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Limit on # of Summoned Spirits

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Paper

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« on: <07-31-17/1616:19> »
I'm not sure if this has been answered before, but is there a limit on how many unbound spirits a summoner can have at once? I know bound spirits is equal to the Charisma of the mage.

Kiirnodel

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« Reply #1 on: <07-31-17/1618:32> »
1.

You can only have 1 unbound spirit at a time.

Paper

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« Reply #2 on: <07-31-17/1619:07> »
That's what I thought it might be. Thank you for confirming!

&#24525;

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« Reply #3 on: <07-31-17/1719:54> »
Is that RAW?

Sphinx

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« Reply #4 on: <07-31-17/1739:36> »
SR5, p.300: "Summoning a spirit is a Complex Action. You can only summon one spirit at a time, and it only hangs around for a limited time—a summoned spirit will return to wherever it was when you called it when it’s either through with all of the services it owes you or when the sun rises or sets (whichever comes first)."

Senko

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« Reply #5 on: <07-31-17/1807:02> »
Hmm I always read that as meaning you could only summon a single spirit per casting not that you could only summon one spirit. That is you can summon a force 4 dog spirit then you summon a force 5 task spirit to walk it but you can't summon 3 force 2 fox spirits in one casting. Otherwise why specify at a time rather than just saying you can only summon one spirit?

Sphinx

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« Reply #6 on: <07-31-17/1841:17> »
You can bind it, then you're free to summon another one. Or you can dismiss that spirit and summon a different one. But you can only have one summoned spirit at a time.

Officerzan

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« Reply #7 on: <08-04-17/1016:21> »
I would never allow it as it's always been 1 unbound (exception for watchers i believe) but...It's actually a tough call if this is your first edition as the wording changed from SR4 to SR5. I'm AFB so paraphrasing but i believe it used to say something like "you may only have one unbounded spirit summoned at a time." Now it says "you may only summon one spirit at a time." Now...was that an accident in wording or a purposeful change? Who knows. Chalk it up to another confusing matter unaddressed by the dev team.  ;D

Really though, if you allow your players to do it, the enemies need to do it for balance. Then, you just have every single run consist of 99% spirit combat because it would be stupid for wage mages to not spend a few hours creating a small army for their shift. Your games then just become Poké'Run NPC battles with your "trainers" sitting there useless and bored.

Senko

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« Reply #8 on: <08-07-17/0210:22> »
Depends on how you treat unbound spirits I guess. For me I treat the limits as the same on both that is you can summon one at a time and have a certain number under your "control". It doesn't matter if that numbers bound, unbound or a mix. Sure you dodge the binding cost/check but there's ways around that as simple as using the first service to be "wait there till I'm recovered" and unbound spirits have a number of drawbacks over bound spirits anyway. Unless I'm misreading things which I may well be the rules are quite confusing. Still like I said I read summon one spirit as you can only summon one at a time not you can have only one spirit out in which case I'd be applying it to bound spirits as well where it obviously isn't the case. Of course your also right some of the dev wording changes do seem designed specifically to confuse players and drive a divide between those who were playing an earlier edition and those who werent.

Of course I could also be biased as personally I dislike the whole concept of binding spirits (mainly because the flavour text always seemed to indicate it was less than pleasant for the spirit in question) so I've normally used unbound ones.

EDIT
Not that it proves anything either way but I just came across the chainbreaker mastery in forbidden arcana where in return for refusing to bind spirits you get the ability to summon two additional types. So it could be as you say and thus in exchange for getting one spirit only you can summon extra types. Alternatively it could be as I say and they see feel bound or unbound you should be able to summon multiples.

It also lends some precedence for my house rules on summoning more than your traditions types.
« Last Edit: <08-07-17/0257:17> by Senko »

ShadowcatX

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« Reply #9 on: <08-08-17/1735:03> »
You may only have one unbound spirit under your control (excepting watchers).