What have you Summoned?

[Steve]

The question is not a "What have you done?!" one, but wondering what have you used Summon for in campaigns?

[Escafarc]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

In my Star HERO game I use it to model Missle/Torpedo Launchers.

[Ice9]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

Robots for a super-inventor, and dream creatures for another character.

[Naanomi]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

Robots... automated defenses for a base... groupies... ghosts... demons... I love the summon power (and the 'summoner archetype' in general)

[Kraven Kor]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

About the only "creative" use of Summoning I have done is using it for a spell that Animated Objects - I created a few templates; one for "heavy objects" like a chest of drawers or a statue, one for "flexible objects" like curtains, ropes, etc., and one for "small objects" like dishes or a chair or the like.

 

Sadly, the spell never got used. I hope to remedy that in my newly started FH campaign

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

Worst Fantasy Hero spell I ever designed, but never used, was a Summon for Bases. The "Grounds" were bought way up (basically a km across) with the Wilderness location modifier, and it was useable at mega-range, as an attack. Basically, a cheap way to drop mountains on people. Totally illegal, I think.

[Kraven Kor]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

About the only "creative" use of Summoning I have done is using it for a spell that Animated Objects - I created a few templates; one for "heavy objects" like a chest of drawers or a statue, one for "flexible objects" like curtains, ropes, etc., and one for "small objects" like dishes or a chair or the like.

 

Sadly, the spell never got used. I hope to remedy that in my newly started FH campaign

[CrosshairCollie]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

I've never used the Summon power ... not a big fan of the extra paperwork of juggling multiple character sheets in the same combat (different from Multiform; you only need one at a time). I have used the special effect of summoning for attacks before, like a Fire Blast with the SFX of summoning a small dragon that breathes a gout of flame, then vanishes.

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

I am kind of with CrosshairCollie on this. Summon is an appropriate background power for necromancers and such, but if I can avoid it I will, even to the point of buying "summoned" creatures as Continuous Attacks that can be dispelled by inflicting enough damage on them.

[Kraven Kor]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

I generally just do the bookkeeping for the summoned critters; I have gotten fairly adept at managing large numbers of combatants in HERO.

[Ice9]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

I don't find summoned creatures too hard to manage, as long as you construct them appropriately. I try to stick to single attacks and static defenses, which makes running 2-3 summons no more labor intensive than a single moderately complex character.

[sinanju]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

I play a reality-manipulator, Raven, who has a Summon power. It lets her "coincidentally" encounter any sort of creature that would normally inhabit the area. The game takes place in Hudson City, so she can run into cops, the SWAT unit, or EMTs as needed; or run into a pizza delivery driver if she's hungry/needs to feed someone; a cabbie, if she needs a vehicle; members of groups she needs to contact in a hurry, and so forth. She can't summon specific individuals, but if Highland Street Thugs Member #23 will do...he's easy to find.

[Lucius]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

What HAVEN'T I Summoned....

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas to evoke a palindromedary

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

Satror Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas to evoke a palindromedary

 

I'm curious what that failed skill roll will result in...

[Christopher]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

I'm curious what that failed skill roll will result in...

Well, then the spell works as if he had spoked it backwards.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

Look again...there is a typo in the palindrome (not sure what that will mean to the panindromedary).

[Christopher]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

Look again...there is a typo in the palindrome (not sure what that will mean to the panindromedary).

What is a panindromedary? Is that what comes out, if he botches his skill roll and thus makes an error in the invocation like above?

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

What is a panindromedary? Is that what comes out' date=' if he botches his skill roll and thus makes an error in the invocation like above?[/quote']

 

Presumably

[Christopher]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

Back to the point of the thread:

Lucius made a nice thing here:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/85175-Its-not-really-a-base-but...?p=2164759#post2164759 (it's about finding a Place to stay/recharge for a Robot with hunteds and without Alternate-ID).

 

Find Hideout: Summon 15-point Base, Slavishly Devoted (+1) (6 Active Points); Extra Time (20 Minutes, Only to Activate, Spent searching and/or setting up power connections, etc; -1 1/4), Limited Power Only good for 24 hrs - then must move on before electric or phone company traces the tap (-1), Arrives Under Own Power (That is, character must go to where a likely hideout is; hideouts can't come to the character; -1/2), Requires A Roll (Skill roll: Electronics; -1/2) Real Cost 1

 

The "base" itself would have

 

Concealment 12- Real Cost: 9

Disguise 9- Real Cost: 3

Computer Link Real Cost: 3

(Telephone & Internet connection)

[Lucius]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

Back to the point of the thread:

Lucius made a nice thing here:

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/85175-Its-not-really-a-base-but...?p=2164759#post2164759 (it's about finding a Place to stay/recharge for a Robot with hunteds and without Alternate-ID).

 

Thank you for saying so.

 

Another creative use of Summon I used was to make a couple of Summon powers (one for hirelings, one for bases and vehicles) to simulate the effects of vast wealth. One was called "I Hire Who I Need" and the other "I Buy/Rent What I Need."

 

edit: here's the thread

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/72885-Celebrities?highlight=celebrities

 

And I was misremembering, I did that as only one Summon Power.

 

35 I Buy What I Need: Summon 32 200-point Hirelings, Vehicles, Bases , Expanded Class of Beings Anything or anyone that can be bought, hired, or rented (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Variable Advantage (+1 Advantages; Limited Group of Advantages; +1 3/4) (244 Active Points); Extra Time (Hours to Days to Weeks depending on what's being sought, -4), Arrives Under Own Power (or maybe you have to go to it, homes don't usually move for instance) (-1/2), Summoned Being Must Inhabit Locale (-1/2), Activation Roll 14- (Sometimes, what you want just isn't available; -1/2), Limited Power Real Money. The more often the power is used, the more likely it is to fail as the money runs low. (-1/2)

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

A panindromedary just runs around everywhere. Even worse is a panicdromedary, not to be confused with a mere panicked dromedary, which is bad enough.

[Ragitsu]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

The party fighter.

[casualplayer]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

I find the power to be more trouble than it is worth, both from a bookkeeping aspect and that it always provides more bang per character point spent than is fair and comparable. I get that it is a commonly occuring special effect in all the genres we play in but I prefer to keep it just that, a special effect, and not a Variable Perk Pool.

[Christopher]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

I get that it is a commonly occuring special effect in all the genres we play in but I prefer to keep it just that' date=' a special effect, and not a Variable Perk Pool.[/quote']

How is it a Variable Perk Pool? You can only summon one type of creature and only have one of them at a time. And when you apply the AP-Limits to it, it's not more unbalancing than Multiform, Duplication or Follower.

[Lucius]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

How is it a Variable Perk Pool? You can only summon one type of creature and only have one of them at a time. And when you apply the AP-Limits to it' date=' it's not more unbalancing than Multiform, Duplication or Follower.[/quote']

 

I think he means that the specific Summon I posted can be used to, in a sense, simulate many kinds of Follower, Base, or Vehicle.

 

Of course, it wouldn't really get you a typical superhero hide out, or anything like a tank or fighter jet (although it could charter a plane or rent an armored car) and it can only get you a normal human type of follower such as you could reasonably hire.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

You could not, for example, summon a palindromedary with it

[casualplayer]

Re: What have you Summoned?

 

I think he means that the specific Summon I posted can be used to, in a sense, simulate many kinds of Follower, Base, or Vehicle.

 

Of course, it wouldn't really get you a typical superhero hide out, or anything like a tank or fighter jet (although it could charter a plane or rent an armored car) and it can only get you a normal human type of follower such as you could reasonably hire.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

You could not, for example, summon a palindromedary with it

 

It wasn't specifically directed at you, Lucius, or I would have quoted you or referred to you directly. I wasn't referring to anyone who has posted here. I was referring to the RAW power itself being something that I feel is abusive even when used as designed. Can't fault people for using something straight from the book but I don't care for it, and I definitely don't feel it equates point for point with Multiform, Duplication or Follower.