Fine Familiars is a mini RPG where you play as Familiars on their home plane, constantly being transported to the Material Plane, given a new form, and sent back to continue what they were doing!

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TOUGH BREAK

Life is hard as a Familiar. You’re just trying to get things done on your own plane of existence when, without warning, you’re dragged away to take part in some magic user’s adventure.

When Familiars are summoned, they’re pulled from their original plane of existence and into the Material Plane. Familiars are given whatever form the spellcaster chooses and forced to take part in a quest until they’re dismissed, or their material form is destroyed.

What most people don’t know is that Familiars have no control over their own ability to change their form. When they’re returned to their original plane of existence, they’re stuck in the last form they were given by their summoner. This can cause all sorts of problems if you’re in the middle of a task.

They could be on the Material Plane for minutes, hours, weeks, or years, depending on how long they’re needed, but the good news is, when they’re returned to their home plane, no time has passed at all. If only it weren’t so disorientating!

HOW TO PLAY

When you attempt something where the outcome is uncertain, roll 3d10.

When you roll HIGH, roll 3d10 and combine the highest two results.

When you roll LOW, roll 3d10 and combine the lowest two results.

When you roll SPREAD, roll 3d10 and combine the highest result and the lowest result.

On an 11 or above, you SUCCEED – everything goes to plan.

On a 10 or below, you BOTCH – something goes wrong, or there is an unforeseen consequence.

Additionally, whenever you BOTCH, roll 1d10. On a 1-5, you are SUMMONED to the Material Plane.

ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

You begin the game in the last form you were given when SUMMONED.

Determine your starting form by rolling d100 and comparing the result to the FORM table. On a result of 1-5, reroll.

When you are SUMMONED, your form can change. Roll on the FORM table whenever you are SUMMONED, then roll on the TIME and RETURN tables to determine how long you were on the Material Plane, what sent you back, and how this affects you.

FORM

Each form has something specific that it is GOOD AT and something specific that it is BAD AT, though there will be other considerations to make depending on the situation.

It is up to your GM to determine whether your current form will make a difference to your roll.

If your current form makes you GOOD AT what you’re trying to do, or might otherwise make what you’re trying to do easier, roll HIGH.

If your current form makes you BAD AT what you’re trying to do, or might otherwise make what you’re trying to do harder, roll LOW,

If it doesn’t make a difference, roll SPREAD.

Familiars can always understand each other, no matter what form they are currently trapped in.

d100	FORM	GOOD AT…	BAD AT…
6-10	Bat	Echolocation	Daylight
11-15	Cat	Fitting Into Things	Patience
16-20	Crab	Clamping	Walking Forwards
21-25	Fish	Slapping	Walking, In General
26-30	Frog	Jumping	Sunbathing
31-35	Hawk	Hovering	Not Making A Mess
36-40	Imp	Cheekiness	Self Control
41-45	Lizard	Sneaking	Being Cold
46-50	Octopus	Sticking To Things	Letting Go
51-55	Owl	Head Turning	Imparting Wisdom
56-60	Tiny Dragon	Making Fire	Controlling Fire
61-65	Tiny Demon	Invisibility	Responsibility
66-70	Rat	Sneaking	Being Misunderstood
71-75	Raven	Cunning	Not Tapping On Doors
76-80	Sea Horse	Floating	Being a Horse
81-85	Snake	Fitting In Tubes	Loyalty
86-90	Spider	Webbing	Making Friends
91-95	Sprite	Being Cute	Paying Attention
96-100	Weasel	Being Long	Telling The Truth

 

TIME

Although you’re only gone for no time at all on your home plane, your period of service could be a long time on the Material Plane.

The longer you are gone, the more confused you are when you return. Roll 1d10 to determine how long you were gone and apply the CONFUSED effect given in the table.

1d10	TIME	CONFUSED
1	An Hour	NO EFFECT
2	12 Hours	-1 on next roll
3	A Day	-1 on next roll
4	3 Days	-2 on next roll
5	A Week	-2 on next roll
6	2 Weeks	-3 on next roll
7	A Month	Next roll is LOW
8	6 Months	Next roll is LOW with -1
9	A Year	Next roll is LOW with -2
10	A Decade	Next roll is LOW with -3

RETURN

Finally, roll 1d10 to determine what sent you back.

If you were DISMISSED, there’s no further issue.

If you were KILLED, you come back PANICKED.

1d10	RESULT
1-5	You were KILLED
6-10	You were DISMISSED

If you are PANICKED, take -1 on your next roll. This stacks with any CONFUSED effects you might have from the TIME table.

TALK DOWN

You can remove any conditions currently affecting you by taking a moment, collecting yourself, and recounting your most recent experience on the Material Plane to another Familiar.

Once this is complete, remove any CONFUSED or PANICKED conditions and continue on with your adventure in whatever new form you may be trapped in, now.

THE ADVENTURE – FOR GMs

Familiars are summoned from a specific plane. You may wish to roll on the following randomising tables to decide which plane they are from and the nature of their quest.

They are…

1d6	TYPE	LOCATION
1-2	Fey	The Fey Wield
3-4	Fiend	The Hells
5-6	Celestial	The Heavens

On a…

1d6	ADVENTURE
1-2	Quest
3-4	Heist
5-6	Rescue Mission

For…

1d6	QUEST	HEIST	RESCUE
1-2	Wealth	Information	Friends
3-4	Power	An Artefact	Family
5-6	Glory	Cash	Nobility

Despite…

1d6	OBSTACLE
1	The Monarch of The Realm and Their Minions
2	Their Greatest Fears
3	A Complex and Fiendish Set of Traps
4	A Journey of Great Distance and Difficulty
5	A Powerful and Ancient Evil
6	An Impenetrable Fortress