Shadowgate

undelhorn · Joined: 20 Jun 2014 Posts: 71

Discourse on Summon Companion

By: Heydan Seegil

A great spell, a truly great spell for the lonely mage who seeks only to have a longtime friend in this world. Summon Companion is considered a cantrip by most, but it is still a rather tricky spell to cast and can take some time to complete; which is why it is odd that we should consider it a cantrip and even more strange that it should be one of the very first spells most mages will learn. In this discourse I will cover the casting of the spell, where the companion comes from, why it is a good crantrip to know, and why it is a cantrip.

Summon Companion is rather technical and takes a lot of concentration to cast as the young mage must not only focus on the spirit they wish to call forward, but also on which shape that soul will take when it arrives. The trick and lesser known fact to many is that the spirit of the companion actually comes from a completely different plane, the Ethereal Plane. The strange thing about this spell is that the spirit is not really chosen by the caster, but rather like a magnet it is attracted to the caster for some reason or another. Once attracted the mage do get some choices in the next step which is rendering a body or form for the spirit to be attached to and this is greatly dependent upon the power of the mage, along with what their personal preference might be. Some mages in Tabor have rats, I have a Barred Owl named Virgil, or some of the more powerful ones have Imps or Sprites.

The spell takes much more than this as it needs a few components to work. An ivory portal is needed to funnel the spirit of the familiar into the Material Plane. An incense stick is needed to calm the spirit and if you watch very closely, when cast the smoke of the incense with compile in the form of the companion. Although this can be tricky to witness if there is a high wind. Lastly, charcoal is used to draw the shape of the companion; the spell will still work even if the drawing is awful so do not worry.

So for all of this complication how could it possibly be a simply spell or a cantrip? Here is the trick. Almost all Conjuration spells are difficult and require more work to cast than some of the other schools, and so Summon Companion happens to be one of the simplest and therefore is a great pick for a beginner spell to cast. Knowing this spell will prepare you for the harder casting of Monster Summoning or even Gate. Also you receive a lifelong friend to help you sort your potion ingredients or fly scrolls to far away mages!
_________________
"GNOMES MAKE THE BEST GARDENERS!!!!!" - A random Garden Gnome to a group of snobby Elves.

Nienne · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2014 10:52 pm Post subject:

Really nice review & IC insights into the spell use Smile