Summoning rituals

The void scholar class relies heavily on the binding of demons through mystical contracts. Unlike the void templar and their binding rituals, a void scholar must honor the ancient pacts through which each type of demon is bound to enlist their unwilling aid.

Step 1: Inscribe the Symbol

The first step in the summoning process is to inscribe a Void symbol. The scholar must know the symbol in question to do so. A symbol can be inscribed in various materials, called reagents. Some common ones are charcoal, salt, powdered bone, and silver dust. When a symbol has been inscribed, it will be visible in the room using the look command.

Step 2: Cast the Summoning Spell

After a symbol is in place, a void scholar casts the appropriate summoning spell. This spell will be either lesser demon summon, demon summon, or greater demon summon. If the symbol has been inscribed without error with the proper reagent, a demon should appear in the room and await payment for their services. One should be mindful of how long they make a demon wait before being paid, however, as if it is too long, they will attack or otherwise retaliate.

Step 3: Honor the Pact

Some demons will ask for their payment specifically while others will be ambiguous. Either way, they all extract their due one way or another. Provided you know what the demon you have summoned wants, this is where you give them their price, typically but not always some sort of object. If the demon does accept it, in most cases the demon is now nominally under your control and will join your group. When using the look command, the demon in question should have their long description preceded by (Bound). Some demons, however, will act independently of their summoner, and will instead proceed to perform whatever service they are called to give.

Step 4: Maintain Control

A demon who is bound to a void scholar always wishes to be free, and will struggle against their magical bonds. The spell demonic control will help a scholar keep his unruly helper in line. Be aware that each time the scholar uses demonic control to reinforce his bond, the next casting will cost significantly more mana. Eventually, the scholar will be unable to maintain control of the demon.

Step 5: Banish the Demon

Before the demon breaks free of his bond and attacks the scholar he had served, it is possible to use the banish spell to return the extraplanar creature to the Void. Only demons under the scholar's control can be banished by the caster this spell. If the demon manages to break free before it can be banished, it will also return to the Void if it is killed. A demon that is neither banished nor slain will typically attempt to hunt down and eventually murder the scholar who summoned it, and will not stop until it kills the scholar or is killed itself.

Notes and Caveats:

Demons are highly intelligent creatures, and will resist being given orders (via the order command). In general, they will respect orders to speak or otherwise engage in roleplay (though they may not respect socials) or to move from place to place. Demons summoned at an increased caster level will not appear beyond level 58, though they will gain other benefits from such increases.

See Also: Demon summon, Inscribe, Symbols, Banish, Demonic control