Empathic Bonds
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Empathic Bonds
Empathic bonds are asymmetrical, reciprocal connections shared between beings that confer extraordinary benefits and abilities to both the familiar (the bonded), and consort (the bonder) that grow along with the strength of the bond.
Benefits for consorts include:
- For non-anthropic familiars: the ability to perform standard charms, which give them some degree of control over their companion.
- Skill bonuses and specialty access.
- Attribute bonuses.
Depending on the type of familiar, consorts may gain a large variety of additional abilities such as:
- The ability to perform additional, more advanced charms.
- Regular influxes of Chakra energy.
- Additional limbs or organs.
- Traits such as order/chaos favour, Luck, Regrowth, and more.
- Combat maneuvers.
- Modified Combat rating weights.
Benefits for the familiar include:
- A limited form of immortality, the destruction of their physical form will be only a temporary setback so long as the bond persists.
- For non-anthropic familiars: An aura that increases their capabilities in key aspects far beyond that of ordinary examples of their race, the exact nature of this aura is dependent on the type of familiar.
The ability to form an empathic bond is a faculty, which simply means it is an ability that is not specifically tied to a guild or association.
One who possesses the faculty may think about my ability to form empathic bonds to view information about it.
There is also a book on the topic that merits a read.
Familiars
There are many types of familiars to discover, their documentation is an ongoing task by the community.
Familiar Types
Known familiar types are listed here.
Specialty Access
Specialty access by familiar type is tabulated here (for 100% bond strength). Sourced from this ooc dump.
Player Notes
- Not all familiars are equal. Empathic bonds have powers and abilities that suit them thematically, and come with no guarantee of mechanical power in game.
- These articles are written and maintained by players, and may not be 100% accurate. Don't hesitate to correct them or add to them if there is new information you know to be accurate.
- Magickal, Psionic, and Power Control skills do not receive any flat or percentile bonuses from spec access.
- Until someone takes the time to do it. remember that the flat, and percentile bonuses granted alongside specialty access has been halved across the board.
- With the exception of the aforementioned 3 categories. Specialty access to skills come with a flat skill bonus that increases up to 37.5 (formerly 70) at 15 spec acces. At 16 spec access, that skill receives a 5% (formerly 10%) bonus, followed by an additional 1% (formerly 2%) for every 1 spec access granted. This exponential growth may be small, but it is unbounded and can be extremely powerful for bond strengths in excess of 100%.
- Combat Meditation and Supernal Durability have a 50% penalty in access that may or may not be refleced in the wiki.
- Many bonds provide boosts to combat ratings (dodge/deflection/attack/damage) scaled off different Skills to all attacks, all attacks using particular weapons, or while using certain maneuvers. The boosts may or may not be documented accurately, or at all.
Bond Strength
An empathic bond is not simply a means to possess a minion, or a token aspect for the purpose of attaining power. It is a connection that one shares with another. A connection that both consort and familiar draw on for strength.
Such a connection cannot be established whole and complete. It is something that must be grown. The speed at which this connection grows is determined by the consort's bond assimilativity.
Bond assimilativity is a multiplier between 0 and 1 that is determined in part by their Ego, Empathy, Enchantment, and values in other skills with particular thematic resonance to the type of familiar.
- Bond assim is penalized heavily for every empathic bond beyond the first that a consort has active.
- Bond assim can be increased artificially, even beyond 100%, while wearing a Shirt of Second Self.
The following activities contribute to bond growth and are modified by bond assim unless otherwise stated:
- Consort or familiar gaining experience (Familiar experience gain contributes moreso than consort experience gain).
- Consort or familiar gaining skill experience.
- Time passing. (This may be only a side effect of some familiars granting periodic skillxp to their consort).
- Consort completing quests, ignores assim (supplementary to the xp awarded for completing the quest).
- Familiar completing exploration, ignores assim (supplementary to the xp gain from exploration).
In game, the following expressions are used to signify the strength of a bond when using the think about my ability to form empathic bonds command
0% to 10% : very frail 11% to 19% : somewhat frail 20% to 29% : fairly healthy 30% to 39% : very healthy 40% to 49% : robust 50% to 59% : resilient 60% to 69% : deep 70% to 79% : very deep 80% to 89% : intimate 90% to 99% : nearing completion 100% : Completed
Bond strength continues to increase beyond 100%, granting additional increases to the specialty access (and related bonuses) granted by the bond.
Other bonuses, such as the familiar's aura, and values for traits do not continue to increase beyond 100%.
Charms
Charms are arcane feats accomplished by simple mental acts. Some of them are quite simple like calling your familiar to your side, others may involve esoteric feats of mind and magic.
This scale will show how good you are at performing each charm. Basically, the more intense, the better. Each charm has its own skills it uses for strength, and will also benefit almost universally from bond strength and Enchantment.
All non-anthropic familiars grant the following charms:
Many sociable familiars grant dominion over other animals:
Many familiars also grant the ability to manipulate various energies:
There are any other more specialized charms available full list of Empatic Bond Charms
Methods of Obtaining an Empathic Bond
Ligatory affiliations are primarily concerned with the ability to form empathic bonds. Presently, only guilds grant full empathic bond faculties, different guilds are able to form empathic bonds with different varieties of creatures. They include:
- The Coven: Various birds, including Carrion Bird, Sparrow, Owl, Osprey, Goose, Swan.
- Shemsu Sutekh: Creatures deemed acceptable by Sutekh.
- Equites Serpentina: Cornan Destrier stock (variant of horse).
- Zetesai: Extraplanar creatures.
- Verynvelyrae: All natural animals native to Prime.
- Deep Whisperers: Creatures with psychic predispositions.
Some affiliations can grant partial empathic bonds, which are lesser in terms of powers granted, but similar in nature to full bonds. Presently, these include:
- Ringwielders: Rhug Shi or Darad Shi. Creatures deemed acceptable by Arikhol as mounts for his servants. Granted by petitioning for the runes Onichald or Abrinth.
- Travelers: Holy Mounts offered to followers of Ganesha.
Rumors say that it is possible to develop the capacity to form a partial empathic bond through the use of Fey Abilities. Though the steps to unlock such an ability are closely guarded by those who know.
Forming a Bond
To fulfill an unused bond, you must find a suitable creature and: concentrate on forming an empathic bond with <creature> via <means>.
You may size up a potential bond-mate with: imagine forming an empathic bond with <creature> via <means>, rather than concentrating on it.
Breaking a Bond
Breaking a bond is always fatal for non-anthropic familiars, and incurs a heavy emotional cost on the consort.
This cost comes in the form of Spiritual Disjunction and some temporary, or even permanent mental afflictions. The severity and duration of these effects is inversely proportional to the strength of the bond being broken.
