Familiars Teach You Spells

[I'm A Banana]

I'm toying around with this idea: that a wizard or sorcerer's familiar is actually it's link to the world of the unseen, and that the wizard or sorcerer only learns spells as the familiar teaches them.

So what kind of spells would which familiars teach? For these purposes, you can mostly ignore the arcane/divine devide, just choose flavorful spells (it'll be balanced out IMC by having fewer spells known).

If you could talk to a toad, what kind of magic tricks would it teach you?

 

[Nifft]

Every Wizard and Sorcerer knows prestidigitation (to clean & primp the familiar).

Are you using Spell Compendium? If so, there are a bunch of spells focused on protecting your familiar. Learning at least one of those would be required.

- - -

Spells that replace a Familiar's chores:
- unseen servant
- spectral hand

Spells that familiars enjoy "sharing" with you:
- alter self
- false life
- see invisibility

Cheers, -- N

 

[FreeXenon]

Interesting thought.
This sounds a little bit like Sha'irs from Al Quadim.

Bonuses to Spot Jump, Swim or Hiding; Create Water, Change Shape into a Frog, Speak with Animals (Frogs or Amphibians), Animal Friendship (Frogs or Amphibians), Eat Insects, Holding Breath Longer, A bonus to Knowledge (Nature) or to surviving in wet climates (swamps, pond areas)

You might be able to use a mechanic similar to what is in the Tome of magic - Binding or something like that.

 

[EricNoah]

Forbidden lore, the stuff the wizard's guild doesn't want you to know. Assumes your familiar is in cahoots with demons/devils/aberrations/undead etc.

 

[Pbartender]

I'm toying around with this idea: that a wizard or sorcerer's familiar is actually it's link to the world of the unseen, and that the wizard or sorcerer only learns spells as the familiar teaches them.

So what kind of spells would which familiars teach? For these purposes, you can mostly ignore the arcane/divine devide, just choose flavorful spells (it'll be balanced out IMC by having fewer spells known).

If you could talk to a toad, what kind of magic tricks would it teach you?

Likewise, you could feasibly use the familiar as the wizard's "spellbook"...

Interesting idea. It certainly makes familiars more interesting.

 

[I'm A Banana]

This sounds a little bit like Sha'irs from Al Quadim.

That's kind of the idea.

Like, your Raven isn't just a special little bird...it's actually in cahoots with the unseen world of spirits and dark birds of death, so it can teach you certain necromancy spells, or spells that affect the wind, etc...

And it was an effort to make familiars more important to spellcaster. I figure, if the familiar is basically the one educating you...you run *it's* errands, not vice versa!

 

[GreatLemur]

Likewise, you could feasibly use the familiar as the wizard's "spellbook"...

Yeah, I'd think the right way to do this bit would be to have the familiar replace the book completely. After all, it'd be the source of all the caster's magical knowledge. And, obviously, it wouldn't really just be an animal somehow given intelligence by a 1st-level character. Instead, it would be some kind of Outsider either inhabiting an animal or masquerading as one.

This kind of bit might work best in a setting where magic is (rightfully or wrongfully) suppressed by the authorities, making it impossible (or at least impractical) to establish formal magical schools where mortal spellcasters could share their knowledge, and leaving familiars as their only opportunity to learn. (Which, of course, suggests that whatever's behind the familiars might also be behind the suppression of magic. For fear of such sinister influences, the authorities would be creating exactly the situation that lets them flourish.)

But what do the familiars get out of the deal? Old witchcraft lore often has them suckling their familiars on their own blood (or other fluids). Maybe it's less about selling your soul in one go than trading off some kind of life essence at a rate that keeps the supply renewable (bump the caster's HD up to the next die, but require them to pay 1 HP per level every night to keep the familiar happy).

Of course, it'd be a lot more interesting if they asked for other favors from time to time. Maybe things to keep the image of magic the way they want it. Maybe things to help out their other mortal allies and servants. Maybe weird, nonsensical acts that seem inconsequential or absurd to any mortal, but are exremely important to events on some other plane.

I think the most fun way to play these familiar spirits would be if they were divided into two or more rival factions, pitting their servants against each other in an endless--and possibly pointless--secret war. Also, while sinister is definitely a good way to play them, it might be best if no faction could be safely classed as good or evil. They aren't out to hurt people per se, but they'll certainly manipulate the hell out of everyone, and if someone does get hurt, that's not really their concern.

Damn, now I'm really thinking about this.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Damn, now I'm really thinking about this.

My take was a more Fey-themed take on it. The familiars are "special animals" that can bridge the gap between the unseen mystical world of fey and gods and spirits and the mortal world of the spellcasters. The spellcasters seek out such creatures to learn their arts (something like a totemic spirit animal), and the creatures cede to it, but the side effect is that the creatures determine the magical teaching. Your rat might teach you sneaky spells and sensory spells and skittish spells, because that's what rats think is the most important, while your pseudodragon may be more interested in lore and myths. And your humunculous? Obviously, very interested in you, it's god-like creator...

Sort of "A holy symbol is a cleric's link to their divine energy. A familiar is a wizard's link to their arcane energy" kind of thing.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I like this. After striking all of the "named" spells, I'd probably concentrate on spells from BoVD/BoED, assuming you use those, and on themed spells of one sort or another.

 

[Klaus]

In the DC Comics miniseries Klarion The Witch Boy, Klarion comes from the underground pilgrim-looking feytouched village of Limbo Town. There, every inhabitant has a familiar (called a draaga), which they can talk to (even telepathically) and see through the eyes of. Klarion later learns a ritual that lets him bond with his draaga (Teekl, a cat -- the only cat draaga in this generation), becoming a Large cat/feytouched human hybrid with four arms and four legs, and a violent bestial mood.

In Limbo Town the deceased elders are brought back in a zombie-like state (a "grundy", as in Solomon Grundy) to do the chores of the living.