Bond Familiar

You attempt to forge a permanent magical bond with a willing creature. This familiar bond replaces any already existing and is mutually exclusive with having any other type of familiar**. You must remain touching the creature for the entire casting of this spell.

Bond Selection. You can try to bond with any thinking creature capable of giving consent, but the more powerful a creature is the more likely you are to fail. Your chance of success is highest if the target is a Small or Tiny living creature with a Challenge Rating no greater than 1/8 of your own level. If the bond fails, you get a sense for why. Trying again will not succeed unless the situation changes.

Turns and Actions. The bonded familiar rolls its own initiative and acts on its own turn. There are no imposed limits on what actions it can or can not take. The creature will act as an ally for as long as it is bonded, and will tend to agree with you, but it has its own mind and does not have to follow orders it disagrees with.

Telepathic Connection. You and the familiar always know the direction and distance to each other. While the familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can communicate with each other telepathically. Within this range, a bonded familiar knows any languages you know. The quality of communication, telepathic or otherwise, is dependent on the bonded creature's intellect. Even the simplest mind can send and receive basic ideas, images, and emotions.

Shared Senses. While within telepathic range, you can use a bonus action to share any combination of the bonded familiar’s senses; see through its eyes, smell with its nose, etc. You gain the benefits of any special senses it has when doing so, including unusual options such as blindsight or tremorsense. The bonded creature knows when this ability is active and may choose to deny access.

Shared Spells. Any spell you cast that is normally self-only can be cast on your bonded familiar if it is willing and within telepathic range. It may also deliver touch spells in your place. While within telepathic range, you cast the spell as if you were readying it. The bonded creature can deliver the touch spell using its reaction as soon as the target is in range, as long as this occurs before the start of your next turn. If the spell requires an attack roll, you roll it when the touch is delivered, using your own stats.

Reciprocity. You must act as a true ally to the bonded familiar as long as the bond exists. Within telepathic range, you know any languages the bonded familiar knows. The bonded familiar can share your senses. If it is a spellcaster, the bonded familiar can cast self-only spells on you and you can deliver its touch spells.

Life Extension. Whichever species ages slower sets the aging rate for both members of the bond. For example, if a human bonds with a cat, the human is unchanged but the cat's remaining lifespan increases by 5x. If a human bonds with a dragon, the dragon is unchanged but the human's remaining lifespan increases by 12x or more.

Ending the Bond. You or the familiar may choose to end the bond at any time; familiars will not choose this option without a good reason and will usually give advance notice. The bond becomes inactive if either you or the familiar is dead, but it does not actually end unless it is replaced or cancelled. A familiar bond cannot be dispelled or broken by antimagic.

** Existing Familiars. If you have a spirit familiar gained from the spell Find Familiar or a similar ability, you may target it with this spell. If you do, it becomes a real creature and gains additional independence of thought. It becomes able to attack but no longer has to follow orders. You can no longer cause it to disappear or reappear using a pocket dimension. If you cast Find Familiar or use a similar ability while you already have a bonded familiar, it creates an entirely new familiar and breaks the bond from this spell.