History Main / SummonMagic

** Throughout the editions, there are also some magic subclasses specifically built with summoning in mind. The biggest examples of this in 5th Edition are Conjuration/Necromancy Wizards and Shepherd Druids, all of whom have subclass features that enhance the creatures they can summon.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'', as a spin-off of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', has almost the same exact spells for summoning creatures.
** One of the game's original classes, the Summoner, focuses exclusively on Summon Magic. In addition to having lots of ''Summon Monster'' spells at his disposal, the Summoner also has an Eidolon, which is essentially a {{Mon}} that he can call upon or dismiss at will.

* ''LightNovel/ExpectingToFallIntoRuinIAimToBecomeABlacksmith'': Kururi attempts to summon {{Treants}} but ends up summoning NatureSpirit beings to possess radish-like roots with DirtyOldMan faces, much to Kururi's [[TheChewToy violent displeasure]] from the ensuing hijinks they repeatedly cause. Eventually, Kururi does manage to summon one of the spirits into a tree. It turns out they have a HiveMind, and to pay for his past abuse, Kururi makes a deal with the spirits to set up a PenalColony for Kururi's lands, in their home BeneathTheEarth.

** The Transformation of Kadon, a basic spell within the Lore of Beasts and thus available to several different factions, allows the summoning of a [[OurManticoresAreSpinier manticore]].

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' trades in series-standard summons for instead calling on the power of the Astrals - essentially the Gods of Eos. However, this can only occur when ''they'' deem his life is in jeopardy, making them quite literal [[RandomNumberGod Random Number Gods]]. The environment becomes covered in will-o'-the-wisps and Noctis' eyes glow red, and he is allowed to invoke the Astral's aid with the push of a button. Said Astrals range from no bigger than a human, to hundreds of stories tall! This mechanic is given its proper balance however (if you can even call it balance) as the Astrals deal massive damage to every opponent in the vicinity, wiping out most non-bosses and severely injuring most bosses.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXV'' trades in series-standard summons for instead calling on the power of the Astrals - essentially the Gods of Eos. However, this can only occur when ''they'' deem his life is in jeopardy. The environment becomes covered in will-o'-the-wisps and Noctis' eyes glow red, and he is allowed to invoke the Astral's aid. Said Astrals range from no bigger than a human, to hundreds of stories tall! This mechanic is given its proper balance however (if you can even call it balance) as the Astrals deal massive damage to every opponent in the vicinity, wiping out most non-bosses and severely injuring most bosses.

* ''Roleplay/RecordOfLodossWar'': Shamans can summon elemental spirits to fight for them. Deedlit the Elf, one of the main characters, often summons a water-spirit named Undine and an air-spirit named Djinn. Her EvilCounterpart, Astar the Dark Elf, summons Behemoth, an earth-spirit, to fight her.

* ''Manga/SazanEyes'': A recurring element:
** Pai/Parvati IV herself can summon demonic creatures to work as her mount or defender: her first summon is the bird-like [[BeastWithAHumanFace Takuhi]], while from the second series onward she usually summons the clam-like flying monster Fei E (Flying Jaws).
** [[TheDragon Benares]] was the one who invented the magic to control and summon the beasts known as "Juuma" (Demon Beasts or Demon Larvae/Fighting Larvae). The user must hatch the Juuma egg with his blood and then force the newborn beast to submit and accept to become a summon. Human sorcerers ''can'' tame Juuma, but since each summoning is CastFromHitPoints, it would kill them in the long run, so that only a [[CompleteImmortality Wu]] can master this magic.
** The climax of the third arc has Huang Xunli/Xun Gui trying to summon the soul-eating Quan beast for her plans, under the guise of presenting it a test for Parvati: the ritual requires blood sacrifices and the use of 108 paper talismans to bound the Quan to the human world, but the beast is also very difficult to control.
** Subverted in the Legend of the Maidens storyarc: the girl posse is seemingly summoning a real demon to do their bidding (something which {{muggles}} could do, according to Hasrath Hahn, but not without serious danger), but in the end it turns out that the "demon" is simply generated by Yoriko's powers allowing her to project hers or others' thoughts and make them material.

* ''Fanfic/TouhouGalaxy'': [[Manga/FairyTail Lucy's specialty]], though Virgo pops out instead of Loke during the battle with Petey Piranha in Partners in Time (apparently, Big Bro was making out with Aries before they got married) and Virgo summons herself multiple times in Dream Team such as to give Mario and Luigi Ultra Hammers (that she purchased with Lucy's money!) and also stores the pieces of the Ultibed in the Celestial Realm.

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': The game's central conceit is that you play as a Planeswalker, a powerful wizard capable of traveling across the planes of the multiverse, and that the creature cards you play represent entities summoned from their home planes or from your own memories.

Summons tend to be largely neutral and will occasionally require you to [[StrengthEqualsWorthiness fight them before they will let you use their power]]; others may ask for some service or payment or require the formatting of a magical contract before they will serve their summoner. In most franchises, especially [[NonLinearSequel non-linear ones]], the summonable creatures will usually remain the same across all installments, even when the protagonists are different, such as in the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/TalesSeries''. These beings may have varying attitudes regarding their summonings; some duly accept the limits of their service, others submit to the process because they get something in return, and others still deeply resent their service and will take any chance they can to turn on their would-be masters.

* In ''LightNovel/KazeNoStigma'', certain magicians (especially amongst Fire Magic users) combine the powers of smaller spirits of the element into a spirit beast, who channel the elemental power through themselves. Unfortunately, when a beast suffers a wound, it can feedback into the summoner.

* ''LightNovel/RentalMagica'' has Adilicia, a heir apparent of a magic school in [[HermeticMagic Solomon's tradition]] who prefers this part. If she uses magic, it's going to be "summon demon" -- or occasionally "summon angel".

* ''LightNovel/TrappedInADatingSimTheWorldOfOtomeGamesIsToughForMobs'':

* ''LightNovel/TheUnexploredSummonBloodSign'': The main form of magic that humans can use.

* ''Franchise/FateSeries'': The Servants in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', the [[Literature/FateZero prequel]], and the [[VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia pseudo-sequel]] are copies of Heroic Spirits, heroes or other major figures from history and myth stored in the Throne of Heroes, an interdimensional realm where these figures go after death. A Magus prepares a magic circle, usually made of blood. Optionally, he/she can add a relic of that hero or specify them as a Berserker (provided that someone else hasn't summoned their Servant as a Berserker yet) in order to get a specific hero. If no relic is used, the Servant summoned will be a random one who has a compatible personality to the Master. Between the two is using a "generalist" relic that can potentially summon a pool of Heroic Spirits tied to it but will end up with the one most compatible with the Master. Then they show up, the Master makes a contract for a week or two throughout the Grail War. The Servant stays until either they are defeated or the Grail War ends, at which point the Grail stops helping the Master supply them with Prana and their copies disappear and merge with their original versions in the Throne of Heroes. [[spoiler:Except for [[Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh Gilgamesh]], who did not return to the Throne of Heroes after the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War. In addition, due to making a deal with the Earth, Saber/[[Myth/KingArthur Arturia]] has chosen not to join the Throne of Heroes until she wins a Holy Grail War and gets her wish, so instead, she returns to her original moment of death every time she dies in a Holy Grail War (which is what happens offscreen at the end of ''Fate/Zero'', and the cycle ends in the main ending of the ''Fate'' route of ''Fate/stay night'', where she accepts being KilledOffForReal). Saber and Rider/[[Myth/ClassicalMythology Medusa]] also stay in the present with their Masters in two of the endings of ''Unlimited Blade Works'' and ''Heaven's Feel'' respectively.]] Oh, and the magus who summons them generally has an absolutely 0% chance of ever being able to beat their Servant in combat, though there are a few exceptions. Among the Servants themselves, a few have the ability to cast their own Summon Magic. ''LightNovel/FateZero'''s Caster, for instance, instead of fighting the others directly, only ever uses his TomeOfEldritchLore to bring in monsters that fight on his behalf.

* , ''Literature/DigitalDevilStory'' features summoning via the [[PowersAsPrograms Demon Summoning Program]].

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' errs on the side of game balance in regards to summoning magic (a subset of the "conjuration" school of magic). All casters have some form of summoning magic, at most to all levels of casting, but the creatures summoned aren't all-powerful. They do, however, fight right alongside everyone else in combat, meaning nobody has to step out for the summon to take their place. There are also the ''planar ally'' and ''planar binding'' spells, which calls forth an exceptionally powerful creature to serve you by either bargaining with it or forcing it to. At the highest end of things, there are a handful of spells that take quite a lot of time to cast, but conclude with the caster summoning his own private squad of both powerful ''and'' loyal creatures.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

** Demon summoning is a fairly widespread form of magic in the setting, consisting of the summoner carving a "gate" into a wall ([[BodyHorror or someone’s flesh]]) and using it to summon [[OurDemonsAreDifferent demons]], which in this setting are incorporeal, magic-eating spirits that can [[DemonicPossession possess]] magic-using creatures and turn them into monsters. The issue is that these summons are of the uncontrolled sort and as happy to eat their summoner as they are to eat her enemies, and so are usually summoned one by one through temporary gates and bound into corporeal bodies, which can then be controlled. Summoning gates can also be left open as a form of sabotage, leaving a tide of demons for the enemy to deal with.

Summons tend to be largely neutral and will occasionally require you to [[StrengthEqualsWorthiness fight them before they will let you use their power]]; others may ask for some service or payment or require the formatting of a magical contract before they will serve their summoner. In most franchises, especially [[NonLinearSequel non-linear ones]], the summonable creatures will usually remain the same across all installments, even when the protagonists are different, such as in the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/TalesSeries''. These beings may have varying attitudes regarding their summonings; some duly accept the limits of their service, others submit to the process because they get something in return, and others still deeply resent their service and will take any chance they can to turn on their wold-be masters.

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': Summoners, Arcanists and Scholars all use a pet-type summon. Arcanists summon different varieties of Carbuncle, which is described as an [[MadeOfMagic Aether construct]]. Scholars, a healing class, summon a fairy to assist them in that task. Summoners summon Egi, a small shard of a [[OurGodsAreDifferent Primal's]] essence that stuck on them after they defeated that Primal in battle (although before they can summon it at will they have to perform a SummoningRitual the first time, followed by battling it to establish dominance). Summoners later gain the ability to summon Demi-Bahamut and Demi-Phoenix (both of which are simulacrum of those primals) for 20 second periods. Summoners got a fairly major overhaul in the Endwalker expansion: Now they can only summon a Carbuncle (a small, glowing bunny like creature) which can't attack as their permanent pet; Summoning the old Egis results in something much closer to how summons worked in older games, which is to say they arrive, use a powerful attack and then leave again.

In other games, especially ones modeled on [[TabletopGames Tabletop [=RPGs=]]], summon spells are of the "instant ally" variety. These tend to summon weaker allies as {{NPC}}s (at least for a few minutes) instead of delivering a one-shot proxy attack and vanishing. {{Necromancer}}s and Demon-summoners, both of whom usually use a form of HermeticMagic, fit this subset of the trope. The Japanese form of such spirits are [[UsefulNotes/{{Onmyodo}} shikigami]]. A few games use a variation on this where summons act as a GuardianEntity, bonding with or hovering around their summoner and providing bonuses, protections, and special or automatic attacks without acting as a separate character in their own right.

Summons tend to be largely neutral and will occasionally require you to [[StrengthEqualsWorthiness fight them before they will let you use their power]]. In most franchises, especially [[NonLinearSequel non-linear ones]], the summonable creatures will usually remain the same across all installments, even when the protagonists are different, such as in the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' and ''VideoGame/TalesSeries''.

* A recurring element in ''Manga/SazanEyes'':
** Pai/Parvati IV herself can summon demonic creatures to work as her mount or defender: her first summon is the bird-like [[BeastWithAHumanFace Takuhi]], while from the second series onward she usually summons the clam-like flying monster Fei E (Flying Jaws).
** [[TheDragon Benares]] was the one who invented the magic to control and summon the beasts known as "Juuma" (Demon Beasts or Demon Larvae/Fighting Larvae). The user must hatch the Juuma egg with his blood and then force the newborn beast to submit and accept to become a summon. Human sorcerers ''can'' tame Juuma, but since each summoning is CastFromHitPoints, it would kill them in the long run, so that only a [[CompleteImmortality Wu]] can master this magic.
** The climax of the third arc has Huang Xunli/Xun Gui trying to summon the soul-eating Quan beast for her plans, under the guise of presenting it a test for Parvati: the ritual requires blood sacrifices and the use of 108 paper talismans to bound the Quan to the human world, but the beast is also very difficult to control.
** Subverted in the Legend of the Maidens storyarc: the girl posse is seemingly summoning a real demon to do their bidding (something which {{muggles}} could do, according to Hasrath Hahn, but not without serious danger), but in the end it turns out that the "demon" is simply generated by Yoriko's powers allowing her to project hers or others' thoughts and make them material.

* In ''Manga/BlueExorcist'', there are five different classes of exorcists. One of these classes, the tamer, summons demons.

** In ''Anime/CardfightVanguardG'', the Singularities/Peacemakers are capable of using Depend Cards (special Gear Chronicle units) to summon them to planet Earth. However, this ability comes with a particularly steep CastFromHitPoints cost that actually kills one of its users.

* ''Manga/FairyTail'': Celestial wizards specialize in using magic Gatekeys to summon celestial spirits, magical beings based on the Zodiac and constellations. Main character Lucy Heartfilia is one such wizard, while others include Duke Everlue, Karen, Angel, Zoldeo, and Yukino. It's inverted with Caprico (the human-spirit hybrid of Zoldeo and the spirit Capricorn), who uses magic to summon humans.

** Humans can also be summoned as proven early on during the Forest of Death section of the Chunin exams. The scrolls the teams had to gather summoned higher ranking Ninja telling them they passed if they did it right (having at least one of each scroll) and rendered them unconscious if they opened them otherwise.

* In ''Manga/ThereBeyondTheBeyond'', magicians are sometimes seen making use of summoning magic as the article describes, but the main plot stresses the use of magic to summon flowers from the Beyond, which are permanent beings that can grant wishes, perform miracles, and enhance magical powers.

** Some cards work in the "big instant attack" fashion, as one-shot super-monsters. [[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=234722 Ball Lightning]] is the canonical example of a very large, very damaging, very ''brief'' red summon.

* In ''Film/BigTroubleInLittleChina'', the BigBad and Mentor wizards duel by conjuring up huge glowing spirit-warriors that exchange sword blows.
* ''Film/{{The Box|2018}}'': The MagicalIncantation [[spoiler:on the paper in the box]] summons a {{Doppelganger}} of whoever reads it out loud to soundlessly appear out of nowhere[[spoiler:, and replace the summoner after making them mysteriously disappear]].
* In ''Film/TheSmurfs'', Gargamel sends a moth to [[ShoutOut summon eagles]] so that he could escape Rikers Island in New York City. Instead, he gets a swarm of flies that help him escape.

* In ''Literature/TheBartimaeusTrilogy'' the ability to summon, control, and torment demons is almost the only thing magicians can do. However, because this essentially gives them command of all the magic that the demons can do, they don't feel the loss that badly. However, it's also somewhat cumbersome, as the demons wish to kill their masters and will twist their commands if they can get away with it, and summoning them can be time consuming and must be done perfectly. The magicians try to conceal this weakness by commanding invisible demons to perform feats of magic, and can also have demons "seal" spells into objects that they can activate without the demon's aid later, so if someone doesn't know the trick it appears that magicians have far greater magical powers in addition to commanding mighty demons.
** There are indications that there is another magic, seen with the golem in the second book. The magic of earth and shadow that powers it is antithetical to demons, it was created by a man who did not appear to be a magician, and who was [[CastFromHitPoints putting a lot of himself into it]]. However, summoning and controlling demons is presumably a easier and actually less damaging to your health than golem making, and no other spells are mentioned that use it.
* In ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', wizards among the uncivilized tribes maintain their power by summoning demons. It's an incredibly complex process in which a lot can go wrong, and if the slightest mistake is made it invariably results in the demon escaping, killing the summoner, and then going on about whatever business suits it. The demons are forced to fit a shape imagined by the summoner, who must hold their contration while simultaneously controlling the demon like a puppet and making sure their protective circle remains intact.
* The warlocks from Ian Tregillis' ''Literature/BitterSeeds'' had no power of their own but could summon Eidolons to do their bidding. Eidolons however cannot be commanded, only bargained with.
* This is Macadra's specialty in ''Literature/TheChathrandVoyages''; in the last book, she conjures various demons to pursue the protagonists. Her rival [[spoiler: and brother]] [[EvilSorcerer Arunis]] ''can'' do this but isn't very good at it; his skills seem to lie more along the route of [[{{Necromancer}} necromancy]].
* ''Literature/ConanTheBarbarian'': In ''Literature/ThePhoenixOnTheSword'', Thoth-amon's RingOfPower gives him this power.
-->''What do you see, oh serpent of Set? Whom do you call from the gulfs of the Night? Whose shadow falls on the waning Light? Call him to me, oh serpent of Set!''
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles''. Several evil sorcerers summon demons to help them fight. When a demon is summoned, that's only its vessel. If destroyed, then whoever summoned it can make a new one easily. It's very difficult to permanently kill one, but one way to make it easier is to use a magical holy sword. Other wizards are known to summon fae or elemental spirits for various reasons; the titular wizard detective tends to use them as informants. Or a laundry service.
* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' series:
** Frank's godly parent gives him a spear tipped with a Dragon's Tooth that can be used thrice. Breaking it off in the ground creates a zombie warrior roughly akin to the Terminator.

** In ''Literature/TheElricSaga'', Elric himself has access to some of this courtesy of being the rightful ruler of Melnibonë, thus heir to a fair number of contracts his ancestors made with various supernatural beings, and having the royal magical ring to prove it to boot. It's not always ''quite'' instantaneous, and it's unclear whether any given "quick" summons would work more than once since he never seems to repeat them, but despite the occasional bit of self-doubt on his part the summoned help tends to live up to its part of the bargain readily enough.
** In the first ''Literature/{{Corum}}'' trilogy the Hand of Kwll and Eye of Rhynn that replace his own missing body parts enable Prince Corum to summon the last set of enemies slain either by himself or their predecessors into battle.

* In ''Literature/ThePillarsOfReality'', Mages can summon various kinds of magical creature; trolls and dragons, for example. When Alain sees a steam train, he mistakenly assumes that it's a creature somehow "summoned" by the Mechanics via a parallel technique.
* In ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'': Some people in the Scarlet Spires school of sorcery are practiced in demon summoning. This is the only part of sorcery that the Scarlet Spires has over the Mandate's superior Gnostic sorcery. Iyokus is specialized in demon summoning. He admits that he's been curious for quite a while about how his summoning magic would stack up against a Mandate sorcerer.
* Unsurprisingly, the source material of the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' series, ''Literature/DigitalDevilStory'', features summoning via the [[PowersAsPrograms Demon Summoning Program.]]
* This is a superpower in ''Literature/SuperPowereds'' and ''Literature/{{Corpies}}''. The latter actually has two key summoner characters: [[PerkyGoth Hexcellent]] and an old veteran named Birdsman. The latter has four elemental birds in his arsenal (Fire Eagle, Lightning Falcon, Plasma Hawk, and Rocsteady). Hexcellent can summon demons named Impers (a small flyer used for scouting and message delivery), Huggles (five-foot-tall vulture-like demon with scythes for arms), and Big Henry (a huge monstrosity for lifting rubble and supporting collapsing buildings). [[spoiler:Her first summoned creature was Hopcules, a fluffy bunny. During the novel's DecisiveBattle, she's threatened by a HumongousMecha. Hopcules reappears... as a twenty-story fire-breathing rabbit in medieval armor]].
* In John French’s ''Literature/ThousandSons'' novels, the sorcerer Ctesias specializes in summoning daemons, and he has spent thousands of years [[IKnowYourTrueName learning their true names]] and binding hundreds of them into his service. At the climax of ''The Tale of Ctesias'', he is forced to summon nearly all of them at once in order to fight off an endless tide of Slaaneshi daemons, an act which nearly kills him.
* ''Literature/TheTravelersGate'': The primary magic system of the world. "Travelers" can open Gates to strange worlds called "Territories," filled with powerful elemental monsters and forces. The rules are slightly different for every Territory, but every Traveler can summon a small army at nearly any time. Valinhall is the main exception, as they summon powers ''into'' themselves rather than through a Gate.

* A lot of witch-magic in Creator/AnneRice's ''TheVampireChronicles'' (and the same author's ''LivesOfTheMayfairWitches'', set in the same universe) involves summoning and commanding spirits.

* In Robert Jordan's ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'' series, The Horn of Valere is used to summon heroes of legend from every age of history to kick ass on behalf of whoever blows the horn.

* Andrew, from ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', summoned powerful demons to battle Buffy. [[note]]After his return in the following season as an ally to Buffy, he never summoned a single demon again. When he is begging to join the good guys (instead of just being a hostage for them), and is asked what exactly he would bring to the table. He points out his skill at summoning demons, receives an askance look, and admits that skill isn't exactly a useful one for the good guys.[[/note]]
* The titular character on ''Series/{{Merlin|2008}}'' has this. As a Dragonlord, he can summon and command the dragon by calling to it, and it was bound to obey him and come when he called, providing many a BigDamnHeroes moment.

* In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E21AllHellBreaksLoosePartOne "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part One" (S02, Ep21)]], Ava learns to control an Acheri demon, which she uses to help her kill the others at Cold Oak.

* Kullervo in Literature/TheKalevala does this after the Northland Maiden tricks him into destroying his precious knife (the only family heirloom he had left). He summons a bunch of bears and wolves and sends them into her house were hey tear her into pieces.

* The EvilSorcerer in Creator/WilliamsElectronics' ''Pinball/{{Sorcerer}}'' pinball summons [[{{Dracolich}} flaming skeletal dragons]].

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' errs on the side of game balance in regards to summoning magic (a subset of the "conjuration" school of magic). All casters have some form of summoning magic, at most to all levels of casting, but the creatures summoned aren't all-powerful. They do, however, fight right alongside everyone else in combat, meaning nobody has to step out for the summon to take their place. There are also the ''Planar Ally'' and ''Planar Binding'' spells, which calls forth an exceptionally powerful creature to serve you by either bargaining with it or forcing it to. And at the highest end of things, there are a handful of spells that take quite a lot of time to cast, but conclude with the caster summoning his own private squad of both powerful ''and'' loyal creatures.
** One of the most powerful conjuration spells is ''Gate'', which simply makes the monster (such as a powerful demon, archangel, titan, or ''god'') ''be here''... and says ''nothing'' about its attitude toward the caster.
** Then there's the ''Planar Exchange'' spell, which switches the caster with an extraplanar being, zips him up in a pocket space, and allows him to remotely control the summon and use its senses -- effectively being replaced by that creature for the duration.
** Throughout the editions, there are also some magic subclasses specifically built with summoning in mind. The biggest examples of this in ''5th Edition'' are Conjuration/Necromancy Wizards and Shepherd Druids, all of whom have subclass features that enhance the creatures they can summon.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'': One of the major cornerstones of Sorcery is the Summon [X]th Circle Demon spell. It allows you to call up a demon from Malfeas and challenge it to a test of wills; if you win, it's bound to serve you until its chosen task is completed or for a year and a day, whichever comes first. If you lose, however, the results can be...messy. There are somewhat safer spells, such as Summon Elemental, and Necromancy has its own equivalents (such as Summon Ghost).

* The [[AlchemyisMagic alchemical mages]] of ''TabletopGame/ResArcana'' can spend essences to summon helpful creatures, dragons and demons.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'': Both Mages and Shaman can summon spirits. Shaman summon nature spirits on the spot while Mages summon element spirits ahead of time and bind them to be called on later. The 4th Edition of the rules blurs the line between the two types with both capable of binding or immediate summoning. 4th Edition also has sprites, which are compiled by {{techno|path}}mancers, although they exist only in [[CyberSpace the Matrix]].

** In ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'', any psyker with access to the Daemonology (Malefic) Psychic Discipline are able to summon and control units of Chaos Daemons during a battle, not just Chaos Sorcereres.
** In ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'', any model with the Chaos and Wizard Keywords are able to summon Daemonic units and characters; all the player needs is the appropriate Warscroll and models.

* In ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' the [[MaskOfPower Kanohi]] Zatth that Kongu uses in his Toa Mahri form has the ability to summon various creatures to help. The catch? Users cannot actually choose ''what kind'' of creature they summon, as Kongu finds out when he summons a bunch of small eels to fight a gigantic 300-foot one.

* ''VideoGame/BlueDragon'': The characters: have the ability to summon the creature that dwells in each of their shadows (a bat, a phoenix, a minotaur, a tiger, and yes, a blue dragon) to help them fight. This is pretty much the key mechanic of the game.

* In ''VideoGame/ChaosRingsIII'', the four Purple Gifts that can be found over the course of the game can be used to create items that allow the characters to summon the Zodiac Arms: powerful robots located inside satellites orbiting Marble Blue. However, they can only be used once a day in real time, limiting their usefulness. Furthermore, said Gifts can instead be fused together to create a powerful light-elemental Gene.

* In ''VideoGame/DiabloII'', the Necromancer and Druid characters have a whole list of spells devoted to summoning multiple allies, who are always loyal and fight until killed. The Amazon and Assassin can summon a single powerful ally.

* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', and all its computer game adaptations, have plenty of summoning spells...although not all of the beings summoned are going to be instantly cooperative.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'', your party members' pact-partners when summoned last for a while, whereas your dragon does one thing and then disappears.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' also has the Thu'um (or "shout" in Dovah), which creates magic with only three words can can call upon a [[http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Storm_Call violent storm]], [[http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Soul_Cairn_Summon summon the undead]] from the Soul Cairn or even [[spoiler: [[http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Call_Dragon send dragons]] [[http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Summon_Durnehviir to your aid]]]].

* In ''VideoGame/ElementalWarOfMagic'', it's possible to summon a wide variety of creatures.
* Summon magic is a reocurring feature in the ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy'' series:
** ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy1'' gives Natalie four separate summons she can use, those being Pichu and Registeel from the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' franchise, Canti from ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'' and Catastrophe from the ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' series. All of them[[note]]except Catastrophe, who was renamed Calamity[[/note]] were replaced by [[{{Expy}} Expies]] in the [[CompilationRerelease EBF Collection]] version of the game.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Fate}}'', there is a group of spells classified as charm magic that allow you to summon up to six monsters to temporarily fight for you.

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyV'', Summoners are one of the [[JobSystem jobs]] the player characters can train in, and it works more or less the same as in ''III'' and ''IV'' (as a powerful one-time attack). The Ranger can also use the !Animals command to summon a random woodland critter, which does a mild amount of damage, inflicts a status effect, or heals the party, for no MP cost.
** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', the summoned beasts, or Espers, drove the entire plot of the game. They weren't even summoned creatures in the usual sense until about an eighth of the way into the game, where they started dying and turning into Magicite. Even before that, pretty much every plot point was based on them: They hold the lost art of Magic, the EvilEmpire is draining their powers to become all-powerful, the MysteriousWaif is [[spoiler:half-Esper]], and their world contains the resting place of the Gods of Magic. For all their plot-importance though, the actual summoning aspect is arguably the weakest it's ever been in a ''Final Fantasy'' game. You can only equip one summon per party member, and you can only summon them once per battle, unless someone mimics the summoner. True, the summoning effects are still quite powerful, and holding the Magicite alone teaches magic, but they're no longer the bane of all enemies, like they were in ''IV''. Though that's {{Justified|Trope}} because Magicite is actually the remains of a ''dead'' Esper. All you're doing is summoning some shadow of their former self.

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', Summoners, Arcanists and Scholars all use a pet-type summon. Arcanists summon different varieties of Carbuncle, which is described as an [[MadeOfMagic Aether construct]]. Scholars, a healing class, summon a fairy to assist them in that task. Summoners summon Egi, a small shard of a [[OurGodsAreDifferent Primal's]] essence that stuck on them after they defeated that Primal in battle (although before they can summon it at will they have to perform a SummoningRitual the first time, followed by battling it to establish dominance). Summoners later gain the ability to summon Demi-Bahamut and Demi-Phoenix (both of which are simulacrum of those primals) for 20 second periods.
*** Summoners got a fairly major overhaul in the Endwalker expansion: Now they can only summon a Carbuncle (a small, glowing bunny like creature) which can't attack as their permanent pet; Summoning the old Egis results in something much closer to how summons worked in older games, which is to say they arrive, use a powerful attack and then leave again.

* In ''Franchise/FireEmblem'', some spells allow this:

* In ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'', this is another source of your fighting powers beside your weapons are monsters and spirits that Lyria helps you summon into battle.

* ''[[VideoGame/HenryStickminSeries Henry Stickmin -- Completing The Mission]]'': In the Toppat King route, Henry can use a spell to summon [[Memes/DragonBall Shoop Da Woop]] to attack the military. Just as it was about to fire, the camera shifts to the base... completely deserted, as the Fail Screen says it took a week for Henry's summon to arrive.

* In ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'', you take the role of a Summoner. An anonymous character who calls into battle (or summons) a champion, whom which you control to battle other summoners to win EXP and IP or influence points, to unlock champions. More directly gameplay-related are Champions who themselves summon creatures to help them. From plants, to spiderlings, to turrets, to zombies, to a clone of you or your allies, to a giant animated teddy bear from Hell (literally), there's quite a few options.

* ''VideoGame/LostKingdoms'' has both varieties.

* In ''VideoGame/NetHack'', it can sometimes be a pain to get your pet(s) to follow you around the dungeon. The 'Magic Whistle' will instantaniously bring them to you, even if you're in a room with all the doors closed.

** As of ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4|A Promise Unforgotten}}'' you can now summon ''anime characters''. If you ever wanted to sic [[Literature/SpiceAndWolf Holo]] or [[Manga/LuckyStar Anime Tenchou]] on your foes, now's your chance.
** In ''VideoGame/Disgaea5'', Usalia always summons her Prinny mount before getting into combat. [[spoiler:Except in her first appearance, where she's gone berserk.]]

* The Mythical ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' [[TheUnfought Hoopa]] introduced in ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' has the ability to summon and control other OlympusMons using its Hyperspace Fury signature move.
** In ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger: Guardian Signs'', you can draw Ranger Signs to summon Legendary Pokémon.
* Ninja from the ''VideoGame/{{Richman}}'' series uses this skill to summon a giant toad to swallow his rival, Miyamoto, whole in one of their duals in his ending from ''4'''s expansion pack.
** Then in ''8'''s Story Mode, when he tries to use it, a cat scares him and make him accidentally summon a monster tht wrecks havoc around town, causing him to join the Richman Tournament to help repair the mess he has done. In his ending, he uses some of his money to build a ninja school which forbids this skill.

** Pascal in ''VideoGame/TalesOfGraces'' can summon the spirits Grim Sylphie (wind), Cyan Deem (water) and Blood Flamme (fire).
** Sheena from ''VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia'' is a {{ninja}} who can form pacts with each of the 8 [[ElementalPowers elemental]] [[PhysicalGod spirits]], ([[PlayingWithFire Fire]], [[MakingASplash Water]], [[AnIcePerson Ice]], [[DishingOutDirt Earth]], [[LightEmUp Light]], [[CastingAShadow Darkness]], [[BlowYouAway Wind]], [[ShockandAwe Lightning]]), and 2 [[InfinityPlusOneElement other extremely powerful]] [[NonElemental non-elemental]] ones after [[DefeatMeansPlayable defeating]] them in [[DefeatMeansFriendship battle]]. While these summons are incredibly powerful, they are somewhat [[AwesomeButImpractical impractical]] since Sheena can only summon while in [[TurnsRed Overlimit mode]].
** In ''VideoGame/TalesOfDestiny2'', Summon Magic serves as Reala and Harold's [[LimitBreak limit breaks]]. They share [[PlayingWithFire Efreet]] and [[MakingASplash Undine]] between them, while Reala also summons [[DishingOutDirt Gnome]] and [[BlowYouAway Sylph]] while Harold has [[HolyHandGrenade Rem]] and [[CastingAShadow Shadow]]. There is also a GoodBadBug in the original [=PS2=] version that allows Nanaly to summon Efreet.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Torchlight}}'' every class has a skill tree dedicated to building your personal mook army.

* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'': Several Hero units are capable of summoning beasts, elementals, or demons to aid them in battle.

* In ''VideoGame/YokaiWatch'', the main character can summon Yo-Kai they've befriended by inserting their medal into their Yo-Kai Watch.

* ''Franchise/FateSeries'': The Servants in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', the [[Literature/FateZero prequel]], and the [[VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia pseudo-sequel]] are copies of Heroic Spirits, heroes or other major figures from history and myth stored in the Throne of Heroes, an interdimensional realm where these figures go after death. A Magus prepares a magic circle, usually made of blood. Optionally, he/she can add a relic of that hero or specify them as a Berserker (provided that someone else hasn't summoned their Servant as a Berserker yet) in order to get a specific hero. If no relic is used, the Servant summoned will be a random one who has a compatible personality to the Master. Between the two is using a "generalist" relic that can potentially summon a pool of Heroic Spirits tied to it but will end up with the one most compatible with the Master. Then they show up, the Master makes a contract for a week or two throughout the Grail War. The Servant stays until either they are defeated or the Grail War ends, at which point the Grail stops helping the Master supply them with Prana and their copies disappear and merge with their original versions in the Throne of Heroes. [[spoiler:Except for [[Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh Gilgamesh]], who did not return to the Throne of Heroes after the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War. In addition, due to making a deal with the Earth, Saber/[[Myth/KingArthur Arturia]] has chosen not to join the Throne of Heroes until she wins a Holy Grail War and gets her wish, so instead, she returns to her original moment of death every time she dies in a Holy Grail War (which is what happens offscreen at the end of ''Fate/Zero'', and the cycle ends in the main ending of the ''Fate'' route of ''Fate/stay night'', where she accepts being KilledOffForReal). Saber and Rider/[[Myth/ClassicalMythology Medusa]] also stay in the present with their Masters in two of the endings of ''Unlimited Blade Works'' and ''Heaven's Feel'' respectively.]] Oh, and the magus who summons them generally has an absolutely 0% chance of ever being able to beat their Servant in combat, though there are a few exceptions.
** Among the Servants themselves, a few have the ability to cast their own Summon Magic. ''LightNovel/FateZero'''s Caster, for instance, instead of fighting the others directly, only ever uses his TomeOfEldritchLore to bring in monsters that fight on his behalf.

* In ''Webcomic/{{Adventurers}}'', Ardam could use summon magic as well, though it usually backfired amusingly on him. The story provides some lore for where summons come from: some powerful beings allow themselves to be trapped in the summon realm in exchange for immortality. Ardam's achievement hinges on [[spoiler:an ''inversion'': pulling an enemy into the realm of summoned creatures so they can all beat the hell out of it.]]
* In ''Webcomic/CrimsonFlag'' elemental spirits can be channeled through [[MagicWand staffs]] to act as allies. The religion of the Red Reyn bans this type of magic as "spirits are rivals to The Lady."
* In ''Webcomic/DaughterOfTheLilies'', Drath-summoning overlaps with {{Necromancy}}, since it calls damned souls into a host through a [[GeometricMagic ritual circle]].

* In ''Webcomic/YokokasQuest'', the [[BigCreepyCrawlies king centipede]] that Mao fought was summoned from the Darkness Clan with a [[GeometricMagic summoning circle]]. Grace forms a pact with spirits born from her lucky deck, and has summoned them to teleport her and Yokoka away from a battle, to heal Yokoka, and to play poker with.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Harley Quinn|2019}}'': The power of the Queen of Fables, an old school villain who once soloed the Justice League by summoning various fairytale characters to fight for her. Given the nature of the show, this can have various uses such as having the Big Bad Wolf slaughter a family, the Three Little Pigs dispose of a body for her, or Humpty Dumpty provide the main ingredient for a really big omelette.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Prince|2010}}'': This is what the powers of the Little Prince amounts to. Besides multi-purpose sheeps, he can summon many fantastic creatures or items for the task at hand simply by drawing them. Strangely, despite this he's always puzzled when people call him a wizard.
* In ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'', this is [[spoiler:Mayura]]'s power. She can conjure powerful creatures to act as guardians for her subject (and possibly for other uses).

* ''VideoGame/LieOfCaelum'': Mai's Flow ability, Mock Tamer, summons artificial monsters to fight alongside her, but if she's incapacitated, the monsters will despawn.

** ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy1'' gives Natalie four separate summons she can use, those being Pichu and Registeel from the ''[[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Pokemon]]'' franchise, Canti from ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'' and Catastrophe from the ''VideoGame/GoldenSun'' series. All of them[[note]]except Catastrophe, who was renamed Calamity[[/note]] were replaced by [[{{Expy}} Expies]] in the [[CompilationRerelease EBF Collection]] version of the game.
** ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy2'' has Natalie start with four summons, those being [[EnemyScan Scanbot]], a Slime Bunny, the Beholder from the previous game and [[WebAnimation/NCHProductions NCHProductions']] mascot, Meow Meow. She unlocks a fifth summon, named [[KillSat Ion]], after defeating the Guardian.

* ''VideoGame/GranblueFantasy'', this is another source of your fighting powers beside your weapons are monsters and spirits that Lyria helps you summon into battle.

** The summons are Disney characters from other worlds, mostly worlds that don't appear in the game. Some of them change the gameplay temporarily when summoned, like WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}, and [[WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} Mushu]] who both make KH's melee combat into a temporary ThirdPersonShooter... or squirter in Dumbo's case.

* ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'': Bowser's special attacks consist on him summoning a bunch of a specific mook and doing a quick minigame, with more damage to the enemies the better it's executed. [[spoiler: Collecting all the [[CuteKitten Blitties]] for Broque Monsieur allows Bowser to summon his dog Broggy, who, if perfectly executed, will attack alongside said blitties]]

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIV'': Rydia is one of the first examples in the franchise; while summoners were actually introduced in the [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII previous game]], Rydia brought attention to the job. Since then, Summon Magic in some shape or form has been a staple of the ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' series. In some cases [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration the summoned beings even play a role in the plot]] (hello Bahamut).

** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'', the summoned beasts, or Espers, drove the entire plot of the game. They weren't even summoned creatures in the usual sense until about an eighth of the way into the game, where they started dying and turning into Magicite. Even before that, pretty much every plot point was based on them: They hold the lost art of Magic, the EvilEmpire is draining their powers to become all-powerful, the MysteriousWaif is [[spoiler:half-Esper]], and their world contains the resting place of the Gods of Magic. For all their plot-importance though, the actual summoning aspect is arguably the weakest it's ever been in a Final Fantasy game. You can only equip one summon per party member, and you can only summon them once per battle, unless someone mimics the summoner. True, the summoning effects are still quite powerful, and holding the Magicite alone teaches magic, but they're no longer the bane of all enemies, like they were in ''IV''. Though that's {{Justified|Trope}} because Magicite is actually the remains of a ''dead'' Esper. All you're doing is summoning some shadow of their former self.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'': The Umbra Witches all have the ability to summon the Infernal Demons to them in varying capacities. In game, the titular witch uses them to finish off larger enemies, along with summoning the limbs of Madama Butterfly, her pact demon, to allow for giant fists and [[GiantFootOfStomping stiletto heels]] to appear and attack her enemies. Their [[LightIsNotGood light counterparts]], the Lumen Sages also have the ability to summon giant angels for roughly the same purposes, although this has only been demonstrated by one character in both games. In the [[VideoGame/Bayonetta3 third game]] Bayonetta has the ability to summon Infernal Demons in gameplay, though she won't be able to attack while they're out since she has to dance to maintain the ritual and the demons can be defeated, temporarily making them unsummonable. Meanwhile new character Voila can use her sword to summon her demon Cheshire and can fight alongside it via [[BoxingBattler boxing moves]].

* ''Franchise/FateSeries'': The Servants in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'', the [[Literature/FateZero prequel]], and the [[VisualNovel/FateHollowAtaraxia pseudo-sequel]] are copies of Heroic Spirits, heroes or other major figures from history and myth stored in the Throne of Heroes, an interdimensional realm where these figures go after death. A Magus prepares a magic circle, usually made of blood. Optionally, he/she can add a relic of that hero or specify them as a Berserker (provided that someone else hasn't summoned their Servant as a Berserker yet) in order to get a specific hero. If no relic is used, the Servant summoned will be a random one who has a compatible personality to the Master. Between the two is using a "generalist" relic that can potentially summon a pool of Heroic Spirits tied to it but will end up with the one most compatible with the Master. Then they show up, the Master makes a contract for a week or two throughout the Grail War. The Servant stays until either they are defeated or the Grail War ends, at which point the Grail stops helping the Master supply them with Prana and their copies disappear and merge with their original versions in the Throne of Heroes. [[spoiler:Except for [[Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh Gilgamesh]], who did not return to the Throne of Heroes after the end of the Fourth Holy Grail War. In addition, due to making a deal with the Earth, Saber/[[Myth/KingArthur Arturia]] has chosen not to join the Throne of Heroes until she wins a Holy Grail War and gets her wish, so instead, she returns to her original moment of death every time she dies in a Holy Grail War (which is what happens offscreen at the end of ''Fate/Zero'', and the cycle ends in the main ending of the ''Fate'' route of ''Fate/stay night'', where she accepts being KilledOffForReal). Saber and Rider/[[Myth/ClassicalMythology Medusa]] also stay in the present with their Masters in two of the endings of ''Heaven's Feel''.]] Oh, and the magus who summons them generally has an absolutely 0% chance of ever being able to beat their Servant in combat, though there are a few exceptions.

* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'': In [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros4 the fourth installment]], [[Characters/TheLegendOfZeldaPrincessZelda Zelda]], having lost her ability to [[StanceSystem transform into Sheik]], gains a move where she summons a Phantom from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass'' and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks''. It's quite versatile as it can deliver a strong attack and even take hits for Zelda.

** As of ''VideoGame/{{Disgaea 4|A Promise Unforgotten}}'' you can now summon ''anime characters''. If you ever wanted to sic [[LightNovel/SpiceAndWolf Holo]] or [[Manga/LuckyStar Anime Tenchou]] on your foes, now's your chance.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'': The Umbra Witches all have the ability to summon the Infernal Demons to them in varying capacities. In game, the titular witch uses them to finish off larger enemies, along with summoning the limbs of Madama Butterfly, her pact demon, to allow for giant fists and [[GiantFootOfStomping stiletto heels]] to appear and attack her enemies. Their [[LightIsNotGood light counterparts]], the Lumen Sages also have the ability to summon giant angels for roughly the same purposes, although this has only been demonstrated by one character in both games. In the [[Videogame/Bayonetta3 third game]] Bayonetta has the ability to summon Infernal Demons in gameplay, though she won't be able to attack while they're out since she has to dance to maintain the ritual and the demons can be defeated, temporarily making them unsummonable. Meanwhile new character Voila can use her sword to summon her demon Cheshire and can fight alongside it via [[BoxingBattler boxing moves]].

* ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'': The Umbra Witches all have the ability to summon the Infernal Demons to them in varying capacities. In game, the titular witch uses them to finish off larger enemies, along with summoning the limbs of Madama Butterfly, her pact demon, to allow for giant fists and [[GiantFootOfStomping stiletto heels]] to appear and attack her enemies. Their [[LightIsNotGood light counterparts]], the Lumen Sages also have the ability to summon giant angels for roughly the same purposes, although this has only been demonstrated by one character in both games.

* ''Manha/MagikaNoKenshiToShoukanMaou'' is set in a world where humans discovered magic TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture. Most mythological beasts actually exist in a parallel world and are now called "Divas." Divas can be summoned by those who bear a special marking that appears on their 14th birthday.