As a wizard, maintaining a healthy relationship with your familiar should be considered as necessary as preparing your spell book each morning. Some spell casters may find it difficult to understand the benefits of a single familiar. They may scoff at me, call me old fashioned, and maintain a cycle of summoning familiar after familiar each time their companion perishes. However, you must understand that when the connection between you and your familiar is strong, success has a way of gravitating toward your party. A loyal familiar will do anything for their summoner. You could consider them an additional party member, able to communicate new and interesting strategies, risk their lives for the sake of the group, and even provide an ear in times of emotional distress.
So, how do you grow your bonds with your familiar? Well, how do you grow bonds with any party member? Time spent outside the risk of danger tells your companion that you care about them beyond their usefulness. Here are a few activities you can preform with your familiar to help strengthen your friendship.
- Grant them a name
Names are a powerful tool. The act of placing a name to something, be it an object, person or concept, we are mentally involving ourselves. To a familiar especially, a name tells them that in your eyes, they are more than just a simple summon. Don’t just give them any name, either, work with them to find something befitting their personality and role. This can be a great way to get to know the spirit tied to your familiars form, and for them to get to know you as a person as well. - Go on a solo quest
Time away from the party tells your familiar that you are independent, and value your own life outside of the needs of the group. A simple, non parlous quest is a great way to test your communication and coordination with your companion, while telling them that they are one of the few things you value outside of your team. This can be anything from a simple fetch quest for a villager, to independent dungeon crawling in search of loot. - Food
Among all the languages in this world, and there are so many, food has always been considered universally understood. Take your companion to a favorite pub, or better yet cook for them yourself! Whatever you eat, make sure it is a meal you are both likely to enjoy (Consider if your familiar is naturally a vegetarian or a carnivore).
There are countless ways for a wizard to bond with their familiar, and truly the activity is the least of your concerns. All that matters is that you and your companion are having a good time, learning and growing together as a team. Once you have formed a strong connection to your familiar, you will find your coordination and efficiency in your quests improve dramatically.
Are you having difficulty summoning your own familiar? Have you considered adopting? There are so many delightful creatures in search of a good home that go without love and care each day. If you are interested in adopting your own companion animal, check out this page here. Post pictures of your own furry or scaly companion below!
