After learning the Familiar Spirit knack and performing the ritual with a willing spirit — within includes Naming the spirit, taking 2 Blood Magic Damage, and weaving a thread to the spirit's pattern (which counts against their maximum number of threads) — you follow the steps below to create your peer's familiar:
These are the spirit's initial characteristics which will be further modified by the spirit's specific type.
| DEX | 5 | Initiative | 5 | Unconsciousness Rating | NA |
| STR | 5 | Physical Defense | 7 | Death Rating | 20 |
| TOU | 5 | Mystic Defense | 7 | Wound Threshold | 7 |
| PER | 5 | Social Defense | 7 | Knockdown | 5 |
| WIL | 5 | Physical Armor | 3 | Recovery Tests | 2 |
| CHA | 5 | Mystic Armor | 3 | ||
| Movement: 12 | |||||
| Actions: 1; Unarmed: 6 (6) | |||||
Familiars must possess Speak Language and/or Read and Write Language to communicate effectively with non-spirits, unless the non-spirit possesses Elemental Tongues or Spirit Talk as appropriate. Peers can communicate telepathically with their familiar (see the Familiar talent) and vice versa, but cannot speak to each other outside of that without a shared language.
Despite spirit attacks being labeled as unarmed, they can take whatever form is appropriate for the spirit. However, it must be close combat and cannot have additional effects as a default. This may include a weapon for a guardian spirit, bite for a canine spirit, or claws for an ursine spirit.
Spirit type defines what variety of spirit the adept’s familiar is, which gives it access to various spirit powers, defines its attributes, etc. After the pact is made, the peer must choose a spirit type for their familiar and apply the listed modifications. Adepts associated with a specific spirit type (e.g. Elementalists and elemental spirits, Nethermancers and ally spirits, and Shamans and beast spirits) may have a different spirit type, but should have a good reason for doing so.
Each spirit type begins with one power choice. This power functions as the associated talent. The power rank always refers to the Familiar rank. See Familiar Advancement for additional information.
The adept’s familiar is an ally spirit. Choose from one of the following types and apply the modifiers to the familiar initial characteristics or work with the gamemaster and group to create your own:
The adept’s familiar is a beast spirit. Choose from one of the following types and apply the modifiers to the familiar initial characteristics or work with the gamemaster and group to create your own:
The adept’s familiar is an elemental spirit. Choose from one of the following types and apply the modifiers to the familiar initial characteristics:
Once a spirit type is selected and the modifiers applied, choose five of the following characteristics:
These advancement characteristics (and other characteristics) are improved as the adept's Familiar Spirit talent rank increases as described in Familiar Advancement.