Familiars and Animal Companions

[Snoteye]

This is a list of current familiars and animal companions. Some of these are completely custom for EfU: A while a few others have been extensively modified for balance purposes. For familiars, please note that spellcasters need not have a familiar that shares their alignment, but deliberately picking a familiar with a diametrical opposite alignment is discouraged.




Familiars

Bat

Alignment:  True Neutral

The nightshrieker possesses an ability few can emulate: sonar. This allows the bat to strike with surgical precision, but it sadly lacks momentum to be of much use against big opponents. On the other hand, the sonar also grants a near perfect nightvision which is excellent for reconnaissance.

Rat

Substitutes: Panther

Alignment:  True Neutral

A traditional choice for arcane spellcasters, centuries have proven the rat a faithful companion. Often Underestimated due to it's size, the rat is capable of going places and seeing things that others cannot. With proper care, it won't even smell. Very much.

Floating Skull

Substitutes: Hell Hound

Alignment:  Chaotic Evil

A floating, seemingly sentient skull with it's origins shrouded in mystery. While few know much of them, most who behold them find the sight frightening and most who hear their endless ramblings find it maddening. Such a familiar is boasting material only in few and small circles.

This familiar is capable of intelligent conversation.

Imp

Alignment:  Lawful Evil

Small but insidious devils often bound to the service of sorcerers and wizards. Imps have a gleeful attraction to pranks, riddles, and bawdy jokes and a natural apptitude for magic.

This familiar is capable of intelligent conversation.

Gull

Substitutes: Fire Mephit

Alignment:  True Neutral

Highly intelligent coastal birds that have learned to co-exist with civilization in a scavenger role. Though most people find them incredibly annoying in their endless quest for food, wizards and sorcerers who bind them find them to be extremley loyal. As long as they keep a scrap of food tucked away.

Parrot

Substitutes: Ice Mephit

Alignment:  True Neutral

Although among the smarter species of birds, parrots are nevertheless more exotic as familiars, in part because of their relative rarity but as well because they tend to be overly possessive of their masters. While working with a parrot can be easy enough, working with somebody working with a parrot can be a challenge to put it mildly.

This familiar can memorize a few simple phrases, but not lead an intelligent conversation.

Chicken

Substitutes: Pixie

Alignment:  True Neutral

A niche more than a practicality, the chicken can provide hours upon hours of fun for its owner and act as an excellent vessel for magical energies. Easily frightened and seemingly lacking in mental capacity, those who have gazed into the eyes of a bound chicken swear they've seen something mezmerizing in those beady little eyes.

Raven

Alignment:  True Neutral

Prized for its intelligence and cunning, the classy raven remains an ever popular choice of familiar. The blue-black bird possesses an almost unmatched aptitude for learning and adapting to unique situations, and its beak makes an excellent tool both for opening clasps and plucking out eyes.

This familiar can memorize a few simple phrases, but not lead an intelligent conversation.

Snake

Substitutes: Faerie Dragon

Alignment:  True Neutral

Cunning hunters, snakes are often seen as lazy due to their preference to let their prey come to them. When pressed, however, snakes are quick, agile, and many possess extremely potent venoms. In many cases, a familiar shares traits with its master, so for rotund or crafty spellacsters to have snake familiars is not uncommon.

Ooze

Substitutes: Pseudodragon

Alignment:  True Neutral

These amorphous creatures resemble tiny cubes of gelatinous goo. As actual lab tools, the unique ability of oozes to absorb and assimilate nearly anything have proven especially useful over time. Unfortunately, they do not care for being handled, and many who have tried have found they have little desire to do so again.

Eyeball

Alignment:  Chaotic Evil

No larger than the size of a fist in diameter, the eyeball is a particularly frightening creature to command, not surprisingly because of its resemblance to the significantly larger beholder. The many taboos surrounding these alien natured creatures means only the most eccentric people would ever consider binding one as a familiar.

This familiar is capable of intelligent conversation.

Animal Companions

Badger

What the badger lacks in physical strength, it has in excess of in sheer ferocity. Its powerful jaws can snap a shinbone with little trouble and having one latched onto one's leg can make movement rather difficult.

Wolf

With a strong innate pack sense, wolves are quick to bond with their masters. Swift and silent pack hunters, wolves will often use distractions to circle behind prey and force them to the ground for an easier kill. Under the stiff fur also hides very good friend potential.

Island Grizzly Bear

Large and powerful, grizzly bears are perhaps the most feared of all bears. Despite this, their general attitude makes for great companions. In addition to a natural feeling of responsibility to its family, the admittedly clumsy bear packs a powerful punch and is a fearsome sight to behold in battle. Its thick fur also becomes a strong asset on the frontline of any battle.

Boar

The wild pig is famous for its fierceness, unyielding attitude, and keen senses. Its sharp tusks can be lethal weapons even when the boar isn't trying to kill, and its thick hide coupled with it's sheer tenacity makes it difficult to kill. One should not stand in the way of a charging ferocious boar.

Giant Eagle

High in the mountains of Ymph live great golden eagles. They are silent and stealthy hunters, able to remain hidden when others are easily detected, making it the perfect scout. Far above the hunting field, the hawk's sharp eyesight lets it spot approaching creatures, friend or foe, long before they present a threat to the hawk's master. Impressive speed and agility also allow the bird to execute swift strikes against vital spots, which can easily unbalance an opponent.

Panther

These large black felines generally make their homes in deep jungles with plenty of prey and no civilization to disturb it. Panthers rely on stealth and the element of surprise much more than raw power, and it is not unlike them to wait for a fight to nearly finish before diving in to deliver a killing blow.

Dire Spider

Smaller and deadlier than their mainland cousins, the dire spiders of Ymph posses powerful venoms that can disable creatures many times their size. Despite this, they are shy and opportunistic creatures, rarely charging prey head on.

Island Jaguar

Substitutes: Dire Wolf

Like its mainland cousin, the island jaguar survives by combining short bursts of speed with stealth powerful attacks. Curiously, the jaguar, possibly due to sharing hunting grounds with the island leopard, has tan spotted rather than black fur. It still has the jaguar's smaller size, however.

Dire Rat

Much bigger and consequently stronger than normal rats, dire rats can be compared to big cats. In combat, they are crafty and quick. While by no means powerful war machines, the short and long term effects of any diseases they may carry are often far more effective than the rats themselves.