Familiars and Animal Companions

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[SIZE="3"]Familiars[/SIZE]


This is a list of current familiars. Some of these are completely custom for EfU, 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.

• 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 extremely 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 spellcasters 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.

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Animal Companions


EFU uses a more dynamic animal companion system where you have to find the companion yourself in the wilderness of the Underdark. A Player Tool called Train Companion is available at the time your ranger or druid receive the Summon Animal Companion feat. By targeting an animal empathized creature, you learn if the animal can be trained as a companion, if you have enough levels (druid and ranger levels) to train the animal, the XP cost of doing so, whether it will replace your old animal companion and ask you to confirm. Repeatedly targeting the animal with the player tool will then turn the animal into your new animal companion.

Use of the Summon Animal Companion feat will call upon the trained animal companion. However, if the animal companion dies it is dead for good and you will have to train a new animal. There is no XP cost for the animal dying.

You can name your animal companion through the voice command:

[INDENT]/c name_companion Biter[/INDENT]

Which will name your companion Biter. It usually takes a few seconds after the animal companion is summoned or the voice command is issued before you can see the change. Alternatively, you may have to enter a new area. Only one name (no surnames) can be applied at this time.

The start area also have a selection of starting animal companions from the surface. See the parrot.

With this change it is possible for us to give you unique custom animal companions. If you get one of these, remember that death is final.

Other features that now work (again):

   
• Favored Enemy: Beast perk addition.
• /c astealth a
• /c adetect a
• /v a *Growls.*

Please note that using a summon spell from an item/scroll will currently unsummon the Animal Companion.