From LSWiki

Contents 1 Bonding Requirements 2 Known Abilities 2.1 Combat Bonuses 2.2 Petting the familiar 2.3 Vishuddha Chakra 2.4 Attribute Modifications 2.5 Specialty Bonuses 2.5.1 Tier 1 2.5.2 Tier 2 2.5.3 Tier 3 2.5.4 Tier 4 2.5.5 Tier 5 2.6 Charms 2.7 Additional Bonuses and Powers 2.7.1 Combat Maneuvers 2.7.2 Traits granted

Bonding Requirements

Running is required, as is fairly obvious from the bond failure message, certainly at more than 77 skill and less than 120:

You sense that the black-spotted yellow female cheetah feels as though you could not keep
pace with her, much less form a bond with her.

Known Abilities

The cheetah is a large and powerful feline predator native to the plains of Ebiria. It is a ferocious combatant, attacking with claws and teeth. It is large enough to ride, breathes air, eats meat, and can see in the dark. It runs very quickly, as one would expect.

Combat Bonuses

The cheetah's consort gains a bonus to attack rating equal to hir Constitution attribute, and Air Affinity skill. This is applied to all melee attacks and maneuvers, and special attacks granted by the familiar. Your familiar must be present in your environment to obtain this effect.

The cheetah also grants bonuses to dodge rating and deflection ratings equal to the consort's Constitution attribute and Fire Affinity skill.

Petting the familiar

You pet Kenya with your right hand.
You sense dynamic energies flowing from Kenya's body into your spirit.

This provides a temporary boost to the skills air affinity, earth resistance, vacuum resistance, crushing resistance, cutting resistance, piercing resistance, and running. It also restores one spell point.

Vishuddha Chakra

Being bonded to a cheetah will grant and automatically charge the Vishuddha (blue) chakra, which grants a large bonus to intelligence and numerous skills.

Attribute Modifications

Bonding the cheetah provides its consort a very large bonus to dexterity, a large bonus to strength, and moderate bonuses to willpower, constitution, and perception. Additionally, the Vishuddha chakra that the familiar grants will provide a large bonus to intelligence.

Specialty Bonuses

Bonus specialty degrees and access are provided as follows:

Tier 1

• Air Affinity
• Crushing Resistance
• Cutting Resistance
• Earth Resistance
• Piercing Resistance
• Plains Fieldcraft
• Pole Arm
• Vacuum Resistance

Tier 2

• Combat Reflexes

Tier 3

• Killer Instinct
• Massive Exertion
• Stamina

Tier 4

In the middle of "fairly healthy" bond strength:

• Aeromancy
• Tenacity

At "very healthy" bond strength, the first tier bonus specialties are increased to 2.

Tier 5

At the middle of "very healthy" bond strength:

• Find Weakness
• Throwing

Charms

Initially the cheetah grants the following charms:

• Urge

Shortly after:

• Call Familiar
• Send Familar
• Kinsee

Early in "fairly healthy" bond strength:

• Convert spiritual energy into electrical resource energy

Additional Bonuses and Powers

Combat Maneuvers

Early in "fairly healthy" bond strength, the cheetah's consort acquires a new combat maneuver, "Spark of Sky-Lightning". This attack is fueled by electrical resource energy gathered by the convert charm granted at the same tier. This attack is very accurate, has a low activity cost, consumes very little resource energy, does moderate electrical damage to a small area (apparently like a thrown knife), and often stuns the target.

Traits granted

In the early stages of the bond, the cheetah grants its consort the astral perception trait, which grows with bond strength.

The cheetah (like most feline familiars) also grants a point of the luck trait at "fairly healthy" bond strength, which will increase as the bond grows.

Bonding the cheetah appears to provide a direct bonus to the speed characteristic, although no quickness access is provided.