familiars & pets

companion animals

All characters, whether they're Mages or not, are allowed to own animals for free. Whether pets or livestock, all common animals that can be reasonably domesticated are available for characters to keep and interact with. You do not need to buy, claim, or create profiles of your character's animals -- you can just have them, and draw and write them whenever you like!

free animal guidelines:

Other than player character species, animals in the Anathema world are similar to our own. They have the same behaviors, habitats, and biology as Earth animals.

Animals do not speak, use magic, or do anything they can't do in the real world.

Animals must be somewhat realistically domesticated. If your character has dangerous/exotic animals, they must be kept similarly to how that animal actually exists in captivity. For instance, your character may have tigers in a zoo they own, but could not have a companion tiger that goes everywhere with them.

For obvious reasons, your character may not keep player character species, including Outlander species, as pets.

Free pets must not be mythical creatures, or humanoid.

If you would like your character to have a talking animal, a magical creature, or an exotic companion like a tiger, check out the mage familiars tab!

livestock and animal goods

This information is copied from our character guide, and may be helpful in coming up with ideas for your character and their relationships with animals:

Domestic fowl such as hens, ducks, and pheasants are often kept for their eggs, which are used in baking and the preparation of other goods such as adhesives, soaps, and conditioners. Sometimes, reptiles and other wildlife are raised or hunted for their hides; materials such as alligator leather are widely sought for their durability. Many Bovine and Camelid citizens that are naturally wool-producing shear and spin their own wool for the creation of textiles and woven goods.

familiars

With the help of a Familiar Scroll from the item shop, all Mages have the ability to summon a Familiar.

Familiars are living, thinking magical extensions of Mages. They are created when a Mage uses a Familiar Scroll to cast the spell that summons them.

Familiars are somewhat phantasmal, able to move through objects, walls, and open space at will. No matter a familiar's size, their ability to move physical objects is limited by the strength of their Mage's telekinesis. If a mage has a Handmade Idol or Extended Telekinesis Scroll, then the familiar's ability to interact with the physical environment is strengthened proportionally.

familiar abilities:

Familiars are fully sentient, and capable of speaking and understanding every language their bonded Mage knows.

Familiars can take the shape of any creature, real or imaginary, other than equine, suid, cervine, bovine, camelid and humanoid. They are not limited in size, and may have magical/fantastical design elements.

Familiars can take any appearance their bonded mage chooses. However, once a Familiar is summoned, it cannot take a new form. If you wish to change or banish your current familiar, this can be done by completing a quest at Destiny's Shrine.

Familiars become weaker and more transparent the further they are from their bonded Mage. If a Familiar gets too far from their mage, they will vanish entirely and reform at their Mage's side.

A familiar can be any size. Its phsyical strength is not determined by size, but by the strength of their Mage's telekinesis. A Handmade Idol or Extended Telekinesis Scroll will make a familiar stronger.

With the purchase of an Enhanced Familiar Amulet, a familiar can gain all the magical abilities their mage has, including those gained by scrolls and other items. Familiars cannot summon other familiars, however.

How to get a Familiar:

Head to the Item Shop to purchase a Familiar Scroll, or to claim one if you won it as a reward.
When making your purchase or claiming your prize, use the provided form. Under "Item Effect", describe the familiar you are summoning. Choose carefully! Once your transaction has been accepted, that is the physical description your familiar will always have, unless you change it with a quest at Destiny's Shrine.
When the transaction has been accepted by a moderator, add it to your character's log, including the description of your familiar!
Voila. You now have a magical talking wolfdragonkitty for your Mage to show off around town!

additional familiars

Every mage is allowed one familiar slot, no matter what their stats are. After that, they are allowed to purchase an additional familiar with every 5 Discipline they accumulate. A second familiar can be claimed at 5 Discipline, a third at 10 Discipline, etc. Every additional familiar requires another Familiar Scroll.

Flavor your Familiar

A familiar cannot be used in a way that gives the mage any advantages outside of what the familiar guidelines allow for, but beyond that, Anathema's rules for familiars are quite lax—that's on purpose!

This means that as long as your mage's familiar follows these guidelines in spirit, you can flavor them in whatever way you like.

If you don't want your familiar to be phantasmal or transparent, then they don't need to be! But they still need to adhere to the strength and distance limits.

They may have shifting elements in their designs, but unless the mage’s magic allows for it, they cannot fully shapeshift into different forms.

The way your mage acquires their familiar is up to you, as well. It could be a manifestation of their magic, but it could also happen in other ways!

If you have any questions about this, or want to run a concept by us first, feel free to hit us up on Modmail!

Familiars & Pets

familiars & pets