Freebie Points
While being an otherwise good book, Gods and Monsters presents the idea that all Familiars should be 3-dot Familiars, and made with 25 freebie points. I think this is far too limited and instead submit that it should be based on dots, like prior editions:F/
| Rating | Freebies |
| 1 | 10 |
| 2 | 20 |
| 3 | 30 |
| 4 | 40 |
| 5 | 50 |
This said, it does mean that sometimes Mages will wind up with Familiars that are as powerful, or more so, than they are. There are reasons why this can make good story, such as a mentor providing their student with a guardian for the days ahead. Very few, if any, starting Mages can actually create a Familiar, so there’s always a story about how they came to be, and it usually amounts to being a gift from one’s Mentor or another powerful Mage.
Powers All Familiars Have
All familiars also have the following with no cost:
- Bond-Sharing (4pt, you can buy up the other levels if you choose)
- Paradox Nullification (equal to Rating +1)
- Thaumivore (5pt)
Rage/Gnosis versus Essence
In addition, the book does not allow for Rage or Gnosis for a Familiar; where a Charm requires one of these two, substitute Essence.
Charms costs
All charms cost at least 1 point per level. If a Charm would have no cost, assign it a cost of 1 pt/ level.
Upgrading a Familiar
If your familiar is less than 5 dots, you can upgrade via buying more dots in the Background and using them just like you would at CG.
If your familiar has maxed out at 5 dots, you can still upgrade them by using your character’s XP to raise their Attributes and Abilities. Buying new powers, however, will need to be approved by the Host or Staff of AC.