I've always loved the idea behind conjuration and summoning creatures. However, I didn't really like how it was implemented in Oblivion, so here is how I would like to see it work in Skyrim.

I'd like to see conjuration spells lower your maximum magicka rather than work on a timer, similar to how sustained abilities worked in Dragon Age. Bound items could have a relatively low durability, and when they reach 0, they would be dispelled. Summoned creatures could fill up a certain amount of summon slots you get, and the number of slots you have corresponds to your level of mastery in conjuration. For example:

Novice: Can summon 1 novice level creature (I'd also like to see some novice-level creatures you could summon)
Apprentice: Can summon 2 novice creatures or 1 apprentice creature
Journeyman: Can summon 3 novice creatures, 1 apprentice creature and 1 novice creature, or 1 Journeyman creature

... and so forth. Basically, at master level you could get 5 "slots", and the level of mastery you need to summon the creature determines how many slots you take up. I'd really like to be able to choose between having 5 skeletons, 1 dremora lord or anything in between following me.

I'd also really like to see more animal-based summons, as opposed to necromancy and daedra-based summons. I know summoning daedra and undead isn't an inherently evil act, but I always felt a bit weird playing a nice conjurer with liches and scamps following me around.

What do you guys think?

I think all of that would be cool but could also leave the conjuration skillset way overpowered. Especially when you suddenly have 3 Dremora trailing along behind you killing every thing in a matter of seconds. So as cool as it is it would lead to imbalance compared to other skills and abilities. Now of the game was more focused on Conjuration or just having three main skill sets and giving them each specific things they could do it wouldn't be a big deal. But with that you could easily level conjuration and already be hella strong and then level any combat or magic aside from it and be way overpowered. So basically it might end with everyone going for conjuration just because it's broken and then suddenly the game is too easy. And if it's made so that even if you are a conjurer the game will still be difficult with, again, 3 dremora or even 2 or 3 skeletons summoned then suddenly if you're not a conjurer you're going to get destroyed because the game is set to be difficult for a character with say power equal to 7 and you're stuck with 3 even though you're character is the same level as that conjurer. See the problem there? And conjuration has looong been the summoning of creatures from other realms so far as I know. So summoning an animal would be plausible but it would also get rid of the whole stigma behind being a conjurer. Which is negative I'm sure you know.

I'm not sure what they'll do with Conjuration but it's probably going to be good.

Yes I'd like to see ideas from Supreme Magicka mod http://tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=12466

Summoning Dremora or rather Daedra in general should be no laughing matter.

There are many stories of young conjuration apprentices who, by inexperience and a weak will, summon a lowly scamp, only to have it turn on its summoner and wreck the surroundings. If such a lowly creature can easily break through the will of a young apprentice, then surely the powerful and strong spirited dremora lords would easily devour its summoner if the summoner didn't have the will, experience, and power to make such a being bow down.

(in other words, I agree with you.)

But, I'd like to make things a little different. There are two sub-schools within conjuration, daedra and undead. Daedra tend to be more powerful, but at the price of being able to summon less, or only able to control one at a time. Undead, on the other hand, are much easier to handle, as they tend to be mindless bags of flesh and bone. As such, those who specialize in undead conjuration should be seen more as puppeteers. The only thing holding back the puppeteer is the amount of undead it can control and skill to be able to create a suitable performance. So, while undead summons are generally weaker, they can be summoned in larger numbers than daedra.

I'd love to have a summoned Dremora say something along the lines of the one in the temple in Morrowind. He says: "After I kill you I'm going to [censored] your corpse, don't worry I'll be gentle." Basically taunting you the entire time but still doing what you will by force. A % chance for them to turn on you (especially at lower skill levels) would be interesting as well.

Your idea about 'slots' is an excellent one. Its annoying to be able to summon only one creature of a certain type. I'd also like to be able to summon wildlife, like bears and wolves, rather than only undead or daedra. It seems like an obvious item for inclusion.

Perhaps perks within Conjuration will relate to creature type as perks in Destruction will relate to damage type (frost, fire, etc) and One-handed Weapons perks will have 'branches' for axe, sword, and mace. So we could have one 'branch' of the Conjuration perk tree for undead, another for daedra, another for wildlife, and more for whatever other types (people?).

Also, it would be awesome to be able to summon a mount.

Just a throw away idea :
To summon intelligent Daedra, a contract should be required. At the very least, a Prince's shrine should be found, the Power summoned, and the associated quest completed in return for the ability to summon the greatest of their servants. This was in SI, with the summon Saint/Seducer rewards. Leave Necromancy alone, dem bones ain't arguing.

I have a fairly simple idea for summoning.

1 handed you press the button and hold it down.. the longer you press the more hps your summons has ... all summons last till they die and cant be healed.

2 handed different summons in each... summons both and keeping the button pressed summons more and more weaker variants of that summon.. for a pack of fairly weak hps wise summons..

2 handed same summons.. keep the button pressed and you get a realy powerful single summons that both grows in hps and damage and gains new abilties..

in all 3 cases the summons only lasts as long as you keep that spell readied in that arm. So no attacking of any kind unless your only carting one single handed summons.

Summoning should lower your max Magicka as long as the summoned creature is alive, which makes sense, as you'll probably have to use large parts of your energy in order to keep the creature in the realm.

Give Conjuration stronger spells, and this wouls be perfect.

Conjuration is amazingly fun but it was far too powerful in Oblivion so eventually I had to ban myself from using it.
(Alchemy was too powerful as well but since it's so fun I just couldn't restrain myself from using it :celebration: )

You read my mind. I've recently been playing as a pure Conjurer in Oblivion and was surprised to find how fun it was. Wielding the Staff of the Everscamp and summoning Daedra while I sit back and watch. It's great.

Imagine duel wielding summoning spells with perks that let you increase the number of creatures you summon with each spell. Army of Undead in a matter of seconds.

EDIT: Oh, and also, yeah, conjuration needs to be nerfed like crazy in order for that to happen. Worth it though due to how fun it sounds.

I rather hope the conjured armor and weapons are a little more powerful, like they are in Morrowind. I am not a Morrowind super-fan as I played Oblivion first, but am currently playing Morrowind for the first time pre-Skyrim and find myself using bound items *much* more than I ever did in Oblivion. First reason, increases in weight/encumbrance increasingly slow the PC down in Morrowind, so I have been much more weight-conscious and therefore have used more conjured weapons. Second reason, the conjured weapons are more powerful than I recall the Oblivion equivalents being. Only a few weapons or armor pieces are stronger/better than the conjured, so it offsets the hassle of conjuring it.

Visually the items seems a little better in Morrowind, too, with the sheen on all the pieces. And there are no greaves nor pauldrons in Morrowind, so the look of PC with a complete set of armor will vary depending on what armor the PC was wearing at the time of conjuration. A complete set of armor with the dark brotherhood armor (which is basically black) looks very good on my character, if I do have to say so myself.

Like I said, all this would be awesome but it would definitely offset that balance which you all know is something that needs to be taken into consideration. And given that a conjurer could just as easily buff up on physical skills on top of conjuration he would then be a capable warrior as well as being able to control 3-4 other creatures that are nearly as strong as him if not outright more powerful. It'd basically be like copying yourself multiple times and then expecting the game to any sort of a challenge. So unless the perks they've thrown in will be able to balance the gameplay in favor of the warriors and non-conjuring mages then I really don't see this happening. And if it does it'll be very far into the perk system so that every class will have some super awesome perk that'll make them an even match. Say making a warriors blows twice as fast or twice as strong to make up for the fact that conjurers are running around with a horde of daedra.

With that being said I'mma throw my ten cents in for some of these ideas. The one about having your mana or fatigue constantly consumed so long as you have a creature summoned should only apply to certain creatures. You wouldn't need to spend mana to keep a skeleton summoned for example. It's not very well going to poof back to wherever it's from if you don't keep throwing mana at it. It may make a bit of sense with a daedra but screw that. I really don't think they actually need to do any sort of upkeep to keep themselves in our realm. So therefor once they're summoned they're summoned. I could also be entirely wrong on that, but, honestly, if it takes a spell to keep them in our realm and you have them under your control make them spend their own mana to do it. And, yes, I realize it's a game and you can't actually talk to the daedra I meant from a logic standpoint the developers should have that bit down because honestly that would be the only intelligent thing to do if you were a summoner. Now what may make sense with skeletons is having to spend mana to keep them under your control. But even then a skeleton should take just a single binding spell to keep it under your control. There's no real need to spend mana keeping it brainwashed when you could just use some sort of rune or geas that simply keeps the skeleton under your whim which would take no further mana. Something like a brand that makes the skeleton think "You are my master" not a constant puppeteer sort of magic. It wouldn't make very much sense ingame if that's how it was done given that so far in the series there's never been a need to do it which can only mean there's a way of summoning that requires no such upkeep.

And I also don't think the idea of not being able to attack while you have a creature conjured makes much sense either. Since it's not as though you're summoning the creature with your hand. If anything the hand may be the conduit for the spell but it's your willpower and focus that's keeping the spell intact. You'd still be able to attack your capacity to do so just may be diminished, assuming you do have to keep a constant watch on your summons. Which, again, wouldn't make much sense given the past lore of the game and the fact it's never been needed previously. If they want to just outright retcon the canon from previous games then that's on them but I can just about guarantee it wouldn't go over well with most of the fanbase. I mean just look at Mass Effect 2 where suddenly the entire ammo system of the universe got downgraded whereas before you had essentially infinite ammo now you have to find "heatsinks" instead of your gun cooling automatically. Why anyone would switch to this is a mystery that can't be explained and that made a lot of people mad. Suddenly having to constantly spend mana on your summoned creature would lead to the same problem. "Why the hell aren't we using the cheaper, easier way of summoning that ever other summoner has used before? This guy is the worst conjurer on the planet."