Summoning

 

This Praxis enables you to summon and control other living things, from small animals to supernatural creatures. However, these arts have no effect on incorporeal beings or spirits. Those entities are the province of Daimonis, Necromancy and Spirit Calling. Also, be aware that there are very few defensive applications of this path; thus, you must be very careful about what you summon. Magical creatures - vampires, werecreatures, changelings - may counterattack with their own abilities unless a Ward or some other outside force prevents them. This Praxis, then, is best worked with lots of help nearby.

 

Basic:

 

Beckoning

You begin your training by learning to summon and control animals, startingwithsmallones- lizards, bats, birds, rats, etc. Youmust winaMental Challenge to call the beast. Three such animals will answer your summons if you’re successful.

 

Come Hither

Higher mammals (chimpanzees, dolphins, cats, wolves, apes, dogs, etc.) may be summoned and controlled at this level. You must win a Mental Challenge to summon anything to you. This spell calls two creatures per casting.

 

Intermediate:

 

Beastmaster

A more advanced form of the Basic spell Beckoning, this effect allows you to summon and control any animal found in nature. This includes intelligent creatures, even normal humans. You must win a Mental Challenge to call the creature to you and a Social Challenge to compel it to obey you for one scene. Obviously, if either challenge is muffed, things are going to be unpleasant. If you wish to summon a specific human, you must have a personal effect of hers (handkerchief, jewelry, etc.) and add it to your working. Only one creature may be summoned at a time.

 

Servant’s Bell

Minor supernatural beings - ghouls, revenants, Kinfolk, familiars, fomori, kinain, etc. - may be summoned. You must win a Mental Challenge to call the subject to you, and you must have a personal item if you have a specific target in mind. Only one person may be summoned at a time.

 

Advanced:

 

Call by Name

A more refined application of Summoning allows you to summon any creature, human or not, that you know personally. This call will be heard regardless of the distance between you and your target, though a Social Challenge is required if the subject is unwilling. However, because this spell does not bestow any special movement capabilities, it may be some time before the summoned individual arrives. In addition, if the subject is not entirely mundane, he will be aware that this compulsion is external. The standard mechanism for using this power is to select an out-ofgame envoy to carry your summons. This person (often a Narrator) will also handle the challenge, if one is required. While this message is being carried, you must remain in place. so that the target will be able to find you. Call by Name can take quite a lot of time, especially if the target needs to be tracked down in order for the summons to be delivered. Players are therefore advised not to use this power frivolously.

 

Master:

 

Geas

Similar to the Necromancy spell: Compulsion, this power allows you to command any specific behavior from an individual. There are two forms of Geasa: quests and bans. Quests require the target to perform a specific action -only once or every time aset condition occurs - and bans prohibit certain behavior. Either form may also carry with it a punishment, the conditions of which are specified when the spell is cast. To lay a Geas upon someone, you must first defeat her in both a Mental and Social Challenge. You may choose the specific terms and conditions before the challenges or after, though this has no effect other than to warn the target of your intent. A Gem normally lasts up to one month, though the target is released sooner if the termination conditions are met. However, the binding remains in place indefinitely if the Geas is laid in ritual form.