WOIN [WOIN] Which (magical) skill to banish summoned beings?

Anders Molin · Sep 7, 2018

Hi everyone,

Long-time GM but new to WOIN - prepping my first campaign focusing on a couple of magic-users. I need help with the following:

In the rules-as-written, there is the summon magical skill, but no corresponding banish skill that I have found. Is there a way to use the rules-as-written for banishing summoned entities with a single spell? Or are you forced to dispose of them in some other way (like the Called Shot to stake or behead a vampire, for instance)?

Grateful for any suggestions,
Anders

Steven Barker · Sep 7, 2018

You're looking for "Abjuration". The basic description of it includes this passage:

Abjuration also includes the suppression or dispelling of magical eﬀects.

Later sections give more detailed rules for dispelling other spells, which should include summonings.

Anders Molin · Sep 7, 2018

Steven,

Thanks for the quick response! Just to see if I follow along with the rules: would the application of abjuration in this case be Dispel Magic, with an MP cost of whatever it cost to summon the entity in the first place?

Steven Barker · Sep 7, 2018

Anders Molin said:
Thanks for the quick response! Just to see if I follow along with the rules: would the application of abjuration in this case be Dispel Magic, with an MP cost of whatever it cost to summon the entity in the first place?

I'm not an OLD magic expert by any means, but I think that's mostly right. You may also need to pay an additional cost for the range to the summoned creature from where you're casting the dispel. For dispelling other effects you might also need an area cost, but for a summon it might not be necessary.

Morrus · Sep 8, 2018

Traditionally, you'd do it with Evoke Good (or Evil) and banish it by doing holy or unholy damage to it. Demons are banished when they hit 0 HEALTH, rather than killed.

For a dedicated banish enhancement under aburation, Abjure [Monster Type] would be the skill/secret combo.

Note that a one-shot "kill" on demons and the like is an extremely powerful effect. It's a process of doing 'mental' damage to the creature, whereupon it is banished upon reaching 0 HEALTH. The visual is a priest striding forward chanting prayers, as the demon recoils and snarls.

Try this as an Abjure effect; its basically Evoke Good, but repurposed:

Banish. Cost 2 MP per 1d6 damage. You make a MAG mental attack at your target, which must be native to another plane. On a success, you inflict holy or unholy damage. When your target reaches zero HEALTH, it is banished from the current plane for 99 years.