History Main / SummonMagic

Compare {{Mon}}. See also InconvenientSummons for when the summoned is ''not'' happy to be interrupted. See also SummoningRitual, for the more dangerous form of this kind of magic. Compare/contrast DroneDeployer and {{Mon}}. When an enemy does this, it is an EnemySummoner. AssistCharacter is a related trope commonly found in fighting games.

** ''LikeADragonInfiniteWealth'', in addition to bringing back Poundmates, has a [[JobSystem class]] called "Sujimancer", who specializes in summoning Sujimon -- {{Phonymon}} that the player has managed to recruit -- to attack their enemies.

* ''VideoGame/YakuzaLikeADragon'' features a non-magic version of this in the form of the "Poundmates" smartphone app, which Kasuga can use to call upon certain characters he's helped (or fought) over the course of the game to lend him a hand in battle (for a nominal fee). Being an RPG fan with an [[ThroughTheEyesOfMadness over-active imagination]], Kasuga treats the whole process [[MundaneMadeAwesome as if he's using traditional summon magic.]]
-->''Time to call...A FRIEND!''

* ''TabletopGame/{{Chronopia}}'': Despite a fairly large number of factions in a DarkFantasy /HighFantasy setting, summoning magic is largely the domain of the Devout and the Elven Noble Houses, the Swamp Goblins have a fairly minor summons to sneak in as the 3rd and final faction with summoning. The Devout's Warped Lords and Necromancers can summon Demon Knights and Undead Knights respectively. Meanwhile all the elven houses save Yellow Lotus have summonings: Silver Lotus can summon Frost Golems, Obsidian Lotus has the Adamantite Golem and Red Lotus gets two by being able to summon Daughters of the Phoenix and Fire Elementals. Finally Swamp Goblins can summon Gourd Spirits.

*** As a result of teachings from the Ascians in their efforts to destabilize and destroy the world, the Beast Tribes of Eorzea start practicing summons to bring their patron deities, known as "primals", into the world for the purpose of protecting them and[=/=]or destroying their enemies. This is a big problem for the world, as these deiform entities require large amounts of aether to summon in the first, and yet more aether continuously to maintain their physical forms: even setting aside the risk of bodily harm, becoming brainwashed, and the destruction of cities, leaving primals to their own devices carries the risk of them simply draining the planet dry of its very lifeforce. While the beast tribes are the ones who summon primals predominantly, the humanoid races of Hydaelyn can also summon primals of their own with enough aether and fervent belief, as first demonstrated when dimension-hopping goofball Gilgamesh accidentally summons a primal of his avian companion, Enkidu. [[spoiler:Other such primals include King Thordan and the Knights of the Round (by Archbishop Thordan VII and the Heavens' Ward), Tsukuyomi (summoned by Yotsuyu), and Anima (summoned by unwitting Garleans).]]

Summon Magic is basically the ability to conjure forth a magical, often mythological entity without the hassle of actually having it follow you around. This is [[StockRPGSpells a common spell found in RPGs]].

In some [[RolePlayingGame Role-Playing Games]], one of the most powerful attacks in the game, aside from the LimitBreak, is to call upon the aid of some powerful mythological beast to lay the holy (or [[EldritchAbomination unholy]]) smackdown on your foes. Typically summoning sequences will have lots of eye candy thrown in, one or more poweful creatures will [[{{Spectacle}} make a flashy entrance, perform a powerful attack]] [[SlapOnTheWristNuke (causing as much destruction as possible)]], and then leave. Like the LimitBreak, a summon will usually have some sort of restriction in order to compensate for its power.

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. 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''.

* ''VideoGame/WarlockMasterOfTheArcane'' allows player to summon variety of magical creatures to serve in his or her army.

* ''VideoGame/{{Onmyoji}}'' is based on the arts of ''onmyōdō'', so the use of ''shikigami'' in battle is commonplace.

*** A variation of this comes into play in the leadup to ''Shadowbringers'': [[spoiler:Over the course of the post-game MSQ for ''Stormblood'', members of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn begin to fall into comas. You soon meet the one responsible, the Crystal Exarch from the First. It turns out your allies comas were not his intent: he was trying to summon you to the First in order to save it from destruction, but trying to summon someone from a parallel universe across the vast expanse of the interdimensional rift is not easy, and his spell latched onto your allies when he was trying to summon you. Since the spell was meant for you, when it affected your allies, it pulled their souls into the First, leaving their physical bodies comatose in their home dimension. Once it works on you, it pulls you, body and soul, into the First, as intended all along.]]

** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'': Arcanists, Summoners, 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]]; others may ask for some service or payment or require the formatting of a magical contract before they will serve their summoner. In other scenarios, a summoner might use SummonBinding to compel or coerce summons into their service. 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.

* Creator/GamesWorkshop games:

** In ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'' and ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheForsaken'', it's possible to summon spirits from [[SpiritWorld the]] [[DarkWorld Shadow]], though they are by no means obligated to serve the summoner (without additional magics or rituals, at least) and can often quite hostile. The ''Mage'' {{Sourcebook}} ''Summoners'' has details for summoning other beings, including cryptids (weird terrestrial mutants, such as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster), chtonians (beings which inhabit the Underworld which cannot be reliably said to have ever been alive), [[EldritchAbomination Abyssal beings]] and even the denizons of the [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence Supernal Realms]]. The last two are noted to be very hard to summon, quite difficult to control, and ''extremely'' dangerous.

* ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper2'':

** In the ''Twilight of Wolumonde'' storyline, Mudrock was able to [[DishingOutDirt create massive earth and stone golems]] to act as her minions in battle. In her playable form she exchanges this summoning power for unbreakable shields.

* ''VideoGame/{{Archon}}'': The "Summon Elemental" spell brings a [[FourElementEnsemble random elemental]] onto the board to fight an enemy piece of the current player's choice that's not standing on a power point. Both the Wizard (light side) and the Sorceress (dark side) can cast this spell once per game each, and regardless of the outcome of the fight the elemental disappears again immediately afterwards. Its sequel, ''Archon II'', takes this to the next level -- ''all'' pieces are summoned to the board by the four starting Adepts.

* ''LightNovel/MagikaSwordsmanAndSummoner'' 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.