>"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look into the practical aspects, in case I missed something."
Patchouli nods and picks a rather large book out of a few floating bystanders, aheming and beginning.
"The combinae is a type of forbidden art formed from a basic principle of Familiar 'biology'. Familiars are masses of magic with a conscious 'soul'. This means their bodies are technically spells in themselves, therefore, are easily manipulated. Combinae stemmed from a branch of familiar researchers who sought to make a 'perfect familiar' that could adapt itself to any situation, or at least a spell capable of changing the form of a familiar.
The creator got the idea from the latter goal. He found while most magic-users couldn't directly manipulate familiars, they certainly managed to influence them with their own magical source. For example, the typical 'growth' of familiars as their owner becomes stronger is a good citation.
The first experiment with a combinae was through a spell instead of a device. The test was to find how a familiar body would react to the magic from an object being placed in it. A bear familiar and a clock was used. The clock was broken down and forced into the bear familiar's body. The bear familiar did not change 'physically', but soon developed the capability to tell the time with perfect accuracy. Later, this became a method of combinae known as 'Soul Combining', and was labeled to dangerous to continue, as further experiments led to some familiars completely destabilizing from the change.
The creator continued along the lines, eventually devising a spell that caused the introduced magic to only affect the 'body' aspect of a familiar. It was only temporary, but far safer for the familiar. It also kept the object in one piece, an obvious benefit. The creator noted that combinations that destabilized in soul combining typically caused only an increase in power in typical combinae use. He later gave up on the combinae when it became clear it was difficult to get exactly what he wanted from an object.
Combinae have still gained popularity, if only due to the incredible increase in power some combinations cause. They are still labeled forbidden due to being manipulations of a familiar. Typical combinae, bootleg or not, copy an object's magic signal and applies it into the body code of a familiar contract when invoked. The result is a meshing of the two magics, which causes a different formation of a body. Generally, a body will be similar to it's original form, gaining perhaps an appendage or two, but staying relatively the same. The bodies typically offer enhanced performance, and sometimes come with another 'power', theorized to be the latent magic in an option. Needlessly said, magic items in combinae usually apply their power to the familiar. The spell uses twice the energy to cover the typical body spell, and the 'object' magic that is introduced. This typically means an object contract is required for the familiar in use.
No combinae fusing of two familiars have ever been tried. Even the madman who created the spell thought it may be too dangerous."
Patchouli closes the book. "That is perhaps, the most informative on the subject I have in the library. Your combinae also seems to have an aspect of 'creation' to it. If you want, I can look up anything on that as well."
