[Exalted] Summoning Elementals

[tk421]

Ok, all this talk of demon summoning has reminded me of an issue I've had for a while.

How do we set limits on what and how Exalts can summon elementals? As written, there's nothing to stop a starting DB from summoning and forcing to service, say, a lesser elemental dragon of fire. Sure, the Celestial Heirarchy will be pissed, but you've got an incredibly powerful dragon of fire to kick as for a while.

How do we deal with this a player abuse?

[Topher]

Conversely, as a *player* I feel weird about what is and isn't appropriate to summon. So far I've stuck with teeny elemental-fairy types, but that doesn't feel very Exalted, you know? I should be able to summon an F5 tornado spirit and wreak some havoc once in a while, you'd think. But what's fair?

They really should have had three levels of Elemental summoning like they do for demons. Then it wouldn't be so hazy.

Topher

[DivineCoffeeBinge]

You summon one, four others show up to beat your ass. Simple.

On the constructive side... maybe the number of successes garnered on the summoning roll (is there a summoning roll? If not, shouldn't there be?) limit the Essence of the Elemental you can summon?

[Quendalon]

Given that it says it's much like Demon of the First Circle, I tend to assume that it only allows the summoning of lesser, sub-draconic elementals, and that you'd need a higher-powered spell to summon the big guns. Of course this isn't what was meant in the spell description, but I think it works well enough. :)

Of course, I'm also one of those who believes that elementals are Demons of Gaia. In which case, it really should be "Summon Elemental of the First Circle."

- Eric

[DariusSolluman]

They wanna summon a lesser elemental Dragon of Fire? Let'em.

That should have a Willpower+Essence pool of 9 to 13ish.

They've successfully bound a lesser elemental Dragon of Fire? Let 'em.

They've got it for, at most, a year and a day. After which, it's free to seek it's revenge.

They've killed their lesser elemental Dragon of Fire on the last day of it's binding by giving it a suicidal order?

Let 'em.

You ever seen what martial fire weather looks like, boy? Flames rolling down from the Heavens, shards of obsidian growing like flowers, and a hundreds of minor elementals teaching you a lessen every day that you stole from their friend, the lesser elemental Dragon of Fire.

[Egarwaen]

Originally posted by tk421
Sure, the Celestial Heirarchy will be pissed, but you've got an incredibly powerful dragon of fire to kick as for a while.

That's no "sure". As others have pointed out, if you abuse a summoned elemental, the Celestial Heirarchy will get VERY pissed. If the elemental in question is powerful, that means martial weather, gods either snubbing you or trying to kick your ass, a Celestial Audit waiting for you should you dare to pass the gateways of Heaven, and possibly even some Sidereals after you. To say nothing of the Elemental itself...

OTOH, if you treat it well, as a comrade or equal instead of a slave, then you might even manage to make a powerful ally.

[Topher]

My character Belissica's whole schtick is that she makes deals with/does favors for/worships and therefore gives Essence to the spirits she works with, so yeah, not much danger of her being a target for revenge after the service.

Has anyone divided up the existing Elementals from the various books into rough power levels? I should do that, but I'm bad with stats AND lazy.

Topher

[The King In Yellow]

IIRC, Dragons cannot be summoned or controlled by that spell, according to Sidereals.

[(un)reason]

At least, not the ones that have a cost to materialise, rather than one to demateralise, which seems to be the big indicator as to whether something counts as a god, or an elemental, both in terms of summoning and other magic, and the respect they get from other spirits.

[Rafael]

So should there be a Celestial Circle spell that lets you summon dragons, then?

[TheMouse]

Originally posted by The King In Yellow
IIRC, Dragons cannot be summoned or controlled by that spell, according to Sidereals.

Lesser Elemental Dragons are Censors, and part of that position is to immune to summoning. It's on page 40 of the Sidereals book. It really SHOULD be in the spell that lets you summon elementals, so we can just add that to the list of stuff that needs to be revised about the core book.

As was stated above, the limiting factor on summoning any elemental at all is relations with Heaven. If you abuse lots of elementals, they're eventually going to ask a Sidereal buddy to curse you with Astrology, or have a god that owes them a favour make some aspect of your life hell (a god of travel for example could screw your life up pretty well). It's possible that the elementals you've abused would simply band together and come after you; many of them are quite blunt like that. Demons are stuck in Malfeas; elementals are not. Plan accordingly.



TheMouse

[Egarwaen]

Originally posted by TheMouse
As was stated above, the limiting factor on summoning any elemental at all is relations with Heaven. If you abuse lots of elementals, they're eventually going to ask a Sidereal buddy to curse you with Astrology, or have a god that owes them a favour make some aspect of your life hell (a god of travel for example could screw your life up pretty well). It's possible that the elementals you've abused would simply band together and come after you; many of them are quite blunt like that. Demons are stuck in Malfeas; elementals are not. Plan accordingly.

And avoid pissing them off if you think you might ever need to enter Heaven. Abusing the wrong Elemental could lead to a Celestial Audit, or make it harder to defend yourself against one... Which could leave you trapped under a mountain for a few centuries.

[Elemental]

(reads title)

You called?

(reads thread)

Ah, never mind.