What have i missed about Greenbound Summoning?

[Voadam]

The feat Greenbound Summoning in Lost Empires of Fareun seems utterly broken and far too good to me, is there a restriction or limitation that i've missed?

The feat applies the greenbound template to any animal you summon with any Summon Natures Ally spell.

The greenbound template:-
Type becomes plant (so no crits, mind affecting, or polymorphing..)
NA improves by 6
Gains a slam attack
(Sp) at will - entangle, pass without trace, speak with plants. 1/day - wall of thorns
DR 10/magic and slashing
Fast healing 3
+4 grapple bonus
Resistance to electricity and cold 10
Tremorsense 60'
Str +6, Dex +2, Con +4, Cha+4
+16 to hide and move silently in forested areas
(CR +2, LA+8)

The feat is on page 8, the Greenbound template on page 173-175

For comparison

AUGMENT SUMMONING [GENERAL]
Prerequisite: Spell Focus (conjuration).
Benefit: Each creature you conjure with any summon spell gains a +4 enhancement bonus to Strength and Constitution for the duration of the spell that summoned it.

 

[Voadam]

So is there a missing (EPIC) designation?

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

I think the telling thing here is:

(CR +2, LA+8)

That is about right. It is a metamagic feat that allows you to increase the CR by +2. In the case of SNA, that means you SNA n spell becomes approximately as good as SNA n+2. Obviously that is not true all the time, frex when you want a Unicorn to heal your party. But in raw fighting power, yes.

I salivate at the thought of casting SNA III to bring 2-5 Greenbound Wolves, each which can lay down a Wall of Thorns, even if the WoT only lasts a few rounds. That is a astounding AoE for a low level spell.

Compare with Augment Summoning. Two feats to boost the summoned creature by roughly CR +0.5.

I think Voadam is on the right track. This would make a reasonable Epic feat. At that level the DR, energy resistances, and even the Wall of Thorns are somewhat minor boosts. It is a frighteningly powerful feat as is when you are <15th level.

 

[two]

I think it would be a great epic feat! Good idea.

Lots of flavor, and you can imagine the party going against an epic Druid with this feat -- slogging through a primordial forest, getting hit by these sorts of summons once in a while -- plus all the other nasty stuff Druids can do. Perhaps the end of the adventure would take place in the Greenbound dimension -- everything is all planty and all the plants are living (and can speak etc.) and they LOVE their druid pal. And would not like the party, naturally. "Naturally".

As a completely over-the-top build, as stated, a human Druid3 could have both augment summoning and Greenbound Summoning. If the stat bonus on Greenbound isn't listed as enhancement (rather, results from being transformed into a plant) then you have a nifty +10 to strength, +8 to constitution summons -- plus other greenbound benefits. Silly, I know.

 

[Pielorinho]

As a completely over-the-top build, as stated, a human Druid3 could have both augment summoning and Greenbound Summoning.

Heh--I'm thinking that the best thing to stack with this feat would be Extend Spell, or maybe even Persistent Spell.

Daniel

 

[moritheil]

Although . . . at around 3rd level, I don't expect most things to survive long enough for it to make a difference.

Heh--I'm thinking that the best thing to stack with this feat would be Extend Spell, or maybe even Persistent Spell.

Daniel

 

[youspoonybard]

Um, I don't think you can Persist a Summon Nature's Ally spell.

 

[moritheil]

Now I'm curious. Does this mean that you have to use a higher level SNA spell to summon a Greenbound, perhaps? That would make it slightly less broken.

(CR +2, LA+8)

The feat is on page 8, the Greenbound template on page 173-175

 

[Ero Gaki]

As an alternative to making the feat epic, which would mean that most groups would never get to take it, why not take a look at the Savage Speices book and divide the benefits of the greenbound template into levels, like a class. As a character gains in level, he slowly gets more benefits out of the feat. That way, the feat could still be used, and game balance wouldn't be disrupted.

 

[DM_Matt]

Unapproachable east has a couple of similar feats that let you put templates on your summonses. Rashemi Elemental Summoning (iirc) grants, among other things, Cone of Cold 3/day at caster level = hit dice. The cleric of Wind and Water IMC quested for that one.