GURPS - Compendium 1..

Familiar
Variable
Familiars are small animals or spirits which attend and serve a
mage; the GM may allow any small creature to be a familiar.
Otherworldly - or even "custom-designed" - creatures may be
used at the GM's discretion. Unless extra intelligence is specified
(see below), the familiar has normal stats for its type of animal.
A magical familiar is an advantage, available only to those
who have Magery 2 or 3. A mage may have only one familiar at a
time. The familiar is an NPC, controlled by the GM. Most
familiars will be obedient, but the GM should roleplay the animal's
type; cats, in particular, may be aloof or stubborn, and
monkeys are likely to be jokers! A familiar can develop an
interesting personality and its own set of quirks.
If a familiar dies, the mage earns no character points for that
game session; if it is stolen, he must immediately try to recover
it. In this way, familiars are like Dependents. A mage may summon
a replacement for a lost familiar. If the new familiar is
more powerful than the old one, the mage pays the point difference;
if the new one is weaker, the mage doesn't get a "refund."
The Nature of Familiars
The GM determines which of the following sections are true.
The point cost of a familiar depends on its abilities. If several
abilities are possible, the familiar does not have to have them
all. There are disadvantages and limitations which can reduce
the point cost of a familiar, but a cost below 0 is treated as 0.
Mages Can Draw Strength From Familiars: A mage can
take ST (but not HT) from his familiar and use it to power his
spells. The familiar must be in physical contact with the mage.
The familiar's ST can be drained to 1 without ill effect. If it is
drained to 0, the bond is broken and the familiar is lost, even if it
doesn't die. The mage will always be aware of the current ST of
his familiar when he touches it.
Use the rules for Extra Fatigue (p. 55). The point cost of the
familiar depends on the ST of the animal; for every point of ST it
has, the mage receives a point of Extra Fatigue, at the usual
cost of 3 points/level. This is why small familiars are much
more common!
The Mage Sees Through the Familiar's Eyes: The mage can
perceive the world through the familiar's senses. Treat this as
the Rider Within spell (p. M24), but usable only with the familiar.
It requires three seconds to cast, and works automatically; its
energy cost is 2 to cast, and none to maintain. Concentration is
required to maintain contact with the familiar. Unless a limitation
is specifically taken (see below), this works at any distance.
This ability adds 5 points to the familiar's cost. If the familiar
loses consciousness, the link is broken.
The Familiar Gives the Mage Special Abilities: The mage
gains one or more special abilities; often, these are abilities possessed
by the animal, at the animal's skill level. If there is an
appropriate advantage available to humans (e.g., Night Vision
for a cat familiar), then the effect and cost is the same as if that
advantage had been bought normally. If there is no such advantage,
use the effects of the appropriate spell, but the mage need
not worry about prerequisites!
If the familiar dies, the extra abilities are lost instantly.
The Mage Can Take His Familiar's Shape: Treat this as a
modified version of the Shapeshifting spell (p. M25). Cost is 6 to
cast, 1 to maintain. Point cost is assessed by the GM; from 5 to
20, depending on the size and abilities of the familiar. If the
familiar dies, the mage instantly returns to normal shape.
The Familiar Is Intelligent: The familiar is smarter than any
natural animal, and understands human speech. Cost: 5 points
for IQ 7; 10 more points per level of IQ over 7. Thus, a familiar
with IQ 10 (whatever its type) would cost 35 points.
The Familiar Can Speak: This may be either mental communication
(5 points), actual speech (10 points, and the familiar must also have
IQ 7 or more), or both (15 points). Mental communication is treated
as a modified Telepathy spell (p. M29), usable between mage and
familiar only. Cost to cast is 1 each for mage and familiar; there is no
cost to maintain, as long as both concentrate.
Nine Lives: It is well known that cats have nine lives, of
course. If a player wishes his character's familiar (cats only!) to
have this ability, it adds 5 points to the cost of the familiar. The
Nine Lives advantage lets the cat use the Super Luck rules (p.
46) eight different times in its life before an opponent rolls to hit
the cat or for damage to the cat, but at no other time.
The Mage Suffers His Familiar's Wounds: If the familiar is
wounded, the mage suffers the same number of hits. If the
familiar is stunned or knocked unconscious, the mage must roll
vs. HT or suffer the same effect. If the familiar dies, the mage is
immediately reduced to -1 HT! This reduces the cost of the
familiar by 15 points.
Familiars Are Really Demons! The familiar is actually a demonic
spirit - a creature of evil. It is working toward its own ends,
and not the mage's. Whenever it is assigned a task, the GM rolls
against its IQ. On a successful roll, it has found a way to pervert the
mage's command. This often takes the form of misinformation;
demons are notorious liars. The familiar also may pervert any spell
that it helps to cast. Roll a quick Contest of IQ between mage and
familiar; if the familiar wins, the GM makes the spell go wrong!
The familiar may not cause direct harm to its master. Its aim is
to sow disharmony and cultivate evil. If the mage is himself
evil, the familiar will rarely if ever interfere with him! On the
other hand, a truly "holy" person may not have a demonic familiar,
and a person who successfully cultivates saintly virtue may
eventually drive an evil familiar away (whether it belongs to
him or someone close to him). A sufficiently holy person could
banish a familiar like any other demon!
The cost depends on the demon's IQ: -5 for IQ 7, -15 for IQ 8,
-25 for IQ 9, -35 for IQ 10, instead of the usual point cost for
enhanced IQ.
Limitations on Familiars' Abilities
When a familiar is designed, it may be given certain limitations
which affect the point cost of its advantages (round fractional
point costs up). All a familiar's advantages must take the
same limitation, except for Demonic Familiar and Enhanced
Intelligence, which cannot be limited, and ST Source, which
cannot take the "Limited Range" limitation.
Limited range: The familiar must be within 100 yards of the
mage before its ability works. Halve the familiar's cost. This limitation
cannot apply to the ST Source advantage, which requires touch.
Limited time: The familiar's powers work only part of the
time. Reduce its cost by the portion of the day in which its powers
work. For instance, if the familiar's powers work only during the
day (appropriate for a sun-mage!), halve their cost.
Erratic powers: The familiar's powers come and go. Any
time the mage tries to use one of these powers, the GM rolls 3
dice to determine if the effect occurs. If the power fails, the
mage must wait at least one minute before trying again. If the
power works Occasionally (8 or less): 1/3 cost. Half the Time
(10 or less): 1/2 cost. Quite Often (12 or less): 3/4 cost.
37