Summoning Stuff

[Shirt Guy John]

I'm really interested in making summoning (using Summon Monster Spells) more appealing and/or interesting. Here's what I've got so far. Please tell me what you think.

Elemental Summoning(General)
The wizard razes his hands and begins to call a creature into the material plane. The adventurers ready themselves to deal with a fiend from the bowels of the infernal planes. They are sorely suprised when a firey ape apears instead.

Requirements: Augmented Summoning, Knowledge(The Planes) 5 ranks

Benefits: Some summoners perfer creatures from elemental planes over those from other planes. Those with this feat can choose to substitute one of the Elemental templates for any Fiendish or Celestial template on a summoned creature.

Note: A Wizard can choose to take this feat as one of his bonus feats.

Faster Summoning(General)
The sorcerer razes his hands and nearly instantly, a small creature appears before him. It stands dazed for a moment before charging the nearest living opponent.

Requirements: Augmented Summoning, Knowledge(Arcana) 5 ranks

Benefits: The casting time for all Summon Monster spells is reduced to one action. The summoned creature appears where you designate on the round that the spell is cast, however, until the caster's next turn the creature is treated as flat-footed and cannot act or take attacks of opportunity. This first round still counts against the spell's duration

Note: A Wizard can choose to take this feat as one of his bonus feats.

Summoing Basics:
*The summoner can change the Alignment-based template on any creature to match his alignment (ie. Axiomatic for Lawful, Anarchic for Chaotic, Fiendish for Evil, and Celestial for Good). The creature must already have a template on it in the origional listing in the PH. Neutral characters cannot change the template in the aspect for which they are neutral (Good-Evil or Law-Chaos).

*Added Creatures:
Summon Monster I: (Axiomatic/Anarchic/Celestial/ or
Fiendish) Baboon

 

[Vhane]

Shirt Guy John: This one is great definitely needed if you ask me

(Faster Summoning(General)
The sorcerer razes his hands and nearly instantly, a small creature appears before him. It stands dazed for a moment before charging the nearest living opponent.

Requirements: Augmented Summoning, Knowledge(Arcana) 5 ranks

Benefits: The casting time for all Summon Monster spells is reduced to one action. The summoned creature appears where you designate on the round that the spell is cast, however, until the caster's next turn the creature is treated as flat-footed and cannot act or take attacks of opportunity. This first round still counts against the spell's duration )

The other feats are good but this one is pure gold. Good stuff

 

[Shirt Guy John]

Thanks man! I attempt to make new stuff all the time on my own, though usually only for personal entertainment or for comparison, or cause I'm really, really board. I finally decided that I really was serious about this stuff, so I figured I should post it, and see what I got back.

Thanks for the feedback. Even if it is one post.

 

[Limper]

The first feat could be nullified by stating summoned creatures get a template of the casters choice (elemental templates not being really any tougher than others).

I like the second one

Baboons are funny.

 

[Shirt Guy John]

I have a hard time seeing the Elemental templates as equal to the alignment templates. The change of type alone seems to set them apart. Plus the Air template gives a fly speed of 100 ft.- quite a bit of a benefit at early levels I'd think.

 

[Magus_Jerel]

you might consider a feat that allows a character to use the "unique creature summoning" variant rule.

 

[Shirt Guy John]

Good idea, thanks. I'll work on that one.

I was thinking. Elemental Summoning is WAY too underpowered for a feat. Would it be more apropriate to base the availability of alternate templates on the number of ranks the summoner has in Knowledge(The Planes)? That way, I would also allow the Shadow, Pseudonatural, Wood and Cold templates. It would also be nice to grant the option of using the Half- templates with a large enough number of ranks in Knowledge(The Planes).

Still, I don't quite know what limits to put on summoning in general. I know it's supposed to be the more "versatile" spell type in exchange for power, but I don't even see that. Everything in Summon Monster I seems reasonable in relation to each other (everything 1 HD and 1/3-1/2 CR), but at Summon Monster IX, creatures are spread out a bit much, with no aparant standard (HD between 5 and 24, CR between 5 and 14). then again, I didn't look too hard at them.

 

[green slime]

I'm agreeing with Limper here.

Why is having a "Air" dire rat with a speed 100 that much more potent than a fiendish dire rat? In a combat situation it really isn't too much of a hastle, and out of combat, Summons don't last long enough. Or am I missing something else?

Otherwise I think the feats look great.

Rather than just requiring knowledge, you could also require that the character had visited the plane in question, and perhaps struck a deal with a powerful entity there at least for the tougher templates you were wanting to use.

I like the idea of the unique creature summoning feat... Perhaps it grants a unique creature at one spell level lower?

Thus for example you take the feat at 6th level, you could call upon a unique Celestial Lion (usually a Summon Monster IV creature), with Summon Monster III once per day.

 

[Angelsboi]

I always use the varient monster rule =)

 

[Caliber]

For those of us who have no idea what you are talking about, could someone post the variant monster rule, or at least point me to a website? I'm clueless, I know.

A variant I had read about somewhere (which I admit might be what you are talking about, but no point assuming right?) made it so you always summoned the same creature, which was actually a real NPC. The benefit of having the versatility reduced is that the one creature would be able to go up in power somehow or another. I admit this was from a while ago so I am sure I missed some point ...

The summoning feats look really good, although I agree with the others about Elemental templates not being that much better. You mentioned that the type change was a big deal ... doesn't the Fiendish or Celestial template change the type to Outsider?

Either way I like the other ones. Changing the kind of template to fit the caster (ie. Axiomatic, Anarchic, Fiendish, or Celestial by alignment) is defintely a cool idea.