changes to Summon Monster lists

[Plane Sailing]

From another thread I got thinking about the changes to the summon monster spell lists, and quickly writing them out it was clear that there have been quite a lot of changes

The main ones seem to be removing certain elemental creatures from the 3e list, adding dinosaurs and vermin to the 3.5e list and a certain amount of shuffling stuff about. Vipers are downgraded, some of the demons/devils have been seriously boosted in 3.5e leading to their changed position.

Here is my crude current analysis (I've left out any fiendish/celestial descriptors to save typing)


Summoned Creature changes between 3e and 3.5e

1st level
Added owl, giant fire beetle, porpoise, monkey, raven, medium monstrous centipede, small monstrous scorpion, small monstrous spider, octopus, small viper

2nd level

Removed Formian worker, hyena
Moved octopus to 1st level
Added giant bee, giant bombardier beetle, riding dog, large monstrous centipede, medium monstrous scorpion, medium monstrous spider

3rd level

Removed Triton, Azer, Thoqqua, giant Lizard, small Salamander, leopard
Moved small viper to 1st level, large Shark to 4th level
Added Hippogriff, Hell Hound, Huge monstrous centipede, large Viper

4th level

Removed small Arrowhawk, medium viper, Imp, Magmin, Tojanida, Vargouille, Xorn
Moved Hell Hound to 3rd level, dire ape to 5th level
Added giant praying mantis, giant wasp, Large monstrous spider, large shark, Huge Viper, Mephit, Yeth Hound.

5th level

Removed Pegasus, Medium Arrowhawk, girallon, Formian warrior, quasit, medium Salamander, medium Tojanida,
Moved Large viper to 3rd level, mephit to 4th level, yeth hound to 4th level, rhinocerous, dire lion, orca to 6th level
Added giant stag beetle, sea cat, bearded devil, deinonychus, dire ape, Large monstrous scorpion, huge shark, tiger,

6th level

Removed Barbazu, Belker, Bezekira, unicorn, erinyes, Rast, Red Slaad, medium Xorn
Moved dire bear to 8th level, huge viper to 4th level,
Added Bralani eladrin, dire lion, orca, polar bear, elasmosaurus, gargantuan monstrous centipede, huge monstrous spider, rhinocerous, giant constrictor snake, Janni, Xill

7th level

Removed large Arrowhawk, Ravid, Blue Slaad, Large Tojanida, Large Xorn
Moved dire tiger moved to 8th, Bebilith, Hamatula (barbed devil?) Moved to 9th
Added Babau, Baleen whale, Girallon, megaraptor, huge monstrous scorpion

8th level

Removed Medium Barghest, Cornugon (horned devil), Formian taskmaster, Large Salamander, Succubus
Moved Janni to 6th level
Added cachalot whale, dire bear, triceratops, dire tiger, colossal centipede, gargantuan spider, tyrannosaurus, hellcat, vrock

9th level

Removed Astral deva, Large Barghest, Gelugon (ice devil), Ghaele eladrin, Lammasu, Nightmare, Rakshasa
Moved vrock moved to 8th, xill moved to 6th
Added Bebilith, roc, barbed devil, dire shark, gargantuan scorpion, colossal spider, hezrou, leonal



It looks to me a little like loopholes were closed to reduce the ability of mages to get access to healing (formian workers, unicorn) or other special effects while increasing the range of creatures that basically do damage.

 

[Staffan]

One major change to the Summon Monster list was adding more Good creatures. The 3.0 lists were seriously deficient in that regard.

 

[Plane Sailing]

One major change to the Summon Monster list was adding more Good creatures. The 3.0 lists were seriously deficient in that regard.

Did you really consider that a deficiency? We just allowed celestial or fiendish versions of anything on the list to be summoned.

I'm surprised that so many of the "new" elemental creatures (including silly ones like rasts and tojanida) were removed from the list.

Disappointed that most of the healers were taken from the list too - leaving only the Bralani, I think.