From: Doyle Wayne Ramos-Tavener tavener@mail1.rcsntx.swbell.net
Date: Tue, 27 May 1997 17:44:34 -0500
Subject: Summoning Rules, Part 1

I have been anxious to finish this and show it to the list, and so have decided to split it into three parts.

This part contains some raw rules material. The second will be four entities available to a summoner under these rules. The third will be explanations, justifications, misgivings and apologies.

Summoning

Procedures

The Magic Circle, Assistants and Ritual Tools
The Magic Circle, as described in Liber Ka, functions identically in Summoning. In addition, The Summoner's Ka may be raised by the presence of Assistants in the same manner as described in Liber Ka. Finally, Ritual Tools, as described in Liber Ka, can be created for exclusive use in Summoning Rituals.

The Ritual of Summoning
This ritual is normally referred to as the 'Operation'. To perform an Operation, you must first design a ritual. This requires a variable amount of time, dependent on the Circle involved, and may require successful Research, Hermetic Lore, Astrological Lore and Kabbalistic Lore rolls, as required by the Gamemaster.

After the design process, the Operation may be performed. An Operation normally has the following structure.

The Evocation
First is the Evocation, which calls up the presence of the entity. To simulate the Evocation, roll Lesser Theurgy, Invocation or Greater Theurgy. The Gamemaster makes this roll.
Success = The Operation will work.
Critical = The Operation will work, and the summoner is treated as having a Ka (either Dominant or Elemental) of 3 greater than normal for the purposes of that Operation alone.
Failure = The being summoned or generated will not appear. The Operation must be redesigned, and performed on another day.
Fumble = The Operation is flawed. However, The Entity might appear, at the Gamemaster's discretion. It the Entity does appear, the Summoner will be treated as having a Ka (either Dominant or Elemental) of one-half the value she would normally have, for the rest of the Operation.

The Adjuration

Then comes the Adjuration, which forces an oath to obey from the entity Evoked. A Nephilim may impose its will directly on the Evoked entity by matching its Dominant Ka (or appropriate Ka-Element) against the Dominant Ka (or appropriate Ka-Element) against the entity on the Resistance Table. The Nephilim may draw Ka from its Stasis as usual, but Blood Sacrifice is not possible, since the Nephilim is matching its might against another entity, not causing a magical change in the world.

This method is not available to humanity, since they may not bring their Solar-Ka to bear against other Ka-Elements. Instead, an Awakened human must match the Ka of an Elixir, Sacrifice, or Homunculus used against the Ka of the entity summoned.

In addition, the Nephilim (or Awakened human) may use Invocation in order to help dominate the entity summoned. Invocation is discussed below, under 2nd Circle Summoning.

Once the total Ka values have been calculated, the Gamemaster rolls the Ka vs. Ka conflict on the Resistance Table.
Success = The entity will obey the Conjuration, within the limits of its ability.
Critical = The entity will obey the Conjuration, within the limits of its ability, as well as suggest and offer aid above that which is required.
Failure, Fumble = The entity rebukes the summoner, and seeks to break the Magical Circle. To do so it matches its Ka vs. the Ka Strength of the Circle. If this roll succeeds, the summoner suffers the effects of the 'Failed Adjuration' entry for the entity involved.

The Conjuration
The Conjuration comes next, which are the instructions that you give to an entity. It must obey, if it was subject to a successful Adjuration. Such instructions are dependent on the type of entity summoned. Entities perform only those Conjurations that are appropriate to them. In each entry for an entity are listed some possible Conjurations. These are not the only possible Conjurations for the entity, and the Gamemaster should not in any way feel limited by those enumerated in the entry for the entity.

The Abjuration
Once the entity has completed the instructions, the summoner performs an Abjuration, which releases the entity from the Adjuration, and in a sense 'dismisses' the entity. This is nearly as important as the Adjuration, as the consequences of not properly performing the Abjuration are nearly identical to the negative consequences of the Adjuration. As before, the Gamemaster rolls the Ka vs. Ka conflict.
Success, Critical = The entity is dismissed.
Failure, Fumble = The entity rebukes the summoner, and seeks to break the Magical Circle. To do so it matches its Ka vs. the Ka Strength of the Circle. If this roll succeeds, the summoner suffers the effects of the 'Failed Adjuration' entry for the entity involved.

1st Circle of Summoning: Lesser Theurgy

All Lesser Theurgy Operations take 2d6 hours to design, and cost one point of Cha'we to cast. The summoner must have a skill rating in this technique equal to the Threshold of the spell in order to attempt the operation.

Some of these are magics involve entities which are naturally generated from the Magic Fields of the Earth. These are not conceptual entities; they exist independently of the Nephilim's consciousness, collective or otherwise. These include Elemental Creatures, Daemons, and Nephilim.

A few of these magics involve entities that are at least partly conceptual, such as the Genius Loci and Greater Elementals, though even these are very much associated with either specific places in the world or the Elemental Fields of the world.

Spells

Exorcise Daemon (Threshold 20) See Appendix 1 for the statistics on Daemons.
This spell is used to evict a Daemon from its host. Match your relevant Ka-Element against the Ka-Element of the Daemon. If you overcome it, the Daemon leaves. If unsuccessful, you may not evict the Daemon from its host. If you fail, you may try again on a different day.

Summon Daemon. (Threshold 40) See Appendix 1 for the statistics on Daemons.
This spell allows the Nephilim to 'generate' a Daemon. The spell does not actually call the Daemon from some other place; rather an appropriate place is chosen that possess the correct characteristics for the natural generation of a Daemon. The spell then helps along this process. Unless the area in question is within a Nexus or Plexus, or some other form of Ka is available in the area, it is necessary that the Nephilim sacrifice a point of Dominant Ka (through the Blood Ritual) in order to insure the generation of the Daemon.

Summon Creature of (Element). (Threshold 60)
These spells are virtually identical to spells described in The Nephilim Gamemaster's Companion, with exception that the Elemental creature may be Conjured, that is, given a command, without the expenditure of a point of Dominant Ka.
Also, this ritual can be used on a preexisting Elemental Creature. If this is the case, then the Operation must be performed in the vicinity of the Creature and the Evocation serves to gain the Creature's attention, while the Abjuration frees it from the ritual in such a way that it will afterwards ignore the Summoner.

Ritual of the Vessel. (Threshold 70)
This Operation forces a Nephilim in Stasis or Narcosis to manifest in an artificial vessel. This vessel can be a hollow bust, statue or by extension any artifact that can said to be hollow. Only Nephilim can be so constrained in this manner.
The Operation is conducted in the same way as other Summoning rituals, except that no Magical Circle is necessary, as there are no negative consequences that arise from incurring the wrath of the Nephilim.
The Nephilim may not cast magic, or communicate except at the behest of the summoner. Ka-Vision is required to interrogate or command the Nephilim inside the vessel. The Nephilim remains in the vessel until the Nephilim has fulfilled one command, or one day has passed.
Such an experience is terrifying for Nephilim, and is not practiced much among them, except in the direst of situations.
There are said to be rituals that force permanent enslavement to the vessel, but these are unknown. If such a ritual did exist, the Secret Societies would spare no expense to acquire it.
This ritual, combined with Alchemical techniques, may have been the genesis of the development of the Homunculus.

Summon Greater Elemental of (Element). (Threshold 80) See Appendix 1 for the statistics on Greater Elementals.
This Operation summons partly conceptual entities, the Greater Elementals. These entities are composed of a concentration of one of the Elemental Fields. The existence of such an entity is unstable at best, because the lack of a grounding Personality Trait gives the entity little or no focus in the world. Thus, such entities are never natural products of the Elemental Fields, but rather Summoning-wrought manipulations of it.

Summon the Genius Loci. (Threshold 90) See Appendix 1 for the statistics on types of Genius Loci.
'Genius Loci' is Latin, and means roughly 'local spirit'. This is a partly conceptual entity that exists in places of import or significance, but is only called into being by the art of the Summoner. Unless the area in question is within a Nexus or Plexus, or some other form of Ka is available in the area, it is necessary that the Nephilim sacrifice a point of Dominant Ka (through the Blood Ritual) in order to insure the success of the Operation.

Second Circle of Summoning: Invocation and Greater Theurgy

The Second Circle of Summoning is concerned with two magical techniques. Invocation, or the calling by name of entities for supernatural aid, and Greater Theurgy, which is concerned with the Summoning of purely conceptual entities.

Invocation

Invocation is a direct appeal for supernatural power by the process of calling upon a name. In many ways, Invocation implies that you are assuming the authority and identity of the name you call upon.
To Invoke, a Nephilim must simply say aloud the Name of some supernatural entity. This takes one Action. Each Name can be considered to have four characteristics: Element, Resistance, Effect and Purpose.
Element refers to the Ka-Element that the name embodies.
Resistance refers to the Strength that the Nephilim must overcome on the Resistance Table in order to receive the Effect bonus.
Effect refers to the bonus to the Adjuration Ka-Roll that the Nephilim receives.
Purpose refers to nature of the Name, and the uses to which it can be used.

Briefly, when a Nephilim Invokes a Name, she matches her Ka-Element corresponding to the Ka-Element of the name against the Resistance number on the Resistance Table. If she succeeds, the Effect bonus is added to her next Ka-Roll (in Summoning, this is the Adjuration Ka-Roll). In the case of a failure the Effect number is subtracted from the Adjuration Roll. In Summoning, this bonus cannot exceed 25%. This system may also be used in Sorcery, at the Gamemaster's discretion.

Sample Invocations
Name
Element
Resistance
Effect
Purpose/Explanation

El
Air
40
20%
"Lord", "Mighty One"

Elohim
Water
20
10%
My Personal God, My only God

El Elyon
Air
15
7%
God Most High (Authority, Leadership)

El Shaddai
Air
30
15%
God of the Mountain, High God (God as separate from the world)

Yahweh
Fire
50
25%
"I Am", God as the Unbegotten One

Yahweh Sabaoth
Fire
35
17%
God, Lord of Hosts

Immanuel
Earth
25
13%
"God Is With Me"

IAO
Moon
30
15%
Greek, God in the Greek Sense, as Prime Mover

Tetragrammaton
Moon
20
10%
Greek, The Holy Name referred to, not uttered

Jehovah
Air
15
7%
The Holy Name referred to, not uttered

Adonai
Water
10
5%
"My Lord"

Jesus Christ
Earth
30
15%
Greek, Yeshua, the Anointed One

Pater, Filli, et Spiritu Sancti
Earth
40
20%
Latin, Father, Son and Holy Ghost

Messias
Earth
15
7%
Greek, Jesus as Messiah

Greater Theurgy

All Greater Theurgy Operations take 2d6 days to design, and cost two points of Cha'we to cast. The summoner must have a skill rating in this technique equal to the Threshold of the spell in order to attempt the operation.
This art is concerned with the summoning of wholly conceptual entities. These entities should not be seen as actually existing on another plane of reality, rather, they are, in essence, partly created through the will and imagination of the summoner.
These entities may only be summoned on Enthronements of the Ka-Elements that they are 'governed' by.

Third Circle of Summoning: High Theurgy

All High Theurgy Operations take 2d6 months to design, and cost three points of Cha'we to cast. The summoner must have a skill rating in this technique equal to the Threshold of the spell in order to attempt the operation.
This Circle is much like the 2nd, in that the entities summoned are entirely conceptual. However, the entities summoned here are of enormous power, so much so that they can only be bargained with, never commanded. As such, Invocation is of little or no use. These entities may only be summoned on Grand Enthronements of the Ka-Elements that they are 'governed' by.