Summon power question

[Ragdoll]

Hi. I was just reading the description of Summon, and I'm not sure I understand the point of the number of tasks thing.

 

Are tasks now a natural part of the power? That is you can only use a summoned being a few times before it goes away, or what?

 

I noticed if the being is Slavish it can do EGO/1 tasks. Once it's done that number it then poofs, or can the summoner just keep around an slavish summon indefinitely.

 

I have the idea of making a paranormal that can cause a spark of life to occur in anything she touches, making any sort of creature she can dream up possible. If she has an EGO of 10, does that mean the creature she creates as slavishly loyal can attack 10 times then it poofs? Or at the 10th attack can she just choose to keep it around or does she have to go and create another creature again?

[Sean Waters]

Re: Summon power question

 

Hi. I was just reading the description of Summon, and I'm not sure I understand the point of the number of tasks thing.

 

Are tasks now a natural part of the power? That is you can only use a summoned being a few times before it goes away, or what?

 

I noticed if the being is Slavish it can do EGO/1 tasks. Once it's done that number it then poofs, or can the summoner just keep around an slavish summon indefinitely.

 

I have the idea of making a paranormal that can cause a spark of life to occur in anything she touches, making any sort of creature she can dream up possible. If she has an EGO of 10, does that mean the creature she creates as slavishly loyal can attack 10 times then it poofs? Or at the 10th attack can she just choose to keep it around or does she have to go and create another creature again?

 

The task system is slightly wooly, but I think you have the gist of it. In combat each phase uses a 'task' (IIRC) but if the task you set is 'sit and chat' the summoned creature could well be there for a very long time, possibly indefinitely.

 

I would definitely allow her to 'maintain' the creature with another use of the summon power, the only issue being whether that use 'stuns' the creature for a phase (personally I would not bother).

[ghost-angel]

Re: Summon power question

 

Combat, in and of itself, is a single Task.

 

If you ask a Summoned Creature to Attack it sticks around until the Attack is over.

 

Anything above, beyond, or over that is really between you and the GM. But the idea behind Summoned is the creatures eventually return where they came from. If you want a creature to stick around more peromanently I suggest the Follower Perk.

[Ragdoll]

Re: Summon power question

 

Okay how's about this. The character I'm making would be a single power user to begin with. She might later on develop other powers that stem from her ability to animate and bring objects to life, but at the start she's got this:

 

Summon: 250 point creature; Anything +1, Friendly +1/4, ET: Delayed segment (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4)

 

She literally has to shake the object, or push on it like she's trying to wake it, while talking at the object or patch of object in question.

 

"Wake up! Come on, wake up! We need help here!" <--- Etc. XD

 

At the level of points she'd need for that, would it be permissible to have her simply pay END again to keep the summon around in combat without having it stunned again? I believe it's 112 points, so that's 11 END just to keep in in combat after ego/4 phases. Would that be a enough? Or maybe tack on 1 extra endurance each use past the first summon to keep it around in combat?

 

Thoughts?

[ghost-angel]

Re: Summon power question

 

As I said - it stays around for the Entire Combat. Not 1 Phase. That would be beyond useless.

 

If you want to pay END to keep it "animated" that's fine, but you don't need it to "keep it around" - each Phase is not "a task" - Combat is a task.

[Ragdoll]

Re: Summon power question

 

As I said - it stays around for the Entire Combat. Not 1 Phase. That would be beyond useless.

 

If you want to pay END to keep it "animated" that's fine, but you don't need it to "keep it around" - each Phase is not "a task" - Combat is a task.

 

Ah I see. I'd read in the book that The GM decides what constitutes a “task” for purposes of Summon. For combat, each Phase of fighting usually equals one task.

 

But I see now it reads not so much like a hard rule but more a suggestion. In that case Summon seems to be much more effective. I wasn't aware it wasn't a hard rule Thank you. =)

[ghost-angel]

Re: Summon power question

 

Yeah, you and the GM should decide what constitutes a Task.

 

I, for example, would never take "each phase" as a separate Task. It seems silly.