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.