Difference between revisions of "Summoning"

Revision as of 14:02, 25 February 2016

The Summoning skill can only be taken by a Witch, Wizard, Diabolist or Shepherd. The power of the summons depends on their commitment (High aspect or Aspect).

Overcome: Overcome is needed to actually call a summon. The Drain is dependant on the threat rating and described below. Giving a Summon a task is also an overcome roll, and unless you succeed with style you or the summon generally pays 1 drain per task.

Create advantage: Create advantage can be used for a Summoning circle, as well as researching the true name and other advantages that would make summoning easier. Eacht create advantage takes exponentially more time (to create an additional advantage) and works only for one summon. First takes a day, the next two days, 4 days, 16 days and so on...

Attack: You can try and unsummon or banish extradimensional creatures (Demons, devils, outsiders, Angels,...), but this is very hard and expensive without proper preparation (see Create advantage above). The targetted summon gets to defend with its willpower in addition to the Summoning skill rating of its summoner (its much easier to banish an unbound summon).

Defend: Defend (Warding) can be used to block summons from entering certain places. It is only powered as long as someone lends their life-force to power it (stays inside the circle or location so warded. The summon needs to overcome the defender's roll when it created the circle. If it does, the ward fizzles and the summon can enter.

Summons

Tasking a summon

Tasking a summon is a simple overcome roll, tasks fit in the Overcome, Advantage, Attack, Defend categories. Tasking costs 1 drain, either for the summon or the Summoner (depending on your power and summon). If you succeed with style, no drain is deducted. If you fail drain will be deducted but the tasking fails. This can have different results depending on the summon and its willingness.

• An Attack task works for the scene. Further scenes need to be tasked again, causing drain.
• A Defend task works until the next sunrise or sunset.
• A create advantage takes one drain per usage, and can be held until the end of the scene (or no more drain can be taken). Each usage is a "free call" to the advantage aspect.

Threat rating and lifeforce

A summon's Threat rating (the basis for its creation), which is equal to its life-force (physical/mental stress) is the TN for summoning it AND it can never be higher than the summoning skill. The TN can be lowered by Create Advantage AND this will also lower the drain suffered (equal to the TN). The power rating remains the same.

Summoning for Wizards

The drain is suffered by the Wizard itself, just like for spells. The Wizard can diminish it further with Components. Wizards generally summon Elementals or Outsiders.

Summoning for Witches

The Drain is suffered by the scene. A Spirit is called which usually (but not always) takes the shape of an animal (even a human, though close scrutiny would reveal they're not normal humans). A Spirit is normally linked to a type of scene it was summoned in (Woodlands, Farmland, Swamp, City,...), getting it to go somewhere else is an extra Drain on the witch.

A Witch can also take control of an animal (or human, but this is frowned upon (especially the latter), and might get a violent reaction after the control). This works like summoning but the Drain is suffered by the Witch, but during control it is suffered by the creature. Tasking it works the same as for a summon, but the Witch can actually use the senses of the creature (and its skills) during control.

Summoning for Diabolists

Diabolists generally control a powerful Demon, but in addition they themselves or their demon can task other lesser Demons (Imps, Kappa, Jinn,...) for small tasks. Both can do it and will pay the drain themselves, but they have no real ways to lower the drain, so they tend to be a lot less powerful (then again, the Diabolist is already controlling a powerful demon).

Should the Diabolist lose control, or the Demon gets banished he can theoretically call a new one. This is extremely rare, and no information exists on whether this is actually possible, either no one has tried, or no one succeeded or they want you to think that.

Bound Demon

Bound Demons can be very powerful, they are advantage being that they can use their full power as long as you can convince them. The problem is that they can become unbound should the Diabolist run out of mental stress. And forcing them, or the Demon taking damage will send some stress the Diabolist's way (resistable with the Summoning skill).

Contracted Demon

Contracted Demons are much easier to control than bound demons, they generally work with you and rarely try to subvert your intentions. Contracted Demons work as companions and provide you with passive assistance as well as their skills if needed. As soon as you task them or send them off they work of their own lifeforce, when it's finished they will temporarily be unavailable. A contracted Demon starts at Good Quality with

Imp

Imps are a basic summon and need to be taken as a Stuntsummons

Summoning for Shepherds

A Shepherd can call for an Angel though only in the rarest of circumstances will this actually be granted. Much more likely is that the shepherd will pray for help and someone might feel compelled to come to his aid (generally humans, but sometimes other creatures, and even Angels. Faith stress is paid (generally 1 per task the Shepher expects), but the time and even whether aid will come is a mystery.

Drain

Whether you fail or succeed with a summoning, the Drain is ALWAYS paid, and any components are wasted. For tasking a failure doesn't cost anything.

Stunts

• Animal Companion Your character has cultivated a close companion from the animal kingdom. This companion is designed using the Allies rules, with a few changes and limitations.

Animal companions are designed using four advances. This companion must spend at least two of its advances on “Skilled” or “Quality”. Any “Skilled” advances must be taken from a short list: Athletics, Fists, Might, Stealth, and Survival. You may take only one skill outside of that list, within reason, as based on the animal type. A raccoon might have Sleight of Hand, representing its ability to perform fine manipulation; a lion might have Intimidation (this is unsubtle, and not considered a violation of the physical scope). If the animal is of an appropriate size, this creature may be ridden as a mount, at +1 to Survival.

If the companion is a mount, such as a horse, or a more exotic beast that has been persuaded to allow you to ride it, you may use that mount’s Athletics skill (at +1) instead of Survival in order to ride it. Athletics would also be used to pour on the speed when the rider is too busy to “steer” the animal himself.

• Ally Each time you take this stunt (again), you may either create a new Ally or Summon, or you may add 3 Advances to your existing ones.