Question Familiar debate

I'm flip flopping between giving a character a normal familiar or some thing that would make security very nervous and make Sara squee like Wondercute when they see a Petshop original.. i do know someone is getting a skunk.

hmmm, razorspinner familiar....

Cryptic wrote: I'm flip flopping between giving a character a normal familiar or some thing that would make security very nervous and make Sara squee like Wondercute when they see a Petshop original.. i do know someone is getting a skunk.

hmmm, razorspinner familiar....

Velociraptor....


Admittedly this is probably a very bad idea and the closest we should see for sanity reasons are two AI...

Re skunks and veloriraptors: thing is, why should either of those be such a concern to Security when Whateley already has students with the same features? (I'm talking about Musk and Razorback, even though Razor is more like an Utahraptor)

Razorspinners, being an artificial species (gen-devised by Jobe) might not be as good familiars than natural species. Magic seems to have some dislike for artificial things, after all...

If you want to scare security. A Bison familiar.

If you want to scare Buster, a Squirrel familiar.

Sir Lee wrote: Re skunks and veloriraptors: thing is, why should either of those be such a concern to Security when Whateley already has students with the same features? (I'm talking about Musk and Razorback, even though Razor is more like an Utahraptor)

Razorspinners, being an artificial species (gen-devised by Jobe) might not be as good familiars than natural species. Magic seems to have some dislike for artificial things, after all...

Familiar implies any sentience is likely a product of the binding to the magic user, not natural, as a result a velociraptor familiar would essentially only a couple steps from being wild.

To scare Oak, get a swarm of termites for a familiar.

To scare the horses proper, one needs a moose !

null0trooper wrote: To scare Oak, get a swarm of termites for a familiar.

To scare the horses proper, one needs a moose !

Your mention of Moose made me think of this

If you really want security to break out the guns on first sight you need a hippopotamus. This one has no issue with killing crocodiles in a single bite when they get annoyed. Make it hate people wearing Crocks for added fun.

If you want Wondercute to squee, a baby hippo is just the thing.

Personally I favour a Diplodocus.

DasVals wrote: Make it hate people wearing Crocks for added fun.

It's unnecessary to make it hate people wearing Crocs -- they take care of it themselves.

DasVals wrote: If you really want security to break out the guns on first sight you need a hippopotamus.

Siberian unicorn. Next best thing to Paraceratherium sp.

Rodent of Unusual Size...

null0trooper wrote: To scare the horses proper, one needs a moose !

I was toying withe the idea of something in the deer family just cause I watched The Hobbit the other day.

DasVals wrote: If you really want security to break out the guns on first sight you need a hippopotamus. This one has no issue with killing crocodiles in a single bite when they get annoyed. Make it hate people wearing Crocks for added fun.

Already have a faction 3 rager who is a hippo girl written up. She ends up bright green and her room full of volley balls

[quote="DasVals" post=58244If you want Wondercute to squee, a baby hippo is just the thing.[/quote]

I saidt Sara, the baby GOO squeeing in delight,

Cryptic wrote: I saidt Sara, the baby GOO squeeing in delight,

Maybe a dwarf Virasian?



A dwarf octosquid might be easier to visualize:

Mmmm, not feeling the tentacles.

Its for my Space Elf if tha helps. I suppose she could go Bio-mage/alchemist and make her own.

Cryptic wrote: Mmmm, not feeling the tentacles.

That's not what their last date said!

Cryptic wrote: Its for my Space Elf if tha helps. I suppose she could go Bio-mage/alchemist and make her own.

A homonculus would fit in with that theme, and could be seen as an indicator of its creator's skill. Also, it lets the writer play upon some other character's fears or prejudices.

Cryptic wrote: I saidt Sara, the baby GOO squeeing in delight,

Oh, that Sara. In that case, an actual flying spaghetti monster?

Experimental strands of devisor made linear processors suspiciously looking like spaghetti during an experiment with AI get hit by a blast of Eldritch energy. It floats out of the former containment vessel and starts eating more matter to grow into multidimensional self aware spaghetti. Added bonus, pastafarian worship.

A mage that claims/thinks their roommate is their familiar. And in some ways it works.

What about a riding boar?

Combination of a familiar and a shock-mount.

I don't know how small they are when they're boar-lets, but with proper feeding, the correct breed can get larger than pony-sized.

The requirements for stabling and grooming would make them an "interesting" addition to the Whateley menageries...

I'd kind of like to keep any real critters native-ish to the area around the school. That said I'm tempted to go "It's lain dorment since the Sundering, and woke up from Nikki planting the seed."

Valentine wrote: A mage that claims/thinks their roommate is their familiar. And in some ways it works.

I can picture Greatdingo's mage Max doing that!

Valentine wrote: A mage that claims/thinks their roommate is their familiar. And in some ways it works.

/me looks at Metro and Valravn - hmmn, not quite what Valentine is talking about, and besides, all that happened before they were in the WA universe.

Is the roommate named Norbert? Probably not, though that would be an amusing nod to a comic (The Badger) that never did get enough attention.

OTOH, it could be worse; if some student claims that their opposite-sex SO is their familiar (or someone they want to be their SO, without giving the object of their affection/obsession a say in the matter), and tries to insist that they then share a room with them, that's so not gonna fly with the school administration. I'm guessing it's been tried before, though.

Schol-R-LEA wrote:

Valentine wrote: A mage that claims/thinks their roommate is their familiar. And in some ways it works.

/me looks at Metro and Valravn - hmmn, not quite what Valentine is talking about, and besides, all that happened before they were in the WA universe.

While both are from a universe in which spirits can be as 'quadratic' as the wizards, one could still think of a spirit offering a (formula) pact as similar to a magician calling a familiar.

Schol-R-LEA wrote: Is the roommate named Norbert? Probably not, though that would be an amusing nod to a comic (The Badger) that never did get enough attention.

I was thinking 'Nodwick'

Schol-R-LEA wrote: OTOH, it could be worse; if some student claims that their opposite-sex SO is their familiar (or someone they want to be their SO, without giving the object of their affection/obsession a say in the matter).

In the spirit of "be careful what you wish for", I'd suggest that yes, after they've blown whatever it takes on the ritual they now have the object of their desire: a familiar just like <random name> at the moment of copy. That doesn't mean the copy has the same personality, knowledge, and skills as the original: that whole "devoted to me" aspect may in fact rule out having the same personality.

Of course, as a sentient clone, the familiar now has all the rights and responsibilities of a sentient in that jurisdiction. It may have others as well (Think twice before choosing a Sidhe!). If the familiar doesn't have the needed skills, etc., congratulations on getting that early experience with toilet training!

The original might have some things to say or do about their "copy" and what's being done with/to it.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Topics of Familiars classes invite Jobe and Belphoebe, and Hank and Leanne for discussions on the hazards of humanoid familiars.

Jacalope or carnivorous rabbit maybe, or "Groot"?

Basselope.

If it needs to make Sara squee with delight and Security (and really the rest of the world) break out the heavy ordinance, then there is only one clear candidate:

A baby Shoggoth.


(p.s. though I am guessing one of the unnamed horrors from that Hawthorne bathroom might also work. Sara loved them and even Billie was terrified enough of them to prefer expulsion over going in there)

Josie: "Hey, the baby shoggoth is MY pet. Get your own!"

Question - since this is a 'familiar debate', that seems to imply to me that all the positions and arguments are all well-known, since they are familiar, and thus boring.

Why don't we have an "unfamiliar debate"?

Erianaiel wrote: If it needs to make Sara squee with delight and Security (and really the rest of the world) break out the heavy ordinance, then there is only one clear candidate:

A baby Shoggoth.


(p.s. though I am guessing one of the unnamed horrors from that Hawthorne bathroom might also work. Sara loved them and even Billie was terrified enough of them to prefer expulsion over going in there)

But as the mystic arts department observed with the baby Shoggoth that attached itself to Josie; would you ever be certain that you were not the familiar rather than the baby Shoggoth!?

elrodw wrote: Question - since this is a 'familiar debate', that seems to imply to me that all the positions and arguments are all well-known, since they are familiar, and thus boring.

Why don't we have an "unfamiliar debate"?

I don't know about that.

You know, some of the arguments in these debates seem to come from the same place from which Ly Tin Wheedle got the idea for transluminal communications by modulating the propagation of kingons - that is, the bottle with a worm on the bottom. Which makes it all the more fun.

I was thinking of giving her a Borrower/Little as a familiar-ish companion. Not quite Kehone, not quite a natural critter. Thinking magical accident created them from mice, they're living in the cottage walls.

Cryptic wrote: I was thinking of giving her a Borrower/Little as a familiar-ish companion. Not quite Kehone, not quite a natural critter. Thinking magical accident created them from mice, they're living in the cottage walls.

What about Tink becoming someone's familiar? >

Mister D wrote:

Cryptic wrote: I was thinking of giving her a Borrower/Little as a familiar-ish companion. Not quite Kehone, not quite a natural critter. Thinking magical accident created them from mice, they're living in the cottage walls.

What about Tink becoming someone's familiar? >

A small seven or eight inch tall fairy was tugging on a girl's hand, actually lifting her halfway out of her chair. "But Mary! He's cute! I love kitties!" the fairy cried looking straight at Danny.

I think we know what her vote might be.

Gen2 year2 setting...
Adria: No. She reminds me of a parasitic bird from my home world.

Oh God... Tink as a teacher.

Mister D wrote:

Cryptic wrote: I was thinking of giving her a Borrower/Little as a familiar-ish companion. Not quite Kehone, not quite a natural critter. Thinking magical accident created them from mice, they're living in the cottage walls.

What about Tink becoming someone's familiar? >

no being, no matter how evil, vial and hated should be punished so!

..........its just wrongity wrong wrong!

null0trooper wrote:

Mister D wrote:

Cryptic wrote: I was thinking of giving her a Borrower/Little as a familiar-ish companion. Not quite Kehone, not quite a natural critter. Thinking magical accident created them from mice, they're living in the cottage walls.

What about Tink becoming someone's familiar? >

A small seven or eight inch tall fairy was tugging on a girl's hand, actually lifting her halfway out of her chair. "But Mary! He's cute! I love kitties!" the fairy cried looking straight at Danny.

I think we know what her vote might be.

Pair those two up, and Tink's not the one who's going to end up the familiar.

Kettlekorn wrote:

null0trooper wrote:

Mister D wrote:

Cryptic wrote: I was thinking of giving her a Borrower/Little as a familiar-ish companion. Not quite Kehone, not quite a natural critter. Thinking magical accident created them from mice, they're living in the cottage walls.

What about Tink becoming someone's familiar? >

A small seven or eight inch tall fairy was tugging on a girl's hand, actually lifting her halfway out of her chair. "But Mary! He's cute! I love kitties!" the fairy cried looking straight at Danny.

I think we know what her vote might be.

Pair those two up, and Tink's not the one who's going to end up the familiar.

Grizzly: "Help me out, dear. you are the moderating influence in this relationship?"

Wihinape: "It's rather refreshing, don't you think? Grizzly? In all the years I've known you, I don't recall you having that facial tic; are you feeling well?"

Grizzly: "I think I need to find a liquor store."

Wihinape: "Whatever for?"

Grizzly: "To drink it."

Tink: "Hi, guys! The nearest liquor store might be in Berlin. While you're there, could you pick up some sugar-free pixie stix for me? Kittie doesn't like them because he gets a headache, but if you can find the ones with real sugar she might like that instead. It all works out that way for everyone as long as they don't get switched again!"

Grizzly: "Again?"

Wihinape: "Don't ask. We're still trying to reconstruct events from available footage."

Grizzly *whimpers*