Find Alchemical Familiar Spell
More Phoenix Album Cover Inspiration
Last week I talked about how I found two albums at the flea market with phoenixes on the album covers. Inspired by the artwork, I set out to create a version of the classic find familiar spell that references the phoenix and other alchemical symbology. Before I share the details of the spell I created, let’s look at some additional phoenix album cover inspiration. In the comments for last week’s newsletter, Scott called my attention to the Dan Fogelberg album called Phoenix:
And Critical Hit Parader artist Kai pointed out that the “Fogel” in Fogelberg is derived from a word meaning “bird”! If I ever have a character who has a phoenix as a pet or familiar, I will be naming the creature “Fogelberg the Phoenix” for sure.
To balance out the pensive soft rock of Dan Fogelberg, let’s also examine the album cover of this EP from the Cult, which features a scorching live version of their wah-heavy song “Phoenix”:
There is no phoenix on the Cult album cover, but the salamander-like creature depicted fits our alchemical theme as well.
The idea with this spell is to summon a familiar who will transform over time into the five birds who symbolize various stages of alchemical transformation. In alchemical texts, these birds are crow, white swan, peacock, pelican, and phoenix.
The Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) RPG has my favorite implementation of a find familiar spell, which generates unique and fun familiars whenever the spell is successfully cast. I’m using the DCC spell as the basis for my new Find Arcane Familiar spell. I’ve written it up as a scroll that can be used as a replacement for the Special Find Familiar scroll in my Blue Öyster Cult themed adventure Workshop of the Telescopes.
Find Alchemical Familiar Scroll
Using this scroll automatically casts the Find Familiar spell (Dungeon Crawl Classics p. 141) with a successful result spell check of 12. The familiar that is summoned initially takes the following form:
Crow (1st form)
HP: 6
AC: 14
Int: 7
Familiar Type: Arcane
Arcane special power: can cast the cleric spell Second Sight
Personality: Eager and curious
Each time the caster reaches a new level, the familiar transforms into a new form as described below.
White Swan (2nd form)
HP: 9
AC: 15
Int: 8
Familiar Type: Arcane
Arcane special power: can shape-shift into the human form of a beautiful musician
Personality: Proper and well mannered
Peacock (3rd form)
HP: 12
AC: 16
Int: 9
Familiar Type: Arcane
Arcane special power: can cast the wizard spell Charm Person
Personality: Vain
Pelican (4th form)
HP: 15
AC: 17
Int: 10
Familiar Type: Arcane
Arcane special power: the pelican’s beak is a portal to an extra-dimensional space that can store up to 500 pounds of items for the caster (“beak of holding”)
Personality: Protective
Phoenix (5th form)
HP: 18
AC: 18
Int: 11
Familiar Type: Arcane
Arcane special power: if the caster is reduced to 0 HP, the phoenix combusts; the caster is immediately restored to full HP and the familiar returns the next day as a crow (form 1), restarting the cycle of transformation.
Personality: Patient
I hope you found this Find Arcane Familiar spell to be pensive and scorching, like the alchemical offspring of Dan Fogelberg and the Cult.