Familiarisation

This Distraction and Diversion has been rated as Low Risk. See the minigames page for a definition of high and low risk.

Introduction

"Familiarisation" is the process by which druids are able to mentally project themselves into the spirit plane, using various Summoning obelisks across the land. All Summoning familiars come from the spirit plane and it is the only location where spirit shards - a vital ingredient in infusing Summoning pouches - come from. The familiars within the spirit plane, however, have begun to act out towards the druids, preventing them from returning to their human bodies.

Pikkenmix, apprentice to the Summoning Master Pikkupstix, has been investigating this strange phenomenon and he needs your assistance! You must learn the art of Familiarisation, enter the spirit plane by inhabiting the body of a familiar there and collect as many raw spirit shards as possible before the other familiars take notice.

Familiarisation is a weekly minigame only. After playing, you must wait a full week before being able to play again.

Requirements

There are no level, quest or item requirements for this minigame. Several of the small Summoning obelisks will require certain quests or levels to access, however. There are also many transportation methods/shortcuts that will allow you to access obelisks as quickly as possible. Any quest requirements are listed in the "Requirements" column on the table below.

Some helpful quests to have completed include:

For additional methods, please check out the Getting Around Guide.

Locations



Familiarisation Active Obelisk

You can't help Pikkenmix out if you don't know where he is, of course! He can be found near the current active Summoning obelisk. Pikkupstix, the Summoning Master in Taverly, will provide you with a hint as to Pikkenmix's current location upon request. Players with level 67 Magic and access to the Lunar Magicks Spellbook can speak to Pikkupstix directly through the 'Lunar Contact' spell, otherwise, they must travel to Taverley to speak with him.

The active Summoning obelisk glows faintly and is surrounded by sparkles. The obelisk remains active for 20 minutes only before going inactive. A new obelisk will become active every 2 hours. Even though an obelisk may not be active on one world, it is possible that it is active on another world.

If the obelisk is inactive, Pikkupstix will tell you "I expect off somewhere relaxing. He's been quite busy lately."

The table below matches the hints Pikkupstix will give you with Pikkenmix's actual location.

Hint Location Requirement(s)
A camp in the woods with a catapult nearby. Tyras Camp Regicide Quest
A cheeky monkey and... Oh, my! I hope that volcano doesn't explode! Karamja, west of Musa Point None
A dungeon of beasts that crawl near the barbarians. Rellekka Slayer Dungeon None
A farming patch, dock, castle, etc Etceteria Throne of Miscellania
A large cave dwelling, full of a bustling, small people with pickaxes. I see...a boat! Keldagrim, near the Dwarven Ferryman The Giant Dwarf Quest
A place where doors talk. First level of the Stronghold of Security None
A rotten town south of a corrupted shady village. South-west of the bridge south of Mort'ton None
Beneath a huge tree in the darkness and roots. Grand Tree Mine The Grand Tree Quest
Between a temple and a lycanthropic town. Canifis, near fairy ring C K S. None
Beware the spider's bite, beneath the rocky city. Varrock Sewers None
I expect off somewhere relaxing. He's been quite busy lately. This is not a Location hint. If this message is displayed, that means the obelisk for that world is currently inactive.
I hope the villagers' defences hold against those zombies. Shilo Village Shilo Village Quest
I spoke to a tree within sight of people going over a log. Tree Gnome Stronghold The Grand Tree quest
I wonder if the poor souls in the prison are allowed to visit the chapel. Port Sarim None
If there's blood on the sand, a victor emerges. Duel Arena None
In the ground beneath the garden where creatures burrow. Giant Mole lair, in Falador Park None
Near a cave with knights and worms. White Knight Camp near Port Sarim None
Near a heroic fountain. Underneath the Heroes' Guild Heroes' Quest
Near a village with long-eared people. North-west of Lletya Must have started Mourning's End Part 1 Quest
Near the ever-flagging war. Castle Wars None
Next to a bridge south of great expanses of danger. Edgeville None
Northern barbarians have a cosy home. Rellekka None
North of a fountain of green. North of Ectofuntus None
North of the city of sickness. Combat Training Camp, north of West Ardougne Biohazard Quest
Pass through to thirst. Shantay Pass None
Place of the moon people. Lunar Isle Lunar Diplomacy Quest
Purple rippling near a flying rug. Pollnivneach None
Seaside infested with barbarians. Barbarian Outpost None
South of a market village Draynor Village None
South of the city of sickness. Khazard battlefield None
Sun, sand, freshly-picked fruit and pretty music Catherby None
Surrounded by Heroes, chaos and game. Burthorpe None
Surrounded by jungle, with mithril near. Nature Altar None
The lava walks, the rocks talk. TzHaar None
The stench of fish is strong here. Fishing Guild 68 Fishing
This one is mostly harmless. Mos Le'Harmless Cabin Fever Quest
Travel through demons and dwarves of chaos, but mind the axes. Taverly Dungeon None
Under a white city and through the scorpions. Dwarven Mines, near the ladder to Ice Mountain None
What a magical land...in spite of the talking sheep. Zanaris Lost City Quest
With patch, castle, dock. Etceteria The Fremennik Trials Quest
Within sight of a fishing boat. Port Khazard None
You must dodge rocks to reach the summit. Trollheim Death Plateau Quest
Yes it is...no it's not. Yeah, 'tis so! Neitiznot The Fremennik Isles Quest
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The Spirit Plane

Upon agreeing to help Pikkenmix, you will be "familiarised" and appear in Spirit Plane in the form of one of twelve possible familiars. The selection will be random each time you play. The following will appear on your screen once you are inside the spirit plane:

Familiarisation Start

  • Focus Bar (Cyan)
  • Your Form (Green)
  • Instantly Opposed Familiars (Red)
  • Current Opposed Familiars (Yellow)
  • Shards Collected (Purple)

Time is against you in this minigame - you must collect as many Raw spirit shards as possible before your Focus Bar energy runs out. The Focus Bar appears along the left side of your screen. This bar indicates how much focus you are putting into staying connected to your familiar. Consider it your "health bar" while playing. Each time you pass too closely to a familiar that recognizes you, some of your focus will be drained. Once your Focus Bar has depleted entirely, you will be removed from the spirit plane and you will transform back into your original body.

As your focus energy is drained, the level of the Focus Bar will decrease, and the colour will gradually fade from green to yellow, orange, and finally red. You can also gauge how much focus you have left by looking at the colour of your familiar - a bright, colourful familiar means you have plenty of Focus left, while an unsaturated colour means your Focus is running out.

Below you see three different colours that you will turn. The changes are gentle, and the three below have been taken at "start", "mid focus" and "near death" focus.

Familiarisation Familiar

Please note, the game will also end if:

  • You collect 60 Raw spirit shards
  • 20 minutes have passed
  • You freely exit via the Obelisk near the center of the plane

As mentioned above, upon entering the spirit plane, you will assume the form of a random spirit familiar - Your Form is indicated at the beginning of the game. Based upon what form you choose, two types of familiars in the spirit plane will be Instantly Opposed Familiars - from the minute the game begins, they have the ability to recognize you should you get too close, and will drain some Focus Energy.

Please refer to the Familiar Forms table below to see which familiars are instantly opposed to your form.

Familiarisation Messages Familiars

Current Opposed Familiars are displayed by mini-icons near the top of the game window (image above). At various points during the game, a new familiar type will become opposed to you. The message "MORE FAMILIARS ARE HUNTING YOU" will appear in the center of your screen when this happens (as on the image below). The icons of the new forms are then added to the top section of the screen, and a red exclamation mark will be flashing on top of it (image above). A maximum of 6 familiars are able to detect your presence during the game.

Familiarisation Messages
    • Familiars have a well-sized radius (3-8 squares) in which they can see you. Pay attention to where you are in relation to their lines of sight. You can hide behind rocks and other objects within the Spirit plane - this will decrease the likelihood of an opposing familiar seeing you.

Piles of Raw spirit shards can be found scattered around on the ground throughout the spirit plane. The amount of Shards Collected is displayed in a counter near the upper-right corner of your screen. You can collect a maximum of 60 shards per game. The piles of shards are slow to respawn and spawn points are entirely individualized - other players picking up shards will not affect which are available to you.


Run Energy:
While you are able to run within this minigame, your run energy depletes faster and regenerates slower than it normally would. Switching to Walk while no opposed familiars are around may help conserve your Run energy. For those players who have completed the As a First Resort... quest, you may wish to take a dip in the Oo'glog Salt Water Pool just prior to entering the Spirit Plane. The effect of the pool will give you unlimited Run Energy for a time period of 10 to 30 minutes.

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Familiar Forms

This table details which two types of familiars will be instantly opposed to each familiar form.

Your Form Instantly Opposed By
Thorny snail Barker toad Barker toad Desert wyrm Desert wyrm
Compost mound Geyser titan Geyser titan War tortoise War tortoise
Giant chinchompa HydraHydra Karamthulhu overlordKaramthulhu overlord
Void spinner Obsidian golem Vampyre bat Vampyre bat
Evil turnip Compost mound Compost mound Thorny snail Thorny snail
Spirit coraxatrice Spirit kyatt Spirit kyatt Spirit larupiaSpirit larupia
Spirit larupia Spirit wolf Spirit wolf Void ravager Void ravager
Stranger plant Pack yakPack yak Ravenous locust Ravenous locust
Adamant minotaur Forge regentForge regent Lava titan Lava titan
Giant ent Beaver Beaver px;"Fire Fire titan
Ice titan Pyrelord Pyrelord Spirit Tz-Kih Spirit Tz-Kih
Pack yak Albino Rat Albino rat Spirit cobra Spirit cobra
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Rewards

After the game has ended, you have the option to pick one of two rewards from Pikkenmix. (You can also claim your reward from Pikkupstix in Taverley.) He'll offer to either give you a Triple Charm Drop Enhancer, or give you a Box of summoning ingredients. Please note, you CANNOT use the Lunar Magicks spell "NPC Contact" to obtain your reward from Pikkupstix.

Charm drop enhancerIf you select this reward, you will receive a physical item in the form of a Charm drop enhancer. Note that you can only have one of this item at a time. Upon consumption, the number of charms dropped by standard monsters will be tripled for the duration of the effect. This time granted can last for up to a maximum of 40 minutes, depending on the number of Raw Shards you collected; the timer does not start until you tear the ticket. Make sure you are ready as there is no warning when clicking on it. Monsters with a 100% charm drop rate (Bork, etc.) will not be affected by this bonus. Formerly this was only an effect and started immediately after selecting the reward.
Box of summoning ingredientsIf you select this reward, you will be given a Box of summoning ingredients. Inside you will find two of any secondary Summoning ingredients. The number of each ingredient depends on the number of Raw Shards collected during the game, as well as your Summoning level.

PLEASE NOTE: If you start a game of Familiarisation before collecting your reward from the previous week, you will only be able to collect a maximum of 30 Raw Shards for that game and will not be able to collect a second charm drop enhancer; therefore, it is highly recommended that you always collect your reward before playing another game.

Box Of summoning ingredients
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Credits

Written By: The Tip.It Crew

Special thanks to: Codguy, DaDieselDude05, Jaffy1, SerpentEye, Siobhana, Vulxai

Thanks to: agreatmonk, Andergraiden, Baffler, bloodneck, Cowman_133, doodlebug86, Drazhar44, Dullmage, Etpelletier, gtahell, Guydabest, Howlin0001, Jabawoki13, Lady_Shahdie, laura0077, mullen32, Paw_Claw, Sirbrandon39, Smellysocks, Warriormonkx

Last updated by: Baffler

Last updated on: 27-Nov-2012


RuneScape 2007
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