New Familiars

[Howlando]

Hopefully, as of the next reset, the old EFU familiars will be replaced with the following:

All familiars are by default True Neutral unless otherwise noted.

Bat - (substitutes bat) - a form of creature that many arcanists favor for their wisdom and stealth)
Rat - (substitutes panther) - a form of creature that many arcanists favor for their agility and stealth)
Floating Skull - (substitutes Hell Hound) - an evil, semi-sentient floating skull commonly used by necromancers and other dark researchers.
Imp - (substitutes imp) - a Lawful Evil devil with a penchant for minor magic and trickery, commonly bound into service by infernalists.
Gull - (substitutes Fire Mephit) - Gulls are often favored by arcanists who admire their survivalist nature and general toughness
Parrot - (substitutes Ice Mephit) - the colorful parrot is often favored by arcanists who admire their great beauty and ability to be trained to distract their opponent and even repeat insulting phrases
Chicken - (substitutes Pixie) - the rangy chicken is often used by eccentric witches and withdoctors, who train them to cast a variety of different quirky spells
Raven - (substitutes Raven) - the Raven is a stately and beautiful bird, often valued by wizards for their keen intelligence and intellect.
Snake - (substitutes Faerie Dragon) - the snake is valued by many arcanists, not the least for its poisonous bite
Ooze - (substitutes Pseudodragon) - the amorphous-jelly ooze is an unusual choice for any arcanist, but is certainly considerably more difficult to destroy than most other familiars
Eyeball - (substitutes Eyeball) - the chaotic evil aberrant eyeball is a dangerous familiar to possess, although it does possess the power to blast enemies with a variety of different eyerays

Please note: Only Floating Skulls, Imps, and Eyeballs can really speak intelligently. Parrots (and maybe Ravens) can repeat a few simple phrases. No other familiar has the capacity to speak verbally.

Familiars are still not intended to be any kind of substitute for a tank, and an XP penalty for their death does remain. But you may find that they do possess different unique useful abilities, some of which will only be unlocked as the familiar levels.

After some time has passed, if there is popular demand we will consider removing one (or more) of these familiar options and replacing them with something else. In the meantime, enjoy.