You can spend 10 minutes to perform a ritual to summon an animal. At the end of the ritual, the animal appears in an unoccupied space that you can see within 10 meters and assumes the form of an animal companion that you have detailed knowledge of.

Reduce your mana and maximum mana equal to your Aptitude Bonus, or reduce your ki maximum ki equal to double your Aptitude Bonus. Your animal is augmented to that amount of mana or half the amount of ki. Your animal is friendly to you and your companions.

Any creature you animated with this spell acts after your turn. You can mentally command the creature if it is within 20 meters of you (if you control multiple creatures, you can command any or all of them at the same time, issuing the same command to each one). The creature(s) will generally follow any specific verbal commands that you issue to them if the likely outcome is in accordance with its desires (no action required by you). For example you may command it to guard a particular chamber or corridor, explore the room ahead, or to attack a specific creature. If you don't issue any commands, they defend themselves from hostile creatures, but otherwise take no actions.

If your animal is ever slain or chooses to leave you, you can summon a different creature or the magical bond you share allows you to return your animal to life. With 8 hours of work and the expenditure of rare materials worth 10 sp for each Aptitude Bonus, you call forth your animal’s spirit and use your magic to create a new body for it. You can return your animal to life in this manner even if you do not possess any part of its body.