The Best Book of Familiars?

"Mystical Companions" by Various.

Printed and Distributed by Troll Lord Games.

ISBN-13: 1978-1-944135-44-7 -- Hardcover -- 192 Pages.

I had an unusual way of getting this book, and I bought one despite having two other older copies of "The Book of Familiars", which this book replaces.

First let me say this: If there was ever a supplement to any game that made me want to play and/or GM a game, it was this one!

Generally, this book is about familiars and animal companions. One of the nice parts about this is that =every= class can now have the opportunity to have a familiar and/or an animal companion! Barbarians, Bards, Clerics, Druids, Fighters, Monks, Paladins, Rangers, Rogues, Illusionists, and, of course, Wizards.

Separate chapters for each of the above detail exactly what kinds of creatures are acceptable as Animal Companions or Familiars - with many that I had never seen used! These chapters make playing one of the standard classes even more interesting, as now, almost everyone can have one!

There's an Appendix covering animals, another covering monsters (believe it or not), another covering new Spells, another covering new Magic Items, and then my favorite chapter - becoming a Dragon Rider!

Be prepared to have players complain about how hard it is to become a Dragon Rider! This is =not= a task for the faint-of-heart! Assuming the dragon in question doesn't just eat you and get it over with, it is a very long and painstaking ordeal! You have to =earn= the right to ride a Dragon! Then, the Dragon has the chance to reject your advances and simply fly away. Even if your initial proposal is acceptable, there are still many steps to go through to becoming a full Dragon Rider!

The only suggestion I would make is - if the Dragon accepts you as a rider, then your normal lifespan should be extended to be the same as the Dragon's remaining lifespan. This might be =hundreds= of years!

Although it is early in 2021, it's going to take one heck of a book to beat this one in My Humble Opinion. If you use "Castles and Crusades" as a CK (Game Master) this book should be on your 'must purchase' list. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.