Bond item

A mechanic first introduced in Pathfinder 1st Edition, a Bond item can replace a familiar for Wizards. Taking the form of an amulet, a ring, a staff, a wand or weapon among others, a Bond Item grants the Mage additional spellcasting power. Being deprived of a Bond Item significantly weakens the spellcasting power of its Mage. Under the rules of Ravenloft, Bond Items are corrupted not unlike dread familiars. Over time, they become receptacles of their owner's worst aspects, developing a malign intelligence that may try to subvert the bond of master and servant by directing its master's actions -- in the belief that this is to the master's benefit.