Honey, I Summoned a Demon

[AlexanderHowl]

One possibility is to make the demon a doppleganger of the summoner as long as the summoner is alive. At that point, the demon can get into all sort of mischief, though I would lean away from mass mutilation and serial murder and towards more creative pursuits (there is a lot of evil that can be done short of mutilation and murder). For example, a demon could seduce every fertile married woman in a village in order to spawn a horde of half-breed demons over the course of a decade. When its activities are discovered, its summoner receives the blame, and it goes on to another community.

[Prince Charon]

Has anyone done the 'demon appears' result in a setting where demons are spiritual rather than physical threats, or use the 'hostile spirit appears' result from the Spirit-Oriented Magic Table from Thaumatology p260?

If not, do you have thoughts on how you'd handle it? It does seem like it would be very different from the standard 'scary humanoid monster' version.

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Has anyone done the 'demon appears' result in a setting where demons are spiritual rather than physical threats, or use the 'hostile spirit appears' result from the Spirit-Oriented Magic Table from Thaumatology p260?

If not, do you have thoughts on how you'd handle it? It does seem like it would be very different from the standard 'scary humanoid monster' version.

I have not done this, but it is a deliciously evocative idea. Any time you use magic, you risk tearing a hold in the fabric separating the realm of spirits from mundane reality. This would incline me toward the second example I mentioned above where the entity is more of a problem to solve than a battle to fight. It may take some time for the party to acquire the tools and expertise to neutralize the threat.

I could even see a setting where you tie critical failures to Elder Things—a tear in the fabric of space-time, letting things in from Outside. This would work well in a Cthulhu-esque setting where mages are always courting madness.

[Dalin]

Originally Posted by Celjabba

But as a player, I once witnesssed a memorable use : we were investigating a murder, and the wizard casted images of the past (or maybe history ? whichever 3e spell was available). He botched the roll, summoned a demon ... and the GM had the demon appear in the past and slaughter the victim.

That's some inspired GMing!

[The Colonel]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Has anyone done the 'demon appears' result in a setting where demons are spiritual rather than physical threats, or use the 'hostile spirit appears' result from the Spirit-Oriented Magic Table from Thaumatology p260?

If not, do you have thoughts on how you'd handle it? It does seem like it would be very different from the standard 'scary humanoid monster' version.

Yeah. The idea of a non-manifest demon has mileage - for a pop culture treatment try the gift-with-purchase they got when resurrecting Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 6. Probably most fun when the PCs don't even realise that it's there for the time being. Maybe even more so if it is something like a resurrection that they've botched...

[Plane]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

they would accidentally summon a demon once every 40 months.

"or malign entity" might leave the door open for something more appropriate like an elemental

Plus it says GM can waive this for "lily white pure good" intentions with a spell. So normal lighting the homes for peasants should count, but lighting the barracks for your evil army of oppressors would not be.

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

If not, do you have thoughts on how you'd handle it? It does seem like it would be very different from the standard 'scary humanoid monster' version.

Ghosts appearing makes a lot more sense in many settings IMO since you can keep the facade up better with a ghost than with a corporeal demon.

I think the most appropriate phrase is "X appropriate to setting" with X being "demon or malign entity".

Demons pretty much are usually malign entities anyway, so the key word is that they're malign and will cause some kind of trouble.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Plane

"or malign entity" might leave the door open for something more appropriate like an elemental

Plus it says GM can waive this for "lily white pure good" intentions with a spell. So normal lighting the homes for peasants should count,

Only if you're doing it because you just love to help people. That's the out for holy hermits who like to cast healing spells on hapless wandering adventurers who got mauled. It doesn't apply to anyone who is doing it as a business.

[AlexanderHowl]

Yes, 'lily white pure good' generally has to contain three elements in my games: a) the caster does not seek any direct or indirect compensation, b) the caster uses the spell out of a charitable desire to be helpful, not out of any duty or sense of duty, and c) the caster has no ulterior motive that would make helping the target a means to an end.

[Þorkell]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHowl

b) the caster uses the spell out of a charitable desire to be helpful, not out of any duty or sense of duty,

You can't be charitable towards those you have a Sense of Duty to?

[AlexanderHowl]

Nope, it is not charity if it is your duty or obligation.