Just wanted to get a quick idea on how most tables handle spirit services.(Mission games as well)
I recently started playing at a table using 6e rules. I found the use of spirits to be more of a chore to even bother summoning and using.
If you summoned more than 2 spirits then the GM would group them together for convenience and they could not act independently.
Any summons over force 3 the spirit would get edge and always use it against the summoner to reduce services.
If you only had 1 service for a spirit it was useless to get the spirit to do anything in the material world. I.e. the GM would always count the spirit 'manifesting' as a full service. So if you wanted it to attack someone it would always use 2 services - 1 to materialize and 1 to attack.
For attacks the GM ruled that each service was = to one attack. You have 4 services then the spirit would materialize and attack the target 3 times.
If you ordered the spirit to guard an area and report if anyone came into the area each report would count as a service and every hour the spirit guarded the area was a service.
If the spirit got hurt during any service it also counted against the mage who summoned it as a negative as you were causing the spirit to experience harm. Your rep with spirits would get negatives and the spirits would not come when called.
My previous games I've played (2nd edition) we played way more loosely with spirit services, order it to attack a group of thugs and it fought all of them till the thugs were down or it was defeated.
How do most 6e tables handle spirit services?
