evokesummon

Evokesummon is a term used in fantasy and game design to describe the act or technique of eliciting a summoned being or effect through a single integrated action. The concept combines evoke, to call forth, with summon, to bring forth a creature or entity from a separate plane or source.

Etymology and usage: Coined in the context of role-playing and fantasy writing, evokesummon is not a formal linguistic standard but a descriptive label for a mechanic that merges triggering and summoning into one step.

Mechanics: In many systems, evoking and summoning are typically separate: a spell or ability first evokes a presence, followed by a summons. Evokesummon condenses this into a single action with a defined cost, duration, and effect. Outcomes vary by system: the summoned entity may be temporary, bound to the caster, or independent but under constraints; success may depend on resource checks, dice results, or situational modifiers.

Variants and examples: Some games treat evokesummon as a specialized spell, others as a character ability or ritual. Effects can include control, companionship, or battlefield utility, with risks such as backlash, misinterpretation by the summonee, or instability of the portal.

In culture and references: The term appears primarily in fan-created content, homebrew rules, and speculative fiction. It is not widely standardized, and different authors may assign divergent technical definitions to the concept.

The concept illustrates how designers describe complex interactions succinctly, and serves as a reminder that terms like evokesummon are often contextual rather than universally defined.