In the past you needed to be an arch mage to bind a magical creature of 30+ of might hense most magi had mundane animals as familiars. Now it seems that an apprentice could bind a small Dragon.

This is a major change but I don't know yet if I like it or not ...

I disagree.

Impathis' son (From the 12th Night Adventure book), barely adult at age 35, has a size of +5 and a magic might of 35.

Plugging these into the formula found on page 104 of the 5th Edition Rule Book...

Familiar Bonding Level = 25 + Magic Might (35) + 5 x Size (25) = 85.

Ok, that's a L85 effect. That's something your average apprentice is not going to be able to pull off. Heck, that's something a senior magus at a summer covenant is going to pull off. (Even given the generosity of my storyguide to use my maga's strongest arts - Creo (30) and Ignem (20 + 3), I'll still fall woefully short (Int(3)+ Magic Theory(9)+Aura (3) + Creo(30) + Ignem(23) = 68, or 17 points short). Right, time to waste a lot of vis and study. You have to be able to clear the lab total in order to be able to enchant the familiar.

Even under 4th Edition, binding a dragon as a familiar was not an easy task to accomplish.

YMMV,
Steve

<Familiar Bonding Level = 25 + Magic Might (35) + 5 x Size (25) = 85.>

Your right for a full pledge dragon but what about a wyvern of smaller dragonkind creature ?

Familiar Bonding Level = 25 + Magic Might (35) + 5 x Size 1 (5) = 65.

(Int(3)+ Magic Theory(9)+Aura (3) + Creo(30) + Ignem(23)+ lab (2)+ help in lab (??) = 70+

Hense you get your Familiar which in the prior versions your would have needed to have twice the lab total to think about it & not in your strongest arts !

Hence the title hunt for the Super powerfull familiars ... I doubt we will be seeing a lot of Mundane cats anymore as familiars :(

Again, I disagree.

The rarity of such creatures alone makes this an iffy proposition at best. A saga where such would be commonplace would be an extremely high fantasy, and probably extra-ordinarily high powered.

With the advent of 5th edition, the higher art scores are going to take much longer to achieve than they did under 4th (advancement, in general, is much slower than previous editions).

So, I suspect we will see the standard cats, ravens, frogs, toads, et alia, mainly because they are far more common, and far easier to enchant. There is also this - the vis cost. Granted, vis availability varies greatly from saga to saga, so YMMV, but 17 pawns for the bonding enchantment would make a number of covenants wince, especially since the Creo vis would be better used in Longevity Rituals.

Again, the small, magical (and magically touched mundane) creatures will still be far more common than the Wyverns, drakes, tazlewurms, and dragons as familiars simply because there are more of them out there, are much easier to find, and much easier to enchant.

Steve
(Who, Ironcially, is working toward this very goal...)

<So, I suspect we will see the standard cats, ravens, frogs, toads, et alia, mainly because they are far more common, and far easier to enchant. There is also this - the vis cost. Granted, vis availability varies greatly from saga to saga, so YMMV, but 17 pawns for the bonding enchantment would make a number of covenants wince, especially since the Creo vis would be better used in Longevity Rituals.>

I find a familiar to be as important as the longevity potion but that is just me meaby. Still the point is that all apprentice now can dream of binding a dragon & can actually pursue that dream as a full pledge magus. Their master could even bind it with them or even the Alliance he joins!

Status is very important in the order & if one were to bind a mouse which is level .. hmm .. 0 ! then I fear that magus may have to be mocked from time to time.

Then again this allows a magus who is found of mouses to quest for the mighty magical mouse & bind it ... which was not possible in previous Editions unless you were a mature magi.

Yes, they can dream of it, but very few will actually have the opportunity to do it. After all, one must find the dragon willing to go through with it in the first place. Dragons (or drakes, or tazeltwurms, or wyverns) are not all that plentiful, and fewer still would be willing to bind themselves to a mere human. Unless you find/steal/are given an egg, and raise it, your master would say you've been inhaling the special incense for far too long... :)

Essentially, a high powered, fantastic familiar, is a status symbol in one's house, providing little practical benefit (beyond showing off your skill in the arts. There are familiars that are far more practical, and require far less expensive maintenance than a dragon. For instance, Your familiar needs to eat. A Dragon may eat several dozen head of cattle in a month, for instance, while the magical mouse may require a basket of vegetables and grain for the entire year. Plus, the mouse isn't obvious, and can go places your size +6 (or larger) dragon cannot. And then there's drawning undue attention to one's self. I realize that many may not care about how much attention they draw unto themselves, but having dragon even flying overhead is sure to get the attention of every knight, peasant and clergy within a league of you path of travel. Not good at all.

Still, it's your saga, so YMMV...

Steve

Have to agree with Steve here.
First it will be very difficult to get higher art scores (20+) Your covenant will not be able to start out with books (summae) that have both a level of 20+ and a high quality. This leaves studying at higher levels very restricted.

Secondly you will have trouble gaining acess to that type of creature for the reasons mentioned above. Of course if you roleplay out the quest to gain such a creature it is a major story event and very cool.

Third, while you are driving up one technique and one form score to get you familiar, your covenant mates will be learning spells, crafting items, raising their Parma, Penetration, and Magic Theory. You will be a maginal caster totally focused in one area with few spells and a cool pet. Others will have a more versitile magus with many spells or items and more diverse art scores.

It shouldn't really be an issue, I think you would be crippling your character to pursue this, but if thats your thang, go ahead.

No Dragon is part of my campaign .. atleast none that we would even think of approching. It was mearely an example.

You don't need Summa of 20+ to get your tech/forms to that level. Tractatus are there just for that purpose but one doesn't event need to get it that high since you can ask for help to your master for example or friends if you have any you can trust...

I can easilly see a beginning magus with a lab total of 60+ ( with help) to bind a familiar. My point was that with 60 of lab total in the 5th ed you can go a lot further to bind a familiar than you could in the previous editions.

Edited 12/20/2004 9:22 am ET by WilliamEx