Communicating with your summonings

[0-hr]

I'm playing a sorcerer with some summoning spells and am trying to figure out how I can stay invisible and still direct my summoned buddies to attack the folks I want (or better yet, flank for the other party members while attaking).

Using just the core books (and Scarred Lands), what are some good ways to communicate with animals and celestial animals?


The spell description says that the critters will "attack my opponents". Can they really tell who my opponents are, or does this just mean that they'll attack things that take a swing at me? My whole goal is to avoid being attacked, so that second option isn't really viable.

Thanks for the help, any suggestions are much appreciated!

 

[DarkMaster]

I usually assume in my campaign, to explain "attack opponent", that during the casting of the spell the opponent are identified in the verbal component of the spell.

 

[mikebr99]

I'm playing a sorcerer with some summoning spells and am trying to figure out how I can stay invisible and still direct my summoned buddies to attack the folks I want (or better yet, flank for the other party members while attaking).

Using just the core books (and Scarred Lands), what are some good ways to communicate with animals and celestial animals?


The spell description says that the critters will "attack my opponents". Can they really tell who my opponents are, or does this just mean that they'll attack things that take a swing at me? My whole goal is to avoid being attacked, so that second option isn't really viable.

Thanks for the help, any suggestions are much appreciated!

Buy a ring of spell storing, and get your Cleric buddy to add Lesser Telepathic Bond (DOTF:87) spells, as needed.


Mike

 

[Dingleberry]

I usually assume in my campaign, to explain "attack opponent", that during the casting of the spell the opponent are identified in the verbal component of the spell.

That's a brilliant explanation.

 

[James McMurray]

Tongues and Speak with Animals are pretty low level options. Tongue can even be made permanent (and speak wth animals should be a fairly cheap item).

You could also buy language skills and summon mostly elementals and celestials / fiends that you know the languages of.

 

[heirodule]

All the celestial and fiedish templated animals are no longer animals, but magical beasts, and their intelligence is 3.

I think the rules support a ruling that celestial templated creatures would at least understand celestial commands.

So all you need to do is speak the appropriate outer planes language

And elementals speak terran, ignan, etc.

 

[James McMurray]

Actualy, the rules more support the position that they don't speak any languages. The Magical Beasts entry mentions nothing about languages, nor do the Celestial and Fiendish templates. The default state for creatures is that they don't speak any languages unless their entry states. Thus a fiendish or celestial creature should speak the same languages as its base form.

 

[LGodamus]

he didnt say they would speak anything he said "understand"

 

[James McMurray]

The rules also mention nothing about magical beasts or celestial / fiendish critters understanding any extra languages.

 

[Old Gumphrey]

..

The rules also mention nothing about magical beasts or celestial / fiendish critters understanding any extra languages.

Negative.

Monster Manual, 3.5, page 7, Intelligence:

"A creature can speak all the languages mentioned in its description, plus one additional language per point of Intelligence bonus. Any creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher understands at least one language (Common, unless noted otherwise)."

That means all Celestial creatures understand Common or Celestial, depending on how literally your DM takes that rule (meaning that the creature merely being "Celestial" is equivalent to "noted otherwise"). The bottom line is that they do, in fact, understand at least one language.

Summoned creatures attack your enemies to the best of their ability unless you direct them otherwise, meaning they won't attack specific opponents unless you tell them to. The easiest way to do that is simply by talking to them. A summoner who can't speak a lot of languages is a poor summoner, IMO.