Summoning Rituals

Beings from other planes can be brought forth by three kinds of ritual. A summoning spell merely opens a gate, so the caster must prepare a Thaumaturgic Triangle and a Magic Circle of Protection and gets three attempts to coerce the creature. Evocation, found only in High Magic, additionally makes the creature save vs Will or obey, and grants three further tries if the save succeeds; omitting the inscriptions would be reckless. Invocation, found only in Divine Magic, calls beings who share the caster's faith and alignment, requires neither inscriptions nor coercion, and secures any reasonable request from a faithful caster. Conjured creatures are not summoned at all but shaped from the components of the spell, and they always obey.

An optional offering of incense, herbs or spices worth 100 G.P. or more grants +1 on saves during the ritual. Inscribing the circle and the triangle takes an hour (half that for elementals, who do not need a triangle), and each carries a 10% chance of a flaw, reduced by 1% per level. The caster works from within the circle, which has room for 3, and the creature materializes in the triangle after 1-3 minutes.

Natural partners, such as priests with kerubim, druids with elementals, necromancers with undead, shamans with spirits of like alignment, or anyone with a familiar, strike pacts without difficulty. In other cases each of three attempts makes the creature save vs Will, the lever being wealth, an attractive service, sacrifice, a weapon it fears, a threat of imprisonment, an attack (which breaks the circle), magical restraint or holy objects. Knowing its common name adds an attempt; knowing its true name compels it instantly, but the creature will then pursue whoever holds that name.

If both inscriptions are flawed the creature returns home; if only one is, it goes free and may turn murderous. A failed pact releases the creature, which may seek revenge later, and a pact already sealed is broken if the requested service goes against the creature's nature.