Spell Index

Summon

Create a creature to help you

Conjuration
Action: Full
Components: V,S,M
Duration: See text
Spell Lists: Arcane, Divine
Levels: 2,4,6,8,10

The Summon spell is a cornerstone of a sorcerer's arcane arsenal, allowing them to create a creature made entirely of magic to serve as an ally or combatant. Mastering this spell and learning to summon new types of creatures is a long and difficult process. Because Summon can create a vast array of beings, the Game Master should oversee the caster's progress, emphasizing the importance of specialization. For example, a sorcerer who specializes in summoning Giants will not automatically know how to create water elementals; doing so would require significant dedicated study.

The Summon spell allows the sorcerer to create animals, giants, elementals, and dragons. To summon a creature, the caster must use a sufficiently high level of the spell and consult the creature’s wiki template. The creature’s statistics are determined by two key variables: the caster's level and the level of the spell being used. When a summoned creature has special abilities or saves, its template specifies how its DC relates to the caster’s own Spell DC. For instance, an air elemental's Reflex save might be higher than the base DC, while a venomous snake's poison DC could also be enhanced.

Casting a Summon spell is a lengthy process, typically taking three ticks. The caster can dismiss the summoned creature at any time as a swift action, requiring only a single tick.

The primary challenge of this spell lies in communicating with the summoned creature. This limitation prevents Summon from being strictly superior to Polymorph. At lower levels, communication is difficult, relying on voice commands with a limited number of understood orders. At higher levels, this bond evolves into telepathic and eventually global communication, allowing the caster to command the creature even across great distances or from other planes of existence.

For long-duration summons (starting at days/level), the caster must infuse the creature with fresh mana daily to maintain it. This requires no action but consumes one of the caster's spell slots for each maintained summon. To make a summon permanent, the caster must pay a considerable cost in gold, determined by the GM.

A summon is vulnerable to abjuration spells used to destroy it, spells that disrupt the communication between it and the sorcerer, and illusions that could be used to trick it with false orders. A summon that has been made permanent with gold is not vulnerable to abjuration attempts.

Upon creation, the summon recognizes its master, is loyal, and knows its first order. Normally, communication is instantaneous and requires no action. However, if the sorcerer is unable to reach their summon (due to magical interference, for example), they can concentrate for two ticks to issue a new order. The summon's ability to follow complex orders effectively depends on the intelligence of the creature it is based on.

If a summon has completed all its orders, it defaults to a standing, unending command: protect its master. However, if its master is missing or dead, the summon becomes free and acts as a real creature would, with its own desires. For example, a dragon made permanent with gold who witnesses its master's death regains its free will. If that dragon is later convinced its master has returned, it might resume its service or might wait for a magical command.

The summon possesses the intelligence, languages, and basic knowledge of the creature it copies. The longer a summon exists, the more intelligent and useful it can become, capable of executing more complex plans.

Beginning at level 4, the caster can swap places with their summoned creature once during the spell's duration. The maximum range of this position exchange is determined by the closest equivalent teleportation spell of a lower level. (e.g., If Summon is cast at level 4, the swap distance would equal that of a level 2 Teleport spell).

When a summoned creature is destroyed, it disappears in a cloud of particles. However, if the summon was made permanent with gold, it leaves behind a true physical corpse.