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Familiars are the constant
companions to a character, like a mercenary in Diablo. They can be of several
types and can respond to commands (e.g. stand back, fight shoulder to shoulder,
range ahead; be aggressive, responsive, passive; etc.).
(this section
rewritten).
Familiars have one or
two runes that they are connected with, an aura, an effect (the result of
the runes), skills (each with a trait that goes along with it), characteristics,
a sense, and advantages and disadvantages. The standard advantage/disadvantage
groups are combat, spirit form and stealth. More on that follows below.
To render a familiar
in game terms requires working through each of the parameters, in a proper
balance. A character can gain a "standard' familiar easily or a unique familiar
by completing a quest.
The "standard" familiar
has mastery and magic as their runes. This combination results in
the character having a mastery that off-sets the normal
-
1 that in my campaign the
normal world has to magic and increases the amount of magic energy available
to the character (somewhat like a spirit shirt overcomes the standard range
disadvantage). This creates the basic sorcerer's familiar. Of the
effects/skills/Characteristics, 4 are shared, five if a disadvantage is taken
without an advantage in type.
Samples:
Black Cat (Standard Magician's Familiar. Example of a beginning
familiar)
-
Type: Stealth, non-combat.
-
Runes: Magic/Mastery .
-
Effect: Magic
(Energetic),
Increase Magic
(Lazy), (shared).
-
Skills: Magic Sight 14
(Suspicious), Spell 14, Spell 12; (shared).
-
Characteristics: Lazy, Quick, Indulgent
(shared).
-
Aura: Replenish Magic Points.
-
Sense: See in dark.
-
Other: Likes cream, weak against Wolf, may wear magic collar.
Wolf (Standard Fighter's Familiar).
-
Type: extra characteristic, reduced combat effectiveness.
-
Runes Death/Mastery.
-
Effect: Weapon Mastery
(Vengeful); Enhanced Damage 14 (Valorous) (shared).
-
Skills: Specific Weapon Skill 14 (Cruel); Spot Hidden 14
(Suspicious); Purge Poison (touch range/Merciful) 12;
(shared).
-
Characteristics: Runs, Quick, Strong,
(shared).
-
Aura: Resist Magic.
-
Sense: Enhanced scent and hearing
(shared)
-
Other: Loyal, hates cats, strong against Rabbit, weak against Dog, can wear
a collar.
Shadow Cat (Amber's original familiar, gained on a quest).
-
Type: Stealth, non-combat.
-
Runes: Magic/Mastery.
-
Effect: Magic
(Cruel)
, Increase Magic
(Curious), (shared).
-
Skills: Glide (Temperate)
; Shimmer 14 (Deceitful), Detect
Spoiled/Poisoned 12 (Suspicious); (shared).
-
Characteristics: Suspicious, Quick, Stealthy
(shared).
-
Aura: Replenish Magic Points/Life (composite aura).
-
Sense: See in dark.
-
Other: dislikes bright light, may wear magic collar.
Ice Falcon (A beginning quest familiar).
-
Type: extra characteristic, reduced combat effectiveness.
-
Runes Cold/Mastery.
-
Effect: Cold Magic 5
(Chaste); Cold Armor 14 (shared); Good for a user of
cold magics.
Note, does not overcome the
-
for any non-cold
magic, but adds to cold magic skill in return for the limitation.
-
Skills: Spot Hidden 14 (Suspicious); Healing (touch range/Merciful)
14.
-
Characteristics: Flies, Quick, Alert,
Intelligent, (shared).
-
Aura: (erode/resist curses).
-
Sense: Telescopic Distance Vision
(shared).
-
Other: Loyal, can wear a collar or leg wrap.
Great Snow Griffin (Ariel's familiar -- gained and transformed via
quests: example of an advanced familiar)
-
Type: Large (No extra combat advantages).
-
Runes: Cold/Mastery.
-
Effect: Cold Magic 10
2
(Chaste), Penetrating Cold 12
2
(Chaste); (shared).
-
Skills: Combat
14
2
(Valorous); Spot Hidden
14
1
(Suspicious); (shared).
-
Characteristics: Flies, Intelligent,
Sharpness (shared).
-
Aura (erode/resist curses).
-
Sense: Telescopic Distance Vision
(shared).
-
Other: Loyal, Ariel's wears the white torq (replenish life, replenish
magic, cold mastery).
White Raven (Michael's Familiar -- gained
via quest: example of an advanced familiar).
-
Type (standard advantage/disadvantage): Stealth, non-combat.
-
Runes: Knowledge (the half rune of Truth)/Death.
-
Effect: Severance
14
2
(Just) (shared).
-
Skills: Find the Way 12
2
(Just); Death Affinity 10
2
(Cruel); Keep the Dead Dead
19
1 (Pious).
-
Characteristics: Flies, Agile, Hungry (Vengeful)
(shared).
-
Aura: White Light Aura 18
2
(note, counters -
as to lightwalker
abilities, adds to light use).
-
Sense: See magic/spirit (shared).
-
Other: Unable to use items. Keeping the dead, dead ability activated
by pecking out the eyes of the dead. Prevents undead from returning, stills
walktipi, etc. Severance increases the damage of attacks significantly, severs.
Most tasks other than direct combat have a built in resistance of
1
2 vs. severance. Allying
costs an eye.
The Red Bull
(Indigo's Familiar, gained via quest, example
of an advanced familiar)
-
Type: Spirit Form
-
Runes: Mastery/Death (Weapon
Mastery)
-
Effect: Weapon Mastery
(Valorous), Weapon Block (Honest) (shared)
-
Skill: Cause Terror (Cruel)
2
3,
Unhealing Wounds
15
2 (Cruel); Bleeding Wounds (Vengeful)
5
3
(shared).
-
Characteristics: Fast (Faster
Run/Walk), Agile, Strong.
-
Aura: Increase Damage.
-
Sense: Weakness
(shared).
-
Other: The Red Bull is a great
Minoan bull, brilliant red in color, a spirit creature. It is of the kind
that is used by a character whose abilities do not require ranged spell casting.
Discussing types and
attributes.
-
Combat familiars -- these
have combat forms (fu dogs, bears, dire wolves, etc.), but are large
targets.
-
Spirit form familiars
-- these are harder for enemies to reach, but do not have as useful of combat
forms (i.e. The Red Bull). Basically they have 75% resist all, and
do 25% of the damage a normal creature would do. Against ghosts and
other spirit creatures they have no resistance, but do 50% normal damage
instead of the usual 25% that most creatures do.
-
Evasive or stealth familiars
-- these have a physical combat form, but are not as strong to fight (i.e.
an ice falcon or shadow cat or a brindle cat or a dragonsnake entwined on
a weapon) and tend not to be noticed. Note that a familiar might be an evasive
form spirit familiar or a combat form spirit familiar -- one of the big
differences would be how much attention they would draw from enemies.
-
When a character is riding
a familiar (large or very large familiars may be ridden) they generally travel
faster, have more range, any damage taken by one is taken by the other, they
form multiple targets, but they add their damage bonuses and most personal
magics.
-
Note that familiars tend
to have a mastery associated with them (e.g. the dragonsnake Marie has is
a bow mastery familiar), or additional combat effects (i.e. extra damage
of various types -- either one type or blended, but reduced for multiple
categories -- Marie's had two types of extra damage rather)
A character gains a familiar
as part of their early questing and then decides how to grow and improve
them at each level. A familiar may start as an aura familiar, then at the
next difficulty level gain a mastery, and at the next a new aura or perhaps
a skill or a different mastery, all depending on how they grow.
The Oreads at the roof
of the world transformed several of the familiars, but not all (i.e. the
ice falcon became a snow griffin, the shadow cat became a
flame lion, but the red bull remained the
red bull, the dragonsnakes remained as they were, etc.).
Useful Charts of Familiar Attributes, etc.
Traits |
- |
Runes (Rune -- Rune that Opposes it) |
- |
Auras |
- |
Advantages/Disadvantages |
Chaste |
Lustful |
|
Air |
Dark |
|
Increase characteristic |
|
Stealth
Non-Combat |
Energetic |
Lazy |
|
Anarchy/Chaos* |
Law* |
|
Regenerate characteristic |
|
Forgiving |
Vengeful |
|
Beast |
Plant |
|
Increase calculated bonus |
|
Spirit Form
Resist All 75% (including own attacks)
No resistance to Spirit/Dream Forms |
Generous |
Selfish |
|
Change/Movement* |
Stasis* |
|
Regenerate calculated bonus |
|
Honest |
Deceitful |
|
Dark |
Fire |
|
Increase substance pool |
|
Combat
Large Target |
Just |
Arbitrary |
|
Death* |
Life/Fertility* |
|
Regenerate substance pool |
|
Merciful |
Cruel |
|
Disorder* |
Harmony* |
|
Erode hostile effect |
|
Intense
Non-mobile/No aura range |
Modest |
Proud |
|
Earth |
Air |
|
Composite** |
|
Pious |
Worldly |
|
Entropy/Chaos* |
Infinity* |
|
Mastery |
|
Reduced combat effectiveness
Extra characteristic |
Temperate |
Indulgent |
|
Fate |
Mastery |
|
|
|
Trusting |
Suspicious |
|
Fire |
Water |
|
|
|
|
Valorous |
Cowardly |
|
Harmony* |
Disorder* |
|
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|
Illusion* |
Truth* |
|
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|
Infinity/Dragon* |
Entropy/Chaos* |
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Law* |
Anarchy/Chaos* |
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Left/Dragonewt* |
Magic* |
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Life/Fertility* |
Death* |
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Luck |
Fate |
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Magic* |
Left* |
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Man |
Beast |
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Mastery |
Luck |
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Plant |
Man |
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Shadow* |
Spirit* |
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Spirit* |
Shadow* |
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Stasis* |
Change/Movement* |
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Truth* |
Illusion* |
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Water |
Earth |
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** Composite auras are less effective than
non-composite auras. Treat composite as an extra skill (so replenish life,
replenish magic, composite, 2 levels of effect for every three levels of
magic in the aura). |
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(* means rune is part of an opposing pair, e.g.
Illusion/Truth)
More useful information |
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For more creatures
(not all translated to heroquest terms):
Copyright 2001-2003 Stephen R. Marsh and
Heather N. Marsh
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