Familiar
A familiar is an extraplanar spirit of Aether that takes the shape of an animal and is controlled by a Warrior Mage. A Warrior Mage carves a talisman into the shape of an animal and summons the spirit, and the talisman provides it with both a conduit to the Plane of Abiding and a template for its shape. Aether spirits in the form of familiars are sentient creatures, though the power and personality of the mage may override it; the true relationship between the summoner and the summoned is not entirely clear.
There are currently four different types of familiar: Small, Large, Dark and Fir. The type of familiar is based on the circle and skills of the Warrior Mage who commands it.
Flying Familiars can FLY and LAND but can not go indoors.
Small familiar
Things You Will Need & Where to get them
- a simple talisman - You can get one of these from Herilo's Artifacts in Crossing for 750 Kronars.
- a carving knife - Available in Engineering Societies for 50 copper.
Steps to Carving Properly
- With your talisman in your right hand and nothing in your left. RUB MY TALISMAN until it is attuned to you.
- Then with your carving knife in your right hand and your talisman in your left hand. CARVE MY TALISMAN until you are bringing out the 'fine details'.
- You now have a completed Small Familiar talisman!
- It is possible to continue carving past 'fine details' but doing so will ruin your talisman. Do not carve past 'fine details'.
Requirements
Second Circle and 10 ranks in the Mechanical Lore skill.
Types
- Turtles
- Lizards
- Guinea-Pigs
- Gerbils
Large familiar
Thing's You Will Need & Where to get them
- a large talisman - You can get one of these from Zanthron's Artificer Shop in Riverhaven for 15000 Lirums or from Sierack's Reagents in Shard for 12204 Dokoras.
- a carving knife - Available in Engineering Societies for 50 copper.
Steps to Carving Properly
- With your talisman in your right hand and nothing in your left. RUB MY TALISMAN until it is attuned to you.
- Then with your carving knife in your right hand and your talisman in your left hand. CARVE MY TALISMAN until you are bringing out the 'fine details'.
- You now have a completed a Large Familiar talisman!
- It is possible to continue carving past 'fine details' but doing so will ruin your talisman. Do not carve past 'fine details'.
Requirements
Tenth Circle and 20 ranks in the Mechanical Lore skill.
Types
- Crows
- Bats
- Rats
- Rabbits
- Piglets
- Squirrels
Dark familiar
Click here for spoiler information on obtaining these.
Requirements
20th Circle and 21 ranks in Engineering and 50 ranks in Outdoorsmanship.
Types
- Cats
- Dogs
- Ravens
- Falcons
- Geese
Fir familiar
- Fir familiars can help with the preparation of spells. Currently, there is no fir familiar to help with Aether spells. Lynxes help Electricity spells, Bears help Earth spells, Owls help Air spells, Panthers help Water spells, Leopards help Fire spells.
- A Fir familiar can drag its owner should the Warrior Mage become stunned in battle. It is a percentage-based chance that the familiar will drag; more Charisma will raise the likelihood of this occurring. With enough Charisma, it is virtually 100%.
- Fir familiars can carry up to 5 coins. They can carry items and are able to carry more than any of the smaller familiars. The different Fir familiars can carry different amounts of weight, with the Bear carrying the most and the Owl carrying the least. If the items are not retreived before dismissing the familiar, it will be lost. With some luck your items lost during familiar travel may end up in the Guard House Lost and Found chest.
Note: A bear is capable of holding one item, including a filled container, of up to 1500 stones.
Other information is considered a secret. Click here to view more information if you wish to spoil it for yourself.
Requirements
50th Circle and 100 ranks in the Mechanical Lore skill.
Post 3.0 - can easily carve with 90 engineering ranks and 0 mech, several steps past fine details. It likely needs much less.
2/23/19 - Carved 4 talismans to 'fine details' with 0 breaks at 72 Mechanical Lore.
10/27/20 - Carved talismans to 'fine details' with 0 breaks at 8 Engineering, high circle.
Types
- Bears
- Leopards
- Lynxes
- Owls
- Panthers
Familiar commands
- SUMMON FAMILIAR (While holding your talisman): Summons your familiar. Requires adequate elemental charge.
Usage: TELL FAMILIAR TO <COMMAND>:
- GO <DIRECTION> OR <OBJECT>: Walk to the commanded direction or place. Restrictions can apply based on area and distance from summoner.
- RETURN: Return to the summoner if possible.
- FIND <CHARACTER>: Find the specified character. Restrictions can apply based on the target character's location and distance.
- DROP <ITEM>: Drop the familiar's held item.
- GET <ITEM>: Pick up the item if possible.
- LOOK: Sends the summoner the room description of familiar's location.
- SAY <MESSAGE>: Speaks your message.
- SLEEP: Familiar stops watching and goes to sleep, remaining in place. Sleeping familiars stay in game in the same spot even if you log out, unless someone perceives them, then they wake up and leave.
- STAY: Familar stops and remains in place.
- WATCH: Sends the summoner the actions occuring in the room. If familiar window is open, actions will echo there, otherwise they will go to the story window.
- STOP: Stops follow selected target and stops the familiar from WATCHING.
- LEAVE: Unsummons the familiar. Any item it is carrying will be deleted or sent to the Guard House Lost and Found.
- SIT / STAND: Commands familiar to sit or stand.
- FLY / LAND: For flying creatures, instead of sit and stand.
- SEARCH: Some of the fir familiars have the ability to pull a person from hiding every few minutes. Based on a % of your stats and perception.
- GROWL / PURR: You familiar growls or purrs if it can.
- PERFORM: Familiar will perform an action.
Example:
Bear: You begin clapping a rhythm and nod to your russet bear. It rears up on its hind legs and begins to dance around the area, growling in time with your clapping. Just as it begins to approach you with the obvious intent of making you its partner, you stop clapping and your bear ends the dance with as much grace as a bear can muster.
Notes
- Animal choice is random and can only be determined once the talisman is carved.
- There is no limit to the number of talismans that may be owned by a mage, allowing owning of as many types of animals as desired. However, the familiar type for any specific talisman will never change, unless appearance or type is altered by specific merchants.
- Flying familiars seem to travel faster, and possibly further. They cannot go indoors though.
- Killing a player in front of your familiar will cause it to leave in disgust. You only have to resummon it to return.
- Targetting your familiar will shatter all the talismans in your possession and leave you with a hefty stun.
- The Zone Map is a tool to help determine the circle required for a given type of familiar to cross a particular distance.