Arcane Tradition

School of Bonding

Where some wizards follow the maddening pursuit of godlike power, other wizards focus on the smaller things in life, and find happiness in bonding with a familiar they take under their wing. Consider the kind of relationship your wizard would have with their familiar, and their reason for focusing their studies on such creatures.

True Bond

At 2nd level, you have learned how to strengthen the bond you create with your familiar. You add the find familiar spell to your spellbook, if it is not already there, and you always have it prepared. This spell does not count against the number of wizard spells you can prepare. Your familiar also gains the following benefits (If you are ever able to summon multiple familiars, only one familiar can benefit from these class features):

• When you cast find familiar, your familiar appears with a bonus to its hit point maximum equal to twice your wizard level, and has as many hitdice to spend on short rests as your level.
• You can use an action to cause your familiar to adopt a new form, as if you had cast find familiar again. You can do so a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1) before you have to complete a long rest to do so again.
• You can telepathically communicate with your familiar out to 1 mile.
• You can temporarily dismiss and summon your familiar as a bonus action instead of an action if it still has hitpoints remaining.

Arcane Bond

At 6th level, you can let your magic flow more potently through your familiar. You can now deliver spells with your familiar that have a range of 5 feet or greater. You must cast the spell, and the familiar can use its reaction to deliver it as if it had cast the spell. Your familiar must be within 30 feet of you.

Animus Bond

At 10th level, you and your familiar have come to understand each other's lifeforce more deeply. As a bonus action, you can dismiss your familiar, but instead of temporarily dismissing it to a pocket plane, you merge its animating force with yours. You gain a number of temporary hitpoints equal to its remaining hitpoints, which last until you complete a long rest. If these temporary hitpoints are reduced to 0, you have to cast find familiar again to summon your familiar. Otherwise, you can use an action to channel your familiar's magical energy back into its material form. The familiar returns with a number of hitpoints equal to the number of temporary hitpoints that remained.

Bond of the Ages

At 14th level, you and your familiar have reached a unique bond. Choose two 1st-level spells and one 2nd-level spell with a range of self that you have scribed in your spellbook. Your familiar can cast each of these spells innately once per day. When you reach 17th level, you can select an additional 2nd-level spell and one 3rd-level spell, and when you reach 20th level you can select an additional 4th level spell. Each time you gain a level in this class, you can swap out one of these spells for your familiar with another one of the same level that has a range of self.

Additionally, at 20th level, when you die, your soul enters your familiar if it is free and willing. While you inhabit your familiar you can assume control of its actions and speak through it. You can cast any spells your familiar could cast, but you do not have access to your own game statistics. You can remain in your familiar until you find means of resurrection or your familiar dies. If your familiar drops to 0 hitpoints while you inhabit it, it falls unconscious and makes death saving throws.

Cover Art: Night Owl by Alvaro
Art by Wizards of the Coast
Created by /u/Lambros009

Compendium of Familiar Resurgence | Page 1

Familiar Items

The following magical items are especially crafted to be used and worn by familiars or creatures that have the service of a familiar. A familiar can attune to a maximum of three magic items, as any other creature, but can only attune to items that specifically mention they require attunemeny by a familiar. If a familiar drops to 0 hitpoints or is temporarily dismissed while carrying or wearing an attuned magic item, that item is dismissed with them and when they appear in the material realm again those items return with them. Items carried by the familiar that are not attuned to it are not dismissed with the familiar, and instead drop in the spot the familiar was when it disappears.

In the same way that items refit themselves to be able to be worn by an creature using them, so do these items change their form to fit any type of familiar that they are equipped on. For example, a ring might reconfigure itself to appear as a small round band around an eagle's foot if it can't otherwise be worn. Familiars do not have 'item slots' as humanoids do, but can only wear two items that are described as rings, and can only have a total of 5 items equiped at any time. If a feature allows you to have multiple familiars, the familiars in total can only have 5 items equiped amongst them, and share their 3 attunement slots. Additionally, familiars cannot gain the service of another familiar for themselves, a creature can only have one familiar unless a feature specifically grants that capability.

Potion of Cherising

wondrous item (consumable), rare

You can administer this potion to your familiar using an action. Your familiar gains the effects of death ward. Your familiar cannot administer this potion to itself or another familiar.

Belt of the Airborne Medic

wondrous item, rare

This belt is fitted to be worn by owl or eagle familiars. You can strap into the belt as many as 5 regular healing potions. The familiar wearing this belt can use its action to administer one of the healing potions in this belt by flying directly over a creature, and releasing the healing potion. The belt is only designed to function with regular healing potions, as other larger sizes are to unwieldly to fit into this belt, and other kinds of potions are too volatile to have been tested with this belt.

Amulet of the Bondkeeper

wondrous item, rare

This gold chained amulet houses a dull ruby in its center that begins to take a vivid red color once you perform an 1-hour ritual to bond it with your familiars. You can use this amulet to cast Aid as a third level spell once per long rest. You can only target yourself and any familiars bonded to you with this casting of the spell.

Additionally, whenever you see your familiar take damage, you can use your reaction to invoke the protective powers of this amulet. Your familiar takes half as much damage as it would normally take, and this amulet takes the same amount of damage as your familiar. This amulet has 50 hitpoints. Once it reaches 0 hitpoints, the ruby in its center shatters, and the amulet is destroyed. If the amulet has any hitpoints remaining, it regains all of its hitpoints at each dawn.

Ring of Familiar Escape

wondrous item, very rare

This smooth brass ring gleams in the sunlight, and produces small vibrations whenever your familiar is damaged. When you can see that your familiar is about to take damage, you can use your reaction to immediately dismiss your familiar back to its pocket plane, before any damage is dealt to it.

Satchel of Missives

wondrous item, uncommon (requires attunement by a familiar)

This small satchel is designed to be worn by familiars. The sathcel has an interior space considerably larger than its outside dimensions, and can hold up to 2 cubic feet or 20 pounds of material. The satchel always weighs 1 pound regardless of its contents.

When you place an object inside the satchel, you can designate its intended recipient. Any creature that opens the satchel can use an action to retrieve from it any items that it is the recipient of. The satchel otherwise appears empty to it. You can designate which creatures can view the contents of the satchel in full.

While wearing this satchel your familiar has advantage on Wisdom (Survival) ability checks made to navigate and find its way towards a prescribed destination.

Ring of the Familiar Planeswalker

wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement by a familiar)

This noble ring can be crafted only by the most powerful of archmages, and is used by them to make their familiar as awesome as they are.

This ring has 10 charges. Your familiar can expend a number of the ring's charges to cast the following spells from it: teleport (2 charges, only self), plane shift (3 charges, only self), dimension door (1 charge). If the last charge on the ring is expended roll 1d20. On a result of 1, the ring loses its magical capabilities. The ring regains 1d6+4 of its charges each dawn.

Plumage of Evasive Maneuvers

wondrous item, rare

This colorful dust changes the color of your familiar's plumage once sprinkled on it. This dust can only be applied to familiars that have a fly speed. Ranged weapon and spell attacks have disadvantage on your familiar, as it uses its wings to fly in unique and dazzling evasive maneuvers.

Ring of Disappearance

wondrous item, uncommon

This ring is designed to be worn by a familiar. Your familiar can use its action to cast the invisibility spell on itself while wearing this ring. It has to complete a long rest before it can do so again.

Ring of Alteration

wondrous item, uncommon

While your familiar is wearing this ring, it can use its action to cast the alter self spell. It must complete a long rest before being able to do so again.

Ring of the Far Spy

wondrous item, rare (requires attunement by a familiar)

This ring is designed to be worn by a familiar. Your familiar can use an action to cause the ring to become Invisible until it uses another action to make it visible, until it removes the ring, or until it drops to 0 hitpoints.

This ring has 3 charges. While your are inhabiting your familiar's senses, you can have your familiar expend one of the ring's charges to cast detect thoughts.

Goggles of Arcanasight

wondrous item, uncommon

While your familiar is wearing these goggles, it can use an action to cast the detect magic spell from them. The familiar then can't do so again until it has completed a short rest. While you are inhabiting your familiar's senses and the spell is active, you benefit from the effect as well.

Badges of the Liaison

wondrous item, uncommon

This set of two badges is designed to be worn by a familiar and its bonded companion, and are meant to connect the two worlds of their bearers, that of the humanoid and animal kingdoms. This badge grants the familiar the ability to verbally communicate with any beast, and advantage on any Charisma based checks with beasts, while its companion gains the ability to be recognized as a friend. Any beast that sees these badges innately perceives the two creatures wearing them to be connected — as two halves of the same circle — and any impressions or feelings formed towards one of these creatures are likely to apply to both of them. For example, if the familiar manages to ingratiate itself into an animal habitat, then its bonded companion is also made welcome, as the familiar acts as a liason between the humanoid and animal kingdoms.

Tether of Harmonious Casting

wondrous item, rare (requires attunement by a familiar)

This thin silver string can barely be seen in the moonlight. While your familiar is attuned to it, you can use a bonus action to tether yourself to your familiar. You become connected by the tether, which phases out into the ethereal plane. While tethered, you and your familiar can't willingly move in a way that you become further apart than 60 feet from each other. Additionally while you are tethered, you can cast spells through your familiar. The tether has 15 charges. You can expend a number of charges equal to the level of the spell being cast (1 charge for cantrips) to cast the spell through your familiar. You cannot cast spells of 7th level or higher in this way. The tether regains 1d10+5 charges each dawn.

Bead of Familiar Awakening

wondrous item (consumable), very rare

This round bead pulses with green vibrant energy. Birdsong and the rustling of leaves can be heard emanating from it. It is known to exist naturally only in bountiful druid groves, where the natural care and attention of the druids towards the animals innately imbues the earth with the magic of life.

When you feed this bead to your familiar, it gains the benefits of the awaken spell. However, the familiar is not charmed by you when it is awakened. It needs to eat, sleep and has the same bodily needs as it otherwise would, but retains its original creature type. If it wishes so at any point, the familiar can now end its service to you as your familiar.

Gloves of the Familiar Spellsurge

wondrous item, rare

While wearing these gloves you can use an action to expend a spell slot of 5th level or lower. If your familiar is within 30 feet of you, you can channel the expended magical energy towards it in order to reinforce it. Your familiar gains 10 hitpoints for each level of the spell you expended.

Belts of Dimensional Swapping

wondrous item, legendary (requires attunement by a familiar and a spellcaster)

This belt comes with an identical copy of itself in miniature size. While both you and your familiar are wearing these belts, you can use your action to swap positions with your familiar if you are within 60 feet of each other. You appear in its place, while it appears in yours.

Additionally, when one of you is hit by an attack or takes damage, you can use your reaction to swap positions with your familiar. You appear in its position, while it appears in yours. The target of the attack or the recipient of the damage is also swapped. If your familiar was to take damage, you take the same amount of damage instead, and vice versa. This damage cannot be reduced in any way.

Rings of Dual Focus

wondrous item, very rare (requires attunement by a familiar)

These two rings are made by the same brass-alchrium aloy, and are adorned by a miniscule piece of blue quartz. When you cast a concentration spell and you can see your familiar, you can choose to have your familiar concentrate on the spell for you. You can concentrate on another spell only if the total spell levels of the spells you and your familiar are concentrating on are 8 or lower. Otherwise, the casting of the spell fails, and your action is wasted, but not your spell slot. For example, you and your familiar can concentrate on invisibility and hypnotic pattern, but not wall of force and sickening radiance.

If your familiar ever willingly moves to a place out of your line of sight or is not on the same plane of existence as you, its concentration is broken as the link created by the rings breaks.

Brazier of Flocks

wondrous item, very rare

This brass brazier can be used to burn the incense necessary for the casting of the find familiar spell. You can use this brazier to cast find familiar as usual, with the exception that when the ritual is complete you gain the service of an additional familiar for each addition 10 gold worth of incense you offered. The maximum number of additional familiars you can gain is equal to half your proficiency modifier (rounded down).

To change the forms of any of these familiars, you can cast find familiar using this brazier again.

Echo Charge

wondrous item, rare

You can equip your familiar with this blue belt, which shimmers with arcane energy. When your familiar drops to 0 hitpoints, the belt harnesses the errant energy let out by the dissipating familiar and focuses it outwards. Each creature within 10 feet of the familiar must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) force damage on a failure, or half as much damage on a success.