New Familiar Background
From Logoscreation
Though I enjoy my rules, they were created before I found this gem. I'm including the link here to ensure the original author gets full credit for his splendid work.
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[edit] Animal Familiars
Like most animals, all animal familiars have six attributes rather than nine - Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, Intelligence, Perception, and Wits. Animal attributes do not actually start at 1. Instead, Strength and Dexterity both start at 1, Stamina starts at 2. Intelligence starts at 0, and both Perception and Wits start at 2. Familiars have all four Virtues, as normal, with 5 points to divide between them, and can channel Virtues as normal.
By default, animal familiars only have access to ten skills, divided into two lists: Trainable and Natural. Natural skills are Awareness, Dodge, Presence, Survival and Stealth and are bought as Favoured Abilities. Trained abilities are Athletics, Investigation, Integrity, Martial Arts, and Resistance
Familiar * - The Familiar has 10 points to divide between attributes. They receive 10 Ability points to divide between natural abilities, and have Essence 1. They may select two of the following "natural abilities":
Mount - The familiar is a Mount, and counts as a horse for purposes of travel times, and is a valid target for Ride-based charms.
Aquatic - The familiar may breath just as well underwater as they can on land. If the creature is wholly aquatic, in that it cannot at all breathe on land, select another ability in addition to this one.
Flying - The familiar may fly at 3/4 of its normal walking speed.
Communicative - The familiar can speak and communicate as though it were a human. Linguistics becomes a trainable skill for the familiar. This ability requires Intelligence 2+
Nimble - The familiar is exceedingly small and nimble, it uses -0/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incapacitated as its basic health track, but considers Larceny a trainable skill.
Enormous - The familiar is exceedingly huge, it uses -0/-0/-1/-1/-2/-2/-4/Incapacitated as its basic health track, but considers Stealth Trainable rather than Natural.
Second Attack - The familiar has a second natural attack, chosen from the list below. This ability can be taken multiple times, up to twice.
Additional Health Levels - The familiar has additional health levels, and may elect to add 1 -0 level, 2 -1 levels or 1 -1 level and 2 -2 levels to its health track.
Venomous - One of the familiar's attacks carries with it a poisonous effect. This poison can be either coral snake venom or Giant Spider Venom, chosen when this ability is selected.
Additionally, all familiars have one natural attack, chosen from the list below:
Bite Speed 5, Accuracy +0, Damage +2L, Rate 1, Defense -2, Can be used during a Clinch.
Claw Speed 5, Accuracy +1, Damage +1L, Rate 2, Defense +0
Kick Speed 6, Accuracy -1, Damage +3L, Rate 1, Defense -1
Gore Speed 6, Accuracy +2, Damage +2L, Rate 1, Defense -2
Trample Speed 5, Accuracy -2, Damage +5L, Rate 1, Defense -3, causes knockdown, requires Enormous.
Clinch Speed 6, Accuracy +0, Damage -, Rate 1, Defense -
As a chargen shortcut at this point, the Exalt may instead elect to select any naturally occuring animal listed in the corebook or supplements, using their stats as the basis for their familiar.
Familiar ** - The familiar receives an additional 2 points to divide between attributes, 3 Ability points for Natural abilities and 5 ability points for Trainable abilities. They may also choose 1 ability from the list of special abilities below.
Familiar *** - As with **, the familiar receives an additional 2 points for attributes, 3 Natural ability points and 3 Trainable ability points. They may also choose 1 additional ability from the list of special abilities below. The familiar is considered Essence 2.
Familiar **** - +2 Attributes, 3 Natural, 3 Trainable. 1 new special ability.
Familiar ***** - +2 Attributes, 3 Natural, 3 Trainable. 1 new special ability. Essence 3.
After character generation, the character may spend experience and/or use Survival, Lore or War based training charms to increase their familiar's capabilities.
[edit] Familiar Special Abilities
God-Blooded - The familiar has divine heritage. It begins play with one spirit charm for which it meets the requirements, and can develop more spirit charms with an expenditure of xp from the character, and appropriate training. The familiar gains an Essence pool equal to its (Essence x 10) + (Willpower x 5).
Excellent Beast - Prerequisites: God-Blooded. The familiar may learn Excellencies as its Exalted companion would, at a cost of 10 xp (5 BP) per excellency.
Educated Animal - Prerequisites: Communicative. The familiar may select Occult, Lore, Investigation, Craft or Medicine. It now considers this to be a Trainable ability. This ability may be taken more than once.
Fierce Claws, Bitter Teeth - This ability may be taken more than once. Each time it's taken, the animal receives two +1 bonuses to divide between the Rate, Defense, Accuracy and Damage of one of its natural attacks.
Stalwart Companion - Prerequisites: Excellent Beast. The familiar may learn Ox-Body Technique as though it were an Exalt of the same type as its companion, this costs 10 xp per purchase of the charm.
Shared Senses - As a miscellaneous, speed 5 action made inside or out of combat, the familiar's companion may share his familiar's senses. This allows him to make Awareness rolls as though he were the familiar, using its Perception + his Awareness to notice things around it.
Shared Essence - Prerequisites: Shared Senses, God-Blooded. The familiar may share its Essence pool with its companion, so long as they are in physical contact with one another.
Root of the Perfected Lotus - Prerequisites: Stalwart Companion, Educated Animal. The familiar may learn Terrestrial level Martial Arts charms at a cost of 15 xp per charm, and use them as though they were an unExalted practitioner of the style. Their natural weapons count as form weapons for the style, and they may use form weapons if their forms allow.
Wyld-Touched - This ability may be taken multiple times. Each time it is purchased, the familiar acquires two points of Mutations. Additional, negative mutations may be purchased to add more points to the pool. The normal rules for Wyld Mutations apply. All Lunar familiars receive one instance of this ability for free at Familiar *.
Divine Emissary - The familiar becomes a reflection of his companion's Exalted glory. It is considered to have Social Attributes equal to the Exalt's, and considers Performance and Socialize Trainable skills. All Solar familiars receive this ability for free at Familiar *.
Elemental Protection - The familiar is hardy and more resistant to the whims of environment than most animals of its type. It acquires soak equal to its companion's (Essence x 2) against all Environmental damage. All Dragon-Blooded familiars receive this ability for free at Familiar *, and are immune to their companion's anima flux.
[edit] Divine Familiars
Divine Familiars are animal avatars, elementals and little gods who've been bound to an Exalt by the same kind of heart-felt connection that creates an animal familiar. Unlike an animal familiar, they are much more equal in the relationship, though the connection that they share with their Exalt companion is one of unparalleled intimacy.
All Divine Familiars are built along the same lines. They receive a number of Attribute points equal to their (Essence x 3) + (Cult x 3) + (the Sum of their Virtues x 2). They receive skills equal to their (Essence x 10), and have a hard cap of 3 on all skills except their favoured skills. All Divine Familiars have a number of Virtues equal to their (Essence x 5).
Familiar * - The character has a Divine familiar with an Essence of 1. It has one favoured skill, and can select 5 Spirit charms. Familiars at this level cannot possess any Background other than Artifacts, but do get 8 points to divide between purchasing Artifacts and buying an Inhuman Form.
Familiar ** - The character has a Divine Familiar with an Essence of 1. It has two favoured skills related to its purview and can select 7 Spirit charms. Familiars at this level cannot possess any Background other than Artifacts, but do get 12 points to divide between purchasing Artifacts and buying an Inhuman Form.
Familiar *** - The character has a Divine Familiar with an Essence of 2. It has three favoured skills related to its purview and can select 7 spirit charms. Familiars at this level can possess the Artifact and Cult backgrounds, and get 15 points to divide between purchasing those backgrounds and buying an Inhuman Form.
Familiar **** - The character has a Divine Familiar with an Essence of 2. It has four favoured skills related to its purview and can select 9 Charms, up to three of which can be from the list of Charms available to its Exalted companion. Familiars at this level can possess the Artifact and Cult backgrounds, and get 18 points to divide between purchasing those backgrounds and buying an Inhuman Form.
Familiar ***** - The character has a Divine Familiar with an Essence of 3. This is a Severity 2 offense if the character does not also have Essence 3 or higher. The familiar has 5 favoured skills related to its purview and can select 12 charms, up to 5 of which can be from the list of Charms available to its Exalted companion. Familiars at this level can possess the Artifact, Cult and Salary Backgrounds, as well as Connections within Yu Shan or a Celestial Manse, and get 21 points to divide between purchasing those backgrounds and buying an Inhuman Form.
[edit] Advancement
Animal familiars receive xp equal to half the total xp received by their companion per story. They spend this xp on advancing their abilities as the Exalt-type of their companion, except where noted above. Animal familiars are also valid targets for Survival based animal training and improvement charms, which can further increase their abilities. Additionally, animals with the Educated Animal ability are valid targets for Lore and War-based training charms.
Divine familiars progress much more slowly. They receive half of their companion's xp gain as xp for themselves, but may only spend it to raise abilities and Essence and buy new charms. Essence gain costs 12 x the current Essence level. When a Divine familiar increases Essence, they acquire 3 new Attribute points and 5 points for Virtues. A Divine familiar's Essence cannot be higher than 3, or its companion's Essence, whichever is higher.
