Summoning

By Tim Hall - Conversion from the Final Fantasy Tabletop RPG... Almost...

Currently Under Development

The Basics

Fundamentally speaking, Summon Magic is the ability to command a host of powerful arcane beings collectively known as the Summons. What its practitioners bring into the physical world is not the Summon itself, but an avatar, an extension or 'echo' of a more powerful magical entity known as the Prime Summon. The Prime Summon dwells on a plane of existence separate from the physical realm at large, interacting with material beings by projecting images of itself across the gap.

Because of the enormous quantities of magical energy required to sustain these images, an avatar can only exist in the physical realm for a limited time before disappearing once again. Typically, this energy is supplied by the summoner, and is drawn from the summoner's own MP reserves. As a result, the avatar's 'lifespan' hinges heavily on the summoner's training and natural power. Callers, who learn summoning alongside other schools of magic, cannot keep avatars 'grounded' for more than a handful of seconds; full-fledged Summoners can draw this out as long as fifteen or twenty minutes, albeit only after many years of training.

An alternative is to bind the avatar to a locus in the physical world. Generally, this is a particular location where the levels of ambient magic are high enough to feed the avatar's needs, or a magically charged artifact such as a crystal in which the avatar can hibernate. In extreme cases, the avatar can even take residence in the body or mind of a living creature, though such a fusion has serious consequences for the 'host.'

Avatars can vary greatly in appearance and power, depending on their proximity to the Prime Summon they are derived from. Some basic features are universal; the fire Summon Ifrit has varied from green-skinned giant to furred beast-man, but each incarnation retains the same pair of great horns that have become his trademark. His icy counterpart, Shiva, typically appears as a paleskinned woman, though her form veers between recognizably human and distinctly alien. Others are more predictable: Bahamut always appears as a great dragon, while Leviathan takes the form of a mighty sea serpent.

While a Summon's physical appearance can be shaped radically by beliefs and imagination, most summoners have a particular image of each Summon drilled into them over the course of their training. This leads to a certain homogeneity among avatars in a given world.

Restrictions

Because summons don't work like other magic types in Fantasy AGE, there are two main restrictions on how they can be utilized.

1.) A Summoner may only have one active Summon at any one time. In order to change Summons, the active Summon must be dismissed and a new Summon brought into battle.

2.) A Summon cannot be Summoned or Called by anybody else as long as it remains an active combatant. In essence, this means that if Ifrit is Summoned, nobody else may Summon or Call Ifrit until he is dismissed. Calls have no such limit because they do not 'anchor' a Summon, but merely bring it into the battle for a few seconds.

Using Evocation Magic

Also known as Calling, Evocation Magic is the simplest form of Summoning known to Mages. By sacrificing duration for ease of conjuration, Evocation allows even mages who do not specialize in Summon Magic to access the power of a Summon in combat.

Evocation Magic works like any other Spell in the Fantasy AGE: a target is selected, the appropriate number of Magic Points are subtracted from the caster's total, and the effects are applied. The exact effects of Calling a Summon are listed at the end of its profile. (This will vary from game to game. It is yet to be determined whether the Calling Arcana will be used in the same N/J/M format, so it has not yet been made. Each Summon has it's own "Call Ability" but which summons will be accessible by mages is not yet known.)

Because of its fire-and-forget nature, Evocation Magic cannot be used to make a Summon carry out complex tasks, though the offensive and curative effects of a Call can be used both in and out of combat in the same manner as any other Spell.

Using Summoning Magic

Because it makes an active combatant out of the Summons it calls on, true Summon Magic is rather more complicated than its little brother, but enjoys significantly greater flexibility and power in exchange.

Targeting

A Summon acts as an independent combatant on the battlefield, and may be targeted accordingly. As long as the Summon is active, however, its Summoner cannot be targeted either directly or indirectly. During this time period, any damage that the Summoner would normally suffer is taken by the Summon instead. The only exception to this is damage inflicted by coup de grace or AOE effects.

Attributes

A Summon's attributes equal that of it's summoners, including the additional benefits from items. If the summon is meant to make an attribute test, it uses the same stats as the summon would in the same situation. If the particular summon seems to fit the task, like summoning Titan to support a collapsing house, the GM can choose to waive the ability roll.

Health/MP

Each summon has a maximum Health equal to their summoner's multiplied by their Health modifier. For example, Ifrit has a Health modifier of 2, so if a summoner has a Maximum of 30 Health, Ifrit would then start with 60 Health. In combat, Summons regain health by any conventional means, whether it be healing potions or magical healing. Out of combat, summons regain Health in the same rate of their summoner. This means a summon can enter combat without their maximum Health. A summon's Health also acts as their MP. Each round, 5 MP (amount may change) is taken from the total to act as a sort of timer for the summon.

While a Summon cannot be brought into battle as an active combatant by two different parties at once, it is possible for multiple combatants to draw on the same Summon over the course of a battle. Because each Summoner calls up his or her own 'version' of a Summon, damage does not carry over from Summoner to Summoner, but only affects the Summoner's own 'version.' If one Summoner calls up Ifrit and dismisses him with 20 Health remaining and a second Summoner calls Ifrit up later in the same battle, the second Summoner's version of Ifrit will not be affected by the first version's Health loss. Similarly, if the first Summoner's Ifrit is reduced to 0, this will not prevent the second Summoner from calling upon his services.

Actions

A summon can act immediately after being summoned and then is commanded through Minor actions by the summoner. The following are available to summons as actions:

Attack - Each Summon will have its own attack stats.

Defend - Some sort of Defense action will be taken, probably will vary between summons.

Wait - Because classic.

Ability - Each summon will have its own individual set of abilities that can be used. These will probably all cost MP in some degree.

Conditions

All status effects that are affecting a Summon will continue their affect onto the summoner after the Summon has died or when dismissed. This means if a summon gets poisoned, the poison effects will transfer to the summoner.

Dismissal

Once called, the summon is dismissed if the summoner takes an Activate action to dismiss the summon, the summon's Health is reduced to 0, or the summoner is unable to command the summon (the summoner dies, becomes unconscious, restrained in some other way). If the summon is reduced to 0, it cannot be revived through typical means. Revival of summons is set by the GM. Examples would be taking an extended rest, praying at a temple for an extended period, etc.

Advancement

Summons grow in power with the Summoner, gaining new and stronger powers as the Summoner advances in levels. To reflect this, every Summon has an advancement chart included in its profile, listing the attacks and Spells it gains as the Summoner advances, as well as the damage done by its Abilities at its current Level. These values are absolute – a Summoner cannot choose to 'roll back' these advancements and do less damage in exchange for a lower MP cost.