Familiars on Athas (DK)

__TOC__
Athasian wizards prefer to maintain anonymity, so use of familiars is quite common. Of the possible familiar creatures (bat, beetle, black cat, pseudodragon, rat, scorpion, and snake ), only the black cat and pseudodragon are universally recognized as the companions of wizards. The others are so common to Athas that they generally go unnoticed. Additionally, so many nonwizards travel with animal companionship on Athas that the practice draws little attention. 
Other creatures for familiars: Any Athasian creatures of roughly animal intelligence and 2 HO or less can become familiars. On Athas, these creatures tend to run a little larger than on other worlds. 
Psionics and familiars: A wizard communicates with a familiar through empathy, identical to the telepathic devotion of the same name. However, empathy between the wizard and a familiar does not require the psionic devotion, nor does it use strength points. No power check is needed. 
A familar may have additional psionic powers. There is a base 30% chance that a familiar is a wild talent (rolled at random), and a base 5% chance that it has powers equal to a 1st-level psionicist with 25 psionic strength points (the familiar never advances in level. A familiar with psionic powers gladly uses them at the behest of its wizard.