"A flash of lightning tore through the tumult, illuminating the grizzled Elemenstor and his ambulatory dresser."
Familiars come in a variety of forms, from the golems of the Sons of Ether to the black cats of the Verbena, from the ferrets of the Cult of Ecstasy to the hyper-advanced AIs of the Virtual Adepts. It is said that even some Technocracy mages have familiars, though they would never refer to them as such.
—Mage: The Ascension - Book Of Shadows
You may have already run into some of the students' familiars out there. They look a fright, but, well, think back to your first shop class projects and how they turned out. Without the kids around to control them, they're running wild. Eventually, they'll go pure bonkers, and things here will go even more pear-shaped...
—Annabel Usher, The Secret World
He had a rough understanding that it would give him a conduit to a fecundity, and that had bolstered him through the pain and distaste of what the conjuration had needed. Listening to the curious scritch-scritch, he fingered the scabs on his thighs and chest. They would scar.
The information he had found on the technique was vague - passed-on vagrant's hedge-magic, notepad palimpsests, marginalia in phone books. The witch consoled himself that the misunderstanding was not his fault. He hoped the familiar, when it came, would fit his urban practice. He had hoped for a rat, big and dirty-furred, or a fox, or a pigeon such as the one he had displayed. He had thought the flesh he provided was a sacrifice. He had not known that it was substance.
A soft meow greeted me as I left the circle. In the fading light, my familiar came to me and nuzzled my leg with soft affection. She was the very image of the wash-maid's cat! Like all the Hosts of Hell, my patron had a sense of humor. When I took that familiar in my arms, she whipped her claws across my skin, then lapped, purring, at the blood. The pact was sealed. My lessons in the Arts began.
—Mage: The Sorcerer's Crusade - Infernalism
"Well, there isn't really ONE big reason, but a lot of good reasons. First, your familiar isn't just a pet; she's your ally. She's the best friend that I've ever had, and that I'm ever likely TO have. She listens to me, and tells me when my head is up my- er- when I'm playing silly head games with myself. She can see invisible beings and forces, even when I'm not looking for them, so she watches my back. And heterodyning your magical power with an ally never hurts. And Boots gets... Hey, what DO you get out of it, Boots?" Boots answered by sprawling on her back to allow her tummy to get rubbed. "Oh. Right. That."
Casual practitioner-familiar relationships are dangerous to the point of irresponsibility, but have seen some growing popularity among young practitioners as of the writing of this (2018) edition. The familiar is chosen not for power or purpose, but for affinity with the practitioner. The benefit, of course, is that one enjoys an easy friend and bond. Do not undertake such a relationship with an Other thinking it may be easier or may allow one to ignore some of the warnings and restrictions. Just the opposite. If one does not mind the dangers and pitfalls, the Other will, oft to one’s detriment.
— Famulus, Pale, Extra Materials 6.1
