Find familiar

Find familiar was a conjuration ritual that bound a spirit to a warlock or wizard in the form of a familiar.

Effects
Familiars summoned in this way were spirits of either celestial, fey or fiendish nature, depending on the caster's choice, that took the form of an animal, also of the caster's choice. Subsequent castings of the ritual changed the form the spirit took to that of another animal. Typical choices included bats, cats, crabs, frogs, hawks, lizards, octopi, owls, snakes, fish, rats, ravens, sea horses, spiders, and weasels, although warlocks could be granted other forms by their patrons, such as imps, pseudodragons, quasits, or sprites. Other, less common choices included almiraj, flying monkeys. tressym, cranium rats, crawling claws, and gazers.

Familiars thus summoned had the usual link with their masters, such as a telepathic link over some distance, which included the ability for the caster to see through the creature's eyes, the ability to relay touch-based spells and the ability to be temporarily or permanently dismissed. Only one familiar could be bound to a spellcaster at any given time.

If a familiar summoned by this spell were killed, it could reappear by a subsequent casting of the ritual.

When cast on Avernus, the first layer of the Nine Hells, the result was invariably an imp.

Components
The spell needed verbal, somatic and material components. The materials needed were high-quality charcoal, incense and herbs that needed to be burned in a brazier made of brass as part of the ritual.

History
The spell was attributed to the Netherese arcanist Zahn in and was originally called Zahn's familiar.