SSoS | Order of the Familiar

Arcanists that seek out the true potential of their familiars choose to join the Order of the Familiar, a collective of wizards spanning across the planes who study and manipulate the magic of a wizard's familiar. You have learned to channel more of your arcane power through your familiar, altering and enhancing them, and eventually yourself, through the bond of mage and beast.

Order of the Familiar Features

Arcanist's Familiar

2nd-level Order of the Familiar feature

Starting at 2nd level, when you choose this arcane tradition, you begin to master the bond between a wizard and their familiar. You learn the find familiar spell. This counts as a wizard spell for you, it is always prepared, and it does not count against the number of spells that you can prepare per day. Once per long rest, you can cast this spell without expending a spell slot or material components, and when you do, the casting time for this spell becomes 1 minute. A familiar summoned by the spell cast in this way is capable of attacking, with its attacks counting as magical damage for the purpose of overcoming resistances. When summoning a familiar through this feature, it can take any of the forms listed in the spell description, or the form of a platypus. When you summon a familiar using this feature, its hit points become equal to five times your Wizard level.

Bond of Mage and Beast

2nd-level Order of the Familiar feature

Starting at 2nd level when you choose this arcane tradition, you become proficient in the Wisdom (Animal Handling) skill, your familiar learns one language that you know, and can speak using that chosen language. There is also no longer a limit to the distance between yourself and your familiar when utilising the telepathic communication between the two of you, so long as you are on the same plane of existence.

Additionally, when your familiar is within 100 feet of you, you can cast any spell and treat your familiar as the point of origin for that spell, not just spells with a range of touch. For example, a target outside of the range of your magic missile spell can be targeted so long as they would be in range of the spell if you were in the position of your familiar. Your spell attack modifier and spell save DC are used whenever you cast a spell through your familiar.

Enhanced Familiar

6th-level Order of the Familiar feature

You have learned how to channel more magic through your familiar, altering their appearance and capabilities in and outside of combat. As a bonus action, you can transform your familiar into an enhanced form that corresponds to the form they were already in when you summoned them using your Arcanist's Familiar feature. This transformation lasts for 1 minute or until you or your familiar drop to 0 hit points, whichever comes first, and you can use this bonus action a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest. Your familiar retains the hit point maximum gained through your Arcanist's Familiar feature in this form. The corresponding forms are listed in the Enhanced Familiar table below:

Enhanced Familiar Table

Protective Bond

10th-level Order of the Familiar feature

Starting at 10th level, the bond between you and your familiar has manifested in a magical defence. When you are targeted by an attack roll while you are within 100 feet of your familiar, your familiar can use its reaction to interpose itself between you and the oncoming attack. Your familiar teleports to an empty space within five feet of you, in the direction of the oncoming attack if possible, and the attack roll against you is made at disadvantage. Alternatively, you can take this reaction yourself in order to impose disadvantage on an attack roll against your familiar and teleport within five feet of your familiar. You or your familiar can take this reaction a total number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you both regain all expended uses at the end of your next long rest.

When Mage and Beast Are One

14th-level Order of the Familiar feature

By 14th level, you and your familiar have created a bond so powerful that the two of you are often seen as one being. While a familiar you have summoned through your Arcanist's Familiar feature is within 100 feet of you, you gain movement speeds of the same type and distance as your familiar, unless the ones you already have are superior. When you use your Enhanced Familiar feature, your movement speeds are also enhanced to match your familiar's enhanced form. Additionally, any spells that you cast that have a range of self are also cast simultaneously on your familiar so long as it is within 100 feet of you.

You also learn the speak with animals spell. It counts as a wizard spell for you and is always prepared, though it does not count against the amount of spells you can prepare per day. You can cast this spell at will and without expending a spell slot.