Familiar of Zero JumpChain
Familiar of Zero JumpChain
Version 1.0
Welcome to the continent of Halkeginia, Jumper. This magical European fantasy realm is split
into the five human nations of Tristain, Albion, Germania, Gallia, and Romalia, and with few
exceptions the law of the land is that mages form the nobility and commoners get by as best as
they can.
All is not well, however. In Albion a revolution has recently overthrown the royal family and
declared Reconquista upon the holy lands of the elven empire far to the east. In Tristain the
young princess Henrietta is preparing for a political marriage to Germania’s emperor, her people
seeing her as unready to rule in the absence of her parents. In Gallia a madman has taken the
throne and plots dark deeds for the rest of the continent. And at Tristain’s Academy of Magic a
young noble named Louise Valliere is about to perform the Springtime Familiar Summoning
ritual and form a lifelong bond that will shape not only the rest of her life but the future of
Halkeginia itself.
Whether that has anything to do with you or not is still up in the air. For now, take this +1000
CP. You know the drill.
Age
Student mages must be between 15 and 18 years old and nobles must be 20 years or older. All
other choices are free choice with proper justification.
Gender
Choose male or female freely.
Origin
Choose one of the following options:
Drop-In - You’re a stranger from a strange land, bound to nothing and free to go where you
wish. You can also choose to be summoned as a mage’s familiar with a certain perk.
Void Familiar (100 CP) - My but you’re a special one aren’t you? You’ve been summoned not
as any ordinary familiar but as one of the four void familiars. You retain your human form but
gain a powerful magical ability with which to protect your master. Take care though, unlike an
ordinary familiar there’s no way you’ll be able to avoid being caught up in the plot if you take this
option.
Student Mage - You’re a student at Tristain Academy, taking classes alongside the other cast
members. Like Kirche and Tabitha you’re one of the elites of the next generation, blessed with
power and talent that outstrips most of your peers. You can expect to make quite a name for
yourself if you participate in the plot.
Commoner - You’ve been born and raised as a second-class citizen in your own homeland.
Despite that, you’ve learned to get by in a world where the rules are skewed against you.
Noble - No longer a student, you’re an adult mage and proper member of the nobility. Politics
and courtly intrigue, not spellwork, is your bread and butter now.
Discount Rules
Perks and items associated with an origin get a 50% discount off the listed price and the
associated 100 CP options are free for that origin.
Perks
General
Brimiric Magic (Free/100 CP)
You're a mage, Jumper! This perk grants the ability to perform this world’s most common form
of magic, the elemental arts of earth, water, wind, fire, and sometimes ice and lightning and
others if you start mixing them together. Nobles and Student Mages receive this ability as part of
their origin backstories, but other origins can buy this ability, which is ordinarily genetic and
determined at birth, for 100 CP.
This perk can be purchased up to four times at the 100 CP price, with repeat purchases
granting greater inherent talent with the magical arts such that you can start off with the power
of a Line, Triangle, or Square Mage right off the bat. Student Mages get the first two purchases
for free while Nobles only get one.
Under most circumstances humans can’t use spirit magic, so if you take this perk you’ll have to
take a mandatory drawback, Fantastic Racism, for no CP. Characters who aren’t human, such
as characters with the Familiar perk, do not suffer this drawback.
Void Mage (400 CP)
The legendary fifth element wielded only by Brimir and a handful of his heirs, Void magic is
unlike the four other primary elements. Not only can it only be wielded by void mages, but those
void mages cannot use any other element. In exchange for this limitation however Void Magic
offers unique powers that no other element is capable of, such as the crafting of illusions and
gates between worlds and immensely powerful explosions capable of selectively targeting or
sparing particular targets within their blast radius. It is also the only form of magic native to
Halkeginia which is capable of directly combating elven mages and their spirit magic, as it is
capable of killing the spirits that those mages rely on.
Void Mages also get to summon one of the four Void Familiars, the details of which can be
found in the Companion section.
Taking this perk will allow you to begin with your void magic “unlocked”, so you will not face the
same difficulties in using it that Louise does. However in exchange for this immense power this
perk will saddle you with several complications. For one, you cannot wield any of the traditional
Brimiric elements regardless of what perks or origins you have taken, though magic from
previous and future jumps is not affected by this and this drawback is removed post-Jump.
Secondly, you will be sought after by powerful figures across Halkeginia and cannot avoid being
caught up in the plot in one way or another.
Depending on your preference you can either replace one of the four existing void mages or be
a previously-unknown fifth void mage. Replacing characters will have ripple effects on those
characters: replacing Louise, for instance, will cause her to have grown up as a successful
student rather than the infamous Zero.
Lastly, a character who purchases the Noble capstone perk Of Royal Blood can purchase this
perk at a discount.
Drop-In
Polyglot (100 CP)
Whether by some quirk of the jump or by having a botched translation spell cast on you or some
other means, you have gained the ability to learn new languages very quickly. Just by
purchasing this perk you gain knowledge of all of Halkeginia’s languages for free, and in future
jumps you can pick up new languages after only a few minutes of conversation. This applies to
both spoken and nonverbal languages, such as sign language.
Although traditional familiars are expected to be subservient to their summoners this perk
doesn’t give your summoner any particular control over you as a special privilege of being a
Jumper. You can even leave right after the summoning without giving them a chance to cast the
binding spell if you wish. But if you do stay with your summoner and forge a good relationship
with them you can take them as a companion for free at the end of this jump.
The Gandalfr gains knowledge of how to service and repair any weapons or military vehicles to
which his runes apply, as well as the crafting of ammunition and spare parts even with
suboptimal resources. The Vindalfr gains knowledge of the beasts he tames, learning their
behaviors, needs, strengths and weaknesses, and so on. He also gains an instinct for locating
any beasts to which his runes would apply within roughly one mile of himself.
To Lifdrasil goes the power to wield the magic they are gifted, granting them access to a second
magic pool composed of the Lifdrasil’s willpower in addition to whatever spellcasting abilities
they may already possess. Finally, Myoznitnirn gains the ability to seize possession of any
artifact to which their powers would apply by laying hands on it, even those which choose their
bearers, and ignoring any special requirements that would normally be needed to unlock the
device’s power.
Post-Jump you can choose to transfer this perk’s benefits to another individual if you so choose.
However if you also purchased the Chicks Dig Heroes perk you can instead choose to pay an
extra 200 CP to extend this benefit to any of your companions.
In addition to this, once per jump when you are faced with truly impossible odds, you can
surpass your limits and snatch victory from the jaws of certain defeat using a single field with
which you have skill. With this perk an army of 70,000 men may be halted by a single Gandalfr,
or a doomsday spell may be diverted by a student mage’s countermagic. The cost of using this
power is severe and will always leave you exhausted if not crippled in some way, requiring
several days of rest to return to your normal performance. Apart from this cost, the one limitation
of this power is that you must have some way of plausibly affecting the situation, even if the
chances of success are astronomically low.
Student Mage
Bookworm (100 CP)
Learning to be a mage is a lot more than waving wands around; there’s study and practice
involved just like learning any other skill, and you didn’t get to where you are without forming
good habits. Hitting the books (or the gym or whatever) to learn new magic or train new skills is
no burden to you, and time spent doing so seems to fly by leaving you with only the results and
none of the frustration or boredom it might otherwise cause.
These benefits apply to other magic systems, as long as the spell(s) in question fit your chosen
element. This cost reduction only applies to your personal energy reserves - mana, prana, MP,
etc. - not to any material costs.
In addition to the above, hard work never gets you down. You'll always be able to smile for the
customers, if only for the sake of their tips~! You may purchase this perk multiple times, gaining
natural talent and/or prior experience in a different field of work. In future worlds, gainful
employment will be easier to obtain, should you have need of it.
The benefits of this perk are proportionate to the amount of time you put into your work. A few
minutes serving dinner to a band of suspected traitors isn't going to get them to admit their
crimes, but if you ply them with good wine and pretty girls for a few hours, they'll slip up.
Mi Mademoiselle (600 CP)
Tre bien~! Even among commoners some manage to rise to the top thanks to their hard work
and talents, and now you are one of those talented few. You possess all that is needed to
succeed in a management position in a mundane business venture. Financial planning,
employee management, handling legal contracts, all that stuff is now easy enough for you that
you can practically do it in your sleep. So long as you are at the head of this business, nothing
short of physical destruction of all of your assets will drive you out of business, and maybe not
even then!
What’s more, you can make a business succeed no matter how anachronistic or counter-culture
it is for the current setting. This won’t protect your business if you are doing something outright
illegal, but otherwise feel free to open a maid cafe or fast food franchise in a European fantasy
setting, the locals will eat it up just for the novelty of the experience.
Noble
Noble-Born (100 CP)
"Mages achieve nobility through magic," as the local saying goes. However, in a world where as
many as one in ten citizens possess magic, relatively few carry titles of consequence. You are
now one of those few, entering this world as a Baron, the lowest rank of titled nobility.
Student Mages and Nobles inherit this status by right of blood, while all other origins instead
gain the rank of Chevalier, being assumed to have earned it for some great service to crown
and country. Student Mages are also restricted in that they have to grow into their titles and
inherit them from their parents, though they can still earn the rank of Chevalier. In either case,
the rank and the according recognition are all you gain from this perk. Your title will follow you
into future jumps, making a good impression on those who properly honor nobility.
You may purchase this perk multiple times. Nobles get the first rank for free and pay 50 CP for
each additional rank-up, while Student Mages get a free rank but no discount for additional
ranks. Mages and Nobles increase in rank as follows: Baron; Viscount; Count; Marquis; then
Duke. other Origins remain at the status of Chevalier, but receive additional recognition in the
form of medals and special citations.
This perk gives you a knack for diplomacy and engaging other parties in civil conversation,
finding openings, avoiding triggers, and phrasing your arguments more advantageously. Why,
you could very well talk a certain pink-haired tsundere noble on her very last nerve into NOT
blowing up her servant again! At least temporarily!
This perk only works if you and your target(s) are in a relatively peaceful setting, and have no
hostile intentions towards one another. Its effectiveness tends to diminish if you've had the
same argument with the same person before.
You now have an innate sense for how much goes on beneath the surface when dealing with
politics and societies, and a knack for espionage to help them uncover it, though you must still
put in the effort. More importantly, you excel at keeping such efforts hidden. Which, incidentally,
extends to the next logical step, from thieves and spies, to saboteurs and assassins...
First, if you are not worried about getting involved in politics and changing this world's status
quo, you can choose to be a known member of one of these four families, or to be part of a
known branch family - the Vallieres, for example, are descended from the royal family of
Tristain. If you would prefer to stay under the radar, you may instead choose to be an
unrecognized descendant. You can carry this royal heritage into future worlds, improving
interactions with people who appreciate such status.
Second, you have a natural talent for all aspects of government, from open political debate and
navigating the bureaucracy to backroom dealings and battlefield command. You work best
amidst the trappings of 17th Century European monarchy, but your skills will always apply to
some extent.
Third, you receive a 50% discount to purchasing the Void Mage perk, as the void mages have
traditionally been descended from those of royal lineage.
Finally, you've been taught the secret of Royal Magic, which allows mages to combine their
magic with far greater effectiveness. Where lesser nobles can only add their power together,
two royal mages can multiply it. In the former case, two Triangle Mages casting together would
only create a stronger Triangle-class spell, while in the latter, the magic would exceed the power
of a Square-class spell. In your case you have even taken this skill a step further, and are able
to fuse your magic with any other mage.
Equipment
Drop-In
Letter of Introduction (100 CP)
Having no friends or family in a pre-modern setting can be really rough, so here’s a little
something to make the first steps a little easier. This letter is addressed to a single person of
your choice and vouches for your skill in a single trade. This will ensure that you can acquire a
job even if there wasn’t previously an opening for it, such as being a personal maid or butler for
a young heiress. You receive a new one at the start of each jump.
In canon, the Dragon's Raiment is a Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" fighter of the Imperial Japanese
Navy, previously flown by Sasaki Takeo, and has a significant role in the plot. If you wish, you
may choose for this Item to be that plane and its shrine; alternately, you may have it be a
different Zero (perhaps flown by Takeo's wingman?), or any other one- or two-man fighter from
WWII. In future jumps the Zero may also be replaced by any CP-backed aircraft you have
access to.
Void Familiar
Laptop and Cell Phone (100 CP)
The basic equipment set of the 21st-century teenager, these two essential electronic devices
come with an assortment of games, apps, music, and so on to help you maintain your sanity in
a world without any forms of modern entertainment. They also never run out of juice. The only
thing you’re missing now is a wireless signal.
The Academy of Magic allows for both magical and mundane subjects to be taught to any of its
attending students. It’s staffed by a number of non-companion teacher followers who specialize
in different fields of education ranging from social sciences to alchemy. In their spare time these
followers will brush up on new fields of knowledge that you encounter as you progress through
your chain, eventually becoming able to teach those subjects as well.
By default the Academy attracts only high-class students from wealthy or influential families to
learn your arts, though as the owner you can waive this restriction at will, as well as set rules for
grading scales, student demographics, and so on. Students can be taught any kind of magic
that they are physically capable of performing.
Commoner
Work Clothes (100 CP)
This outfit changes to match whatever is most appropriate for your current occupation, be it
tough leathers suitable for hunting or farm work or a maid or butler outfit for serving the nobility.
When worn you pass perfectly for a stereotypical member of said occupation and people will
tend to pay you less mind than they would otherwise, though the effect is cancelled if you break
character somehow.
Humble Lodgings can take a variety of forms, ranging from single-room apartments and small
suites to houses and manor homes. The size is determined by your Origin: single-room
apartments are typical for Drop-Ins, Void Familiars, and Commoners employed as servants to
the nobility (this also covers the necessary living arrangements for larger familiars, such as
griffons and dragons); larger apartments of up to four rooms are reserved for Student Mages; a
Commoner might instead own a family home with half a dozen rooms spread across ground
floor, loft, and cellar, or a similarly-sized shop with a small apartment on the upper level; and
Nobles get the largest houses, lavish mansions with rooms spread across as many as three
entire floors plus loft and basement.
Regardless of their size, all Humble Lodgings are completely if modestly furnished (by the
standards of your social background), and magically guaranteed to be vermin-free, comfortably
heated, and always have some form of clean and hassle-free plumbing available nearby, if not
necessarily in the building. Commoners might have to make do with public baths or forest
springs, for example.
You can choose the location of your Humble Lodgings, within reason; familiars and servants
must be near their masters, and Student Mages must be at school. If you lose your Humble
Lodgings for some reason, you can select new ones appropriate to your Origin after at least one
month has passed.
In future Jumps, the Humble Lodgings will take on new forms appropriate to your chosen
Origins.
This famous establishment is staffed by a roster of lovely young ladies who provide food, drinks,
and service with a smile~. Left to its own devices, the Inn will turn enough of a profit to stay in
business, and stay out of legal trouble. It draws a regular crowd of bored, moderately wealthy
sorts - mostly merchants and minor nobles - who might talk about all kinds of interesting things
while distracted by the charms of the servers. The girls know better than to talk about what they
overhear, so if you want to exploit any of that information, or just make the place more
profitable, you'll have to get directly involved.
Post-Jump, you'll find that the Charming Fairies Inn has become a franchise, with a new location
opening in each new world you visit. A new staff will be waiting to greet you whenever you feel
like dropping by, Mi Mademoiselle~!
Exactly what crimes can be charged with this item depends on the laws of the government you
have chosen to represent, so don’t try to have people arrested for things that aren’t punishable
crimes. Any charges pressed in this way will move swiftly through whatever legal system exists
and justice carried out accordingly with no opportunity for corruption to interfere in the process.
Should you misuse this authority three times in a single jump you will lose it for the remainder of
that jump and will be investigated by your government for potential abuse of power, so watch
out for that.
Noble
Honors (100 CP)
While it's a relatively simple matter in this world to prove that one has noble blood, proving your
noble rights is a more difficult prospect. That's where this collection of documents comes in.
Bearing the seals of the Crown and the Church, as well as the signatures of witnesses beyond
reproach, your Honors constitute binding legal proof of your true rank, as well as the rights and
responsibilities accorded to you because of it.
Your Honors reflect the title you hold for being Noble-Born (and Of Royal Blood, if you took that
Perk) as well as similar Perks or Items from this and other Jumps - the deed of ownership to any
CP-backed properties you might own would be part of them, for example. If your Honors are
ever damaged, lost, or destroyed, a new copy will be issued within the week.
This Item grants you a luxurious wardrobe befitting your station in life: clothing for all seasons
and social occasions; footwear to match; a selection of tasteful jewelry; cosmetics to touch up
any... minor imperfections; and various other accessories, like a gentleman's cane or a lady's
fan (both useful for concealing a wand or a hold-out weapon). There's also a riding crop, for...
reasons. None of it is magical, but it's all quality work, and will help you to make the right
impression with any audience. And if the worst should happen, you can sell off the various
pieces for good prices.
Of course, what's appropriate for a humble chevalier or baron would never do for the likes of a
duke's daughter, so your Regalia's quality and variety will always reflect the rank you hold from
being Noble-Born. It gains another boost if you're Of Royal Blood, resulting in things like a
crown and scepter joining the "wardrobe." Don't try to sell those, though; it's unlikely to end well.
The Regalia is self-updating, keeping current with the latest fashions, cleaning and repairing its
contents as needed, and replacing any items lost to thieves or mischance. Anything you
deliberately sell or give away won't be replaced until your next Jump.
Elemental Ring (400 CP)
Among the various items left behind by Brimir is a set of four magical rings, which have ever
been in the keeping of the royal families of the Brimiric Nations: the Water Ruby to Tristain; the
Wind Ruby to Albion; the Earth Ruby to Gallia; and the Fire Ruby to the papal line of Romalia.
And now to complete the set, you have this, the previously-unknown Void Ruby.
When two or more Rings are brought together, they produce a minor magic effect that reflects
their respective elements; the Rubies of Wind and Water, for example, create a rainbow. This
acts as an unmistakable proof that the Ring is legitimate, and its holder is either a trusted agent
or a member of the appropriate royal family. Additionally, the Rings prompt a reaction from the
Founder's four Artifacts, each of which reveals a specific spell of Void Magic according to which
Ring is nearby, and what the circumstances of its awakening are. This is the only known way for
Void Mages to unlock their magic and learn Void spells. The Void Ruby can unlock any single
artifact in lieu of the canon equivalent.
In future worlds, the Elemental Ring continues to act as a proof of royal authority and/or
legitimacy, which few will question, as well as a "skeleton key" for various user-locked items of
power. The access it grants to such things is limited at first, but with time and experimentation,
you can naturally work out how to properly use them - provided you don't blow yourself up or
end the world in the process.
If you would prefer, the Elemental Ring can instead be one of the canon Founder's Rings. Be
advised that taking one of those will have a serious impact on the plot, and also make you a
thief in the eyes of at least one of the royal families. Unless of course, you're a member
thereof...?
Possessing this crown marks you as the rightful ruler of any single country in Halkeginia
regardless of whether you’re a Noble by origin or not. If you bought Of Royal Blood you might
be a member of a royal family but with this item you’re the one who’s supposed to be sitting on
the throne and calling the shots. Buying this item together with Of Royal Blood is the path of
least resistance to being king of one of these nations, but if you have The Crown but not the
royal heritage to go with it then you’re going to have to overthrow whoever is in power.
In future jumps this item causes most other people, excepting those who would lay their own
claim to the throne or disregard authority altogether, to see you as their ideal leader (by
whatever measurement that entails for them) so long as you wear it at least once a week.
Companions
Import (50 CP)
This is the standard companion import option. Imports gain a free origin and 600 CP to spend
on perks and items.
Use common sense in regards to masters and familiars. A jumper who takes the Student Mage
origin can import one of his companions to be his familiar provided that the import purchases
the Familiar drop-in perk. A jumper with the Void Mage perk can likewise import a companion to
be his familiar provided that they take the Void Familiar origin. Likewise, a jumper who wants to
be a Familiar or Void Familiar can import one of his companions to be his master provided that
the logical requirements are met.
Having a master for the duration of the jump is mandatory for familiars and void familiars. Taking
them as a companion, however, is entirely optional.
The focus of this Drawback doesn't have to be your physical appearance; after all, a lot of
people didn't believe that Tiffania was a nice girl, even though she really was. Either way, you
can expect to be the subject of staring, rumor-mongering, open accusations, and attempts to
"unmask" you. This is always going to be awkward and uncomfortable for you - it wouldn't be a
Drawback, otherwise - but the good news is that people can get over their suspicions with time,
association, and exposure to the real you.
For +100 CP, the social, political, religious, and intellectual mores of the day are as entrenched
as they would be in real life. In any public venue, you will be expected to behave in a manner
appropriate to your station by all those around you, with failure to do so resulting in penalties
ranging from social isolation to imprisonment to charges of heresy. Fortunately, such
punishments will always be proportionate to your offense, and you may act and speak more or
less freely in private. You can also still convince individuals to look past the blinders of their
culture and upbringing, but it will require more time and one-on-one effort than would normally
be the case. Enacting major social changes will be considerably harder.
For +200 CP, all of the above is still true, but you'll face increased levels of retribution for your
trespasses. Expect everything from whippings and starvation for failing to show due respect, to
being the guest of honor at a witch-burning for suggesting that the Church might be wrong about
something.
“Stupid Dog!” (+100 CP/+200 CP)
Uh oh, you set her off again. This jump’s version of Louise epitomizes the worst qualities of the
type-2 tsundere, especially the tendency to fly off the handle and break out the riding crop at the
drop of a hat. Don’t think you’re getting off the hook if you just avoid Louise entirely though,
because if you try to cheese it this drawback will follow you around and find someone you
interact with regularly and infect them with the same attitude. This drawback is worth 200 CP if
you choose to be Louise’s familiar. You poor sap.
This drawback can be negated if the familiar contract is broken by some means, such as death,
but obviously that’s not a great solution unless you’re ready to end your chain. Tiffania has the
knowledge of how to break the spell without dying first but you’ll have to find her and convince
her to do it for you without knowing that the spell needs to be broken.
Jumper the Zero (+300 CP)
Just like Louise you appear to have zero talent for the magical arts - and quite a few other
things besides. Taking this Drawback seals all of your out-of-Jump Perks, Items, and
Warehouse access, leaving you with only your Body Mod and whatever you purchase here. You
also cannot use any of this world's magic, with the exception of Void Magic. You must still pay
the regular price to acquire Void Magic, and if you do, you start with that magic locked, requiring
you to discover how to access it on your own.
Taking this drawback, the Student Mage origin, and the Void Magic perk will allow you to
self-insert into this jump as Louise if you so wish.
Catastrophic earthquakes will level the Brimiric nations and rip the land to pieces, as clumps of
earth and stone the size of mountains are dragged skywards. Some will shatter and fall back to
earth with devastating consequences, while others form new flying islands akin to Albion - and
perhaps smash it and their other neighbors from the sky. Weather will change, whole species
will be wiped out, and everywhere, man and Firstborn will wage a desperate battle of survival,
turning on their own kind as easily as their ancient enemies, while the Elves bend all their power
to containing the damage.
You must survive ten years of this madness. I hope those extra points were worth the
annihilation of an entire continent.
Ending
And so another jump comes to a close and it’s time to make that big decision once more.
Stay - Ready to settle down? There are certainly worse settings you could choose out there.
Willpower translates into MP or magic power, and any perks that affect one will affect similar
energy sources.