Spell Focus: Conjuration

[Pielorinho]

Now these are mostly Sor/Wiz spells, is there anything useful for a druid as well (the obvious class choice for Augment Summoning, I suppose)?

I think my list of druid conjurations with saves, in my previous post, is comprehensive. Basically, you get minor benefits with the more-or-less all-purpose wall of stone, fire seeds, and storm of vengeance, and vs. undead you get a benefit with the various cures and heal, and vs. poison-using monsters you get a benefit. The druid all-purpose spells, however -- entangle, flamestrike, magic fang, call lightning, summon nature's ally, etc. -- don't benefit.

Daniel

 

[MeepoTheMighty]

I'm currently playing a Conjurer/Druid with the eventual aim of taking Mystic Theurge. That way, I can use the benefits of Spell Focus with the wizard spells, and Augment Summoning with the mostly superior druid summoning spells. I keep assuring the rest of the party that I'll be powerful eventually

 

[Thanee]

Oops, I must have missed that during my quick reading, Pielorinho. Sorry!

Bye
Thanee

 

[Darklone]

I'm currently playing a Conjurer/Druid with the eventual aim of taking Mystic Theurge. That way, I can use the benefits of Spell Focus with the wizard spells, and Augment Summoning with the mostly superior druid summoning spells. I keep assuring the rest of the party that I'll be powerful eventually

Meepo, play a kobold and try to persuade your DM to use the race as ECL -1

 

[Al'Kelhar]

The druid IMC has Spell Focus: Conjuration and Augment Summoning. As noted by other posters, SF:Conjuration is largely useless for druids except in specific circumstances, but trust me, Augment Summoning in the hands of a druid or other caster of summon nature's ally spells needs a "useless" feat prereq to balance it. Summon nature's ally spells are generally better, level for level, than summon monster spells - in my experience, a level n summon nature's ally is roughly equivalent to a level n+1 summon monster. Augment Summoning doesn't add insult to injury, it adds injury to injury.

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

 

[andargor]

Just as a reference, these are the Conjuration spells from various sources which require a saving throw:

               name                             level                      reference
Avalanche                         Drd 6, Sor/Wiz 6, Earth 6        R&R2
Bed Bug Bites                     Brd 2, Clr 2, Drd 1, Rgr 1, Sor/WR&R2
Beetle Swarm                      Sor/Wiz 5                        R&R2
Bombardment                       Drd 8                            MoF p82
Breath of Death                   Drd 5, Plant 6                   R&R2
Burden of Faith                   Drd 6, Sor/Wiz 5                 R&R2
Call Aquatic Humanoid I           Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 3                 R&R
Call Aquatic Humanoid II          Brd 6, Sor/Wiz 6                 R&R
Call Aquatic Monster              Sor/Wiz 5                        R&R
Chains of Binding                 Sor/Wiz 3                        R&R2
Choke                             Sor/Wiz 2                        T&B p86
Cloudkill                         Sor/Wiz 5                        RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Cobwebs                           Sor/Wiz 1                        R&R2
Cocoon                            Brd 8                            MoF p85
Drown                             Drd 6                            MoF p90
Enduring Webs                     Sor/Wiz 4                        R&R2
Filch                             Brd 0, Sor/Wiz 0                 R&R2
Fire Spiders                      Sor/Wiz 6                        MoF p94
Freezing Claw                     Sor/Wiz 6                        BoEM
Gas Cloud                         Sor/Wiz 3                        R&R
Gembomb                           Gnome 2, Trade 2                 FR p70
Glitterdust                       Brd 2, Sor/Wiz 2                 RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Glue                              Sor/Wiz 1                        R&R
Grease                            Brd 1, Sor/Wiz 1                 RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Ice Knife                         Sor/Wiz 2                        T&B p91
Igedrazaar's Miasma               Sor/Wiz 2                        MoF p101
Incendiary Cloud                  Fire 8, Sor/Wiz 8                RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Iron Butterflies                  Fey 4, Sor/Wiz 4                 R&R2
Maelstrom                         Ocean 8                          FR p72
Magma Burst                       Drd 9, Sor/Wiz 9                 BoEM
Mestil's Acid Breath              Sor/Wiz 3                        MoF p108
Missile Storm                     Sor/Wiz 3                        R&R2
Pillar of Attraction/Repulsion    Sor/Wiz 5                        R&R
Planar Binding                    Sor/Wiz 6                        RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Planar Binding, Greater           Sor/Wiz 8                        RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Planar Binding, Lesser            Sor/Wiz 5                        RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Plane Shift                       Clr 5, Sor/Wiz 7                 RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Poison Vines                      Drd 7                            MoF p111
Sepia Snake Sigil                 Brd 3, Sor/Wiz 3                 RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Slime Wave                        Clr 7, Drd 7                     DotF p89,MotW p93
Spectral Stag                     Clr 2 (Malar)                    MoF p120
Stinking Cloud                    Sor/Wiz 3                        RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Stone Assault                     Clr 8, Drd 7, Earth 7            R&R2
Stonehold                         Drd 6                            MoF p124
Storm of Vengeance                Drd 9, Clr 9                     RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Stun Ray                          Sor/Wiz 1                        Annual #5 p23
Sudden Wave                       Drd 6, Sor/Wiz 6                 BoEM2 p49
Tanil's Spectral Archers          Rgr 3, Sor/Wiz 4                 R&R2
Teleport Object                   Sor/Wiz 7                        RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Tendrils of Eternal Night         Sor/Wiz 9                        R&R2
Trap the Soul                     Sor/Wiz 8                        RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Verminplague                      Destruction 4, Sor/Wiz 4         R&R
Vine Mine                         Drd 5                            MoF p130
Wall of Hornets                   Drd 3                            R&R
Wall of Iron                      Sor/Wiz 6                        RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Wall of Stone                     Adp 5, Clr 5, Drd 6, Earth 5, SorRSRD SpellListII & Spells
Waterspout                        Ocean 7                          FR p75
Web                               Adp 2, Sor/Wiz 2                 RSRD SpellListII & Spells
Web Sphere                        Sor/Wiz 1                        R&R2
Zajimarn's Avalanche              Sor/Wiz 9                        MoF p134

Andargor

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

The druid IMC has Spell Focus: Conjuration and Augment Summoning. As noted by other posters, SF:Conjuration is largely useless for druids except in specific circumstances, but trust me, Augment Summoning in the hands of a druid or other caster of summon nature's ally spells needs a "useless" feat prereq to balance it. Summon nature's ally spells are generally better, level for level, than summon monster spells - in my experience, a level n summon nature's ally is roughly equivalent to a level n+1 summon monster. Augment Summoning doesn't add insult to injury, it adds injury to injury.

I am not seeing it. You may be right about the Augment Summoning bit. But the SNAn critters seem to be usually inferior to SMn equivalents.

A Wolf may be just a bit better than a Celestial Badger, but an Ape is certainly weaker than a Fiendish Ape. Energy resistance, DR, and being able to hit as a magic weapon are nice benefits at higher levels.

Having SR gives a SM critter a chance at cracking through a spell of protection/magic circle or shrug off a spell from a secondary caster. A measly caster level 1 wand of protection from X is 100% foolproof versus most SNA critters -- not so for Summoned Monsters. Furthermore, Summoned Monsters are more likely to have ranged attacks.

I am curious why you believe so strongly SNA is better.

 

[Pielorinho]

Thanks for the great list, andorger!

Ridley, are you using 3.5? In the new rules, druids get their (untemplated) creatures a level or so before anyone else gets their (templated) creatures.

Summon Monster III gets you fiendish/celestial crocodiles, boars, dire badgers, and dire bats, and wolverines. SNA II gets you the untemplated versions of each of these.

When it comes to elementals, SNA is even better: small at II, medium at IV, large at V, huge at VI, greater at VII, and elder at IX. SM gets them all (except for elder) one level later. And here they're getting exactly the same creature, not a templated version of the creature.

Daniel

 

[Ridley's Cohort]

Ridley, are you using 3.5? In the new rules, druids get their (untemplated) creatures a level or so before anyone else gets their (templated) creatures.

Yes. I guess the question is what value you put on SR and DR.

And there is still the nitpicky question of what happens when someone casts Protection from Evil from a 750 gp wand and hedges out your animal completely.

 

[Ferret]

Your fgocusing too much on SM, most animals can pass straight through magic protection things because they lack alignment.