The concept of a calling or summoning name was first mentioned in Series 3, and was referred to in every subsequent season, including the pilot of Knightmare VR. Once a character's calling name was known, it could be used to summon them instantly to anywhere in the dungeon. The method was simple, as explained by Malice (aka "Merris"): "Remember to call it loudly and clearly, and of course, three times."
It was implied that all Faerie or Shee creatures (such as elves and pookas) could be commanded when addressed by their true names, and were obliged to come when called. For this reason, all of the elves in Knightmare tried to keep their real names a secret, and were horrified by how freely the dungeoneers handed theirs out. (Both Treguard and Romahna were critical of the elves' cagey attitude.) KMVR's Ellie (short for Ellisandre) described her handle as "not a summoning name" but "what you humans call a nickname". Velda and Pickle were also confirmed as being aliases. Elita, by contrast, was only ever known by her real name, which seemed to have become common knowledge despite her reluctance to share it. Team 6 of Series 5 and Team 6 of Series 6 were therefore able to summon her, while Team 7 of Series 5 were given a password in exchange for promising not to. She later revealed that the full version of her name was Elithasanthasanthasanchergowinkle (spelling unconfirmed), which a human would struggle to pronounce three times. Series 6 dungeoneer Alan mistakenly believed her name to be Pixie, which might have caused some problems if he'd survived long enough to try calling her.
Various sorcerers also had separate calling names, and it seemed that most were compelled to respond; Hordriss ("Malefact") and Greystagg ("Gwen") were both summoned against their will, and Maldame ("Spite") threatened to "shrivel" any dungeoneer who did so. Celtic wizard Grimaldine was a curious exception, using only the one name ("We use no subterfuge as Elvish folk will do") and stating that he was free to ignore it: "Do not call me again. I am not of the Faerie, nor of the Shee - I am not commanded, and shall not come." Merlin claimed to have lots of different names, but simply calling "Merlin" three times was sufficient to summon him in the final episode of Series 4. In typical ditzy fashion, Sidriss seemed unsure as to what her own calling name was: "Erm... Sidriss. Yes. That'll work. Probably." Luckily for Team 3 of Series 6, it did. Series 7 dungeoneer Barry Thorne also provided his regular name when asked by Greystagg how she might summon him, but to the best of our knowledge she never tried it out.

The normal prodecure did not apply when summoning people to Treguard's antechamber, where names were only called once, as seen with Merlin and Hordriss at the end of Dickon and Barry's winning quests (and every time a dungeoneer called their advisors). Similarly Team 11 of Series 3 called Motley's name just once, perhaps indicating that the "call three times" method hadn't yet been invented, although it's unclear whether he was magically summoned or simply ran in from a nearby room.

Various spells and magical objects provided alternative ways of summoning characters. Such spells included PIXEL (the eponymous pixie), HERO (Sir Hugh), TRICK (Hordriss), SAVANT (any named sorcerer, "up to and including the fourth level of magic"), and a somewhat dubious "summoning spell" supplied by Ah Wok, which simply involved turning on the spot and then calling "Malefact" three times as usual. Motley could be summoned by dropping a joker card, while Merlin responded to a range of devices including a block puzzle, a listening key, a mannaz-shaped talisman described as his "calling card", and touching the letter 'M'.

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