Board Thread:Off Topic/@comment-27082610-20170729051211/@comment-24534644-20170729200943

So, hopefully moving on from the dark territory of new folks not understanding what's wrong with Shapeshifting Semblances... here's something I've been working on that's also animal-related, but not in the same way.

-Name: Familiar Friend

-User: Marigold Eirwen

-Introduction: The user is able to summon “familiars”, based on animals they’ve formed close bonds with.

-Description: Upon activation, the user partitions part of their Aura, which then takes on the form of an animal “familiar” separate from the user. These familiars can both be given specific direction and act autonomously (in which case they’re objective is to protect their summoner), and they are formed based on the user’s emotions and memories affiliated with a specific real-world animal they have had experience with, meaning that a familiar’s appearance, strengths, and even behavior reflect that of the creature it is based on. However, a given familiar is not tied to a specific form, and can change in different ways depending on the emotions of the user (in manners such as appearing in different stages of age, or developing either softer or more intimidating features). In terms of practical use, different familiars serve different purposes, just normal animals do. However, since the familiars are comprised solely of Aura, they’re capabilities tend to differ significantly from their real counterparts.

-Range: Personal/Medium

-Type: Conjuration

-Purpose: Utility

-Visual Cue: User’s Aura and eyes flare white during the process of the summoning; the familiar gives off an identical light as it is being summoned, which fades into a dull continuous glow when the process is complete.

-Tier 1: User is able to summon an animal familiar from their own Aura. The familiar is able to at autonomously, with its primary objective in this case being to protect its summoner from any perceived threats, but with individual behavior varying depending on the familiar in question.

-Tier 2: Summoned familiars can be given specific orders via mental command. Depending on the command. The familiars are not capable of advanced tactics without the direct supervision of the user, but general directions will be followed to the letter. Depending on the simplicity of the command, long-term actions can also be carried out.

-General Limitations:

>Since Aura is partitioned off to create the familiars, size is obviously a factor in Aura cost. The bigger the familiar, the more Aura needed to summon it. However, once a familiar is summoned, no additional Aura needs to be expended to sustain it.

>When a familiar is destroyed, the Aura that was used to create it is also lost, and must be naturally regenerated by the user over time.

>Familiars must maintain a constant connection to the user’s mind in order to receive orders and sustain their form, since they are based on the user’s emotions and memories.

>Because familiars maintain a connection to the user’s mind, having more than one out at the same time can make it extremely difficult to concentrate, and cause migraines.

-Applications: User often treats familiars like pets, taking advantage of their seeming intelligence and autonomy to have them as companions. Depending on the familiar in question, different purposes can be fulfilled. Some familiars can be used as messengers, for example.

-Dust Interaction: As they are comprised of Aura, familiars will take on the respective elemental attributes of any Dust they are combined with.

>Fire: Causes the familiar to gain explosive properties. Smaller familiars will usually explode on contact with a target.

>Earth: Increases weight, durability, and physical resistance of the familiar, but also causes it to move slower.

>Water: Makes the familiar virtually immune to physical damage, but greatly reduces any offensive capabilities.

>Wind: Increases speed and mobility of the familiar, but reduces physical durability.

-Notes: The user is friendly, caring, and fond of animals, but also extremely clingy. The Semblance reflects her skill in regards to handling and befriending animals, but also her unwillingness to let go of past relationships. A key example is one of her most frequently used familiars, a ram, which is based on her memory of a previous pet that died trying to protect her from a Grimm.