Final Fantasy-like Summoning

[Andrew D. Gable]

I'm considering having a spell or something that allows Final Fantasy type summoning of some sort of big elemental being, but unlike the normal Summon Monster spells, this thing would be good for one attack and that's it. Thinking of even limiting it to so many times per day. In your opinion, what level should a spell like this be? 9th, or even above? For that matter, would it be more easily handled by another method, such as a magical item?

 

[Epametheus]

First off, you win cool points for having Lu Bu as your avatar. (Edit: or maybe geek points -- take your pick)

You'd basically be using a Conjuration spell to duplicate an evocation spell; Ifrit would basically be a fireball spell, for example. I guess you'd just balance the things however the heck a direct damage conjuration spell is balanced.

If you want the neat FFX/XI-style summons, which actually hand around and kick butt for you, then that's definately a modified planar binding spell -- striking some sort of pact with a creature so that you can summon it on the fly whenever you need to. Hell, that's what Rydia, Yuna, and all the other FF summoners had to do -- meet up with some creature and prove their worthiness to command it when they needed to.

 

[Contrabassoon]

FF summons are essentially flashy direct-damage spells, and as such really wouldn't be different from any other spells. Maybe take the approach that the summoner has to work out a contract with the creature, along the lines of 'I will cast X spell/use X ability on command Y times in return for Z'. This limits the ability to just use every spell slot that day for Bahamut, Bahamut, and more Bahamut. I always wondered why the FF summoned monsters never got annoyed about being yanked out of monster-world all the time.

 

[Epametheus]

I always wondered why the FF summoned monsters never got annoyed about being yanked out of monster-world all the time.

The games actually explain that, so it's kinda neat. In FF5 & 10, being summoned is pretty much what they exist for. In 4, they've basically made a pact with Rydia to fight her enemies, but the FF4 summons were weird. In 11, you're summoning an avatar of the being, not the being itself. In 6, it's not like the summons have anything better to do -- they're already dead, when you get down to it.

 

[Dirigible]

What they said. Make it a SFX of meteor swarm.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

Don’t forget the five-minute cut scene/intermission.

 

[Dirigible]

Y'know, Planescape:torment was the only western-style fantasy game I've ever seen those sort of cutscenes in.

 

[Jack Daniel]

I put the planar ally spells on the sorcerer's list, renamed the sorcerer to summoner, and that was all it took.

 

[Vecna]

Use the Spell Thematics feat from Magic of Faerun.
You can find the last version here

Choose evocations for the your theme related spells, and "huge monsters" as theme.