Summon Familiar
Contents |
Skill Details
Spell Books: Familiar Tome
Granted By: Belweir, Pax
Prerequisites: None
Mana Cost: 10
Experience Cost: 250
Encyclopedia
More than just a faithful companion, a familiar can be thought of as an extension of oneself. Much like one's own heart, if well tended the familiar will grow and be a valuable ally. Neglected, more than just the familiar will suffer.
Description
Does not require a target. Only works if there is a open square adjacent to the caster. Summons a Bat familiar under your control. This Bat will always start with the maximum of 10 HP, and (unlike "natural" bats) 10 MP.
The familiar will gain experience as it kills monsters, and can also be given more experience with the Transfer Knowledge spell. At level 4, Bats will evolve into a Large Bat, then into a Vampire Bat at level 7. As it levels up, the familiar will learn random spells.
When a familiar dies, it will always leave a corpse. When the familiar's corpse is gone (either it decays or is eaten), the familiar's owner will suffer System Shock, which will reduce your maximum hit points by 10%. System shock can be avoided by ether resurrecting a familiar or preserving its corpse and carrying it with you. If the familiar is turned to stone, the system shock will not happen until/unless the statue is destroyed.
Tips
Because the familiar's AI will not use some spells, it is advisable to learn Possess, give the familiar a spell book, and manually teach it the spells you'd like it to know. Similarly, the familiar will not learn any skills on its own, but will gain skill slots. It's also a good idea to equip a familiar with items in this way.
Other alternatives for gaining pets include Resurrect, a blessed Wand of Create Monster, and various necromantic spells, none of which risk system shock.
