Find Familiar¶
Level 1 wizard spell — School of Conjuration/Summoning**
Cast by: Mage, Sorcerer, Bard
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Range | n/a |
| Casting Time | 9 |
| Duration | Special |
| Saving Throw | None |
| Area of Effect | 1 familiar |
Description¶
This spell enables the caster to attempt to summon a familiar to act as their aide and companion. Familiars are typically small creatures. A creature acting as a familiar can benefit a wizard, conveying its sensory powers to its owner, conversing with them, and serving as a guard/scout/spy as well. A wizard can have only one familiar at a time, and has no control over what sort of creature answers the summoning, if any come at all.
Note: This spell may only be cast by the protagonist.
The creature is always more intelligent than others of its type (typically by 2 or 3 Intelligence points), and its bond with the wizard confers upon it an exceptionally long life. The wizard has an empathic link with the familiar and can issue it mental commands. The caster receives half the familiar's total Hit Points (rounded down) as bonus Hit Points. However, the caster must take care to treat their familiar well, for if it should die, the caster loses the bonus Hit Points and half the familiar's Hit Points again as damage. Also when a familiar dies, the caster loses 1 point of Constitution PERMANENTLY.
Example: A Mage has 45 Hit Points and casts Find Familiar. The imp summoned has 18 Hit Points, so the caster gets a bonus of 9 Hit Points. The caster now has 54 Hit Points. If the familiar dies, the caster loses those 9 Hit Points (putting him back at 45), loses 1 point of Constitution permanently (which may cause additional Hit Point loss), and takes 9 damage.
Here is a list of the familiars that the player receives according to alignment:
LAWFUL GOOD, NEUTRAL GOOD: Pseudo Dragon LAWFUL NEUTRAL: Ferret LAWFUL EVIL: Imp NEUTRAL: Rabbit NEUTRAL EVIL: Dust Mephit CHAOTIC GOOD: Fairy Dragon CHAOTIC NEUTRAL: Cat CHAOTIC EVIL: Quasit
Source: bg2ee/original_manuals/baldurs_gate_2_ee_mastering_melee_and_magic.pdf — "Wizard Spells—Level 1" → "Find Familiar".