Saturday, January 3, 2026

A Few Spells for Summoning Daemons

Summoning magic is something I've wrestled with for a long time. On the one hand, I want it to be flexible, because a diversity of weird unique demons and such for magic-users to command is cool. On the other hand, I don't want that flexibility to make summoning spells too generic. I haven't had it come up much in actual play in my games, so I haven't gotten much opportunity to test various approaches. However, lately, I've been more interested in making my summoning spells more concrete, describing what each one summons with particularity and, hopefully, flavor.

Here are some I'm thinking of putting in my base spell list. The assumption here, as with all the spells in my core rules, is that these are only a few examples of summonable entities, both in-setting and in-game, the most common and well-known. Every magic-user has probably heard of these spells and the associated daemons, even if they don't use them personally. Others certainly exist, but are less widely known and must be discovered through play.

1st Circle


Jahad's Filcher
Range: Self
Duration: 1 Hour
The caster summons a sprite known as a Filcher and binds it to their service for the duration. About the size of a rabbit, the Filcher is skilled at pilfering small items. The caster may describe a single item to the Filcher, which will singlemindedly seek out the nearest such object and attempt to bring it back to the caster. The caster may name a unique item, such as "the key to my prison cell," or a general type, such as "a lamp." The filcher can climb any surface, and, while it cannot turn invisible, it can always remain hidden as long as any cover is available. It can lift an item from a belt or pocket undetected if it catches the bearer unawares. It has no combat ability, but will struggle against restraints if caught and may distract and annoy its captor. When its task is complete or the spell's duration expires, the Filcher departs immediately.

2nd Circle


Lodivo's Faithful Hound
Range: Self
Duration: 1 Day
The caster summons a sandestin known as a Hound and binds it to their service for the duration. The Hound resembles its namesake in form and behavior. The caster may command the Hound to protect a chosen creature or a location, which it will guard fearlessly for the duration or until its summoned form is destroyed. It has 1 HD, a speed of 40', AC 0, a single bite attack that counts as magical, and morale 12, and is immune to normal weapons. When the spell's duration ends, the Hound departs.

3rd Circle


Monument's Entreaty
Range: Self
Duration: Special
The caster summons the esper known as Monument, which will bargain with the caster for its service. A great sage, Monument can identify relics, provide instruction in all manner of languages including the First Speech, and has a 4-in-6 chance to know any spell described to it, which it can teach to an able student. In exchange for its knowledge, Monument demands the sacrifice of something the caster can never replace. Once a bargain is struck and completed, Monument departs.

4th Circle


Fairchild's Invocation
Range: Self
Duration: Special
The caster summons the aeon known as Fairchild. When the spell is cast, the caster must choose the duration, which can be as long as they wish. A mighty warrior, Fairchild has 6 HD, a speed of 80', AC 3, and morale 12, and is immune to normal weapons. It attacks up to thrice per round with blades of swordlight, which deal +1 damage and ignore nonmagical armor and shields.

Fairchild demands a constant supply of sacrifices. It will slay those the caster commands first, but if the caster refuses to choose another target, it will slay whoever is most convenient to it, including the caster, until the spell's duration expires. When the duration ends, Fairchild departs.

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A Few Spells for Summoning Daemons

Summoning magic is something I've wrestled with for a long time. On the one hand, I want it to be flexible, because a diversity of weird...