Robotic Familiars (Dragonstar)
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Sorcerers and wizards with the Technological Proficiency feat can take tiny robots as familiars.
Robotic familiars are not soulmechs and do not need neural nets. They are simply robots that are bound to their creators through a technomagical ritual. The techno-magical bond between master and pet imbues the robot with spirit and true intelligence - though that intelligence is in some ways more limited than that of an ordinary robot (lower Int score), it is a true intelligence and can act freely outside program parameters.
A robotic familiar is bound, not summoned. The prospective master must already have the robot. In most cases, this means he must purchase it beforehand. The cost of the robot is in addition to the cost of the ritual. A character who starts the game with a familiar at first level can elect to start with a robotic familiar, in which case the basic robotic body is free. Any upgrades still have to be paid for.
A robotic familiar uses the statistics of a Tiny robot from Starfarer's Handbook. However, the robotic familiar does not have a class - it is solely a familiar. It gains all the abilities of a standard familiar, including an Intelligence score that increases over level and access to all its master's skill ranks. Half the master's hit points are added to the hit points of the familiar's robotic body. A robotic familiar can communicate in the universal robot/computer interface code, digital. At level seven, it can communicate with all constructs - though unintelligent constucts will never answer. The master of a robotic familiar receives a +2 bonus on the Use Device skill as long as the familiar is within one mile.
Robotic familiars can be fitted with the same upgrades that soulmechs can, at the same monetary cost but no XP cost.
You can always pick up a new robotic familiar. If a robotic familiar is destroyed, it can be replaced without the usual one-year waiting period. The master still loses the normal amount of experience points. This is also true for mages who have lost their normal familiars. However you must still wait the usual year-and-a-day before you pick up a new, ordinary familiar after giving up a robotic familiar. In this way, adventuresome mages often get stuck with robotic familiars whether they want to or not. It is not unusual to see robotic familiars shaped and named after a deceased living familiar.
Imperial Sorcerer | Imperial Wizard
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