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General discussionTurn-based RPGs with persistent summons?(14 posts)(14 posts)
(14 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted May 13, 2016
Having decided to abandon Wizardry Summoner, I am interested in other games that have persistent summons.

Examples that I know of and have played:
Bard's Tale 1-3 (in 2-3 they're actually permanent and can be saved)
Centauri Alliance
Wizardry 4
Elminage Gothic
(Geneforge series, but I would prefer non-tactical combat)

Anyway, for a summon to be persistent, it must:
1. Actually be a summon from a gameplay perspective. In other words, the summon must actually create an ally that fights alongside you; Final Fantasy summons that attack and then disappear don't count, as they are really just attack spells.
2. Must stick around. A summon that lasts only for the battle (like in Wizardry 5-8) doesn't count; I want summons that I can cast immediately when entering the dungeon (or after rest) and not have to re-cast it unless something should happen to the summoned creature.

I also would prefer it if:
*: Summons *don't* level up; I prefer to be able to experiment with different summons without being locked into the ones I have leveled up
*: Summons act under AI control, but have unlimited resources
*: Summons can perform special actions like the use of breath weapons or (if summons are grouped) calling for help
*: There exist summons that can heal
*: Summons are worth using. In games where summons share spots with regular party members, they should be worth using in their place.
*: As the topic title indicates, I am looking for turn-based RPGs, so don't recommend me something like Baldur's Gate 2.
Posted May 13, 2016
Could you be a bit more specific ;op
Posted May 13, 2016
Paper Sorcerer should be right up your alley.
Posted May 13, 2016
Agarest 1/0 allows to play around with various monsters in your party, though it isn't exactly the summon system. You can merge them for better summons and/or trade them for various interesting items (gear, gems, crafting materials, etc.).
Post edited May 13, 2016 by Sarisio
Posted May 13, 2016
Devil Whiskey
Posted May 13, 2016
In Deity Quest, you play a god who can recruit its own followers and then guide them on their quest while they act mostly independently in battle. Maybe it is worth a look:

Indie Game Stand (DRM-free + Steam key)
Steam

Each store also has an Extended edition of the game where you can create your own followers in a lab.
Post edited May 13, 2016 by Falkenherz
Posted May 13, 2016
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Crosmando: Devil Whiskey
Then also Demise.
Posted May 13, 2016
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dtgreene: I also would prefer it if:
*: Summons *don't* level up; I prefer to be able to experiment with different summons without being locked into the ones I have leveled up
*: Summons act under AI control, but have unlimited resources
*: Summons can perform special actions like the use of breath weapons or (if summons are grouped) calling for help
*: There exist summons that can heal
*: Summons are worth using. In games where summons share spots with regular party members, they should be worth using in their place.
*: As the topic title indicates, I am looking for turn-based RPGs, so don't recommend me something like Baldur's Gate 2.
Tales of Maj'eyal on this site, has "sumonner" and "necromancer".
Elona+ http://elona.wikia.com/wiki/Elona_Wiki (use elona+ or elona custom) dl link
Posted May 13, 2016
low rated
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Geralt_of_Rivia: Paper Sorcerer should be right up your alley.
I don't really count that, as what the game refers to as "summoning" is really the game's character creation system. I am particularly interested in games where summons can be considered throwaway in a sense, and as I mentioned, where the summons don't level up. In Paper Sorcerer (which I have played), your companions are permanent party members who level up and are fully controllable; that's not what I am looking for.
Posted May 13, 2016
avatar
dtgreene: Having decided to abandon Wizardry Summoner, I am interested in other games that have persistent summons.

Examples that I know of and have played:
Bard's Tale 1-3 (in 2-3 they're actually permanent and can be saved)
Centauri Alliance
Wizardry 4
Elminage Gothic
(Geneforge series, but I would prefer non-tactical combat)

Anyway, for a summon to be persistent, it must:
1. Actually be a summon from a gameplay perspective. In other words, the summon must actually create an ally that fights alongside you; Final Fantasy summons that attack and then disappear don't count, as they are really just attack spells.
2. Must stick around. A summon that lasts only for the battle (like in Wizardry 5-8) doesn't count; I want summons that I can cast immediately when entering the dungeon (or after rest) and not have to re-cast it unless something should happen to the summoned creature.

I also would prefer it if:
*: Summons *don't* level up; I prefer to be able to experiment with different summons without being locked into the ones I have leveled up
*: Summons act under AI control, but have unlimited resources
*: Summons can perform special actions like the use of breath weapons or (if summons are grouped) calling for help
*: There exist summons that can heal
*: Summons are worth using. In games where summons share spots with regular party members, they should be worth using in their place.
*: As the topic title indicates, I am looking for turn-based RPGs, so don't recommend me something like Baldur's Gate 2.
A zookeeper build for necromancer in Diablo 2 is a lot like what you're looking for. Summons don't time out but they are fairly weak individually mostly, and casting more than your limit kills the oldest one to bring in the new one. If you like roaming around with a small army of mobs at your beacon call, then D2 is a great way to go.
Posted May 13, 2016
Shadowrun might fit your criteria, not for the shamans who can summon things but for the Riggers with their drones..

I've been playing Chaos Reborn too which is all about summoning monsters to fight for you, but they do mostly only last for the battle (though you can hire mercenaries that last until they die)
Posted May 13, 2016
It might not be exactly what you're looking for but you could check out the Shaman class in the Shadowrun games. I Summons can come from magic stones you need to purchase or find and carry with you. It is also possible to summon spirits from the environment, for example a Shaman can activate a puddle of water to summon a water spirit or a pile a trash to summon a spirit of disease. It's turn based combat so your character relies on a limited action point pool of 2-3AP. Controlling a summoned spirit costs you an action point each turn so you do have an ongoing sacrifice to make by having them. At the beginning of each turn you have the option to give your summon more action points, so that one your character loses can become up to 4 for your summon. However, the more control you exert over your summon, either by giving them more AP or simply being engaged in a long drawn out battle, the more they will resent you. There is a possibility each turn that your summoned spirit will break free of your control and become it's own entity. A free spirit could choose to keep attacking your enemies or it could turn and attack you. Raising your summoning skill helps keep them in line. There might be some more to it, but I never really play with summoners so I don't have much experience with the system. The level design is just a collection of set pieces that follow a linear story line, so there isn't really a lot of dungeon crawling or exploration so this might not fit your needs.
Posted May 14, 2016
Here are my comments about each recommendation so far:

Paper Sorcerer: Played this one. The supposed "summons" are really just normal party members.
Agarest 1/0: Don't those games have tactical combat (in the sense that position is part of the combat system?)
Devil Whiskey: I don't know much about that game, but I think I remember hearing that the game isn't well balanced.
Deity Quest: Looks like the followers have levels, which seems to imply that they level up. I would actually prefer a game where they *don't* level up, and you are expected to acquire stronger summons as the game progresses.
Demise: Don't see any mention of summons. Also, one review mentioned "there is no save-scumming" which I interpret as meaning "they do not have a nice save feature". (There's a reason I always use save-states when playing classic Wizardry.)
Diablo 2: Game isn't turn-based.
Shadowrun: My understanding is that the game has tactical combat, which is actually not what I am looking for.

Also, could someone please explain why this topic is "low rated"? It is extremely disruptive to downrate a topic that people are actually interested in following, as it makes the topic appear read even when there are new unread posts in the topic.
Posted May 14, 2016
I guess you could play something like the Age of Wonders games as a light RPG. It's not exactly what you wanted but not that far off as you might think.
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General discussionTurn-based RPGs with persistent summons?(14 posts)(14 posts)
(14 posts)