"In the mystical realms of Dungeons & Dragons, a wizard's familiar is not merely a servant, but a reflection of their essence. It's more than just an ally, it's a manifestation of their magical prowess, a silent whisper in the symphony of arcane arts. Remember, a familiar isn't just chosen; it is conjured from the depths of a wizard's soul."
Haze has a couple dozen Familiars that you will be able to Bind in your play. Only a handful can be chosen before entering the world. You need to make a familiar choice by using the mirrors when you first enter Haze, or you will begin your journey without one, and need to pay the XP cost to bind a familiar to you.
Bind Familiar: You must have this spell ready, and use it, when you want to bind a familiar or revive a deceased familiar. See Bind Familiar for more info.
Crow
Owl
Bat
Mouse
Ferret
Cat
Frog
Spider
Familiars are typically weak and do not excel in front-line fighting. They are better suited for utility, scouting, and cuddling. Most of the familiars you get a chance to bind will have 1-4 HP, and will usually provide a minor perk to you, unless they have other features.
Any perk provided by the familiar will be applied even if it is not summoned.
It is possible to aquire more powerful familiars such as Pixies, Imps, Psuedodragons, and Faerie Dragons through situational luck and/or roleplay. Advanced familiars are bound through the 'Bind Familiar' spell just like any other familiar.
You will be able to choose your first familiar for free, assuming you choose it when you first join Haze. After that you have the option to Bind a familiar, at a cost of 50xp / per Caster Level, or you can revive a dead familiar of yours, at a cost of 25xp / per Caster Level.
To Bind a new familiar, you simply cast the spell 'Bind Familiar' on any creature that can become a familiar. (You can examine creatures to see if it is a viable familiar option.) If the creature does not consider it a hostile action, and you are powerful enough, it will be bound. If you are powerful enough, but it does consider it a hostile action, it will make a Will Save, on failure, it is bound, on success, it will attack you.
To Revive your old familiar, you simply cast the spell 'Bind Familiar' on yourself. As long as you can spare the XP required without losing a level, your familiar will be brought back to life and have 1hp until healed.
Please note, that your familiar cannot speak aloud, unless it specifically lists the ability to do so. None of the default familiars have this option, a few that do would be Parrots, Pixies, Imps, Psuedodragons, and Fairie Dragons. You can communicate telepathically with your familiar, but your familiar retains it's intelligence modifier it had in life, usually meaning it does not have great communication skills.
You are also limited to a theoretical limit of 1000ft to possess and/or see through the eyes of your familiar. However you can always work with a DM to Roleplay sending your familiar on long distances that it should reasonably be able to make, say you want to send a letter to the nearby town with your crow familiar, a DM might be willing to help you with that.
At any time, these rules may change, and further restrictions may be imposed if we find familiars, or the mechanics are being abused.