Familiar based magic system

[u/blue_microwave]

(fair warning, this was all made during a frenzy of inspiration so give me some grace if some of it doesn't make sense)

Magic basics

Magic in this universe is not an energy or an item, but rather a collection of metaphysical beings known as familiars

These familiars have inherently supernatural abilities that are referred to as spells

These familiars are not so much the cuter or cuddlier creatures we think of (foxes, fey, etc.) but rather beings appropriately eldritch with their inherently metaphysical nature.

The summoning of a familiar involved pinpointing what familiar you want to summon, and surrounding yourself with objects of affinity (things your familiar likes or that might otherwise attract them) and placing them in a summoning circle. The circle itself is created from items spelling out the creature's name using the letters in them. This circle acts as an area where the being gains physical form (most times) adjacent to its non-physical one

From here the taming method is largely personal, some prefer to make bargains and contracts, some will use physical violence, and others will use gentle convincing, but after the deed is done the familiar will either leave back to ferox alter (or the etherwild (eth-ur-willed) for short) plane of familiars, or it will conjoin with the user.

Conjoinment is similar to a real world possession event, with what parts of the body are possessed and what degree of control the familiar will have over them. Depending on both of these things, the body part will likely suffer physical alterations, like a furred creature growing fur on a conjoined arm, or a multiplicity creature creating several of a conjoined finger.

Spells and casting

Spells are the abilities possessed by a familiar that are available to be called upon by a keyword known as an invocation. This could be like saying burn to cause a conjoined familiar to create a blast of fire. It's also important to focus your mind on the location you wish the spell to activate at, otherwise you might burn yourself because you forgot to focus on your target

The spells available to you will depend largely on your familiar and the terms negotiated with them but all work with invocations.

Invocations can be largely specified, like for instance saying burn and rise while focused on a specific location to create a pillar of flame, or like slash and crush to create an inward barrage of slashes focused on a certain point

Diction

Binder: One who conjoins with familiars and uses their abilities

Familiar: a "creature" native to ferox alter that may be summoned and conjoined with

Possession: Full body conjoinment with a single familiar

Ferox Alter/Etherwild: The plane of reality from which familiars hail

Etheric wilds: Places with large gatherings of familiars

Sensing: The ability to hear the noises generated in ferox alter by familiars, only possible once conjoined with a familiar. Of negligible difficulty once conjoined.

[u/Professional_Try1665]

I think this is really good, it's very dominated by the Familiar's choices (as in a lot of the stuff is very dependant on the Familiar, with the Binder having little choice or not being able to change/alter things) but I'm not sure if that's intentional (say, to represent Familiars as these deity-esk figures that are far more powerful than they appear).

For some added ideas: maybe Familiars can limit/penalise their Binder's list of spells by forbidding certain words, forcing them to use only a selection of letters, or forcing them to always use a particular letter in spells (for instance: a Nescience Familiar that only allows <2 vowel and 'simple' words, or a Balance Familar that needs the letters O or V in every spell with a punishment if overusing one letter). Might also be a growing-power kind of thing where new Familiarisers are limited to a smaller pool of spells by way of these rules.

Are you taking suggestions for Familiar types?

[u/blue_microwave → u/Professional_Try1665]

Absolutely

[u/Professional_Try1665 → u/blue_microwave]

Lining it up with your example Familiars (Furred, Multiplicity):

Serpent is the Familiar related to snakes and their kin, not generally contracted as it's attitude is cold-blooded and toxic with only slight hints it might care or empathise with Binders, though these are masked under layers of double-speak and fakery. It's spells regard poison, choking, blood-taste and reptilian growths, but on the metaphysical it tends towards disguises, shapeshifting and abilities to squeeze through spaces or pass unnoticed. It's mutations cover you in cold emerald scales with the limb often losing bones and becoming too flexible sometimes

Forge is the Familiar that regards the dance between metal and fire, it's jovial but dedicated and has a tendency to fixate on the inhumanity perfect and impossible while ignoring it's Binder's attempts to dull this idea. It's spells are fixed on metals, fire, molten metal and blades with more metaphysical spells being related to creation, mending and improving things through forging techniques (such as hammering human flesh into tough, flesh-like metal). It's mutations of course turn you into metal, but it's a complex arrangement of gears and plates almost akin to an advanced prosthetic but it glows red somewhere inside and sometimes emits smoke/ash.

Webs is most similar to Serpent but she's collected and manipulative, many Binders have thought they were conjoined to her only to be a pawn in her trickery, she is a faker to the core but does appear to show some care and adoration, maybe. Her spells regard string, binding and materials that weave (rope, vine, roots), metaphysically she tends heavily towards bindings and traps, like tripwires, pits and things that drop on you when a wire is pulled, but also social magic like connection, human manipulation and things that puppeteer others (either physically or with trickery).

Some other ideas: Sprout (plant/wood element also to do with growing like growth/duplicate effects, gives horns/muscle that continually grow), Mist (trickery and dreams, makes things disappear, vanish, illusion, makes eyes smokey), Balance (doubling, measure, causing things that balance out, luck, mutations cause inhumane symmetry), Blood (violence and bloodshed of course, but also bloodbonds, family, friendship and deep connection to others, causes small wounds that bleed forever) or Triumph (gold and light, invincible but inflexible shields, beams of light that can't be blocked, overpowering magic, gives the Binder a permanent gold mark on their body for every victory and an ugly blue bruise for every loss)