I've been inspired by my recent reading of a particularly good article in Dragon #147 (July, 1989), callede "Getting Familiar". In it, they discuss the various pros and cons, ins and outs of not only summoning, but keeping a familiar in 2nd Edition AD&D(PHB 143 - This also applies to 1st edition AD&D, as p.66 in the PHB mentions). It got me thinking, that the familiar has all but dissolved into an easily obtained pet.
From what I can tell, this phenomena all started with the Pokemon fad, or perhaps earlier in some form of virtual pet. This evolved into our genre when computer RPGs started giving the player character a pet of some kind that would attack with the PC - it was already creeping into the domain of the animal familiar. Fastforward a bit later, and you look at D&D 3.x, and there it is - the "Animal Companion". Not only this, but you have these summoned animals that simply go "poof" when they take too much damage, and don't even have corporeal barriers to boot. Furthermore, the PC has control over not only when the creature attacks, but who. I suppose this is the game continuing to change into something more mechanical, as we saw the epitome of in 4th edition, but I digress. This is far beyond a summoned monster, but an animal companion that takes commands outside of combat. Now, I am not insinuating that these things necessarily replace the animal familiar, but they certainly steal its thunder. About the only thing it has left going for it at this point is the scry-like abilities it gives the wizard through the magical link created by the Find Familiar spell - and even that can be obtained by a druid or ranger in many cases.
A second disappointing trend with regards to the animal familiar is that a common animal such as a cat or weasel are not enough to satisfy the game deisgner these days. If you look at any one of the familiars listed in the early edition PHBs, (Cat, Weasel/Ferret, Toad, Hawk, Crow, Owl) it only takes a small spark of imagination to really design a unique animal familiar with its own likes, dislikes, and personality. Instead of that route, however, players are now offered the high-magic option: The pseudodragon. I have seen more players running around with these things than I care to count. In such a campaign, it should be the DM's duty to make life as difficult as possible for the low-level character who has chosen to carry such a creature with them on their adventures. For example, the party goes in to a wildland outpost, whose inhabitants are so extremely suspicious of magic, that they have had the town cleric construct a 'detect magic' archway by the gate. The wizard would then be raked over the coals so to speak and questioned, then likely jettisoned from the town, with none of the desparate assistance they needed so badly.
This may seem harsh, but it emphasises the clear difference between traveling with a common animal, and a magical creature. Characters are often times required to hide their familiars. With such a link as is defined in the Find Familiar spell, there might be a small amount of detectable magic lingering after the casting, but certainly not to the extent the Pseudodragon would show.
The dragon hath slain our men, and destroyed our village, yet this one carries a youngling with him?
Get a rope!
