Hi Jamie,
My issue of just treating it as a flavour description is in the example on KoH p88, where it's clear that Ailrene first spends a round on a simple contest of her Earth affinity to summon the Talosi in the first place, before it even gets to attack in an extended contest. If it was simple flavour description, then you wouldn't need this 'summoning' action.
However, I could imagine the summoning action being sufficient to then allow Ailrene to use her Earth affinity as a specific ability rather than a broad one, as she's spent a round effectively prepping her attack. It feels a little houseruley, though - I'm not sure if that kind of FATE-style 'manoeuvre' is explicitly supported in the rules (it might be open to abuse...). I suppose you could treat it as an augment or even a situational modifier, but that doesn't seem to be what the example on p88 is suggesting. Hence my question whether the summoning itself generated some kind of 'temporary follower' :-)
Cheers!
Sarah
>
> I read this RAW as just a way of using the relevant summoning ability in a flavourful manner. So really in the example she is only using the Earth Affinity and it is being narrated as a swallowing maw.
>
> "The types of lesser gods are flavour text for an extraordinary
> ability."
>
>
> Jamie
>
> --- In HeroQuest-rules_at_yahoogroups.com, "SARAH" <sarah.newton5@> wrote:
> >
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > I'm reading the Summoning and Commanding Lesser Gods rules on Sartar:KoH p88, and wondering how they work. Does a summoned entity (such as the talosi in the example) provide a character with a second action each round, like a temporary sidekick, or does the summoned entity's action count as the character's action for the round?
> >
> > In the example, Ailrene uses an unrelated action to summon the talosi; once it's summoned, the talosi then engages in an extended contest with the enemy thane at an ability level equal to Ailrene's Earth rune ability. Can Ailrene also do something else while the talosi is attacking, or does the talosi's attack count as her action thereafter? (I can see a justification for the latter as the talosi's attack is now a Specific Ability, whereas previously Ailrene's Earth rune would have been only broad if used to attack in some way).
> >
> > What does everyone think?
> >
> > Cheers! :-D
> >
> > Sarah
> >
>