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Intrinsic Nature (RAW v RAI)

sdt

First Post
So I'm making up a Wizard and I've noticed the Intrinsic Nature feature that many Summoning spells have that says if I don't give the creature a command then something bad happens. Also, by the general Summoning Rules I can take a minor action to give the summoned creature a move action and would say by RAW it would avoid the Intrinsic Nature penalty but would like to know if I'm wrong.

I haven't played a Wizard since AD&D so I'm not exactly up to date on my Wizard specific rules.
 

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It is true that Summons with Intrinsic Nature just need to be given ANY command to avoid the nature kicking in. OTOH not all of these intrinsics are actually BAD, sometimes they can be leveraged in your favor (it helps that they're spelled out, so you really would know in any given situation if it would help you or not).

I'm not sure there is really a difference here between RAI and RAW. It is hard to say what exactly is specifically intended. If you're going to elaborate on summoned creatures behavior and motivations and have that interact with the mechanics then it is hard to say there is a specific intent beyond that the actions are in keeping with the creature's description. I think that is more "DM leeway" verging into houserule territory than an RAI issue.

In any case, if you feel that a PC is managing to abuse the intrinsic nature of a summons excessively in a way that bugs the people at the table, then by all means tweak it. Just remember that it is a daily attack slot and wizards have a lot of other good choices for those slots. Summons are not generally their #1 optimal choice, even the ones that have no nature. Turning this stuff too much against the caster is likely to just mean nobody will bother with summons, which would be a shame.
 

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