Familiars for Magic Users & Heroes?

[Ambreville]

I was just thinking about the possibility of giving certain units access to familiars. Magic-users would make good candidates for something like this, but heroes, hunters, rangers, beastmasters, may also get that ability through an event. The idea is to allow either a spell or a spell-like ability to bind an animal or a beast to a specific unit. This would result in one or both units gaining some permanent special ability. On the other other hand, if one dies so might the other.

Perhaps the familiar could be "loaded" onto its master just like hawks are carried by hunters for example. Special abilities are only in effect when the familiar is "loaded" on its master's unit, and they should reflect the difficulty of binding the familiar. Master and familiar could be separated, but these units cannot stray away from each other by more than a certain distance (either this or familiars automatically return to their master at the end of their move, like a hawk for example).

Animals that could be bound: hawks, wolves, bears, lions, etc.
Beasts that could be bound: imps, giant spiders, sea serpent, dragons (yowzah!), gurid (!), etc.

Odds of a binding to succeed depend on the familiar's strength. A hawk is easy to bind. A dragon would be nearly impossible, or it would require a very powerful master with some kind of affinity. Failing to bind a creature could cause some permanent penalty to its master (including death).

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EDIT -- Obviously, I don't mean by "loading" a familiar onto its master the literal act. Sure, that gurid will fit just nicely on the old archmage's shoulder! I'm thinking more along the lines of the familiar taking on a spiritual form while "loaded" on its master unit. The familiar materializes when its master calls upon it.

 

[BeefontheBone]

Or, they could be implemented as promotions - the "Hawk" promotion might allow the 'Remove Hawk' spell (which summons a permanent Hawk unit, natch) and grant +1 sight radius and see invisible, the "Wolf" promotion an extra movement point and maybe some withdrawal chance, the "Bear" promotion +1 strength and maybe a bonus against melee. "Imp" could give imp-style basic magic, though it might be annoying or hard to balance with mages. Maybe grant an extra empower promo to summons and some magic resistance?

This method would be pretty darn straightforward to implement and could be made to do just about anything you wanted it to given the flexibility of the magic/promo system in FfH; if I had time I'd think about putting a modmod together

 

[Ambreville]

Or, they could be implemented as promotions - the "Hawk" promotion might allow the 'Remove Hawk' spell (which summons a permanent Hawk unit, natch) and grant +1 sight radius and see invisible, the "Wolf" promotion an extra movement point and maybe some withdrawal chance, the "Bear" promotion +1 strength and maybe a bonus against melee. "Imp" could give imp-style basic magic, though it might be annoying or hard to balance with mages. Maybe grant an extra empower promo to summons and some magic resistance?

This method would be pretty darn straightforward to implement and could be made to do just about anything you wanted it to given the flexibility of the magic/promo system in FfH; if I had time I'd think about putting a modmod together

Sure -- this can be implemented either as a spell or promotion. Whatever works best. You got the idea.

 

[Sureshot]

also, promotions have the ability to change the appearance of units like how great generals work.

 

[eerr]

also, promotions have the ability to change the appearance of units like how great generals work.

perfect!, now what benefits will a familiar give? and what type(s) will be given with the familiar spell?

also, command might convert enemy units to the cause, randomly gaining a promotion the unit had
(excluding a few, like mutate)

metamagic 3
summon atog
this unit has +1 str
a 30% chance of absorbing a sphere promotion when fighting other units, 30% chance of gaining +1 strength when fighting arcane or disciple units, and 40% chance of being healed to full after fighting a unit with dis-spellable buff.(only one effect can happen, guarrenteed vs a waterwalking priest)

 

[3voices]

agreed, familiars sure would be cool...

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=212927&page=2

 

[TravellingHat]

Indeed a good idea, but then I would say that as I suggested it in an Amurites thread a while back (see Drewid's current thread where a lot of those ideas are brought together). Not that I'm claiming to have invented the concept of familiars, I hasten to add!

 

[Ambreville]

OK, here are some ideas for starters.

Hawk

Benefit: +2 Vision
Failure to Bind: Unit can no longer see into adjacent squares
Familiar's Death: -1 Str to master to Master
​

Wolf

Benefit: Can cast Domination on adjacent wolves & werewolves (turns warg riders into goblins?)
Failure to Bind: Adds Werewolf & Enraged promotions to the unit
Familiar's Death: -2 Str to Master
​

Cat (Lion)

Benefit: 20% bonus to earning experience
Failure to Bind: 20% penalty to earning experience
Familiar's Death: -3 Str to Master
​

Bear

Benefit: +2 Defense
Failure to Bind: Bear earns the same combat promotions as the unit
Familiar's Death: -4 Str to Master
​

Tiger

Benefit: +2 Attack
Failure to Bind: Tiger earns the same combat promotions as the unit
Familiar's Death: -4 Str to Master
​

Monkey (Gorilla)

Benefit: % chance of stealing adjacent enemy unit’s carried equipment
Failure to Bind: Gorilla steals one random promotion from the unit
Familiar's Death: -3 Str to Master​

Elephant

Benefit: Can cast Stoneskin, +2 Str
Failure to Bind: -4 Str
Familiar's Death: Master's Death
​

The odds of success to bind a creature are 50% base, minus 5% penalty for each of the subject creature's strength points, plus 1% bonus for master's own XP. The idea is to start the turn next to a hostile creature (or in the same space as a friendly one) to cast the binding spell. If there are more than one target creatures, one is selected randomly (??)

 

[DharmaMcLaren]

I thought of something like this last night. *puts on tin foil hat again*

Except I was thinking of bodyguards - like a Great General, but not a great person, that can be built and attached to vulnerable units (providing additional defensive strength).
Could be worked into this system fairly easily.

 

[Ambreville]

I thought of something like this last night. *puts on tin foil hat again*

Except I was thinking of bodyguards - like a Great General, but not a great person, that can be built and attached to vulnerable units (providing additional defensive strength).
Could be worked into this system fairly easily.

Hey, this sounds like D&D's old "henchmen"!

We sure need men of "hench" (whatever these are)