Familiar (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)

Backgrounds

Definition

A Familiar is a spirit entity that has bonded with the mage, providing companionship, magical assistance, and a connection to the spirit world. In M20, Familiars are not simply pets; they are intelligent beings with their own personalities, desires, and capabilities. Some manifest as animals, others as invisible presences, and some take stranger forms entirely. Familiars provide practical benefits: they can store Quintessence for the mage, provide sensory input from distant locations, and even assist with magick. The bond between mage and Familiar is deeply personal and spiritually significant. However, Familiars are also responsibilities. They have their own needs, can be hurt or killed, and their loss causes spiritual trauma to the mage.

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How it works

**Key Uses**: - Store additional Quintessence (up to Familiar rating) - Provide sensory input from the Familiar's location - Assist with magical tasks and provide spiritual counsel **Special Rules**: Familiars can store Quintessence equal to their rating, effectively expanding the mage's Quintessence pool. They have their own attributes and abilities scaled to their rating. If the Familiar is killed, the mage suffers a permanent Willpower loss and spiritual trauma. Higher-rated Familiars are more powerful, intelligent, and independent.

Tips

**Build Advice**: Excellent for mages who want a loyal companion and extra Quintessence storage. The roleplaying opportunities are rich. Avoid if you do not want the responsibility of protecting a companion or the narrative complications of a spirit with its own agenda. **Tradition Synergies**: Verbena have a long tradition of animal familiars (cats, ravens, wolves). Dreamspeakers bond with nature spirits. Order of Hermes bind elementals and hermetic spirits. Virtual Adepts may have digital familiar entities. **Character Concepts**: Verbena witch with a raven familiar, Dreamspeaker with a bound nature spirit, Hermetic mage with a fire elemental companion, Virtual Adept with an AI familiar in their devices.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if my Familiar dies?

The mage permanently loses one dot of Willpower and suffers significant spiritual trauma. The bond between mage and Familiar is deep, and severing it through death leaves lasting scars. Replacing a lost Familiar requires a new story and is never simple.

Can my Familiar fight?

Yes, though their combat capability depends on the Familiar's form and rating. A one-dot Familiar might be a small animal with limited combat ability. A five-dot Familiar could be a powerful spirit entity capable of significant magical effects. Familiars will fight to protect their mage.

Familiar (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)

Definition

How it works

Tips

Frequently asked questions

Further Reading