th	+7	15	Supreme familiar ability 18th +8 16 Standard familiar ability
19th	+9	17	Greater familiar ability
20th	+10	18	Supreme familiar ability

Deflection Armor Adj.: The number noted here is a bonus to the familiar’s deflection armor bonus. It represents the shadowy insubstantialness of the rogue’s shadow familiar.

Int: The shadow familiar’s Intelligence score. Shadow familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Shadow Traits: See the ‘Shadow Familiar Properties’ section above.

Standard Familiar Ability: Select one standard familiar ability from Table 10-13 below.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater or standard familiar ability from Tables 10-13 or 10-14 below.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select one supreme, greater, or standard familiar ability from Tables 10-13, 10-14, or 10-15 below.

Table 10-13: Rogue Shadow Familiar Abilities

Blur

Control Shadow

Darkvision

Detect Magic

Detect Poison

Detect Secret Doors

Distracting

Familiar’s Eye

Fast Movement

Inkling

Know Direction

Table 10-14: Rogue Greater Shadow Familiar Abilities

Augury

Darkness

Detect Thoughts

Discern Lies

Encompassing Vision

Fearful

Find Traps

Freedom of Movement

Mirror Image

Nondetection

Recall

Speech

Sunlight Weakness: While in sunlight or brightly illuminated areas, the shadow has disadvantage on attack rolls, ability checks and saving throws.

Special Abilities: Same as the master’s.

Class Abilities: Same as the master’s.

Proficiency Bonus: Same as the master’s Ability Scores: A shadow familiar does not possess a Strength or Constitution score. Its Intelligence score is shown on the tables below. All other ability scores are the same as the master’s.

Table 10-10: Standard Shadow Familiar

Master Class Level	Deflection Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Empathic link, danger sense, shadow traits, Stealth, Sneak Attack
3rd-4th	+2	Standard familiar ability
5th-6th	+3	8	Speak with master
7th-8th	+4	9	–
9th-10th	+5	10	–
11th-12th	+6	11	–

Deflection Armor Adj.: The number noted here is a bonus to the familiar’s deflection armor bonus. It represents the shadowy insubstantialness of the rogue’s shadow familiar.

Int: The shadow familiar’s Intelligence score. Shadow familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Shadow Traits: See the ‘Shadow Familiar Properties’ section above for details.

Standard Familiar Ability: Select one standard familiar ability from Table 10-13 below.

Table 10-11: Greater Shadow Familiar

Master Class Level	Deflection Armor Adj.	Int	Special
13th	+5	11	Greater Familiar Ability
14th	+6	12	Standard Familiar Ability
15th	+7	13	Greater Familiar Ability
16th	+8	14	Standard Familiar Ability

Deflection Armor Adj.: The number noted here is a bonus to the familiar’s deflection armor bonus. It represents the shadowy insubstantialness of the rogue’s shadow familiar.

Int: The shadow familiar’s Intelligence score. Shadow familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Shadow Traits: See the ‘Shadow Familiar Properties’ section above for details.

Standard Familiar Ability: Select one standard familiar ability from Table 10-13 below.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater or standard familiar ability from Tables 10-13 or 10-14 below.

Table 10-15: Rogue Supreme Shadow Familiar Abilities

Cloak of Darkness

Companion’s Veil

Confusion

Find the Path

Mind Store

Tongues

Roguish Archetype: Death’s Reaper

Death’s reapers intrinsically deal in the art of death and death dealing in all its macabre forms. Death’s reapers, more than any other class profession understand the complications which divine magic have placed upon their benighted career path. As the death’s reaper grows in power, they know that the quality of their targets also increases, meaning that their VIP targets have the opportunity to purchase powerful healing magic, enchantments and charms against death, and of course the rituals of raise dead, reincarnation, and resurrection that thwart the death’s reaper at every turn. Thus, in this ever growing enchanted arms race, the death’s reaper looks to supernatural means to circumvent the inevitable resurrection of his target and guarantee to his contractors that his mark stays dead!

As many death’s reapers are themselves trained by cults dedicated to ultimate and true death and thus worship of death gods, and veneration of the angel of death are not uncommon among practitioners of the death’s reapers’ trade. Many are the hit-men who can attest to the presence of the reaper when true death is visited upon a target. Contract killers speak in hushed voices amongst one another of the spirit that they feel enter the chamber of their mark just as the life whispers from their victims’ lips. They talk of the culling of the spirit, when the soul leaves the body and know better than most of the entity which whispers past their chin to claim that intangible prize from the dying eyes of their contracted mark. Death’s reapers know this spirit as the reaper, and some among their deadly orders have learned the trick of trapping one of these nebulous beings, that they may be bound to a death’s reaper’s blade and summoned to insure the completion of an assignment.

The Reaper Familiar

When you choose this archetype at level 3, you gain a Reaper familiar. The process for calling and binding this familiar, and the abilities it gains and grants, are listed below.

Bonus Proficiencies

Also, at 3rd level when you choose this archetype, you gain proficiency with the poisoner’s kit and the disguise kit.

So long as the reaper remains loyal, it will battle alongside its master, attacking unfailingly and viciously against any foe the master faces even unto the death. If the reaper is destroyed the assassin suffers an immediate and permanent loss of 2d6 points of Constitution, though the assassin may attempt to summon another reaper at a future time, paying the extended costs associated with ensnaring a new reaper.

A reaper that escapes its master’s control, be it from being released or through defeating its master in a challenge, retains all of its enhanced abilities and familiar abilities, making it a far more formidable foe than a normal reaper.

It is possible for a master to attempt to re-summon and bind the same reaper at a later date, though defeating it as part of the summoning ritual will naturally be more difficult once it has gained powers. Otherwise, a new reaper that is summoned will always begin at base power (treat the new reaper as though the rogue’s class level was 3 and progress from there).

Statistics for a standard Reaper can be found in Appendix B, new creatures.

Reaper Progression

As the death’s reaper gains power and infamy in their chosen line of work so too does the reaper bound to their service gain advancement in hit dice and deadliness. The following chart lists the Hit Dice advancement of the Reaper based on the level advancement of the death’s reaper character. The list of special Familiar Abilities available to a bound reaper is the same as those available to the Shadow Familiar, above.

Table 10-16: Reaper Progression

Rogue Class Level HD	Int, Wis, Cha	Special
3rd	–	12	Empathic link, danger sense, shadow traits, Stealth, Sneak Attack
5th	+1d8	12	–
7th	+1d8	13	–
9th	+1d8	13	Standard Familiar Ability
11th	+1d8	14	–
13th	+1d8	14	–
15th	+1d8	15	Greater Familiar Ability
17th	+1d8	15	–
19th	+1d8	16	–
20th	+1d8	16	Supreme Familiar Ability

Deadly Assault

Beginning at level 9, you always add an additional 1d6 damage to a successful sneak attack.

Brutal Attack

Beginning at level 13, whenever you make a successful attack on an opponent against whom you have advantage, you can choose to deal maximum damage for your weapon. Additional damage, such as that from sneak attack, is not maximized; only the damage from your weapon code. You must declare the use of this ability before the results of your attack roll are revealed.

Should you score a critical hit, you deal double your maximum damage for your weapon. After you use this ability, you must finish a short rest before using it again.

Improved Blindsense

Starting at 17th level, if you do not already have darkvision, you gain darkvision 60 ft. If you already have darkvision, its range is extended to 120 ft. In addition, you are immune to the blinded condition and can operate normally even in magical darkness so long as you have either a sense of hearing, smell or touch. You also gain advantage on Perception checks tied to hearing and smell.

Summoning The Reaper

To summon a reaper, the rogue completes a ritual that requires them to perform an assassination of a marked target, and upon completion, capture the reaper called to collect the target’s soul within a ring of powdered silver worth 1000 gp.

The assassin must then defeat the reaper in single combat within the ring. Upon success, the assassin binds the reaper to his shadow and a phylactery made from one of the assassin’s weapons, whose value is at least 2000 gp. If the assassin fails to defeat the reaper, he is of course slain, and cannot be raised or resurrected by any means.

The Cost of A Reaper Familiar

Once the reaper is bound, it will serve as a loyal companion and familiar, though it demands that its master permit it to feast on at least one soul per week. This cost increases to an additional soul at levels 9, 13 and 17. Should the master fail to allow the reaper to meet its quota of souls, it will engage in a test of wills against the master. This test of wills is the reaper’s charisma against the master’s wisdom. If the reaper wins, it will issue an ultimatum: the master can let it go free (in which case the master suffers penalties as though the reaper was killed, as described below), or the master must engage the reaper in combat to the death, his soul being penance for those the reaper has failed to collect.

The Sorcerer’s Familiar

The dream came again, that formless void that surrounded Matthias on all sides, beckoning him, calling him in. When it first came he was terrified, floating free in that gray mist, uncertain where he was and what all of the vague forms and shapes were surrounding him. They were full of intelligence, some benign and some positively exuding malice.

The dreams came again the next month, and then the next week. Now they were coming nightly, and he was beginning to understand, now, that they were asking to be bound to him, to serve him and the chaotic magic he commanded. Just as his powers came naturally to him, the apparent byproduct of an ancestor in ages past engaging in congress with an otherwordly being, the spirits were connected to him through the same natural, chaotic and intuitive conduit.

Tonight when the dream came, Matthias was ready for it.

He had prepared the ritual implements that his intuition had guided him to gather and place. He slept in the center of the circle, the sage and candles burning about him, magical implements at each of the four compass points: demon ichor at the north, the hide of an owlbear at the south. At his left hand, the claws of a gryphon and his right, a spike from a manticore’s tail. The components had been difficult to come by, and cost him not a small amount in gold and blood, but it had been worth it. Tonight, he would have a new advisor, companion and servant.

He could already feel it coming. But what form would it take? A raven? A wolf? Perhaps something darker and more powerfulan imp or even a goblin? There was only one way to find outcomplete the ritual and bind his new servant to his will.

Matthias stretched out his feelings and called…and something answered.

The Methetherial

The Sorcerer has a distinctive outlook on magic in general and on familiars in particular, as they possess the ability to warp reality, combining the physical and metaphysical into their own imaginative creations. Because of this, it is no surprise that Sorcerers are able to delve deeper into the mysteries of familiars –spirits born of magical energy itself –than anyone else. Over the eons they’ve encountered a myriad number of such beings and have learned the proper means of dealing with them. Many times these beings have agreed to serve the Sorcerer as familiars. The place where these parleys take place is known as the Methetherial.

Beyond the bounds of the material world there exists a transcendental realm known as the Methetherial, home to the formless spirits that ultimately become known as familiars. Ask any three Sorcerers about the true nature of Methetherial and you’ll likely receive three very different answers. Some say that the Methetherial is a small pocket plane adrift in the Astral Plane. Others claim that the Methetherial is like the Ethereal Plane itself, co-existent with the material world, a place of mists that acts as a border between dimensions. Still others argue that the Methetherial is imaginary, nothing more than a dream land constructed by each individual in his own mind. Wherever its actual location, the Methetherial serves as the dwelling place for certain types of spirits. These spirits have no shape, but live only as thoughts- some benign, some indifferent, and some evil. It is said that all the thoughts of mortals reside in the Methetherial until acted upon in the physical world, at which time they are summoned into the thinker’s mind and put to use. If this is true, then the Methetherial might be best called the Demiplane of Ideas.

Put plainly, the exact nature of the Methetherial is the purview of the individual Game Master. In some campaign worlds, the Methetherial might be part of an existing Outer Plane, such as Elysium, while in another it might be an independent demiplane floating upon the Astral Sea. Still others may see the Plane of Idea as an inexplicable netherworld that somehow is made real only when a Sorcerer attempts to enter it.

Regardless of its nature, however, Sorcerers have learned to use their pact as a conduit to tap into this plane, converse with its occupants, and summon the spirits which reside there to serve as familiars. Like the thoughts they represent, spirits in familiar form can be good, neutral, or malevolent, depending upon the Sorcerer’s will.

The landscape of the Methetherial is without physical features of any kind, being little more than a vacuum, spun through with the occasional particle cloud and random bits of matter and energy. No entity is known to rule the plane. Neither is there any geography, gravity, or weather. The Methetherial would seem a monotonous place if not for its denizens, known variously as “Methetherial elementals,” “Unthought-of Ideas,” or simply “spirits.” A band of shifting color encircles the Methetherial, forming a barrier through which these native inhabitants cannot pass without aid. But when coaxed from their homeland into the Sorcerer’s material plane, they become familiars.

Before a Sorcerer makes a spirit into a familiar, however, he has to locate it. and the Methetherial can only be entered through the legendary Ritual of Summoning.

Because of this, it is no surprise that Sorcerers are able to delve deeper into the mysteries of familiars –spirits born of magical energy itself –than anyone else. Mercurial familiars, though sometimes hard to control, are the most mobile of all familiars, with unsurpassed skills of movement and observation.

They are also the free spirits of chaos that are called upon by Sorcerers seeking a familiar companion. Mercurial familiars have no physical form, but exist as incorporeal spirits that do the Sorcerer’s bidding.

can sacrifice (permanently) a first level spell slot to gain a Standard Familiar. At eighth level or any level thereafter, the sorcerer can sacrifice a second level spell slot to gain a Greater Familiar (or elevate their existing familiar to Greater status), and at twelfth or any level thereafter, the sorcerer can sacrifice a third level spell slot to gain a Superior Familiar (or elevate their existing).

It is possible to bypass gaining a Standard Familiar and still gain a Greater Familiar at eighth level, but this still requires sacrificing both a first and third level spell slot. Likewise, skipping standard and Greater familiars and simply gaining a Supreme is possible by sacrificing a first, second and third level slot.

Wizards And Sorcerers

Since wizards and sorcerers both call upon arcane magics, their familiars look the same, even if they are not made of the same essential “stuff.” Therefore, Sorcerers can also take advantage of the options for Wizard familiars.

Mercurial Familiars

The mercurial familiar is as fleeting as a wisp of smoke. Indeed, the very nature of the mercurial familiar is one of caprice; it flies on a whim, it flits and fades, it is nothing if not ephemeral. To them, the idea of containment is anathema. They are intelligent spirits that exist only to satisfy their own unpredictable desires.

It has been said that mercurial familiars, sometimes referred to simply as “mercurials,” are little more than ideas given the spark of life. They are quick-witted and able to converse telepathically with their summoner, though their erratic natures make them poor conversationalists. They often display several conflicting emotions at once. Their chief concerns are motion and experience; they seek only to fly and to observe.

When summoned, mercurials appear before the Sorcerer as insubstantial ghosts, usually assuming a vague and misty shape of an animal or object with which the Sorcerer is well acquainted. A sorcerer might summon this type of familiar and find himself facing the hazy image of a humanoid with glowing orange eyes, or a mountain lion sculpted from smoke, or an eagle with wings of vapor. The psychic connection between summoner and summoned ensures that the familiar always appears in a form befitting the Sorcerer’s disposition.

Mercurials are often summoned by chaotic Sorcerers.

Mercurial Familiar Properties

Sorcerers can summon mercurials as standard familiars, greater mercurials as greater familiars, or supreme mercurials as supreme familiars (see Appendix B for details and statistics for these creatures). Due to their unique nature, however, mercurial familiars do not have access to all of the special abilities most familiars have access to. Even when using the Empower Familiar feats (see ‘New Feats’), mercurial familiars are limited to the special abilities listed on the tables below.

Summoning the Familiar

As stated above, all sorcerers summon their familiars from the Metheterial, the plane of ideas, a place that they access intuitively, drawing upon their inner reserves of strength and power. The call to gain a familiar usually begins when the sorcerer accidentally accesses this realm, in a dream or vision. Like many of their exploits, the first access is often random, but once the connection is made, it grows stronger, calling the sorcerer in more deeply and more often, until she realizes what is happening-a spirit is reaching out and begging to be bound.

At this point the sorcerer will begin intuitively putting together a ritual. This requires a Wisdom-based ability check at DC 15 for a Standard Familiar, DC 20 for a Greater Familiar and DC 25 for a Supreme Familiar. The Sorcerer may add her proficiency bonus to this check. The ritual also carries with it a cost in components; what exactly these components are varies from sorcerer to sorcerer, and are left to the GM’s discretion. However, the cost for a Standard Familiar should be anywhere from 250gp to 500gp, while a Greater familiar runs 500 to 1,000gp and a Supreme familiar from 1,000 to 2,000.

Types of Familiar

The sorcerer’s familiar can take almost any form, as it is at its core, a spirit from the realm of ideas made flesh. However, once it takes a form, it is locked in that form and cannot change. That is, a sorcerer will not have a goblin for a familiar one day and a raven the next. In general, a Standard Familiar can be any creature with a Challenge of less than 1. Greater familiars can be of a Challenge 1 to 4 (but always below the sorcerer’s own level) and Supreme familiars up to Challenge 8 (but again, always below the sorcerer’s level). The GM and player should work together to determine the form the familiar takes, so that it will be both appropriate and balanced for the game at hand.

Standard Familiars gain the ability to communicate with their master telepathically and to share spells. When summoned and every four levels thereafter, they gain an additional Standard Familiar ability.

Greater Familiars may choose Standard or Greater abilities when they gain a new enhancement.

Supreme Familiars have access to the full range of Standard, Greater and Supreme abilities.

Summoning the Familiar

Like wizards, sorcerers can gain a familiar by taking the appropriate Advantage at the proper levels, or they can sacrifice spell slots to gain one. At third level, a sorcerer

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Sensory Familiar: The familiar’s master benefits from the Sensory Familiar feat, but only for mercurial familiars.

Improved Sensory Familiar: The familiar’s master benefits from the Improved Sensory Familiar feat, but only for their mercurial familiars.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar ability from Table 11-4 below.

Table 11-3: Supreme Sorcerer Familiar (Mercurial)

Master Class Level	Deflection Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Alertness, empathic link, sensory familiar
3rd-4th	+2	7	–
5th-6th	+3	8	Blur, greater familiar ability
7th-8th	+4	9	–
9th-10th	+5	10	Detect magic
11th-12th	+6	11	Greater familiar ability, supreme familiar ability
13th-14th	+7	12	Improved sensory familiar
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+10	15	Supreme familiar ability

Deflection Adj.: This number noted here is a bonus to the familiar’s existing deflection armor bonus (mercurials initially have none). It represents a preternatural increasing power of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Sensory Familiar: The familiar’s master benefits from the Sensory Familiar feat, but only for mercurial familiars.

Improved Sensory Familiar: The familiar’s master benefits from the Improved Sensory Familiar feat, but only for their mercurial familiars.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar ability from Table 11-4 below.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select one supreme or greater familiar abilities from Tables 11-4 or 11-5 below.

Table 11-1: Standard Sorcerer Familiar (Mercurial)

Master Class Level	Deflection Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Alertness, empathic link, sensory familiar
3rd-4th	+4	7	–
5th-6th	+3	8	Blur
7th-8th	+4	9	–
9th-10th	+5	10	Detect magic
11th-12th	+6	11	–
13th-14th	+7	12	Improved sensory familiar
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	–
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Deflection Adj.: This number noted here is a bonus to the familiar’s existing deflection armor bonus (mercurials initially have none). It represents a preternatural increasing power of the familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though they are not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Sensory Familiar: The familiar’s master benefits from the Sensory Familiar feat, but only for mercurial familiars.

Improved Sensory Familiar: The familiar’s master benefits from the Improved Sensory Familiar feat, but only for their mercurial familiars.

Table 11-2: Greater Sorcerer Familiar (Mercurial)

Master Class Level	Deflection Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Alertness, empathic link, sensory familiar
3rd-4th	+2	7	–
5th-6th	+3	8	Blur, greater familiar ability
7th-8th	+4	9	–
9th-10th	+5	10	Detect magic
11th-12th	+6	11	Greater familiar ability
13th-14th	+7	12	Improved sensory familiar
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Deflection Adj.: This number noted here is a bonus to the familiar’s existing deflection armor bonus (mercurials initially have none). It represents a preternatural increasing power of the familiar.

Table 11-5: Sorcerer Supreme Familiar Special

Abilities (Mercurial)
Antimagic Field
Astral Projection
Banisher
Charm
Cloak of Chaos
Companion’s Veil
Confusion
Damage Reduction
Destruction’s Touch
Dimension Slip
Divine Health
Ethereal State
Familiar Growth
Find the Path
Fly
Raise Dead
Time Regression
Tongues
Zone of Truth

Mercurial Whimsy

Mercurial familiars are notoriously spirited. They are inherently free-willed, and most of them would love nothing more than to slip from the bond with their summoner and fly about the world unhindered. All mercurials, regardless of alignment, seek to become emancipated spirits. Generally speaking, a mercurial attempts to gain freedom at least once every 1d4 months, unless its master has gone to extremes to placate the familiar. This quest for liberation is known as a mercurial contest, and they can take place whenever the Game Master desires-usually at the most critical times in the master’s life.

If for some reason a sorcerer has summoned a mercurial familiar of an alignment contrary to his own, a contest occurs once every 2d6 days. A contest of wills involves an opposed Charisma check, pitting the sorcerer’s Charisma attribute against that of the mercurial familiar. If the bard wins, the mercurial remains bound. If the mercurial is victorious, it immediately becomes an emancipated spirit (see the ‘Emancipated Spirits’ section below for details).

Table 11-4: Sorcerer Greater Familiar Special

Abilities (Mercurial)
Augury
Blessed Companion
Blink
Enhance ability (cat’s grace)
Commune with Nature
Contagion
Darkness
Daylight
Dazing Touch
Death’s Harbinger
Death Ward
Defensive Roll
Detect Scrying
Detect Thoughts
Discern Lies
Dispel Magic
Encompassing Vision
Fearful
Find Traps
Freedom of Movement
Guided Strike
Haste
Mirror Image
Mystic Disguise
Nondetection
Opportunist Recall
Resist Energy
Shocking Touch
Silence
Sleeping Touch
Speak with Dead
Speech
Time Hop
Uncanny Dodge, Improved
Wholeness of Body

Summoning Ritual: The Enneagram

Spirits of the Pact

Alternatively, the Warlock can respond by claiming a specific familiar. If they do so, the GM on the Cusp metes out a challenge which is based on the type of familiar the Warlock seeks to claim. There are five types of familiar spirits –animistic, automaton, fetish, mercurial, and wyrm (these are described in more detail below). The challenge given by the GM on the Cusp depends on the type of spirit being summoned:

Table 12-1: Summoning Challenge

Familiar Type	Ability Check
Animistic	Wisdom
Automaton	Strength
Fetish	Constitution
Wyrm	Intelligence
Diabolic	Charisma

The DC for this check is 15 for standard familiars, 20 for greater familiars, and 25 for supreme familiars. If the check succeeds, the Warlock has passed the test –the GM on the Cusp steps aside and permits the Warlock’s mental projection to fly to the nearest spirit of that type and bind it (see ‘Binding Familiars’ below).

If the check fails, however, the Warlock is unable to appease any of the spirits at this time. He must return to his physical body and attempt the Ritual of Summoning another day, with the additional time and monetary expenses. There is also a chance that the familiar spirit will escape and become an emancipated spirit (see the ‘Emancipated Spirits’ section below for details).

Binding Familiars

By binding a spirit, the Warlock effectively settles into an unspoken arrangement with it. In exchange for the spirit’s service as a familiar, the Warlock agrees to treat it with respect, if not a small amount of deference. The exception to this is non-sentient spirits, such as those suitable for automaton familiars. They require no such truce, as they serve eternally without question.

Once bound, most familiars remain that way unless something happens to unbind them. An unbound spirit is known as an emancipated spirit (see the ‘Emancipated Spirits’ section below for details). A fetish spirit becomes emancipated if its vessel is destroyed. A mercurial spirit becomes emancipated if it wins a contest of wills. A wyrm spirit becomes emancipated if its summoner dies. Refer to the information regarding each individual familiar type for more information.

Normally a warlock only binds spirits of an alignment that matches his own. In other words, good Warlocks don’t have much need of evil familiars. Neither does a wicked Warlock want a noble-hearted, self-righteous familiar hanging around to nettle him about his actions. However, if for some reason a warlock wants to bind a spirit of an opposing alignment (known as an unwilling spirit), then he must make a second Charisma check (see Table 12-1 for details), this one at Challenge Level 20. Failure means that he isn’t powerful enough to bind an unwilling spirit of any kind; he must wait until he advances at least one more experience level before making another attempt.

If a warlock intends to bind an animistic, automaton, or fetish spirit, he must have within the enneagram a suitable host body, vessel, or object, as needed. Without the proper kind of receptacle, these three types of spirits cannot be made manifest, and the summoning fails. Again, refer to the information below for more details.

The Albatross

If a warlock in the fails his ability check when attempting to bind an animistic familiar, something terrible occurs. Instead of simply coming away empty-handed, a special type of spirit attaches itself to his mental self and accompanies him on the return trip to his physical body. From this point on, the Warlock is cursed –the spirit of the albatross –harbinger of ill-destiny –has clung to his soul and now exists only to lead him to disaster.

Unlike other animistics, the albatross requires no animal body to inhabit. It is nothing more than a shadow that only the Warlock can see, always circling somewhere nearby, following in his footsteps, as if a large-winged bird were flying just overhead.

The curse of the albatross manifests itself as per the bestow curse spell, except that the effects are less severe and must be chosen from those listed here. The Game Master selects one of the following curses:

• -2 effective decrease to an ability score (minimum 1).
• -1 enhancement penalty on attack rolls, saves, ability checks, and skill checks.

Despite the lesser effects of this curse, due to its cause, the remove curse spell cannot aid the doomed Warlock. Only a successful dismissal can banish the albatross back to the Methetherial. (Note: The spirit’s Will save bonus is the same as the original creature had while it was alive.)

Alternatively, a cursed Warlock may choose to return to the other realms to seek guidance from the GM of the Cusp, who commands that he perform a powerful ritual resulting in a personal sacrifice in the amount of one point of permanent Constitution loss for every three levels the character possesses.

By sacrificing this portion of his personal power and skill, the Warlock can assuage the enraged spirit.

Types of Familiars

As discussed above, once summoned, a spirit must be bound in a physical vessel, either of living tissue or an inanimate object. There are five distinct types of familiars, each with its own set of guidelines with regard to form, special abilities, and augmentations.

Animistic familiars are spirits that dwell in the bodies of living animals in the traditional sense of the “magician’s familiar.” The spirit actually displaces the animal’s true spirit and assumes the full range of its senses.

Automaton familiars function as golems, animated objects, or other physical constructs. Fully ambulatory, automatons can follow simple commands and carry out a wide range of tasks.

Though unintelligent, they are the most durable of all familiars.

Fetish familiars are spirits that are housed in physical containers, like scrolls, charms, or sword hilts. Though incapable of movement, fetish familiars grant the Warlock several special abilities, and they may be combined with other fetishes to magnify their powers.

Wyrm familiars maintain a mysterious tie with the essence of dragons. Though potentially the most powerful of all familiars, they are notoriously self-serving.

Diabolical Servants are exactly what they sound like-demons from the Abyss and devils from the Nine Hells, tenuously bound to the service of a mortal, but constantly yearning for freedom that can only be granted by the infernal patron…

The five types of spirits are all very different. Their range of powers and their loyalty to the Warlock vary greatly.

Warlock Familiars and Pacts

The very essence of a warlock’s ability to call upon magic is his pact with an otherworldly master. Whether it’s an alien god from the spaces between spaces, a demonic fiend from the pits of the Abyss, an angel from Elysium, a Fae lord or even a mysterious entity from the Demi-Plane of Ideas, the Warlock’s familiar is part and parcel of this agreement to serve and be rewarded. As such, while there are a variety of options for familiars presented herein, the GM and player should work closely together to ensure that whatever familiar the Warlock chooses, and whatever form that familiar takes, it is deeply representative of and entwined with the source of the Warlock’s pact magic.

Diabolical Servants

The ideal servant for a Warlock with a demonic patron (The Fiend pact) is a Diabolical Servant (see “New Abilities,”) which functions as a representative of their master.

If the Warlock chooses to do so, they should be permitted to call such a familiar as though they possessed the Summon Diabolical Servant ability at level one, without meeting the normal prerequisites. However, if they choose to do so, they lose the Dark One’s Blessing level one benefit in exchange for the enhanced familiar. In addition, they are not permitted to take a level three Pact ability when they reach third level.

Their level one familiar should be of Challenge 1/4, 1/8, 1/2 or 0.

Another way for a Warlock to gain a demonic familiar is to take the Pact of the Chain at third level and sacrifice one invocation permanently. In this case, they gain any appropriate diabolical servant of up to Challenge 1.

Diabolic servants tend to be a bit different than other familiarseach will be a specific variety of demon or devil, and given its innate abilities, will automatically be able to communicate with its master. This familiar automatically gains the ability to share spells and invocations and has an empathic link with its master, as is standard for other familiars.

Beyond this, the familiar gains a new Standard Familiar Ability of the Warlock’s choice at third level (or two levels after it is summoned) and every four levels thereafter.

Greater demonic servants continue this advancement but may choose either Standard or Greater familiar abilities, and likewise, Supreme demonic servants may choose Standard, Greater, or Supreme abilities.

Should the spirit ever become emancipated by breaking its master’s control (which will usually only happen if the master greatly angers his patron), it not only keeps all familiar abilities, but the master suffers penalties as though his familiar had died and the familiar becomes a dedicated enemy of the former master until and unless such time as the patron sees fit to restore the bond.

Other Paths To Familiars

At the option of the GM, a Warlock may obtain a familiar as part of their Pact without having to take the Summon Familiar or other appropriate Advantage. As with the Diabolic Servant, above, this requires a sacrifice on the part of the Warlock. Since the familiars herein are more powerful than those that can be obtained via the standard spell, a Warlock who chooses to gain a familiar at level one, loses their level one Pact ability (equivalent to the Dark

One’s Blessing under the Fiend) and may not choose a level three Pact Boon. If the Warlock chooses a familiar by using the Pact of the Chain, he must sacrifice one Invocation in place of the enhanced power the familiar grants.

Animistic Familiars

The classic familiar from literature and myth is the spirit that inhabits the body of a living animal, often a cat, dog, or snake.

When the Warlock binds an animistic spirit from the very stuff of nature itself into a familiar, the spirit actually suppresses the creature’s essence, in effect replacing it with a new psyche.

Though the animal’s original spirit remains, it is buried deep under the familiar’s consciousness. This process is in no way damaging to the animal’s natural soul, which simply assumes a type of temporal suspension for the duration of the animistic’s stay in the body.

History is rife with legends of diabolical demon spirits riding in the bodies of small animals at the behest of Warlocks of evil intent. While some of these stories are true, they remain the exception to the rule. Though evil Warlocks do indeed invite equally malevolent spirits into an animal’s host body, most Warlocks have no desire to risk making a deal with such entities. Most Methetherial spirits of evil intent work toward their own end, rather than for the good of the Warlock who summoned them.

To bind the animistic spirit, the Warlock must have within his enneagram a suitable host (a dog, toad, rabbit, etc.). When selecting the type of animal vessel for the spirit to inhabit, the player should keep in mind the type of environment most often frequented by his Warlock PC. If the Warlock favors the wilderness, he might choose to bind his familiar spirit into an owl, while a warlock who often interacts with others might choose a more personable familiar, such as a dog. Warlocks hailing from the jungle aren’t likely to select a rat, though an urban-dwelling Warlock most certainly would. And, while a cheetah might not bear relevance to one Warlock’s homeland, a coyote might fit the bill. Feel free to invent more familiars, depending on the campaign setting.

The Warlock can select any type of familiar from Tables 1-4, 1-5, or 1-6 (assuming he has the proper feats) as a host for an animistic spirit. Note: All Greater and Supreme familiars have specific character level and alignment prerequisites that must be met in order to be chosen.

Table 12-2: Standard Warlock Familiar (Animistic)

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
3rd	+1	6	Share spells and invocations1, empathic link
5th	+2	7	Deliver touch spells
7th	+3	8	Speak with master
9th	+4	9	Speak with animals of its kind
11th	+5	10	–
13th	6th	11	Spell resistance
15th	+7	12	Scry on familiar
17th	+8	13	–
19th	+9	14	–
20th	+10	15	–

Table 12-3: Greater Warlock Familiar (Animistic)

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
3rd	+1	7	Share spells and invocations1, empathic link
5th	+2	8	Deliver touch spells
7th	+3	9	Speak with master, greater familiar ability
9th	+4	10	Speak with animals of its kind
11th	+5	11	Blur
13th	6th	12	Spell resistance, greater familiar ability
15th	+7	13	Scry on familiar, detect scrying
17th	+8	14	–
19th	+9	15	Greater familiar ability
20th	+10	16	Recall

Greater Familiar Ability: Select any one greater or standard familiar ability.

1 Warlock familiars can share invocations as well as spells.

Table 12-4: Supreme Warlock Familiar (Animistic)

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
3rd	+1	9	Share spells and invocations1, empathic link
5th	+2	10	Deliver touch spells
7th	+3	11	Speak with master, greater familiar ability
9th	+4	12	Speak with animals of its kind
11th	+5	13	Blur, greater familiar ability
13th	6th	14	Spell resistance, supreme familiar ability
15th	+7	15	Scry, detect scrying, greater familiar ability
17th	+8	16	Supreme familiar ability
19th	+9	17	Greater familiar ability
20th	+10	18	Recall, supreme familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the Warlock’s familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select any one greater or standard familiar ability.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select any one supreme, greater, or standard familiar ability.

1 Warlock familiars can share invocations as well as spells.

Like most other classes, Warlocks are required to take the Summon Familiar Special Ability (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details) to bind the enhanced familiars in these rules to their service, take the Pact of the Chain at third level and sacrifice an Invocation, or should explore the other options for gaining a familiar (see below).

To commence the Ritual of Summoning, the Warlock needs an enneagram –a nine-pointed star formed of nine lines. Within the star, these nine lines form a triangle and a hexagon contained within a circle. This is the central diagram of the Ritual of Summoning, and it must be rendered in a medium of mixed chalk and silver dust costing no less than 100 gp. (Summoning a greater familiar requires a mixture of chalk and gold, increasing this cost to 1,000 gp. Summoning a supreme familiar requires a mixture of chalk and mithril, increasing this cost still further to 5,000 gp.)

Warlocks usually reserve a place in their libraries or laboratories for their summoning rituals, though technically no one area is more “attuned” to their pact and patron than any other.

Thus, some Warlocks inscribe their enneagrams on the floor of limestone caverns, while others prefer churches, rings of standing stones, or even the cellars of their favorite taverns.

Though the process of drawing the conjuration circle is not a lengthy or strenuous one, the actual summoning process can be quite arduous. The Warlock should expect to spend at least 24 hours in the act, which involves a series of meditations, mental exercises, and –most importantly –the uttering of certain arcane phrases. These phrases are taught to most Warlocks during their time as apprentices, but many Warlocks have been known to discover the Ritual of Summoning spontaneously.

Essentially, the summoning of a familiar is no different than the casting of any other spell. Concentration is necessary; the Warlock cannot be injured or under the influence of any poison or mind-influencing spell such as suggestion. After a period of one day, during which the Warlock alternates between spellcasting and restful meditation, he unlocks a gateway to the otherwise inaccessible realm where his patron resides.

While traveling the other planes, the Warlock leaves his tangible body behind, a mental projection of himself passing beyond the bounds of reality and into the misty mindscape of the outer realms.

Any traveler to this plane is met immediately by a formless being known only as the GM on the Cusp. This entity is many things to many different people. Some Warlocks refer to the GM on the Cusp as a spirit guide, while others assume it is a lesser deity charged with overseeing the Balance of all forces.

Either way, the GM on the Cusp asks after the Warlock’s reason for coming. The Warlock has two choices: First, they can respond, “I seek the familiar thou would grant me.”

If they do so, the GM on the Cusp brings forth a familiar to bind (see below). The Game Master selects the specific type of familiar which the GM on the Cusp brings forth for the Warlock. The Warlock can choose not to bind the familiar the GM on the Cusp chooses for him –but doing so prevents the Warlock from attempting to summon another familiar for a year and a day.

Automaton Familiars

Automaton familiars are created from the non-sentient spirits of the Methetherial. Though unintelligent, automatons are highly useful, as their bodies are very resilient. They obey orders without question and have no chance of becoming emancipated spirits (see the ‘Emancipated Spirits’ section below for details).

After successfully summoning an automaton spirit from the Methetherial, the Warlock binds it into an object designed to serve as the familiar’s “body.” This object is known as the vessel, and is usually carved to resemble a humanoid or animal.

The cost of the vessel is in addition to the normal costs of the summoning ritual. This additional price in materials incrementally increases the base cost of summoning the familiar (100 gp standard, 1,000 gp greater, 5,000 supreme) depending upon the size of the automaton. The cost is increased as follows: Tiny (base cost), Small (base cost x2), Medium (base cost x3), Large (base cost x5), Huge (base cost x8), and Gargantuan (base cost x12). The vessel may be of any size, so that one Warlock might have a small cat carved of mahogany, easily able to blend in with the shadows, while another Warlock might prefer an eight-foot monstrosity with four arms and two heads. Many Warlocks imbue spirits into items such as braziers, coils of rope, and even carpets. This is one way in which animated objects are created. Many animated objects are actually automaton familiars. They serve a variety of purposes in the Warlock’s alchemical laboratory and in his library. Automaton familiars make excellent servants, as they have no need for rest. Their indefatigable nature also makes them superior guardians.

Examples of common Automaton Familiars include animated objects, Modrons, Golems, Homunculi, Animated Armor and the like. A familiar created at level 1 should be below Challenge 1 in ability, while familiars created at levels 2 and 3 and all basic Familiars thereafter can be up to Challenge 1, and familiars created at higher levels (Greater or Supreme) can have a maximum Challenge equal to the Warlock’s level -3, to an absolute maximum of Challenge 8.

Automaton Familiar Properties

Automatons are mechanical objects that possess a humanoid or animistic form. They are made from gears which are designed to perform a specific function by their creators. The typical automaton familiar is fashioned of wood. This is not always the case, however. Many are fashioned of metal. While one Warlock might have a delicately carved marionette puppet as an automaton, another might prefer a lumbering ceramic kiln, or even a hat rack, noose, or saddle blanket!

Warlocks can select Tiny, Small, or Medium automatons as a standard familiar. Warlocks can select a Large automaton as a greater familiar, and a Huge or Gargantuan automaton as a supreme familiar.

Due to their unique nature, automaton familiars do not have access to all of the special abilities most familiars have access to.

Even when using the Empower Familiar Abilities (see the ‘New Abilities’ for details), automaton familiars are limited to the special abilities listed on the tables below.

Working With Automatons

An automaton is perfectly obedient and may perform a wide variety of functions, limited only by their body shape, number of appendages, and form of locomotion. Small, sinuous automaton familiars can wiggle through narrow spaces, perhaps retrieving hard-to-reach objects or even acting as industrious housekeepers, keeping the crannies of a laboratory free from dust. Wheeled automatons make superior methods of transportation, while automatons made of hardened materials are often employed as bodyguards.

Table 12-5: Standard Warlock Familiar (Automaton)

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
3rd	+1	Distracting, share spells, telepathic command
5th	+2	Deliver touch spells
7th	+3	Freedom of movement
9th	+4	Spider climb
11th	+5	–
13th	6th	Spell resistance
15th	+7	Scry on familiar
17th	+8	–
19th	+9	–
20th	+10	15	–

The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the Warlock’s familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence).

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the automaton’s existing AC rating. It represents a preternatural resilience of the automaton.

Telepathic Command: The automaton familiar’s master has complete control over its actions, and may freely command it to take any action (including using its special abilities) via a limited telepathic link. This is a free action and may be employed out to a distance of up to 1 mile. Note that this does not mean that the master and automaton can communicate in any way (the automaton is unintelligent), only that the master may activate or deactivate it, much like a tool.

Table 12-6: Greater Warlock Familiar (Automaton)

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
3rd	+1	Distracting, share spells, telepathic command
5th	+2	Deliver touch spells
7th	+3	Freedom of movement, greater familiar ability
9th	+4	Spider climb
11th	+5	Spell resistance
13th	+6	Greater spell resistance, greater familiar ability
15th	+7	Scry on familiar, resist energy (choose one type)
17th	+8	–
19th	+9	Resist energy (choose another type), greater familiar ability
20th	+10	–

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the automaton’s existing AC rating. It represents a preternatural resilience of the automaton.

Telepathic Command: The automaton familiar’s master has complete control over its actions, and may freely command it to take any action (including using its special abilities) via a limited telepathic link. This is a free action and may be employed out to a distance of up to 1 mile. Note that this does not mean that the master and automaton can communicate in any way (the automaton is unintelligent), only that the master may activate or deactivate it, much like a tool.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar ability from Table 12-8 below.

Table 12-7: Supreme Warlock Familiar (Automaton)

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
3rd	+1	Distracting, share spells, telepathic command
5th	+2	Deliver touch spells
7th	+3	Freedom of movement, greater familiar ability
9th	+4	Spider climb
11th	+5	Greater spell resistance
13th	+6	Supreme spell resistance, greater familiar ability, supreme familiar ability
15th	+7	Scry on familiar, resist energy (choose two types)
17th	+8	–
19th	+9	Resist energy (choose another type), greater familiar ability
20th	+10	Supreme familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the automaton’s existing AC rating. It represents a preternatural resilience of the automaton.

Telepathic Command: The automaton familiar’s master has complete control over its actions, and may freely command it to take any action (including using its special abilities) via a limited telepathic link. This is a free action and may be employed out to a distance of up to 1 mile. Note that this does not mean that the master and automaton can communicate in any way (the automaton is unintelligent), only that the master may activate or deactivate it, much like a tool.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one greater familiar ability from Table 12-8 below.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select one supreme or greater familiar ability from Tables 12-8 or 12-9 below.

Table 12-8: Warlock Greater Familiar Abilities (Automaton)

Blink

Enhance ability (bull’s strength)

Enhance ability (cat’s grace)

Contagion

Darkness

Daylight

Disenchanter

Dispel Magic

Encompassing Vision

Fearful

Haste

Mirror Image

Nondetection

Recall

Shocking Touch

Silence

Sleeping Touch

Water Walk

Self Repair (Wholeness of Body)

Table 12-9: Warlock Supreme Familiar Abilities (Automaton)

Antimagic Field

Banisher

Cloak of Chaos

Destruction’s Touch

Dimension Slip

Familiar Growth

Fly

Mind Store

Supreme Leap

Zone of Truth

Fetish Familiars

Spirits of any sentience level other than “none” may be bound in fetishes. A fetish is any type of physical receptacle that serves as a container for that spirit. Fetishes can be many things: rings, scarabs, daggers, amulets, necklaces, feathers-virtually any object can serve as a fetish. The type of fetish is limited only by the imagination of the Warlock and the tenets and restrictions of his pact, and each Warlock must find his own type of favorite fetish. Fey Warlocks favor medicine pouches, animal claws, and bird plumes, while Warlocks hailing from an urban environment tend toward monocles, ornate walking sticks, and skeleton keys.

Warlocks of a martial bent often bind spirits in weapon fetishes.

Other popular items include books and wands, while receptacles such as vials, coffers, and bottles are traditional favorites.

Fetish Familiar Properties

By nature, fetish familiars are inanimate objects. The Warlock binds the spirit sent by his patron into the specially prepared item, and the spirit is then obliged to abide by the receptacle’s natural limitations. This means that the fetish is treated just like the common object of its kind for the purposes of hardness, vulnerability to elements, etc. Any fetish broken or reduced to 0 hit points releases the familiar within. The familiar instantly becomes an emancipated spirit (see the ‘Emancipated Spirits’ section below for details). A successful dispel magic cast on a fetish suppresses the familiar’s abilities for one hour (the familiar is treated as a CL equal to its master’s Warlock level for this purpose). During this time, the familiar cannot communicate or bestow any other benefits upon the Warlock. A fetish familiar is capable of neither speech (at least initially) nor independent movement. However, if the inhabiting spirit is of at least average Intelligence, it may communicate telepathically with the Warlock. Clever Warlocks have provided their fetish familiars with the capacity for speech by casting magic mouth upon the fetish, sometimes in conjunction with permanency. In this case, the familiar is able to speak normally. Some Warlocks enjoy having a talking book for a traveling companion.

As the fetish familiar has no sense of its surroundings, it cannot perceive such conditions as darkness or heat. But it compensates for this paucity of perception with limited forms of precognition, which it can extend to its master. A fetish familiar has no Strength, Dexterity or Constitution scores. Its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores are listed on the tables below, and increase as its master increase in power. In addition, the fetish familiar serves as an arcane enhancer for the Warlock’s spellcasting abilities (as described below).

All fetish familiars radiate conjuration magic if examined with detect magic. As such, many Warlocks choose to disguise the true nature of their familiars with spells such as undetectable aura.

Due to their unique nature, fetish familiars do not have access to all of the special abilities most familiars have access to. Even when using the Empower Familiar feats (see the ‘New Feats’ for details), fetish familiars are limited to the special abilities listed on the Arcane Enhancer tables below.

Table 12-10: Standard Warlock Familiar (Fetish)

Master Class Level	Armor Class Adj.	Int/Wis/Cha	Special
3rd	+1	6	Share spells, empathic link, danger sense, recall
5th	+2	7	Speak with master (telepathy), standard arcane enhancer
7th	+3	8	Inkling
9th	+4	9
11th	+5	10	Standard arcane enhancer, detect scrying
13th	6th	11	Spell resistance (affects master)
15th	+7	12	Scry on the familiar
17th	+8	13	Standard arcane enhancer
19th	+9	14	–
20th	+10	15	–

Armor Class Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the fetish familiar’s existing AC rating. It represents a preternatural resilience of the fetish familiar.

Int/Wis/Cha: The fetish familiar’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores.

Standard Arcane Enhancer: Select one standard arcane enhancer from Table 12-13 below.

Table 12-11: Greater Warlock Familiar (Fetish)

Master Class Level	Armor Class Adj.	Int/Wis/Cha	Special
3rd	+1	7	Share spells, empathic link, danger sense, recall, familiar’s flame
5th	+2	8	Speak with master (telepathy), standard arcane enhancer
7th	+3	9	Inkling, greater arcane enhancer
9th	+4	10	–
11th	+5	11	Standard arcane enhancer, detect scrying
13th	6th	12	Greater arcane enhancer
15th	+7	13	Scry on familiar, augury
17th	+8	14	Standard arcane enhancer
19th	+9	15	Greater arcane enhancer
20th	+10	16	–

Armor Class Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the fetish familiar’s existing AC rating. It represents a preternatural resilience of the fetish familiar.

Int/Wis/Cha: The fetish familiar’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores.

Standard Arcane Enhancer: Select one standard arcane enhancer from Table 12-13 below.

Greater Arcane Enhancer: Select one greater or standard arcane enhancer from Tables 12-13 or 12-14 below.

Table 12-12: Supreme Warlock Familiar (Fetish)

Master Class Level	Armor Class Adj.	Int/Wis/Cha	Special
3rd	+1	9	Share spells, empathic link, danger sense, recall, familiar’s flame
5th	+2	10	Speak with master (telepathy), standard arcane enhancer
7th	+3	11	Inkling, greater arcane enhancer
9th	+4	12	–
11th	+5	13	Standard arcane enhancer, detect scrying
13th	6th	14	Greater arcane enhancer, supreme arcane enhancer
15th	+7	15	Scry on familiar, augury
17th	+8	16	Standard arcane enhancer
19th	+9	17	Greater arcane enhancer
20th	+10	18	Time regression (affects master), supreme arcane enhancer

Armor Class Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the fetish familiar’s existing AC rating. It represents a preternatural resilience of the fetish familiar.

Int/Wis/Cha: The fetish familiar’s Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma scores.

Standard Arcane Enhancer: Select one standard arcane enhancer from Table 12-13 below.

Greater Arcane Enhancer: Select one greater or standard arcane enhancer from Tables 12-13 or 12-14 below.

Supreme Arcane Enhancer: Select one supreme, greater, or standard arcane enhancer from Tables 12-13, 12-14, or 12-15 below.

Special Arcane Enhancers

The following arcane enhancers are a special type of familiar ability available only to the supreme fetish familiars.

Absorption: The fetish familiar gains the properties of a rod of absorption.

This arcane enhancer can be selected more than once. Each time it is selected, the fetish familiar can absorb an additional fifty levels of spells.

Arcane Channeler: While in contact with the fetish familiar, the Warlock’s arcane spell slots per day are doubled for one specific spell level (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th –selected at the time the arcane enhancer is chosen).

This arcane enhancer can be selected more than once. Its effects do not stack. Each time this arcane enhancer is selected, it applies to a different spell level. The effects of this enhancer do not stack with a ring of wizardry or similar item.

Table 12-13: Warlock Standard Familiar Arcane Enhancers (Fetish)

Detect Chaos

Detect Evil

Detect Good

Detect Law

Detect Magic

Detect Poison

Detect Secret Doors

Distracting

Endurance

Familiar’s Eye (light emerges from fetish or one part of fetish)

Familiar’s Flame

Healing Touch

Improved Initiative

Know Direction

In addition to the abilities listed above, the following feats can also be selected as standard arcane enhancers, essentially granting the feat to the master while he carries the fetish:

Enlarge Spell

Extend Spell

Heighten Spell

Silent Spell

Spell Focus1

Spell Penetration

Still Spell

1 This feat may be chosen more than once.

Table 12-14: Warlock Greater Familiar Arcane Enhancers (Fetish)

Blessed Companion

Commune with Nature

Contagion (the master must touch opponents with the fetish)

Counterspell

Darkness

Daylight

Dazing Touch (the master must touch opponents with the fetish)

Death’s Harbinger (the master must touch opponents with the fetish)

Death Ward

Detect Thoughts

Discern Lies

Disenchanter (the master must touch opponents with the fetish)

Dispel Magic

Fearful

Find Traps

Guided Strike

Mirror Image

Nondetection

Resist Energy

Self-repair (Wholeness of Body)

Shocking Touch (the master must touch opponents with the fetish)

Silence Sleeping Touch (the master must touch opponents with the fetish)

Speak with Dead

Speech (telepathy)

Time Hop

Table 12-15: Warlock Supreme Familiar Arcane Enhancers (Fetish)

Absorption1

Arcane Channeler1

Antimagic Field

Banisher (the master must touch opponents with the fetish)

Cancellation1

Charm (the master must touch opponents with the fetish)

Cloak of Chaos

Companion’s Veil

Confusion

Crystal Ball1

Destruction’s Touch (the master must touch opponents with the fetish)

Dimension Slip (affects the master)

Ethereal State (affects the master)

Mind Store

Negation1

Raise Dead (the master must touch opponents with the fetish)

Tongues

Zone of Truth

¹ See the ‘Special Arcane Enhancers’ section below for details.

Wyrm Familiar Properties

Though an extensive treatise on wyrm familiars has yet to be written, most Warlocks agree that wyrms are as varied as their dragon cousins. For each type of dragon-red, blue, gold, copper, et al. -there is a corresponding category of wyrm spirit in the Methetherial. Thus, Warlocks might call upon the aid of a green wyrm familiar or a silver wyrm familiar, depending upon the Warlock’s particular ethical bent. Just as each dragon type has its own strengths, idiosyncrasies, and weaknesses, so too do the sundry wyrm familiars. Gold wyrms are arrogant yet noble; green wyrms are cunning and duplicitous; red wyrms are violent and quick to anger; and so forth. Wyrms are the most sagacious of all familiars. Their keen intelligence makes them superior allies as well as dangerous traveling companions. All wyrm familiars, regardless of alignment, maintain their own agendas, which they may or may not share with the Warlock who summoned them.

A wyrm spirit has two forms, the possessive and the corporeal.

Unlike other familiars, a wyrm spirit may alternate between these two different “bodies.” A warlock can take a wyrm spirit as a supreme familiar.

Possessive State

In its possessive state, the wyrm spirit actually exists within the Warlock’s own body. At the Warlock’s command, the wyrm spirit merges its essence with the Warlock’s, so that the two establish a kind of psychological symbiosis in which each benefits from the presence of the other. If the wyrm spirit doesn’t wish to merge with the Warlock, the Warlock must succeed at an opposed Charisma check with the wyrm in order to force the symbiosis. In order to expel the familiar from his body, the Warlock must succeed at an opposed Intelligence check. Failure gives the wyrm an opportunity to stick around in order to further its own machinations.

While in symbiosis with the wyrm spirit, the Warlock gains rudimentary physical properties of the dragon subtype which they are in symbiosis with. This translates as follows: +2 natural armor class bonus Advantage on saving throws related to the energy type of the familiar’s dragon species’ breath weapon. Attack: 2 Claws (1d4)

Breath Weapon: The warlock can unleash a breath weapon of the same subtype as the wyrm, dealing 1d6 points of damage to any creature in either a cone, cloud, or line, depending on the subtype of the wyrm. For example, a warlock with the black dragon subtype would spit a line of acid.

The breath weapon is either by volume a cloud 5 ft. x 5 ft. x 5 ft., a line 20 ft. long, or a cone starting at the mouth and spreading to 10 ft. in diameter. After using this ability the Warlock must complete a long rest before it may be used again.

When in possessive form, the familiar is essentially “along for the ride,” receiving no benefit from the union other than a soothing emotional experience-rather like a “mental massage.”

However, should the Warlock lose control, the wyrm can exert influence on the body. Control is lost in any of three situations: (1) The Warlock tries to release the familiar from possessive form and fails his ability check, (2) The Warlock falls victim to a mind-influencing spell such as charm or suggestion, or (3)

The Warlock sleeps. In the case of charm spells and the like, the familiar is able to seize control as soon as the charm takes effect. The wyrm “overrides” the charm and usurps control of the Warlock’s body. In the event that the Warlock falls asleep while the wyrm possesses him, the wyrm takes advantage of the mental lapse and takes command.

A wyrm in charge of a warlock’s body is a dangerous thing. The wyrm pursues its goal with single-minded ardor, with little regard for the wellbeing of its host. The wyrm is an NPC under the control of the Game Master and the GM decides what goals the wyrm has. Typical goals include the acquisition of a certain piece of treasure, the murder of a warlock who abused the wyrm in the past, or the pursuit of a long-forgotten scroll believed to describe a ritual that would permit the wyrm to inhabit the body of a true dragon. As soon as it’s in control, the wyrm embarks on its quest, moving as fast as possible and using every resource at its disposal, including the Warlock’s possessions, mounts, and NPC contacts.

The wyrm spirit speaks with the Warlock’s voice, of course, so it might be difficult for others to realize that something is seriously wrong with their companion. However, a Successful Wisdom check equal to the level of the Warlock allows characters to notice that something isn’t quite right. The wyrm, cunning being that it is, does its best to allay all suspicions –at least until it has the chance to slip away and resume its journey. (Resolving these situations through Bluff and Sense Motive checks is probably the best way to go.)The Warlock remains completely aware of his surroundings during this time (just as the wyrm does when the Warlock’s in control). The body continues to take damage as normal, so that if it is reduced to 0 hit points, both the familiar and the Warlock may be slain as normal. Every 24 hours, the Warlock may attempt an Intelligence check with a DC equal to 10 plus the HD of the creature to see if he can wrest control from the familiar. If he fails, the wyrm maintains control.

All this talk of a wyrm making good on its own agenda is not to imply that all wyrm familiars are backstabbers merely awaiting the chance to take over. If the Warlock and the wyrm share similar goals and alignments, and if their relationship is strong, then odds are that the wyrm will not seek to undermine its summoner, even if given ample opportunity. Only when a conflict of interest arises should a warlock fear falling asleep.

Corporeal State

The wyrm’s second form is a corporeal one. When not in the possessive state, a wyrm spirit takes the form of a very young dragon (its color dependent upon the color of the wyrm spirit), though it shares all the typical properties of a familiar as described under the ‘Familiar Basics’ (half the master’s hit points, same HD as the master’s level, etc.).

Cancellation (Su): The touch of the fetish familiar (this requires a touch attack with it by the master) drains an item of all its magical properties. The item gets a DC 20 saving throw to resist the effect. If a creature is holding it at the time, the item can add the holder’s Wisdom save bonus to its save. After using this ability, you must complete a long rest before it may be used again.

Crystal Ball (Su): The fetish familiar can be used as a crystal ball. A warlock whose fetish familiar possesses this arcane enhancer can further enhance it using standard or greater arcane enhancers. As a standard arcane enhancer, the Warlock can give the fetish familiar the properties of a crystal ball with see invisibility. As a greater arcane enhancer, the Warlock can give the fetish familiar the properties of a crystal ball with detect thoughts, telepathy, or true seeing. (A supreme fetish familiar can be enhanced in this manner more than once.)

Negation (Su): The fetish familiar has the ability to negate the spell or spell-like function or functions of magic items. The wielder points the rod at the magic item, and a pale gray beam shoots forth to touch the target device, attacking as a ray (a ranged touch attack against the item’s wielder or against the item itself, if it is not currently held). The ray functions as a greater dispel magic spell, except it only affects magic items.

To negate instantaneous effects from an item, the rod wielder needs to have an available reaction. The dispel check uses the Warlock’s caster level. The target item gets no saving throw, although the rod can’t negate artifacts (even minor artifacts).

After using this ability, you must complete a short rest before using it again.

Using Another’s Fetish

Like all familiars, the spirit bound to a fetish shares a communion with the Warlock that can’t be “borrowed” by anyone else.

A warlock gains no benefit from possession of another’s fetish familiar. However, an arcane spellcaster can use a Warlock’s fetish to make use of the new spell provenance (see Appendix C).

Wyrm Familiars

No spirit in the multiverse is as enigmatic as that known as the wyrm. No spirit is as difficult to placate, nor capable of such a wide array of abilities. It is said that, like Warlocks themselves, the wyrm spirits bear kinship to the dragons. Indeed, some say that the wyrm spirits are the souls of dragons themselves –drawn to the mysterious Mists of the Wyrm upon their death. Others would say that they are mere echoes of dragons, or shadows of a dragon’s true soul.

Whatever the case may be, there is a shared heritage of sorts between wyrm spirits and Warlocks –a heritage that provides the means for a warlock to bind a wyrm familiar, but which is also a great risk, for Warlocks who summon these creatures must accept the risks inherent in dealing with dragons and their kin.

Warlocks who take the Wyrm Pact are the most likely to gain this kind of familiar, but it is sometimes granted by other patrons, depending on the nature of the pact in question.

A wyrm can maintain a corporeal state for a period of 24 hours, after which it must return to possessive form for a like amount of time while it rebuilds the energy sufficient to create its corporeal form again. While in its physical draconic form, the familiar may attend to any task of which a Small-size dragon is capable. The Warlock is able to communicate mentally with the familiar and issue it any variety of commands, which the wyrm is obliged to obey (the creature’s will toward self-motivation is substantially decreased while it expends energy in its corporeal form). The wyrm is unable to willingly move beyond one mile from the Warlock. With a free action, the Warlock may order the wyrm to change to possessive form, but once in that state, the wyrm must remain for at least 24 hours.

Table 12-16: Supreme Warlock Familiar (Wyrm)

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	9	Share spells, empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	10	Deliver touch spells
5th-6th	+3	11	–
7th-8th	+4	12	Greater familiar ability
9th-10th	+5	13	–
11th-12th	+6	14	Supreme spell resistance, supreme familiar ability
13th-14th	+7	15	Scry on familiar
15th-16th	+8	16	Greater familiar ability
17th-18th	+9	17	–
19th-20th	+10	18	Supreme familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: This number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents a preternatural toughness of the Warlock’s familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (this score is higher for a wyrm spirit than for other familiars).

Greater Familiar Ability: Select one standard or greater familiar ability.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select one supreme, greater, or standard familiar ability.

Breaking Free

Wyrm spirits possess a degree of free will that is unique among familiars, but they long for true freedom nonetheless. If the wyrm familiar is in possessive form when the Warlock dies, the spirit dies as well. However, a familiar in corporeal form is freed if its master dies. Even if the Warlock is later restored to life, the wyrm has permanently gained its freedom.

In corporeal form the wyrm spirit cannot directly attack the Warlock. In possessive form, the wyrm spirit cannot take actions which physically imperil the Warlock. But this doesn’t prevent the familiar from taking other actions, and the dangers of a conflict between familiar and summoner become apparent when the wyrm begins to plot the Warlock’s destruction…

Emancipated Spirits

Sometimes familiars get loose. All beings from the Methetherial of low intelligence or higher are capable of attaining freedom from the Warlocks who summoned them (automatons are the only exception). This can happen in one of several ways: If a warlock dies, his familiars become emancipated until he is raised. (The wyrm spirit is an exception to this, see below.)

If the Warlock fails a summoning check there is a 10% chance that the spirit will seize the opportunity to escape its home dimension.

If a warlock’s fetish is broken, the fetish spirit becomes emancipated.

A mercurial becomes an emancipated spirit if the Warlock fails a mercurial challenge.

A wyrm can break free and become a permanently emancipated spirit if the Warlock dies while the wyrm is in a corporeal state.

Animistic, mercurial, and wyrm familiars which become emancipated retain their current forms (although mercurial familiars are no longer bound). When fetish spirits and spirits which become emancipated due to a failed summoning check become emancipated, however, something magical occurs.

The spirit undergoes a physical transformation, evolving within 1d4 minutes into a new type of being known as a spiritor (see Appendix B for complete statistics and details).

At this point it is no longer an animistic, fetish, mercurial, or wyrm spirit, but an entirely new creature, with an entirely new slate of powers.

Pact of the Wyrm

Some Warlocks gain their power from the very essence of dragons themselves. This Wyrm spirit is a mysterious entity, fickle and its true purpose alien and unknown to all but itself.

Like the other pact spirits, it is astoundingly powerful and grants the Warlock powers in exchange for service and sometimes, entry into this world for a brief time. As immortal creatures, Wyrm spirits have plots and schemes that last hundreds and even thousands of years, far beyond the lifespan of any mortal Warlock who serves them. Thus, their demands and actions can seem random and nonsensical at times, because the Warlock does not have the ability to comprehend the eons as the Wyrm does. They tend to be greedy, arrogant and whimsical, granting extra powers or denying powers seemingly at random. When the Warlock needs the Wyrm, however, it is always there to guide and protect its charge. Warlocks who seek special power over dragons are drawn to this being.

Energy Affinity

At first level when you become a Warlock, choose one color of dragon from the Dragonborn Draconic Ancestry table. This color becomes the type of dragon with which you have affinity, and which your patron represents. Whenever you use any invocation, spell or other attack based on the same kind of energy as your color of dragon’s breath weapon, you deal an extra 1d6 damage.

Wyrm Familiar

Your Wyrm patron grants you a Wyrm Familiar, as described above, to act as its emissary, voice and intermediary between you and your patron. You gain this familiar at third level and need not fulfill any prerequisites for the ability. You must still undergo a ritual to summon the familiar, and you do not gain a Pact Boon at third level (this replaces the Pact of the Chain).

Energy Resistance

At 6th level, you gain resistance to the same type of energy chosen for your Energy Affinity.

Luck of the Dragon

At 10th level, choose one saving throw with which you are not proficient. You gain advantage whenever you make saves against that ability.

Dragon’s Breath

Starting at 14th level, you gain a more powerful breath weapon of the same type of energy with which you have affinity. This ability replaces that given you by your Wyrm familiar and is identical in all ways to that of a 14th-level dragonborn, including its area of effect, saving throw DC and the need to rest after using it before using it again. It deals 4d6 damage, which increases to 5d6 when you reach 16th level.

Wizard Familiars

For the wizard, the familiar is her tie to the arcane world. Often, the first magic the wizard ever performs, beyond simple cantrips, is the summoning of a familiar. The familiar is a magical creature bound to the wizard through arcane magic. The two share a mental empathic link that can only be cancelled by death or complex arcane formulae.

The wizard’s familiar acts as a servant, scout, spy, guardian, and extra set of hands for the wizard. The familiar can deliver messages between the wizard and her companions, or retrieve small objects at the wizard’s request. It can serve as an extra pair of eyes for a wizard deep in research, or scout ahead of dungeon delving adventurers. When the wizard sleeps, the familiar watches for danger, silently warning her of intruders or possible threats through their shared empathic link.

In the laboratory, the familiar is an extra set of hands for research, alchemy, or item creation. Even familiars with limited mobility, or a lack of dexterity, can hold open tomes, act as living paperweights, or keep chairs warm on chilly nights.

Other familiars may serve by keeping vermin out of the wizard’s residence or by providing entertainment.

But most importantly, a familiar is a companion and a friend.

Those who walk the path of the arcane arts often find it to be a lonely one, lacking in the simple comfort and warmth of human companionship. The familiar is there whenever the wizard is in need, and can ease the burdens of life with its mere presence.

Wizards And Sorcerers

Wizards and sorcerers are closely related in their mystical arts.

The familiars and rituals can, in fact, be used by sorcerers too. Similarly, the Sorcerer’s Familiar can be used by a wizard as well as a sorcerer.

Gaining A Familiar

Wizards may take the appropriate advantage to gain a Familiar when they reach the appropriate level, just like any character.

Otherwise, a wizard may automatically gain a standard familiar at third level or any level thereafter, but to do so, they must sacrifice (permanently) a first-level spell slot.

At Fourth level or any level thereafter, the wizard may gain a Greater familiar (or elevate their existing familiar to Greater status) by sacrificing a second level spell slot. Finally, at Eighth level (or any level thereafter), the wizard may sacrifice a third level spell slot to gain (or elevate an existing familiar to) a Supreme familiar.

Summoning Ritual

To gain a familiar, the wizard must prepare an ancient arcane formula and ritual. The formula is based upon astrology, location, tradition, and the desired creature. The neophyte wizard’s teacher or mentor often oversees the research involved in this endeavor (though is by no means necessary, as even powerful wizards sometimes summon familiars later in their careers).

Charts are drawn up showing the position of the stars and planets as they reflect the spellcaster’s birth. The creation of this chart requires an Intelligence Check at DC 20. A wizard of superior expertise can assist neophytes and double check the accuracy of the astrological chart.

After the chart is drawn, the wizard compares it to ancient magical texts. Within such arcane tomes is the outline of a formula. The variables of the chart are compared to the formula and a unique summoning ritual is designed. The ritual’s geographic location and the familiar desired also factor heavily into the summoning. To correctly design the actual ritual formula requires a successful Intelligence check (DC 20). Once again, a wizard of greater skill is often available to assist and correct neophytes, reducing the DC by 1 for every point of intelligence bonus the master possesses.

The actual summoning itself takes a full day to complete. The wizard bathes, dons fresh garments, and gets abundant rest to prepare for the ordeal. If the chosen familiar is native to the region, the ritual is often performed outdoors. The habitat of the selected animal acts as the setting. Once the spell begins, the desired animal is drawn to the arcane energies.

If the animal is not native to the region, or the ritual is to be performed in a large urban center, a captured animal can be secured and successfully used. Many arcane shops often have a wide selection of creatures suitable for familiars.

The animal must be comfortable and remain emotionally favorable toward the wizard. An offering of food can keep the animal friendly and complacent. Animals drawn to the ritual must be capable of coming within 4 feet of the wizard performing the ritual, and caged animals must also be within this distance.

A freshly crafted, unused brazier is filled with fragrant wood and set ablaze. (This brazier is made of brass for the summoning of a standard familiar, silver or gold for the summoning of a greater familiar, and mithril for the summoning of a supreme familiar.) Into this blaze is cast a variety of herbs, spices, fluids, and minerals. The arcane tomes have already determined the exact type and amount of each item. The cost of the brazier and the consumed components represents the material expenditure of the ritual (100 gp for a standard familiar; 1,000 gp for a greater familiar, and 5,000 gp for a supreme familiar).

Once the material components of the ritual have been consumed, the wizard recites aloud the magical verses of binding. This verbal component fuses the entire ritual together and links the animal to the wizard. The natural animal type is altered and is considered a magical beast from this point on. The familiar also gains its enhanced abilities, as described below.

Within a few moments after the summoning ritual is complete, the wizard begins to feel the empathic link with her new familiar. This bond is a very subtle emotional form of communication. The wizard and familiar understand the basic needs for warmth, food, and sleep for each other. The familiar and the wizard do not share physical senses, but do share a common set of concepts and references (the passage of time, recognize locations and creatures, and simple counting).

Communication along these lines is very crude until the familiar advances in Intelligence. Often, instinct more than intelligence seems to guide the familiar in following the wizard’s requests. The empathic link has a range of about one mile, after which it gradually fades.

Wizard Familiar Abilities

When a creature becomes a familiar, arcane magic ties it to the wizard. The two become linked, and the animal or special creature becomes tied to the wizard on an empathic level. The familiar must obey the commands of the wizard master, but can keep its own agenda.

Table 13-1: Standard Wizard Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	6	Share spells, empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	7	Deliver touch spells
5th-6th	+3	8	Speak with master
7th-8th	+4	9	Speak with animals of its kind
9th-10th	+5	10	–
11th-12th	+6	11	Spell resistance
13th-14th	+7	12	Scry on familiar
15th-16th	+8	13	–
17th-18th	+9	14	–
19th-20th	+10	15	–

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the wizard’s familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Table 13-2: Greater Wizard Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	7	Share spells, empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	8	Deliver touch spells
5th-6th	+3	9	Speak with master, greater familiar ability
7th-8th	+4	10	Speak with animals of its kind
9th-10th	+5	11	Blur
11th-12th	+6	12	Spell resistance, greater familiar ability
13th-14th	+7	13	Scry on familiar, detect scrying
15th-16th	+8	14	–
17th-18th	+9	15	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+10	16	Recall

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the wizard’s familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence). Familiars are as smart as people, though not necessarily as smart as smart people.

Greater Familiar Ability: Select any one greater or standard familiar ability.

Once the familiar has been transformed, the familiar ‘slot’ it previously held is freed and the wizard can summon a new familiar of that type. For example, if a wizard takes the Summon Greater Familiar Ability and transforms her standard familiar into a greater guardian familiar, she would then be able to summon a new standard familiar.

Guardian Familiar Properties

A guardian familiar possesses the ability to transform itself at will, as a standard action, into a more powerful version of its natural form. (And can similarly revert back to its natural form.) This transformation can be made up to one time per day for every 3 wizard levels that the master has and lasts for 1 minute per wizard level that the master possesses. A guardian familiar that reverts to ‘normal’ form before the full allotted time cannot transform back to its more powerful form without using up another daily use of this power.

The stats for a greater guardian familiar’s more powerful form involve increasing the size and hit dice of the familiar in the same way that they are increased with an Animal Growth spell. A greater guardian familiar advances its special abilities according to Table: Greater Wizard Familiar, and is treated as a greater familiar in all respects. Similarly, the stats for a supreme guardian familiar’s more powerful form are determined by applying the dire creature template to the familiar’s natural form (note that the dire creature template can be added to a familiar that is already, as its base creature, a dire animal). If the familiar was already a greater guardian familiar, apply the template a second time to determine the stats of its more powerful form. A supreme guardian familiar advances its special abilities according to Table: Supreme Wizard Familiar, and is treated as a supreme familiar in all respects.

In their natural forms, guardian familiars have the physical stats of those forms. However, they are still treated as greater familiars and supreme familiars for all other purposes.

Although the dire creature template ordinarily changes a creature’s type to Animal, a guardian familiar remains a Magical Beast.

Diabolical Servants

For years, Josul, Mistress of the First House of Knell, had searched and studied. In late winter, her endeavors paid off in the form of information she extracted from a text of ancient arcana and forbidden lore. She had learned the secret name of a man condemned to death and banished to the nether worlds.

Josul poured the remaining ingredients into the small iron cauldron. Bits of fur, fingernail clippings, rare herbs, and the dust from an ancient unmarked grave bubbled in the heated chalice of unholy water. Josul spoke the words, keeping her breathing shallow and making certain that the rhythm was perfect. As the last syllable was uttered, she traced the final rune on the edge of her ashen circle.

Table 13-3: Supreme Wizard Familiar

Master Class Level	Natural Armor Adj.	Int	Special
1st-2nd	+1	9	Share spells, empathic link
3rd-4th	+2	10	Deliver touch spells
5th-6th	+3	11	Speak with master, greater familiar ability
7th-8th	+4	12	Speak with animals of its kind
9th-10th	+5	13	Blur, greater familiar ability
11th-12th	+6	14	Spell resistance, supreme familiar ability
13th-14th	+7	15	Scry on familiar, detect scrying, greater familiar ability
15th-16th	+8	16	Supreme familiar ability
17th-18th	+9	17	Greater familiar ability
19th-20th	+10	18	Recall, supreme familiar ability

Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an improvement to the familiar’s existing natural armor bonus. It represents the preternatural toughness of the wizard’s familiar.

Int: The familiar’s Intelligence score (if higher than the familiar’s natural Intelligence).

Greater Familiar Ability: Select any one greater or standard familiar ability.

Supreme Familiar Ability: Select any one supreme, greater, or standard familiar ability.

Guardian Familiars

When taking the Summon Greater Familiar and Summon Supreme Familiar feats, instead of summoning a new familiar, a wizard has the option of transforming their existing familiar into a guardian familiar.

Transforming The Familiar

Only familiars originally of the Animal or Vermin types can be transformed into guardian familiars.

A standard familiar can be transformed into a greater guardian familiar by a wizard with the Summon Greater Familiar Ability (who does not already have a greater familiar as a result of the feat). The transformation is accomplished by performing a daylong ritual which consumes 500 gp.

A greater familiar (including a greater guardian familiar) can be transformed into a supreme guardian familiar by a wizard with the Summon Supreme Familiar Ability (who also does not already have a supreme familiar as a result of the feat). This transformation requires a day-long ritual which consumes 2,500 gp.

Power hungry spellcasters have the ability to bind power to their cause. and those who would turn towards the darker paths of knowledge can often find no greater source of power than that of the demonic or the devilish. Working their arcane rituals, these foul masters of the arcane force the powers of the nether planes to their whims. Or so they believe.

Unlike other familiars, a diabolical servant is not to be trusted, for it serves against its will and may have an agenda of its own. Diabolical servants cannot disobey their masters, but they can twist their words or commands. And, when not commanded to the contrary, they are capable of taking actions of their own designs.

To bind a diabolic servant to herself, an arcane spellcaster must take the Summon Diabolic Servant Advantage (see ‘New Abilities’ section, and the description of Diabolic Servants for Warlocks, for details).

True Names And False Names

In binding a diabolic servant, a spellcaster learns its true name.

From that name the spellcaster gains her dominion over the diabolic servant. As a result, in the act of binding the demon or devil to her will, a spellcaster must give the evil creature a false name. This act forces the diabolic servant to forget its own true name. For that point forward, it knows only the false name which has been given to it, and those who attempt to discover the true name of a demonic servant through magical means, will, instead, discover only its false name.

The spellcaster must act with care, for if the diabolic servant were to hear or otherwise discover its true name again, it would be freed from its servitude.

Magic Items and Artifacts Unique Magic Items

The following magic items are one-of-a-kind items that lack the power of artifacts. All these magical items can be duplicated, though if any presently are, it is not common knowledge.

The Links of Escaebir

The links of Escaebir consist of two small pieces of chain, each bearing nine interlocked iron rings.

The links were once part of the mail hauberk worn by “The Beast-Friend, Escaebir.” Though Escaebir was slain in battle and his armor hewn from his body, these two portions of his mail bore sufficient arcane protection to survive the ages; their magic persists to this day.

The links are activated by sewing one into a mantle of masterwork chainmail worn by a sentient being, while the second set of links is fastened to the collar, bridle, or leash of any animal or magical beast friendly to the wearer of the mail. An emotional connection instantly forms between the two beings. So long as the bonded beings wear their links, they enjoy the following benefits:

• They are aware of each other’s physical state of health to the point that if one of them falls below half of their normal hit points, the other senses the injuries and is aware that its companion has been hurt. This ability functions as long as the two remain within 2 miles of one another and cannot be block by non-magical hindrances – even stone.
• One of the two beings can voluntarily use its own hit dice in order to grant the other a healing boost equal to the same number of hit points, just as if the recipient creature had spent the hit die during a short rest (so the recipient must be wounded to gain a benefit).
• The creature giving up the hit points must be sentient and do so of its own volition, but this sacrifice may be done at any time as a bonus action (it need not occur during a rest). This ability functions as long as the two remain within 2 miles of one another and cannot be blocked by non-magical hindrances, even stone.
• As long as the linked beings can clearly see each other’s eyes, they may exchange mental communication. Usually this ability is limited to a maximum range of 50 feet, and is further restricted by the Intelligence rating of the beings. For example, a boar with an Intelligence of 2 would have difficultly understanding anything more than a simple instruction, and could not participate in any extended dialogue.

Price 47,000 gp; Weight 2 lbs. (each link).

Asperity’s Jess

A jess is a long piece of leather used in falconry, commonly attached to one of the bird’s legs. Asperity’s jess was crafted to turn a familiar against its master. The jess may be tied to any animal or magical creature that appears to be an animal, such as animal companions or familiars. And, if the command word “asperity” is then uttered, followed by the name of a specific individual, the animal feels a coarse and biting enmity toward the named person. The animal is permitted a Wisdom

Save (Challenge Level 5) to avoid this effect only if the named individual is a friend or companion to the animal. For instance, if the jess was tied around the leg of a knight’s steed and the knight was then named as the target for the enmity, the horse would be allowed a saving throw to shrug off the effects. However, if the target was the knight’s squire, the horse would receive no save.

Specially bonded animals such as familiars, animal companions or a paladin’s mount enjoy advantage on their saving throws.

The enmity generated by the jess is such that the animal attacks the target on sight. Though it does not fight to the death, it retreats only long enough to rest and recuperate in order to renew its assault at a later date. The enmity ends the moment the asperity’s jess is removed. Even if the animal is intelligent, it may be unaware that the cause of its ire is the jess.

Price 20,000 gp; Weight 1 lb.

Major Artifact

The Rock of Demeter

The rock of Demeter is a jutting pinnacle of seemingly natural stone, standing to roughly the height of a grown man. In times lost to the dim mists of memory, the goddess Demeter raised the rock as a symbol of the harmony she envisioned between man and nature –a testament to her twin spheres of influence, the harvest and the wild.

Throughout the ages, the rock has continued to serve as a holy site –sometimes tended by the priestesses of Demeter, at other times by the druids. At times it has been forgotten and lost to the woods, only to be later reclaimed (and then lost again). There are even those who say that there is more than one rock, or that the rock can be found in more than one place, or even that the rock moves from place to place. Whatever the truth of these rumors may be, the rock of Demeter is known to be possessed of a singular power –the extraordinary ability to form a bond between the creatures of nature and civilization.

Characters with the Summon Familiar, Improved Familiar, Summon Greater Familiar, or Supreme Familiar Ability (or similar class abilities) who touch the rock of Demeter may summon a familiar without performing their usual summoning ritual. Characters without the Summon Familiar, Improved Familiar, Summon Greater Familiar, or Supreme Familiar abilities (or characters with these abilities who already have their maximum number of familiars) who touch the rock of Demeter are gifted with a single animal companion (as per the Animal Companion Ability).

A character may only use the rock of Demeter once each season.

Weight: Cannot be moved.

Dragon Riders

Dragon Riders and Familiars

Being a true Dragon Rider entails far more than simply climbing on the back of a beast and taking flight. Even those rare wizards and warriors who manage to bond with a dragon as a familiar almost always find that the beast is unwilling to carry them in flight. Dragons are proud and willful creatures, and they serve others only at their own sufferance.

Indeed, GMs should consider that even if they choose to allow dragons as presented in the tables throughout this work, that the creatures could, at any given time, choose to simply leave the service of the player character. No magic, no matter how powerful, arcane or legendary, can bind the spirit of a dragon permanently. Such an event could occur due to campaign events, or because the GM has discovered that draconic familiars are simply too powerful to allow as companions at a given level.

What does this mean to the player character in game, however?

Generally speaking, if a dragon decides to leave the service of a player character, they should not suffer the full severe consequences of dismissing or losing a familiar through death. The loss of all of the benefits of having a familiar is generally enough, and as such the GM may consider allowing the character to undertake a new summoning ritual right away, at reduced cost in personal investment and money, to gain a replacement familiar.

In the end, the bond between a familiar and player character is in no way the same as that of the dragon rider and his compatriot and partner…for that is what a draconic mount is. It is not a steed that belongs to the rider. It is, rather, a mystically-bound ally and, in the best of cases, an unshakeable friend. Indeed, there have even been stories of true and deep love blossoming between riders and their mounts, which may result in the birth of half-dragon children, but these are so rare that none has ever been able to support a claim of knowing such a couple.

Dragon Riders Vs. Dragon Familiars

Herein lies another major problem for characters with draconic familiars: a familiar dragon will never reach an age at which it can truly engage in the binding with a character; at least, not within the character’s playable lifetime. It takes thousands of years for a wyrmling or young dragon to reach the elder stage for the binding to be possible.

In game terms, this is simple: characters who opt for draconic familiars can never become dragon riders. It is never possible to have two of these noble creatures bound to your service, and an ancient dragon will always sense if a character has bound (or, enslaved, in their mind) another to them. This leads to immediate hostility from the elder dragon, which cannot be overcome by any means.

Becoming A Dragon Rider In Game

In game terms, obtaining this deep understanding is the first part of the quest to become a dragon rider. There are few to no mechanics associated with this aspect of the quest; it is left entirely to the Game Master and Player to work out how and when this insight develops, and how long it takes. At very least, however, it should take the vast majority of the character’s adventuring career, through at least the entirety of early and midlevel gaming as the player gains more knowledge and insight about the way dragons work.

How does this occur? Does the player seek out stories from those who have battled and befriended dragons? Do they pore through ancient tomes and histories such as the Andanuth? Do they make efforts to actually engage with dragons in the wild (and if so, how do they even survive)?

On the other hand, do they simply try to mimic a cosmic understanding of the universal laws and source of all things, contemplating and exploring the nature of space and time to expand their own horizons? What direction do their studies and efforts take?

Remember that becoming a dragon rider is an all-consuming lifelong quest, and every single step the character takes must somehow inexorably lead this quest forward. The goal to become a dragon rider can be the focus of an entire campaign, and can make such a character difficult to play in your standard adventuring group, but nobody said the path to being a dragon rider was for novices! What follows is a general guideline to the three stages of becoming a dragon rider; it is left to the Game Master and player to work out how this fits into the overall campaign arc.

The Path of the Dragon Rider

The path of the dragon rider is not an easy one, nor is it something that the character simply decides at some point to do. It is something that takes a lifetime of study and learning. It is a path that requires dedication and a deep understanding of the ways of dragons, something that most mortals are incapable of possessing. For it is only through this deep intuition and gnosis of the nature of these noble creatures that the hero is able to bind their soul to that of the dragon.

Becoming a dragon rider is, at its very core, a quest of destiny.

Stage One: The Gnosis of Dragons

Part of this training requires learning to ride beasts other than standard horses—particularly flying creatures such as the Pegasus, gryphon, hippogriff and peryton. These skills, however, can be learned by almost anyone with the skill and tenacity to tame such a beast and seek out the necessary training. Beast-riders are downright common as compared to dragon-riders.

No, the path of the dragon rider also requires the ability to parlay, barter and charm creatures of deep and vast intellect and nigh-unfathomable personality and outlook. It requires a gnosis, or innate understanding, of the depths of the cosmic soul that is the draconic essence. Gaining such insight is neither easy nor simple. It requires the ability to see the world in terms of centuries rather than years, to understand why the very cosmos works the way it does, and to feel and be one with the very spirit of not just the world, but of the entire Ultraverse.

This means that longer-lived races such as Elves have an advantage, for they, too, see the world in terms of centuries rather than years.

Paladins and clerics, who commune with their deities, also can develop this outlook by viewing the world through the eyes of the gods. Druids and rangers who study the deep mysteries of nature, and bards who look at the world in terms of the legends of millennia past also have the capability to develop such insight.

Of course, wizards who plumb the depths of libraries for legendary languages, formulae and arcane arts lost to the mists of time are ripe for such depth of insight. Even barbarians, with their connection to the primal forces of Gaia herself, may draw upon the necessary insight and wisdom to understand the outlook of these creatures.

While it is not unheard of, it is rare for a standard rogue, soldier or even an honor-bound knight to become a dragon rider, and if they do, it is because they have spent their lives in pursuit of this noble path, and found a way to delve into the necessary arcane insights.

Stage Two: Finding A Dragon

The second stage in the quest is, of course, actually finding a dragon.

This is never as easy as one would think. Dragons are, in general, solitary creatures that don’t want to be found, and those that do are usually not the kind that could be converted into mounts.

Consider the sheer challenge of bonding with a Red Dragon that is currently sowing death and destruction over a village.

The thing is unlikely to talk long enough to parlay with the character, and even assuming the character is powerful enough to defeat the creature in single combat (see below), this is a creature that would never permanently submit to such a relationship.

Rather, it would need to be constantly subdued and bullied, and never grant the kinds of power and abilities one would expect from such a relationship.

To put it bluntly, you can beat a dragon into submission all you want—that’s not going to stop it from flying 500 feet in the air, plucking you off its back, and dropping you.

Thus, the second stage in becoming a dragon rider is a quest to find a suitable dragon for companionship and riding. The details of this quest are left to the GM and player to determine, but should involve a harrowing journey of both research/investigation and physical trials.

Perhaps the character pores over ancient legends to find rumors of a dragon eyrie high in the mountains, beyond great perils and at a level where the air is so thin that mortals can barely breathe. The character must scale this mountain, and then overcome any number of guardians and traps the dragon has put in place before finding the dragon itself!

Alternately, what if a dragon senses, divines or otherwise hears that a questing hero is gathering information of the sort that could result in becoming a dragon rider, and actively seeks out the hero, perhaps in disguise, working either as a benefactor or in an effort to hinder and test the character, until the time is right for it to reveal itself, and issue the challenge of the Bond so as to gain the upper hand in the contest?

Imagine your hero in the midst of a great battle that could decide the fate of nations. Perhaps they are a general, leading a battalion in a desperate battle against hordes of demonic foes, and suddenly, the sage upon whose counsel they have depended for years reveals her true nature as an ancient gold dragon, and offers the general the opportunity to gain that which they have sought their whole life…the catch? They have to abandon the battle and test their wits and skill against the dragon.

The rewards could mean turning the tide of the war when they return weeks later on the back of their new steed. The price to be paid, however, is horrific: the current battle will almost certainly be lost without them, and their forces, at best, decimated.

The choice is clear, however: such an opportunity comes but once in a hero’s life.

Stage Three: The Bond

The third stage in becoming a dragon rider is bonding with the dragon. This requires a great deal of effort, and only the greatest heroes and icons have any prayer of succeeding. The final process of becoming a dragon rider is The Binding. Only older dragons can be bound—even Adult dragons are too young to have the mystical connection to their cosmic spirit for binding.

Why Older Dragons?

Clever and attentive readers will have noticed that according to The Andanuth, the first Dragon Rider was able to bind himself to a “young” dragon that was still “in the full of its power.” This is both legend and truth; following this first Bond, the Prince took the secrets of Binding to Men, and in those ancient days a fleet of Dragon Riders appeared.

When word spread to the other dragons in the world, the most ancient and venerable of the species gathered in a rare Conclave and enacted powerful magics to protect their kind from such mortal depredations. Such a Conclave among these arrogant and regal creatures hadn’t happened in tens of thousands of years, and likely will never happen again. Indeed, a number of ancient dragons perished in arrogance and the searing of breath weapons before an accord was reached.

Still, realizing the potential benefits of such a bond, they kept the secrets to themselves, allowing only the most revered and powerful amongst them the ability to open the Bonding.

Since those days, only the greatest heroes—perhaps one in a generation—have had the ability to bond with a creature… and change the very shape of history itself.

If the hero thought getting to this point was difficult, they’ve seen nothing yet. The numbers of those who have successfully sought out a dragon after lifetime of study only to be sent away empty-handed, their memories of the experience wiped along with all their vaunted knowledge of dragons (or worse; the dragon simply eats them alive) may number in the thousands, for once the Challenge of Bonding is issued, the dragon and hero are inexorably linked, and failure means the dragon can do with the hero’s mind and body exactly as it desires…

The Challenge of Bonding

When the hero finds themselves face-to-face with their intended mount, a series of contests and trials begins, placing the hero directly in single conflict with the dragon. The hero must succeed at this contest completely alone, without help of any kind from any other living being (though prayer is allowed; even dragons don’t command the gods). The first stage is the issuance of a challenge to the dragon. This challenge must be perfectly worded and drawn from the years of knowledge the character has accumulated.

The hero must make a ability check using any mental ability (Intelligence, Wisdom or Charisma) they desire, but they must justify why they are using the ability they are, in character. That is to say, the player cannot say, “I’m using Charisma because it’s my highest.” Rather, they must explain how they are applying the specific mental ability to the check. Depending on how well they phrase their efforts, the GM may add a bonus to their efforts.

If the player succeeds, the dragon accepts the challenge, and the contest begins. If the player fails, they may try again, but at a cumulative -2 penalty per failed effort. In any case, if the player fails at five consecutive efforts to initiate the bonding, they have forever failed and may never attempt to bind with this dragon again. Whether or not another dragon may be receptive to the binding is left to the discretion of the GM.

Dragons Issuing Challenges

The scenario was discussed earlier of a dragon issuing the challenge to the player. In such a situation, the GM may have the player succeed at a check anyway, either to resist the challenge or even to accept it, the proper words being necessary by both parties to initiate the Challenge of Bonding.

In no case, however, should this stage be a giveaway.

The Contest of Power

If the first stage was a challenge of will, intellect and force of personality, the second stage of the Binding involves a contest of physical power and bearing. In this stage, the character must undergo a series of physical challenges in order to access the dragon itself. The dragon may place itself outside a series of obstacles the player must overcome. It may issue a separate quest, similar to the legendary Labors of Hercules. It may simply instigate single combat with the character (who in such a case must defeat the dragon without killing it, though the dragon will have no such compunctions!).

Here are just a few examples of obstacles the hero might have to overcome during the Contest of Power:

1. An apparently impassable gorge that must be crossed and may not be circumnavigated.

2. A series of increasingly powerful guardians that must be overcome.

3. A contest of puzzles, riddles or games that must be resolved.

4. An entire river that must be somehow re-routed.

5. Entertain the dragon with an epic tale, the likes of which it has never heard before.

6. Locate and return to the dragon an item of great power it covets.

Exactly how this stage plays out is left entirely up to the GM; however, keep in mind that if this is part of a campaign, it is a challenge that the hero must perform alone. This means it should be either brief (in game terms) or take place away from the table, with the hero temporarily removed from play and potentially replaced by a temporary surrogate for regular gaming sessions.

What it should never be, however, is a simple series of die rolls.

This is the culmination of a life-long quest; make it exciting and put some thought into the challenges the character will have to face. It’s possible they will need to engage more than one physical ability and even use their wits to overcome core weaknesses.

This challenge needs to be deadly, exciting, thrilling and worthy of all of the time and effort spent.

Whether or not multiple attempts to overcome these obstacles are possible depends upon the nature of the challenges in question, and in any case any failed effort will result in penalties to future attempts.

The Final Binding

Even after all of this, the process is not complete. The dragon will after the hero completes the physical challenges, submit to the binding, but this requires an intricate ritual custom-tailored to the hero and this specific dragon. The ritual, again, is something the character has spent their entire lives researching and designing, and details of what it entails should not only be given at this time, but should have been a part of the overall quest.

What components has the player had to gather, and what are their purposes? At very least this should cost many thousands of gold pieces in rare items, and possibly even the destruction of a magical artifact (something along the lines of an Orb of Dragonkind which is consumed in the binding process would not be outside the realm of possibility or even unreasonable for this ritual).

The dragon will cooperate with the ritual at this stage and will not try to foul it or corrupt it in any way. By this time the hero has proven themselves worthy and the dragon is eager to see what might happen.

As the ritual completes, the hero must make one final SIEGE check, using their class’ Prime Attribute—and must describe to the GM what the aspect of the ritual is that makes use of this ability. A wizard, for example, might have to recall a long and difficult incantation where mispronouncing a single word results in failure. A rogue might have to undergo an intricate series of steps, gestures and motions requiring all of her manual dexterity to achieve. A fighter might have to lift an item of power whose mass is greatly increased by the arcane forces at work, that it can be absorbed into the dragon. The possibilities are endless, and are left to the player to adequately justify to the GM.

Depending on how well (or poorly) the player did at their previous tests, they should receive bonuses or penalties to this final test, at the discretion of the Game Master. If the check is successful, the dragon and player are mystically bound, their spirits becoming one, and the player may ride the dragon into battle.

If the check fails, the hero may never again attempt to bind with a dragon; they are unworthy and have paid a great price for their failure, and may well find themselves alone with no memory of what they faced, only the knowledge and emptiness of failure to chill them in the night. Alternately, the dragon may simply kill them outright for their failings.

This should be an all-or-nothing check. There’s no second battle, no chance at redemption. If the character fails, all is lost.

If the dragon chooses to let them go, they can continue their adventuring career. If not, they are dead, their mind, body and soul crushed by the mystical forces they have brought to bear.

Whether they can at some point be resurrected or reincarnated is left to the discretion of the Game Master.

Rules and Systems

The DC for all ability checks during the process of Binding is equal to 8 + the dragon’s proficiency bonus, plus its relevant ability bonus. Thus, it’s possible that the character must face a series of very high DC checks. Through the process there may be a back-and-forth where sometimes the hero has the advantage; other times, the dragon does. This is to be determined by bonuses and penalties added to the hero’s check.

In general, the player should make all checks, save a situation where combat occurs, in which case combat is played out as normal.

A table of suggested bonuses and penalties follows. These are merely suggestions and should not be taken as an exhaustive list of the possible bonuses and penalties that could be racked up. Optionally, these penalties and bonuses can be sidelined in favor of simply granting advantage and disadvantage where appropriate.

A separate column has been added to cover this option as well.

Remember that a character can never have multiple instances of advantage and disadvantage. While this simplifies the overall challenge, it makes it less dynamic than tracking the level of success a character has achieved. In the end it’s left to the GM.

Table A-2: Binding Check Modifiers

Circumstance	Bonus/Penalty	Adv./Disadv.
Character has succeeded at a prior stage	+2/stage	Advantage
Each failed prior effort (even with subsequent success)	-2/failure	Disadvantage
Clever use of class ability (GM’s discretion)	+1 to +10	Advantage
Successfully appealing to the dragon’s ego	+5	Advantage
Demonstrating prowess, exceptional skill, expertise that impresses the dragon	+1 to +10	Advantage
Insulting the dragon	-5 to -10	Disadvantage
Fumbling any die roll (natural 1; cumulative per failure)	-2/failure	Disadvantage
Critical success on any die roll (natural 20; cumulative for each)	+2/success	Advantage

Power of the Bond

The ability to ride a dragon into battle and have it as a trusted companion is benefit enough, but the true power of a dragon rider lies in the mystical bond they have with their companion.

In addition to the ability of riding, a bonded dragon is treated as both a Supreme Familiar and a Supreme Mount with all associated powers and abilities included. This is regardless of whether or not the character would normally have access to a mount or familiar.

In addition, the character gains additional special powers based on the species of dragon to whom they are bound. See the writeups on each species, below, for more information.

The Continuing Struggle

Dragons are independent creatures and may tire of the companion so new checks must be made maybe time or event driven (such as the character does something against the dragon’s alignment etc)

The Benefits of Being A Dragon Rider

Becoming a true Dragon Rider carries with it certain measurable benefits—otherwise, why would anyone seek such a legendary status? The most obvious of these is that the dragon is treated in all ways as a Supreme Familiar to the Rider, with any and all associated abilities allowed to Supreme Familiars of the Rider’s class and level.

The sole exception to this is that the dragon at all times retains its free will and may choose to break the bond whenever it chooses to do so.

In addition to the full benefits of having (and being, in the dragon’s case) a familiar, the Dragon Rider gains advantage on all checks to remain mounted on the dragon in combat. This bonus results from the synchronicity that arises from the bond between dragon and rider.

Next, the rider gains the ability to use a form of the dragon’s breath weapon in a 15 foot stream, cone or cloud (depending on the individual breath weapon of the dragon species) dealing 8d6 damage (victims can succeed at a Dexterity save for half, with a CL equal to the hit die of the character). This breath weapon can be used once per day, per point of the character’s Wisdom bonus.

Like many reptiles, dragons periodically shed their scales, dorsal spines and claws. The character also gains the ability to fashion armor and weapons from these discarded parts. The character can usually salvage 1-4 claws and/or spines total; enough to form one of the following: a long sword, a short sword and dagger, three daggers, or a score of arrows. Finally, the dragon will usually deign to allow the character access to its horde, which could contain other valuables at the GM’s option.

The Draconic Races

Below you will find a write-up of each individual species of dragon describing its temperament, outlook on life, death and mortal relations, and the special abilities the rider gains from a bond with this species. In addition, each species includes a section on maintaining the bond between dragon and rider. Though permanent, this bond is tenuous and can be broken given the right situations. It requires constant and continual effort to maintain, and many dragons actively seek a means by which they can escape what they may come to view as servitude to a mere mortal.

Chromatic Dragons

Chromatic dragons are the representatives of cosmic evil in the world. Whether lawful, neutral or chaotic in their ethical outlook, they all tend to be arrogant, self-important and superior.

They look upon mortals as, at best, slave labor and toys with which to be played, and at worst, insects to be trampled underfoot.

They care about two things only: treasure, and their own sense of greatness. It is rare that a goodly character will successfully bond with a chromatic dragon, though in certain lawful cases it has happened.

Chromatic Dragons and Alignment

It should be considered, too, that alignments are proclivities towards which the species tends. Dragons are highly intelligent and independent creatures, which means that just because red dragons are generally chaotic evil, there could be a one in a million representative of the species who deviates from that alignment.

This, however, is left to the GM to determine.

Chromatic Dragons and Polymorph

There are many legendary stories of dragons walking the world disguised as men. It should be noted that this is absolutely not an inherent ability of dragons. Still, as ancient and intelligent as they are, many chromatic dragons possess powerful arcane spellcasting abilities, including polymorph self, a favorite spell among dragons. Any given dragon, depending on its age and knowledge, may or may not know this spell, in addition to any other spells and spell-like abilities they might have.

In addition, the act of engaging in a successful Binding allows the dragon to polymorph into the form of whatever species their rider represents—that is, if a dragon Binds with an elf, that dragon may then take on the form of an elf, as per the polymorph self spell.

Should the bond ever break, the dragon loses this ability.

Metallic Dragons

Metallic dragons are creatures that tend towards goodly alignments and are dedicated to protecting the world from corruption, and appreciating the lesser races (though the guideline regarding exceptions to alignment “rules” holds as true for metallics as it does for chromatics). For goodly dragon riders, these are most often the creatures that are best to seek out. Though not as vicious as chromatics, metallic dragons are more likely to form and maintain a bond for many years. They are incredibly curious creatures who enjoy engaging so-called “lesser beings,” if for no other reason than their own amusement.

Metallic Dragons and The Conclave

If the legends are to be believed, the singular conclave of dragons that limited the bond to its current state was probably comprised largely of metallics, as they are the only dragons who could’ve tolerated such a gathering. It is rumored that there are still very ancient members of this species who remember the Conclave, and the way it nearly resulted in disaster for all dragonkind, but no one can claim to have encountered such an ancient creature.

It is true that metallic dragons have very long memories, and are prone to foggy associations. Indeed, they could have met a PC’s great, great, great, great grandfather, many decades ago, and mistake the PC for that person, due to a basic similarity in appearance. After all, 100 years for a dragon is as a few days or a week to a human. If the ancestor was cruel, this could go very badly for the hero in question.

Natural Shapeshifters

Unlike chromatics, metallic dragons have a natural ability to shapeshift into standard humanoid or animal forms, and they can often be found walking among the cities, towns and villages of civilization, sometimes masquerading as powerful wizards or warriors to protect a town they view as their charge, while other times posing as a meager beggar or peasant to amuse themselves and learn about the cultures of humanity. There have even been stories of dragons falling in love with mortals and forming lifelong relationships, their beloved never even knowing that their partner was a powerful dragon.

It is in fact this very shapeshifting ability that makes them so difficult to find and bind, as metallics will put mortals through great paces, misleading them and guiding them towards deadly challenges to prove themselves worthy to pair with the beast.

Metallic Dragon Lairs

The lairs of metallic dragons are not nearly as deadly as those of chromatic dragons, but all are protected by very powerful magical effects, which for lower level characters can be nearly impossible to overcome, but fortunately are rarely fatal. In addition, if a dragon is curious about the intruder, trespasser or visitor, or the hero is welcome, the creature can choose to “turn off” these effects, allowing the character to find their way…or at least try to do so.

The Path of the Dragon Rider

Each class walks a different path towards becoming a dragon rider. In game terms, this means a specialized archetype, path, circle, college, pact, oath or the like, depending on which class you choose. This section will detail the specialized paths for each class, which are taken in place of the standard archetypes chosen at second or third level for that class.

Sorcerers and The Draconic Bloodline

Sorcerers do not need a new archetype to become dragon riders.

Those who choose the Draconic Bloodline, at 17th level, may receive the Calling to bind with a dragon that shares an ancestral bond with them.

However, not every sorcerer of a draconic bloodline receives this call, and among those who do, many ignore it. Only a certain subset of sorcerers feel the call from an early age and devote their lives to this quest. For those who do receive the call, the following changes are made to the bloodline (which must be declared at first level):

Improved Elemental Affinity

At 14th level, the Dragon Rider sorcerer does not gain Dragon Wings. Rather, they gain improved Elemental Affinity, which grants immunity to the damage type associated with their draconic ancestry (no expenditure of a sorcery point is necessary).

In addition, the sorcerer gains the ability to use the breath weapon associated with their dragon. Using this breath weapon costs 1 sorcery point and it functions exactly as the breath weapon from a Dragonborn of the same ancestry, including damage by level (which thus begins at 4d6 and increases to 5d6 at 16th level). When the sorcerer becomes a dragon rider, they may spend sorcery points to gain additional uses of their draconic breath weapon.

Dragon Riders and Power Creep

There is no doubt whatsoever that introducing Dragon Riders into your game eventually serves to create a campaign of truly epic scale. How does a GM deal with this sort of thing? The first thing to keep in mind is that Dragon Riders do not receive the call to begin the Binding until 17th level, which is a great deal of game play before they get there. The process of actually completing the binding could, feasibly, take another level or even a few, meaning that your characters could reach 20th level before they actually become Dragon Riders.

The question, however, remains: if one player becomes a Rider and the others do not, what then? If not handled properly, the game could quickly turn into a “follow the leader” scenario where one character outshines the others. While it’s not the purview of these rules to instruct you how to run your campaigns, there are several things you could try:

1. All the players become Dragon Riders, which could create an epic-powered game, while also having to contend with the fact that dragons, in general, do not get along with one another. The politics of keeping these strong-willed and independent creatures together could make for an interesting time.

2. Dragons generally don’t care about adventure, excitement, fame and fortune. Indeed, they view their very rarity and anonymity as a survival tactic. This means that while the dragon will be happy to bear the rider when necessary and is pleased for the exchange of power that comes with the Bond, there will certainly be times where they simply don’t go into the dungeon, or care to battle the evil overlord, simply because it doesn’t interest them. This independence and willfulness, as well as their unique perspective on life, can be used to curb the power level of the game.

3. The GM can concoct other forms of power boost for the other players in the group, which grant them equal abilities to the Dragon Rider. It’s not within the realm of these rules to determine what those power boosts might be, but the various abilities herein could certainly serve as a jumping off point to create power sets.

Whichever approach you take, one thing is certain: Dragon Riders change the entire scope of your game in unique and exciting ways!