THE SUMMONING FAQ

This FAQ is meant to assist with some of the more difficult puzzles in 
The Summoning.  It is not a step-by-step walkthrough that will show you how
to open every door or solve every puzzle.

The Summoning is a role-playing game published by SSI for MS-DOS computers
and was released in 1992.  It is a real-time game featuring a skewed
overhead perspective.  The chief designers are Chris Straka and Thomas
Holmes of Event Horizon, now renamed DreamForge.  They also produced Veil
of Darkness, which uses the same game engine as The Summoning.

The latest version of the game is v1.2.  A patch for v1.0 versions is 
available at ftp.cdrom.com   /.17/pub/dresden/games/patches
and at ftp.inf.tu-dresden.de   /pub/ms-dos/games/patches
--} look for summ_12.zip

Unfortunately, we don't know what exactly the patch changes.


Is the game good?

Pros:
1) Good graphics and sound
2) Intuitive interface
3) Interesting storyline
4) Balanced combat--no hordes of monsters or mega-powerful spells
5) Excellent automap
6) Large areas to explore, many objects to experiment with, lots of puzzles

Cons:
1) A tad too many repetitious mazes and puzzles
2) No quick way to regenerate spell points
3) Lackluster interactions with non-player characters
4) Many objects--not sure which should be used or hoarded for later
5) Graphics may be considered dated by today's standards


Character Generation:

Keep rerolling until you get a high number in the pool of points. (The best
was around 110.) 

   The best character will probably be one with balanced statistics.  
Try to spread out your points so all attributes are at least 15, except 
for accuracy, which is only for projectile weapons.

   In the long run, it makes little difference which weapon skill and 
magic skill you choose at the beginning.  There will be plenty of 
opportunities during the game to raise your skills in all areas.
Nevertheless, I suggest sword for weaponry, since the best weapons 
are swords.  Probably healing or wizardry is best for magic.  
(ie, Kano needs no skill, and enchantment skills are useless.)


Character Selection:

-   Choose a pre-generated character if you like, but it's more fun to 
generate your own.


General Playing Tips:

The following are actions that will get you through most areas if you do
get stuck:
- pick up every object
- look in all treasure chests
- flip all levers (in various combinations)
- weigh down all plates (in various combinations) with objects or magic
wall
- unweigh plates
- look at automap to see results of actions
- try all objects in "object holes" (look like round keyholes)
- listen to all magic mouths
- kill every monster
- toss a heavy object on an unreachable plate
- try teleporters twice
- if you get teleported to a closed room with a plate, weigh it down (Magic
  Wall if necessary) before teleporting out
- toss objects into teleporters (before entering, if applicable) which will
  weigh down an unreachable plate
- cast Teleport (or use Gebo rune) in all areas
- use a Thurisaz rune (try in all areas--save game before trying) 
- use a Raido rune     "     "     "     "     "     "     "
- cast Kano at a wall if you suspect there is a secret door
- cast Kano at a giant ball to roll it
- cast Zap Away on large objects
- use a bag of lightness to carry boulders - good for weighing plates down
- carry out all side quests for non-player characters
- keep a Fehu rune handy in case you need to generate an item for a puzzle
- if all else fails, use boots of levitation to bypass a plate or
teleporter

The following objects should be conserved and used carefully:
- keys
- tokens
- coins
- pearls
- boots of levitation
- Raido and Thurisaz runes

The following objects can be used as necessary (such as before a
battle) without worrying about needing them for later puzzles:
- spell parchments (read, record, and discard, except for 
parchments for fireball, lightning, swiftness, and invisibility, which 
will be needed in the Citadel)
- nightshade (you can always go to a quiet area and wait for spell points
  to regenerate; also, nightshade is not worth buying)
- magic amulets
- runes that temporarily increase attributes
- potions that cure you of a condition (especially after you found the
  appropriate spell)


Combat:

   The best tactic is to walk up to a monster, whack it, then run away
until you're ready to take another swing.  Try to use a variety of weapons 
because all weapons that come in contact with monsters will eventually 
break (except for Warmonger).  Using a variety of weapons will build up 
your skill levels in various weaponry.  You don't want to get stuck with 
one weapon that you are not skilled at using, especially at levels with 
powerful monsters.  Once you get Warmonger, you won't need another weapon.
I found that it was pretty much okay to use a weapon until it broke, and 
only switched weapons when this happened.  Save magic weapons for their 
spells (until they run out).
   Alternate between using weapons and casting magic spells in combat.
If there are more than one monster, cast Freeze to fight one at a time.
Cast the appropriate protection spell (or use rune) when fighting monsters
that shoot fireballs, lightning, or whatever.



Answers to Difficult Puzzles
============================

BEGINNER ONE and BEGINNER TWO are straightforward.


BEGINNER THREE

Where is the black pearl?
  The black pearl is with the body of Owen, which can be reached by jumping
down a pit on this level, in Below Beginner Three.

How do you get pass the room of pits?
  This part requires dropping a couple of objects on a couple of plates.
Carefully make your way east to a cross-shaped stable floor area.  Step 
on the east corner plate of this cross to close a pit.  Step on the west
corner plate, step back, then step on it again while going west and
dropping an object on it to keep a pit open.  You should be able to walk
west.  Walk as close to the north exit of the room as you can.  Toss an
object on the plate in the northwest corner.  You should be able to exit
the room now.  This room might require some experimentation to get it
right.  The key thing to remember is to throw an object on a distant plate.
 

BROKEN SEAL FIVE

Where are pieces to Angus' sword found?
  Darius has them.  Find Darius in this section and ask him about "sword." 
In Darius' treasure room is the sixth piece to the seal.  Once you find the
two sword pieces, you can return them to Angus as they are.  If you pay 
Padrake the smith to repair the sword, Angus will give you even more items.


BROKEN SEAL FOUR

How do you solve the electric room puzzle?
  You can use the boots of levitation (found in Below Broken Seal Four) or 
not.  If not, you have to stop and rest in the safe spots occasionally.  
Use the large objects in the room and Magic Wall spells to weigh down the
plates.  Jump down the pit that opens.

What is important here?
  Get the first and second pieces of the Broken Seal in the Below Broken
Seal Four area, though they are in two separate locations underground.


BROKEN SEAL THREE

What to do with the circle of stones?
  Take two and put them on the plates to the north.

Should the Book of the Sword be used?
  You can use it or save it for a puzzle later in the game.

What should be done with the teleporter to nowhere?
  Don't walk into it.  Push a creeper into it.  This will open a door.

Where is Dunstan?
  He is locked up in a prison in Below Broken Seal Three.  Find a special
prison key in an area where there are hellhounds.  Use Raido if you have
difficulty finding the area.

What is important here?
  The third piece of the seal is here.  There is a teleporter you should
enter twice.  The second time will take you to the piece.


BROKEN SEAL TWO

What is important here?
  Get the fifth piece of the seal, which is in the center of this maze.
Get to the center by weighing down plates and pushing levers.  Some of the
actions must be done in a particular order.

Where is the antidote for Honorah?
  It is not a regular cure poison potion.  It is a special antidote that is
found in Below Broken Seal One.  Come back here with the antidote later. 
Honorah will give you a magic mirror.  


BROKEN SEAL ONE

How do you get pass the gazers?
  You need a magic mirror from Honorah.  You have to equip the mirror in
one hand, so be sure you have some one-hand weapons.
  Someone reported that the gazers can be killed without the mirror by using
freeze and poison gas spells.

Where is the antidote?
  Go to the northwest part of the area.  You have to get past a twisty
maze.  (Be sure to get the cure poison parchment here.)  Go down to Below
Broken Seal One.  You will encounter Lars there.  Kill Lars.  Get all
items.  There are secret doors in this area, so use Kano.  (Get feathers
for later.)  Get a key from a chest to unlock the area with the antidote.

What next?
  After getting the magic mirror, fight past the area with gazers.
Kill all gazers.  The fourth piece of the seal is in this area.  After
getting all the pieces of the seal, put them in the ground indentation.
This will open a doorway to the elemental barrier areas.


ELEMENTAL BARRIER THREE

What is the important number in this section?
  7.  (See automap in this section.)

Where is the energy sphere?
  You can reach the energy sphere after completing the big clock puzzle. 
See above for the answer.


ELEMENTAL BARRIER ONE

How do you get pass the undead?
  You will need a silver sword.  You will need a silver chalice, holy
symbol, and some gold to pay the smith.

How do I get the silver chalice?
  Ask Rhegad about "symbol" and he'll ask you for a Book of the Sword in
exchange.

I used up my mango and Book of the Sword from an earlier section.  Am I
hopelessly stuck?
  No.  There is another mango and another Book of the Sword in this
section, both in the same place that can reached by stepping on a
teleporter near the center of the maze.  

Note: there are a couple of doors that will open only after you have 
finish an entire conversation with the non-player characters in this
section.  There is also a teleporter that is activated by pushing a barrel
off a plate.

Where is the energy sphere in this section?
  The energy sphere is in a chest near the Gebo destination in this
section.  However, there is a plate that prevents you from reaching it. 
There are several ways of getting it.  The easiest is to use levitation
boots to fly over the plate.  You can also jump into a teleporter in the
undead section to directly reach it.  Another way is to remove a boulder
off a plate in the undead section and stepping on it to deactivate the
plate next to the sphere.


ELEMENTAL BARRIER TWO

What do you do with the side-by-side two teleporters to nowhere?
  Throw two objects into them to open doors.

Where is the energy sphere in this section?
  It is found in the large area where you must weigh a lot of plates.
Upon finding finding all of the three spheres, take them back to Duncan 
in Elemental Barrier Three to be activated.  Bring them back to this
section to break open the barriers by throwing the respective spheres,
based on color, at them.


BLUE KNIGHT'S DOMAIN

What is the equation?
  flask + rock = broken flask  (toss a flask against wall to break)

How do you pass the test of the mage?
  Cast a Magic Wall on the plate when you teleport to that area.

What levers should be pushed in the master control room?
  Starting at the top left, push every other lever in a clockwise 
direction.  In the center, push the top two.

What mages' skulls are in this domain?
  Erastus, Zona, SeaRaven


WHITE KNIGHT'S DOMAIN

How do you find Korguz?
  Use a Thurisaz rune.  Take footwear off, talk to him, and he'll tell 
you about where to find Warmonger, which is vital to finishing the game.

What objects should be inserted in the holes in the Hall of Heroes?
  White pearl, rabbit's foot, Eye of Sight, nightshade.  Find Zekiel,
the mage skull who tells you the fourth movement of Gateway.

Where is the White Knight?
  He is in Below White Knight's Domain.  To get there, go to a room with
many barrels.  Kill all monsters and get a key.  Push a barrel off a plate. 
Push all barrels to see hidden stuff, including a keyhole.  Use key and
jump down pit.  The White Knight is down there.


GREEN KNIGHT'S DOMAIN

What do you do with the Green Knight?
  Talk to him and make a Machiavellian deal.

What is the password for the specter guard?
  Find six full wineskins and give them to Torhan.  He'll tell you the
password is "zarf."  Getting pass the guard will lead you to Silvanus,
the mage's skull who teaches you the seventh movement of Gateway.

What else is important?
  Use Raido here and you'll find FireFang, the mage's skull who teaches you
the sixth movement of Gateway.  Ask FireFang about Warmonger.


EBON KNIGHT'S DOMAIN

How do you solve the teleportal maze?
  Use the map in the back of the manual.

What is important here?
  The head of the Ebon Knight (take it to Green Knight), the Ebon
Medallion, and Pale (eighth movement of Gateway).  The Ebon Knight is
extremely tough.  The easiest way to kill him is to use a Dagaz rune on
him.


CRIMSON KNIGHT'S DOMAIN

What is important here?
  The medallion of the Crimson Knight and CloudBurst.  You can explore the
entire area if you want, but the quickest way is to use Raido to get to
the Knight, kill him and grab his medallion, then use Gebo to get to the
area where you insert the five medallions.  CloudBurst, the fifth mage's 
skull, is just past the door that opens after the medallions are 
inserted.  Use a Sun key to unlock.  If you don't have a Sun key, there is 
one in this region.  You will have to weigh down plates in this region to
activate all teleporters in the teleporter room.

What do you do with the Gateway spell?
  By now, you should all eight movements of the Gateway spell.  You can
cast it to get to the Otherworld to get a half of the Staff of Summoning.
You can do this now or later.


CROSSROAD CAVERN

What is important here?
  Warmonger the sword.  The cavern is accessible from several spots in the
knights' realms.  Call Teleport or use a Gebo rune here.  Kill all
fireball-throwing statues here and pick up everything they drop.  One will
drop a Thurisaz rune.  Use it and you will reach an area where you can find
Warmonger.  At first, it is in a weakened state as a rusty blade.  Use it
against monsters and it will rejuvenate itself.

Will excessive use of the sword be bad?
  There are suggestions within the game that using the evil sword will 
consume one's soul or something like that, but nothing of that nature 
occurred.  Be certain that you use Warmonger enough to give you the 
Mending spell.  Keep the sword all the way through the end of the 
game because it is vital to finishing.  Warmonger is a good weapon 
because it won't break.  You can pretty much drop all other weapons.
It does take a lot of monsters to quench Warmonger's thirst for blood.


OTHERWORLDS

When should the otherworlds be done?
  You can do the otherworlds anytime between getting the Gateway spell and
the confrontation with the Shadow Weaver.  We suggest that you do it soon 
as possible, lest you get stuck because you can't find a needed object.
If you need an object, you can go back to doing the end levels or the 
Citadel to hunt for that object.  Also, if you find the monsters here to
be too tough, come back later when you have advanced.

Note:  In the otherworlds, you will need to step into some teleporters more
than once because they alternatively transport you to different areas.
Some of the areas require casting Teleport to get back to King Evermore.

What is important here?
  A half of the Staff of Summoning, crucial to winning the game. (Found in
Otherworld One.) 

What is needed for the riddles?
  Isa rune, sun key, apple core (eat an apple of rigor), Sorcerer's book,
Dr. JoJo's snake oil (liquify a diamond), and a black pearl.  These items 
are all found within the three otherworlds, but if you have some left 
over from previous levels, you can use those, too.

There a door in Otherworld One that I can't get pass.
  This is a bit tricky.  You have to move as close to the door as possible,
while still being able to close the door with the Enter key.  Close the
door with the Enter key while moving pass it with the mouse.  You will get
hit by the door, but you'll get through.  Pass that, you will find an eye
of sight.  (There are two of these in Otherworld One.)

I can't find the black pearl.
  The black pearl is in Otherworld Three.  It's in an area surrounded by
many teleporters.  To turn off some of the teleporters, pass the three
tests.  For the third test, cast Zap Away on the barrels. 
  If you're having a hard time passing the tests, use boots of levitation
to get to the black pearl.

How do you deal with Qasar?
  Find the Shape Change spell (broken into two parchments) in the
otherworlds (or use spell in FAQ's spell list if you can't find it).  Cast
it right before talking to Qasar a second time.  He'll tell you the
Alteration spell.  (Use Raido rune to reach Qasar.)

Where's the staff?  I only see this young kid.
  Zap him with the alteration spell.


END FOUR

What is valuable here?
  Get yourself the enchanted armor, which is the best armor in the game.
All the items you need are in Below End Four.  Iron ore is easy to find.
To get the leather strip, go to the electric room in End Four, jump down
a pit to the left and you'll find it there.  Earthborn the dwarf has the
mithril ore; get him Mithras by casting Gebo in Below End Four.
If you meet up with a messenger, kill him for his outfit and pass--items
you need to get into the Citadel.  If you can't find him, you can get
a messenger's outfit and pass in End Two.  (So, there is nothing absolutely
vital in End Four and Below End Four.  If it gets too frustrating, skip to
End Three.)

Getting around End Four and Below End Four is difficult and tedious!
  One thing you can do is print out the two maps, overlay them and poke
pins through where the ladders are.  This will make it easier to move
around.

Should the sewers be used?
  Theoretically, one can traverse the sewers to get inside the Citadel,
bypassing several mazes.  However, it is very difficult to survive in the
sewers.  You'll be better off going through the rest of the end levels.


END THREE

What is valuable here?
  There is nothing of significant value here.  Basically, it's access to
the other levels.  If you want, you can carry out a mission for the Raven,
then kill him and trade his head to a merchant on this level for gold.
Note that the End Three has two sections that are not directly connected.
You have to enter another part of End Three (where the Raven is) from
End Five.

How do you beat the horde of assassins?
  Somewhere, you will be attacked by over a dozen assassins.  Use a Dagaz 
rune or cast a lot of 4-way fireballs. 

There's a room I can't get into.
  There are a bunch of teleporters nearby.  One of these, the one closest
to the southwest, will teleport you in.  You may have to try it twice
because it alternates between inside and outside the room.

In the raven-shaped area, the keyholes won't work.
  You will have to unlock them in a specific order.  Eventually, they
will activate a teleporter in the "wingtip" of the raven.

In the "tail" of the raven, there is a teleporter that won't turn off.
  If you push the switch near the bottom, it will turn off the teleporter
temporarily.  Push it, go up to the teleporter and wait for it to
deactivate for a brief time.

Who should I kill?  The Raven or Hedda?
  Either way will work.  The way to get the most rewards is to kill Hedda,
get your reward from the Raven.  Kill the Raven, and use the Gebo rune to
get to the merchant for another reward.  Of course, you can skip these 
assassination missions if you have moral qualms.  :-)


END TWO

What is important here?
  There is nothing really important here, but you can get the equipment to
impersonate a messenger if you haven't gotten it already.  On this level,
you will have to do a lot of transporting around.


LAVA LEVEL

Yow, the floor is hot!
  Buy the boots of fire protection from the bootmaker in End Two.

What is important here?
  Aside from some miscellaneous treasure and monsters to kill, there is 
nothing really important here.

How do you get past the doors with numbers?
  You need to weigh down the appropriate plates in the combination room. 
Look at the automap when doing this to ensure the doors open.  You can only
have one of those doors open at a time.


END FIVE

How do you get here?
  End Five is accessible from End Three.

What to do here?
  Talk up to the north.  Insert a gold key in a keyhole in the north.
(There is no gold key in End Five; you'll have to get one from an earlier
section.)  Weigh down the four plates up there.  Make a donation of an 
apple of rigor on a side of the structure.  Go back south near the
entrance to the structure.  Weigh down the plate near the entrance.
Jump into teleporter.  You will meet Hedda, an assassin.  Pick up iron key
and return.  Use iron key to unlock door to the structure. 
  Also, on this level, if there are object holes without magic mouths
asking for a specific object, try a gold coin.

What about the donations?
  Making donations on the outside of the structure will open treasure 
rooms inside.  Some of the objects requested are not found in End Five.
You don't really need to make most of the donations, except for the gold 
key and the apple of vigor, which open important doors inside the
structure.

How do you do the rune puzzles?
  Use the runes, based on first letters, to spell out "assassin."

How do you get pass the guards?
  To get inside the Citadel, wear the messenger's hat, outfit, and hold 
the pass.  These can be found in either End Four or End Two.


CITADEL BASEMENT

What should be done here?
  Get to the center of the maze and get Chesschantra's skull.
(Oh, also go down to part of the sewers to get some loot.)


CITADEL

What should be done here?
  The objective is to get up to the fourth level, the lair of the Shadow 
Weaver.  To do this, get five black pearls and five white pearls.  You must
climb up and down levels and teleport around a lot to get these pearls.  
White pearls are relatively easy to find (you may have some left over 
from a previous level), but black pearls are much harder to find.  
There are five (and only five) black pearls on the third floor of
the Citadel.  Look at the automap to see that you have explored every part
of the third floor.  

(Note: in the large room with the teleporters, the key teleporter is the
one on the northeast.)

What are the answers to the riddles on the ground floor?
  You need several parchments: fireball, lightning, invisibility, and
swiftness.  Destroy Balthazar by throwing the decanter against a wall.
(Note: This part of the game isn't absolutely necessary.)


LAIR OF THE SHADOW WEAVER

What should be done here?
  Get to the center of the maze to confront Shadow Weaver.  After what
you've been through in the game, this level should be a cakewalk.  Flip
levers, collect tokens, and jump into portals.  You should find eight
tokens.  You may have to flip the same levers and jump into the same
portals more than once.
  This area should resemble a circle on the automap.  If you explore all the 
areas, the inside of the circle should be filled in, though not completely.

How do I get pass the swords?
  Have Warmonger in your possession.  After that, place the half of the
staff in the object hole.

What do I do next?
  After talking to Shadow Weaver, look in the chest and put the two pieces
of the staff in your hands and cast the Mending spell.

What should I use with the staff to summon?
  There are three artifacts you can use in summoning.  See the game box 
cover, manual cover, and introductory screen.  Each of these artifacts
leads to a different ending.  One of the endings (the best one) will give 
you a little more to do after summoning.

(If you still don't get it, summon using the necklace of runes, 
Chesschantra's skull, and Warmonger, in that order for the most enjoyment.)


LAST RESORT

I just give up on finishing the game.  How do you see the ending?
  Start new game.  After intro screen, pick a premade character or create a
new one.  In the antechamber, talk to Malachi.  Say "zebu" instead of
asking for coins.  (If you ask for coins, this cheat will not work.)  Go
northwest until you see a teleporter.  Enter teleporter.  Get Warmonger,
top of Staff, Chesschantra's skull, and the mages' skulls and scrolls.  Go
through the skulls and scrolls to learn hand movements for the mending
spell.  Enter teleporter.  This will take you to the Lair of the Shadow
Weaver.  Follow the forementioned hints for finishing.

(Thanks for Brian D. Hughes for the cheat.)



LIST OF SPELLS
(Alphabetical notation of hand gestures is from manual.)

Flame Arrow  D J
Poison Gas  G H K
Fireball  I B F
Four-direction Fireball  D H J
Bounce Fireball  D F H J
Lightning Bolt  K L G L
Battle Rage  A B I B G J
Kano  D B
Sight  B D E
Magic Wall  B I K G
Swiftness  F A C F
Zap Away  L G K B F
Teleport  I E J L A
Dispel  G L F K I F
Invisibility  C L J D H I
Gateway  E L A D J K J C
Mending  F H G A C A B F
Freeze  A C A
Fire Shield  H D J H
Lightning Shield  L K E F
Weapon Skill  I K J E B
Magic Skill  L G H L A L
Shape Change  J G K H F B D J
Alteration  E I B D J A F
Liquify  F H
Cure Poison  E D L
Restore  C A K I
Heal  F H B E H L


LIST OF MAGIC WEAPONS
Name          Type        Spell             Location
Rancor        sword       poison globe      Elemental Barrier Three
Ember         bow         fireball          Elemental Barrier Two
Tempest       sword       lightning         White Knight's Domain
Mithras       axe         battle rage       Below End Four
Death Shield  shield      slaying           Lava Level


LIST OF MAGES' SKULLS AND GESTURES FOR GATEWAY SPELL
   Hand
#  Movement    Mage's Name      Location
1    E         Erastus          Blue Knight's Domain
2    L         Zona             Blue Knight's Domain
3    A         SeaRaven         Blue Knight's Domain 
4    D         Zekiel           White Knight's Domain
5    J         CloudBurst       Crimson Knight's Domain
6    K         FireFang         Green Knight's Domain
7    J         Silvanus         Green Knight's Domain
8    C         Pale             Ebon Knight's Domain

* You can drop all the skulls right after interacting with them, except for
Fire Fang, whom you can ask about "Warmonger" before dropping.


LIST OF PEARLS

Pearls can be found: (location and number in respective location)

WHITE PEARLS
Broken Seal Four (3)
White Knight's Domain (1)
Crossroad Cavern (1)
Citadel Three (3)

BLACK PEARLS
Below Beginner Three (1)
Otherworld Three (1)
Citadel Three (5)


CHEAT UTILITY

C. Enders ([email protected]) has written a cheat program that will 
restore magic spell points quickly.  It has been uploaded to ftp.uwp.edu 
/incoming/romulus/cheats
files:
  SUMRESP.TXT 
  SUMRESP.ZIP



10-14-1995

FAQ by Colin Ma ([email protected]) 
and Nicholas Flowers ([email protected])

Contributions to this FAQ were made by Brian D. Hughes ([email protected]) 
and Constantijn Enders ([email protected])