Sorcery: Summoning, Binding and Warding

Perhaps the most ubiquitous among legendary sorcery is the ability to bind and control various natural or supernatural entities. Sorcerers can use their powers to command ghosts, demons, animals - even other people. With protective circles the sorcerer hedges out enemies, while with summoning spells, he calls the subjects to him.

Summoning, Binding and Warding are perhaps the most dangerous of spells. Attempts to bind creatures almost inevitably makes them hostile. A sorcerer may not know that a ward is unsuccessful until an enemy attacks! And, or course, many hapless sorcerers learn to summon creatures long before learning to bind and control them. Worse still, many extra dimensional beings possess will too strong to be easily bound.

All Summoning, Binding and Warding powers are rituals; the sorcerer must properly prepare and incant to make the effect happen. The aspects determine the sorts of creature that the sorcerer can summon and for how long. Each type of creature requires a separate ritual: Summon Rats, Bind Rats and Ward Against Vampires are all separate rituals.

Summoning, Binding and Warding covers many different areas of study. Material Summoning refers to physical creatures, like the summons of rats or bats. Daimonic Summoning affects angelic or demonic entities. Ephemera refers to the practice of dealing with spirits in general; Necromancy covers dealings with ghosts of the dead. Coiling or Technomantic Summoning refers to the practice of summoning or binding technological items - some modern sorcerers might even call their cars to them or ward their computers against viruses!

System

Roll: Intelligence + Occult

Cost: One Willpower

Modifiers: None

Duration: See below


Aspects

Creatures Affected

A creature compelled by a Summoning must appear to the sorcerer. Thus, the sorcerer can see spirits or the like that are brought forth, vampires are forced from hiding, etc. Note that the creature must move under its own power; the spell does not teleport it into the location. Thus, Summoning a toaster does little good unless it has wheels.

* Simple creatures: The sorcerer can affect small, unintelligent animals, like rats, bats and insects. This also functions upon simple nature spirits or basic technological devices.

** Large creatures: The summoner may affect large animals like wolves. The summoner may also affect ghosts of the dead or larger technical devices like televisions.

*** Humans: The summoner's magic functions upon normal humans or upon self-willed natural spirits. Computers and complex electronics may be affected.

**** Paranatural: The summoner can affect ghouls, other sorcerers and similar supernatural entities. Technomagical devices may be affected.

***** Supernatural: The summoner's powers reach beyond to affect truly supernatural material beings such as vampires, werewolves and the like. The sorcerer could use technosummons against airplanes, wards across entire buildings and soon.

****** Celestial: The summoner can invoke his powers against gods, demons and angels.


Number

Each dot of Summoning allows the sorcerer to summon one creature of the appropriate type or one swarm for small animals and insects.


Warding Strength

Each dot causes the subject to lose one die from all actions against the sorcerer. With Warding at three or above, the sorcerer may create a Warding Circle; unless the creature scores more successes on a Willpower roll than the sorcerer's player scored on the Ward roll, the creature cannot pass into or out of the circle.


Binding Intensity

Binding levels are cumulative. Note that a creature may expend a point of Willpower to resist a Binding, though the sorcerer may recast it.

* The creature cannot act against the sorcerer.

** The creature must truthfully answer any single question put to it.

*** The creature truthfully answers questions and must perform any one service demanded, though it may twist the intent of the service.

**** The creature performs a task for the caster as directed, following the orders closely.

***** The sorcerer may command the creature to perform one task on behalf of another person and order it to answer any questions put to it by others.

****** The creature follows the spirit as well as the letter of the sorcerer's commands.


Duration

* One turn

** Three turns

*** One scene

**** One day

***** One story

****** Permanent (?)

Price of Failure

The price of failure should be self-evident for Summoning, Binding and Warding. Those who meddle in the affairs of demons eventually get what they deserve. A creature may arrive and pretend to be under control; a warding circle might hedge against the sorcerer; a binding may simply enrage the target and even make the subject resistant to the sorcerer's spells.