Conjure Familiar

 is a Novice-level Conjuration spell in. Casting it summons a ghostly wolf to fight for the Dragonborn. No dead body is required. Breton Dragonborns can cast this spell at the beginning of the game. Conjured Familiars cannot be soul trapped, nor are they affected by banishing spells. Conjure Flaming Familiar is the upgraded form of this spell.

Perks

 * "Novice Conjuration" cuts the Magicka cost of Conjure Familiar by half.
 * "Oblivion Binding" dispels both ally and enemy Conjured Familiars when struck with Bound weaponry.
 * "Summoner" - Conjured Familiar can be summoned at a greater distance. An additional allocation in this perks multiplies casting distance by 3.
 * "Twin Souls" allows two familiars to be summoned at once.

Attributes

 * Weight: 1
 * Value: 49
 * See Spell Tome for a complete table of spell tomes, their descriptions, and their values.

Acquisition

 * Purchase
 * Calcelmo at Understone Keep
 * Falion at Falion's House
 * Farengar Secret-Fire at Dragonsreach
 * Nelacar at The Frozen Hearth
 * Niranye
 * Phinis Gestor of The College of Winterhold
 * Sybille Stentor at the Blue Palace
 * Wuunferth the Unliving at the Palace of the Kings in Windhelm
 * Wylandriah at Mistveil Keep


 * In Skyrim
 * Ansilvund
 * On occasion, may be found as random loot from wandering hostile magic users such as mages, necromancers, and conjurers, or in a chest.

Trivia
This spell appears to be based on entities in European folklore called Familiars. They are said to be supernatural beings often appearing as animals or humanoid figures which assist those who practice magic.



Bugs

 * When casting the spell and walking forwards the player will vanish, the conjuration sound effect plays but there is no graphic and no magic cost. The player vanishes for a few seconds and reappears.
 * (I don't play third-person to confirm vanishing but I noticed that the spawn location is sticky when you launch the Conjure [something] spells, so if you're moving when you release they often fail.)
 * (Probably not a bug) if you shield bash your familiar 3-4 times, it will become hostile. The same is true of normal and magical attacks, but it's very easy to kill by accident. Skills are affected as with any fight, so it is a useful way to train defensive skills.