L^: mu1	-	R#: (1 mile)*	-	D^: S
C^: v.s.m	-	CT: 1-24 hours	-	S^: Neg.
A^: As spell range		-	MP: 79	UW : No

Effect: A familiar is of certain benefit to a MU, as the creature adds to the spell caster's HP, it conveys its sensory powers to its master,
and it can converse with and will serve as a guard/scout/spy as well.

ADQ: Can good clerics have familiars?
If so, where and how?
ADA: Clerics do NOT get familiars, but
one may be "loaned" to a cleric for
exceptional service. The type of familiar
so "loaned" is determined as for M-Us.
("Special" results also apply.)
(Polyhedron #17)

ADQ: Do normal familiars detect as magick?
Can they be Dispelled?
ADA: No. Even though a spell was used to find
the familiar, it is not considered magickal itself.
Normal familiars do not detect as magick, nor can
a Detect Magick send one away. <reveal a familiar for what it is.>
(Polyhedron #19)

Find familiar: PCs should be aware that 
the summoned familiar cannot be replaced 
by another while it still lives (even 
if sent away by the wizard) and that 
killing one's own familiar can have even 
worse consequences than the permanent 
HP loss mentioned in the PH.
(Imagine #29)

However, the magic-user has no control over
what sort of creature will answer the summoning, or if any at all will come,
and the power of the conjuration is such that it can be attempted but once
per year. At such time as the magic-user determines to find a familiar, he
or she must stoke up a brass brazier with charcoal, and when this is
burning well, add 100 g.p. worth of incense, herbs (basil, savory, and
catnip for sure), and fat. When these items are burning, the spell caster
begins his or her incantation, and it must be continued until the familiar
comes or the casting time is finished. Your referee will secretly determine
all results. The magic-user has absolutely no control over what sort of a
creature appears to become his or her familiar. This will be determined on
the table below:
 
 

Die Roll (d20)	Familiar	Sensory Powers
1-4	cat, black	excellent night vision & superior hearing
5-6	crow	excellent vision
9-10	owl, screech	night vision equals human daylight visual ability, superior hearing
11-12	toad	wide angle vision
13-14	weasel	superior hearing & very superior olfactory power
15	special	see sub-table below for details
16-20	no familiar available within spell range	-

    * Subtract 1 from the die score for each 3 levels of experience
    of the spell caster, and if the score is 15 or less roll again
    using d16, and if a 16 is rolled then the result is final.

[note: OSRIC, page 78, gives an alternate table]

If a score of 15 is rolled, use the table below for a special familiar:

Alignment of Magic-User	Result of Special Familiar
chaotic evil or neutral chaotic	quasit
chaotic good, neutral, or neutral good	pseudo-dragon
lawful neutral or lawful good	brownie
lawful evil or neutral evil	imp

Normal familiars have 2-4 hit points and armor class of 7 (due to size, speed, etc.).
Each is abnormally intelligent and totally faithful to the magic-user whose familiar it becomes.
The number of the familiar's hit points is added to the hit point total of the magic-user when it is within 12" of its master,
but if the familiar should ever be killed, the magic-user will permanently lose double that number of hit points.
If a special familiar is indicated, details of the powers it conveys are given in AD&D, MM for all except the brownie. This creature becomes a friend and companion to the magic-user, and he or she will gain dexterity equal to the brownie's (18) and the advantage of never being surprised, as well as +2 on all saving throws.
A familiar will fight for the life of the magic-user it serves only in a life and-death situation,
and imps and quasits will be 90% likely not to do so at the risk of their own life.

Saving Throw: Note that special familiars are entitled to a saving throw versus magic when summoned by the spell, and if they succeed, they will ignore the spell, and NO familiar will be available that year to the caster.

DMG: If the magic-user opts to send away a familiar,
he or she may never again find another until the former is killed or dies.
Purposely killing or causing to be killed a familiar (or former familiar) is most likely to find great disfavor with the gods,
assuming, of course, that this pertains to the magic-user and his or her associated familiar.
Note that spell duration concerns the finding of the familiar.
Once it is found, the familiar will serve until killed.
To determine animal availability, see the fourth level druid spell, Animal Summoning I.

MC: At such time as the magic-user determines to find a familiar, he
or she must stoke up a brass brazier with charcoal, and when this is
burning well, add 100 g.p. worth of incense, herbs (basil, savory, and
catnip for sure), and fat.
 

* * *
Question: It states in the Monster Manual (under Quasit) that
Clerics can have familiars. How do Clerics go about obtaining
these familiars, and what is available?

Answer: The description under Quasit in the MM does not imply that all Clerics can have familiars;
it merely says that the Quasit is a particular creature which may serve as a
familiar for a Cleric of chaotic evil alignment. The question of
whether or not any other sort of Cleric can have a familiar, or
precisely which creatures might be able to serve in this capa-
city, is left to the DM. If a DM rules that Clerics may be entitled to
have familiars, it is suggested that they only be granted by a
Cleric’s deity to a worshipper who has remained faithful to that
deity for a long, long time, and as reverently as possible has
fulfilled the requests and requirements of that religion.
* * *

Q: If a magic-user has a familiar, how fast can the familiar travel astrally?

SA: Find Familiar, Monster Summoning — Note that these spells
do not open an inter-planar gate, but simply attract creatures
residing on or passing through the Astral Plane.

ADQ: Can a magic-user have more
than one familiar at a time?
ADA: Absolutely not. If the magic-user
already owns one yet summons another
to appear, the 2 familiars will kill
each other to win the attention of the
magic-user.
(Polyhedron #13)

ADQ: May a ranger cast a Find Familiar
spell and have a familiar in the
same manner as a  magic-user?
ADA: The nature of the ranger sub-class
is such that one would not want the aid
of a familiar. Further, the powers conferred
upon a magic-user from a familiar
would not easily apply to the ranger.
    On the other hand, the nature of the
subclass makes it perfectly possible for
the ranger to develop a highly trained
creature of the forest to aid him/her  in
much the same way that a familiar
would help a magic-user.
(Polyhedron #13)

ADQ: According to PH.66,
a familiar "conveys its senssory
powers to its master". Does this
mean that the M-U himself is
endowed with night vision, superior
hearing, etc.? Or, does it mean rather
that there is some kind of mental link
which allows the mage to see through his
familiar's eyes, hear with its ears, etc.?
ADA: The M-U does NOT see
through the familiar's eyes; this telepathic
effect is gained only via a homunculus. A
familiar's much looser connection does give
the M-U additional powers, as given
in the spell description.
(Polyhedron #25)

ADQ: How many familiars can a M-U
have at one time?
ADA: One only.
(Polyhedron #25)
 

WSG: Any attempt to cast this spell in a desolate area (a
scorching desert or arctic wastes) may, at the discretion of the
Dungeon Master, automatically fail to attract any of the listed
creatures. In any event, the possibilities for normal familiars
should be restricted to creatures that could conceivably exist
within the spell range; a black cat almost certainly will not be
found in a desert or at the summit of a mountain range, and a toad
probably will not be found in the middle of a grassy plain miles
from any source of ground water. Die-roll results that indicate
such a contradiction may either be re-rolled or treated as “no familiar
available,” depending on the judgment of the Dungeon
Master.

ScottyG wrote:
Gary, did any of you m-u characters have familiars? I know they had charmed characters and monsters, henchmen, armies, but what about a cat, or a toad?
Scott
 

Hi Scotty,

As a matter of fact none of my m-us ever possessed a familiar.
I didn't think the potential benefits outweighed the drawbacks.

Cheers,
Gary
 

Nikosandros wrote:
And as a follow up to this one, if yes how did they manage to survive?
 

See above... 

Cheers,
Gary