The Domination roll requires two 1d20 rolls, one on behalf of the caster, the other on behalf of the summoned entity.
The caster's level, Thaumaturgic Circle Modifiers, and Sacrifice modifiers are added to his roll.
The creature's Hit Dice is added to its roll, and it also receives +1 to the roll for every Power it has.
Domination roll results
If the Magic-User wins, the margin of victory deter- mines how many d10s to roll to determine how many Rounds the creature will be under the caster's control. The caster must concentrate on controlling the creature for this period of time, and if the cast- er's concentration is broken (by being damaged, or casting another spell, for instance), there must be another Domination roll to determine if the crea- ture will remain under control (this second roll can only confirm the original term of control, not extend it, and at most the creature can only win a basic victory in this second contest). The creature returns to its dimension when this time ends.
If the Magic-User wins by a Great Margin (equal to, or greater than, 5 + creature’s Hit Dice + the number of its Powers), the caster can demand a longer service from the creature without needing to consciously direct it. The details of this service must be communicated in a clear and succinct manner.
If the caster wins by a margin of 19 or more (or double a Great Margin), the creature is bound per- manently in our world, and under the complete control of the caster, with no direct concentration required to maintain this control.
If the creature wins the Domination roll, it will simply lash out, attempting to kill and maim all living creatures while it is stable in this reality (a number of Rounds equal to d10 × the margin it won the Domination contest, minimum number of Rounds equal to its Hit Dice).
If the creature wins by a Great Margin (equal to, or greater than, 5 + Magic-User's Hit Dice + Sacri- fice + Thaumaturgic Circle
modifiers), the caster is completely at the mercy of the creature, mind, body, and soul. Roll
139 Spell Descriptions
1d6 and consult the Dominating Creature table below to determine what happens.
If the creature wins the roll by 19 or more (or double a Great Margin), it must make a 1d20 roll. On a 1–19 it is empowered by energy from its own dimension and multiplies its Hit Dice by 1d4+1. Re-roll its powers using its new Hit Dice as a base. It will then go on a killing rampage.
If this extra roll is a 20, the barrier between reali- ties is sundered, and innumerable monstrosities begin dropping through. Hundreds of them will come through in the first hour, then about a hun- dred a day for the next week, then just a few each day. All will be hostile, as their passage to this world is accidental and our reality will be unfamiliar and unpleasant to their sensibilities.
If the domination roll is a tie, then roll again, but this time, the caster uses a d12 instead of a d20, and Thaumaturgic and Sacrifice modifiers do not apply.
Dominating Creature
1. The creature retreats to its own reality, bring- ing the caster back with it. The caster's physical body is destroyed, but his mental essence ex- ists forever in misery.
2. The creature's presence in this universe is stable and it will not be drawn back to its world. The caster's will is replaced with that of the crea- ture, and the character becomes an NPC. If the creature and the Magic-User together have the strength to destroy everyone and everything in their immediate surroundings, they will do so. If there is doubt about their ability to accom- plish this, the creature and caster will retreat and begin their long-range campaign to bring about Hell on Earth.
3. The creature holds the rift open longer than it was supposed to be; 1d10 more creatures with Hit Dice ranging from 1 to the summoned creature's Hit Dice, flood into the physical world. They will attempt to slay and consume every living thing.
4. The creature and the Magic-User merge to form one being. It can switch between the two physical forms at will, and in either form pos- sesses all the powers of both beings. The crea- ture is in control.
5. The creature explodes on contact with our uni- verse, disrupting all sense of self and identity. All human or human-like characters within 120' are randomly switched into new bodies, with the levels and class abilities of the new body (all bodies must change, even if a ran- dom roll puts a character back in their original body). Characters retain their previous Charis- ma, Intelligence, and Wisdom, and take on the Constitution, Dexterity, Strength, Class, Level, and Hit Points of the new body. All present are now Chaotic in alignment, and any Clerics lose their Cleric spells.
6. The creature is not at all interested in being in “reality,” nor does it care about anyone present. It is however supremely vexed at being called through the veil by a piece of meat. It will take one of the caster's comrades as compensation. The caster must choose one of his fellow player characters, and then that character will simply cease to be. If the caster delays, or chooses any- one else than a player character, then all the player characters in the area will be winked out of existence… and the caster will be left alone.
thaumaturgiC CirCles anD saCrifiCes
Using Thaumaturgic Circles and offering Sacrifice while casting the spell makes the portal between worlds more interesting, attracting greater creatures to the summoning point and so allowing them to be summoned. It also numbs the consciousness of these creatures, such as it is, allowing a Magic-User to more easily control greater creatures.Each full 2 Hit Dice of sacrifices gives the caster a +1 bonus to the Domination roll, or 1 Hit Die for a +1 bonus if the sacrifice is the same race as the caster. To count as a sacrifice, the victim must be helpless at the time of the slaying and purposefully slain for just this purpose. Combat deaths do not count.
Thaumaturgic Circles are magical diagrams (or mathematical equations which are nonsense in our
140 Rules & Magic world, but important in some other) used to focus magical energy and give the caster greater control over his summoning. The diagrams are not enough, though. The materials used to draw and decorate the circles are crucial to communicating their infor- mation to the summoned creatures. 500 sp worth of materials is required to invest in a circle for every +1 bonus to the caster's Domination roll, and this is consumed with every casting.