New Summon Monster Question

[Archade]

Hey all,

I was taking the time to look through my Monster Manual IV again, to see what would be good critters for summon monster lists.

Up to this point, I've followed the WOTC discussions how allowing infinitely expanding creatures to summon monster lists is unbalancing. To that end, I've allowed spellcasters to add a custom creature if they can make a Knowledge (the planes) check of DC 20 + the spell level.

Now, looking at MMIV, under Inferno Spiders, it talks a bit about their ability to be summoned by a caster as a Greater Planar Ally, or if it's a cleric with the fire domain, or someone with Knowledge (the planes) 5 ranks, and willing to sacrifice two fire opals worth 200 gp (or some such thing).

Is this the new tack by WOTC, to limit casting? Is this a better way to go than a Knowledge (the planes) check? I'm curious what people think...

 

[Archade]

Hello? Bump?

 

[taliesin15]

Now, looking at MMIV, under Inferno Spiders, it talks a bit about their ability to be summoned by a caster as a Greater Planar Ally, or if it's a cleric with the fire domain, or someone with Knowledge (the planes) 5 ranks, and willing to sacrifice two fire opals worth 200 gp (or some such thing).

Is this the new tack by WOTC, to limit casting? Is this a better way to go than a Knowledge (the planes) check? I'm curious what people think...

not sure what WoTC had in mind with this (or the limit casting angle) , but I must say I think the use of these skills to summon special monsters from the various Planes a sound one--especially since so many of the monsters at the higher levels of this spell grouping are devils, demons, angels, celestials and elementals

one thing I wonder, as an aside, is whether some of the creatures under Summon Nature's Ally wouldn't be possible too--the agrument against that presumably would be that Large Bears and Lions and such are not really Monsters, per se--and actually one could argue the point that beings from the Planes aren't strictly Monsters either, and perhaps a variant spell like Summon Planar Ally should be the title of such a spell, but maybe that's nit-picky...

I tend to see Monsters as being more like Aberrations, some Beasts (Owlbear), Dragons, Giants, Oozes, Undead and Vermin, but that's just my opinion