How do you play Summon spells?

[brendan candries]

I haven't got that far, but I've had a summoned creatures express their unhappiness at certain tasks while being constrained to perform them by virtue of having been summoned. For example, I had an evil cleric summon a hound archon to attack the PCs. The hound archon kept apologizing to the PCs throughout the fight (though it fought to the best of is ability) and thanked them with its last breath when killed.

Points for roleplay ... but an Evil cleric can't summon a Hound Archon (LG), since the summon spell would gain the Lawful and Good descriptors. Evil clerics can't cast Good spells (the deity doesn't even matter).

 

[shilsen]

Points for roleplay ... but an Evil cleric can't summon a Hound Archon (LG), since the summon spell would gain the Lawful and Good descriptors. Evil clerics can't cast Good spells (the deity doesn't even matter).

I forgot - it was a LN cleric who was sliding over into evil.

 

[Mistwell]

Most summoned creatures understand Common.

Check out the rules for creatures in the MM (under ability scores at the beginning, under Intelligence). Any creature with an Intelligence score of 3 or higher can understand at least one language. That language is by default Common, unless otherwise noted.

Celestial creatures, which make up a large number of summoned creatures, have an Intelligence of no less than 3 (see Celestial Creature entry on page 31 of the MM). They have no otherwise listed language, so that language they understand is common.

Same exact thing goes for Fiendish creatures.

 

[kigmatzomat]

In the case of celestial/fiendish summoned creatures, I generally have them pick their targets to the best of their ability unless specifically ordered otherwise. Meaning that a lantern archon was once summoned to attack the party (having several well-marked good priests and paladins) and it went for the red half-dragon, the most likely evil target in the bunch. By the same token, a fiend might go for a priest of a good god (assuming they have their holy symbol displayed prominently) over Fighter Bob.

 

[RigaMortus2]

So when using Summon Monster, we can assume the monsters know at least common and can understand orders and directions in common.

Summon Nature's Ally, you might need a Speak with Animals spell active or they would need an Intelligence above 3 in order to communicate with them (in common). I would probably add a good Handle Animal check could also make a nature's ally do what you need them to do.

Summon Undead, if you are an evil character you can command them freely (give them specific directions and such) or again, if they have an Intel of 3 or more, they have common language.

That basically it?

 

[Hypersmurf]

So when using Summon Monster, we can assume the monsters know at least common and can understand orders and directions in common.

Not necessarily - elementals, for example, specify a language that isn't Common... so they don't understand Common.

Summon Undead...

Well, the 'evil masters' quote is specific to skeletons, and might be considered flavour text. Does the Summon Undead text have anything to say on the matter of control?

-Hyp.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Well, the 'evil masters' quote is specific to skeletons, and might be considered flavour text. Does the Summon Undead text have anything to say on the matter of control?

-Hyp.

No it doesn't. It says it functions like Summon Monster, except you summon an undead creature (from a small list provided). The only other thing it mentions is that they don't count against the amount of undead you can control from animate dead, plague of undead, or other command undead abilities.

 

[Jubilee]

I play an aerenal cleric summoner in a current campaign. The GM has been kind enough to allow me to use the summon undead spell as if it were summon undying - my creatures are the same as listed, except they are powered by positive energy rather than negative, and it isn't evil. My cleric believes she is calling upon the "bones of Eberron" to help her complete her mission and powers it with energy summonned from the positive plane.

Since she's all about positive energy, I took "Irial(Irian?)" - the language of the plane of positive energy in Eberron, and I command my summoned undying in that language.

/ali