Summoning?

[IVhorseman]

I think I might be on to something, but I got hit by a hell of an idea for summoning rules.

Summoning is a property associated with minifig objects and weapons for double the CP cost, whether it be a simple tool (use:3) like a rod of summoning or a talisman, or any other magical sword, battleaxe, heavy machinegun or wizard staff of summoning. At the same use for attack, a minifig may summon up to 1d4" worth of creatures (any creation with a mind). For swarms, this may also be twice as many size zero creatures. Regardless of type or size, summons will have five inches of movement and structure level zero armor. Summons must appear within the range of the d4 roll as well.

Rolling a 4 does not spill over into bonus dice, but rolling a 1 re-rolls and summons that many hostile creatures!

All summons must be sustained with an action on the caster's next turn, or disappear at the end of the turn. Tools of summoning may summon creatures as often as they wish, but once a weapon of summoning has called something forth, it will require a kill before it can summon again.

Summons that require weapons (skeletal soldiers, vietnam war ghosts) automatically arive to the party with a weapon, but abilities, extra size, equipment, and all armor require an inch off of the d4 roll. No equipment may be looted off their corpses, since they mysteriously disappear!



Eh? Eh? My only fear is how much this slows the game by. I'm imagining it as "and I summon *roll* three robo dogs," but It could take a while if someone tries to munchkin a good roll into summoning a stone golem with a machinegun, but I'd still imagine you'd have to roll a 4 with that, and by all means you deserve it by then.

[Rev. Sylvanus]

Maybe you mentioned it, but the summons just have a regular (1d6) mind?  It would mean almost nothing, but maybe make them submissive since the summoner will be expending its action to control them anyway.

Is there a range associated with how far a summon can wander from it's master?  Using, for instance, the template of a ranged weapon.  "Revolver" of summoning for 6CP generates 1d4 chaps-wearing skellies at UR 3, and those skellies can wander up to 6" away from Colonel Mustard without...getting negatives?...becoming dust?...going berserk?...just an idea.

Seems pretty balanced in that minimum cost for such a summoning tool is around 4CP, the summoner itself will cost around 4CP, and the relative average CP cost of summoned creatures (2.5 on a d4) is 10CP.  Though I think I'd say that summons can arrive with a CC hand weapon for free.  Any ranged, Heavy, or Two-Handed weapons cost their size in inches off the total.  And it should be fine for the summoner to roll the 1d4 first before determining how many summons it gets with what sort of equipment/abilities.  Maybe?  Idk, just some ideas without having tried it on the battlefield.

[IVhorseman]

D'oh! I mentioned it, but then deleted it. Summons have 1d6 skill unless upgraded via d4 roll. Basically, you recieve 1d4 armed minifigs.

And it should be fine for the summoner to roll the 1d4 first before determining how many summons it gets with what sort of equipment/abilities.

Totally agree. I think summons should have as few restrictions on them as possible, just so there's less to remember. As of now, before playtesting, I don't see a problem with summons being able to walk as far as they want, so long as their master spends his action sustaining their bond to this realm.

As for limiting weapons, I think you might be right. Right now there's no reason not to just try and summon 1d4 apache ghosts with longbows, or robot monkeys with bazookas. Summons arrive with one melee weapon, and must find better ones (or be upgraded to have them).

[Tzan]

Lets say you summoned 4, then over time several are killed and now you have 1 and you want more.
If you decide to summon more I would say the link to the first one is broken and it dies.
So if its doing critical work far away, you might keep it a while longer.

[Rev. Sylvanus]

I'm going to put a summoner in one of my warbands and test this, hopefully in the next week or so.  Still very much liking the idea.

And the prospect of overskill dice on the summon seems pretty sweet.  But speaking of overskill dice, lets say you roll the critical success against the tool's UR to summon and now have 1d4+1d6 worth of summoning.  If the 1d4 now comes up a 1, are we saying that the overskill d6 applies to "friendly" summons, or will augment the "unfriendly" summon?

[IVhorseman]

Maybe overskill can be applied as a bonus to any of one creature's stats? 4's don't roll bonus dice on d4s, and I think adding overskill damage is too likely to roll a bunch of sixes and summon a whole horde of dudes. If there's that many units at stake, then the possibility for all of them to be hostile is a fitting punishment.

[stubby]

And the prospect of overskill dice on the summon seems pretty sweet.  But speaking of overskill dice, lets say you roll the critical success against the tool's UR to summon and now have 1d4+1d6 worth of summoning.  If the 1d4 now comes up a 1, are we saying that the overskill d6 applies to "friendly" summons, or will augment the "unfriendly" summon?

I like the idea of accidentally summoning friendlies and antifriendlies at the same time.

[stubby]

Lets say you summoned 4, then over time several are killed and now you have 1 and you want more.
If you decide to summon more I would say the link to the first one is broken and it dies.
So if its doing critical work far away, you might keep it a while longer.

Nice, but I think it's funnier if you need some right next to you right away and you can't get them because your existing summons are unconscious or incapacitated somwhere.  I've got 2 on the field but they're captured and can't banhammer themselves; I try to re-summon hoping to roll high enough to get a third or a fourth one.  Instead I roll a 1, and the two captured summons switch sides.

[IVhorseman]

Hahaha okay I like that. Summons may only leave through bond of death! What happens if I have 3 summons on the field and on my re-roll, I pull a 2? Does one leave, or does one turn hostile? or does nothing happen?

[Tzan]

roll a 1: all existing switch sides
equal or less than current on table: nothing happens
greater than: summon (roll - existing) new guys