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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ZSutherland" data-source="post: 3123434" data-attributes="member: 7638">My major gripe with the spells isn't the casting time, though I don't see that it would make them over-powered to drop to a full-round action, but the book-keeping necessary to really get the full value of this spell.  Keeping the stats for all potentially summoned critters, buffed with augment summoning if you have it (and you should if you're going to use these spells much), etc.  I generally suggest that players keep a notecard with the stat-block for each summoned creature so they don't have to try to look it up in the MM and modify it in their heads to fit various buffs.  Unfortunately, that usually turns my players off completely.As for the specifics of the casting time, I've never really understood the purpose of it.  Given that the monsters summoned (or nature's allies) are pretty weak in comparison to any other party member combatively, their best use in combat is aid ally actions, setting up flanks, and eating enemy damage.  Eventually, some of them have some nice special attacks or special qualities that are situationally useful in combat.  On the other hand, a clever and inventive player can find out of combat uses for some of the creatures that can be immensely useful (like a burrow speed), but these applications aren't really negatively affected by the long cast time, since they're not cast in round-by-round combat.</blockquote>