[PnP] pnp Digest, Vol 136, Issue 5

[Scott Adams]

True reason for my wrong post..



 >I suggest that only imps be allowed as familiars.  If you look through
 >the list of summon able creatures, none of the others makes a good,
 >willing, servant.  They are too willful.

So this leaves out wizards.  Since this implies that Imps are for
Witches.  So why does it have ot be summonable?  Why not a normal
animal that is enhanced as a familiar.  Say a Hawk that goes
through some mumbo jumbo ritual to make it a familiar.  It then
can give whatever benefits we think familiars might give?

I just miss the cliche black cat/wizard.  Though granted it
was considered a witch. :)


 >They are physical beings here in this world.  They aren't possessing
 >a cat, for example, but they are turning into one.  You could argue
 >that they could turn into just about anything so long as they have
 >the power.  Keep in mind the imp is an especially powerless demon,
 >but it's still a demon!  You might want to create some way for it to
 >increase in size, say over time as it sups on the witches teat.
 >Perhaps for some limited time after entertaining itself on the witch,
 >it has more power for a while, so might Be able to do more.

So let's say the Imp is is it.  Do we boost any benefits for
the caster?  More CA?  More energy?  Better focusing power?
Stuff like that is why i wanted this whole thread figured out


 >The familiar does provide some substantial benefit for the witch.
 >The limits are that the witch must serve Sammael's court, so aren't
 >likely to be good guys.

Yep.  And thus tmost witches are bad folks.  So most will not
want to play those as pcs.  So why I think wizards should
have them.  Shamans have Tonahs.  Shadow Mages technically have
some affinity to Shadow creatures (technically).  Granted one
can just trap X and call it a familiar.  But some SOP has to be
figured out to make it a familiar.



 >The larger the imp, the larger can be the animals it can change
 >into.  At some point, say when the imp becomes a 2x size imp, it
 >might be able to become a terrestrial demon...and then it refuses
 >to change into an animal an, instead, chooses to simply possess
 >humans and animals.

When I worked on v2 monsters with Richard was the last time I studied
the imps. So i'll have to study them more in depth.  I think once
this adventur eis done (98% now) I'll sit and figure out more
on this stuff.


 >The imp must be willing. If not, you are playing with hell-fire!  If
 >unwilling, whatever creature it is would work toward the death of
 >whomever were enslaving it.  Intelligence placed it items

unless can control it magically.  But yep.


 >The familiar does give power already.  "Those who have familiars cast
 >their magic at ONE EL higher than the EL cast. They also increase their
 >casting speed by two and their MDV by three."  That's a nice benefit!

Ohh..I missed that.  When I created this threat I just di dit on the
fly so didn't do full researh.  Nice.


 >The imp might want things other than the energy it consumes...maybe it
 >keeps pushing the witch to provide, er, snacks (like Hansel & Gretel).
 >Motivation would depend on the imp.  Stealing magic items would be
 >clever, especially if useable against the witch.  Motivations of
 >creatures is often difficult.  Why do they do what they do?  For
 >instance...what does a Sylph want?

True.  This gives me great ideas to at least outline some rules.



 >You control an unwilling familiar by binding it to an object...swords,
 > for instance, or you have to find some way to bind it to a control
 > object. The control object is a very dangerous thing to create.  If
 > you lose it, and there are tons of ways that can happen, the enslaved
 > creature is likely to hunt you down, plus your family and associates.
 >   You would need to have 'something' that makes the creature
 >   vulnerable to you...hair, body parts, blood, True Name, etc.
 >.   Old style magic had a unique 'True Name' given to you, often in
 >   a ceremony.  Think 'Kunte Kinte', and that little ceremony.  If
 >   you had a creatures, or person's, True Name, you could command
 >   it to do things.

Not sure doing it to a body part would be a easy ritual.  But something
like a dedicated item, tied to master who can only use it might
work so no one can use it against ya.


 >If I was going to summon something that could remember who I am, and
 >have the effrontery to summon said creature, I would want to make
 >darn sure that I made it worth it's while!  Or make it impossible
 >for it to attack me in the future.


IF we related it to the genie in the bottle to figur eout
why do what they do.  Then that might help.  Research...
Thanks.