Summoning & Animating Dead

Summoning Rules

Summoning creatures from around the world or other planes is a potent but complex form of magic. Most summons use the rules listed in the summon creature keyword for what tier of creature you are able to conjure. These summons act on the caster's turn in combat and follow their commands to the best of their abilities. When these summons end or hit 0 hit points or lower, the summon ends in different ways depending on the creature. If the summons origin location and place they were summoned to is the same world, they return to their original location in what ever state they were in when the summon ended. If they were from a different plane of existence, they return to that plane in the state they left it.
Beyond the basic summon rules there are two additional options to summon creatures. Permanently binding a summon to you, a location, or forming a contract with a creature to create a contracted summon.

Bound Summons

Using the binding skill and appropriate materials you can permanently bind a summoned creature to you or a location, negating the normal summoned duration. To perform a binding, you must make a DC 15 + 5 per monster tier above mook binding check and sacrifice a magical material of a tier equal to the creatures tier. This binding check takes 1 minute per monster tier, and the monster must be present for the entire duration. For example, binding an average tier creature would require a DC 30 binding check, a Ancient Grade material and take 4 minutes. If the creature's tier is higher than materials available, you may use multiple materials at a rate of 4:1 to count as a higher tier material, if the lesser materials match the attunement of the creature it is at a rate of 3:1.
If the binding check fails all materials are consumed in the process and the creature only remains for the duration of the original summon. If the summoner has enough time remaining on the summon and materials available they may try again. If the check fails by 10 or a natural 1 occurs, the creature breaks free from the summoners control and will act as appropriate for the remaining duration of its summon.

Contracted Summons

Contracted summons are summons that the caster has made a mutually beneficial deal with to gain the ability to summon them as they wish. Contracted summons are still summoned with the normal summoning spells, however their strength, duration, and abilities are slightly different.
Monster Tier: When summoning a contracted summon you summon the same creature each time. Most casters do not possess the ability to summon a creature they've contracted with at its full strength until a much higher skill level. Because of this strength of contracted summons they are available at higher tiers earlier, with a minor creature being able to be summoned with a 0th level spell.
Special Abilities: All contracted summons gain special abilities based on their connected with the summoner. These abilities are unique to the creature, and the caster should work with the GM to figure out what these abilities are. Contracted summons have two abilities at base, and gain additional abilities equal to the spell level they are summoned at. These abilities are broken into two categories, active and passive. Active abilities are only available in combat. Passive abilities are available for the entire duration that the creature is summoned.
Summon Duration: Contracted summons last for a duration based on the form they are in. While in passive form, they remain summoned for 1 hour per effective magic mod at base. While in active form, any remaining time on the summon turns to minutes from hours, rounded down. The summoning spell used to summon the contracted creature must be cast on them again to turn them into their passive form.
Summon Condition: Contracted summons disappear at 0 HP just like normal summons. However, they remain at the same amount of HP they left with, only naturally healing an amount equal to the casters Spirit modifier every hour. Because these summons typically are not summoned at their full form, if they die they are not truly dead and can be resummoned once heal. If a contracted summon is summoned in it's true form and dies, it is dead just like a normal creature.

Maximum Bound Summons

At base a character can have a maximum of 1 + Spirit modifier creatures bound to them. This pool is known as Soul Bindings, and is shared with things like companion creatures such as familiars, animal companions, and eidolons, as well as bound weapons and supernatural ties. Talents and other abilities may allow you to increase this number.

Animating Dead Rules

Characters are able to use their magic to animate the corpses of fallen creatures to rise up and fight for them. At base you can use the normal animate dead keyword to raise temporary undead during combat. With proper time and materials you can raise undead that are more powerful and last until they are destroyed.

Permanent Undead

By making a binding check and sacrificing the appropriate amount of magical material undead can be made permanent or physically altered. To perform a binding, you must make a DC 15 + 5 per monster tier above mook binding check and sacrifice a magical material of a tier equal to the creatures tier. This binding check takes 1 minute per monster tier, and the monster must be present for the entire duration. For example, binding an average tier creature would require a DC 30 binding check, a Ancient Grade material and take 4 minutes. If the creature's tier is higher than materials available, you may use multiple materials at a rate of 4:1 to count as a higher tier material, if the lesser materials match the attunement of the creature it is at a rate of 3:1.
Undead can also be customized by taking another corpse and sacrificing an additional amount of material equal to the tier of the second creature to transfer a monster trait to the undead.

Maximum Controlled Undead

At base a character can directly control a number of permanent undead equal to their Spirit Modifier at a time. Any undead past this simply act on base instinct as appropriate to the creature. However, all undead recognize their creator and other undead created by their creator as friendly. To take control of an undead that you created takes two basic actions.