Goetic Summoning

I talk with angels and look them in their platinum eyes.

Nature spirits flitter on wings of leaves and rain to get my coffee.

I chat with ghosts and learn all their sad tales.

I trade with spirits of joy and gain sips of their sweet nectar.

Fire spirits dart from oven to furnace to spy on my enemies.

I walk with demons, and they show me sights no one should see.

Although there are a variety of summoning spells, Goetics have a particular affinity with the magic of contacting, summoning, and sometimes commanding otherworldly entities.

The basic process for Goetic summoning is this:

1. The Goetic decides what task they want done, and what sort of being they want to do it.

2. The Goetic makes whatever preparations they feel necessary, such as forming a protective circle.

3. The Goetic uses the summoning type for what they want done. There are thirteen types (described below). The Goetic pays a Sorcery cost based on the level of the conjured entity.

4. If the Goetic is conjuring a specific entity by name, the Goetic makes a Sorcery action with the entity’s level as the challenge, assuming the entity is unwilling. Sorcery spent on step 3 does not affect the venture. If the Goetic is not conjuring a specific entity by name, or if the entity wants to be summoned, this process is automatic. Skip to step 5.

5. The Goetic and the conjured entity engage in colloquy, which can be a conversation, an offering of payment or gifts, a threat, or a trick, depending on what the Goetic wants.

6. If the colloquy goes well, the conjured entity performs the task. If it doesn’t, the Goetic might be in danger.

This process is further detailed in the rest of this chapter.

THE OUTLOOK OF THE CONJURED

Before we get to the procedures of conjuration, it behooves us to consider the point of view of the beings being summoned.

These beings run the gamut of emotions and opinions about summoning. Some deeply resent the effrontery. Some delight in the opportunity to interact with mortals. Some enjoy the potential for bribes and offerings. Each should be portrayed (and dealt with) as an individual, unless it is relatively mindless. In general, demons are typically hostile, resentful, and interested in harming or corrupting their summoner. Exceptions abound, however, with certain demons enjoying the company of likeminded Goetics, serving shared goals.

Angels are not malicious, but that does not mean they enjoy being bothered. Some might willingly join a good cause or gladly lend a helpful, beneficent hand, but others are just as hostile as any devil to a conjurer’s audacity. Angels are not saps.

Other beings vary greatly. But there is a reason that conjured entities must be persuaded, bribed, coerced, or tricked to get them to do something. Very few entities welcome the intrusion and happily help a Goetic without needing some sort of convincing.

Further, who you deal with determines how much you should trust them. Demons, for example, are by nature untrustworthy, while on the other end of the spectrum, angels are far more likely to keep their word. However, a demon is often the only option for a Goetic who wants to do something not entirely honorable or moral—it’s difficult to convince many entities to steal or murder, for example, without a very good reason. Demons don’t need a reason. In fact, the more vile the task, the more likely they are to agree to it. In general, angels add at least +2 to the challenge if a Goetic tries to use bribes or threats, demons add at least +2 to the challenge if a Goetic tries to use persuasion, and dead spirits add at least +2 to the challenge if a Goetic tries to use trickery. Other spirits have similar modifiers based on their nature.

NAMES AND PACTS

Knowing a conjured entity’s name always gives a Goetic more power and influence over that being. It establishes a mystical connection.

This is not the being’s secret name—just its common one. Most beings are reluctant to let their name to be known, for obvious reasons. Some, however, will let their name be known to tempt Goetics into summoning them. Powerful Goetics can use the Glorify summoning type to force an entity to give up its name (but never its secret name).

Goetics who reach the 2nd degree can learn the names of specific entities that they might summon. A Goetic who knows the name of an entity but not its level won’t know how much Sorcery they must spend to complete the summoning until they try.

If a Goetic conjures a being whose name is known, all actions made in this process gain +1 die to the action once the being has been conjured. However, before that bonus can be applied, the Goetic must take a Sorcery action to force the named entity to appear in the first place, assuming it is unwilling. Willing named entities are summoned automatically.

The Goetic can use Sortilege on this action, but there is no inherent enhancement (as there is with most spells). Similarly, unlike casting a spell, there is no effect level to add to the venture. The Goetic must use bene from their Sorcery pool—above and beyond what they paid to summon the being based on its level—to increase their venture.

Regardless of whether a Goetic knows an entity’s name, they are still limited in the maximum level of an entity that can be conjured, based on their degree.

As an example, if a Goetic knows the name of a spirit operating nearby, they can summon it to them. A Goetic dealing with a haunted house could attempt to learn the name of the haunting spirit and conjure it rather than go to the house itself. Of course, what they do next is the hard part—they’ll have to figure out a way to deal with the entity, or it will simply return to the house it was haunting after the conjuration and associated actions are over.

When a Goetic learns a being’s name, the player should make specific notes about that being: its name, level, nature, and any details about personality (if relevant) and past events in its relationship with the Goetic.

For example:

Brizzemborl: Level 3 demon of the Red. Cowardly and craven, and doesn’t really like to be summoned. Has provided me with insight and makes a crafty spy. Not much in a fight.

Pacts are agreements forged long ago between otherworldly beings and mortal sorcerers. Most are elaborate—almost byzantine—in their nature and, if written, resemble multipage contracts with numerous clauses, exceptions, and the like. In the end, though, if a Goetic is aware of the details of a pact and the conjured entity falls under the auspices of that pact, they can use it to their advantage in the same way that a savvy lawyer can use the terms of a contract to influence an opponent.

A pact typically applies to a specific subset of beings. The groupings of otherworldly beings are infinite in their variety, but in general, a pact is made with a ruler and those that serve the ruler, the descendants of past figures of importance, all the beings of one important family, a caste, a clique, or some other group that has meaning to those involved outside of the pact itself.

Typically, a pact applies to fewer than one hundred entities, or more (sometimes many more) if the majority of them are level 3 or lower. These kinds of details should be worked out when a character learns the details of a pact.

A 4th-degree Goetic learns the details of an ancient pact that past vislae forged with an otherworldly group or master of such a group, and the Goetic can potentially use this pact. If the pact details the relationship with the specific summoned entity, all actions made in this process gain a +1 die to the action. This means that if the entity’s name is known and a known pact is involved, the Goetic can add +2 dice to their attempts.

New names and pacts can be discovered through research, traded with other Goetics, or found amid the notes of other vislae. Pacts are far rarer and more valuable, and they require more complex study (and time) to fully understand.

Neither the GM nor the player needs to know all the ins and outs of a pact. In fact, any such details are simply flavor. In purely mechanical terms, pacts are just a way for a Goetic to have more influence over a conjured entity. If a Goetic summons an angel to guard their house and knows of a pact that affects the angel, then the assumption is that the pact includes details about guarding residences.

MEANS OF COLLOQUY

Goetic summoning initially brings a being to the Goetic in spiritual, ethereal form. The Goetic has about a minute to interact with the being, using persuasion, bribes, coercion, or trickery. This is called colloquy. The choice is up to the Goetic, although experience will prove that some beings react differently to different approaches.

If the Goetic chooses to spend one hour per entity level in the summoning process rather than the normal, far shorter time required, they gain +2 on any colloquy challenge.

PERSUASION

A silver-tongued Goetic can try to recruit a summoned being to help by pleading, calling on debts, or suggesting that completing the requested task is somehow in the being’s best interest.

The Goetic must be able to speak with the entity. In most cases, all Goetics know the languages needed to conduct such interactions. However, some summoned beings might not speak or understand language at all. Obviously, particularly unintelligent beings fall into this category. A mindless little level 1 demon might have little more intellect than a worm. A horrible, malevolent brute or being of pure energy might have little regard for words of any kind.

If, however, the entity can be spoken with (which is the vast majority of them), the Goetic can ply them with words and ideas. To convince the entity, the Goetic must succeed at three distinct persuasion actions. Within these actions, the Goetic must outline the details of their request (the type of summoning) in detail. The base challenge is the being’s level, but most of the time, circumstances and the being’s nature will increase this by 2, 3, or more.

Success means that the being agrees to perform the duty requested. Failure of any of the three persuasion actions results in potential harm or unwanted influence from the conjured being, in addition to not getting what has been requested (see page 80).

BRIBERY

Gifts, sacrifices, supplication, or a quid pro quo offering can make the most hostile entity amenable. Unless the bribe is obvious, the Goetic must be able to communicate with the summoned entity. As opposed to persuasion, bribery requires only two different challenges, though skill and honeyed words can still play into them. However, the actions are always modified by the bribe itself. The better the bribe, the greater the modification. Within these actions, the Goetic must outline the details of their request (the type of summoning) as well as the details of the bribe offered. A bribe must be of the same level as the conjured being or higher.

The bribe must be appropriate to the entity. A soul is very likely of no use to a conjured nature spirit. A magical pair of gloves has little or no value to a being of living energy.

Sometimes the level of the bribe will have to be defined. The amount or size of the gift can affect its level. Bloody meat might be a level 2 bribe, but a huge pile of it the size of an elephant might be as high as level 6, appropriate for a ravenous summoned brute.

BRIBE EXAMPLES

Magical object: A talisman of Time’s Secret Door is something that an angel can actually use.

Soul: A favored gift of demons. Using the Sacrificial Rite, the Goetic sacrifices a living creature and offers it to the entity.

Treasure: A beautiful carving of a hawk has value to a nature spirit, both in its quality and what it represents.

Food: A slain deer offered to a hungry demon that feeds on flesh and blood makes a good bribe. The demon is likely to be a very simple one.

Action: The Goetic promises to perform a task that the being would like. This could mean an invocation done in its honor or a more practical act, like a donation to a shrine devoted to a god the entity reveres. It could also mean something dark, like a murder or betrayal to appeal to a demon.

Success means that the being agrees to perform the duty requested. When the duty is complete, the entity takes its offering without fail, unless other arrangements have been made. Failure of either of the two actions results in potential harm or unwanted influence from the conjured being, in addition to not getting what has been requested (see page 80).

If the bribe turns out to be false, or the Goetic fails to carry out a promised action, the entity likely seeks retribution. More intelligent conjured beings will demand a reprisal clause in the agreement, and the Goetic should expect such an entity to carry through with it if necessary.

COERCION

A darker approach is to threaten and inflict suffering on the conjured being. If the Goetic does not wish it, no words need be exchanged in this interaction, but only if the threat is obvious.

This is handled similar to a bribe, except that intimidation, not persuasion, is the action at hand, and rather than a bribe the Goetic offers a threat. Just like with other types of interaction, some beings are more susceptible to coercion than others.

The threat must be commensurate with the being summoned. Offensive spells often work in a straightforward manner and have levels that can be compared to the entity, just like a bribe. Other threats require case-by-case adjudication. Those that exploit a being’s specific vulnerabilities or nature (using a demonic lash to threaten an angel, for example) are treated as higher than their normal level.

Success means that the being agrees to perform the duty demanded. Failure of either of the two actions results in potential harm or unwanted influence from the conjured being, in addition to not getting what has been demanded (see page 80).

TRICKERY

Trickery usually involves some sort of bargain, wager, or contest. The Goetic challenges the entity to a game, and if the Goetic wins, the entity performs the service. If the entity wins, the Goetic must give up something agreed upon—probably something equivalent to the bribes previously discussed.

The Goetic might rig the wager or contest, but most entities are intelligent and experienced enough to expect that kind of thing and see through it. A deception action would be in order in this case, in addition to any other actions required.

Trickery is a three-step process.

First, the Goetic attempts a persuasion action to get the entity to agree to the terms. The base challenge is the being’s level, but most of the time, circumstances and the being’s nature will increase this by 1 or 2 levels. This challenge is generally easier than a normal persuasion attempt because the entity has something to gain. It requires the ability to communicate and can be done only with at least moderately intelligent beings.

Second, the Goetic must succeed in the wager or contest. Depending on its nature, this might be a deception action, pure chance, or a different type of action altogether (a singing competition would require a performance, a race would require a running action, and so on).

If the Goetic wins the contest, they must make another persuasion or intimidation action (Goetic’s choice) to ameliorate the situation and either assure the entity that everything will be fine or excoriate them and coerce them into abiding by the agreed upon terms.

Success on all three steps means that the being agrees to perform the task requested. Failure of any of the three results in potential harm or unwanted influence from the conjured being, in addition to not getting what has been requested (see page 80).

COLLOQUY FAILURE

Regardless of the approach, failure results in the same dangers.

ATTACK

The being manifests in physical form and assaults the Goetic. Most of the time this is a straightforward attempt to murder the offensive conjurer. More rarely, this is a kidnap attempt, and the entity spirits a subdued vislae back to its own realm. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, the being can remain in the presence of the Goetic for only six rounds. In other words, if the Goetic can survive for six rounds, they’re probably safe. Of course, the being might have the ability to attack in less overt ways: mental assaults, a disease, and so on. Some of these don’t require the entity to take physical form (assuming it even has one). This is why smart Goetics use protective circles or signs.

UNWANTED INFLUENCE

The entity attempts to establish a small amount of control over the Goetic. The Goetic must resist a single mental attack. If successful, the conjured being returns whence it came, and nothing more happens. If unsuccessful, the being still leaves, but it implants a bit of its own will and consciousness into the Goetic and begins to influence their actions.

Once a day, the Goetic must resist a new mental attack or carry out an action that speaks to the entity’s agenda, not their own. This lasts until the influence is removed in the same way that either a curse is lifted or a possession is ended.

Left unchecked, this influence can develop into full-blown possession.

Again, a protective circle or sign helps protect the Goetic from this.

ESCAPE

The conjured entity leaves the Goetic but remains in the world to which it has been brought. It carries out its own will and agenda, usually for at least one day per level before returning to its plane of origin.

Obviously, this can be bad if it is a powerful destructive demon of the Red, for example.

Cautious Goetics fearful of this possibility use the Encumbrous Triangle invocation to hedge in the entity at the start of the summoning.

TYPES OF SUMMONING

There are thirteen types of summoning. Each involves a different duty requested or demanded of the conjured entity. Once the successful colloquy is completed, the entity takes physical form or remains in spiritual form, as needed for the task. Beings without physical forms can’t perform physical duties such as theft, guard, and so on.

COUNSEL

The Goetic asks the entity for advice. The answers depend on the being’s wisdom, knowledge, and forthrightness, but for the most part, the entity likely speaks freely and sincerely.

The being might have information or insight into the situation that we do not have. This is more often true of demons than other beings (as demons are curious and nosy), though angels often have an innate wisdom that can be of value. Other spirits have their own areas of expertise.

Regardless, most of the time, the entity offers advice, not answers. It gives opinions, not information. Obviously, an intelligent conjured being is a much better counselor than a mindless entity.

Counsel usually lasts only a minute or two.

AID

The being helps the Goetic in a physical action that is not combat related. This might be getting through a barrier, building a structure, or traveling a great distance. A winged angel could carry you home. A burly demon could help dig a trench. The entity uses its abilities to its full extent.

This aid lasts as long as the action requires (subject to the summoning’s limitations, based on the Goetic’s degree).

GUARD

The being watches over the Goetic like a bodyguard. It can also guard a place or an object instead. In physical form, it does its best to protect and defend as needed. It remains as long as the Goetic’s summoning limitations allow.

SPY

The Goetic commands the being to go forth and return with information about events that it can observe firsthand. This is similar to query except that the entity goes off to get the answer and returns with a report. Sometimes the entity returns empty handed, thwarted by defenses or barriers it cannot penetrate.

Sometimes it doesn’t return at all if it was spotted, attacked, and defeated. Swift, stealthy beings are better suited to this task than warriors.

Spying takes a varying amount of time based primarily on the distance the being must travel and the obstacles it meets (subject to the summoning’s limitations, based on the Goetic’s degree).

QUERY

The Goetic asks the entity a single specific question. If the entity knows the answer, it provides it (although it won’t provide information about itself). If it doesn’t, the summoning ends.

Knowledge depends on the individual being conjured. If the challenge of the question or obscurity of the answer could be rated on a scale of 1 to 10, the entity’s level should match or exceed that rating to ensure getting an answer.

This process usually takes no longer than a minute.

THEFT

The Goetic commands the being to go forth and return with an object they seek. This works precisely as spying except the being must take physical form to obtain the object and bring it back. It faces all the same challenges and limitations as spying as well. In no case can an entity steal an object whose level exceeds their own.

ASSAIL

This summoning is just like theft, except that instead of stealing an object, the entity attacks a target the Goetic designates within the range allowed. The being fights to the death.

RESTORE

The entity heals the Goetic. Upon being conjured, it immediately restores one of the Goetic’s pools. On the round after that, it removes any other malady afflicting the Goetic that has a level lower than the entity’s. Then it leaves.

INFLUENCE

The entity, in spirit form, attempts to use a mental attack to establish a small amount of control over a designated target within the range allowed. If successful, the being implants a bit of its own will and consciousness into the target and begins to influence their actions.

Once a day, the target must resist a new mental attack or carry out an action that serves an agenda agreed upon by the entity and the Goetic rather than their own. This lasts until the influence is removed in the same way that either a curse is lifted or a possession is ended.

CREATION

The entity creates an object of a level equal to or less than their own and gives it to the Goetic. This requires about six hours of time per level of the object (the entity does not pause to rest).

GLORIFY

The being uses their spiritual influence and powers to make the Goetic appear mightier, more beautiful, and more wondrous in the eyes of those around. This is not an illusion, but an alteration of the collective consciousness of those who encounter the Goetic. This lasts for one day for each level of the being, and the effect gives the Goetic 1 level of connection with everyone.

As part of this duty, the entity sings the Goetic’s praises and exults in all their best qualities. In the process of glorification, the entity can (if the Goetic wishes) provide its name as it extols their virtues.

The entity is present for only a few minutes in this summoning, although the effects last much longer.

BINDING

Spiritual forms can be bound into an object (or a place) and then become that object (or place). Most beings are particularly loath to do this, however, because it in effect traps them, longer than the Goetic’s time limit would suggest. The bound spirit remains as long as the object does. Add +6 to the challenge for persuasion and bribery attempts, and +3 for all other attempts.

A bound spirit grants an object (or a place) an intelligence and powers suggestive of its own. This should be handled case by case. Many of the most powerful magical objects have a spirit bound to them.

ALLY

The conjured entity agrees to work with the Goetic on a long-term basis on whatever issue is at hand. The being is a confidant, a guardian, a soldier, a sage, or some combination thereof, as its nature and capabilities suggest. Rather than wait to be commanded, smart entities take their own initiative in service to their Goetic ally and whatever joint cause they share.