[X] My Assistant

[Glyph]

Spirits automatically know when a magician has been mistreating them - that's a hard rule. It doesn't say that they know because of the spirit rumormill, or anything like that. They simply know.

Using spirits up to the point of oblivion is the kind of thing that will cause spirits to spend Edge against summoning and binding tests (which can make both much more difficult and draining), resist binding (giving the mage a distraction modifier), and interpret orders narrowly and maliciously.

Even black mages, who treat lesser spirits as slaves, would probably usually balk at using spell binding (at least on a regular basis).

Also keep in mind that for non-hermetics, mistreating spirits can be a violation of the beliefs of their tradition (if you believe you are summoning an angel, or an ancestor spirit, would you really use it as a living spell battery, killing it in the process?). And it could also get you in hot water with your mentor spirit, if you have one.

Overall, there are plenty of in-game reasons to use spell binding sparingly, if at all, and to not use a spirit's Essence up completely.

[Neraph]

Also keep in mind that for non-hermetics, mistreating spirits can be a violation of the beliefs of their tradition (if you believe you are summoning an angel, or an ancestor spirit, would you really use it as a living spell battery, killing it in the process?). And it could also get you in hot water with your mentor spirit, if you have one.

I can see an angel or ancestor spirit asking to be used as spell binding and the mage refusing. Interesting turn of events.

[darthmord]

I've always assumed that any spirit thusly used would re-appear back on its native metaplane upon reaching Force 0.

Being that it's back home andd not under the control of the summoner, it's able to tell its buddies / community of what went on.