Summoning spells... rituals?

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RigaMortus2

First Post

• Mar 19, 2008

• #1

Just had a crazy thought...

What if summoning spells became rituals. You would basically cast them before the day begins. The creature you summoned now lasts a lot longer (hours, 24 hours, permanently until killed).

Same could happen w/ Polymorph effects. Polymorph into an Ogre at the beginning of the day, last for 24 hours or until dispelled?

 

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DandD

First Post

• Mar 19, 2008

• #2

There are summoning spells that last for hours/years/centuries already in D&D 3.X. Call Extraplanar Ally and that other wizard-equivalent spell... And yes, these spells need hours to be casted, which basically makes them rituals... So, nothing new, really...

 

Patlin

Explorer

• Mar 19, 2008

• #3

I'm anticipating summoning spells to have "sustain: standard" in place of duration, but I suppose rituals are a possibility.

 

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Baka no Hentai

First Post

• Mar 19, 2008

• #4

From what we have seen so far Im wondering if there will even be easily castable summoning spells... If there are, I will be curious as to exactly how they balance things.

I'm half wondering if they will save that for a 'Summoner' role in the future...

 

S

Surgoshan

First Post

• Mar 19, 2008

• #5

Maybe that's what the sorcerer will be.

Still, I can see very powerful summonings being rituals. Imagine adventurers tootling about town, a girl disappears, then a strange light appears in the highest tower of "zer castle" and a distraught priest runs up and tells them they have an hour to get up there and save the girl before the doodyface underpantsonhishead badguy summons a super-powerful demon.

 

HeavenShallBurn

First Post

• Mar 19, 2008

• #6

They did say that summoning would be covered with a specialized summoner class. They mentioned Warlocks might have some sorts of short term pseudo-summoning powers, but from the brief discussion it seemed more like damage spells rethemed as "summons". So I assume anyone going to 4e will need to wait for the summoning system to be covered and it will probably involve rituals to balance the "action economy" they're gushing over.

 

B

Baka no Hentai

First Post

• Mar 19, 2008

• #7

Surgoshan said:

doodyface underpantsonhishead badguy

Click to expand...

Would you stop stealing the names of the BBEGs I use in my campaign, GAWD!

 

Propheous_D

First Post

• Mar 19, 2008

• #8

I think Summoners in 4E might be pretty sweet given the game mechanics.

At Will
Summon Air Sprite
Duration: Till end of your next round
Effect: Air sprite arrives able to lift 5lbs of weight and is mentally commanded by the summoner.
(possibly with a standard action sustainable component)

Encounter
Summon Elemental
Duration: Standard Sustainable
Effect: An Element errupts from a present source of that element.

Daily
Summon Avatar
Duration: Standard Sustainable
Effect: An elemental being erupts form a present source of that element in the form of a large humanoid.

Something along those lines would be great. You could swap out elemental forms or have different ones available based on your tier. You could even have power that augment your summons.

At Will
Enforce Summoned
Duration: End of your next round
Effect: Your summoned creature receives 10 temporary hit points.

 

R

RigaMortus2

First Post

• Mar 20, 2008

• #9

The reason I brought this up, is because casting a summon creature spell in 3E is very time consuming. They give you a nice chart of monsters to pick from, which is fine, but then you have to waste time picking 'the very best one' for the situation. You waste time paging through the MM. You waste time writing down all the stats. Etc.

If, on the other hand, you knew up front the creature you wanted to cast (before the day even begins), it would save a lot of time. And to make it worth it and the drawback worth it (the drawback being no longer being able to pick and choose on the fly as the situation fits) is to beef up the creature so it can survive longer, and to make it's duration last longer.

 

Howndawg

Explorer

• Mar 20, 2008

• #10

One idea would be to have powers summon minions. Thus a necromancer could raise a whole horde of skeletons out of the ground and there wouldn't be a lot of bookkeeping; one hit they're gone. But more powerful summoning would be a ritual. If the same necromancer wanted to bind a mummy into service, he'd have to perform a ritual. It would take time and money, but he'd get a more powerful servant in return that isn't a one-hit minion.