Summon Monster III and Huge centipedes

[Al'Kelhar]

I'm designing and adventure involving a Conjurer/Alienist (PrC from Tome & Blood NPC. Not surprisingly, he's got the Augment Summoning feat and carries around a lot of Summon Monster spells.

In the course of developing tactics for this guy I have had cause to look at the relative strengths and merits of the various creatures summoned by Summon Monster spells. One that stood out for meaningless melee was the Huge monstrous centipede, which can be summoned using a Summon Monster III. Although its CR is comparable with other creatures on the Summon Monster III table, in fact its stats suggest that it is a more powerful combatant than any of the others, by quite a significant amount, and is more closely related in combat power to the creatures summoned by Summon Monster IV. With +4 to Str and Con from Augment Summoning, and the pseudonatural template from Tome & Blood) in place of the fiendish template, a Huge monstrous centipede is more than a respectable opponent to take on 5th level PCs:

Huge pseudonatural monstrous centipede: Huge Magical Beast (Augmented Vermin, Extraplanar); CR 3; AL NE; HD 6d8+18 (45 hp); Init +2; Spd 40', climb 40'; AC 16* (-2 size, +2 Dex, +6 natural); BAB/Grap: +4/+17; Atk/Full Atk: Bite +7 melee (2d6+7 plus poison); SA Poison, true strike; SQ Alternate form, darkvision 60', DR 5/magic, resistance to acid 10 and electricity 10, vermin traits; SV Fort +8, Ref +4, Will +2; Str 21, Dex 15, Con 16, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 2.
* Attackers suffer a -1 morale penalty to attack rolls when centipede is in alternate form.
Skills & Feats: Climb +13, Hide +2, Spot +4.
SA-Poison (Ex): Bite-Fort DC 16; initial and secondary 1d6 Dex damage.
SA-True Strike (Su): 1/day, single attack gains +20 insight bonus to attack roll; no penalties or miss chance for cover or concealment.

I examined the 3.0 version of the spell, and found that monstrous centipedes were not included in the standard lists at all.

Has anyone else noticed this, or am I missing something?

Cheers, Al'Kelhar

 

[Saeviomagy]

The primary thing about the centipede is that it has no special abilities, and a minimal damage-causing ability (ie - a single attack that does 2d6+7 damage).

A celestial bison (same level) is pretty dangerous too - smaller size, more hit points(47), more damage (1d8+12).

SM IV is pretty bad all told - plenty of utility (lantern archon gives some nice bennies), but no real combat power aside from a celestial lion (5 attacks in a round is quite nice).

 

[Plane Sailing]

SM IV used to be great when the summoned creatures could still teleport - Lantern Archons made excellent messengers or hit and run assailants. Perhaps a bit too good (plus there was the tactic for Lantern Archons to teleport away with enemies stuff). For the best that it was removed, I think.

Probably the best thing about this version is the grappling ability. Most CR5 critters won't like facing up to a +17 grapple check!

 

[Nail]

I play a cleric that specializes in summoning spells. My DM allows me to summon celestial versions of the fiendish creatures, where appropriate. (A solid house rule, I think.)

I've found the SM III list to be good....but not over-powering. The Huge centipide would not be a first choice.

• It's huge, so lots of enemies can attack it at once.
• It's AC is low (16), which means it's ripe for being Power Attacked. Orcish barbarians, anyone?
• It only has one attack: Bite +5 (2d6+4), and that attack doesn't have a high enough bonus to hit consistently.
• It's poison has only a moderate Fort save DC (14), and does Dex damage...good, but not great against my typical opponents.

My favorites of the SM III list are bison (higher Hp), hippogriff, dire bat, or ape (reach and multiple attacks!).

Still, for "crowd control", a Huge centipede wouldn't be bad. Not bad at all. (Remember the DR 5/magic!)

Since your NPC has augment summoning *and* is an alienist, he *should* have better summoning than most! What's the problem?

Finally: Keep in mind that if the players are smart, a 1st level spell will make your summoned monsters worthless: Protection from Evil. (or "from Good" or whatever)

 

[Nail]

Huge pseudonatural monstrous centipede: Huge Magical Beast (Augmented Vermin, Extraplanar); ..... resistance to acid 10 and electricity 10, ...

That should be resistance 5, I think.

 

[Shard O'Glase]

be happy with it while you can SM spells lose there punch quickly, and in a few levels even the highest level spell you can cast will be little more than 1 round distractions in a fight even with your feat and prestige class.

At the higher levels they overly weakened the SM lists in 3.5. Sure get rid of the celestials who could cast any cleric spell as a 14th level cleric or other such sillyness, but everything else was going too far. These spells take 1 round to cast they dang well should be better than any other spell of the same level as is there at best equal to them and frequently weaker.

 

[0-hr]

My DM allows me to summon celestial versions of the fiendish creatures, where appropriate. (A solid house rule, I think.)

[/rant on]

That really shouldn't even have to be a house rule. It is such a glaringly poor design to have three times as many "fiendish" options as "celestial" ones. Whoever made up those tables was clearly of the "Players must be good so let's give all the power/options to the bad guys" mindset. I'm really tired of seeing that lack of design talent flaunted in these products.

If the world really worked like those books, the forces of Light would have been erradicated centuries ago.

Give me a level playing field dammit! (or stop whining when I play an evil character)

[/rant off]

 

[Spatula]

[/rant on]

That really shouldn't even have to be a house rule. It is such a glaringly poor design to have three times as many "fiendish" options as "celestial" ones. Whoever made up those tables was clearly of the "Players must be good so let's give all the power/options to the bad guys" mindset. I'm really tired of seeing that lack of design talent flaunted in these products.

If the world really worked like those books, the forces of Light would have been erradicated centuries ago.

Give me a level playing field dammit! (or stop whining when I play an evil character)

[/rant off]

Wizards and sorcerers can summon anything they like, regardless of their own alignment. As can true neutral clerics. Good clerics have a more limited selection, but are the fiendish choices really that much better than the celestial ones?